IndieView with Tinthia Clemant, author of The Summer of Annah: A Labor of Love

I do keep a target reader in mind while I’m writing. She’s someone who is mature enough to understand that many of the choices we make influence our lives in more ways than we can anticipate. 

Tinthia Clemant – 20 August 2018

The Back Flap

After surviving an attack on her life, Annah-Belle Henderson wanted nothing more than to return to her family, friends, and the arms of her new love, Eric Ashworth. Instead, she discovers a dark secret that shatters the foundation on which she built her life, and she finds herself tossed into a world of strangers. Whom can she trust? The brash blonde? The teenager? Or the handsome man claiming to be her lover?

A Labor of Love continues the story started in Midsummer’s Wish. Rejoin Annah as she struggles to find a way back to the people she loves and the woman she was destined to become.

About the book

What is the book about?

The Summer of Annah: A Labor of Love is a romantic women’s fiction about acceptance, loss, betrayal, mistakes, friendship, and love. A Labor of Love is the second book in the Seasons of Annah series and continues the story of 56-year-old earth witch Annah-Belle Henderson. It picks up where Book One left off, with Annah in the hospital after her ex-boyfriend tries to kill her. Eager to reclaim her life, Annah struggles to understand her hand in the attack and how it will affect her life going forward.  A betrayal from her past sends her fragile world into a tailspin and she finds herself surrounded by strangers—including the woman in the mirror.

My goal in writing the book was to prove that we are more than our memories and love, in all its forms, resides in our hearts, not in our minds.

When did you start writing the book?

I began writing A Labor of Love in the early the winter of 2016, six months after I published Book One, A Midsummer’s Wish.

How long did it take you to write it?

In total, it took me 18 months. I had planned to publish A Labor of Love the first day of summer, 2017, one year after the first book in the series hit the virtual book shelves. But, alas, things didn’t work out that way. The story challenged me and I didn’t like the way it was progressing so I put it aside and worked on other projects.

Where did you get the idea from?

The idea for the first book came from an old lady’s (moi) fancies of meeting a younger man and falling in love. The second book came from the character’s themselves. I’ve learned to listen to the people I create since they know how they want their story told. I’m glad I did.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

The hardest part of the book was the ending. I had actually written it and was ready to move forward to publication but it wasn’t sitting right. That’s why I lost my summer, 2017, deadline. I’m glad I waited. The original ending was far from being a happily ever after affair; it wasn’t even a hopefully ever after.

What came easily?

The parts of the book that came easily were the interactions between Annah and her friends, and Annah and Eric. They all get along beautifully and, at times, I swear they’re writing the scenes and I’m just the stenographer.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Every character I create is a composite of people I’ve known intimately, met in passing, watched from across a café, or seen in movies. However, my heroines all carry a piece of me in them, especially Annah. She’s my better half.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

From early on, Ray Bradbury has been my favorite author. He had a way of weaving passages that sing and began speaking to the writer within me when I was sixteen.

“Some people turn sad awfully young. No special reason, it seems, but they seem almost to be born that way. They bruise easier, tire faster, cry quicker, remember longer and, as I say, get sadder younger than anyone else in the world. I know, for I’m one of them.” R. Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

I wanted to write like him and would practice every day. I’d write about people I saw on the train or met during the day; sunsets; rainstorms—you name it and I probably wrote about it. Most of the time I’d crumple the paper up and toss it into the wastebasket. (Recycling wasn’t around back in the seventies.) Other times, I’d read what I wrote and nod in approval, although when I read those passages now I cringe.

Other authors I’ve come to admire and felt their influence are Liane Moriarty, Anne Tyler, Emily Liebert, Susanna Kearsley (one of my fav favorites), and, last but not least, Anna Quindlen. All great wordsmiths.

Do you have a target reader?

I do keep a target reader in mind while I’m writing. She’s someone who is mature enough to understand that many of the choices we make influence our lives in more ways than we can anticipate. She’s young at heart, laughs at the silliest things, believes in the magic she carries in her soul, and loves ice cream.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

My writing process is simple. I start with a seed of an idea and the name of my heroine, and then I write the first line of the book. I then take a sheet of white paper and create a map of where I’d like the story to go. From there I’ll write, stopping when I get to the mid-point of the story. I often find by the time I reach the middle of the book, the story has morphed into what it’s meant to be and the earlier chapters need adjusting, and sometimes chopping.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I kind of gave this away in my previous answer. I don’t outline, never have, much to the chagrin of my high school and college professors. If I do create an outline, it’s as loose as it gets; just enough words to spark ideas. You see, I love the evolution the writing process creates. The twists and turns of the story, the unexpected side trips down dead ends or dark alleys—it’s exciting. I never know where I’ll end up or what I’ll find. I’m not like this in real life, mind you. When I decided to take my son to Disney World, I had each minute planned, and I typically take a list with me to the market, but when it comes to writing, I’m free to explore.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

Editing, my least favorite part of writing. I don’t edit as I write, per se, but I do rethink sentences sometimes and change them as I write. When I have the story where I want it, I’ll insert each chapter into Natural Reader (Daniel’s voice is the best) and listen for areas that need revisiting.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I believe that all self-published books should be professionally edited. Unfortunately, finding a good editor is harder than it should be since there are a ton of people trying to scam new authors with bogus editing services. I was one of the poor suckers but I’m glad to announce my present editor is the balls!

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No lyrical music but I live on a river and the soft quacking of my ducks serenade me while I write.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I did submit my debut novel, A Midsummer’s Wish, to an agent. My attendance fee for the Romance Writers of America’s 2016 conference included a sit-down with an agent. She read the first three chapters and told me there wasn’t a market for older heroines. I thanked her, left to drown my disappointment in some ice cream, pulled up my big girl thong, created the hashtag #olderheroinesrock, and I’ve been proving her wrong ever since.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

As I mentioned in my previous response to the agent question, self-publishing seemed to be my only route if I wanted to send my stories out into the world.  I did create my own indie publishing house, River Lady Press, and the rest is history.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

Covers by Karen has created all my book covers. She also formats the interiors. Karen is patient (which is important when the person is working with me), talented, creative, insightful… Um, did I mention patient?

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Hahaha! My marketing plan is to sell my books. That’s about it.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

I have three pieces of advice for newbies. Number One: read, read, read! Not just in your genre but outside as well. If you write romance, yes, you should read romance, but I also believe that by reading, let’s say mysteries, you gain additional insight into how a story is crafted and what makes a character believable. Read, damn it!

Number Two? Write for yourself first, your ideal reader next, and the market last. Skip this piece of advice if you’re goal is to become filthy rich. In that case, write for the market. For the rest of you, be true to your story and the reason you’ve chosen to write it in the first place.

My last piece of advice is to use a professional editor and cover artist. You wouldn’t purchase an exquisite gift for someone and wrap it in unattractive tissue paper, would you? Okay, maybe you would but don’t do it with your book. This is your baby. Present her to the world in the best possible light.

Oh, I have one last piece of advice. Toughen up. Harden your hide. Grow a second layer of skin. Oil your feathers. Writing can be a cruel business and harsh words about your creation can hurt. Toughen up now!

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Medford, Massachusetts. I lived in a modest Dutch colonial with my mother, father, and three siblings. It’s true that a person can never go home but if it was possible, I’d be back there with my family in a heartbeat.

Where do you live now?

Presently, I live in Billerica, Massachusetts on a sumptuous piece of land that lies adjacent to the Concord River. I mean, literally adjacent. My backyard blends into the river (as does my basement during flood season). My house is an 800 square foot bungalow, perfectly sized for myself, dog, and cat. Outside, I host a flock of Mallards, songbirds, herons, turtles, snakes, owls, and the occasional American bald eagle. It’s my slice of heaven. (Check out my blog at www.concordriverlady.com)

What would you like readers to know about you?

Here are a few things they might like to know: I’m an earth witch, just like my character Annah, which means I worship in the chapel called Mother Nature; I’ve built several perennial gardens and have plans on building more; I paint using acrylics; I teach nursing students at a local community college; I’ve run two marathons; and, wait for it, I think Ben and Jerry are two of the hottest guys on the planet. Seriously, they don’t whine, leave their underwear on the floor, and live to please me. Chunky Monkey, anyone?

What are you working on now?

My work in progress centers on a forty-year-old leapling (she was born on February 29) who decides to take her son and leave her two timing, gas lighting, son-of-a-B husband in the hopes that she’ll stop holding her breath and learn to live again. I’m toying with the title: Learning to Breathe. What do you think?

End of Interview:

For more from Tinthia, visit her website, follow her on Twitter, and like her Facebook page.

Get your copy of The Summer of Annah: A Labor of Love from Amazon US or Amazon UK.