Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the author of five books: Poetry for the Heart, Essays for the Soul, My Not-So-Ordinary Life, Freelance Writing Guide, and Articles for the Mind. I’ve been writing since 2006 and I published my first book in 2007. I’m currently working on three books and have ideas for several others. Above all, I love writing and sharing my books with the world.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is “Articles for the Mind.” It is a compilation of all the articles I wrote when I was a freelance writer. I was inspired to publish the book so that more people will be able to benefit from the knowledge in the articles because they’re life-changing.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes, when I’m really busy and absorbed in my writing, I stay up all night and the next day because I dislike leaving projects unfinished. I suffer a little from the lack of sleep, but writing and accomplishing makes it worth it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
“Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer” by Moira Allen is an excellent book that helped me in the beginning of my freelance writing career and inspired me to write my own book on freelance writing.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently proofreading “Chronicles of a Troubled Girl,” which is a memoir about my difficult time during adolescence and is in the form of personal journal entries from my preteen years to age 30. Secondly, I’m writing a memoir called “Freedom from Fat,” which is about my weight loss journey from 2010 onward and is composed of blog posts and journal entries. Third, I’m compiling a book of poetry, written in my teen years, called “Adolescent Angst.” The first two are due out in 2014, and the third will be published this month (September).
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Social networking is most effective at promoting my books, especially my Facebook page and my blog. I think this is because readers like to get to know authors as human beings and those networking platforms allow for that to occur. I share about myself, my work, and my books in a more personal way, and people seem to be more receptive to that.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you’re a new author, you’ve published a book, which is wonderful, but the work doesn’t end there. You should represent your book in the best way possible by having a well-written book description and author bio. You also should make yourself known, which you can do by creating an Author Central author page (if your book is on Amazon), connecting your book to it, and filling out as many of the sections about you and your book as you can with well-written, substantial, relevant information. It’s also a good idea to network with readers, which can be done on Goodreads – create an author account, add your book, and add people as your friends. Also, join the Amazon “Meet the Authors” forum and post about yourself and your book. And most importantly, start a blog, Facebook page, and Twitter page and post regularly. Those things will get you started on building your author platform.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard is: when you are writing a book, write until the first draft is complete before doing any editing. This technique allowed me to finish the first drafts of my books, which was very gratifying and propelled me to continue, and then I went back and did the editing. If I didn’t write the first drafts completely, and spent time rereading and revising as I wrote, I probably wouldn’t have finished my books, because it would have drawn out the book writing process. A book is long enough, so I don’t want to make it appear any longer!
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading “Qigong for Weight Loss” and “Blah Blah Chinese,” and I have nine other books on my Kindle that I can’t wait to read!
What’s next for you as a writer?
The next things I have planned are to add some content to my first three books and republish them as ebooks, publish all five of my books as paperbacks with CreateSpace (Amazon), finish and publish my three works-in-progress, and then write more books (so far I have two planned out).
What is your favorite book of all time?
I can narrow it down to three because I like very different genres: “Guarding the Healer” by Gabriel Beyers, “Master Your Metabolism” by Jillian Michaels, and “On Writing” by Stephen King.
Author Websites and Profiles
Christine Rice Website
Christine Rice Amazon Profile
Christine Rice Author Profile on Smashwords
Christine Rice’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account