Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hey there,
I’m Whitley Cox. I’m a mom to two precocious little girls (2.5 and 5.5) and I write steamy erotic romance and romantic comedy. I live in Canada on beautiful Vancouver Island and have written thirty books. I hit publish for the first time in 2017 and haven’t stopped since. Writing is my passion, my pleasure and has now become my job. Don’t they say if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life?
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I just finished writing Doctor Smug. It’s sort of a standalone but not really. I wrote Snowed In and Set Up which had the couple (Daisy and Riley) from Doctor Smug already married in it. I also wrote Hot Dad, which was the book after Snowed In and Set Up and it also had a married Daisy and Riley in it. But readers have been asking for Daisy and Riley’s story, so I decided to write it. I guess you could call it a prequel. It was fun to write as it was on the lighter side and a true rom-com. My readers inspired me to write it, and I also wrote a bonus sexy bedtime story for it. The link to that will be at the back of the book when it releases January 16, 2021.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My laptop sits on my kitchen counter, so I write when I have time. Sometimes, when my kids are school or on the weekend when my husband takes the parenting helm I can sit down and write for a longer period of time, but mostly I piecemeal. I write when I can. Five minutes here, five minutes there. I’m proficient, prolific and organized so I can get a lot written in a short amount of time.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Sylvia Day. I read the first three books in her Crossfire series three times while I was backpacking with my husband for our honeymoon. I’m also a big Rebecca Zanetti fan. Although I can’t wrap my head around PNR world building, she does it fabulously and I devour her books. Jeanne St. James is another author I draw inspiration from, as is author Ember Leigh, Cora Seton, Kathleen Lawless, Nancy Warren, CJ Hunt and Odette Stone.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on book 2 of my Harty Boys book, Lost Hart. It’s been a long time coming since I published book 1 over three years ago. Other projects just skipped the queue and poor Chase’s story was shoved to the back. But, after working through some plot issues with some close writer friends, I’m finally over the hurdle and I have goosebumps I’m so excited about where I plan to take the book.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads is a fabulous resource and I’m trying to be more active there. It’s where the readers are, and although some authors call it a hellhole because it can have trolls, I’m learning to look past those random people with nothing but negativity in their hearts and thank my fans and readers for their lovely reviews.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn how to market BEFORE you hit publish. Learn how to network BEFORE you hit publish. Have three books ready to go BEFORE you hit publish. If you’re looking to make money and NOT just have the “prestige” of being able to say you’re a published author, you need to understand the industry. It’s a beast unlike any other and it can be competitive. If you put your first book baby out into the world without a drop of promotion or a second book link in your backmatter, you better have a bushel full of horseshoes up your butt, because without the promotion or the link at the back people will not find you. If they do happen to find you, once they finish your book, they will forget about you because you had no further call to action.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you don’t ask the questions, you’ll never get the answers.
What are you reading now?
Wrecked by Rum by Lucy Lakestone
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on a co-writing project with another author, I’m working on the Harty Boys series and I hope to wrap up my Dark and Damaged Hearts Series by reworking Raw, Fierce and Awakened Parts 1 and 2. I wrote those books years ago, so they need to be fixed up before I can release them into the wild.
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?
War and Peace because it’s huge and I can use it to start a fire.
The complete collection of Winnie the Pooh by A.A Milne (don’t judge, even grownups love Pooh)
I heart my little A-holes by Karen Alpert.
The Dark Protectors Series by Rebecca Zanetti
Author Websites and Profiles
Whitley Cox Website
Whitley Cox Amazon Profile
Whitley Cox’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
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