C. Penticoff, fantasy author and owner of A Novel Connection, started creating books the moment she could pick up a pen and write with it. Her first book, Weathering the Wicked, is one she started writing at the age of 12. After 14 years of throwing crumbled up pieces of paper in the trash and going back to the writing board, she finally had the masterpiece she had dreamed of publishing since middle school.
Aside from writing, her passion is running and growing her website, A Novel Connection, which offers readers free books in exchange for honest reviews.
When she isn’t writing, she is homeschooling her two young boys and daydreaming of worlds beyond our own.
Meet the Author – C.Penticoff
Was writing something you always wanted to do growing up? How did you start?
Writing is something that I have been doing since, literally, before I can remember. Whether it was writing in my journal, plotting out a book, or actually writing a book: This is something that I have always done in my free time. My childhood dreams were being an author and being an actress. Fulfilling childhood dreams isn’t something that most people can say, so I’m very proud to have achieved this!
What is the most challenging part of the publishing path for you?
This is easy. MARKETING! When I started writing my first book, I didn’t realize that half of the work you do as an author is marketing your own book. Honestly, I just kind of assumed that I would publish my book and–BAM– the sales would start pouring in. Reality, pretty much, slapped me in the face with that one!
What is your writing process?
I always start out with brainstorming by simply writing ideas down for a story that I have. Those ideas may be world-building, characters, plot, etc. When I have a good amount of brainstorming done, I plot it out. I am NOT a panster! After I have an outline written out, I write my first draft, which is a very rough draft. I just need the story written out, I don’t need it to be perfect. After the rough draft is written out, I go through and add the sugar and spice! This is where the writing is perfected and the editing occurs. This is, by far, my favorite part of writing a book.
If you could give a new writer an advice, what would it be?
Oh, boy–where to start? RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. Whether it’s researching the topics in your book, publishing, formatting, marketing, etc.: You need to make google your best friend! I also highly recommend networking with other authors to soak up their knowledge and experience. Authors are usually more than happy to share their two cents about anything book/writing related!
Also, ALWAYS hire a professional editor. Very often, we believe that we can edit the story enough ourselves, but the truth is that even professional editors have their own work edited by others. It’s really common for writers to miss errors in their book, so a second pair of eyes–especially from a professional– is crucial.
One last thing: Get a professional cover! Your cover is the first thing a reader sees. With millions of other books out there, if your cover is not great, they will move on to the next one.
If you could pick an author to write your story, who would you pick?
I would pick James Redfield because he is my favorite author! He writes the Celestine Prophecy series. My series was inspired by this! I recommend that series to anyone.
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK
Synopsis:
Nine thousand years ago in Folklaria, a spiritual land filled with magic and wonder, a prophecy was set forth to restore peace after a gargantuan force took over with wicked energy. The Chronicles of Folklaria is the story of this prophecy playing out.
June’s reality had been flipped upside down. Her sister, January had vanished. But, she was not just gone…her entire existence had been put in the flames. No one had even a glimpse of a memory of January…except for June.
Frightened, confused, and feeling like her world had come crashing down on her all at once, June bolted from her house in a panic and stumbled upon a woman. Someone who knew exactly where her sister was and had been willing take her there: June never could have predicted that saving her sister would mean venturing off to an enchanted land. Magic? June could not wrap her mind around it, but she had no other choice. The one person who actually believed her and knew that she was not crazy was going to have to be the one person June put her trust in. A complete stranger.
Upon arriving to this enchanted and spiritually-enlightening land, June discovered that she was not who she thought she was. In fact, everything June has known about herself had been an illusion. A distraction from her true self. A diabolical plan to keep her from her true destiny.
June may have thought her life had become mad as a March hare, but little did she know, this was only beginning of a long and life-altering journey in Folklaria.
Her book is available on Amazon. Click Here!
How to connect with the Author.
Website: www.cpenticoff.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorcpenticoff
Twitter: www.twitter.com/c_penticoff
Instagram: www.instagram.com/c.penticoff_author
Thanks for reading! I’m a Fantasy writer who loves books beyond words. I’d love to hear about you. Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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