Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Interview with Tammy Tate






Despite planes and ships disappearing in the legendary Bermuda Triangle for decades, Ally takes a cruise with friends from Miami to Bermuda. It takes them deep into the heart of the North Atlantic. She soon learns motion sickness is the least of her worries. Right away, she’s drawn to Brad, the head of security, only he’s arrogant and obnoxious, and she decides she wants nothing to do with him. Then the ship encounters an eerie green mist and they wake up on a deserted island. Now they must pull together to survive a dangerous storm, a waterspout, and evil pirates. As their relationship grows, they have to confront the biggest threat of all…their feelings for each other.



Excerpt for THE CHRISTMAS CRUISE

Curious to know his business aboard the ship, she asked, “Do you work here?”
“Define, work.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t play word games, Mister—”
“McNeal,” he said. “Agent McNeal, at your service.”
“So, Mr. McNeal, are you here on business or pleasure?”
He shrugged a broad shoulder. “Normally, I escort the president. This is what I get for requesting a vacation.”
“Does that mean pleasure?”
“Business. I’m in charge of security.”
Stunned by his odd demeanor, Ally shook her head but recovered quickly. “Should I be worried?”
He lifted a dark brow. “If I told you, I would have to kill you.”
She paused, at his bluntness. What if he wasn’t an agent at all but a stowaway? Or worse. An unhinged killer impersonating one of the ship’s staff.
He tossed back his head and laughed. “I’m kidding—”
She blinked. “About which part—”
“Killing you—”
“I knew that…”
“Liar.”
“Excuse me, but, I don’t think the captain would approve of you calling one of his passengers, a liar. Especially not one paying for a luxury suite.”
“I know where you’re staying, Miss. Collins.”

 Check out the book trailer:
The Christmas Cruise https://youtu.be/XT7e9me12jA

 More Books by Tammy Tate:

Off-Duty Christmas   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PB85FSS
The Forbidden Path   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EBESXTK

More Book Trailers by Tammy Tate:
Off-Duty Christmas  http://youtu.be/Kog64Ti2hbM
The Spirit Path -Book One  http://youtu.be/5yAx-ku4QFo
The Secret Path  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWmCOJnIUBg
The Forbidden Path  https://youtu.be/3epRB9g2Ym8
Caribbean Christmas https://youtu.be/raCNR-Yo-Sk
The Homecoming https://youtu.be/UnTxn5Woz98
The Christmas Cruise https://youtu.be/XT7e9me12jA
Code Redhead - Reunited https://youtu.be/07NY-gDHswY

 Interview 

 1.      Give us an anecdote around the decision of becoming a full-time author.
 
    I actually started writing over twenty years ago, but I put my writing on hold when my career path took a turn and I became a computer consultant/technician and later a communications officer (police dispatcher) for seven years. The later of the two barely left enough hours in the day for anything else. I worked mostly twelve hour shifts, nights, weekends and holidays. During that time, my husband and I ate more dinners together at the PD then anywhere else. But, I have been blessed to have an extremely supportive husband. In thirty-six years of marriage, he is my biggest fan. So when I decided to become a full-time author four years ago, he stood behind me, cheering me on every step of the way. He understands my passion to write and doesn’t complain when I'm up all night to meet a deadline. As a writer, I don't have set schedule. My motto is…I write for the same reason I breath…to survive. 
 
2.      Where did you self-publish your first eBook?
 
    I published my first eBook, The Spirit Path through Smashwords.com. At the time, I didn’t really know a lot about the publishing industry except for the fact that I wanted to write and get my work out there for the world to enjoy. Smashwords made that possible. They didn’t charge to format my manuscripts for the different platforms, Sony, Apple, ect. They also let me set my price. Since no one knew who Author Tammy Tate was, I figured it was the easiest way to get my name out there was to offer it for FREE. What I didn’t expect was over 7000 downloads in a few short months and everyone want more. 
 
3.     What part of the writing process do you find most difficult? 
 
   The part of writing that I find most difficult isn’t idea’s, drafts, editing process or writer’s block. Days before the release, I still get butterflies in my stomach.  
 
4.      Tell us about your next WIP.
 
   I have two manuscripts going through the editing process. The Homecoming is a paranormal romance and my publisher is doing a serial novel called Code Redhead and have asked twenty best-selling authors to write a short story of different genres. It’s scheduled to be released February of 2017 and the proceeds are going to cancer research. I lost my father to cancer over twenty years ago so when they asked me to take part, my response was “Count me in.” My story to be included in Code Redhead is a contemporary romance called Reunited.

I’m also working on part two of The Homecoming and my fanbase wants a part four of The Spirit Path series, so I'm considering that as well.
 
5.      You have some phenomenal book trailers. Tell us how you came to be so adept.
 
   I love creating book trailers! I'm fortunate enough to have a computer background in the understanding of software and I think it has allowed me to put together some phenomenal trailers. I use ProShow Producer because the possibilities are endless. I purchase licenses from 123rf.com so I don’t get caught up in copyright issues. Proshow Producer has a wonderful selection of music to choose from. I believe the music, images, and captions have to work together. Let’s face it, the purpose of a trailer is to get people excited about the book. If I'm asking someone to set through one of my trailers, I want to entertain them with crisp images, feel-good music, and easy to read captions.
 
6.      You’re an Amazon best-selling author.  Starting out with self-publishing, you must have a good story behind this…care to share?
   When I started self-publishing, I quickly realized two things. I couldn’t edit my own work, because I was too close to it and if I was going to live out my life-long dream, I needed an editor. That’s when I found Sigrid McDonald. She was, and still is, an author/editor and came highly recommended. I can say first hand, she did a fabulous job. I was at a crossroads, though. I decided to help off-set the cost of editing, I would charge a small price for my book. I also, started part two and named it The Secret Path.

   One day when I was in a writing’s group on Facebook, I came across a post from a traditional Publisher looking for submissions. I decided, what the heck. Let’s see if a publisher would take an interest in my stories as the readers had. They said it would take four to six weeks to hear back. A week after, I got email and they offered me a contract. I'm still with that publisher today. Together, we have released six books (eBook and paperbacks). Four of which have reached Amazon’s best-seller list in the romance category!
 
7.      Give us a typical “day at the office” for you. 
 
    My typical day starts out with coffee as I hover over my keyboard. I usually have a long list of email. Whether it’s an email from a fellow author, my publisher, promotion manager, someone that wants to showcase me on their blog or a fan wanting to know when my next release will be out, I answer them all. 

   Amazon updates the stats on each book hourly. So I check to see how my books are doing in reference to other books on Amazon. I don’t see dollar signs. I see a following of people that are as passionate about my work as I am. If my ranking drops, it’s because I’m not keeping up with the demand. 

   I write everyday. Sometimes,1000 words. Other days, it might be 4000. It just depends. I normally take my iPad everywhere. I have Scrivener on my iPad and my computer so I can pause on one and pick up on the other. I just have to make darn sure I close one out before opening another because Scrivener gets cranky. Then it throws whatever chapter I was working on in a folder with a note saying “You figure out which one you want to keep.” That takes time away from doing what I do best, which is writing, so I try to stay vigilant.

   As evening approaches, I concentrate on diner and after that, I try to spend as much time as possible with my biggest fan! My husband. Yes, he's worth it…because without his love and support I wouldn’t be writing jaw-dropping stories about amazing places for everyone to enjoy. 

And, after thirty-six years of marriage, Friday night is still date night.
 Meet Tammy Tate

Tammy Tate was born and raised in Hollywood, Florida but has lived most of her adult life in Texas. Her passion to write began in high school. It follows her everywhere she goes...creating a world where anything is possible. She's been married to the same wonderful man for over thirty-five years. Her secret to a long marriage? It's easy when you marry your best friend. In her world, Friday night is still date night. Before she became a full-time author, she was an Executive Secretary, a Computer Consultant/Technician, and a Communications Officer (Police Dispatcher). She doesn't mind a challenge which has allowed her to race a late-model in a women's powder puff race, run barrels and poles in a play-day rodeo and drive an 18-wheeler. Somewhere in between, she and her husband raised three wonderful children. When she's not breathing life into her characters or jotting down ideas for a new book, she’s engaged with her fans on social media or curled up with a good book. Since she believes reading is the next best thing to writing, she enjoys romance, paranormal, fantasy, horror and thrillers. In December of 2013, she signed her first book contract with a traditional publisher. Her books have made Amazon's Best Seller list.


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