Welcome to Day 2 of #NJ12DaysOfAuthors (June) Series! @ThrunAuthor #DoesSheThinkOfMe #Biography #Memoir

GIVEAWAY:

At the end of this series, 1 lucky visitor will win a (12) Kindle e-book pack which will include a copy of each book featured in this series + a $10 Amazon gift card + a book trailer, courtesy of 4WillsPublishing!  Simply leave a comment below to be entered into the drawing!

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On the 2nd day of the June “12 Days of Authors” Series… Nonnie’s gift to you…

AUTHOR, CATHY WILLIAMS-THRUN!

Author bio:

Cathy, the second of six siblings, was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland and raised in the Goulds, a small rural community south of St. John’s. She moved to Ontario in 1981 where she currently resides in the Municipality of Trent Lakes with her husband Ralph. Their blended family consists of four daughters, a son, three sons-in-law, and five little blessings that call her Nanny. Writing down her story was initially meant to be a personal gift to her daughter in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of their reunion but manifested itself into this heartfelt memoir.

NJ:  Hi, Cathy!  Let’s get to it!  Is your author name a pen name or your birth name?

Cathy:  My author name is both my birth and married name (Williams-Thrun)

NJ:  So, Cathy, how long have you been writing?

Cathy:  I’ve always been told I have a knack with words and should be a writer but this actually my first attempt at writing.

“DOES SHE THINK OF ME?”

NJ:  Give us just a little background on that book. What is it about?

Cathy:  41 years ago I surrendered my child to adoption. At 18 years of age I knew love would not be enough to give her the life she deserved. Due to closed adoption records I had to wait 18 years to start my search for her. I want the reader to know the trauma of leaving your child is one a birth mother never fully recovers from. It’s raw and emotional with a beautiful happy ending.

NJ:  This is a must read for me!  It sounds so interesting, Cathy.  Where can readers purchase your book and how much is it?

Cathy:  My book is available at Amazon (.ca, .com, .com Prime, .ca, .ca prime, com.au, .co.uk) Barnes & Noble, Indigo, Kindle, Book Depository, Bookshop, Rakuten KOBO, Smashwords and Apple Books.  Canadian – Kindle $7.99, Hardcover $23.32, Paperback $19.48;  US – Kindle $6.29, Hardcover $18.99, Paperback $13.99

NJ:  Cathy, I have been in this business long enough to know that quite a few readers have a purchase price point and will only spend so much on an e-book. How do you price your books and what is your logic behind the pricing?

Cathy:  I had no idea how to price my book. It was my publisher who advised me on pricing based on the length of my book. For me personally if I’m buying a book, I tend to spend in the $20 range or less and I let that be my guide as well.

NJ:  I got on Twitter many years ago because my social media manager at the time, told me that I needed to be on Twitter. He did not give me an actual reason as to why (I had to learn my “why” on my own), just that I needed to be there.  What was your main reason for getting on Twitter?  For support? For fun?

Cathy:  Oh gosh, I didn’t have a Twitter account until I published my book. My publisher encouraged me to have as many social media accounts as possible.

NJ:  Smart publisher.  What other social media platforms do you use to market your book(s), and have you found them to be beneficial?

Cathy:  I also have Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Goodreads and Pinterest.  I’ve learned that you have to invest a lot of time in marketing. It’s tough to gauge what’s worked and what didn’t. I invested money into Facebook ads for about a month and sales were good but in the end the profits were low.

NJ:  That’s good to know.  Thanks for sharing .  Supporting others is a huge part of my identity. I believe that when you invest your time and support in others, you find that your circle grows by leaps and bounds of others giving the same to you. When I first got involved heavily on Twitter, I was pushing others more than I was pushing myself – I continue to do so. Do you support others on social media?  If so, how?

Cathy:  I support not only writers but other artists as well by sharing posts on whatever media I can. I’m a member of the Canada Writes Facebook group where we encourage and share each other’s work. Tweeting has definitely been a challenge to master.

NJ:  Really?  Tweeting is easy and it’s so much fun, Cathy!  Do you actually take the time to read tweets from others before you retweet them, or do you just hit “retweet” without ever engaging in the tweet?

Cathy:  I definitely read before retweeting and use hashtags as much as possible. Writers are responsive and so grateful for the ‘lift’.

NJ:  If you could map out the perfect way that you would want others to support you on social media, how would you ask your followers to support you? Just imagine that everyone who reads this interview will run out and follow you.  How could they best support you?  What would you have them do?

Cathy:  The perfect support, based on what I’ve experienced in my first year of being published, would be to read my book and write a review. I can guarantee you, you will be sharing and Tweeting to everyone you know.

NJ:  We all learn something new almost every day while on social media and I like sharing what I have learned with other authors, in hopes that it will benefit them in some way. Have you come across any writing resources that might benefit other authors?  If so, share 2 or 3 of them with us, please.

Cathy:  Hands down ‘The Chicago Manual of Style’ has been a great resource for writing and editing.  I’ve been taking writing courses and randomly search for writing prompts.

NJ:  Cathy, authors are always seeking good formatting services. Who do you use to format your books, and would you recommend them?

Cathy:  I left the editing and formatting to my publisher, Tellwell Talent out of British Columbia, Canada. We went through numerous rounds of edits and it paid off. I received a 5 star Indie Reader rating as well as a NYC Big Book Distinguished Favorite award. My advise is never underestimate the value of a professional editor.

NJ:  Can you share with our audience 2 or 3 of the top methods you use to market your books?

Cathy:  I’d say the top methods I use to market my book are all social media channels And Interviews. I interviewed with theauthorshow.com for free and paid a fee to post my interview (on 14 platforms), listed on their website as a featured author, and highlight my book monthly for a 24 months to thousands of members around the world.  Entering contests to recognition and raise awareness.

NJ:  What is the one bit of writing advice you would give to any author, experienced or newbie?

Cathy:  If you want to be a writer you have to write. What worked really well for me was to schedule time to write. There were nights I felt like procrastinating but once I got settled in it was a challenge for me to stop.

NJ:  Is writing only a hobby for you or do you write full time?

Cathy:  For now it’s a hobby because I can’t afford to not work but I would love to write full time.

NJ:  Is your reputation as a writer important to you, OR might we look up one day and find that you are in a Twitter brawl with someone?

Cathy:  My reputation is very important to me so I would never tarnish it by embarrassing myself, family or friends on social media or in person. 100% professional.

NJ:  That’s always great to hear, Cathy.  So many don’t value their reputations or care about their public behavior at all.  In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between the writers you see today around social media, versus the writers of old? (Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, even Stephen King)

Cathy:  I feel social media is an all-consuming activity that eats into my writing time. Writers of old didn’t have the distractions of computers, cell phones and social media. I read Stephen Kings book, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” and he said he had no magic formula on how to be a writer…just write. I felt let down because I was expecting some pearls of wisdom but after spending a year writing I realized he was right.

NJ:  Yes, he was right in that regard.  Social media is a time killer, if you allow it to be.  Cathy, do you value professionalism in the literary arena and worry that the lack thereof makes it harder for those of us who wish to be taken seriously in this business? Or, does the unprofessional behavior of some around social media not bother you at all?

Cathy:  I’m not bothered by unprofessional behaviour on social media. Seriously, they are the people you don’t forget. I set high standards for myself and value my professionalism to much to jeopardize my reputation. There’s a time and place for everything and not everything needs to be posted on social media.

NJ:  If you have ever received any, how do you handle not-so-flattering reviews of your book(s)?

Cathy:  As of today, on Amazon.ca, I have 22 reviews. Recently I noticed that two individuals rated me a 2 and a 3 out of 5. My first reaction was, “Who gives a 2 rating with no review? That’s cowardly!” I wanted to know why he/she rated me so low when everyone else rated me a 5. How can I improve it I don’t get feedback? Then I let it go because I’m proud of my accomplishment and a low rating doesn’t change that.

NJ:  They’re called trolls, Cathy.  It’s how they survive and get their kicks.  Do you appreciate honesty regarding your writing because you know that only honest feedback allows you to grow as a writer, or are you one of those who would prefer that others lie to you and tell you only what they know you want to hear?

Cathy:  Most definitely, as mentioned in the previous question. Constructive criticism is something I welcome to help me improve. Telling me something I want to hear, to protect my feelings, isn’t doing me any favors; it’s actually doing me more harm.

NJ:  Oh, yayyyyy!!!  An author after my own heart!  This is what I preach all the time!  Cathy, if every author would take those words and just sit in them, oh, what a wonderful (literary) world this would be.  So many want you to lie and lie and lie to them again and again to feed their little egos – it’s maddening to me.  Especially when they finally hear the truth and decide to throw tantrums. I can’t handle it. Thank you, Professional!  You just made my day!

Thank you so much for allowing me to promote you today, Cathy!  Enjoy!

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OTHER QUICK FACTS ABOUT CATHY…

• Indie
• 1 book published to date / If I wrote 100 books this will always be my favorite.
• Writes under non-fiction, but I’d like to try my hand at writing a murder/mystery fiction
• I have a Diaries tab on my website where I write about random events that move me. I haven’t added anything in a while due to life events that have consumed all my mental energy; selling, moving, new job…all that fun stuff.

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FOLLOW CATHY ON…

Twitter:  @ThrunAuthor

Website

Facebook

LinkedIn

Instagram

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Guests, thank you so much for dropping by to support Cathy on Day 2 of the June “12 DAYS OF AUTHORS” Series!  It would be awesome if you would pick up a copy of her book above, and after reading, share your review to Amazon.  Ensure that you leave her a comment below, and also LIKE her feature before you leave, for your chance to win the grand prize package listed above!  We’d both appreciate it if you would share this feature to Twitter and Facebook, as well.

To follow along with the rest of the features in this series, visit the “12 DAYS OF AUTHORS” home page!  There will be a new series beginning in July!  I’d also love it if you would #follow my site, as well as following me on Twitter @NonnieJules, as my truest joy is in service to others.  I’d love to support you, too!

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE FEATURED IN MY #NJ12DaysOfAuthors Series?  Click HERE to sign up!

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DISCLAIMER:  Any guest material appearing at WATCH NONNIE WRITE! is not edited, proofed or changed in any manner by the the owner of this blog. Material is posted as it is written and submitted.  It is not my place to make changes to someone else’s writing, as what I view as needing correcting, just might be the way the author intended the material to read.

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