Interview with Renata Barcelos!

 A warm welcome to guest author, Renata Barcelos and her pshycological thriller, Mean!
 

 

 

AM: What inspired you to become a writer?

RB: I always liked to tell stories. I have ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder. Therefore, a very creative mind. Writing seemed absolutely natural ever since I learned how to. I still have some books I wrote and illustrated when I was six or seven years old. The funny thing is that dark themes were always my choice. I have a book I wrote for a school project on second grade about a city consumed by fire after a criminal attack! My teacher loved it, but I think she was a little worried about me...

Other than writing, is there anything else you'd rather be doing?

Well, I always dreamed of being an internationally famous singer, like Shakira. There’s just one little problem, though... my voice. I think it’s better to everyone if I stick to writing..

When did you get serious about writing?

I had some poems and short stories published in anthologies and magazines in Brazil, but things here are pretty difficult for writers. I tried the traditional route in Portuguese and never even heard back from the publishers (I still have three finished books in Portuguese, waiting to be translated). Everything changed when I started writing in English. Some years ago I entered a blog based writing contest and had very good feedback from readers. But it was just this year that I finished “Mean”, my novelette and decided to self-publish through Amazon KDP. The great reviews I received pushed me to finally finish a whole novel, that I’m going to release probably in November. I'm already working on another one.

What is your viewpoint of the current trends going on in the publishing world?

I think the publishing world nowadays is amazing, and I am so thankful to live in this time where we can reach our readers in so many different ways. Authors can decide which route they prefer – traditional or self-publishing, and readers can choose what they prefer to read from a much wider range. The only thing I don’t understand is the rivalry some authors have among one another. In my humble opinion, there’s room to everybody who has a good, polished work to present, and all of us can gain with the revolution. As a reader, I never cared about how a book was published, as long as I can loose myself in a great story.

How has that affected how you went about publishing?

As I said, I tried the traditional route here in Brazil and it didn’t work for me. Now, however, I’m thankful it didn’t. I truly believe self-publishing is tailor-made for me. I’m a control freak with my work, and I love to do every single thing on the process. I enjoy editing (with the precious help of my two editors, who I adore by the way and can indicate to anyone), formatting, choosing the cover, marketing, etc. It’s a pleasure for me to know that I’m responsible for every step of my book.

That means I’m having a wonderful time working on my next novel – My Sore Hush-a-bye.

Please, tell us about your book.

‘Mean’ is a psychological thriller (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008DCVATM) that follows Cassandra Connelly's therapy sessions. She seeks help because she believes she’s mean inside and that someone she truly hates deserves to die. She’s thinking of killing said person, and will tell the psychiatrist why during her sessions, to decide whether to kill or continue hiding her true self. Cassandra talks to the therapist, but she could be talking to the reader who, like the psychiatrist, will be left wondering who's the person she wants to kill and why till the end.

My Sore Hush-a-bye, my soon-to-be-released novel, tells the story of an abused and bullied girl. I don't want to say more because I'm so involved in this project right now I'm afraid I might spoil the readers... Myself in blue, my current work in progress, will tell the story of Sunday Morning, the daughter of a famous singer. She has terminal cancer and returns home to make amends with her past before her time comes.

Is there anything else you'd like to add before we wrap things up?

Yes. Please, readers, help your favorite authors. You have no idea how much a review means to us. It helps both readers and writers, and you can make an author’s day by reviewing a book, or simply by sharing that you bought it.

Where can people find you on the web?

Please visit my blog, I'd love to have you there. You will find everything about me (maybe even more than you asked for!) there: www.renatafbarcelos.wordpress.com