Osiyo~

Welcome one and all! Grab a beverage of choice, something sweet and sinful. No-no, not the men. What’s the matter with you? You know the hands-on rules… The guest gets first pick! 😉 Take a comfy seat for another, or a first, spin in the Round Pen. I’m thrilled to welcome my wonderfully talented guest, Liza O’Connor, back today to share her latest book, Oh Stupid Heart, with us!

Please show Liza some real Ranch love!

Hello everyone! Thanks for having me here.

Beautiful banners! I can’t wait to hear more.

Before I get to the nosy 5-3-4 part of this interview, tell us a bit about you.

Sure, but for the record, that’s the worst countdown ever. Not only doesn’t it go to one, but you’ve forgotten the order of the numbers…no doubt due to untold stress of what outrageous things I might say on your blog today. My only advice is to put a disclaimer at the end taking no responsibility for anything I say.

LOL I’ll take my chances, Liza, math is NOT my strong suit. Okay, I’ll begin with five questions, then follow with three more, and end with four final ones.

I await your bad math.

You really have NO idea how accurate that is… Seriously. 😆

My writing area at the moment is a corner of the couch in my living room. What does your writing space look like?

My entire Living Room.  I have an office. (It’s the ghost’s bedroom and she throws a fit if I let people sleep there, so I turned it into my office.) However, it’s a wee bit warm in the summer and the expensive ergonomic chair  isn’t comfortable after a few hours of sitting, so over time I migrated to the living room where I sit in a very comfortable recliner…and sometimes fall asleep when editing.

We’re the sofa brigade!

Now I need to know more about the ghost. I’m super intrigued!

But for now, for a lot of writers it’s a life-altering event coming up with titles and character names. Others it comes as naturally as breathing. Which is it for you?

The name of the books comes to me in my dream. However since my characters actually write my books, sometimes when I’m done I realize it doesn’t accurately portray the story anymore. Then I brainstorm, write a whole bunch of potential titles, whittle it down to my fave and then have a voting contest, in which inevitably the votes fall evenly amongst all my choices.

Now that I’ve begun actually publishing my books, I test the titles at Amazon to ensure there aren’t 30 other books with the same title. I am happy to say in this series, my first two books Worst Week Ever and Oh Stupid Heart have no competitors.

It appears the DISASTER Romance genre is not terribly popular with writers. However, my third and final book of the series will have a little competition, since it is called ‘Coming to Reason’ and evidently more writers want to write about that.

Hehehe I would think everyone writes disaster books. Not. 🙂 What advice would you offer aspiring and new writers?

DON’T DO IT, unless you absolutely have to. If the voices in your head won’t shut up until you write their story, then write. It’s a better and cheaper alternative than requiring mental health care. 

But be warned, it is the hardest job I have ever done. (And I’ve had a ton of jobs.) And THE PAY SUCKS! I mean really sucks. Like negative income after the money paid to get noticed.

So don’t go into this thinking it’s a great way to make easy money. It’s not. If you want to make money, go into the business of helping authors get noticed.

However, from what I can tell, that’s not easy money either, since we (she means writers) don’t have any money.

Ha! I love that advice. If someone had told me that ten years ago… Never mind, the voices in my head are saying I’d be in a mental institution by now with that scenario.

The constant shift of the industry makes me often scratch my head and ask ‘what next?’ So, what do you think it takes to be a successful author at the moment?

First thing, begin marketing yourself (make yourself a distinct brand) YEARS before you begin publishing. Create a blog, invite other authors, share your personal thoughts (as long as your personal thoughts don’t go to killing people, puppies or kittens—because blogs can be used against you in a court of law).

For example, I’ve branded myself as a nut who is silly and gets in lots of trouble. The reason why I chose that brand is because I really like to be silly and it gets me into trouble all the time.

Is it a good brand? No clue, but by God, it’s a brand! I’ve even got my own badge:  That’s a llama eyeball sitting on nuts.

I will send you a badge digitally if you leave a comment asking for it. I can safely do this because only a nut will ask for one.)

Hmm Interesting… Yeppers–gotta have this. I can think of a few friends who qualify! 😆

Once you’re well branded, write a really good book and get it professionally edited. IN THAT ORDER.

I did that without really knowing about branding at the time. I had a blog two years before I wrote my first MS, five years before selling my “other” first MS. I was networking during that same time. It really helped me when I finally sold, so I’m an advocate of advance branding now.

Who would you like to meet in the publishing industry- dead or alive- and why?

I would like to go back in time and meet the publisher who first decided Americans would place the fragile punctuations (comma and period) on the INSIDE of dialog tags REGARDLESS of logic. And upon meeting him, for the sanity & self esteem of all futures writers of the digital age who are forced to look stupid when punctuating, I would break all his fingers and destroy his printing press, removing our most illogical rule that inexplicably continues into the digital age.

If you’ve no idea what this stupid rule is, here’s an example.

Illogical American: I have labeled this man an “idiot,” and I stand by it. (Notice the comma is illogically placed within the dialogue tags even though the comma has nothing to do with the idiot.

Sane English: I have labeled this man an “idiot”, and I stand by it. (Notice here, the comma leaves the idiot entirely alone and just does its job separating two independent clauses.)

Right??? I’m with ya there, Liza! Drives. Me. Crazy!

It’s time for 3 in 1! I’ll ask the questions and you answer them in one word. 😆

Favorite animal? Jess  (That’s my dog and she doesn’t allow me to respond any other way)

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter? Yes.

Favorite food? Curry-on-popcorn. 

Well done! 🙂

What are you talking about, I failed to answer two of those with one word, and the one I did use one word for doesn’t make sense. (By Yes, I meant I like having four real seasons, each in moderation, which is why I live in NJ)

Maybe, but you answered so I give props for that alone! I did get the “yes” answer, FYI. 😛

Okay, Flash four. Ready? What are you working on now?

Trick question, right now I’m working on this blog. However, you probably want me to time warp to the day peeps read this blog.

Yep, let’s do that. 🙂

<time warp forward> Here I am in late September cheering on Oh Stupid Heart in the ranks at Amazon, writing crazy interview questions for my next novel coming out in December called Ghost Lover, and sending my sci-novels off to my editor. Wow, I’m still working really hard. Go Liza!

Go you! What are you sharing today?

Oh Stupid Heart

Book Two of: A Long Road To Love

Humorous Contemporary Disaster Romance

By

Liza O’Connor

Carrie Hanson is in love with a different species: Trent, a pampered, uber-rich socialite who’s also her boss. Everyone keeps telling her it’s a train wreck looking to happen, but her heart wants what it wants. So despite the billion and one reasons not to, Carrie commits to this inter-species relationship. But while she’s off being trained for her new job responsibilities, a beautiful ex fiancée is working hard to get Trent back and Carrie fired.

Where can we find you and your books?

Here’s all my stalking and buying links (will send OSH’s buy link later)

Book Two

Oh Stupid Heart

Amazon

Book One

Worst Week Ever

Amazon

**************

Click Here

To Follow the 2nd Craziest Blog Tour

for

Oh Stupid Heart

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT

LIZA O’CONNOR

Liza’s Blog and Website   Facebook   Twitter

 Worst Week Ever Trailer

or just watch it here:

Other Books by Liza O’Connor

Saving Casey

Worst Week Ever

Oh Stupid Heart

Coming Soon:

Coming To Reason

Ghost Lover

Where will you be next?

Tomorrow, I’ll be at Pippa Jay’s blog evaluating whether Trent is more temperamental than real CEO’s. Then put them all to shame with a clip from Captain Kirk from Star Trek.

http://pippajay.blogspot.com/

And don’t forget:

Besides the $25 dollar Amazon Gift Card for one lucky winner during the tour.

For having read all the way to the bottom, you are also eligible for the following two gifts:

#1: Tell me in the comments you want your own nut badge and leave an email address and I’ll send you one. (Or you can cut me out of the loop entirely and copy it from this page.)

#2: Tell me you haven’t read Worst Week Ever, and I’ll send you a copy.

Thank you so much for playing along, Liza! Wishing you much luck with your book and writing. I hope you’ll come visit again one day.

Really. Man, you are super tolerant!

Hey, I lived through your first visit for Worst Week Ever (which I don’t have yet, sorry). I’m sort of nutty like that. 😛 Remember? Here it is https://calisarhose.com/2013/07/23/calisa-rhose-interviews-carrie-hanson-from-worst-week-ever-by-liza-oconnor/ if you need a memory recall. I’ll wait.

Dodadagohvi~

Wow, that sounds like what my Russian friends say when they want me to go home.

It’s actually Cherokee for “Until we meet again.” Now you’ve learned a new language! And if one word doesn’t constitute knowing a language, osiyo (my opening greeting) means hello. 🙂

TO ENTER TO WIN $25 PRIZE GO HERE: