Interview with Susan Byrde

Author of The World is Mine

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

I am originally from Columbia, MO, and now live in East Texas.

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

My dad’s profession was with the Boy Scouts of American. Because of this, we moved from Columbia, Mo to Albuquerque, NM, where we lived for almost eleven years. I was six when we moved there and was about to tune 17 when we moved from Albuquerque to Plano – a suburb of Dallas. I went to college at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. There, I met my husband. We moved from there to Longview, TX thirty years ago.

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

When I wrote my first book, I had cancer and was going through chemo. I decided to write the novel to give me something to do other than dwell on my illness. That novel sat on the shelf for ten years until I gave it another look. By that time, I loved those characters so much that I thought they deserved to be shared with the world.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

I try to keep my books as realistic as possible. I want my readers to identify with my characters, and get to know them. To describe them to someone, I would say they are fairly realistic, with real people, and some humor mixed in.

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

Realistically, in the broad scope of things, women will be most likely to connect with my work. For the book “The World is Mine,” I hope to connect with new mothers and young girls, as they will understand and/or face the challenges addressed in the book.

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

I was surprised by how hard it is to market my work effectively. I thought that part would be easy, since I seem to be able to come up with taglines and gimmicks for unimportant things, but when it comes to my work, I’m totally stumped.

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

Write everything down, don’t expect to remember something days/months/years later just because it was fantastic.

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

Yikes – I don’t know that I can put a number on it. I want to reach all the people that are looking for something good, fun, and real.

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

My biggest frustration has been in trying to get my work out to people. There are so many things that occupy our time these days, and so many choices for entertainment that it’s hard to get my work in front of people who will enjoy it.

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

My biggest strength is in writing – putting the descriptions of people, places, things down so others can see what I see in my mind.

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

Marketing. Self-publishing has been made fairly easy, thanks to Amazon, but getting the word out and the work in front of the people who will enjoy it is a battle.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I am in the process of putting the finishing touches on my fifth novel, and have started writing the sixth. The nearly-finished novel is the second book in the Ivy Greene Mystery series. It will be released in the first quarter of 2020, and is titled “Judge Not.”

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

I have self-published the picture book “The World is Mine,” and a three-book romantic-suspense series called “Abby’s Road.” I used a hybrid publisher for the first Ivy Greene Mystery, titled “As We Forgive.” I’m not sure which route I will use for the next Ivy Greene book.