How many of us have feared, at one time or another, that we would wind up spinsters with an apartment full of cats? Well, the star of Becky Monson’s debut novel only has one cat, but she also lives in her parents’ basement … and is 32 years old.
Thirty-Two Going on Spinster has been hailed by dozens of book bloggers for its humor and heart. Not only is Monson a brilliant writer, but I consider her a friend to authors and readers of chicklit everywhere.
After the interview, leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of her book!
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Your debut novel, Thirty-Two Going on Spinster, has had tremendous success in the past year, with more than 50,000 Amazon downloads and loads of glowing reviews. How would you describe the story?
The story is about Julia. Julia is thirty-two and stuck in a rut. Dead end job, no love life, very little social life. Her favorite things to do are bake and hang out with her cat charlie. She sees spinsterhood as her future… trailer parks, muumuus, and the like. Then along comes the new hire at work – Jared. And for some odd reason Jared finds Julia intriguing. Over a series of events (some of them unfortunate), Julia starts to come out of her shell and realizes that there is more to life then the bubble she has been living in.
But then, of course, everything blows up in her face. Will the new and improved Julia be able to pull it all together? Or will she give up and go back to her spinster future? I guess you’ll have to read to find out!
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What do think people will love most about this book?
Julia is the star of this book. And I think (I hope) people will love her the most. I know I do (I am a little biased, however).
I think, especially in the beginning, she can some off as a bit whiny and sometimes you want to slap her to get her to realize what she needs to do. But I think Julia is very relatable in many ways. I think everyone can find aspects of Julia’s personality that they can connect with.
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How did you ultimately decide to go the self-publishing route with Thirty-Two Going on Spinster, and what did you learn along the way?
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Spreading the word is one of the most daunting aspects of being an author. (Sometimes more than writing the book!) How do you get your titles out there?
Oh yes – marketing yourself is much harder than writing the book! I come from a marketing background, so I understand how important it is to have a brand. I spend a lot of time branding my name, getting it out there for people to see. Talking in forums, joining on-line groups. I mostly use Social Media. If anyone tries to tell you that social media will not help you sell books, I am here to say they are wrong! It has been the key to my success. I have a website, a blog, Facebook fan page, Twitter account… so many things. It does feel overwhelming sometimes. I try to limit the amount of time I spend marketing, but it doesn’t always work that way.
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In the spirit of Desperately Ever After, please indulge me: If you had to choose, which fairy tale character (doesn’t have to be a princess and doesn’t have to be Disney), would you be and why?
I would be Sleeping Beauty, because I could use a really good nap.
Actually, I think I would want to be Wendy from Peter Pan. I have a strange obsession with pirates (my all-time favorite movie is The Goonies) and would love to visit Neverland. I would also love to have some of Wendy’s natural mothering skills. My children would probably appreciate that.
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A writer’s life is certainly not an easy one—from rejections to dwindling sales, to tough reviews, and so on. How did you get through the bad days?
Chocolate. Chocolate is the answer to this question.
This is a whole new life for me and I had no idea that being an author would take over my brain as much as it does. It can get tiring sometimes. I’m a positive person at heart and I try not to let some of the negative stuff that comes along with this profession, get to me. It’s hard to do. I’ve definitely had to grow thicker skin, that is for sure.
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What is the best piece of advice you’ve received that you can share with aspiring writers?
To not compare myself to other authors, which is pretty much next to impossible. But writing is such an art form. We all have different ways of expressing ourselves, we really shouldn’t compare.
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What can fans expect from you next?
The sequel to Spinster will be out in the next couple of months. I’m just finishing it up now. Then a book called Speak Now, that will be out mid-fall. It’s a completely new cast of characters and I’m having a lot of fun writing it.
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In addition to her website, 32goingonspinster.com, you can keep up with Becky on Facebook, Twitter (@bmonsonauthor), Goodreads, and her blog. Her book is available at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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ENTER TO WIN!
Becky is offering up one e-book and one signed print copy of Thirty-Two Going on Spinster! Comment below to win. The giveaway will remain open until 11:59 p.m. (PST) Tuesday, July 29, at which point two winners will be chosen at random.
Best of luck to you all!
FEED YOUR BEACH BAG!
Desperately Ever After imagines what happened to our favorite fairy tale princesses in a Desperate Housewives/Sex and the City sort of way. It’s a 2014 NIEA Chick-Lit Finalist and an Amazon Top 100 seller for both Women’s Fiction and Humor. Snag one before the sequel comes out next month!
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Click here for Amazon US or here for Amazon UK
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COMING UP!
Next Wednesday, July 30, Tracy Krimmer will stop by to talk about her book, Pieces of it All. Plus, one lucky winner will get a free copy!
Mark your calendars 😉
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laurakenyon.com 
I can’t wait to read it. It’s a tale similar to my own, just without the cats.
I found this book on Amazon a while ago and really enjoyed it. It is easy to relate to Julia as she struggles with life’s ups and downs. It was a hard one to put down–I’m looking forward to the sequel.
The Goonies is a fun movie