LWL Interview: Bestselling Author Talia Hibbert on Writing Her Way to the Top

Hello, readers! I am thrilled to introduce author Talia Hibbert. Talia is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate.

I have reviewed Talia’s books Damaged Goods and That Kind of Guy. She expertly fuses humor and sensuality. Her book A Girl Like her is book one of her popular Ravenswood series. Check out the blurb.

A Girl Like Her

Available on Amazon

She’s the town pariah. He doesn’t give a damn.

In Ruth Kabbah’s world, comic books are king, silence is golden, and human contact is a pesky distraction. She doesn’t like people, which works out just fine, because the people in this small town don’t like her. The exception to that rule? Evan Miller, her way-too-charming next-door neighbor…

Ex-military man Evan is all tattooed muscle on the outside—and a big, cuddly teddy bear beneath. He’s used to coaxing prickly people from their shells, but he’s never met a woman quite like Ruth. Blunt, sarcastic, and secretly sad, she’s his exact opposite. She’s also his deepest desire.

Soon, Evan’s steady patience and smoldering smiles are melting Ruth’s reserve. But when small-town gossip from her past begins to poison her future, she’s forced to make a choice. Should she trust Evan completely? Or is her heart safest alone?

Ready to click? First, read the interview with Talia below, where she shares her writing process and some of her perspectives on book marketing.

Congratulations on your book’s listing on the USA Today BestSellers list. How does it feel?

When I signed the contract to write Get a Life, Chloe Brown, I wrote in my work journal “this book will become a bestseller”. I believe in speaking things into existence – but I also know that trying is no guarantee of reaching your goals. A thousand things can and will go wrong on any given journey, no matter how hard you work. So despite my dreams, I was never really expecting to hear those words.

When I did, it took a while for the full impact to sink in. My overwhelming feeling was shock and also gratitude because I knew I had so many people to thank. Personal feelings didn’t develop for a day or so, but when they did, the main one was pride. I am just so overwhelmingly proud of myself for setting a goal and working hard to make it happen. I put a lot into that book, so having it recognized in any way is the greatest feeling ever.

Plus, it is super exciting that I can now call myself a bestselling author. I’ve slapped it across the internet without remorse.

What is your most productive writing habit?

I write in the morning, and I make sure my writing is the first major thing I do all day. That way, my freshest energy is completely directed at my work. I’m not squandering that just-woke-up brain buzz on digesting social media info or emptying the dishwasher.

Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

I’ve always felt like other people feel more strongly than I do, but that’s never stopped me writing, so yes, I think you can be a writer without feeling emotions strongly. To me, the key to being a writer is understanding people, not necessarily relating to them. You can be a writer no matter who you are; you just need to have a mind open and flexible enough to conceive of characters and situations that are nothing like you and your life.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

At the minute, quite a few! I have a strict release schedule, but then I get random ideas that don’t fit with the program. I call those my just-for-fun ideas and I work on them here and there, whenever I get free time or inspiration strikes. Sometimes they turn into complete books – A Girl Like Her, for example, was supposed to be a time-wasting story about cute neighbors getting sexy. Now it’s a published story about cute neighbors getting sexy. Growth!

What’s the best way to market your books?

One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that the key to marketing your books is to know them. You have to understand your story and its appeal inside out so that you can communicate its golden threads of fabulousness concisely and accurately to the readers who want it. That’s the core of marketing, no matter what specific method you use.

If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?

I’m pretty sure writing is my only skill, so I’d probably be screwed. But, judging by my past work… if I wasn’t writing, I’d be back in social media marketing. Flexing my copywriting skills instead of my first-kiss writing skills. Not as much fun, but I’d cope.

Read a free preview of A Girl Like Her.