Monday, August 10, 2015

Book Publishing Secrets with Sophia Bar-Lev, Author of THE SILVER LOCKET

Title:  THE SILVER LOCKET
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Author:  Sophia Bar-Lev
Purchase on Amazon  
Thank you for your time in answering our questions about getting published.  Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?
Sophia: Since I was nine years old, I’ve wanted to be an author and did, in fact, write stories and poems throughout my life but never published anything.  This particular book has been on my mind for about five years and a year ago, I decided to stop thinking about it and just do it. It is based on a true story which I believed would resonate with many readers who have experienced similar difficult situations.
Is this your first book?
Sophia: No, I have published two other novels in the past two years.
With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
Sophia:  I published through Create Space, an Amazon company so I guess that makes me an ‘Indie’ author.  The staff at Create Space are wonderful to work with and I found it a very satisfying experience.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?
Sophia: Publishing was a dream I thought might never come to pass as a few years ago it was very difficult to land a contract with a publishing house.  The dozens of ‘pink slips’ authors have collected in the past are legendary.  About three years ago, a friend of mine told me about the shift happening in the publishing world.  She liked my writing and encouraged me to look into Create Space.  She knew someone else who’d published with them and was very pleased.  I followed her advice and here we are.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
Sophia:  The biggest paradigm shift is that nowadays, an emerging author must be first a good writer and second, a good marketer.  Indie authors need to make their presence known on such outlets as Facebook, Twitter, etc., create a website and stay in touch with their readers.  The publishing world has changed dramatically with the development of digital books.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?
Sophia:  Yes I certainly would, especially for emerging authors.  I read recently that some 40,000 new books come out every month or two.  Authors today who believe they have something worthwhile to share with the world need to take the initiative to get their book out there and not waste months, even years, hoping that some publisher might give them a chance.
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?
Sophia:  The only way to become an author is to author!  Write. Write. Write.  If you’re serious about being an author, act like it.  Write something every day.  Make it a priority.

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About the Book:   When The Silver Locket opens, it’s July 1941 in Boston, Massachusetts. War is raging in Europe and the Pacific. But for two young women in a small town in New England waging their own personal battles, the struggle is way too close to home.

When extraordinary circumstances bring these two women together, one decision will alter the course of their lives.  And with that one decision, their lives will be forever changed…and forever intertwined.

Were these two women thrust together by happenstance—or fate?   A tragedy. A decision. A pact. Lives irretrievably changed. A baby girl will grow up in the shadow of a secret that must be kept at all costs. But will this secret ever see the light of day?  And what happens when—or if—a promise made must be broken?

Adopting a child is not for the feint of heart—but neither is being adopted…

A sweeping and suspenseful story that unfolds in a different time and a different place, The Silver Locket explores universal themes that ring true even today. Secrets. Unbreakable bonds. The healing power of love.  Deception. Anguish.  Redemption. 

In this touching and tender tale, novelist Sophia Bar-Lev weaves a confident, quietly moving story about adoption, finding hope in the face of hopelessness, and how true love can overcome any obstacle. With its brilliant juxtaposition of the wars fought both on the battlefield and internally, The Silver Locket is a poignant novel, resplendent with drama.  Featuring an exceedingly real and relatable plot, and characters that will stay with readers long after the final page is turned, The Silver Locket is a sterling new read.



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