Chick-Lit author Chantel Simmons stops by to visit!
Happy Friday!
I've been going non-stop for the last week (seriously...I drive almost three hours round-trip to work and back every day! Have no fear! It's only temporary until we move into our new place), but I am in LOVE with my new job! More on that later...
For now, let me tell you a little bit about Love Struck author Chantel Simmons, who totally made my day when she agreed to a short Q&A session here on ABC.
Chantel has two novels under her belt, and she has a long history of working and writing for publications like ELLE Canada, TV Guide, and The Toronto Sun, as well as contributing experience with Reader's Digest, FASHION, HGTV, and the FoodNetwork. To top it all off, Chantel is a wife and a professor in the Book & Magazine publishing program at Centennial College. All of this while still looking fabulous (see photo to the left for proof)! I think I could take a lesson or two from her.
Having said all of this, it is my pleasure to introduce you to best-selling author, Chantel Simmons:
W: How did you feel when you found out that your first novel was going to be published?
CS: Like I'd won a new wardrobe, a trip around the world, and a castle. I couldn't stop smiling. It was the pivotal momet when the dream I'd always had of being an author was finally coming true.
W: Do you have any other novels-in-progress that you can tell me about?
CS: My publisher bought my 3rd novel based on a two-page proposal last summer and it was slated to come out this summer. Unfortunately, my publisher in Canada folded, which left a lot of amazing editors, designers, publicists and others without jobs - and my book without a home, but I'm optimistic about the future and working on a few things!
W: What is your go-to Starbucks order?
CS: Tall non-fat no-water tazo chai.
W: Describe your writing process; do you write every day?
CS: I really try to! I believe it's like a job, and you wouldn't skip work to get a mani or do laundry, so I try not to skip writing. During the school year I teach magazine writing at a college, so I try to fit writing in between classes or at the end of the day. Then in the summer, it's the my actual job, which makes me so happy, because it's what I've always wanted to do! And I get to sit outside on my patio with a glass of wine while I do it! What could be better than that?
W: What is one piece of advice that you would pass on to aspiring authors?
CS: Believe. Meg Cabot gave me that advice recently, and it is probably the best piece of advice I've received. One little word that carries so much weight.
W: Do you have a reality show guilty pleasure?
CS: Just one? I'll tell you my Reality TV Trifecta: Dancing with the Stars (how cute are Chelsea & Mark together? I hope they win!). Pawn Stars, and The Bachelor/Bachelorette. These are not guilty pleasures. They are pure pleasure. I feel absolutely no guilt watching these shows.
W: What is your favorite book/ who is your favorite author?
CS: My favourite authors: Emily Giffin for adult and Sarah Mlynowski for YA.
W: What have you learned about publishing that surprises you?
CS: How patient you need to be, that there are no guarantees (so don't take any aspect for granted), and that it's 99% hard work and only 1% luck, which is actually motivating because you really do hold your own future in your hands.
I'd like to extend BIG "thank you" to Chantel Simmons for visiting A Bundle of Contradictions, as well as thanks to Samantha over at Chick Lit Plus for setting the whole thing up for me. I appreciate it more than I can say! Thanks again ladies!
To learn more about Chantel Simmons and her work, please stop by her website or visit her blog here. Be sure to pick up your own copy of Love Struck and enjoy your weekend!
Until next time,
Wendi