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10 Things You Didn't Know About Blondie and the Brit
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| Blondie and the Brit! |
Suzanne and I have had an incredible nine months working on Blondie and the Brit Podcast together. In celebration of her soon to be relaunched book, The Rejected Writers’ Book Club, I wanted to give her fans a little behind the scenes on the show by diving into her perspective with Ten things you didn't know about Blondie and the Brit.
To learn more about Suzanne and The Rejected Writers' Book Club, her hilarious and heartwarming book that was picked up by Lake Union, an arm of Amazon Publishing, see the end of the post for links to her podcast interview and other stops along her blog tour.
Check out the new cover, it really is quite spectacular. Doesn't it want to make you jump right into the adventure?
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| Buy it here! |
Also, I would like to personally invite you to a party I am hosting to celebrate the launch. It is a facebook party on April 8 called Blondie and the Brit's Book Launch Blast. Please click on the link here to join the fun. (You will need to click join to be part of the party.)
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| Join the facebook party here! |
Here goes!
1. KJ: We have had so much fun working together on the podcast. I’m curious, what is your favorite moment so far?
SK: My favorite moment so far was the very first time I heard the podcast recording on the air and realized we could do this and how much fun it was going to be. Up to the launch it had been a lot of hill climbing and I was beginning to wonder if it was all worth it. Then suddenly we had a show, that was quite a moment. The other times that are the most memorable are when we are laughing so hard at something we have goofed up. Most of the time it doesn’t actually make it onto the regular podcasts but ends up on the blooper reel. Here is the blooper reel if you want to hear the fun.
2. KJ: It really was a magical moment when we were finally live after three months of hard work. And if you haven’t guessed already, Suzanne and I spend a lot of time laughing when we’re together. But, we can’t have the good without the bad so tell us what was your worst moment so far on the podcast?
SK: I think the worst moment so far was the very first interview we did with Munir Bello, not only because I was very nervous but because also I had a lot of weird interruptions that first recording, things I hadn't anticipated, from my cuckoo clock going off, to a barking dog and the yard guy cutting the grass. I ended up spending most of the interview crouched in the bottom of my darkened pantry with the door closed to keep the recording from picking up all the noise. You can listen to that podcast here.
3. KJ: I still can’t believe you went through all of that. You are such a professional you managed to conduct the interview seamlessly – I really had no idea all of that was going on. I was afraid you were going to call me out for my uber blondness and some of the seriously ridiculous moments as a result my affliction. What is it like working on the podcast with a Blonde?
SK: It is so much fun, in fact, that’s how we both get through the more difficult aspects of podcasting. We are both technically challenged, each in our own way, and the technical issues blur went we are laughing so much. I love the fact that we are both very professional but also easy going about things that are out of our control - those things that crop up because life happens. Working alongside a fun, upbeat person who knows how to juggle many things and yet still gets things done. It is my favorite part of working with "the Blonde."
4. KJ: Well thank you for saying all of that. I’ll pay you the fifty bucks later (wink). I apologize in advance for our next snafu as a result of my Blonditude. Let’s move on to some of your favorite fundamentals of the program. In the podcast we have three elements in each episode – writing tips, social media tips, and to finish it off a fun and furious lightning round. Let’s dive right in.
What is your favorite writing tip?
SK: Gosh there are so many great tips and every week we learn something new from one of our authors. If I had to pick one it would be Terry Persun’s interview and his advice about allowing yourself to explore different creative outlets to enrich your writing. I love the way he approached the writing process by basically allowing your creativity to flow unbridled. You can listen to Terry's interview here.
5. KJ: That was a great interview. Terry was so inspirational I think I tackled my writing in a different way after hearing his take on it. Okay, on to your favorite social media tips. This will be a difficult one to narrow down, we’ve had so many great ideas on the show. Which author gave you the best social media tip, and please share with everyone what that outstanding tip was?
SK: Wow that is hard. I think it has to be the last interview we did that hasn’t aired yet with Rachel Thompson from BadRedhead Media, every single thing she had to say was incredibly helpful. The best tip? It has to be her hashtag to promote your blog (not a book for sale) #MondayBlogs is my new take home from her. Here is a bit more on the #MondayBlogs.
6. KJ: Yes, she is a powerhouse of social media savviness. Definitely going to use it on this here blog, eh Suzanne? For those of you who don’t know about #MondayBlogs use this hashtag on twitter to increase your blog’s reach. Just don’t abuse it by selling things, it’s for blogs, not book sales. Okay, I think I know the answer to this one but I have to ask. What is your all time favorite Lightning Round?
SK: It has to be the one we did with JD Lexx. He is such a quick and funny guy to start with that the lightning round was just too much fun. It is worth just listening to his lightning round if you want a good laugh, he was such a very fun upbeat author. You can listen to it here.
7. KJ: Yes, I definitely agree. If I remember correctly he was our guinea pig for the new questions for 2016. He was so quick to and gave such clever answers we threw some of the old questions at him as well. What a blast that was! Speaking of JD, his book Malediction is releasing on March 20th. Please check it out here if you like erotic adventure. (By the way the book cover was created by my book cover business, Blondie's Custom Book Covers. Thanks JD for putting your trust in us!)
Okay, on to the nitty gritty. We both freely admit the podcast is a lot more work that we bargained for, between editing, marketing, interviewing and everything else that requires our attention. What is the one thing you hate the most about the podcast?
SK: It would have to be the time it takes to keep the actual business running. I have to do the newsletter each month, and I’m so technically inept that even the chimp at mail chimp can out-smart me, it takes me so long to do it just because of that.
8. KJ: I always feel for you when you’re working on that beast. Podcast editing doesn’t seem so bad in those moments. Someday we’ll have a lovely PA to do these unloved tasks for us. Give us your vision for the podcast as we finish off our first year together.
SK: My hope is that it will continue to grow and encourage a whole new generation of writers. We have no idea who is listening each week, but it would be wonderful if in ten-years-time we would have someone say they were inspired to write their book because of listening to Blondie and the Brit. How cool would that be?
9. KJ: Wow, I love that! It would definitely be humbling to find that we inspire other writers in their craft and add to their success. I wish I’d had a Blondie and the Brit ten years ago. I might have finished my first book a heck of a lot sooner. Oh wait, I am Blondie, maybe just having the Brit 10 years ago? You know what I mean. What are some of the payoffs you never expected from podcasting?
SK: The biggest payoff has been the relationships we have developed with all the authors we interview. At the beginning we start as strangers and by the end of the recording we have transformed into old friends. With many of them, that relationship continues off the air through social media. I have met so many wonderful and talented writer friends through podcasting we are like this huge Blondie and the Brit family.
10. KJ: I love this family too, Suzanne. It really has surprised me the connection that develops when we spend that hour chatting with our authors. It has been really rewarding to be able to connect on a deeper level with some spectacular people.
Let’s talk about some of the ways the podcast helps authors. I’m really excited to give something back to them after they’ve put their faith in us for the interview.
SK: I think for authors it’s a support system, writing is a lonely pursuit. I like to think that people get to know us and enjoy our crazy fun banter and feel connected with two people who are also just trying to pursue a life as a writer. It also another way to be out there on social media connecting with people in a new and unique way. Even on the difficult days it's all worth it because it gives me so much joy.
KJ: Well said Suzanne. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. I wish you the best of luck launching your book. It has already been a wild success with your prelaunch strategies. Maybe someday you’ll write a book about how to launch a book. (Hint hint)
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Please check out the other posts along the tour!
WordBank Writing & Editing
My World
Blondie In The Water
Blondie In The Water
(You're already here)
Everyone Has A Story
(You're already here)
Everyone Has A Story
Welcome To Authornomics
Welcome To Authornomics
