I’m delighted to welcome Katrina Coll to my blog.
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| Katrina Coll - Author |
Hello Katrina – I was so pleased when you said you were able to join me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat this week as I know you must be busy sharing the news about your debut release. But before we discover more about A Match Made for TV, here are a few questions that will hopefully give your readers and followers and insight into some of the things that matter to you.
Arabella: How did you manage to get your first novel published and what did you learn from the experience?
Katrina:
When
A
Match Made for TV won the Stiletto Award for an Unpublished
Contemporary Short novel in the USA (under a working title), I thought it would
find a home easily. But after submitting it to an editor who’d requested it,
then hearing nothing despite nudges, I started to doubt. Covid hit around then,
and it seemed a poor time to pitch a story featuring a doctor with burnout.
Late last year, I decided the time had
come and subbed it to a few smaller publishers I thought it would suit. The
first was pro-forma rejection. The second noted my “engaging plot and strong
voice” but had just signed something similar. The third, Evernight Publishing,
offered for it right away.
I guess what I’ve learned is to have
faith in your story and get it out there.
Arabella:
If you could choose, which would it be?
1)
A
walk in the woods
2)
A
walk along a beachfront to dip your toes in the sea
3)
A
day shopping for clothes
Katrina:
Oh,
a walk in the woods, definitely. My hometown has the best beaches in the world,
yet I used to only go there to watch the sunsets while eating fish and chips.
Shopping for clothes is torture.
Arabella: Who or what inspired you to write your debut release, A Match Made for TV ?
Katrina: A very dear friend of
mine is both a doctor and a psychologist deserves the credit. We were chatting
one day about the pressures faced by young doctors and my heroine was born. As
for the premise, I adore forced proximity romances, but it had to be modern.
Reality TV is ideal for that. The show my hero and heroine are on is part 90s
movie (Fortress, Wedlock) and part Crystal Maze meets Big Brother.
Arabella:
Roses, Lilies, or another flower of choice?
Katrina:
I love roses, lilies give me headaches, but my
favourite would be freesias. They’re so pretty and the scent is amazing.
 |
| Freesias |
Arabella: Some authors write at first light, others need a mug of coffee or a glass of wine before putting pen to paper. When writing, are there any “essentials” you need to help the words flow?
Katrina: I’m a fan of scented
candles (current choice: Book Shop) and a thermos pot (as in an actual
insulated teapot) of herbal tea. I’ve yet to find a Pukka tea I didn’t like.
Arabella: You’re halfway through the work-in-progress and you’re stuck! If you had to contact an “author/publisher/editor friend” for guidance, who would it be?
Katrina: My go-to gal is my critique partner, Cassie Laelyn. I literally called her last week about getting stuck midway on a Bake-off story to follow A Match Made for TV.
Arabella: The T.V. is on and you’re in control of the remote. Which would it be?
1)
A
quiz programme
2)
An
afternoon of sport
3)
A
family soap
4)
A
romantic film you always wanted to see but missed when it was shown at the
cinema?
Katrina: Decisions, decisions.
I’m a huge quiz fiend but I rarely choose that for myself, by myself. Sport
only if Ireland is playing rugby. No to soaps. Always. Therefore, by a process
of deduction, the romantic film. Come to that, I watch those at home quite
often.
Arabella:
Do you have any great writing, publishing, or marketing tips you’d like to
share to “want-to-be” authors starting out on their writing journey?
Katrina: Perseverance, I think,
serves in all things. From writing a novel; to submitting to agents and/or
publishers; and in learning the promotional ropes. It’s more than persistence,
it’s the resilience to overcome the rejections, delays, and challenges of being
an author.
Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s
Blog and Chit-Chat, Katrina. And after a foray into the world of promotion and
marketing, I hope you manage to relax with your scented candles and comforting pot
of herbal tea.
Wishing you all the best for your debut novel
– A Match Made for TV
About Katrina Coll
 |
| Katrina Coll - Author |
Originally from Australia, Katrina fell in love with an Irishman and emigrated the wrong way. She and her family now live in the heart of the Emerald Isle, surrounded by neighbours that mostly moo but sometimes baa.
Happily, she prefers castles to
beaches and can handle her whiskey—even if she can’t convince the human locals
that she’s definitely staying.
Social Media:
Website: www.katrinacoll.com
Facebook: KatrinaCollAuthor
Instagram: @katrinacollauthor
Book
Blurb
- A Match Made for TV
Ria DeLorenzo is a damn good doctor. Or was. Burnt out before she’s begun, a three-month paid vacation as the medical consultant to a reality TV show is just what she needs to recover her mojo.
Cancer survivor and
headline grabber Griffin Stromberg is desperate to reboot his ultra-macho
image. Typecast by years of fame, showcasing his softer side with a
picture-perfect relationship should do the trick. Until Ria breaches show
protocol and gets Griff's fake girlfriend disqualified.
Now Ria's only hope
of clocking out of reality is to check in to a fantasy by becoming his new
partner. Griff, however, wants their relationship to be the real deal, not one
of his infamous life-hacks.
Can a man renowned
for taking shortcuts prove he's ready to commit to a forever relationship? Or
will reality bite once filming is over?
Buy Links:
Website: https://www.katrinacoll.com/#book
Evernight Publishing: https://www.evernightpublishing.com/a-match-made-for-tv-by-katrina-coll/
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/A-Match-Made-for-TV
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