Interview with Amanda Fasciano

Author of Waking Up Dead

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I was originally born in Alexandria, Virginia, but I live in Cape Coral, Florida now.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

My parents moved us around a lot as they both worked for the government. Oklahoma, Georgia, Virginia, Florida. They both retired here and I met the love of my life. We’ve been married 20 years now, and since his family is also here, we have stayed.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I have been writing since I was a child. I’ve always loved making up stories. With Waking Up Dead I knew I had something special. So I got a professional editor to go over it and another published author advised me to not be afraid to indie, or self, publish. I got some other great advice from authors (both indie and trad published) at the same event. When I got home I gathered all of my nerve, borrowed some of my husband’s, and pushed the button.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

It’s like X-Files meets Ghost Hunters, but from the ghosts’ perspective. The series follows a newly dead former police detective as she and her new partner police haunted locations to make sure the dead don’t give away too much to the living. Sounds easy enough, but nothing is ever as easy as it sounds.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

People who enjoy ghost stories, the occult, urban fantasy, and horror typically are my target audience. I have fans that range from 10 to retired.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

That writing the story is the easiest part! I had no idea when I started how deep the hole labelled “Marketing” went! There was so much I had to learn about how to market your books and yourself, and I am still learning every day. I knew as an indie I would have to market for myself, but I didn’t realize what that would entail, from keywords to analytics.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Take some time to study up on marketing *before* pushing the big scary “Publish” button.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

As many as possible, which is probably every author’s answer to this question. I am currently continuing my series, as well as working on stand-alone novels in Urban Fantasy, Horror, and High Fantasy. So I am hoping to have a broader appeal to reach more readers soon.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Money, or lack thereof. My day job is great for a stable paycheck and insurance, but the pay is a bit lackluster. This keeps me from being able to put a good chunk into running ads, or booking appearances at bigger conventions, or hiring one of those PR firms that contact me.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest strength in my writing is the ability to make flawed characters that the readers can connect with. My biggest strength in publishing is that I am very good at taking notes from my editor, which makes the process easier and enhances the final product. I am still learning marketing, and I’ll be honest, I don’t feel I know enough or have been able to employ the tactics I have learned yet in order to be able to say I have a real strength there yet.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest weakness when it comes to writing is word redundancy. My editor is always on me about how many times I use this word or that word. Moving forward I am trying to pay more attention to it and stop. My biggest weakness in publishing is the fact that I don’t set a lot of time for pre-orders before a release, and I likely don’t do enough fanfare for a new book release as I should. My biggest weakness in marketing is the lack of money to put into it.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I am currently working on my next 4. I am hoping to have Book 4 of the Life After Series out in the summer of 2020. I am not sure when the others will hit.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I am self-published.