Author Interview: Jean Roberts

How would you describe the type of books/genre you write?

This is my first foray into published writing. I don’t write fiction. So far my published work has been writing a travel memoir. A Kiss Behind the Castanets tells of my journey from a long-held dream of owning a house in Spain through to house hunting, buying, renovating a wreck, and moving on to our current Spanish home. There has been laughter and tears, a lot of amazing people (both incredible and incredulous) and a lot of fulfilment. There are more books in the pipeline in the same series. I have other projects on the go: 2 biographies, one set in wartime and the other set in England in the swinging 60s.

What motivated you to start writing?

I have always loved to write. As I child I would write stories about building a houseboat and travelling around the world, so you can see I have had itchy feet from a very early age. I loved writing essays at school (we called it composition then) and when I wasn’t writing I had my head in a book. We had no TV in the house when I was a child so books were both my escape and my window on the world. The library was my second home. Authors were my heroes. When I was working my employment entailed a lot of writing, report writing, and research papers, and that’s the part I missed when I retired. I have always diarised big events so that I will remember them in fine detail and I sat one day pulling them all together and the book just grew almost by itself.

Tell us the journey you went on to get your books published (e.g. direct on your website, self-published, assisted-publishing, traditional publisher)

I wrote Kiss Behind the Castanets because I felt that I had a story in me and I wanted to get it out. However, I wrote it for my family as a thank you for the love and support they gave me through a very difficult time. The intention was to self-publish. I spoke to an author friend who gave me advice and I fully intended to go down that route but my husband, Adrian, encouraged me to send it to a publisher for consideration.

I had a link with the author Victoria Twead and Ant Press so decided to send it there. Ant Press is a small publishing house, which suits me; I felt that I would get a more personal service, and indeed I did. I have been very lucky as it was all very simple and straightforward. Ant Press put it out on Amazon where it went straight into the number 1 slot in Family Travel both as a new release and best seller.

What publishing elements do you most enjoy and most like to avoid, and why? (e.g. design, marketing, formatting, etc.)

I haven’t actually been involved much in the publishing. I chose the cover, page breaks, and chapter headings, and I stated my preference for how I would like the pages laid out, other than that Ant Press did all of the work.

Marketing is a bit of a challenge. Ant Press marketing strategy is brilliant but nowadays not many publishers offer much more than an online presence. If an author wants their book into a bricks and mortar store then it’s generally their responsibility. Some people enjoy that. I have to say it wasn’t my favourite.

With the hindsight of being a published author, anything you would have done differently?

Yes. I would learn exactly what the role of an editor is. Being very new and still learning to put one foot in front of the other I think I may have expected my editor to do things that were not her role.

With hindsight, I would also have made a bigger presence on social media sooner than I did and built up a following prior to the book’s release.

What tips or advice would you give an aspiring indie author who is looking to self-publish?

Do your research thoroughly. I was lucky in that I knew someone who was able to give advice on self-publishing, was able to point out the benefits and the pitfalls and was able to point me in the right direction. In the end, I chose not to go down that route but by the time I made that decision I was well informed enough to know what was best for me.

Be prepared for a lot of extra work that you may not have anticipated. I now find myself running a website and learning how to blog, neither of which I had considered or expected to do before.

Most importantly, don’t give up. Believe in yourself. If you really want to do this it might be easier than you think.

What marketing or promotional tools or techniques do you use to reach your readers?

I use social media a lot, plus I have a blog and a website.

Put yourself out there. Have a presence on social media and make sure that you get known. Amazon is great for selling but people have to know that you are there. They won’t go looking for you unless they know about you. It might be stating the obvious but it really is important. There are lots of reading groups on social media so it’s useful to join some and build up a following of people who will be interested when your book comes out.

What impact do you want your books to have on your readers?

I would love for my readers to think ‘I can do that!’ and to realise that it is never too late to realise a dream, whether that be travelling or getting that book written. It’s possible. I would like, when they turn the last page, to leave them with a warm feeling, like saying goodbye to a friend who has given them a hug before leaving.

I would find it my biggest achievement if it inspired someone to take the plunge, step out and grab that long-held aspiration.

What’s your book’s elevator pitch or key selling points?

It’s a humorous account of how an over-worked and stressed out social worker fulfilled a long-held dream of buying a house in Spain. Visions of vibrant Spanish art, passionate flamenco, and cocktails at sunset are dashed as we battle rogue tradesmen and vicious local wildlife. Take a walk with me through lively Spanish markets, taste exquisite tapas, meet the warm and colourful characters that I encounter, and experience some of the oddities and the joys of living life in Spain.

From stalking a neighbour to encountering trees with testicles, it is uplifting and lighthearted. The first book in my Moving to Spain series.

What’s next on your writing journey?

I have a few projects underway. I am currently putting the finishing touches to book 2 in the series and a 3rd is in the pipeline. I am also working on the story of my mother’s search for my father when he went missing during the war and the subsequent finding of him in a Japanese Prisoner of War camp. Already sketched out is another memoir of growing up in England during the swinging 60s. That’s on the back burner for now as the main priority, and the most fun for me is the sequel to Kiss Behind the Castanets.

About the Author

Jean Roberts is a retired social worker and a cautiously negative optimist. She is married with two grown-up children and a small tribe of grandchildren. She spends her time between her home in Essex and her happy place in Spain.

Jean began writing as a child and continued through her adult life and her career. ‘A Kiss Behind the Castanets’ moving to Spain, is her first published book and is a light hearted look into her journey from a forced early retirement through to choosing, buying, and renovating a house in Spain, and into falling in love with a country, its people, its culture, and, ultimately, falling in love with life itself.

Connect with Jean:

• Website
• Facebook