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INTERVIEW WITH GUEST AUTHOR
DORI HOXA
DORI HOXA
Q: Tell us something about yourself.A: My name is Dori, and I love books! A lot. I read when I’m not writing, and write when I’m not reading. I have a law degree, but I've never worked in that field nor do I plan to. I worked as a journalist for a couple of years, but then I turned to marketing and have been there for the past four years. I’m married and have the most beautiful dog in the world named Happy.
Q: How long have you been writing and how long have you been publishing?A: I’ve been really writing stories (as in: not starting something and leaving it halfway) since I was 19 years old. That’s seven years now. I self-published my first novel Once Upon a One Night Stand in March, 2016.
Q: Did you start with short stories, a novella, or a novel? And what made you decide to sit down and actually start something?
A: The earliest story I found in a very old notebook was dated back in 2005 and could be considered a novella. I didn’t have a laptop then, so I just wrote in notebooks. Since then, I’ve found about eight notebooks with stories in them. I couldn’t tell you what made me sit down and start something. I always loved to write. When we were given books to read in school, my teachers never let me read the essays on them. What I wrote was just too long and when they asked me why, I said that the beauty was in details. If I didn’t describe the book I’d read in details, all its beauty would be lost. I guess the need was always there. The decision was always made.
Q: Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?A: I didn’t. I never decide what genre I’m going to write a particular book in. I just start with the first page, and see where it leads me.
Q: What’s the hardest part of writing for you? What’s the easiest part?A: The hardest part is knowing the character whose story I want to tell. The easiest part comes right after I figure him or her out.
Q: Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?A: I tried that once. It didn’t work for me. I write when I have to, which is (thankfully) more often than not. I never count the words.
Q: Do you work to an outline or plot, or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you?A: The second I know who my character really is, I just follow them. See where they take me. I like how they surprise me most of the time.
Q: How long on average does it take you to write a book?A: Depends (though I don’t really know on what). I wrote a book once in two weeks, and it has 90K+ words. Some, it takes months to finish. A couple took more than a year.
Q: Tell us about the cover/s and how it/they came about.A: One of my best friends is a graphic designer/illustrator. When I first told her I wrote books, she wanted to do all the covers for me. I love her style, so all I do is pick the picture, and let her do the rest. The cover for Once Upon a One Night Stand came out better than I expected, and the cover for the second book in this series is just amazing! I trust her completely.
Q: Do you have a strategy for finding reviewers?A: I gathered a list of 150 reviewers; everything I found online. I’ve written to all of them, and got more positive replies than I was hoping for. I think that’s the best way to approach reviewers. Read their blog, find out their taste, and write to them based on it. Then hope for the best. It is time consuming, but it was worth every hour, at least for me.
Q: Do you read your reviews and how do you feel about good/bad ones?A: I do. I read all of them. I’ve tasted the one-star already, and I tried to not let it affect me. The good ones are great. It feels amazing to know that someone liked your work. That is what I write for. The positive reviews are thoughts of readers, and thoughts of the readers are all that count.
Q: What are some day jobs that you have held? If any of them impacted your writing, share an example.A: I’ve been a journalist, translator, and marketing officer. The work didn’t impact my work as much as the people did. In marketing, you get to meet different people every day. Those people sometimes gave me character ideas, and sometimes they helped fill in character holes for already created ones.
Q: How do you find or make time to write?A: I stay up late. I can never write during the day, so it’s not really an option. I’ve learned to give writing priority, but it’s not always easy.
Q: How do you feel about ebooks vs. print books?A: A book is a book, no matter where or how you read it. It’s the words that matter.
Q: What are some ways in which you promote your work? Do you find that these add to or detract from your writing time?A: I promote my book through social media, and countless sites for book promotion. Yes, these things take up a lot of my time, time I could use to write. But, in my opinion, when you self-publish, you have to treat your books as you would a business, because writing might be art, but it’s also part business. You have to research, invest, and grow it, step by step. So I don’t mind. I don’t like promoting my own work most of the time, but I do it without trouble.
Q: What do you like to read in your free time, and do you prefer print or ebooks?A: I read everything. I love romance and fantasy most, but other genres are just as welcome. I don’t mind if it’s an ebook or not. I just need the story.
Q: What project(s) are you working on at the present time? A: I’m working on an urban fantasy series I’m going to self publish soon. Book two is almost done, and I’m hoping to start the third and final one by the middle of this month. I’m also working on the fourth and fifth book of the LOVER series.
Q: How long have you been writing and how long have you been publishing?A: I’ve been really writing stories (as in: not starting something and leaving it halfway) since I was 19 years old. That’s seven years now. I self-published my first novel Once Upon a One Night Stand in March, 2016.
Q: Did you start with short stories, a novella, or a novel? And what made you decide to sit down and actually start something?
A: The earliest story I found in a very old notebook was dated back in 2005 and could be considered a novella. I didn’t have a laptop then, so I just wrote in notebooks. Since then, I’ve found about eight notebooks with stories in them. I couldn’t tell you what made me sit down and start something. I always loved to write. When we were given books to read in school, my teachers never let me read the essays on them. What I wrote was just too long and when they asked me why, I said that the beauty was in details. If I didn’t describe the book I’d read in details, all its beauty would be lost. I guess the need was always there. The decision was always made.
Q: Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?A: I didn’t. I never decide what genre I’m going to write a particular book in. I just start with the first page, and see where it leads me.
Q: What’s the hardest part of writing for you? What’s the easiest part?A: The hardest part is knowing the character whose story I want to tell. The easiest part comes right after I figure him or her out.
Q: Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages per day?A: I tried that once. It didn’t work for me. I write when I have to, which is (thankfully) more often than not. I never count the words.
Q: Do you work to an outline or plot, or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you?A: The second I know who my character really is, I just follow them. See where they take me. I like how they surprise me most of the time.
Q: How long on average does it take you to write a book?A: Depends (though I don’t really know on what). I wrote a book once in two weeks, and it has 90K+ words. Some, it takes months to finish. A couple took more than a year.
Q: Tell us about the cover/s and how it/they came about.A: One of my best friends is a graphic designer/illustrator. When I first told her I wrote books, she wanted to do all the covers for me. I love her style, so all I do is pick the picture, and let her do the rest. The cover for Once Upon a One Night Stand came out better than I expected, and the cover for the second book in this series is just amazing! I trust her completely.
Q: Do you have a strategy for finding reviewers?A: I gathered a list of 150 reviewers; everything I found online. I’ve written to all of them, and got more positive replies than I was hoping for. I think that’s the best way to approach reviewers. Read their blog, find out their taste, and write to them based on it. Then hope for the best. It is time consuming, but it was worth every hour, at least for me.
Q: Do you read your reviews and how do you feel about good/bad ones?A: I do. I read all of them. I’ve tasted the one-star already, and I tried to not let it affect me. The good ones are great. It feels amazing to know that someone liked your work. That is what I write for. The positive reviews are thoughts of readers, and thoughts of the readers are all that count.
Q: What are some day jobs that you have held? If any of them impacted your writing, share an example.A: I’ve been a journalist, translator, and marketing officer. The work didn’t impact my work as much as the people did. In marketing, you get to meet different people every day. Those people sometimes gave me character ideas, and sometimes they helped fill in character holes for already created ones.
Q: How do you find or make time to write?A: I stay up late. I can never write during the day, so it’s not really an option. I’ve learned to give writing priority, but it’s not always easy.
Q: How do you feel about ebooks vs. print books?A: A book is a book, no matter where or how you read it. It’s the words that matter.
Q: What are some ways in which you promote your work? Do you find that these add to or detract from your writing time?A: I promote my book through social media, and countless sites for book promotion. Yes, these things take up a lot of my time, time I could use to write. But, in my opinion, when you self-publish, you have to treat your books as you would a business, because writing might be art, but it’s also part business. You have to research, invest, and grow it, step by step. So I don’t mind. I don’t like promoting my own work most of the time, but I do it without trouble.
Q: What do you like to read in your free time, and do you prefer print or ebooks?A: I read everything. I love romance and fantasy most, but other genres are just as welcome. I don’t mind if it’s an ebook or not. I just need the story.
Q: What project(s) are you working on at the present time? A: I’m working on an urban fantasy series I’m going to self publish soon. Book two is almost done, and I’m hoping to start the third and final one by the middle of this month. I’m also working on the fourth and fifth book of the LOVER series.
You can learn more about Dori and her works at the following sites:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dnhoxa/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/DoriHoxa
- Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/dnhoxa
- Book Links: US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01COCPKLK
- UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01COCPKLK
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29450809-once-upon-a-one-night-stand
