Sarah Pekkanen’s 7 Quick Fire Questions, 3 Expert Tips

This weeks 7 Quick Fire Questions & 3 Tips (a weekly feature) is with Sarah Pekkanen, author of These Girls. Find out about this fantastic new release at the bottom of the interview!

Sarah’s dream dinner date is Ryan Gosling, what d’ya say about that?

- Laura

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7 Quick Fire Questions

1. Dream dinner date  Ryan Gosling. No, a shirtless Ryan Gosling. So we couldn’t go to one of those “No shoes, no shirt, no service” places.

2. Writing routine In the car, on the couch, in the waiting room for the orthodontist, at morning, at night…. you get the idea.

3. Extrovert or Introvert Both. I crave solitude at times, but I also love being around people.

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Interview with Terri Giuliano Long – Author of the bestselling novel In Leah’s Wake
. Balancing being a Mom, an Author & having a fulltime job!

**WARNING!! This is a GREAT interview, don’t miss it!!!**

If you haven’t heard of Terri Giuliano Long (left) and her book, In Leah’s Wake in the last year or so, you might have been living in a cave, in the Sahara or on a desert island (in which case you need to call me and we need to be friends. A desert island sounds wonderful right about now….!).

*Dreaming of island with book and drink in hand…

Snaps back to reality.*

Terri self-published her YA In Leah’s Wake in April, 2011 and by August, it ranked sixth on the Barnes & Noble Nook Top 100 list and to-date has sold nearly 100,000 copies. Without a big publisher backing her, that’s a pretty big deal!

Terri is all the proof you need that a well written, well edited and well-positioned self-published book can survive AND thrive under the new rules of publishing, persistence and a lot of hard work. In Leah’s Wake isn’t a fluke success story – Terri has consistently and tirelessly marketed the book in interesting and wonderful ways, and it has been fascinating watching her pop up everywhere I turn! Oh that, and it’s a wonderful book on all accounts  

Find out more about how she did it, as well as how she balances being a Mom, author and working a fulltime job in this wonderful interview.

1. Childhood dream?

When I was four or five, I dreamed of being an actress. I spent hours alone in my room, making up stories and plays. More often than not, my stories took place in a castle in some magical, faraway land; always I could fly. I flew to all sorts of exotic places! My dream, as I now see it, was to have a voice, a means of expressing myself and connecting with others. Today, those same reasons drive me to write—to be a part of the community, sharing thoughts, feelings, beliefs, connecting through open dialogue with others. I still fly, only now I travel in planes. In very real ways, my childhood dreams have become my reality. 

2. Your biggest weakness?

I’m persistent. Persistence, combined with a healthy dose of perfectionism, drives me to go over and over my work—to tinker. I expect a lot from myself. I work hard and always put forth my best effort. That I care is good, I think, but at some point you have to let go. My father always says, what makes you good makes you bad. Our best qualities, the qualities that drive us to succeed, can also get us in trouble. You have to know where to focus your energy and when it’s time to move on; otherwise, it’s hard to accomplish your goals. This is something I continue to work on. Maybe one day I’ll get it right. (more…)

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