Celina Grace, Professional member of ALLi
Don't let British indie author Celina Grace‘s succinct answers to our interview questions fool you – she's a hugely prolific and proudly indie author of multiple series of mystery and thriller novels and has clearly mastered the formula for writing and self-publishing reader-pleasing books at high volume! Her top tips include:
- using the Pomodoro time management method
- getting away from her desk to think through plots
- reaching out to other indie authors when you get stuck
What’s your proudest achievement to date as an indie author?
What’s your proudest achievement to date as an indie author?The fact that I'm actually able to make a good living out of it. Every day I'm grateful that I get to write stories and people pay me for them!
What’s the single best decision you ever made?
Deciding to self-publish and not chase the traditional publishing deal route any longer.
What’s been your biggest surprise as an indie author?
How supportive and collaborative the rest of the indie author world is. It's wonderful.
What’s your greatest challenge – and how do you deal with it?
Laziness and procrastination. If I don't write for a few days, I find it so hard to get back into it.
How do you get/stay in a creative mood?
- I like to go for walks to think out the plots. It's easier to carry on with a novel when I know where I'm going.
- I also write a few lines of the chapter to come when I stop writing for the day.
How do you remain productive/motivated?
I check my bank balance 🙂
No, seriously, I set a word limit for the day and do writing sprints to get to it.
25 minutes of writing, flat out, no stopping.
A few of those and you can get quite a lot done. It's the Pomodoro ®technique.
What’s your favourite thing about being an author–publisher?
Direct contact with my lovely readers. I have a book club on Facebook with some of mine which is great fun.
Coming soon…
What are your top tips for other ALLis?
- Keep at it.
- Reach out to other indies if you need help – there's always someone who will be able to advise you.
What’s next for you?
I'm finishing the eleventh book in my Kate Redman Mystery series, Fury, and after that probably one of my historical mysteries or perhaps another Kate book! I'm also currently doing a Masters in Creative Writing so am working on a novel for that.
#Toptips for indie #authors in our exclusive interview with @Celina_Grace, mystery & thriller #writer. Share on X
I like the idea of thinking about plots while walking and I’m going to start doing it today!
BTW, I am a big fan of the Kate stories — thanks for writing them!
Thanks for sharing your experience and advice with us! It’s good to know I’m not the only writer who finds walks essential! 🙂 Not to mention that you’re making a living doing this and finding/making the time to walk. That’s something I hope to do myself.