Tell me a bit about yourself….
Alina Rubin. I’m an IT Professional, a mom, and an independent author.
What genre/s do you write in?
Historical fiction/adventure
How long have you been writing?
A bit more than a year
Do you have any published books or articles? Tell me a bit about these and what publishing route you took.
I self-published a novel, A Girl with a Knife, in February 2022. It’s a historical adventure of a woman who disguised herself as a man to study in medical school. My book has been named a finalist of Illinois Soon To Be Famous Author Manuscript Contest.
Did you use an editor? If so who?
Yes, Kirsten Rees
Did you use a book formatter and cover designer?
Yes. My editor’s assistant was the formatter, and GetCovers company did the cover design
Did you self-publish or get traditionally published? How did this go for you?
Self-published. Everything had a learning curve (working with an editor, selecting a cover, KDP publishing, marketing) but I’m very motivated to learn.
How do you market your work and promote your brand?(Include links) Facebook Instagram Website and blog, newsletter, local groups, book clubs, and podcasts. I’ll soon be interviewed by a GlenviewTV (local station).
What social media and writing platforms would you recommend?
I like Medium.com to post a random short story. For social media, you need to find what your readers prefer. I’m comfortable with Facebook, but I’m looking into where I can reach more of my ideal readers, whether it’s Instagram or something else.
Do you use an agent?
no
Do you use paid advertising? If so what?
I’ve done promotions with Booksy.com and FussyLibrarian.com
Do you have a blog or website?
Yes, alinarubinauthor.com It has information about me and my book, as well as my blog A Girl on Adventure, containing personal stories, historical features, and recently, my first short story.
What inspires you most to write?
The characters who live in my head! I’m the only person in the world who can tell their stories.
What do you do to help with writers block?
Never had it. Sometimes I have trouble with a chapter. I skip it and return to it later.
How do you plan your writing and start?
I make an outline and the 15 beat sheet (Save the Cat method)
Is writing your full time job? If not what else do you do?
No. My full-time job is as an IT analyst
What are you working on at the moment?
A sequel to A Girl with A Knife (No Job for a Woman), and a spinoff (Abigail)
What is your target audience?
40–45-year-old women who enjoy historical fiction. Yet younger or older women, men, and teenagers enjoyed my book as well.
How long does it take you to write a book?
3 months for the first draft, then 3 more months to self-edit and work with beta readers.
When did you first discover you enjoyed writing?
When I began writing my first novel manuscript in February 2021. Before then I was sure that it was tedious and boring.
What is your writing schedule look like?
I get up at 5 am and write for an hour and a half. If there’s time in the afternoon, I’ll write, edit, or do research.
What does your family think about you writing?
They love it. My husband has been helpful with anything that involves chemistry, that’s his field. My ten-year-old daughter started writing as well.
What do you do when you are not writing?
Work, take my daughter to activities, cook, do yoga, read, take writing classes, chat with other writers, and occasionally travel.
Where do you get information and ideas for your writing?
Ideas come to my head when I write or walk, or occasionally, a beta reader gives me one. While I made up the stories of my characters in A Girl with a Knife, I read around ten books and articles about 19th-century medicine. The information from those sources helped me with world-building. I found fascinating stories about how medical inventions and discoveries were made, and what bizarre cures were popular.
What do you think makes a good story?
Tension is the difference between the character’s reality and desire. A good story is a character’s progress towards his/her goal.
https://www.mynzdreamblog.com/write-for-us-and-author-interviews
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