Today I’m pleased to introduce you to the lovely Sophie Moss. Sophie is a gifted author who has released not one, but two novels! Her third novel is set to release this week! Thank you Sophie for sharing your journey with us.
Name: Sophie Moss
Occupation(s): Author
Website: http://www.sophiemosswrites.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SMossWrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SophieMossAuthor
1. Tell us a little bit about your career.
I’m the author of the Seal Island Trilogy, a collection of modern day fairy tale romances set on a magical Irish island. The third book in the trilogy, The Selkie Sorceress, comes out on April 25th!
2. What’s an average day look like for you?
I wake up at 5am, and I’m usually at the computer by 5:30am. My most productive writing time is between 5-10am so I write a lot during those hours. After that, I do as many one-hour writing sprints as I can until 5pm with plenty of breaks to exercise, run errands, play with the dog, and work in the garden. When I finish writing each day, I spend about an hour online to catch up with Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs and then I spend the rest of the night relaxing.
3. Did you set out on this path intentionally or stumble upon it?
I discovered my passion for writing in college and started writing my first novel when I was nineteen. Before I quit my job last fall, I’d been writing consistently around a day job for over ten years. I’ve always been an early riser, and I used to wake up at 4:30am to squeeze in three hours of writing before work. So…I would say it was pretty intentional. J After my book sales took off and I quit my job last year, it was easy to fill up those hours with more writing. Especially, since it’s my favorite thing to do!
4. What are some challenges you’ve incurred – past or present?
My biggest challenge is pulling away from the internet, especially after releasing a new book. Social media is so addicting, and when you’ve spent all that time and effort building buzz for your stories and reconnecting with all your online friends, it’s really hard to pull away when it’s time to start writing again.
5. How do/did you move past these?
I’ve found two ways to deal with this. First, I give myself one month off between books. That way I can focus on social media, study the new trends, learn new techniques, and be fully present online for at least thirty days leading up to the release. Once the book has released, it’s time to start writing again and I begin to pull away from the internet. I have to physically block the internet (either with a software program or writing in an internet-free zone of the house) or I get sucked back in. While I’m outlining my next story, I block the internet for four separate one-hour segments each day. This trains my mind to focus on writing again. By the time I’ve begun writing the actual story, I’ve weaned myself off of it, and I can focus all of my attention on the new book.
6. What keeps you motivated?
I am ridiculously self-motivated. I’ve always been a hard worker so I don’t need much external motivation. But I will say that hearing from a happy reader, getting a great review, or having someone say they can’t wait for my next book is truly inspiring. Nothing gets me more excited about finishing a story than receiving a message from a reader who’s dying to know what happens next!
7. What’s the best part of your career?
The best part of being a full-time indie author is having the freedom and flexibility to write what I want and having complete control of my career. I love that I can organize my day the way I want, stay home with my dog, and focus all of my attention on doing what I love most—writing stories!
8. If you could do it all over again, what would you change (if anything)?
I would have started promoting my first book before its release. When I released The Selkie Spell, I was so afraid that people might not like it and was so uncomfortable with self-promotion that I hardly said a word about it! One of my author friends finally sat me down and gave me a major pep talk. The basic message was: “No one is going to get excited about your story unless you do!”
9. Do you have any advice for someone looking to embark on an unconventional career path?
Get ready to work harder than you’ve ever worked in your life! If you want something badly enough you can have it, but you have to work like crazy for it. You have to be willing to devote your life to it. Live it, breathe it, dream it, believe in it, and then GO FOR IT!
10. What else should we know about you and your career?
I plan to spend the rest of my life writing stories and I hope to release a new book every six to nine months. I love to support my fellow writers and artists! I think the best way to succeed in this industry is to constantly put yourself out there, build your network, try new things (even when they scare you), and give back as much as you receive.
FREE SWAG: Sophie will be giving away an e-copy of one of her Seal Island novels (you get to pick which one you want!). All you have to do is leave a comment below to enter. Please make sure to include your name and your Twitter handle (or email) so you can be contacted. We’ll pick a winner next Tuesday. Good luck and thank you Sophie for your generosity!
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Angie Richmond 
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