Interview with Becca Fox

Author of I Dare You to Stay With Me

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

I’m originally from El Centro, California, a small town on the I-8 on the way to San Diego. I now live in Phoenix, Arizona with my husband, my baby boy, and a mini-Australian Shepherd.

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

Several months before my eighteenth birthday, my mom started the dreaded, “What do you want to do after high school?” conversation. I didn’t know what I wanted to study (at that point in time, writing was still just a hobby for me) so I assumed I’d attend the community college and work on my general education classes until I figured out what to do with my life. I figured I’d get a job somewhere so that I could save up enough money to buy a car. After I told her this, my mom gave me a reality check. Jobs were scarce in our little town. Whoever could afford to go back to college, was. My mom, who worked at the community college, knew that classes were full to the brim. Minimum wage jobs, usually reserved for kids in or right out of high school, were being taken by adults who couldn’t go back to college. Adults who had families to feed. The chances of me getting a job were slim to none.

That’s when my mom suggested I go to Phoenix to live with my grandparents for the summer. I could get a job, earn some money and life experience, buy myself a car and come back home. Having the job experience would bolster my flimsy little resume and better my chances of getting a job in my hometown. It sounded scary and so not like me (I was not adventurous when I was a teenager). I loved being at home, with Netflix, books, and my family all within arm’s reach. But somehow I knew it was the right thing to do. Besides, it would only be for the summer. At least, that’s what I thought at the time.

The day after graduation, I loaded my things into my grandparents’ car and drove off the Phoenix. It was hard. I’d never been away from home for longer than a week. It was lonely (as an introvert, making friends has always been hard for me). But, by the end of the summer, I had a job I enjoyed, a church I was steadily falling in love with, and a newfound sense of independence. So I decided to stay.

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

I’ve been making up stories since I was a kid, but I didn’t start crafting novels until I was in high school. After completing a manuscript, I’d re-read it and edit it with my sister’s help until I thought it was as good as it could get. Eventually, I’d get a new idea and become obsessed with seeing it through to the end. I had six “completed” manuscripts by the time I actually got brave enough to start querying.

The book that ended up being my first published novel, I Dare You to Love Me, was a story inspired by Sarah Dessen and the movies, “She’s All That” and “Ten Things I Hate About You.” It was a guilty pleasure of sorts, a rom-com with broken, lovable characters that made me laugh. I pitched it, along with three others, periodically for over a year before I got any bites. This young adult romance novel was the first one to be published out of the three. To this day, it’s the most popular out of all of my books.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

The short answer? I write young adult and new adult fiction.

The long answer? I’ve published two regular romances, an epic fantasy with romantic elements, and a paranormal romance with lots of action and werewolves. I’ve signed a contract for a science fiction/fantasy trilogy (the first of which will be published in 2020) and am currently working on an urban fantasy project with my sister. It’s been so much fun to experiment with different sub-genres of fiction. I don’t think I could ever stick to just one.

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

Fans of Sarah Dessen, Kristin Cashore, Kelley Armstrong, and the TV show Firefly would find my books of interest. Anyone who has suffered from heartbreak or loss. Anyone who has a tight-knit group of friends or a really strong connection to family. Anyone who’s been wronged and once sought revenge would really connect with my characters. Anyone who likes to explore new worlds would definitely like my stories as well.

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

Publication is just the beginning. Then the real work begins.

Back in the day when writing was just a hobby for me, I did some research to see what it would take to get my manuscripts into the hands of readers. I was deeply discouraged by the number of steps I’d have to take. That’s actually what had me put my publishing dream on the back burner. But, even after my desire for publication was renewed, I was still blown away but how hard it was just to get noticed. It was a struggle to keep trying, to not let the rejection letters get to me, to believe in my ability to create a good narrative. I thought getting an acceptance letter was the end of the battle.

Until I realized I would be having to promote my own books as well. Once again, the struggle to be engaging and relevant in a sea of other authors (many of whom were louder, more interesting, and more talented than me) was almost too overwhelming for me. It took time for me to stop comparing myself to others, realize that all authors are in the same boat and need to help one another, and if I keep working hard, I’ll get where I want to be eventually.

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

The quote from  Albus Dumbledore, “Dark and difficult times lay ahead.” It’s going to be so much harder than you think, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

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

Anyone and everyone. The older I get, the more I dream about being an author full time so I can stay home with my son and still help my husband support our family. Although I’m very thankful that anyone has picked up one of my books, I know this dream of mine won’t come true if I continue to have a small readership. Those two boys are my motivation to keep up with the book promotion and marketing, even when it feels like I’m not making any progress.

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

The biggest and most frustrating challenge has definitely been the book promotion. I’ve read all the articles, tried different book promotion services, have joined Facebook book promotion groups, have done book blog tours, have created a blog myself and sent out monthly newsletters. Have been super active on social media and helped other authors with cross-promotion. Have been less active on social media and focused more on my own promotion. All with similarly disappointing results.

But I’m not giving up! I’ve recently sign up my young adult romance novel, I Dare You to Love Me, to be included in a catalog that will be sent out to libraries across the States in February. I’m excited to see where that leads. I’m also trying Facebook ads. We’ll see how effective they’ve been once the end of the quarter comes. Fingers crossed!

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

I think my biggest strengths when it comes to book writing are dialogue and character creation. In the reviews my books have gotten, I’ve received many a compliment concerning my “relate-able” and “realistic” characters. And writing dialogue comes naturally to me.

Strengths during publishing…hmm…well, I’m very detail-oriented. When I self-published the sequel to my young adult romance novel, I Dare You to Stay With Me, I hired my sister (who has a BA in English now) to help me with editing but I did all of the formatting myself. It was a lot of work, converting my Microsoft Word document into an eBook, tweaking margin lines, indentations, and font sizes, and triple-checking everything to be sure it looked and felt like a professionally made book. Apart of me just wanted to be done with the whole thing but I knew it would bug me if it wasn’t exactly right so I kept at it until I was satisfied with the result. I have no regrets.

Marketing strengths? Eek. To be honest, I don’t feel like I have any strengths when it comes to marketing. I’m determined and willing to try new things. Does that count?

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

I’ve noticed while reading through my works in progress that I tend to focus more on dialogue than setting descriptions or character actions during dialogue. I have to make more of an effort to add these things during editing in order to create a well-rounded experience for the reader.

I think my biggest weakness when it comes to publishing is just my lack of experience. I plan on self-publishing at least one more book. I look forward to learning more tricks of the trade throughout that process.

When it comes to marketing, I definitely struggle with being patient. I want to see the fruits of my labor right away, even though I know it doesn’t work that way.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’m always working on something. In fact, I usually have several projects going on at once. For example, I’m currently writing an urban fantasy with my sister (which is almost done!) but, if I get stuck while working on that project. I take a break to work on the last book in my science fiction/fantasy trilogy.

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

All of the above actually. Inkitt, a hybrid publisher, owns the rights to my young adult romance novel, I Dare You to Love Me, but I was able to self-publish the sequel, I Dare You to Stay With Me. Tirgearr Publishing, another hybrid publisher of sorts, owns Asta and the Barbarians (my new adult epic fantasy) and In the Dark (my werewolf novel). BHC Press is more of a blended publisher, using methods of a hybrid and a traditional publisher. They are going to publish my science fiction/fantasy trilogy, The Andromeda Chronicles, in 2020.