Friday 30 August 2013

Andrea Barbosa


Today under my spotlight is Andrea Barbosa

Andrea Barbosa was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism. She loves to travel and write. She maintains two blogs and is a contributor on Yahoo Contributor Network and Yahoo! Voices websites. "Massive Black Hole" is her debut novel. Her work has been influenced by contemporary authors Paulo Coelho, Fernando Sabino and Joyce Carol Oates, among others.

I have to admit i'm starting to love Brazil and have a few friends there now thanks to my own books...lets see what else she confesses....
Do you write as yourself or under a pseudonym? Why?
I write as myself, for now. As this is my first published book, I decided to put my name to it.
What made you want to be a published author?
Since I was a child, I've always dreamed of being a writer. I decided it was time to give a try.
What genre do you write in and why?
I like general fiction, because you can write and create worlds that are not real and be more flexible with your imagination.
If you could talk to your 12 year old self, what advice would you give?
Keep going, don't give up your dreams and think positive, always. Everything's always working out for you.
Have any other authors influenced your writing through theirs?
Paulo Coelho, and Brazilian author Fernando Sabino, for his chronicles and short stories, Erica Jong and Anne Rice, to name a few.
If you are a self-published author what made you take this route and what was your experience (good or bad)?
The difficulty in finding a publishing house to accept your manuscript. The experience has been good, I have had the flexibility to choose my own cover, book format, and distribution markets.
How would you rate your writing?
Good. Not excellent because there's always room to improve.
How do you react to poor reviews of your book?
All reviews are based on a reader's personal opinion and what a writer is trying to convey may not be interpreted the same way by all readers. Controversy is good, so it's all a learning experience and I do not take it personally.
What influences your choice of book covers?
The theme or title of the book, as long as it is aesthetically and artistically pleasing.
How do you balance your writing with your real world responsibilities?
The real world is writing!
Do your characters drive the plots of your stories or do you plan out your plot?The characters drive the plot most of the time. I start with an idea and suddenly they have a life of their own and take it over.
Do you ever write what you dream? Give an example.No, I hardly ever remember my dreams.
Do you market yourself or pay a professional?Right now, I'm marketing myself. Maybe in the future I will use a professional.
What are your tips for editing?Set the book aside for at least 1 week, then pick it up as if you were a reader, and start reading it aloud. You will find a lot of mistakes and sentences that don't make any sense when you give them a voice.
What inspired you to write your current WIP or current published work?I was sitting in traffic one day and started thinking about who the other drivers would be and what they were doing in their lives. Then an idea was born.
Do you prefer to write stand-alone novels or a series? Why?I prefer stand alone novels. I would get bored with the same character appearing in several books. I prefer to create new personalities.
If you could change one thing in the publishing process what would it be?My self publishing adventure went on well enough, right now I'm satisfied with the results.
What advice would you give to a new author?Write and read. The more you read the more you will write.
Share a favourite quote from your book."It was a brutal, endless descent into an inferno, a familiar yet repulsive, loud and chaotic place she had seen before."

So let's have a looksy at her work...
Three women from very different backgrounds begin an unlikely friendship. Cibele is Brazilian and she dreams of a life in New York. Agatha's ambition is to become a famous fashion model. And Amy is a young scholar whose goal in life is to study sciences and astrophysics. While trying to achieve their goals, they question the meaning of life, death and the existence of hell. A series of unfortunate circumstances prompt them to play with each others' fate, and the outcome is a challenge to their conscience, values and beliefs - until there is no more redemption to their unexpected awakening.

I swore to myself that I would avoid Amazon's one click...but here I go again!!

So you want to stalk Andrea? Here you go....

And I leave you with two of her proudest moments...

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