Author Spotlight - Kianna Alexander
Kianna Alexander is living the dream. She’s been a published author since 2009. Her latest accomplishment is her finished manuscript for the third book in her Sapphire Shores series. The first book was released in December of 2017, and book two just came out in September 2018. Kianna used Novelize to write book three, which is scheduled to be released in May 2019. This interview with her tells you how she did it and offers some tips for aspiring writers, too.
What made you decide to write a novel?
The contractual obligation :-) I've been a published author since 2009.
What is your novel about?
It's the last in a series of 3 island set contemporary romances. The hero, Savion, is a straight-laced businessman with a secret passion he's hiding from most everyone in his life. The heroine, Jazmin, is a post-production supervisor on the set of a television show, and she's got secrets of her own.
Tell us about your writing process. How often did you write, and how did you make time for working on your novel?
I write as often as I can - generally every day. I tend to block out three or more hours to write, during which I write for 25 minutes, then take five-minute breaks (the Pomodoro method.) Often, I'll skip the breaks if a scene is really flowing. I have two very active children, a husband and a household to run, but writing is my sole career and income, so it takes precedence over most things. I rarely watch television, preferring to direct that time to fitness, reading, or spending with my family.
Do you have plans for other novels?
LOL, yes. I've published 35 books thus far (indie and traditional), am under contract for 3 more, and am seeking publication for countless more stories. I have far more ideas than time to pursue them all.
Will there be a sequel to your novel?
Technically, no. This is a series ender, but there will be a tie-in book. Troy, the cousin who's visiting during this book, will be the hero of my next book.
How did you hear about Novelize?
I was searching for an efficient way to draft my manuscripts without the worry of losing data or having to write several versions, and I saw the link to Novelize on the RWA {Romance Writers of America} website and decided to check it out.
How did Novelize help you write your novel?
The main draw for me was the cloud backup. I'm terrible about remembering to do backups, and about having 99 versions of the same manuscript. This takes that worry off my shoulders. I also love that each scene is its own file and that I have so many places to save my research links, images, and all that jazz. It's helped me migrate a lot of things that I would normally have in a binder online.
Do you have any tips for other writers who are just getting started with their first novel?
Writing is something you learn with practice so write as often as you can. Also, remember that first drafts are supposed to be awful, that's why editors exist. Stop worrying about perfection and just get the words down- it will get fixed later.