A little more than two years ago, I received
my first official review on this very blog. I had self-published my debut novel,
In Search of Lucy, and somehow managed to get it to the Girl Who Reads. I was so new to the publishing world, I really didn’t know what to expect. But of course, I was hoping for a raving 5 star review. Well, I didn’t get one, and truthfully I was crushed. Donna did an excellent job with her review comments on the emotional points of the book that affected her and drew her into the story. The best of it was this,
“Lia does a great job of capturing the isolation, loneliness, and desperation of main character Lucy. I often found myself on the verge of tears and even cried as I read the last few pages of the book. It was a good emotional release.”
She also, gave me some extremely constructive criticism on the ending of the book and the fact that it had not been professionally edited. She was correct on both points. So I went back to the drawing board, revised my ending and had some incredibly nice authors help me clean it up. Positive reviews on
Amazon started rolling, sales increased, and six months later I was contacted by a publisher about representing my book. I ended up signing with
AmazonEncore, and Lucy got another make-over, including a new cover. It’s been a
top 10 Drama on Amazon ever since.
Buy In the Search of Lucy at Amazon
After writing my first book I decided I need to explore other genres. I wanted to see what I was capable of and what I most enjoyed. So, I started with a short story mystery series called A Hint of Murder. Then I wrote a thriller, Vigil Annie. Finally, my newest book called The Tech Guy is chick lit/humor. I’d have to say that the thriller was the most difficult because it has mystery, action, romance, and suspense. Trying to weave all this through a storyline is not an easy task. But I thoroughly enjoyed creating a kick-ass female lead. I don’t think there are enough of those in books. Readers have called Vigil Annie,
"...suspenseful, well-crafted, and fast paced..."
"...a fun, intriguing read that will keep you guessing and make sure you don't want to stop."
“Annie is a terrific heroine--tough, sexy, and human.”
The book I enjoyed writing the most is my new one, The Tech Guy. This Chick Lit/Humor novel is written in first person, which was something I hadn’t done before. I loved being able to include funny light-hearted situations into the story, along with a pretty big surprise at the end. Readers have called it,
“Witty, charming, and romantic!”
"humorous, fun, heart-warming"
Now that I have tackled most of the genres that interest me, I’ve come full circle and decided to get back to the genre that started this journey for me. I’m currently writing a new contemporary fiction novel. This story is about three life-long friends bound by promises and the past. A past filled with two decades of laughter, love and secrets. But time marches on and the inseparable three girls grow into independent women, each pursuing lives along very different paths. The majority of the story takes place after twenty years of friendship and uncovers whether the ties that held them together as girls will be strong enough for them as women. These three friends will not only discover the true meaning of friendship, but also unveil truths about themselves they never knew existed.
This is the first time I’ve been in the process of writing a book without having at least some
idea of a title in mind. I’d be happy to entertain any suggestions you may have based on the above description and the fact that it is set in a Southern California beach city. So feel free to stop by
my author page at and post your suggestions or comment on this blog.
About the Author:
I’ve been creating stories my whole life, but only for me, in my own head. Then one day I sat down and started to write a book. I completed my first novel, In Search of Lucy, in February of 2011. Seven months later, AmazonEncore contacted me about representing my book. It’s currently in the top 10 for Kindle Drama.
I was born and raised in Southern California and hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a multiple subject teaching credential. I’m a wife and mother of two teenagers.
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Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small fee is earned when purchases are made at Amazon through the links above. The beliefs, opinions, and views expressed by contributing authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Girl Who Reads. A free ebook of In Search of Lucy was received from the author for an honest review.
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