Today it is my pleasure to open my blog in support of two authors as they tour the world of WordPress to tell us about their new books. That’s right, books. Both Jan Sikes and her sister, Linda Broday have recently released new novels. I could go on (as you all know) but I’m going to turn this over to Jan and Linda.
We are deeply grateful to you, Dan, for so graciously offering to host us on your wonderful blog site today!
When we decided to launch our new books together on the same day, Linda and I wanted to make it something special. It feels like we are making publishing history, and perhaps we are.
For this blog tour, we’ve chosen questions and answers designed to give the readers a deeper look into who we are, our background, and how we ended up where we are today, launching books together.
Question: Are there themes in your stories that are drawn from or benefit from family experience?
Jan: I definitely think there are themes in my stories that are drawn from family experience. When we were growing up, we were taught to be honest and punished severely if we told a lie. Therefore, it’s easy for me to write honest characters. It’s harder to write antagonists because I was never exposed to any kind of violence beyond Mom’s switch. There are also characters that I have patterned after certain family members, especially an uncle that lived with us a lot during our growing-up years.
Linda: Dan, it’s so nice to be here. For me, almost all my characters are poor folk. I grew up poor, and I have little knowledge of how people with money act, so I don’t try. I also include family experiences in every book I write. Ha! After living this many years, there are a lot to draw from. I’ve even put my mom and dad in a story called Courting Miss Emma. Aunts, uncles, my brother are all fair game as well as experiences. When I was about six years old, I had a lot of warts. One day this old man walking with a tall staff came by our house and saw me. He came over and said if I’d give him a penny, he’d take my warts. My mom came out, and he told her the same. She gave him the penny, and in a few days all except a few of my warts went away. That went into a book. As far as themes, I think almost all my stories are of people searching for a place to belong. That’s because I was trying to find where I fit for most of my life.
Question: Do you try to write original stories or deliver to the readers what they want?
Jan: To be honest, Dan, I think readers want original stories. And I wouldn’t have the first clue about how to write a story that isn’t inspired. But I do think readers prefer originality to cookie-cutter stories.
Linda: I don’t write for the market. I don’t care what the hottest trend is or what’s popular. My stories all evolve from a place deep in my heart that I feel passionate about.
Question: Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
Jan: In my humble opinion, when a story is inspired from who knows where, it is definitely spirit related. It’s almost as if the characters are alive in another dimension and want their stories told. So, when that creative channel is open, story inspirations can come from anywhere. A lot of my stories originated from a line in a song. One story came in a dream. It’s just a matter of keeping the channel tuned in to receive.
Linda: Jan’s right. A mainstream I wrote called Wildwood Healer came about one morning when I was absentmindedly drinking coffee, not thinking of anything. All of a sudden, this voice sounded in my ear, and a woman told me the award-winning story and said I had to write it. Then she guided me through every step of that book. It was a story that touched me deeply, and I think it turned out the way it was supposed to. Where she came from, I have no idea. It was definitely some type of creative channel but it was nothing I deliberately sought.
Question: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Jan: Two things. Writing a blurb is much harder than writing an entire story. To condense it down into a few short paragraphs from a marketing standpoint is very hard for me. The second most difficult part of publishing is marketing. I’ve done a lot of deep dives into different marketing avenues and have found no magic bullet yet. Maybe there isn’t one. And marketing techniques can vary from book to book. What works for one may not work for the next. I think of marketing as seashells in a vast ocean. There are millions of them, but you have this one gorgeous seashell you want to share with the world. The big question is how to do that. If I ever find the answer, I’ll share.
Linda: All of writing is hard. People who think it’s easy don’t have a clue. But the synopsis really takes a lot of work. Back in the seven years I was writing for Sourcebooks, I was required to write a synopsis for each book, and then if the story changed in the actual writing, I had to furnish yet another synopsis at completion. Now that I’m self-publishing, blurbs are the hardest. Finding the right words that compel a reader to buy the book really takes a whole lot of doing. Also marketing. That’s very difficult and I hate that part.
PURCHASE LINKS:
CADE’S QUEST: https://www.amazon.com/Cades-Quest-Western-Romance-McIntyres-ebook/dp/B0FD7X4H5D/
A BOLD BARGAIN: https://www.amazon.com/Bold-Bargain-Bargainer-Book-ebook/dp/B0FD7VSY68/
About the authors
WEBSITE: https://www.jansikes.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/authorjansikesbooks
TWITTER: HTTPS://WWW.TWITTER.COM/JANSIKES3
BLUESKY: https://bsky.app/profile/jksikes-author.bsky.social
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jan-Sikes/author/B00CS9K8DK?ccs_id=8185cb63-9ad0-4d7b-85ad-c2d64ce37812
WEBSITE: https://www.lindabroday.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/lindabrodayauthor
BLUESKY: https://bsky.app/profile/lindabroday.bsky.socialAMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Linda-Broday/author/B001JRXWB2?ccs_id=4a2c44df-2076-43cd-8bf8-f15b530ea92f
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