Interview with Dean Ashbie

Published 2018-04-14.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
I find many and all joys in writing and some of the greatest joys of writing for me would definitely be:
Exploration - because writing gives me freedom to live through something I normally wouldn't, and it also gives that same freedom to you, the reader, which makes writing even more fulfilling.
Adventure - the exhilaration, the blood-pumping moments which make me want to strive for more.
Appreciation - there is nothing better than to be appreciated for your own work.
What do your fans mean to you?
My fans mean the world to me, really. It may sound corny, but they really do. I appreciate the inputs they provide, the insights, critique... They help out, a lot, plain and simple! The more support I have, the better I feel about myself, and as we all know - writers are full of self-doubt.
What are you working on next?
After I published my book "Freedom", I began working on what will become a series of short stories. Same genre, same steaminess...
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
That's a tough one... I'd probably say - knowing that I haven't given the world my best yet.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
It's either reading, spending time with my girlfriend, music, TV shows, or PC gaming.
What is your writing process?
Now, for this one, I've tried many, many things... As of a few months back, my writing process looks like this:
I wake up, almost never having enough sleep, I watch an episode or two of a current most fav TV show, I fix myself some breakfast and coffee and watch another episode of the aforementioned show while eating. Then, I start writing until I've written about 500 words. I always strive for that number, since I saw it is possible. Sometimes it's less, but sometimes it's even more.
After that, I move on to other things I like to do.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
The reason I became an indie author is because of the absolute freedom it provides, as well as the ease of it:
I decide when and where to publish, I decide how much I earn, how my cover looks like, etc.
The downside of it all is that it means I have to do all the marketing on my own as well, which I don't really like doing.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
I discover them mostly by searching through genres I love to read. Most often than not, the new books I pick up are from an author I already read something from, so you don't really need a recommendation there, but if it's not, if it's a new author, a nicely written free sample is enough for me to get hooked.
How do you approach cover design?
Now this one I leave to the professionals. However, I picked the scene from my book that I liked to be depicted on the cover. I did that because that scene, for me, is very strong; you can practically feel it in the book, and it may easily be one of the strongest scenes in it - deep impact, a lot of emotions, romance, and beauty in that one. The artist who created the cover for "Freedom" did an AMAZING job, and it was exactly what I told him I'd like - exact scene, characters, scenery...
What is your e-reading device of choice?
Well, for now, I either read on my PC, on which I spend most of my day, or my phone when I am on the move. I probably will buy a dedicated e-book reader in the future.
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
I'd have to say that I am still experimenting and, as most self-published authors do, I am still learning the ropes. I m trying to focus more on my writing rather than marketing, but that could be simply because of the fact that marketing can get a tad overwhelming. For now, I focus on Facebook and Twitter, and I am enjoying seeing how many people I reached with a single post. That part is fun!
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