Interview with Alison Bruce, co-author of Deadly Dozen

Alison Bruce has an honours degree in history and philosophy, which has nothing to do with any regular job she’s held since. A liberal arts education did prepare her to be a writer, however. She penned her first novel during lectures while pretending to take notes.

Alison writes mysteries, romance, westerns and fantasy. Her novels include Under a Texas Star, a western romantic suspense, and Deadly Legacy, a suspense thriller. Her protagonists are marked by their strength of character, the ability to adapt (sooner or later) to new situations and to learn from adversity.

Copywriter and editor since 1992, Alison has also been a comic book store manager, small press publisher and web designer in the past. She currently manages publications for Crime Writers Canada and is a volunteer with Action Read Family Literacy Center. A single mother, she lives in Guelph, Ontario with her two children, Kate and Sam.

www.alisonbruce.ca

www.alisonebruce.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/alisonebruce

About the Book:

The DEADLY DOZEN Book Bundle contains 12 complete mystery/thriller novels by award-winning and international bestselling authors: Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Catherine Astolfo, Alison Bruce, Melodie Campbell/Cynthia St-Pierre, Gloria Ferris, Donna Galanti, Kat Flannery, Jesse Giles Christiansen, Rosemary McCracken, Susan J. McLeod, C. S. Lakin and Linda Merlino.

THE BRIDGEMAN by Catherine Astolfo

DEADLY LEGACY by Alison Bruce

A PURSE TO DIE FOR by Melodie Campbell & Cynthia St-Pierre

CHEAT THE HANGMAN by Gloria Ferris

A HUMAN ELEMENT by Donna Galanti

LAKOTA HONOR by Kat Flannery

PELICAN BAY by Jesse Giles Christiansen

SAFE HARBOR by Rosemary McCracken

SOUL AND SHADOW by Susan J. McLeod

INNOCENT LITTLE CRIMES by C. S. Lakin

ROOM OF TEARS by Linda Merlino

DIVINE INTERVENTION by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

With an individual list price total of more than $45.00 and over 640 reviews collectively on Amazon.com, the DEADLY DOZEN Book Bundle is a value-packed, rollercoaster thrill ride that takes you from amateur sleuth to detective to paranormal to ancient mysteries set in intriguing worlds and so much more.

For More Information

• Deadly Dozen is available at Amazon.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Q: Welcome to Beyond the Books, Alison. Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?

I have two novels and a novella published to date with a third novel due out later this year. I’ve also been published in four anthologies… not including the Scarborough College poetry collection I managed to get into even though I wasn’t a student there at the time.

Q: When you were published for the first time, which route did you go – mainstream, small press, vanity published or self-published and why or how did you choose this route?

My first novel, UNDER A TEXAS STAR, was published by Imajin Books, a small press, traditional publishing house. I decided to go to smaller companies after going to a presentation on the challenges of getting published.

The first hurdle to overcome is getting someone to read your manuscript. That is much easier if you can make a personal contact. I started networking with publishers and authors and just happened to be in the right place at the right time for Imajin Books’ debut.

Q: How long did it take you to get published once you signed the contract?

Less than six months. It was a whirlwind and unlike anything I expected. Cheryl Tardif wanted Imajin Books to hit the market with a splash and I was the first one cannonballing off the board.

Q: How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

I’ve been writing professionally for years but my dream of being a novelist always seemed to be just out of reach. Having it come true was a bit surreal at first, especially since my book came out in Kindle before paperback. When I held the paperback copy in my hands for the first time, I was dancing with excitement. I kept going back to the box to make sure they were really there.

Q: What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

That’s tough because it seemed to me that I was doing a bunch of stuff all at once. I know that looking for reviewers to read my ARC was pretty close to the start of the process. Long before I was published I had started to build my social networking platform. That got used early on too, sending out teasers, doing a cover poll…

Q: Since you’ve been published, how have you grown as a writer and now a published author?

I think every book I write is a little better than the last. I hope that trend continues. Since I am also an editor, I think I’ve generally worked well with my editors and not caused them undue headaches. The process definitely gets smoother over time.

Perhaps the biggest change is that I’m learning what I like to write. I’m a multi-genre writer (and reader) but I have a particular voice. I can write almost anything, but writing true to that voice is the most satisfying.

Q: What has surprised or amazed you about the publishing industry as a whole?

I’ve never suffered from the Cinderella Complex so far as men are concerned, but I did have one regarding publishers. I imagined a publisher sweeping me off my feet, turning my book into a bestseller and all I’d have to do is smile and start writing the next book.

The reality is closer to Cinderella having to work with the palace staff and still do the princess stuff while designing her next ball gown and making sure the mice are fed and the pumpkin doesn’t go bad.

Q: What is the most rewarding thing about being a published author?

Whenever the pumpkins get me down I remind myself that I AM A FREAKIN’ PUBLISHED AUTHOR BABY. That’s what I’ve wanted since I sent my first story to a magazine. It’s mine now.

Q: Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

Don’t do it unless you love it. But if you do love it, don’t give up. Learn more. Do more. Keep going.