Thursday, February 2, 2012

Book Tour: How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back by Sophie Barnes

 

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Today, we meet Sophie, author of How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back.  I just love getting a glimpse into an authors life, don’t you.  So over to Sophie!

A day in the life of a historical novelist

First of all I’d like to thank Chrizette for hosting me here today – I’m a big fan of her blog and am absolutely thrilled to be here!

Becoming a recognized romance writer has been such a whirlwind experience for me that I still can’t quite believe it is happening. How great is it to be able to do what you love day in and day out, not just as a hobby, but because people actually have a genuine interest in your work?

Having only recently begun to share the details of my writing career with people, I’ve been met with an astounding amount of support and congratulations, usually followed by tons of questions about the genre and my plots in particular. I think a lot of people are under the assumption that my days must be truly extraordinary to inspire such stories. Well … occasionally, but most days are not.

My life revolves around my family – my wonderful husband and incredible boys whom I love with all my heart and soul. The stories I write are mostly fiction, meant to entertain and explore human behavior – our flaws, our fears and our desires. They are the product of many hours of hard work – work that can only be done by patiently placing your butt in a seat and staying there until your ideas for the day have finished pouring from your head onto the paper (or onto the shiny pixels of your word processor, to be more precise :o) )

So here’s a play by play of a day of my life…not as exciting as the stories I write perhaps, but perfect in every way that matters.

7:00 am – I awake, just in time to get the kids ready for school – we have 1 ½ hour to get dressed, pack their lunch and have breakfast together before getting out the door.

9:00 am – Drop the kids off at school and do a quick bit of grocery shopping on the way home.

10:00 am – Having poured myself a hot cup of tea, I start going over my e-mails, checking my social network pages and responding as best I can to my friends and fans If it happens to be Friday, I post my weekly romance recommendation…wink wink (shameless bit of self promoting :o) ).

10:30 am – I turn to my manuscript and cringe, wondering how the heck I’m going to manage getting my work done before picking up the kids again. I have a general plan, but usually let the characters lead the way. After staring at the screen for a few minutes, hoping for an epiphany to get me started, I just begin writing … something…anything… to get things going… and then suddenly the story comes back to life and I can’t seem to stop again.

1:00 pm – Break for lunch – something quick that I can eat while I check my e-mails, answer a few tweets and FB messages .

1:30 pm – Write, write, write.

3:15 pm – Jump in the car to go pick up the kids.

4:00 pm – Afternoon tea with my husband and the kids. Once that’s over and the kids run off to play, I start writing again.

5:00 pm – Prepare dinner – anything from steak and vegetables, to pasta, to grilled chicken…whatever it is it usually takes me under 1 hour.

6:00 pm – Everyone flocks together at the table for dinner, but since the kids are usually done in under 10 minutes, my husband and I have a few quiet moments to ourselves…bliss. Unless of course the kids need either one of us to help them load a new computer game, or get to the next level of yesterday’s game. :o)

6:30 pm - I have just a bit more time to write before getting the kids ready for bed at 7:00 pm. Ideas are always popping into my head…all I need is a little more time to…oh well, it’s 7:00 pm =)

7:00 pm – Get kids into PJ’s, brush teeth, read story, sing song and cuddle – love it!

My kids are normally asleep around 8:30 pm, after which my husband and I usually manage a little more quality time either talking or sharing a couple of hours in front of the TV. We follow a lot of series and have a DVR so there’s always something good on (Big Bang Theory, Revenge, House, Dr. Who, Supernatural, Whitney…to name only a few). If I have a deadline, I drop the shows and write some more at this point, but right now I’m just moving forward at my own pace, so all I need is to fill my self-imposed daily quota – roughly four - five hours of constant writing required.

Finally, I cozy up in bed with the latest book I happen to be reading, until I eventually dose off around midnight – lights out by 12:30 if I’m not asleep, so I’m not a complete zombie the next day.

Less exciting than you imagined perhaps, but peppered with the simple pleasures that life has to offer, a bit of time with my loving family and doing what I love. Not sure I’d change any of it for all the adventures in the world. ;o)

Thank you so much for stopping by. I’ll be popping in throughout the day to chat with you and to answer any questions you might have. So feel free to leave a comment or two for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card =)

If you’d like to share the last day of my tour with me, please stop by http://romancingrakes.blogspot.com/ tomorrow. Hope to see you again soon =)

To find out more about me, How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back or my upcoming releases, please visit my website at: www.sophiebarnes.com

To see the book trailer for How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1u7IYNSU6Y

Emily Rutherford is having a very bad day. Of course, having the man you’ve loved forever, announce his engagement to your (now very former) best friend will do that.

 

Blurb:
Emily is sure nothing good could possibly come out of this horrid situation. But she lets her sisters and Adrian’s cousin, Francis Riley, the delectable Cover_HOW_MISS_RUTHERFORD_69DCE8Cbut brooding Earl of Dunhurst, convince her a season in London will be just the thing.

Now Emily has a choice: sulk in a corner while her sisters enjoy the glitter of the ton. Or become the belle of the ball, dazzling everyone on an earl’s arm. But as Francis helps Emily get back on her feet, she quickly realizes that a childhood crush is nothing compared to the power of true love.

 

Author Bio:
Born in Denmark, Sophie has spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world. She’s lived in five different countries, on three different continents, and speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish and Romanian.

AuthorPicShe has studied design in Paris and New York and has a bachelor’s degree from Parson’s School of design, but most impressive of all – she’s been married to the same man three times, in three different countries and in three different dresses.

While living in Africa, Sophie turned to her lifelong passion – writing.

When she’s not busy, dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, cooking, gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of course, reading. She currently lives on the East Coast.

http://www.sophiebarnes.com/

Thank you, Sophie!

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21 comments:

  1. I'm so glad that in your busy day you find time to write.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    1. Thanks Mary. It's not always easy to manage, but when you're passionate about something, you find a way =)

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  2. You have a busy day, but it sounds as though you are very happy with your life right now. Your story seems to follow through on that theme also.

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  3. Good morning everyone and a big thank you to Chrizette for hosting me! I'm so happy to be here =)

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  4. Busy day indeed! So what does an author wear while pounding away at the keyboard? A glamorous tiara or fuzzy pink slippers and sweats?

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    1. Oh how I wish I could tell you that I'm wearing a tiara! No such glamor though, and while I do tend to be dressed by 7:30, I haven't made it out of my PJ's yet today since the kids are both home sick...so closer to the fuzzy pink slippers and sweats =)

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  5. It's so wonderful to know that our beloved authors are just normal peeps too. I still think you are even more awesome because your day job never ends! Being a wife, mother, nurse, teacher, cook, housekeeper AND working from home means that you are always at work. And to top ALL of that off, you making an impact on thousands of lives! You. Are. Awesome! Because of you, many of us have an enriched reading experience, Sophie! How phenomenal is that?! Just take a minute and soak that in =)
    Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

    Gena Robertson
    robertsongena@hotmail.com

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    1. WOW! Thank you so much Gena (blushing slightly) What an incredible compliment =)
      I really hope that you enjoy not only this book, but the next ones as well.
      Again - thank you so much!

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  6. Thanks for the giveaway. I really want to read this book. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

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    1. You're very welcome =) I hope you enjoy the book! Thanks for posting!

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  7. I love seeing a glimpse into authors day to day lives. I personally think you are all like mini celebrities so its nice to see that you have to scramble to fit so much into a small time frame. Your kids don't go to school until nine? Mine has to be there at eight which means I have to drag myself out of bed by 630 usually so he functional, lol

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    1. And I find getting up at 7 difficult...even though the munchkins usually have me awake by 6:30.
      Let's see...right now it's 10:00 pm and I still have to get another 20 pages of editing done before bed (have to do a min of 50 a day so I can go over it once more and manage to have it all ready by the 14th). So enjoy your evening! I'm off to work =)

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  8. I enjoyed the trailer for the book. The book and the trailer both look very good.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. I'm glad you think so. I've never taken on so many simultaneous projects in my life - write book, make website, make book trailer...It's been an incredible learning experience really, and all in the space of a few months...Exhilarating!

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  9. It's great that the family has meals together...but I'm really impressed that you have afternoon tea together at 4:00. That's special. What wonderful family memories you must have!

    catherinelee100[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. My mom ALWAYS had tea and cookies ready for when I'd come home from school and I just thought that it would be something really great to pass on. I love it and the kids have something to look forward to on the way home =)

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  10. What a busy day ,I can't image. The book sounds great, can't wait to read.
    r.d1@myfairpoint.net

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    1. Thank you so much, Renald! I hope you enjoy it =)

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  11. Shew! I need a nap after just reading about your day. Sorry to see that the kids are sick, hope they get better soon. I can't wait to read this, it sounds like a great story. I am trying to make a dent in my TBR piles (physical and e-books) before buying more, but it is hard, LOL.
    Congrats on the release!
    June
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

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    1. Nice to see you again, June. The kids are 2 & 4, so it's been a really hard season with them being sick so often...and now bronchitis! Wish it was me instead...Thanks for your support, for posting and for spreading the word. I hope you enjoy the read =)

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