Interview with Author Kimberly Smith

Author Kimberly Smith took time out of her schedule to talk to me. I enjoy getting to know about author and their journey to making their writing dreams come true. Since a child, Kimberly wanted to be a writer.

Was writing something you’ve always known you wanted to do?

I’ve wanted to write since I was a child. I think I was about five or six when I knew that I liked creating stories. It started with playing with Barbie and Ken. I would create elaborate stories about their everyday lives. By the time I was ten or so I wrote stories, but I would never share them with anyone probably from a lack of self-confidence. I was nearly forty when I published my first book.

Anyone(s) who you contribute to you wanting to be a writer?

All of my close friends and family told me I had a gift and that I should write. Again, I lacked the confidence to pursue it.

What was your first book published? Give a brief synopsis.

All of my books are self-published and the first one was Funny Internet Personal Ads, in 2009. It was a collection of all the funny dating ads that I had seen and my comments on them. I think I sold one copy on Amazon. For me it was more about learning the process of publishing. My first romance was published in 2017, The Wreight Kind of Love.

What inspired you to write the story?

My inspiration for The Wreight Kind of Love was my own life. I didn’t trust men’s intentions, in relationships. I wanted to write a book for women like me. I wanted them to know that love is out there, it just sometimes comes in a different package than what you may have expected. It took me nearly twenty years to find the courage to publish it.

What was your feeling the first time you held your first published book in your hands?

I felt a great sense of pride the first time I held a copy of my book. It was a tangible manifestation of my imagination. I felt like I might change one person’s life and that’s all I ever wanted.

What is you latest book? Brief synopsis.

Healing Her Heart is a story of a young woman who has devised a set of rules that she follows to keep from falling in love. Of course, she meets a man who causes her to break these rules and they fall in love.

Are you working on anything new?

I’m always working on something. I also have a vampire romance adventure short story series. I am working on book five in the series, New Discovery. I have a file of stories to come. I try to put out two books every month. In 2020 I plan to release a holiday series of books as well as a few full-length thrillers.

Between writing, publishing, and marketing, what was the most difficult for you?

Writing is easy for me, publishing has gotten easier, but marketing is the most difficult. There are millions of books on Amazon and trying to get your book in front of the right readers is difficult, but I’m studying and learning what works and doesn’t work. If there is a book about marketing eBooks, I’ve read it, or I will read it. Most of the books that are out there are written for non-fiction writers and those techniques don’t always work well for fiction authors. It’s also difficult when you don’t have the skill to create advertisements and the money to pay for it. You have to become very creative.

Do you have any unique marketing ideas to share with your fellow authors?

The best marketing tool you have is your cover. A great cover can draw readers in. Then you have to capture their attention with your description and make them want to buy the book. Finally, keywords are going to help people find your book. Carefully pick keyword phrases that people use to search for books similar to yours.

What advice would you give someone who wants to publish their first book?

I would tell the first-time author, if you plan to self-publish, make sure that your book is as error free as possible. Spelling, grammar and punctuation are important, but don’t forget to make sure that the story content makes sense. Read it aloud or if you have the most recent version of MSWord, let the computer read it to you with the read aloud function. I catch a lot of little problems that way.

If you weren’t a writer what would you be?

If I weren’t a writer, I’d be dead. I’ve had a lot of jobs, but this is what I feel I was meant to do. I’m not going anywhere. Stories and creativity are my life, I might consider editing or publishing others works of fiction.

Where can we find you and your books (website, email, social media, etc.)

If you want to know more about me you can visit my website www.creativekrs.com, email me at ksmith@creativekrs.com, or on social media, www.facebook.com/creativekrs, www.instagram.com/creativekrs, www.twitter.com/creativekrs and on www.amazon.com/author/smithkimber

Anything else you would like to add that was not covered?

Writing and reading are my joy and I thank all of those who have read my stories.

Check out Kimberly Smith’s books on amazon. At a time like now (Pandemic 2020) many people have much time on their hands.