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SaveDear Online Book Review Readers,
Today, we have an interview with author Maureen Miller whose online books Widow’s Tale and Rogue Wave have been doing very well on Amazon Kindle. Widow’s Tale in particular has been on the romantic suspense bestseller list for almost a year and was a finalist for the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Competition. Enjoy the interview, and thanks so much for visiting us here at the Online Book Review.
–Stacey Cochran
STACEY COCHRAN: Tell us a little bit about your novel Widow’s Tale.
MAUREEN MILLER: Widow’s Tale harkens back to the era of the Gothic romance. It is a contemporary novel, but it has a cold and dark feel to it, with a suggested element of supernatural thrown in.
It is the story of Serena Murphy, whose verbally and mentally abusive husband has been presumed dead after his boat goes missing during a storm off the coast of Maine. She stands on the craggy cliffs every night, searching for his body. Some might think it is for closure, but Serena seeks finality to the ghosts that besiege her. Every night, her husband’s footsteps cross her living room even though no one is there.
Brett Murphy, Serena’s brother in-law arrives in Victory Cove to determine the fate of his brother. He finds that the attraction he had for Serena ten years ago has not lessened over time. But Brett also hears Serena’s ghostly footsteps.
Despite his best efforts to remain detached, Brett battles Serena’s ghosts, both real and contrived. And in the heart of a blustery nor’easter, he battles not to lose her to them.
STACEY COCHRAN: Now, you decided to publish Widow’s Tale on Amazon Kindle. Can you explain a little bit about your decision to do so?
MAUREEN MILLER: Widow’s Tale was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart competition. This was a ‘golden’ ticket to get it under the nose of publishers. At the time, the editors considered it too long for their lines. Real life, and my day job intervened, and I was unable to get back to editing down the word count for quite some time. Once I did, it was awfully difficult to get my foot in the door again.
If I was going to read a book, Widow’s Tale would be something right up my alley. I figured there had to be others like myself out there. Amazon Kindle offered me a chance to release Widow’s Tale and let the public decide for themselves if it was marketable. For that opportunity I am grateful. I hope the public will be grateful too.
STACEY COCHRAN: The book has done very well and is currently on the Romantic Suspense bestseller list. Aside from Widow’s Tale being an excellent story, what other factors would you say have contributed to its success on Kindle?
MAUREEN MILLER: I definitely attribute the success to the support and kinship of fellow Kindle readers and authors. It is still a relatively tight knit community and we do support each other with the loyalty of family. After that, I hope that the success stems from people genuinely enjoying the book.
STACEY COCHRAN: What are your thoughts on the state of traditional publishing?
MAUREEN MILLER: There is nothing wrong with traditional publishing. I suppose we all aspire to see our names associated with a large publishing house. But it gets harder and harder to believe that the individual author’s voice can be heard. It, like any other industry can sometimes come down to ‘who you know’.
I don’t envy the editors as they have to weed through the material they receive on a daily basis, but I do envy them when they discover that rare gem in the pile.
STACEY COCHRAN: Considering you’ve found a readership that has enthusiastically embraced Widow’s Tale are you pursuing publication for it (or other books) through a traditional publisher?
MAUREEN MILLER: I will continue to market Widow’s Tale to a traditional publisher, but it will not be with desperation I once possessed. Perhaps one day an editor will purchase Widow’s Tale on Kindle and say, ‘wow, I have to publish this!’ Regardless, I write because I have a story to share. We don’t set out to make money when we write a book. We just want to tell a story.
STACEY COCHRAN: Tell us a little bit about your latest romantic suspense novel Rogue Wave.
MAUREEN MILLER: Rogue Wave is simply the girlish adventurer in me.
Briana Holt is the contractor for Manale Palms, a new housing development going up on the Windward shore of Oahu. She’s a person who second guesses herself, yet charges forward anyway. When Nick McCord of the US Geological Survey accuses her development of damaging the shoreline, she’s hell bent on proving him wrong.
Together they discover that the recent tidal activity that is damaging the coast is not produced by nature, but rather a small band of pirates searching for a sunken Spanish Galleon.
STACEY COCHRAN: I notice the two books are priced differently. Have you discovered any trends regarding pricing that may be helpful to other Kindle authors?
MAUREEN MILLER: My formula for pricing was based on several factors. Primarily, it is that Widow’s Tale is the award winner of the two. No disrespect meant to Rogue Wave. I enjoy that book for an entirely different reason. Rogue Wave is the book you read when you just need to escape and relax. Widow’s Tale is a dark romance that gets you caught up in the characters’ torment.
My equation may be as simple as the word count, or just the fact that Widow’s Tale has graced the top 100 list in Romantic Suspense.
STACEY COCHRAN: Can you discuss the role of setting (and location) in your writing?
MAUREEN MILLER: I scoped two of the most contrary climates I could imagine. Set in the fictional Maine coastal village of Victory Cove, Widow’s Tale is a book you want to curl up in a blanket and read, even if it is the middle of summer and 90 degrees out. It is dark, cold, and stormy, but so is the tale.
Rogue Wave is set in a tropical paradise. Perhaps I wrote it to warm up after Widow’s Tale. But I, as much as the reader, need to feel these climate changes as I’m reading. I need to feel the cold sting of sleet and snow as I’m standing on a cliff looking for my husband’s body. Or I need to feel the tepid ocean licking at my bare feet as I listen to the sound of a nearby luau.
STACEY COCHRAN: What do you think the future holds for up-and-coming writers like yourself with regard to how books are published, marketed, and distributed over the next 5-10 years?
MAUREEN MILLER: There is no doubt that Kindle changed the publishing market. I don’t perceive it as any form of a threat to traditional publishing. It’s simply an alternate avenue–for both the reader and writer. Kindle offers immediate satisfaction. Whatever your mind can imagine, you can download it in seconds without having to go to the store or wait for the mail.
That said, traditional publishing will continue to flourish. We all still get a thrill when we stand in an aisle full of our genre of books. I see Kindle and traditional houses complimenting each other. Kindle will bring the independent author to the attention of the publishing houses, while publishers stand to gain money both in print and Kindle format. A win/win situation.