Featured Author: M.A. Comley

M.A. Comley, a good friend and fellow New York Times bestselling mystery author, is someone who knows the book business inside out. Her newest novel, Wrong Place, has received rave reviews, and its success has her sitting at the #10 spot in police procedurals on Amazon. 

When asked what advice she had for aspiring authors, here's what she had to say:

Thanks for hosting me, Cheryl, always a pleasure dropping by for a cuppa and a chat with a good friend. :) 

I’ve recently released WRONG PLACE the first book in my DI Sally Parker thriller series set in Norfolk in the UK. I’m hoping it will be as successful as my Justice series, fingers crossed anyway. The second book, NO HIDING PLACE is now with the editor and available for pre-order.

Enough about my books and back to the question in hand. What advice would I give to anyone starting out; well, the most important advice would be to ensure you get your work edited by a professional before putting it out there, you’ll seriously regret it if you don’t. I also think people should just knuckle down and write the next book instead of marketing the hell out of ONLY one book. If people enjoy your work they will be impatient to read more, bear that in mind during this process.

I found this out the hard way, but have made up for it since, in the past three years I have written over 20 novels and accrued a ‘few loyal fans’ along the way. We’re nothing without our fans, another fact to remember if you’re self-publishing or indeed a trad published author.

Thanks for inviting me, Cheryl. Good luck to everyone in their quest to become a successful author.

Here are the links:

Wrong Place

Amazon hyperurl.co/v0bu2g

Kobo http://ow.ly/OrKyB

Xin Xii http://ow.ly/OrLFa

Barnes and Noble http://ow.ly/OEVwC                      

iTunes http://ow.ly/MrcmN 

Google http://ow.ly/OtSDv

Featured author: Janet Evanovich

#1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich's quirky, unique writing style is the kind of writing that lures readers in and then keeps them there book after delicious book. Her upcoming release, Tricky Twenty-Two comes out in November and is currently on preorder right now on Amazon. 

Back in 2011 I asked her to guest on my blog, and she graciously agreed to answer a few questions.


1. In the beginning of your career when you were rejected, what motivated you to keep going instead of giving up?

I actually did give up. I wrote three books and just couldn't seem to get published. I burned all my rejection letters and went out and got a temp job. But four months into my new secretarial career I got a call from an editor wanting to buy my last manuscript.

2. Was there one piece of advice you received from an agent or someone in the business in the early days that improved your writing or helped you to eventually get published, and if so what?

There wasn't one piece of advice that helped me get published, but after I was published an editor told me to never hold anything back for the next book. Always put all your good stuff in the book you're writing. I think that's good advice. 

CB: This is one of the best pieces of author advice I've read. Not holding back creates some of the most compelling chapters sometimes. 

3. When your first books were rejected, did you do anything to different with the next book (the first one to be published) that made all the difference, and if so what?

Those first books were mostly about me teaching myself. Typically, a rejection letter doesn't come with a lot of criticism, constructive or otherwise. It's usually pretty much just a "no."


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