Big 4 With Bec: Angela Corbett

Angela Corbett graduated from Westminster College with a double major in communication and sociology. She started working for her hometown newspaper when she was sixteen and won awards for feature, news, and editorial writing. She has also worked as a freelance writer. Angela lives in Utah with her extremely supportive husband, Dan, and their five-pound Pomeranian, Pippin, whose following of fangirls could rival Justin Bieber’s.

1. Your forthcoming novel, Eternal Starling, offers readers a world of soul mates, suspense, and romance. Do you believe in soul mates? Who are your favourite literary lovers and why?

I absolutely believe in soul mates! There are a lot of different theories surrounding the idea of soul mates and I think they’re all fascinating. There’s something so romantic about the idea! I really like strong female characters, and some of my favorite literary lovers have female characters like that. Yelena and Valek from the Study series, by Maria V, Snyder; Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins; and Katsa and Po from Graceling, by Kristin Cashore.

2. Angela, you’ve studied communication and sociology, and have written in both journalistic and marketing environments. How has your study and non-fiction writing contributed to your career as an author?

There are different sets of rules for every type of writing: journalism, professional, technical, marketing, etc. I learned something from each of these types of writing. I believe any time you’re writing, it improves your skills, regardless of the writing you do. My journalism experience definitely helps when I’m doing interviews or events. My marketing experience played more of a part than I thought it would, especially when I was trying to sell Eternal Starling to a publisher. Writing a query letter is similar to writing advertising copy.

3. On your blog, you’ve generously shared your writing process with aspiring writers. How do you balance your time between writing and your self-generated marketing/publicity? How important is it to devote time to the latter?

I had some wonderful mentors when I started querying Eternal Starling, and wouldn’t be where I am without those people and their advice. I really wanted to pay it forward and put my experiences out there because every author’s path to publication is different. Finding time to write and still have time for marketing and publicity is really a balancing act. I set aside a time every night to spend on the business part of being an author. I also try to make myself available on Twitter, Facebook, and my blog as often as possible.

4. Which of your fictional characters Burns Brightest in your mind, and why?

It’s so hard to choose just one! Eternal Starling is a love story, but the heart of the book is my heroine, Evie Starling. I love her stubbornness, her humor, and the fact that she accepts herself and her flaws. I also love where her story is going. So, I would say the character that burns brightest in Eternal Starling is Evie.

Visit Angela’s blog here!