July 4th in the US of A is an important holiday to remember and give thanks to those who helped make this country free and independent--past, present, and future. Fireworks, barbecues, and celebrations with family and friends are definitely on the agenda for this holiday weekend.
As
an Independence Day treat for you, we have an interview with author Jessica
Scachetti. She has kindly taken time out of her busy schedule to give us a
private fireside chat as she talks about what makes Jessica Scachetti tick.
Read on to learn more about this exciting author!
1. Let’s begin at the beginning! Tell us about yourself. On your website, you describe yourself as an indie author of gritty Christian Romance. Can you tell us more about this?
My faith inspires my writing. I'm a believer in unconditional love and forgiveness, which are the values that Christianity teaches. I truly believe no human is beyond reprieve. God can forgive us for anything, and we are to forgive others just the same. Of course it's not always as simple as that. Easier said than done, right?
I did have a bit of a rough upbringing. Not the worst. I know in many ways I'm very
fortunate. However, having been tossed back and forth between a split family
with differing values and beliefs, it impacted my life in such a way that I got
to see two sides of the coin in a manner of speaking. On one hand, my mother
was a preacher's wife - my stepfather a pastor - with strict guidance and
religious principles projected onto us. On the other, my father and stepmother
were faithless, carefree and at times volatile. They partied, fought and didn’t
spend much time with us. You will see much of this double perspective reflected
in my writing.
I write romance because my own story is a beautiful
yet gritty one. I haven't felt moved to share all the deets about it with the
reading world just yet but maybe one day I will.
2 What do you enjoy most about writing Christian Romance?
Love is what I enjoy most about writing Christian Romance. Jesus loved us so much that he died for our salvation. There is nothing more beautiful than that. I want to share it with the world through my stories.
3. About your writing: How did you get started? Are your family and friends supportive of your writing?
I have always loved to write. I have an old box full of stories that I wrote as a kid.
Publishing was never really a forethought, until
COVID. During lockdown, I was able to find the time to put together an actual
book and research how to publish it. The digital age has certainly made things
easier for indie authors like myself to self-publish our works.
My friends and family have been so supportive of this
journey, and many authors and writers I've met along the way have been
amazingly supportive as well.
4. What’s a typical writing day like for you?
I'm taking a break from writing at the moment to push my published works. I work a full-time job and have two young kids, so when I was writing, it was mainly on breaks and late at night when the kids went to bed.
5. How do you define your writing? What are your future goals for your writing?
I would define my writing as fast-paced, short length novels, thus far. Because I'm so busy, that's what I typically have time to read. So, of course I write it as well. Perhaps when life slows down, I will have time to sit down and write a longer, more filling novel.
6. You have a three book series: Wonder of Light. What is the series about? What inspired you to write this series? Are you planning more books?
This series follows a group of seniors in high school and college over the first two books. Starting with Evan and Sarah; two of Belton high's polar opposite students. Sarah is the popular Christian girl and Evan is the emo outcast.
The
series covers topics of abuse, bullying, revenge, love, and redemption.
Book
2 involves friends of Evan and Sarah and is military-inspired.
The
third and final installment covers the next generation, involving their
children.
I
came up with the story line for book 1, after watching the movie "I Am Not
Ashamed" on Pureflix, which was based on the Columbine shootings that had
taken place when I myself was a Christian girl in high school. Having reflected
back on that time, coupled with emotions from so many other shootings that
happened since that time, is what inspired me to come up with this fictional
tale.
7. How do you promote your books? Do you have any favorite promotional sites? Any success stories or horror stories in marketing your books?
For a while now, I've mostly been promoting with bookfunnel. It's helped me build a good chunk of my newsletter following and is the main source of getting my book sales. It's also fairly inexpensive. Bookfunnel provides a tracking link to share each group promo (book fair) that occurs periodically (typically each month). I share the links on all my social media platforms. X seems to be the most fruitful in getting my links visibility.
Pubby
has gotten me many of my book reviews. It's a
read-and-review-to-get-your-books-read-and-reviewed-style platform. For the
most part it's fantastic. I've gotten lots of different feedback. Some good,
some bad. The only downside is there are those few readers that leave a pretty
bland review, which makes you wonder if they actually even read the book.
I
also tried booksprout which was complicated, unsuccessful, and expensive.
8. What’s your latest Work-In-Progress? Do you have any future projects planned?
I have started my second mafia-style Christian romance book. It will be my next published work when I start writing again. I won't publish this piece until the series is complete because I feel bad that I've left readers waiting so long for the next installment, while I'm on a break.
9. Do you ever suffer with writers’ block and if so, how do you work through it?
The only time I really experience writer's block is when my brain is overwhelmed. Too much going on at once. However, I do suffer from lack of motivation, which is why I decided to take a break.
10. What are you passionate about outside of writing?
Aside from spending time with my family, I love to sing, dance, and make candles outside of my writing. I have a candle business on Etsy that I promote as well. I sell locally which has been very productive. Online selling, not so much.
11. What else would you like to share with readers about yourself?
A few more tidbits about me.
I
have two kittens, four dogs, two turtles and pot-belly pig.
I
just joined the over 40 crowd this year.
I
love to support others. It truly delights me to lift up my fellow creatives by
sharing and promoting their works.
12. Where can we find more information about you and your books?
You can find more information about me and my books at my website: https://jscachetti.wixsite.com/authorsite
You can find updates, announcements, features
(such as authors, books, book-related services, small businesses, and more) in
my monthly newsletter. Subscribe here: https://author-jessica-scachetti.mailerpage.io/
All my important links can be found at my
linktree: linktr.ee/jessicascachetti_author
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Many thanks again to Jessica for sharing her inspirational story with us. Be sure to check out Jessica’s books and website. We hope you enjoyed this holiday chat!
Happy
Reading over the July 4th holiday!
Susanne
Susanne Marie Knight
Read outside the box: award-winning Romance Writing With A Twist!
