Barbara Winkes in the Author Spotlight

Barbara Winkes, author of Spring Fever joins me in the author spotlight.  Spring Fever started out as Barbara’s 2012 NaNoWriMo project.

 NaNoWriMo is an annual novel writing project that takes place throughout the month of November. Professional and amateur writers from all over the world come together for this project. Winkes’ 2012 participation was the only time, so far that, she lost. She learned from the experience that NaNoWriMo has to be a brand new project. “A book that is part of a series, where you have to pay close attention to details already established, is better written outside if November.”

I am pleased to welcome Eternal Press’ top selling author today.  Hi Barbara!  Please tell us a little bit about the book you wrote.

Spring Fever is the third book in a lesbian romance series. Those labels can be tricky, because they generate certain expectations, but we also need them for our audience to find them. In the first book, Autumn Leaves, Rebecca a married mother of two, fell in love with her new neighbor. Winter Storm and Spring Fever explore the continuation of their relationship against the backdrop of a small town scenery, with the seasons presenting a metaphor for the events. If you have read the first two, you know it’s been a rocky road for Callie and Rebecca. They will still face challenges in book 3, but they have also learned how to deal with adversity and find strength in their love.

Do characters invade your head the moment you stumble on a new writing idea?  If so, how long did you fear that you’d gone insane before realizing this is the norm for writers? I also have a Master’s degree in psychology and worked in the job, so I actually never had that fear! The truth is I’ve been making up stories since before I was able to write. I never stopped to think whether that was in any way weird.

What would you say is the most challenging part of writing a book? Seeing it through to the end, go as deep with the characters as you possibly can, and keep that connection throughout. Starting a new book is always fun. I have little fear of the blank page. The polishing afterwards, sometimes gives me anxiety, because you have to let it go at some point. 

Did you conduct any kind of research in order to write this book (visit certain locales, etc.)? I read many political articles (and the comments, even though sometimes, it would be better not to). That has given me a lot of insight into the way some of the characters are viewing the world. A part of book 4 of the romance series takes place in Italy. I’ve been to some of the places, but did some internet research as well.

Tell me about the publishing process. Was it easier or more difficult than you thought it would be? Since the first two books of the series, Autumn Leaves and Winter Storm, are already published with Eternal Press (plus the standalone thriller, Secrets), I was hopeful, but the feeling after you hit “send” on a submission is always the same. It only gets better once you have the answer!

Where can readers find your books?

Eternal Press: http://bit.ly/16MydqO

Amazon: http://amzn.to/17PuTe0

For the rest of Barbara Winkes’ interview, hop over to www.writergirlkatie.wordpress.com. 

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Would you like to step into the Author’s Spotlight?  Contact Katie McKnight at www.katie-mcknight-author.com or www.facebook.com/katiemcknightauthorpage.