I'm thrilled today to interview Paula Dombrowiak, author of the Blood and Bone series, the second book of which just released (#1 in its category too!). And you absolutely must read it! In fact, I'm gonna tease you with a few fun quotes below.
I was lucky to talk with Paula about her time as an author. We chatted through how she got started, how she manages her marketing and social media efforts, and what really truly inspires her as a writer. PRO TIP: Follow Paula on TikTok - she's super active there and totally hilarious.
You can find Paula online in all the following places.
Read on for my interview with Paula...
Do you write full time? Are you hoping to? How'd you decide on a timeframe for achieving that?
No, I do not write full-time although sometimes it feels like it. I would eventually like to write full-time but I am a single mom so even if I could make a comparable salary to what I do now with my corporate job, there are other factors at play such as health insurance.
What I am doing is trying to build a future so that at some point when I am close to retirement, I will a) have something that I enjoy to fill my time and b) have extra income so that I am not fully relying on a retirement fund.
Writing started out as a hobby but it became so much more once I published my first book. It is a sense of purpose and enjoyment for me outside of being a Mom and my full time job. It’s an outlet for me creatively and emotionally.
How do you handle social media as an author? What do you prioritize and what platforms do you focus on?
I think of social media as a way of engaging with readers and the book community as a whole. This is a place where I have made friends with readers, reviewers and other authors. I do release parties to support other authors and it helps to get my name and my books in front of readers.
In those parties I focus mainly on getting BookBub and Amazon followers and Newsletter subscribers. In my opinion, those platforms can do more for you as an author. Social Media such as Instagram and Facebook are a way to engage with readers in a genuine way.
Authors have so many responsibilities. What do you handle yourself, what do you outsource, and why?
These are the things I do myself
- Formatting
- Book paid newsletter promotions
- Advertising
- Graphics
- Newsletter
- All of my social media
I do all of these things myself because, some of it can be expensive and I don’t have the money to outsource and some of it is because I like to have control over them, such as my social media. I do all my own posting because I like to engage with readers and it’s the most authentic way for me to be an author.
These are the things I pay professionals for
- Editing
- Book covers
- Author PA (graphics, ARC and Street team mgmt.)
I pay for these because they bring the most value. Editing is so important to be able to put out a quality product that readers will want to read. Book covers are the first thing readers see and draws them into your product. Having a professional cover is key and although some authors are talented enough to create their own, I am not one of them. I have an awesome PA that helps alleviate some of the pressure to create teasers and graphics for upcoming releases and she helps to organize ARC readers and street team which is invaluable because that can be so time consuming.
The ultimate goal is to balance these two out by spending money where you are getting the most value but still maintain control of your brand and having time to actually write. If you are spending all your time on social media and in other area’s, you won’t have time to write and put out another book which is your purpose as an author.
What does your writing schedule look like?
I am not regimented as a writer so I don’t have a schedule but on a typical day, this is what my writing schedule looks like.
Drop my daughter off at school around 7am, drive to local cafe and set up shop where I either write or do some administrative author work.
Then I drive home by 9am, depending on what work meetings I have, and do my day job.
In the evening, when I get done working I apologize to my kids for not making dinner, apologize to my dog for not playing ball with her and try to write. Usually I screw around on social media, perfect my Canva graphic skills to avoid writing and/or editing but then eventually find my quiet time around 8 or 9pm and write until my eyes involuntary start to close around 10:30 or 11pm.
Then I wake up at 5:30am and do it all over again.
On the weekends, depending on what stage of the writing process I am in, I will go to a cafe in the morning so I can concentrate better, write for a couple of hours, come home and write some more throughout the day.
It’s not even remotely balancing my professional, personal or author life. I tend to become obsessed and spend every waking moment doing something book related and forget about my own self care.
My kids are older, teenagers actually, and don’t require too much attention. In fact, they prefer I leave them alone and only come out of their rooms when they need to be fed or watered. Usually they roll my eyes at me when I’m making a TikTok video and interrupt me when I’m writing which is the reason I go to a cafe to write. But, they are extremely supportive and proud.
Any tips for newer authors on how to make their authorship journey a success?
1. The one piece of advice that comes up over and over again is, write. Just keep writing, get a back log of published books and eventually you will start to realize your goals.
2. Focus on having a quality product, good editing, great cover, compelling story.
3. Read. Read as much as you can. Don’t plagiarize but become inspired by those that have come before you.
4. Support your fellow indie authors. This is not a competition. When you lift up others, you lift up yourself.
I'm so thrilled Paula could join me on the blog today. I love the teaser quotes from her second book up above, but here's more detail about it!
Blood & Bone is the first book in this series, and Breath to Bear is the second. You'll definitely want to read book one first, as it's the first half of rocker Jack's story!
You can find them both here on Amazon via Kindle and Paperback. Read on below for the steamy blurb about the second half of this beautiful duet!
If you're an author, and interested in being part of this series–please email me at author@annafury.comso we can set it up!
BLURB:
The world thought Jack O’Donnell was just another egocentric Rockstar, but they were so very wrong. How do I know this? I would be the one to tell his story.
It wasn’t the clear blue of his eyes that held so much pain, or the well-defined forearms of a practiced guitar player that drew me in.
It was his story.
He told me I wouldn’t be able to handle it, that I wouldn’t like the ending. As I sit in a cold metal chair in the basement of a Catholic Church, I know he is right.
I am a journalist. Trained to get the story. He shouldn’t be trusting me with the most vulnerable parts of himself.
But he did.
He’s a ‘90s rock legend, making the tabloids salivate for all the juicy tidbits of his life. He served it up to them with a messy divorce, a devastating loss, and the revolving door of his many rehab stints.
He is a beautiful disaster, his life a train wreck you can’t look away from but there is more to Jack than just the headlines.
The problem is, I’m getting too close. Our connection is undeniable.
What happens when the interview is over?
One Interview
Two Days
Twenty-Five Years of Rock ‘n Roll
*Dear Reader, this story contains some sensitive subjects about abuse, addiction and suicide. Please take care while reading*
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