----- Where Happy Ever After Takes the Road Less Traveled: Nancy Lee Badger Interviews Author Casey Hagen

Friday, February 3, 2017

Nancy Lee Badger Interviews Author Casey Hagen

Author Casey Hagen stopped by to share intimate details of her life and talk about her latest book. Falling in Angels Falls is a Romantic Comedy and was released on January 12, 2017. Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.

Casey- First, this is the second in a series, but can be read as a stand-alone. Ben Marx spent fifteen years in the Army and carries some serious baggage from that time. Now he’s moving on and building his adventure company, Steel Force Adventures. They specialize in giving extreme adventurists, the barest of necessities while keeping them safe during their adventures. In this case, hiking to the tallest waterfall in the world, Angels Falls…a real place! Angels Falls is visited by thousands every year…at the bottom that is. Where is Ben taking them? To the top.

Alexa Dayne is burnt out. She’s been a slave to the building of her very own hair salon in San Francisco. Her best friend is recently married with a baby on the way and Alexa is grieving the changing of that relationship. She’s trying to find her place now. With her business finally in the black, she has time to breathe so she’s seeking an adventure. When her guide goes MIA, she convinces Ben to take the job. She’s a brazen smart-ass and as much as he wants to be irritated by it, he’s drawn to it. Sparks fly and calamity ensues!

Nancy- Describe the genre of this particular title, and is it the only genre you write in?

Casey- This is a contemporary romance/romantic comedy. Everything I write is infused with humor. After raising three daughters…I’ve learned I had better laugh because if I don’t, I’ll be crying. My writing routine is in a state of flux. It used to be, I get up, get a drink, maybe a bit to eat, and boom…write! The words flowed. Now, not so much. I start to think about those emails just sitting there mocking me. I notice the rug under my office chair needs vacuuming. All of the demands flood me before I can even think about being creative. So now, I do most of my writing in the afternoon and evening. I spend the morning getting organized and addressing those emails and other demands. I can’t tell you the words flow as well at night as they did in the morning. I’m sure they eventually will, but right now, it’s a bit like an old man with a prostate problem trying to pee. I’ll get there!

Nancy- Ha! I am one of three daughters, but the joke was on me-I had two sons! On a more serious note, what sort of promo do you do? Do you have help?

Casey- Promo, marketing, advertising…are dirty, dirty, migraine-inducing words for us authors! It’s a lot like throwing pasta at the wall and seeing what sticks. I’ve used several services like BookDaily and Shout My Book. I would love to tell you they’re great, but they aren’t. I do have a PA now and she pushes my books to several reader groups on Facebook. She’s been awesome. She can make teasers if I want and keep updates fresh on my author page, but right now, I still make my teasers and run my page. I like my readers to get me. You know what’s working for me right now? Kindle Unlimited. I did a free promo period. My sales have rocketed since I did that. I’m talking sales, not free downloads. Paid sales. You know what else is working…Facebook. Be you on Facebook. And when I say “you”, I don’t advise you be the political “you”, or the ranting “you”. We’ve all had enough of that crap. Be the snarky “you”, or the recipe toting “you”. What are you passionate about? Show us! I just happen to be passionate about snark and smart-assery.

Nancy- Most readers don't realize marketing is a necessity in order to succeed. Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?

Casey- I could tell you it’s the attention, the sales, the extra money…but what it really is…when that woman who finishes your book in the middle of the night, because she can’t put it down, writes you an email or sends you a message via social media begging you to keep writing and telling you how special your story is. That’s who I write for, even if there’s only a handful of you.

Nancy- Are you a member of any writing organizations and, if so, have they helped?

Casey- Oh, you asked me about my writing organizations…you’re going to wish you hadn’t! I’m a member of RWA and New Jersey Romance Writers. Outside of RWA the smaller chapters of RWA, I’m a member of the Penn Jersey Women Writers Guild. So…let’s start with PJWWG. I’m the VP, which in this group, doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot. I basically run the meeting if Vikki, our chapter president, can’t. This group used to be the Pocono Lehigh Romance Writers under RWA. We’re a group of about twenty women who meet once a month and doing a lot of laughing, brainstorming, and eating!

Now, the New Jersey Romance Writers…I can’t tell you enough about this group. Seriously, incredible women, smart women, and driven women. I’m new to RWA and am very new to NJRW. I’ve been a member for under two years. Nine months after I joined, I agreed to be their conference chair. Total insanity. However, I pulled it out and after ten months of planning, we had a successful conference. I’m continuing my position for 2017 where we have a star-studded lineup. Featured Keynote Kristan Higgins, Luncheon Keynote Nancy Herkness, Special Presentation Keynote Elizabeth Hoyt, and Pre-Con speaker Eileen Dreyer. Our PUB Retreat and PRO Retreat speaker this year is Damon Suede.

For those of you who haven’t heard of our conference, it’s been running for three decades. It’s been looked at as being a mini RWA National. It’s an economical way to get a mini version of Nationals. We have editor/agent appointments too! I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for the women in these two groups and can’t thank them enough for their encouragement and support!

Nancy- Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract?

Casey- Remember who you’re pitching to. I pitched 7 times at RWA Nationals in 2015. Had six requests for fulls and six rejections. All said the same thing, “We love it, but our publishing house will be afraid of it.”

Traditional publishing is not keeping up with what readers want. They are catering to dying demographic right now. I hope this changes, but I won’t hold my breath. So when you get rejected, remember, that doesn’t mean you’re no good. It means, you’re no good for them, at the moment. Even when you have something great, that they seek, you have to hit them at the right time. It’s a bit like nailing Jello to the wall. When they reject you, it could mean your writing needs work. It also may very well mean that you’re onto something awesome! This is what beta readers and critique partners are for. If there is a problem, they’ll tell you.

Do not let yourself be measured by a publisher’s yardstick.

Please Share three fun facts about you that most people don’t know.

1) I’m new to coffee…I’m 39 and started my addiction a month ago. I like two kinds and I like them black, no sugar. Go figure.

2) I wanted to be a lawyer for most of my childhood, when I didn’t want to be an Air Force pilot.

3) I had a pet cow named Jigsy (yes, I know…I can’t explain the name either)

Nancy- What’s next for you?

Casey- I just released a Melody Anne Kindle World novella, The Billionaire Dame and I’m wrapping up a project for Roxanne St. Claire’s Kindle World, Unconventional Love, with a release date of February 21^st. Then, I work on book 3 in the Falling in Paradise series to wrap that sucker up so I can go back to my Livingston Valley series that could end up being twelve books in total.

BOOK BLURB

The black sheep . . .
Alexa Dayne shocked everyone by refusing to join the family bakery business. She’s worked hard to prove that owning her own salon in upscale San Francisco is more than just a dream; it’s her passion, and she’s made it a huge success, solo. After years of round-the-clock work, her finances are in the black, and Alexa craves both an escape and a new challenge. She’s determined to find both—in the wilds of Venezuela and the promise of exhilarating adventure at Angels Falls, the largest waterfall in the world.

A weary soldier . . .
Ben Marx is running from brutal memories. A career soldier turned entrepreneur, Ben has slaved to make Steel Force Adventures a reality. The business of offering thrill-seekers extreme adventures is how Ben intends to fulfill both a dream and a promise to the one person he was powerless to save. On the cusp of success, he’s approached by a long-legged vixen seeking a guide through the Venezuelan jungle to Angels Falls. Her fearless determination is proof enough she’ll make the dangerous trek alone if he refuses. Her animal print body-suit and makeup scream high maintenance, but her eyes, ice-blue and intense, promise something more.

Testing their resolve . . .
The Angels Falls journey is one of renewal for Alexa and Ben. But when passions flare and hidden motives are revealed, the flames of heart-wrenching pain forge bonds between them—bonds destined to be tested by life’s harsh realities . . . after Angels Falls.

Buy Links….

Find all of my books here… http://caseyhagenauthor.com/