Writer's World

Answering questions with xangelsmomx

 Everybody welcome the wonderful, one and only, xangelsmomx. Wife, mother, writer, and Wattpader. The woman was kind enough to donate some of her time and have a chat about writing, and participate in the challenge question at the end (which was really cool). 

 Question 1. The Rented Husband has over six million reads at present. That is an incredible accomplishment, and if I had a hat on I would take it off to you. How does that feel, and can you tell us about this story?

"The Rented Husband" is my baby.  The support for that story started slow but quickly gathered in strength mid-way through the book.  A lot of the banter between the two main charachters can be pulled from my own playful conversations with my husband.  I've been overwhelmed by the overall support for this story.  It's basically a romantic/comedy/mystery.  You have two grown adults that work together in a prominent law firm with the same problem- medling parents that want to see their children hitched.  The story takes you on a journey where they try to outwit their family and against al the odds (including a psycho hell bent on revenge), fall for each other. 

Question 2. As I write this question you have 24,213 fans, you obviously have connected with so many people, what do you think draws them to you and your writing?

First of all, the genres.  I write romance and almost everyone on this site loves a good romance.  Also, I think I've been coined because with me, you never know what your going to get.  I lead you down one path in a story and once you think you know what's going to happen, I blow your mind and take you somewhere else. 

Question 3. Do you market your stories? How important is marketing for writers?

Only recently- and that's because I've just self-published for the first time on Amazon.  Before that, I tried to let my work speak for itself. 

Question 4. As a wife and mother of three children, do you share your works with your family?

Husband yes.  He reads my work and encourages me.  I bounce ideas off of him and he gives me feedback.  I've done that some with my oldest son too-  the others are way too young.  They know I write though. Nice. 

Question 5.  You have entered a story Taming The Tycoon into the 2012 Watty Awards, tell us about this story, and how did it come about?

Taming the Tycoon is my first attempt at a Harlequin romance.  Honestly, it's just an idea that bloomed in my head.  I wanted to try something different and this is the result.  My challenge is the main charachter is Greek and with my limited knowlege of Greek culture, trying to make him a believable character. So far I've had positive responses so thats a huge plus.

Question 6. Do you have a writing mentor, or someone you seek advice from in regards to writing?

Not really, well unless you consider my husband.  I have authors that I look up to like Nicholas Sparks.  I read his forums and learned a lot from him; especially on the emotional development of characters. What a cool husband! 

Question 7. I’ve noticed many writers on here can get a little bit peeved when asked by some of the younger beginner writers asking to ‘please read my story’ or ‘vote for vote’ or ‘please fan me back’. I’m sure they’re not going out of their way to hassle people, but I think in the end it actually decreases the chances of their work being read, and who knows they might have a great story. So could you offer any advice and tips on how these people can go about getting their stories read in a better? Is there another approach they can take?

I get those a lot and being reasonable, there is no way I could answer every request.  My advice is to just write and write consistently.  Let your work speak for itself.  If you want, get on the boards and join discussions- get to know people but don't pester them to death with "Read my story" 

 Question 8. What is important when two characters in a story are interacting?

Chemistry.  It there is no chemistry then the plot falls flat.

Question 9. Have you ever entered any writing competitions? If so which ones, and how did you find the experience?

I did enter the Watty Awards... Three of my stories made it to the final rounds and that was enough for me.  I was up against some stiff competition so I was proud that I made it that far.  I also tried the Amazon Break though but that didn't go anywhere.  The entrants were evaluated on a 200 word summary of the novel.  You win some- you lose some.  It's a fact of life.  I just keep on going. They are incredible achievments.  

 Question 10. If you had to combine three different genres into one story what would they be?

Romance/Comedy/Thriller-- My favorite combination and very entertaining.

 Question 11. You recently self published The Rented Husband, can you tell us about that experience, what prompted you to do so and what have been the challenges so far? 

The editing is tedious and then uploading was a real pain. Still haven't quite worked out all the kinks like formatting but I'm getting there.  In less than 12 Hrs. I sold 8 copies so you could say that I'm sitting up on cloud nine right now.  

Question 12. Challenge Question – Write a love poem about a werewolf and a vampire. 

Oh wow... This is going to suck...Lets see... 

Fur and Fangs,

A love match not supposed to be,

Two mystical creatures,

written off as age old enemies.

But once in a blue moon,

The tide of change will come.

On the tail end of a typhoon,

Two will walk to the beat of a different drum.

That was awesome.  

Okay, never claimed to be a poet and this is the best I could do on spur of the moment... :D 

 Thanks for taking the time to interview me.  It's been fun!

Check out xangelsmomx stories on her profile page - 

The Rented Husband (Sample) - Olivia Murray, a 29 year old successful attorney has had enough with her families intrusion on her personal love life. Mother, father and siblings included have all gone above and beyond the call of duty to try and get her hitched to a man. Just how far is Olivia willing to go to stop the incessant meddling? Will the strong independent woman that Olivia has come to be accept help when she needs it the most, when her own life is threatened and more importantly what will she do when something so much more fragile is put at risk, something like her heart?

Taming The Tycoon - The tabloids can't get enough of the infamous Playboy Tycoon, Dimitri Asikis. Part owner of an Internaitonal hotel chain thats worth billions, he's proven time and time again that he can be ruthless in the board room and just as ruthless with his women. Not willing to commit, he's very careful in keeping his many lovers all over the world at arms length that is until he agress to do one small favor for his father....

Reyna Diamond has finally graduated University. Vibrant and free, she's ready to return home and make a life for herself. She's an American heiress in her own right and has no immediate plans to settle down until she sets her eyes on Dimitri. Once she see's him all bets are off. Whatever plans she had previously, were thrown to the wayside. She had to have him, she had to tame him and she would settle for nothing less. The real question now becomes, does Reyna Diamond have what it takes to tame the bad boy billionaire or in the end, will all she have left to show for her effort is shattered pieces of a broken heart?