Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m Christina Hoffman. I was raised mainly in the UK, but have lived several places since. For now, I am enjoying the cold, chocolate and seagulls of San Francisco (yes, I said cold. I thought California would be warmer!)
This is my first Contemporary Romance. It has take me about two and a half months to write, though there was a fair bit of thinking about it before I ever sat down at the computer.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novel’s name is INVITATION. I was trying to find a word to convey that Madison was being offered a chance to try again, that if she was willing, she could have help bringing herself back to life. It’s a part of life that had been ruined for her, and she was being invited back in. I also liked it, because it’s my first romance book, and I’m inviting in new people to read it and hopefully really enjoy it.
For this book, the idea of having someone be healed by sexual intimacy came to me before anything else. Then the heroine formed herself out of that. It needed to be someone scarred, but someone who could still take a risk. After that, I started thinking it through, and the type of scenarios which would allow her to overcome these demons began to emerge. Liam himself was tough to figure out, but one morning he just popped onto the scene with his black hair and his playful grin, and there he was. Ready to go.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I’m writing, I can get quite anxious and stressed out (also very tired because i’m a Night Owl in an early bird world), so i tend to overdose on candy. And Diet Pepsi. My niece considers it a real problem and attempts interventions regularly. Sometimes I’m tempted to take up crack just to get everybody off my back. (The proceeding was a joke – don’t do drugs).
And, this is humiliating. You know, I procrastinated so long trying to set up this perfect little “office” area for myself — flea market desk, cute shelves, bulletin boards. You get the picture. But when I finally just kicked myself in the butt and got writing, it turned out that the only time there was really any peace was at night with everyone asleep. And it’s freezing where I am, so I write in bed with my little laptop on my knees! It’s giving me wicked backaches, though; so maybe if the book’s a success, I’ll be able to write in the daylight at my desk.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m in the mood for the classics lately — all the Jane Austens.
When I’m writing, I don’t read at all. Partly because it’s too easy to fritter away time, and also because I start to hear other other characters talking in my head.
When I write, I become completely immersed in the world — reading other things seems to dilute the power somehow.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on Songs of Summer. It’s another Contemporary Romance. This one is about a beautiful but hard and cold cellist who is used to using her beauty, and her body, and her talent to get what she wants. She is chosen to attend a summer musicians’ academy in Italy where she meets a handsome maestro.
She thinks he’ll be easy to wrap around her finger, but he seems immune to her charms. He tells her she isn’t particularly sexy or passionate, because she keeps her distance from everything. Then he takes her around Italy, and introduces her to beautiful sights, smells and food, as well as big loud families and, of course, love.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Not sure, yet. I would say that, though the experts say a presence on social media (all 24 arms of it!, or so it seems) is required, I truly believe that a lot of talented authors are wasting A LOT of precious time scrolling through Facebook and twitter and whatever else.
It’s very easy to believe you’re “laying the ground work” for sales — but I can tell you unequivocally that Facebook does not sell books. I even “boosted” some posts, spent $80, got about 6 likes, and ZERO, repeat ZERO sales. Make some friends, find some readers who will give yo honest reviews, and then get off of there!
The best, in terms of $, promotions for me have involved paid advertising. I don’t see any other way to do it. I have had to save up at times in order to buy an ad or promo.
when I first published the book, it was listed at #455,000. I nearly had a heart attack. The I nearly called the unemployment office. Last weekend I got up the #545, and it was through a social media and advertising blitz.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am really excited about Invitation now, but it was a process, for sure.
I was very worried when I started out, because I was being told I had to write about bondage and that I needed to tell interviewers that I was sitting in my lingerie. I was supposed to create this persona, but it felt so forced and insincere and awful that I almost gave up on writing romance at all.
I researched what was doing well in the romance genre and found mainly BDSM themed stories. Or topics that were darker, more violent. I, very briefly, tried to write one, but it was impossible for me. The story I wanted to tell was completely different. In some ways I feel like the Pollyanna of contemporary romance, because there’s a sweetness to my story that concerned me, because it is not in style right now AT ALL!
Eventually I realized that that was just who I was as a writer, and I’d better just embrace it. So, now I ask, “Who says Heat can’t be Sweet?” I’m trying to write really sexy books showing that regular people can have rockin’ sex lives.
So, my advice, which hopefully will save you weeks of angst and bad writing, is to ignore whatever is in or trendy and write the story that only you can tell.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just write the damn thing, already.
What are you reading now?
I’m writing, so no reading.
But I read “The Humans” a while ago and thought it was wonderfully sad and funny. Also, “Where’d You Go Bernadette” is comedy gold.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The next book, and the next book, and so on, and so on!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Honestly, I’d dump out the books and fill the bag with fresh water.
Or, I’d want to take blank books, so that I could write (or play tic tac toe by myself).
Author Websites and Profiles
Christina Hoffman Website
Christina Hoffman Amazon Profile
Christina Hoffman’s Social Media Links