Marsha Canham is one of the fast growing group of New York authors who has found new success self-publishing. Her pirate romances were out-of-print, but now have found new life and fans in self-published digital versions.
Official Bio:
Marsha is the author of sixteen Historical Romances and one Contemporary Romance.
She has won multiple awards for swashbuckling romance, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly touting the sizzling pirate adventure The Iron Rose as one of the six best mass market books for the year.
A USA Today Bestselling author with a loyal readership, many appreciate her use of history, action, and adventure to place the reader right into the heart of the story.
What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?
Read it out loud to yourself.
It’s amazing how many mistakes you can “hear” more clearly than you can see.
Are there any books on writing you recommend?
I’ve never actually read a book on writing *s*.
How often do you write? What tips do you have for people who have trouble staying on task and getting the book done?
I’m a bad example of exactly that type of person so I’m afraid I have no tips. I firmly believe writing is a creative process that must come on it’s own, at it’s own pace, in it’s own time. If the words aren’t there, aching to come out, trying to force them won’t accomplish anything more than adding to your frustration when you go back and read what you’ve written and realize it’s crap.
In this changing world of publishing, what advice do you have for new or aspiring authors?
Don’t take any shortcuts. You still need to put in the work. You still need to edit yourself to death and back. You still need a proofreader and an editor…one who, preferably, isn’t related. Relatives and friends tend to play nice so as not to hurt your feelings. You need someone who will cut the story and your writing to shreds if it is warranted.
What do you do to promote yourself? How do you balance time promoting and writing?
I’m active on Facebook, and I’m slowly starting to use Twitter, although I would have to admit I don’t really have a lot of faith in adding my few little tweets and twirps to the bazillions that zoom out every day. I’m semi-comfortable on Kindleboards and I blog quite frequently, though not usually about books.
How about reviews? Do you think they are important? Do you have any advice for dealing with less than positive reviews?
I’m lucky in the sense that I usually get great reviews. But we’ve all had one or two that make us wince, and to those readers I have to say: not all of us have the same tastes in reading. I can’t say my tastes are better than anyone elses, so I can’t knock anyone else’s reading habits either. I don’t read horror books, so I’m sure if I read one and had to give a review, it would be less than raving. Not all readers like romance. Not all readers like violence in their romances. Not all readers like blond, blue-eyed heros so I might tick them off on the first page if my hunk is dark haired and has green eyes. *smile* I don’t like everything I read, so I don’t expect everyone to like what I write.
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About The Wind and The Sea:
This action-packed swashbuckling adventure is a classic tale of romance, revenge, and breathtaking exploits on the high seas. The time is 1804 and the U.S. Navy is attacking and destroying pirate strongholds on North Africa’s infamous Barbary Coast. Courtney Farrow, daughter of one of the most feared and successful corsairs, is captured by Lt. Adrian Ballantine, proud, handsome, and determined to tame her spirit. Constantly battling their attraction, they must become reluctant allies in order to discover who is selling secrets to the corsairs, and who has sold out the Farrow stronghold. Says Publishers Weekly: “Packed with well-drawn characters, fiery sea battles… this book is a good read.”
Buy for only $2.99!!
Hi Marsha. When will you translate the book for our “poor” italians?
Serena, unfortunately translations are not forthcoming in the immediate future. Big publishing houses can afford to have novels translated into many languages. A single author, self-publishing, has enough difficulty getting a book written and uploaded *smile*
I wish I could be more helpful, but unfortunately, English only for now.