Summary: On episode 105 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke about the closing of hybrid publisher Booktrope with Tess Thompson. In addition to being one of Booktrope’s bestselling authors, she was also one of its first authors. So, in a wide-ranging, emotional interview, we discussed:<br> <br> * how she got started with Booktrope<br> * the early success of her debut novel, RIVERSONG;<br> * changes within the industry, and within Booktrope, that made subsequent books less successful;<br> * whether starting a blog and getting on social media actually sells books;<br> * what worked, and what didn’t work, about the Booktrope publishing model;<br> * how the Booktrope shutdown announcement was handled.<br> <br> Plus, I give my initial thoughts on the Booktrope closing.<br> About our guest:<br> Tess Thompson is a mother and bestselling novelist of romantic suspense. She’s also a Zumba dancing queen, though the wearing of the crown is reserved for invitation-only appearances. Recently she’s participated in obstacle course races, the hardest of which was the Spartan Beast in Sun Peaks, British Columbia. It was an awful experience that will soon be included in a novel. There was running. And climbing a mountain. And obstacles, like walls and crawling under barbed wire. She is not the running or obstacle queen.<br> Like her characters in the River Valley Collection, Tess hails from a small town in southern Oregon, and will always feel like a small town girl, despite the fact she’s lived in Seattle for over twenty-five years. She loves music and dancing, books and bubble baths, cooking and wine, movies and snuggling. She cries at sappy commercials and thinks kissing in the rain should be done whenever possible. Although she tries to act like a lady, there may or may not have been a few times in the last several years when she’s gotten slightly carried away watching the Seattle Seahawks play, but that could also just be a nasty rumor.<br> She currently lives in a suburb of Seattle, Washington with her two daughters and two cats, all of whom keep her too busy, often confused, but always amazed. In June she’ll be moving both kids and cats to a neighboring suburb to marry the love of her life and gain not only two bonus sons, but three bonus cats. That makes four kids and five cats. Pray for her.<br> Tess loves to hear from you. Drop her a line, or visit her <a style="color: #000000;" href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessThompson?ref=bookmarks">Facebook Fan Page,</a> or follow her on <a style="color: #000000;" href="http://www.pinterest.com/tesswrites/">Pinterest</a> and <a style="color: #000000;" href="https://twitter.com/TessWrites">twitter</a>.<br> <br>
