Author Interview - Teresa Morgan & Smashwords Coupon!

Today, I am excited to introduce to you a new writer on the self-publishing scene. Her name is Teresa Morgan and she just self published her new novel, Cinderella and the Sheikh.

Teresa is responsible for our delectable Man Candy Monday, Brooks Johnson.
She recommended him to me and now I am repaying the favor and recommending her highly pleasurable book. 
 

Come join me in a chat with Teresa. At the end of this interview you will have the chance to purchase Cinderella and the Sheikh through Smashwords with a special coupon!

 Describe the genre of this particular title, and is the only genre you write in?

It's a sheikh romance. I'm always happy when I can write that instead of say it. People always think I'm saying 'chic'. It is true that it's pretty chic, but Cinderella and the Chic is a different book entirely.

 

My book's full of glamor, romance, and fantasy. I like to be swept away to new and exciting worlds, so that's what I aim to give my readers.

When did you start writing toward publication?

About seven years ago, I took a romance novel writing course with the amazing Joyce Sullivan, who writes great Harlequin Intrigues. Before that, I dabbled.

I wrote a pretty decent YA in my final year of university and like an idiot, I didn't try to get it published and stopped writing for five years.

Did you have several manuscripts finished before you sold? If so, did you send them out yourself?

I haven't actually sold... I've published myself, which has been a great decision for me so far (A whole five weeks in...). I finished six and a half manuscripts. (The half is because I converted one of my adult manuscripts to a YA.) I'm working on number seven.

I've got one paranormal romance, one regency urban fantasy, Cinderella and the Sheikh, and three young adult paranormal comedies. I got my agent two and a half years ago. We're shopping the YA stuff right now.

By the time I got my agent, I had already sent Cinderella and the Sheikh everywhere it could go. I was watching a certain epublisher for it, hoping they would concentrate on non-erotica. It would have looked very good at that publisher.

In the end, I didn't hear about people making very much money at that publisher unless they were writing erotica. So I decided to go the alternative publishing route. 

Why have you become a self-published author?

A lot of people are self-publishing now because of the stories of Amanda Hocking and Julianne MacLean. That's not what convinced me to do it. It was the smaller stories, the little reports of people just like me who were doing very well even if their books weren't setting the world on fire.

Sheikh books are a niche market. I don't think I would ever have Amanda Hocking-style success with Cinderella and the Sheikh ;). But there are people out there who love sheikh books like I do. I knew Cinderella and the Sheikh could stand beside any other sheikh book and hold its own, so I decided to go for it.

All authors need to have a head for business, marketing savvy and be able to write great books. If you're going to self-publish, you need to have some extra skills. You need to have an eye for design to critique your cover, you need to understand your target market, and you need to be able to write insanely good cover copy. I have some marketing experience and a critical eye, so I felt confident I could go it on my own for this book.

Do you have any rejection stories to share?

I have a rejection letter framed in my living room, sitting on my mantle.

When I had my phone interview with my agent--before she was my agent--she asked, "So, why did you query me when I rejected Strange Academy?"

I told her that it was just business and I'd never take that personally. The truth? I was working from a new list and didn't even remember. After we agreed to work together, I went upstairs and dug out her rejection letter (form letter, btw). I took it out and got it framed. 

It's a rejection letter from the woman who became my agent for a book she now represents. I knew I would still have a lot of rejection to go through, so I put it in my living room to remind me that "No thank you for me right now". truly means "No thank you for me right now."

What's your routine like?

I work most weekends--in the morning from my coffee shop, in the afternoon from home, with BBC's Pride and Prejudice miniseries on in the background. 

I'm less good at coming home from my job and working on weekdays, but I'm starting to change that.

What sort of promo do you do? Do you have help?

I haven't done a lot of promo so far. Self-publishing sets you free from outside pressure to make the book a success for your publisher so you can get another contract. 

Instead, I wrote another novella last weekend. It's called "Handcuffed to the Sheikh," and it'll be out next month. I really had a lot of fun writing that story just for myself, not worrying about fitting in to a Harlequin line.

Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?

I'm not sure I have achieved my goal. When you get a contract with a publisher, that's a true accomplishment. But self-publishing is a little different. You don't get a contract. No one says, "Yes, your book is good enough to be published." You don't pass any kind of gatekeeper, you simply format your document properly, and the Amazon engine accepts it.


The real success of self-publishing comes later (if at all). It comes when X number of people have bought your book (You decide what "X" is), or you get a glowing review from a stranger. The act of publishing itself is part of the process instead of a hurdle to be conquered.

Are you a member of any writing organizations and, if so, have they helped?

I'm a member of the RWA, my local RWA chapter and the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal RWA chapter. The FF&P critique group was awesome in reading my sheikh book!

Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract or wishing to get started in e-publishing?

Self-publishing is a good option for some. Of course, there's no guarantee of success (but it's hard to fail when your investment is $115 for a cover!). Personally I'd never self-publish a book that hasn't been everywhere in New York it could possibly go, but that's my choice and others might have a different opinion.

If you feel a strong pull toward self-publishing, it's probably a good option for you. However, the biggest mistake writer can make is putting out a book that isn't ready. There's no better way to sink your career. And self-publishing makes that option stupidly easy.

What’s next for you?

I'm finishing up the Handcuffed to the Sheikh novella, and then I'm going to head back to writing YA for a while. I'm considering self-publishing a YA manuscript and some non-fiction based on my popular Demon of the Week blog at Teresa Wilde 

I love self-publishing, and if New York came knocking on my door tomorrow, self-publishing would still be part of my publishing mix.

Thanks for having me today. I'd like to give your readers a present: 

If they'd like to read Cinderella and the Sheikh for $1.49, they can go to Smashwords and enter this coupon code at checkout: PR49R.
(Valid until May 31) - direct author link.

A little bit about the author:
I grew up in a cold, wet country, dreaming of the desert. At an early age, I was exposed to the 1001 Arabian Nights, and that was it for me. The exotic tales of magic and romance imprinted on my brain, ensuring I would never be the same.

I've been to Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and Morocco. A few of the incidents in Cinderella and the Sheikh actually happened (sort of).

I love to hear from readers almost as much as I love sheikh romances.
Email me at teresamorganauthor@gmail.com

Book Blurb:
She's about to get charmed...

Libby Fay's safe little life as a waitress at a posh New York boutique hotel implodes when Sheikh Rasyn Al Jabar, black-eyed and seductive, crashes into her world and swears that he loves her.

The powerful sheikh will do anything to prevent becoming the ruler of his North African homeland, including marrying a woman who is inappropriate to be queen. When he sees the beautiful, bubbly waitress, he knows that she is the perfect wife to help him avoid the throne—all he has to do is make her fall in love with him.

All her life, Libby has longed for the same loving, equal partnership her parents had—something she couldn't possibly have with a forceful sheikh who ignores all her objections. But Rasyn seems to be able to charm her into anything, including his bed. Soon, she finds herself on a plane to Abbas, transported into a fairy tale come true.

Unfortunately, for Libby, a Cinderella is the last thing this Prince Charming wants.

Excerpt~

The happiness of one woman was a small sacrifice compared to the fate of a country...

Sheikh Rasyn ibn Bakr ibn Rahman al Jabar watched her tuck a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear. Even from across the crowded lobby of Hotel Scheherazade, even separated from her by the glass wall that divided the café from the hotel, she drew his awareness to every move of her lush body. The busy porters and smartly dressed guests bustling around him faded like smoke as he watched her.

Even from here, Rasyn could see the gray-haired gentleman sitting at her table was dazzled by her too-wide smile. He snuck a glance down her generous cleavage when she set his meal in front of him, as Rasyn wished to do.

Rasyn folded the paper he'd been pretending to read across his knee, taking care not to smudge the ink onto his Alexander McQueen suit. She was lovely; he had to admit, even to his critical gaze. Lovely enough to tempt any man into making a fool of himself. No doubt, she thought herself too fat, but who could explain Western standards of beauty, with their skeletal models and anorexic actresses? Her breasts would spill over his hands as he ran his thumbs over her nipples. Her lush backside would press against him as he gathered her to his hardened body.

A ripple of guilt threatened his resolve. Of course, she had done nothing to deserve what he would do to her. However, for the good of all Abbas, he had to act. His cousin Imaran belonged on the throne, despite Uncle Anwar’s inclinations. And it had to be soon. His uncle's illness loomed over Abbas like a shroud. The threat of the country devolving into tribal factions fighting over the succession was very real. Securing Imaran's rise to power meant proving his own unworthiness. If that meant seducing an uninvolved woman, so be it. The alternative meant people would die. He would ensure her pleasure, at least. And when they divorced, enough material compensation to ensure she never had to wait tables again. Perhaps even a degree of celebrity.

Across the lobby, she laughed at something the old man said. Her smile transformed her face from mere beauty to that of an exotic houri. She was perfect for his needs. He'd come to Manhattan intending to find an ordinary woman to seduce. But as soon as he'd seen this one,
with shining ruby glints in her hair and eyes as green as an oasis,  he'd forgotten all thoughts of plain women. He knew that she wasn't immune to him, either. The second they'd locked eyes, nearly a week ago, she'd dropped a tray of drinks, scattering liquid and shards of glass across the floor.

That's when he'd chosen her. She was beautiful, tempting, and vulnerable to him. No one would wonder why he fell for her. Perhaps her clumsiness would become an asset. And she resisted him. It had been too long since he'd had a challenge. By avoiding him and hiding behind her veil of politeness, she sharpened his appetite for her. 

He'd never had a problem convincing people of the rightness of his own point of view or convincing women to share his bed. If she'd fallen into his arms like other women had, he wouldn't have minded, of course. And he would have treated her with the same respect he'd treated them. But her refusal to acknowledge his charm showed strength of character he admired.

Yes. He smiled inwardly. She was perfect. Beautiful. And oh-so common.

You can buy Teresa Morgan's book through these sellers:
Amazon.com || Smashwords: