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Rhonda Eichman
Well, it's been quite a week for us. I'm thrilled that it's nearly the weekend! But, I do love Fridays, because I get to post another interview!
About a month ago, I was able to interview Rhonda Eichman. According to her website, she has "always been passionate about storytelling and impressed by the influence it has on people and the decisions they make in life. She loves engaging with the projects she works on, diving head-first into the research, investigation, and production of stories she feels are worth writing about. She is a curious and proactive Author, interested in preserving the foundations set by classical literature and adapting them to Historical romance. Read her interview below.
AJ: How many books have you written and in what genre would you classify your works?
RE: I have completed my first novel Bargain on the Prairie and am working on the second, Horsethief Canyon. DWB Publishing will release my first novel in October of this year. They have the first right of refusal on the second one. Both are classified as Historical novels.
AJ: What inspired you to write your first book? Can you tell us about it?
RE: I love the Kansas prairie where I live. The first novel is set in the mid 1800's on the western side of the state just before the civil war. The second one picks up after the civil war. The heroine is Annette DeSelvaine, a strong willed young woman from New Orleans. The hero is Cole Waldren, a cattle rancher, equally strong willed. When boy meets girl, they learn what it takes to survive in a new territory. They face challenges from the weather, mountain lions, and getting their cattle to market. They also accept and give help to their neighbors who are all like these two starting out in life.
AJ: Tell us a little about your writing process. Do you work from an outline, or do you prefer to see where the story leads you?
RE: I write without an outline but I know where the story is going before I type a single word. No outline lets me be flexible and drop in unexpected turns.
AJ: Have you had much success in marketing and selling your books? If so, what tips could you give fellow writers who haven't been as blessed?
RE: I've never sold anything before except some articles in the 80's to Kansas Magazine about the prairie.
AJ: Do you have any interesting writing quirks? If so, how does it help your writing?
RE: Don't know if they are quirks or not but I can write two or three chapters at a time, then pick up again a week later. I write when it strikes me with no schedules, no set times.
AJ: Do you see writing as a career? Or, is this just a hobby?
RE: Until I see what my sales are, it's just a hobby. I will continue to write whether or not I have much luck with sales.
AJ: What is your goal, or mission, as a writer?
RE: To have a marketable series of historical fiction about the old West selling on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
AJ: Who, or what, inspires your writing?
RE: No one person, I've been writing since I was a teen. I threw most of it away but kept this last one and sold the publishing rights to DWB Publishing.
AJ: What has been the toughest criticism you’ve received as an author? And the best compliment?
RE: My editor said 'there's just something about it' when she asked me to do specific grammar corrections. Most editors would have kicked me to the curb with my bad grammar, but she stuck with me and I got it all corrected. She believed I had something.
AJ: What social media outlets have you used to reach your readers? And, which ones have you found to be the most successful?
RE: Facebook and a website. Facebook is getting good responses. A few people have liked the website but the fb page is far outproducing interest over the website.
AJ: How can readers discover more about you?
RE: You can find me on Facebook and my Website. On the website, click 'learn more' to read an excerpt from my book and soon there will be a couple of guest blog posts under the second 'learn more' tab.
If you'd like to find or follow Rhonda on her social sites, click on any of the above links.
