Episode 190
Arlene McFarlane shares some unusual promotion ideas, including in-person sales and co-writing. We also talk about perfectionism and incorporating your background and interests into your writing and promotion.Author Website:
ArleneMcFarlane.com Jami on the Two Authors’ Chat Show💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a future episode. WishIdKnownForWriters.com/Support
Time Stamps:
00:39 Introduction
13:21 Hitting Milestones
15:15 Listening to Feedback
20:11 Battling Perfectionism
23:11 Not for the Faint of Heart
27:14 Different ways to Market
28:28 Authenticity
33:02 CoWriting
Transcript:
Jami Albright [00:00:29]:
And I’m Jamie albright. And this week on the show, we have Arlene McFarlane. Yes, we do. It was such a fun interview. She’s so delightful.
Sara Rosett [00:00:39]:
She is. We talked a lot about incorporating what you do in real life into your fiction and how that gives you authenticity and perfectionism and dealing with that. And she has some really neat marketing ideas, just kind of out of the box, things that most people don’t think of doing.
Jami Albright [00:01:00]:
And I think one of the things she said was just taking chances on things, just trying things, and if they pay off, that’s awesome. If they don’t pay off, that’s okay. You just go on to the next thing. I love that attitude of just sticking with it and keeping going, even when if things don’t work out, try something else.
Sara Rosett [00:01:26]:
And she’s not a fast writer. She was more like she’s like, I’m a slow and steady. And I loved her mentality that this Is what I’m going to do. I’m going to do it at a pace that I’m comfortable with so that you don’t have that kind of hectic. I must get this book out.
Jami Albright [00:01:44]:
When she was talking, I was thinking she just kind of puts her blinders on and does her thing. And I love that. I love that attitude.
Sara Rosett [00:01:52]:
Well, healthy.
Jami Albright [00:01:53]:
Yes, it is. So we have a new supporter this week.
Sara Rosett [00:01:58]:
Yes, we do. We have Jocelyn Westbrook. And she chose the scales of justice.
Jami Albright [00:02:04]:
Yes. Even though I think I’m pretty sure Jocelyn writes romance, so that’s pretty funny. She must be an enneagram one. That’s funny. But we appreciate it so much, you guys supporting us. We just really love it and it really means a lot to us and tells us that you really enjoy the show and enjoy what we do, so we appreciate it.
Sara Rosett [00:02:32]:
Yeah. And if you want to support the show, you can go to Wishidknownforwriters.com/support and sign up there. And we just did a supporter chat as we record this. It was the weekend prior, and that was fun. We’ll probably do another one. Probably. I think we’re going to do this maybe once a quarter.
Jami Albright [00:02:55]:
It’Ll be fun.
Sara Rosett [00:02:56]:
So that will be coming up. And I do have something I was going to share. It’s just something I thought we could talk about because I just thought it was really interesting. So Taylor Swift, there was an know, she’s an amazing just everything she does is just amazing. But there was an article about her in the New York Times and this was the Pull quote, and I just thought it was interesting. “She has become one of the new breed of post media celebrities who have a new set of rules of engagement with both the media and the fans. Technology has risen to meet these new rules” and it describes she’s kind of circumvented the old way of having to do publicity. So this was the interesting Pull quote for me, says, “the Era’s tour is its own cycle, its own tabloid, its own tumblr, its own news release, and as we find out in a few weeks, its own movie set.” So basically the whole premise of the article was like, can The New York Times offer Taylor anything? Really? No. Because she’s kind of created her own world and her fans are there for her and whatever she does. And I know that most of us will not reach this level of fan engagement or success, but it is interesting to look at it and see that she doesn’t have to depend on other people or other organizations. She can just do her thing and her fans support her. Yeah, I thought it was very interesting.
Jami Albright [00:04:25]:
I love that. I mean, yeah, she has really created her own ecosystem where she functions and her fans function and kind of don’t worry about anybody.
Sara Rosett [00:04:35]:
Yeah, but it’s not going to impact her.
Jami Albright [00:04:39]:
No.
Sara Rosett [00:04:39]:
Or like her fans, they’re not going to be swayed by an article or whatever.
Jami Albright [00:04:45]:
Right. I love that quote. That’s great. Anything else going on with you this week?
Sara Rosett [00:04:54]:
So I’ve got the paperback books in for the Kickstarter, so yay, those.
Jami Albright [00:04:58]:
I see boxes behind you.
Sara Rosett [00:05:00]:
I have so many boxes everywhere. I had a podcast the other day, it’ll come out later and I’ll mention it when it comes out, but I moved everything because it was video and I’m not used to I was like, oh no, I have to go clean up my desk in my office. But yes, the books are here for the paperbacks. I’m still waiting the hardbacks I’ll sign the paperbacks and send those out this week. So yeah, that’s kind of wrapping up. And I’m kind of thinking about like you were saying the other week, you’re ready to get back to writing and I’m ready too. It’s like I’ve taken some time and done this and I’ve really enjoyed it and now I’m ready to get back into the books. I’m starting to think about my characters again and just kind of debating what I’m going to have happen in the next book.
Jami Albright [00:05:43]:
Yeah, I’ve been writing this week. Well, I’m going through the 25,000 words of that book that the rom.com that I had started and I’ve made myself laugh a couple of times and that’s always good.
Sara Rosett [00:06:00]:
That’s good.
Jami Albright [00:06:01]:
Yeah, it’s got some problems, but it’s first draft. But I was thinking last night, honestly, it’s pretty solid. But for me there’s so many more layers of emotional, depth that I want to add and stuff that I’m like. Oh, yeah, this is the difference between some authors and stuff. I mean, there’s probably nothing wrong with this book. Like I said, it’s got some problems, but those are mostly plot things. They’re not really emotional or character things, but it’s just not ready for me. And so we all have our different level of what we consider okay and ready to go. We talked about this with Arlene, but it’s not bad. I can definitely work with it.
Sara Rosett [00:07:03]:
So that’s awesome. It’s a good feeling, right? Because it’s been a while since you looked at that.
Jami Albright [00:07:08]:
Been a while, yeah. And then I also wanted to mention and I wish I had done this last week, but I forgot last Wednesday, as we’re recording this, the two authors chat show, I was a guest on their podcast, and it came out, and it was just so fun talking with Doug Pratt and Nick Harvey, and we had a great time. So we’ll put that link in the show notes. And I still don’t have my Facebook account back, but when I went in to try to log in, it showed some notifications. So we’re hoping that means that we’re moving closer. Evidently. I mean, literally, it was less than five minutes between when I got hacked and when Facebook shut me down, and evidently they did a very deep takeover of my wow. And I know. Very strange. So I am hopefully in the next week or so, I get it back, but I’ve had some moments, but I’m okay. It is what it is. I can’t do anything about it. And I’ve had to just let that go and concentrate on the things I can do things about. So that’s what I’m doing anyway. But I put my blinders on just.
Sara Rosett [00:08:39]:
Like arlene, I was going to say, you have had an unplanned social media fast. Yeah, weren’t really ready for that one.
Jami Albright [00:08:47]:
Well, it’s funny because I was thinking that yesterday, but it’s just like, I still have my Instagram and I still have my Twitter. I mean, not Twitter TikTok, but I did mean it’s a little different than Facebook. I have realized the difference in Facebook and those two things and so, yeah, I’ve kind of missed it. So that’s good, though.
Sara Rosett [00:09:18]:
Yeah. Well, I hopefully it’s coming back.
Jami Albright [00:09:22]:
Hopefully. So anyway, we should get on with the interview with Arlene. It’s really great and you guys are going to love it.
Sara Rosett [00:09:29]:
Yes. Here is Arlene. Well, today we are super excited to talk to Arlene McFarlane. How are you?
Arlene McFarlane [00:09:37]:
I’m great. How are you?
Jami Albright [00:09:39]:
We’re awesome. And we’re so happy you’re here. You look lovely. We look like we rolled out of bed.
Sara Rosett [00:09:51]:
Amazing. Arlene always looks amazing. I think I met you at the Cozy Con and she just always looks fantastic.
Arlene McFarlane [00:10:01]:
Thank you.
Sara Rosett [00:10:02]:
Let me read your bio and we’ll get started. Arlene McFarland is a USA Today bestselling author of the Murder Curlers series. She’s won and placed in over 30 contests, including the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards, the Golden Heart, and the Daphne Dumarier Award. She’s also received a voice arts nomination for her audiobook Murder Curlers and Cream. The nomination landed her in La. Where she walked the red carpet at Warner Brothers studio. Previously an aesthetician, Arlene still dabbles in the beauty industry. She’s also an accomplished pianist. When time allows, she plays publicly and posts the odd makeover on her website. Arlene lives with her family in Canada.
Jami Albright [00:10:39]:
Awesome. Well, that explains the loveliness of your being.
Tell us how you got into writing.
Arlene McFarlane [00:10:51]:
Well, I started when I was pregnant with my daughter Eden. I figured it was something I could do from home. And I had a beauty salon for years, but I knew I wanted to be home with my children when I had started with our family, and that’s how I started writing. And right away I started writing picture books. And I actually did get a contract with a Connecticut publisher, but then they folded before my book saw the light of day. And then that’s when I thought, I’m going to try and write a novel. So I wrote a novel and I got an editor from Toronto because I’m in Canada, like you said, and he a quite well known editor and he read it and he said I had a very strong voice, but he said I needed to work on structure and plot. And after know you’re too close to it to really see what others see. He was right. That’s something I had to learn. And I did as time went on.
Sara Rosett [00:11:54]:
What genre was it? The adult book.
Arlene McFarlane [00:11:57]:
It was similar to what I write now, but it was actually a cozy idea. But it was in the voice of a male, and he was a chauffeur for a very rich family, and he comes across these dead bodies and so it was him solving it. So every once in a while I think I’d like to go back and rewrite it, fix it up, but my series is keeping me busy, and after I get a book out, the fans are like, when’s the next book coming out? And I haven’t had time to even stop to think about, you know, how readers can read a book in a day or two and it takes you much longer to write a book, but every once in a while I think I would like to revisit that. The chauffeur who rode Shotgun, that was the name of that book that I wrote. But then I switched gears and they say, write what you know. And the beauty industry was what I knew. And I loved light hearted comedy mysteries, so I thought I’ll put the two together and have this beautician solve crimes using her tools in MacGyver like ways and better throw some slapstick comedy in it’s. What it’s like? You love entering that world, and I love visiting my characters every day.
Jami Albright [00:13:18]:
That’s awesome.
Sara Rosett [00:13:21]:
Well, what is your definition of success?
Arlene McFarlane [00:13:25]:
Well, I guess knowing that my books have reached a wide audience and are read and loved and reaching milestones like hitting USA Today was great. And walking the red carpet, it was wonderful. When I put my book out in audio, the narrators who narrated the book, they’re actors, and the one, in fact, had done a movie with John Travolta, but they also do audios on the side. And when they were done doing book One, he emailed me one day and he said, they had such a blast producing this book. He said, you mind if we enter into the SOVAS? And I didn’t know what the SOVAS were. And the SOVAS stands for what is it? Society of Voice Arts Awards. So I said, sure, go ahead. They entered it and we were nominated. And it didn’t really mean anything to me because, again, I didn’t know this world. But when I looked at the nominee list here, tom Hanks was on this list for voicing over for Toy Story and Gerard Butler for how to train your Dragon. And Joan Cusack and Keanu Reeves and Annie Potts and Tim Allen. All these actors were nominated. And I thought, this is amazing. And then you scroll down to the audiobooks and there’s my name with my narrator. So I thought this is amazing. So they invited us to walk the red carpet at Warner Brothers for this whole award ceremony. So it was quite exciting. And so things like that, really. Yeah. I guess it’s little milestones like that.
Sara Rosett [00:15:08]:
Yeah, it’s an experience that most authors will never have, which is very cool.
Arlene McFarlane [00:15:12]:
Yeah.
Jami Albright [00:15:15]:
That’S amazing. I love that. So,
what do you wish you’d known about writing in Craft when you started?
I mean, you said the editor had A few it was suggestions.
Arlene McFarlane [00:15:25]:
Yes. So structure was the main thing. And then I joined Romance Writers America. And you go to conferences. I mean, conferences. You go to workshops and sit in and listen to panels and enter contests. After doing those things, it was like, now things start to make sense. And when I was first entering contests, actually, I got told a lot that my heroine was a bit snarky, and I thought she was just funny. But after getting that same feedback over and over, I thought, okay, I have to soften my heroine. And so I softened her and gave the sarcastic lines to her sidekick. And the readers loved Max because they expect those one liners from him. And at the same time, I could keep her soft and more likable. And then I started winning contests, and it was like that’s all it took. And then, of course, learning structure, sequel sequence and that sort of thing. And then it all started to fall together into place. So, yeah, that definitely the structure, but that’s something that has to be learned along the way.
Jami Albright [00:16:41]:
It is.
Sara Rosett [00:16:41]:
You have to do it right. You can read all about it and take classes and courses, but then when you sit down to write, you’ve got to incorporate that yourself and it’s a skill that you have to learn.
Arlene McFarlane [00:16:54]:
Right, yes. And pacing and everything.
Sara Rosett [00:17:01]:
Well, what about marketing?
What do you wish you’d known about marketing?
Arlene McFarlane [00:17:05]:
Probably that it was foolproof, whether you’re doing ads or whatever, but there’s a lot of tinkering around and things you have to fine tune. I think that would be the biggest thing, that it would be foolproof. But I mean, there are so many different ways to market your book, so that’s something else I’ve learned along the way, too.
Jami Albright [00:17:29]:
Right, and we’re going to talk about that later, but yeah, I love that. Yeah. I mean, it’s true that you really have to get in there and figure out what works best for your audience and your books and things like that. Yeah, it takes some time. Takes some time to do that.
Well, what assumptions did you make at the beginning of your writing career? And looking back, did they turn out to be right or wrong?
Arlene McFarlane [00:18:02]:
Well, probably that putting a self published book out meant that you would have instant success. But when I published, I sort of missed that. The Gold Rush or the bandwagon. In 2012 13, I didn’t publish until 2016, and by then, and I wasn’t quite ready and I just didn’t want to throw a book out because I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I just wanted to make sure it was the best I could do. And 2013, I just wasn’t convinced of that. And maybe I did miss the bandwagon. I don’t know what would have happened if I had thrown a book out there at that time because there wasn’t as much out there. Maybe it would have taken off even then. And then by the time I got my book out, then the market was saturated and then it was a lot harder to find your place.
Sara Rosett [00:18:59]:
Right, but you have found your readers now, I think, right?
Arlene McFarlane [00:19:04]:
Yes. And it’s always growing.
Jami Albright [00:19:08]:
But I think one of the advantages of publishing when you and I did, because I published the year after you, is that we knew that marketing was part of the process. When we started we’re back in The Gold Rush, they could put a book up and they didn’t really have to do anything. And a lot of those authors either dropped out because they didn’t want to learn marketing or it was a big learning curve for them and we sort of came into it knowing that was something we were going to need to do at some point. Yes, it would have been nice to publish during that time when you just put a book up, but I think we have an advantage sometimes over people who published early and then had to come back and learn some things, right?
Arlene McFarlane [00:20:01]:
And it is unfortunate, and I’ve heard that before that a lot of authors that early on that they sort of just went by the wayside after or gave up.
Sara Rosett [00:20:11]:
Well, I wanted to go back. And you touched on perfectionism, and that’s something that people I mean, I have this tendency, too. It’s like I don’t want to let go of something.
But how do you decide this book is good enough to go out that I’m comfortable?
How do you know when you hit that point and you’re okay letting it out in the world? Right?
Arlene McFarlane [00:20:30]:
Well, I have an excellent editor. She edits for a lot of New York Times bestselling authors, and so she is fantastic when it comes to content development. And again, I write my book, and I think, oh, this hits all the points and everything else. And she’ll come back with, why don’t you insert something like this here? Or what about pulling this into the story or coming back to this? And like I said, I think I’ve got everything covered. But when she presents these things to me, it’s like, oh, my goodness, that’s making for such a better, tighter story. And so then I incorporate most of her ideas into the story, and it’s just like I said, it just becomes a fuller, much more rounded read. And I’m not a fast writer, so I take my time. It’s not worth it to me to have quantity over quality. And because I’m a perfectionist, even after she edits it, I have a professional proofreader, kristen Higgins mom.
Jami Albright [00:21:39]:
Oh, wow.
Arlene McFarlane [00:21:41]:
Yeah. She actually, in her day, she worked for, I think, editor for Magazine, and so she still does this on the side, and she is excellent when it comes to proofreading. And then I go over my manuscript again and again, and when I put it out there, I got to challenge anyone to find an error in my book. It’s so important that I have, because, again, I know from what I’ve heard with readers, and that a lot of authors, they just are rushing to get the next book out, and there’s gaping errors, and that is so important to me not to have. And, I mean, you can always go back and open the book up again and fix it, but it’s important to me to know that for the time I’m ready to publish, it’s as good as I can make it.
Sara Rosett [00:22:28]:
You want To feel confident in that, right. When you send it out, you don’t want to be like, oh, I hope nobody finds 45,000 typos. I can understand that.
Arlene McFarlane [00:22:39]:
Yes. And then also knowing that the plot is everything is answered in the end, all these threads are answered.
Jami Albright [00:22:48]:
There Aren’T any huge plot holes that get plugged.
Arlene McFarlane [00:22:53]:
All those things incorporated. That makes it important.
Sara Rosett [00:22:57]:
Yeah, that’s good advice on how to handle that. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned?
Arlene McFarlane [00:23:11]:
Well, I guess probably that writing is not for the faint of heart and you really have to have determination. Yeah. I think that’s in sticking with it, I’m determined to I love it. It’s a passion, and I could have given up many times over the years. It’s frustrating that you try your best, you put your work out there, but it is hard to compete with big names, because I realize they can spend a lot more money on advertising. And from what I understand, they take up those places in the advertising world that your books just you don’t get that visibility. The you know, I’m determined to stick with it and because I love it so much. I remember Stephen King saying, don’t write because you think you’re going to get a book published. Write because it’s what you want to do and because you love it. And that is exactly why I do it. But of course, it is nice to have fans.
Sara Rosett [00:24:13]:
Yeah.
Arlene McFarlane [00:24:14]:
And when you have fans, they are so dedicated and it’s a wonderful feeling to have that. So yeah, definitely writing is not for the faint of heart or publishing. The whole business.
Jami Albright [00:24:27]:
The whole business, yeah. And just the hits that your psyche and your ego take, from sending things to your editor and them going, wait, we’ve got a real problem here, to bad reviews, to whatever, it’s a hit every time. And so you have to decide, can you live with that? Can you ignore the things you need to ignore and pay attention to the things you need to pay attention to? And some people can’t do that. It’s just hard.
Arlene McFarlane [00:25:02]:
That’s true. They say you need to develop a thick skin. And it is true. Everyone gets the great reviews and the not so great reviews, but it’s just all part of it.
Jami Albright [00:25:12]:
Right. I think, really, for me, one of the best lessons I’ve learned, and I still struggle with it because if I get a bad review or something, it still hurts, right? Yeah, still hurts. But it is that marketing is as much about repelling the wrong people as it is about attracting the right people. And so if you get a bad review, you just know, one, that person’s not coming back. You’ve repelled that person in a way that they’re not coming back, and two, it authenticates the good reviews that you have, because if you just have all good reviews, nobody’s going to really that looks fake, that yeah, it does.
Sara Rosett [00:25:54]:
It looks fake.
Arlene McFarlane [00:25:56]:
The ones that bother me the most are and this very rarely happens, but you notice the reader that will post a review on each book and they give you a three, but they’re loving the book. And I’m thinking, if they’re loving the book, why are they giving you three? And then on top of that, why do they keep reading the rest of the series?
Jami Albright [00:26:12]:
I know.
Arlene McFarlane [00:26:13]:
Okay, why did you stop? To me, a three isn’t a I love the book. When you read the review, it’s like everything’s pointing to loving it.
Sara Rosett [00:26:24]:
This is the problem with reviews, is because we all have our own standards. And I know that there are some reviewers who are like, oh, I only give one five star review a year, or ever. Maybe only one book achieves that. Everything else is a four or a three.
Arlene McFarlane [00:26:40]:
Right.
Sara Rosett [00:26:40]:
And then there’s other people who love give five stars for everything. So it’s like we don’t have a standard that we all agree to, so that just makes it even worse.
Jami Albright [00:26:50]:
Yeah. I mean, I’ve said this before, but my least favorite are this book. It was entertaining, but there were some problems. I’ll read the next book and I’m just like, don’t, please don’t. It’s not going to get better. It’s going to be the same.
Sara Rosett [00:27:10]:
Just don’t give yourself and give me a break.
Jami Albright [00:27:14]:
That’s right. Move on, move on.
So what’s the biggest change you’ve had to make in your thinking while you’ve been publishing?
Arlene McFarlane [00:27:26]:
Well, I think probably that I’ve had to get creative and figure out other ways to become visible, do the usual, the marketing and all that, but ads and things. But yeah, it’s mostly had to get creative in other ways. And that’s exciting and it’s fun, and I do enjoy we are creative being authors. And so to me, it’s important to use the background, my setting and my history, and kind of make the most of that and work that through that avenue.
Jami Albright [00:28:06]:
I love that.
Sara Rosett [00:28:06]:
Yeah. Well, let’s get into that right now because you have a lot of really interesting ways that you sell your books. You do, like, in person sales, not online direct sales, and you incorporate, like you said, your life and your background in your books and also in your selling. So tell us how you do all that.
Arlene McFarlane [00:28:28]:
Right, well, one of the ways that I love doing craft shows, mostly at Christmas time or Mother’s Day, so I’ll set up a booth or a table. And it’s interesting because at a lot of these craft shows, you don’t really have authors. You might have one other one, a local author that maybe wrote a child’s book or something. So I don’t run into that a whole lot. So if somebody is in the market for a book, you just don’t know what you’re going to see at a craft show. But those are a lot of fun. And I love getting out and talking with people because we’re home all the time. I can be an introvert, but I can also be an extrovert. So I do love meeting people and being out there with the public. And the other way that I’ve marketed my books, especially when I was first published, I took ten of my books, book one. That’s all I had at the time. So I took ten books and I went to beauty salons and I’d ask them if they would sell these ten books. I gave the owner one for free, and I’d ask if they would put these ten books in the salon and sell them. So I did that with about maybe a dozen different salons. I went to a few different towns, my old hometown and where I live now. And so it was nice. I left them there for a couple of months and when I went back, they all sold the book. So it was great. It was just another way to get into salons. And being that was, again, the background of my series and use that. And a lot of salon owners that read my books, even when I get reviews, a lot of them are like, I’m a hairdresser and I really connect. And they could get the humor. I know if anyone does get the humor, it would be another hairstylist because they can see firsthand. And I think it makes it more authentic when I know there’s authors that will write books that might be about a beauty salon, but they don’t have that background. And when I’ve read some books, I can pick it up myself because there’s just these little nuances or things that a hairdresser would know about that somebody wouldn’t necessarily know when you’re not in the industry. Like just for an example, in my current book, I have a place where my heroine is trying to defend herself and she holds up her knuckle. She says, any hairdresser will tell you it’s part of the occupation that you will get scars on your knuckles. And I have little V scars on my knuckle here and my knuckle here. Because when you cut hair, sometimes your fingers aren’t they’re not straight, and they’re bent a little bit, and the scissors will so I’ve got a lot of V scars here and here. And in my book, there’s a spot where this hairdressers standing in a circle, and each one of them raise their knuckle to the coffee, and they each display their battle scars. And if you didn’t have that background, it’s maybe not something that you would think of. So it’s little things like that. And I appreciate some reviewers will even point out you can tell that this person knows what they’re talking about because it’s my background. I know we can all do research, but when you’re same with nursing, when you’re right in there and you know what actually takes place in a hospital or on the ward, it’s a little different than just doing research and trying to pick it up in a different way.
Sara Rosett [00:32:08]:
That first hand experience lately, AI is a thing and people are worried about that. But if you have life experiences that you can incorporate into your books, those are things that are going to set you apart from stuff that’s just generated that people are if you can. Incorporate a little bit of you into your stories or your characters, that’s going to make you more authentic, right? Yeah. And I was going to say, I love the fact that you were doing this. Your book was about a beauty salon, or it has a salon in it. And so when people are getting their haircut or waiting for their stuff to finish processing, they can pick up a book to pass the time. I think that’s a great combo.
Jami Albright [00:33:00]:
Yeah.
Arlene McFarlane [00:33:00]:
Thank you.
Jami Albright [00:33:02]:
I love that. And it does lend that authenticity. It also brings the reader deeper into the story. I just think anytime you can layer authenticity into a story just it just deepens the reader’s experience. And I love that. Yeah. Well, we had Tracy Andrighetti on the podcast, and Tracy’s a dear friend of mine, or of ours, not just mine. And she talked about the Co writing you guys do.
So can you tell us about that and how you got into it?
Arlene McFarlane [00:33:38]:
Yes. Well, it was all during COVID I was walking every day I walk, and one morning I thought, gee, what would it be like if four different heroines from different cozies came together in one book and solved a crime? And so I knew Leslie Langtree. I’d met her at a Barbara Vay readers event. And her books are hilarious. So I thought, I got in touch with her, and I knew Diana again, just through cross promo, that sort of thing. And so I got in touch with her, and then I got to know Tracy through Diana. And so I presented this idea to them, and they were really excited to do this. And it was so much fun because the book one takes place in New York at a bachelorette party, and none of the Sleuths know each other, but they all knew the Bachelorete from a different time in their life. So they get to this Bachelorete party, the Bachelorete is missing, and somebody drops dead at the Bachelorete party. Well, then during the party, they come to know each other and what their history is, and they solve this crime. So it is just so much fun writing this series because we all have a different sense of humor and it just seems to work. It really just goes together really well. And I also design the covers of the books, and I love the art part of being creative, not just writing, but actual. So doing the covers for each book has just been so much fun because I put the little details that have to do with, like, Frankie’s character likes to drink liqueurs and that so you have a little champagne or a little martini glass or something. And the pregnant one, Diana Games Sleuth, is pregnant or has had babies, and so she’s always eating. It is just a lot of fun doing the covers. And yeah, that was another way, too, that, you know, in doing this series, I’ll reach three other audiences, and they all reach three other audiences. So to me, it was like a win win for everyone.
Jami Albright [00:35:48]:
Yeah, absolutely. I do love that, and I love the fact that you took the initiative. That’s the thing I tell a lot of people when I’m consulting know, you could do this, you could initiate it. Brian Cohen, I think years ago, I remember him saying that that’s really how he really got a lot of contacts in this business, was because he initiated and then set up author things. Because a lot of people don’t want to do it. They want to do the project, but they don’t want to set it up. And so the fact that you took the initiative and did that, I think that’s awesome. And I think we should all really look at that more, because I’m sure it was a lot of work, but if you get the right people, then you’re all sharing the work in a lot of ways too.
Arlene McFarlane [00:36:44]:
Yes. Yes, definitely.
Jami Albright [00:36:46]:
Plus, it gets your name out. Yeah.
Sara Rosett [00:36:48]:
Yeah. It helps spread the word. So for people who haven’t heard Tracy’s interview, can you describe a little bit about how y’all write this? Because each of you writes a different chapter, different chapters throughout the book, right?
Arlene McFarlane [00:37:04]:
Yes. And we meet and we try to put a loose outline together. And then we start like in book one, I started the first chapter, and then the next author, I leave it in a little bit of a cliffhanger. And then the next author comes in and writes sort of carries on, but it’s in her voice, and, you know, it’s her voice. And then we just keep as the next chapter. Next chapter. If a chapter hangs at a cliffhanger and my character enters, it’s like, I have her sort of like the scene in sequel thing. It’s like she what what has just taken place, and it’s know now she gets into the action of what she’s going to do next. And it’s been a lot of fun. We write in each other’s voices then. So Leslie likes to write a lot of political jokes and that, so it’s a little challenging to write in her voice, but it’s still fun because you really have to know. You really have to think like her character. And then Diana’s character is very sweet because she’s pregnant, and then Tracy’s is more feisty. So it is a lot of fun writing the humor and just writing each other’s parts. And of course, if there’s something that one of us feels that our character wouldn’t say or do, we just let them know, and we’ll put a comment at the side, oh, Valentine wouldn’t say or react like this. Or maybe it’s not a word she would use. And everyone’s happy that it’s always no problem. We’ve got to keep it real to our, and it really works. A lot of my fans, they’ve read my series, and when they’re waiting for my next book. They read The Bachelorete series because they want more of my character. And it’s the same with the others, too. It’s nice. In fact, Tracy sent me an email the other day that a reader of hers had just finished one of her books, and Tracy asked if she’s read any of the other authors, and she said that she’s read my books and she loves Valentine’s. So it’s kind of nice. It happens with all of us. Diana’s fans might have read Tracy’s or know if they like their series, individual artist series, then most of the time they’re going to read this new series and find other new authors to like.
Sara Rosett [00:39:37]:
Yeah, it’s like cross pollination. You all are kind of like helping your readers find other authors who are similar. And, I mean, it’s really long term thinking because it’s like you’re investing time in this because how many books are in the series now?
Arlene McFarlane [00:39:52]:
Well, we’re working on book three. Right. So yeah. And the other thing that works, too, it’s like Tracy does the formatting and uploads it, so that’s nice. Diana, she’ll give her advice on marketing, and I do the editing and I do the covers, and then we still get Noel Higgins to do the final proof, and then, of course, I get it back and proof it again. And so it’s nice we all kind of chip in and do and Leslie has her strengths, too, so we all have different areas where we chip in. It’s not all on one person to do everything.
Sara Rosett [00:40:33]:
Yeah. Sounds like a great experience.
Arlene McFarlane [00:40:37]:
It has been wonderful. For sure. Yes.
Sara Rosett [00:40:40]:
Well, we’ve already talked a little bit about incorporating your life and your skills into your books. Is there any other advice or tips you could give people or anything you wish you’d known about writing, about what you do in real life, if that’s going to be like, your sleuth or your protagonist?
Arlene McFarlane [00:41:04]:
Well, I guess I just keep going straight on the straight and narrow. It’s funny, like, if I had to start over and do everything, I probably would do everything the same. I said before, I’m not a real fast writer, so I can’t compete with putting eight or ten books out every other month. So I just keep giving the fans what they like, and I wish I could write faster because I do want to get the books out. And I know with this AI coming in, it’s like, wow, that really is going to be a game changer. But I really want to keep to my own where it’s coming from me. The books are coming from me, and I’ll just keep working the best I can and yeah. Just moving forward one book at a time.
Jami Albright [00:41:57]:
Yeah. And putting your authentic spin on whatever you write. And I think that’s really what we can all being as comfortable as we are being our authentic self in our writing.
Arlene McFarlane [00:42:15]:
Sorry. And obviously things like applying for BookBub and things like BookBub is actually what really put me on the map. When I first came out with Book One, I had like 100,000 downloads in two days. It was amazing. The whole week was just fantastic. I think I had it up for two weeks. So even though it was a freebie, that really helped. I know people download the book and then some will set it aside, but then there’s others that went on to read Book Two and Book Three. I think I only had maybe two books out at the time. But if you get a fan, often they’re a fan for life. So things like know, I’ve often said to people, if you can get a book Bub, I know that has even, I don’t know if it’s as powerful as it was at one time, but anyways, I did hit it at a good time and I was very thankful for it when I had it. So things like that, definitely something else will come around too. Probably.
Jami Albright [00:43:18]:
Yeah. And I think you just do the kind of tried and true until something new comes around. Just keep lugging, keep trying. I’ve never gotten one personally, so I can’t speak to that.
Arlene McFarlane [00:43:34]:
Well, it’s interesting. Another author friend said she never got one either. And I said, have you ever commented in the comment section? She said no. And didn’t she comment in the comment section? And next time she got a book bump. I don’t know if that was luck or what, but I thought, yeah, make use of.
Jami Albright [00:43:53]:
Yeah, I do. Yeah, I do. I do everything except offer them my firstborn. But I’m in Ku, so I’m sure that has something to do with it. Well, this has been so great and we’ve loved having you on, but tell us what you think is the best thing you’ve done to set yourself up for success.
Arlene McFarlane [00:44:15]:
Well, I think like I said, applying for BookBub, doing things like putting my books in audio, that you just never know what you have done or will do that may lead to something else. And like the audiobooks, I had no clue that that was even a world. These SOVAS and all of a sudden then I’m flying on a plane and I’m going and I’m walking the red carpet. It was like, wow. Things like that just to me, trying anything that comes your way, that if you feel it’s something that you’re comfortable with doing. And I just thought, that is something that definitely speaks to me. Definitely doing things that when you get the opportunity and if something looks like it’s something that would appeal to you, definitely go for it.
Jami Albright [00:45:06]:
Taking chances.
Arlene McFarlane [00:45:08]:
Yes, for sure.
Jami Albright [00:45:09]:
I love them.
Sara Rosett [00:45:12]:
Well, this has been so much fun. To talk to you. See you again. So where can people find out more about you?
Arlene McFarlane [00:45:18]:
Well, my website is WW arlene Mcfarland.com, so definitely check it out. Okay.
Jami Albright [00:45:26]:
All right. That’s great. Well, we have just enjoyed having you here.
Arlene McFarlane [00:45:31]:
Thank you, Jamie. So nice chatting with both you and Sarah. You guys are just awesome.
Sara Rosett [00:45:37]:
Well, we’ll have the link in the show notes, and those will be at Wish I’d Known for Writers.com, and if you want to support the podcast, you can go to that same link, but support and we wanted to thank Alexa Larberg for editing and producing the podcast and Adriel Wiggins for doing the admin. And we’ll see everybody next week.
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