Carol Beth Anderson

INTRODUCING

CAROL BETH ANDERSON

Hi Beth!

I have a few questions for you to answer, as you are able.

Question #1:

Do you allow your family to read your work, prior to publishing it?

Yes. My kids do if they want to. My husband doesn’t read my stuff; it’s not his genre. He supports me in so many other ways, and that works well for us. I don’t think we should ever expect family or friends to be our readers. They should support is in whatever way works best in that relationship.

Mine read one of my books. I’ve never asked him to do it again lol.

1

Okay, question #2:

You like to perform! Do you do it often?

Ha! That’s funny (about your husband). I don’t perform often anymore. My degree is in theatre, and as an adult I did community theatre for a few years. I did one play after my kids were born, and the evening rehearsals were too much. One of these days I’d like to do another play, but my kids are at ages where their schedules are crazy, and I don’t want to add one more intensely committed activity into the mix. Here’s the cool thing, though. There’s this part of me that comes alive when I’m acting. It’s a piece of me that used to go dormant when I wasn’t acting. When I started writing books...that element of my soul came alive again. It’s been wonderful to discover that I can feed my creativity in a way that works with my family life. I do still do a little public speaking, such as doing the welcome and closing statements at some of our church services. Even though public speaking isn’t the same as acting, it has a lot of similarities. Maybe instead of saying I love performing, I should’ve said I love being onstage, whether I’m playing a character or being me. To 90 percent of people, that’s super weird. The other 10 percent totally gets it!

I love this! Theater degree, here, as well. I find directing shows and writing stories to be very similar

Last question:

You are very much by choice an indie writer. How did that begin?

I'd forgotten that you had a theater degree! I think we've chatted about that though. Funny thing is, I don't really like directing. Managing fictional characters is way easier! When I decided to write a book, I knew very little about indie vs. traditional publishing. I started Googling, and I came across two incredible resources: the book Write. Publish. Repeat. by Platt & Truant and the Facebook group 20Booksto50K. Those two resources not only convinced me to try indie publishing; they gave me the tools I needed to do it well. Indie publishing fits my personality. I'm entrepreneurial and have been for years. I enjoy marketing. I love the flexibility and opportunities associated with being indie. That being said, I'm keeping my options open. Right now, I'm leaning towards continuing as an indie for a while longer to see if I can really become successful at it. I hate to "give up" all I've learned by switching paths. I haven't made a final decision, though. I could end up querying after I finish this current series, especially if I come up with an idea that feels really exciting and solid.

Beth, you’re such an inspiration!

Thank you for taking the time to do this!

(And your patience with my slowness)

You were patient with MY slowness! This was fun, thanks!

STANDARD TWEEP TATTLER QUESTIONS:

1) Where do you live?

I live in a suburb of Austin, TX.

2) What is the first thing you remember writing?

In second grade, I wrote a poem called “Rain” and got it published in some sort of little newsletter or something. I was very, very proud. In fact, I still remember the poem.

Rain

I love to splash in puddles

I love to run in the rain

I love to open my umbrella

It’s just like a game

Rain helps things grow

As you probably know

And this has  been a long enough poem

So I think I’ll have to go

Needless to say, I really should have quit after the first stanza.

3) Why do you write?

Creating makes me feel more alive. And finding readers who love my words is so gratifying.

4) Have you published any of your work?

Yes! I have 4 published novels, 1 novella, and 1 collection of Twitter microfiction that I'm particularly fond of.

5) What are you currently writing?

I'm about 80-85% through with the first draft of The Vine Eater, Book 2 of The Magic Eaters Trilogy.

6) Are you currently querying?

No. I'm trying to decide if I want to stay %100 indie or want to try querying. I've always been indie by choice and have very mixed emotions about entering the querying waters.

7) Finish this sentence (three lines or less):

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT…

When the lightning hit my outstretched hands, it made me new and old.

Dead and alive.

Something far more and far less than human.

8) Which activities do you like to participate in, in the Twitter writing community (VSS365, etc.)?

#vss365, #SatSplat, #LilLuvStory, and lots of daily games that encourage me to share bits of my books! I find daily games through the @writevent account on weekdays and the @SuperheroSat account on weekends.

9) Do you have any formal training/education for writing?

I took one creative writing class in college!

10) Do the people in your life know that you write?

Yes. I don't use a pen name (though I do use my full name, but use my middle name in real life).

11) Tell me about the people in your life. Family? Pets?

My husband Jason and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary. We have a daughter in 8th grade and a son in 6th, plus an 11th-grade exchange student from France. We have the sweetest miniature schnauzer ever and a bunch of fish.

12) Where do you wish your writing to take you?

Ugh, this one is so hard! I'll be honest; I have an achievement personality, so my first inclination is to want my writing to take me to great heights where I make tons of money and sell millions of books. The problem is, with an achievement personality, it's easy to feel that whatever I achieve is never enough. Lately, in an effort to grow personally and be more content, I've been focusing on truly being grateful for every single reader. My mantra has been, "I will be grateful for what I do have instead of regretting what I don't have." 

Keeping that in mind...I want my writing to continue taking me into readers' lives. I want them to  read my words and enjoy them. And I want to truly appreciate the privilege of being invited into their imaginations.

Do I want more readers than I have now? Sure. But I also want to appreciate what I have at any  given time.

13) What did you expect when you joined the Twitter writing community? Did it turn out as expected?

At first, I was really focused on posting quotes from the books I was writing. It was definitely a marketing focus (and it wasn't working all that well!) I didn't actually realize there was a true writing community where people supported each other. Once I started getting to know people, promoting my books became less important. That shift was vital. I think it's important to keep a "community-first mindset" instead of a "sales-first mindset," and I'm glad I figured that out before I made a total jerk of myself.

Do I promote my books on Twitter? Absolutely. But the people in the writing community became important to me as people before I ever published. I have plenty of Twitter friends who don't read my genre. They won't ever be part of my true customer base. I love it that way. I appreciate the sales I get from people on Twitter, but I want to value relationships over sales.

I had no idea there was a microfiction community, either. Once I discovered #vss365 (and similar hashtag games), microfiction ended up being my main way of connecting with other writers on Twitter!

That was a very pleasant surprise.

And as I said above, I'm achievement oriented. So, despite everything I said about relationships,

I do have to consciously focus on what's important on Twitter...and remind myself not to over-market my writing.

14) Where do you write?

Usually at my desk in my home office. Sometimes I go to Starbucks or write elsewhere at my house.

15) How much time do you dedicate to writing, weekly?

It varies greatly because, as an indie author, I do so many activities that aren't actually writing. I spend most my kids' in-school hours working on writing, editing, recording audiobooks, marketing, and any number of other activities (including, yes, Twitter!)

16) Do you have other talents?

I like making sourdough bread. I knit. I love public speaking and acting.

17) CHOOSE ONE:

1. I do not mind when other writers ask for advice.
2. I’d rather keep to myself! 

A.
I love when other writers ask for advice! Seriously, sharing what I've learned about indie publishing is my jam. (And I'm gonna keep that phrase there even if it makes me look old.) I've got a whole blog series on my website where I share resources with other authors.

ABOUT BETH

Carol Beth Anderson is a native of Arizona and now lives in Leander, TX, outside Austin. She has a husband, two kids, a miniature schnauzer, and more fish than anyone knows what to do with. Besides writing, she loves baking sourdough bread, knitting, and eating cookies-and-cream ice cream.

Author Website:  carolbethanderson.com Facebook:  Carol Beth Anderson
Instagram:  @CBethAnderson
Twitter:  @CBethAnderson


Beth's Books on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=carol+beth+anderson&ref=nb_sb_noss_2