author of the Social Media Bride (Wattpad Featured Romance)

I was watching wedding fails on YouTube back in 2015, laughing so hard until I cried. Then I wondered what it would be like for the person in the video, and the idea took off from there.

Something I struggled with was the first draft. I realized seven chapters in that I really didn't like Kate. She was whiny and a borderline alcoholic. I ended up rewriting it from chapter two to make her more relatable. Instead of moving her across the country, I opted to keep her closer to home instead as she struggled to pick herself back up.

3

The overall response has been incredibly positive. People felt really bad for Kate, especially when so much went wrong for her. Something that surprised me though was how many people are unaware of how the smallest thing on social media will get you fired in America. They think, oh, you'd never lose your job over that. WRONG. Employers here almost always monitor social media before hiring and check it even while you're employed because they don't want their business to look bad. So that was definitely an eye opener to me as I had to explain that side of American culture.

This story is part of a three book series. I've been asked to write more, but I'm pretty happy with where I left the last story.

I really enjoyed exploring Kate as a character. I wanted everything to feel real and raw, even to the point where I drove my ass out to Tempe Town Lake to make sure I got every detail right in chapter seven. I also really loved developing the side characters in Kate's life because I come from a very dysfunctional family, and friendships are hard for me as I'm generally closed off until I trust people. Seeing Kate open up was wonderful.

I want readers to think about social media and how damaging it can be. The smallest thing can affect your life, and once your business is on the internet, it's not likely to go away any time soon. I also want to show readers that there is more to love than bad boy romances (sorry if anyone is a fan of them. I just don't find them realistic or healthy).

As for advice for focusing on a story, I think you should explore what works for you. Some people plot meticulously while other pants their way through. I'm somewhere in the middle most of the time as I have a general idea in my head or sometimes I'll do character maps, but otherwise, I firmly believe in letting the characters tell the story for a more natural flow. Readers can always tell when writing is forced, so if you're not feeling it, take a step back and let it sit until you're ready to come back to it. Also, tell the story. The genre is secondary because you still have a plot to convey.

Kate definitely shares a lot of traits with me. I can't get through most sentences without swearing somewhere, and I really do find it difficult to trust people and open up.

9

I think the fact that this is contemporary and not your average romance would draw readers to this. It's more than the romance. Kate loses her job and reputation, she makes mistakes, and she has family issues, but she works through it and tries to get her life back together, even if it means falling a few times along the way.

Future projects? I have quite a few in the works at any given time. 2018 was all about writing the series. 2019 was about trying new genres outside of my comfort zone. 2020 is about returning to my roots as I go back to romance and paranormal. I'm currently working on Nick's Valentine, a romance about a young Santa who hates his job, as well as Knight of Fire, a paranormal entry for the Open Novella Contest. Finally, I occasionally update Zombie Soap, a horror comedy parody which is absolutely ridiculous, but humor has always been one of my first loves, and I hope to finish that by the end of the year.