Roll out the red carpet. We have a special guest in the Mermaid Lagoon today and I’m so excited about it! *Glitter toss* Not only is her self-pubbed novella, The Calum, releasing tomorrow, but she’s funny, smart, and some would say, quite “tasty.” Curious? Read on…
In her debut Waterworld Mermaid appearance, please welcome, Mermaid for a Day, Xio Axelrod.
Congratulations! Your novella, The Calum, is releasing tomorrow. Care to tell us a little about it?
Thank you! It’s so exciting. The Calum is really about fantasy versus reality. Imagine, if you will, that you had a chance to meet your ultimate book boyfriend in the flesh. My heroine’s roommate is obsessed with Calum MacKenzie, a character from her favorite novel. The girls travel to Scotland in search of “the Calum”. Do they find him? You’ll have to read to find out.
The idea came about while watching Outlander fans collectively swoon over Jamie Fraser. Everyone I know is in love with him. And no, I’m not immune. JAMMF all the way, baby.
You decided to self-publish this novella. Can you tell us why you decided to go that route and a little bit about the process of self-publishing?
There’s a fantastic quote from Leonardo da Vinci. “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” I’m fairly new to the romance world and to publishing in general. After attending a few conferences and chatting with a lot of lovely friends who are authors, I realized how long the publishing process can be. Essentially, you submit your work and wait. And wait. And wait some more. Newsflash: I am not a patient person.
In my life as an independent musician, DIY is de rigueur. I am most comfortable having complete control over my career, so this should have been a no-brainer. It wasn’t. I went back and forth for months before I finally pulled the trigger. Once the decision was made, I realized I had all of the pieces in place to make a run at it. I am a social media maven by nature, I have an amazing network of talented, supportive authors willing to offer advice, and I’m handy with PhotoShop. It was just a matter of finding the right company to distribute my work. So here we are. My fingers and toes are crossed. I do still plan to submit to agents and publishers, but I have others works set aside for that.
I hear you’re part of this thing on Facebook called #TastyTuesday. What is it and how did it start?
You heard about that, did you? Well, being a newbie, I wanted to establish the tone for my brand as an author. What better way to do that than with photos of hot guys? Ha! Of course, there’s much more to Tasty Tuesday than that. When you, Denny S. Bryce and Kim Golden came aboard, it became a celebration of all of the things we love. We all share what inspires us as authors, and that is an excellent behind-the-scenes look at what makes us tick. I especially like the fact that we change themes every week and continually find new ones to explore. Plus, hot guys!
Plotter or Pantser?
Hybrid. That’s a cop out answer, I know, but it’s true. I plot in my head, sometimes for weeks, before I ever type a single word in Scrivener. I learned long ago when I wrote fan fiction that if I outlined a story on paper (or on the screen), I could never finish it. Once I knew the ending, the story was done for me. I’ve figured out a way to work around that by never writing down the ending until I get there in the manuscript. It’s working so far but talk to me in a year or so.
Let’s take a quick break from writing, what TV shows are you currently watching and what’s your favorite show of all time?
You’ve opened up a can of gummy worms there. I am a TV junkie, particularly genre television. My current fave is Outlander, of course. It was so thrilling to watch a beloved favorite come to life on screen. They’ve done a fantastic job so far and I can’t wait until the series returns in April. *sigh* April! Did I mention I wasn’t a patient person?
Other shows I love include Hannibal, Arrow, The Flash, American Horror Story, Doctor Who, Sleepy Hollow, The Walking Dead…do you see a theme yet? Favorite show of all time? I honestly can’t say that I have one. X-Files? Star Trek: the Next Generation? Farscape? I could never pick one. Junkie, here.
I love Inside the Actor’s Studio, especially the 10 questions James Lipton asks at the end of the show. Without further ado:
- What is your favorite word? Saudades. It’s Portuguese and untranslatable, but it is the feeling of missing something or someone.
- What is your least favorite word? No.
- What turns you on? Intelligence.
- What turns you off? Arrogance.
- What sound or noise do you love? Laughter.
- What sound or noise do you hate? Cutlery clashing against plates/bowls. (Don’t laugh.)
- What is your favorite curse word? Fuck.
- What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I think I’d make a pretty good television writer/director.
- What profession would you not like to do? POTUS
- If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? I told you so.
Lastly
, what are you working on now?
I’m plotting (in my head, of course) book two of the Calum series and book one of the next in my “book boyfriend” series. I’m also editing my web serial, Starstruck, into a series of books. I hope to publish the first one, Falling Stars, next spring. And, if that wasn’t enough, I am finishing book one of an erotic romance series for agent submissions. Other than that, I’m working on my new album. Busy? Me? Nah. Thanks for letting me be a mermaid for a day!
Let’s clap our fins together for Xio! Wasn’t she a fabulous Mermaid for a day! Check out all of her book and author info below.
The Calum
Twenty-six is too old to believe in fairytales, but tell that to Lovie’s roommate. Convinced she’ll find a real life version of her ultimate book boyfriend, Calum MacKenzie, Jo drags Lovie to the Scottish Highlands. Lovie’s no cynic *ahem* but she knows The Calum is a myth. A construct. A freaking unicorn! And there are warmer places to spend Christmas vacation.
If Duff had his way, he’d never step foot in Inverness again. Only his best friend’s wedding, and his ailing grandmother, could bring him home. Duff’s plan is keep his head down and stay out of trouble. Hard to do when the groom targets a pretty blond tourist for one last conquest.
When Duff and Lovie meet, stones, sparks and insults fly. He’s instantly attracted to the sexy, sharp-tongued American. She’s just glad to have someone to hang out with, especially the bad boy with a mysterious past. Lovie is determined to learn his secrets, but as they grow closer, Duff is forced to choose between his best friend and his heart.
I can’t wait to order The Calum tomorrow! Here are the Buy Links.
I MUST know more about this Xio! You’re in luck. Here are her Author Links.
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Google+
Pinterest
Instagram
Ello
tsū