Guest author Paige Ryter

I’d like to welcome Paige Ryter to my blog today. Paige grew up in a household of seven. She is the 4th child of five, and earned a college degree in mathematics. However, writing is an outlet of hers, especially since she is married and has three teenagers and several pets. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and quite a few yahoo groups.

Paige, can you give us a brief synopsis of your book, “Three Minutes Before Christmas.”

Paige: Sure. When Sydney White is hit by a huge roll of Christmas wrapping paper at her mall wrapping job, sexy pediatrician Colin Taylor rushes to her rescue. Unable to find her purse or keys, Sydney can’t even recall the phone number for her brother’s new home, so Colin offers his home as a place of refuge.

While there is a physical attraction, Sydney knows their worlds are far apart and it’ll only be a matter of time before he finds someone else in his own social class.

Can a Christmas miracle save their love? Check the clock because they’ve only got Three Minutes Before Christmas and the magic is lost.

Katie: What prompted you to write a Christmas story?

Paige: Christmas is a magical time of year, and romance fits in nicely. It’s like being warm on a cold night, being held by someone who loves you. There’s nothing like it.

Katie: Since you are a romance writer, what prompted you to write in that genre?

Paige: I love romance, giving the reader a feel of being in love.

Katie: Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

Paige: Colin Taylor, hands down. He’s hot, cares about Sydney, and has a heart of gold. Can’t beat that in a hero!

Katie: Have you found that you develop characters based on qualities you have found in friends and family?

Paige: Actually, my sister just asked me that recently. I just take small qualities from people I know, then embellish them. I tell my husband that all the heroes are him, but they’re just bits and pieces of his personality, because he ‘doesn’t get’ romance, which just cracks me up. My heroes are all very nice men, like my husband, but as for other qualities, not really. My heroines are what I’d like to be—thin and smart with drive to do what’s right in the world. I think I live in the fantasy world…and with heroes like Colin, I wish!

Katie: You have chosen to publish this as an ebook. What made you decide to go that route?

Paige: It’s very difficult to get an agent and a publisher to believe in a ‘newbie’ writer, especially in this economy. Initially, I figured having an ebook might put me slightly above other new writers. But now that the book is out, I’d rather just tell my story than worry about status. I love telling stories with a feel-good ending and hope my readers enjoy them.

Katie: How much research did you have to do to put forth a quality ebook?

Paige: It’s not much different than working on any other manuscript. After the book’s written, it’s just a matter of formatting. However, the line editor was amazing and I learned so much from him. I also learned a lot about marketing, which isn’t easy at all.

Katie: From the beginning of the ebook process (deciding you wanted to do one), what has been the most difficult aspect?

Paige: Marketing. It would be so much easier if there weren’t so many books out there already. Also, since this is considered a ‘sweet’ book, selling that as an ebook has proved to be tougher than anything.

Katie: What three pieces of advice would you give to an aspiring ebook author?

Paige: First, write the manuscript and edit it as if you were selling it to a print publisher. You’ll thank yourself in the end. Second, do your homework on the ebook publisher. I’ve seen so many e-publishers go out of business, putting the author in a bad spot. And third, learn how to market your book before it comes out. Study what others are doing, then make it better to stand out more.

Katie: Thanks for being my guest today, Paige! You can find out more about Paige and her book at www.paigeryter.com, and through her publisher at http://redrosepublishing.com. Be sure and visit her blog: http://paigeryter.blogspot.com.