 Buy Box of Hearts: Amazon My exclusive author interview with Nikki Ashton author of Box of Hearts, below. Enjoy! When did you know you wanted to be a writer? I knew I wanted to become a writer from an early age. I can remember as early as the age of six being asked to write a short story in class, and then taking it home and filling up a whole pad with the story and pictures. When I got older and studied English Literature at High School, I just wanted to go home and write my own stories instead of reading other peoples. Can you share your journey to becoming a published author? I wrote my first book about 16 years ago, but just couldn’t get it published. Bridget Jones had just become popular and I was told that publishers were inundated with manuscripts from unsolicited authors, all of the ‘chick lit’ genre. Feeling disillusioned, I put it in a cupboard and forgot about it for about ten years. For my job, I went to visit a literary society and just mentioned to them about my book and was told about this new thing called a Kindle that was taking the world by storm. It was suggested that I self-publish my novel, because after all I had nothing to lose. So, I did. Naively I didn’t get it proofed or edited and put it out there. It’s a great story, but I was also lucky that people were forgiving of the errors in it, because that book has had over 200K downloads. Things just spiraled from there, and my second book made me an Amazon Best Seller, with it and my first book both being at number 1 in the humour charts for 3 and 4 weeks respectively. What do you find to be the biggest challenge, as an author? Self-doubt is a huge challenge, especially when you either get a bad review or your book doesn’t appear to be selling very well. Now-a-days, I try not to dwell on those things and remember that I’m doing this because it’s what I love and is what I’ve always wanted to do. What do you find most rewarding, as an author? I love my readers and love engaging with them. Therefore, for me, the biggest reward is when someone contacts me personally to say that they’ve loved my book. Reviews are fantastic, especially if they’re good, but there’s nothing like a personal message to say ‘you made me laugh’ or ‘you made me cry’. Share with us a daily habit of yours, that helps you reach your goals. I am easily distracted with online shopping and social media, so if I have any daily habit it’s too much surfing. To reach my goals I don’t really have a habit or routine, I simply try and get as many words down as possible. If I only write 50 words I still feel as though I’ve achieved something. What is one piece of advice you would share with an aspiring author? Just do it. What do you have to lose? If you do, make sure you get it thoroughly edited and proof read before you hit that publish button. It’s the most valuable expense you will ever have. Readers are extremely discerning and a good edit could be the difference between a 1 or 5 star review.
I love living a creative life because... I can recreate my fantasies and entertain other people at the same time. The last book I read was... ‘What I Need’ by J Daniels. It was the 5th book in the Alabama Summer series and was probably my favourite of them. My favorite book, ever, is... Ooh that’s a hard one. I have lots of favourite books for lots of different reasons, but if I had to pick one it would be ‘The Snapper’ by Roddy Doyle. Outside of writing, my favorite hobby is... I work part-time as well as write, so don’t really have time for a hobby. Probably my favourite pastime is going to the football with my husband and nephew. It’s my favourite type of Saturday. The most important thing to do if you want to achieve your goals is... Believe in yourself and work hard. Do you have any New Years Resolutions for 2017? Not really, but I have recently lost a lot of weight so it’s probably to keep it off! Tell us about your books (genre, where we can find them, etc.) I predominantly write romantic-comedy, but have recently ventured into contemporary romance, which I have loved. I love to make people laugh-if I can-but I also love evoking other emotions too. I don’t set out to make people cry or feel sad, but if I evoke those emotions in someone then I’ve done a good job. My romantic comedies are all standalones, but you will get a character from a previous book(s) popping up in them. As for my contemporary romance, that is going to be a series based on a ranch. One thing that doesn’t change about my books though, is that they all have a happy ending and I do love an epilogue. I love knowing how characters are doing further down the line, and I just wouldn’t feel right not including one. Where can readers find you (i.e. website, social media, etc.)? http://www.nikkiashtonbooks.co.uk/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NikkiAshtonBooks Twitter - https://twitter.com/NikkerAsh Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nikkiashtonauthor/ Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/davnikash/ Anything else you'd like to add... If you haven’t read any of my books, but you like romance that puts a smile on your face then why not give one of them a go. If you do read one and you enjoy it then please feel free to contact me and let me know. Reviews are great, but I love nothing more than hearing directly from my readers – you are the ones that have helped to make my dream come true, so thank you.
Ritz writes the following genres: Non-Fiction: Motivation/Inspiration Writing/Publishing Animal Welfare Fiction: Love Stories Click here to view Stacey's fiction books. Click here to view Stacey's non-fiction books 
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