Book Monster Reviews is happy to welcome
Robyn Peterman to the
site today!
Robyn Peterman writes because the people inside her head won’t leave her alone until she gives them life on paper. Her
addictions include laughing really hard with friends, shoes (the expensive
kind), Target, Coke with extra ice in a styrofoam cup, bejeweled
reading glasses, her kids, her super-hot hubby and collecting stray animals.
A former professional actress, with Broadway, film and T.V.
credits, she now lives in the south with her family and too many animals to
count. Writing gives her peace and makes her whole, plus having a job where you
can work in your P.J.’s works really well for her. You can follow Robyn at
robynpeterman.com. She loves to hear from her fans.
Where to find Robyn:
At
my suite in Hell (kidding)
At
my website:
http://www.robynpeterman.com
On
Twitter: https://twitter.com/robynpeterman
Or
email me directly at robyn@robynpeterman.com
Robyn's first book "How Hard Can It Be" was just
released on January 17, 2013 and has already gotten some great reviews. Let's check out Robyn's post so we can learn
some more about her new book and the funny story of how she got published.
The crazy, mixed-up tale of how my first book came to be –
also known as, WTF? I'm getting published.
I’ve been asked how I got published. The answer is simple...I
lied. That’s right, I lied.
I wouldn’t recommend it, although it worked for me. It certainly
could have blown up in my face, but wether it was sheer will and determination
or dumb luck, I’ll never know. Here’s how it went...
I pitched a very unfinished novel (as if it
were done) to major NY publishers and agents at a writers conference in
Chicago. I was shocked, delighted and appalled that everyone I pitched to asked
for a full manuscript. After a brief and hopefully unnoticeable panic attack, I
very logically explained to them that I needed to get the book professionally
edited (real meaning--write it) and would have it to them in three weeks. What
the hell did I have to lose? My sanity had been gone for years.
Having been an actor for umpteen decades
came in handy. Clearly, pretending to smell delicious imaginary aromas in
commercial auditions and becoming one with my inner lawn gnome in acting class,
made my fear of telling ginormous lies nonexistent.
The next part of the story goes like
this...I went home and wrote it. I didn’t sleep for three weeks, my family ate
a lot of peanut butter and jelly and no one in the house had any clean
underpants. I loved every minute of it. I ended up with several offers and went
with a two book deal with Kensington Publishing. My debut novel is called HOW
HARD CAN IT BE? and it comes out January 17th 2013!
That’s my crazy story, but the real answer to
getting published is to write. Just write. Everyday. Every writer I’ve had the
good fortune to know says the same thing. Oh, and read...tons.
Writing groups are a great idea too. I
promised myself I would join RWA (Romance Writers of America) when I got three
quarters of the way through my first novel. That would be my waaay too long
(150,000 word) paranormal romance that everyone and his mother rejected.
Joining RWA was one of the smartest things I did. There are local chapters in
cities all over America.
I was such a nervous wreck about going to my first meeting with
real writers that when I couldn’t find a parking space, I turned around and
drove home.
Thankfully, I grew some bigger testicles and
went to their next meeting. I met some of the neatest and most generous women.
My unpublished status and huge pile of rejection letters were greeted with
similar stories that made me gasp, laugh and cringe (all at the same time). I
learned to embrace my rejections, look at my writing with a more critical eye
and grow thicker skin. In this group of amazing women, I found critique
partners, cheerleaders and friends.
It’s empowering to be with others who share your passion, no
matter where you are in your career. I highly recommend it.
I do believe writing the book of your heart
(i.e. my grossly overwritten vampire tome) is important, but knowing what’s
marketable is not stupid. I wanted more people than just my mom to read my
books! So I just kept at it, read industry blogs and entered contests...
Oh, and I lied.
The publishing industry has changed and
continues to change. With digital reading devices now in the game, viable
options for writers are endless. I have extremely talented friends who publish
traditionally through NY and equally as talented friends who are publishing
independently. Many writers are doing both, very successfully.
The bottom line is that you have to write a
good book and then you have to never give up. And while you’re 'never giving
up,' you have to write more good books. It’s a wonderful thing to have a job
where you can work in your underpants.
Writing may seem like a solitary sport, but
it’s not. A critique partner, other writing friends, spell check, Coke® with
extra ice in a styrofoam cup and a great editor are just a few of the things I
think every writer needs.
So that’s my story. I’m not sure how good
the lesson is, but the ending is happy. I love happy endings.
What in the hell is the book about, you may ask......well,
here’s the back cover blurb!
What happens when an accountant decides to grab life by the
horns and try something new? Apparently a pirate named Dave, a lot of pastel
fleece, and blackmail—just to start with...
Visualize
and succeed, Oprah said. I was sure as hell trying, even if my campaign to
score a job as the local weather girl had ended in a restraining order. Okay,
TV was not my strength. But a lack of talent has never stopped me before. Which
is why I’ve embarked on a writing career. I mean, how hard can it be to come up
with a sexy romance?
Leave it to me to wind up in a group of
porno writing grannies who discuss sex toys and apple cobbler in the same
breath. Also leave it to me to leak an outlandish plot idea to a bestselling
author with the morals of a rabid squirrel. And only I could get arrested for a
jewelry heist I didn’t commit—by a hunky cop whose handcuffs just might tempt
me to sign up for a life of crime. Maybe I’ve found my calling after all...
Links to buy:
Robyn's Website / Amazon / B&N
If you enjoy snarky, sexy romance I hope you’ll give HOW HARD
CAN IT BE? a try! Here’s what some other authors and readers had to say.
"How
Hard Can it Be? is outrageous, profane, hilarious, sexy, and all kinds
of wacky.
For
a good time, read Robyn Peterman!" – MICHELLE ROWEN, national
bestselling author
"A
zany over-the-top rompfest." – LEXI GEORGE, author of Demon Hunting in a Dive Bar
2 comments:
One of my favorite author's first pointed me into Robyn's direction. This book sounds great and I will have to read it. Thanks so much for the great post :)
Thank you Book Monster for having me!!! You rock!!!
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