Today I am doing a spotlight on Author C. Penticoff as she discusses her new book, the first in her new series The Izzy Quinn Series, entitled, “Peaches”
Sai: So, C. I know that this is a new opportunity for you and I believe it is also a genre crossover. Is that correct?
C: Yes. Before Peaches I had only written young adult fantasy. I’ve always wanted to venture out into women’s fiction and the mystery, thriller, and horror genres, but I’ve hesitated while trying to figure out if I should write those genres under the same pen name or a new one.
I was worried about putting off my readers by diving into a genre that’s completely different from what they’re used to, but after a year or two worth of thought on this, I decided starting a new pen name was just too much work. I then heard a good point from someone that said readers typically don’t follow authors because of the genre they write in. They said readers usually follow authors because of their writing style, and fans will usually read whatever you write, at least for the most part. That convinced me to finally just dive into new genres. I’ve re-branded myself as a multi-genre author since then.
Sai: Before we go deeper on Peaches, could you tell us a little bit about some of your background as a writer and member of the publishing world?
C: Oh, sure! Like I said in the last question, I’ve written 3 full length novels in the young adult fantasy genre. If you want me to go even before that, I started writing my first book at 12 years old. It took about 15 years of writing, rewriting, throwing it in the trash, then rewriting it again until I finally was confident enough to publish it. That book can be purchased on Amazon and it’s called Weathering the Wicked.
Aside from my own writing, I also help other authors with my company Out Of Your Write Mind. There, I blog about all things related to writing, although since becoming pregnant and having a baby I’ve neglected that blog, but there are still great articles on there. We also offer different author services, one of them being all types of editing, including proofreading, copy-editing, and developmental editing. We offer professional beta reading services, web design, social media marketing assistance, email marketing assistance, and we also have a digital product for authors as well.
I started Out Of Your Write Mind because I really wanted to help other authors fulfill their dream of becoming a successful author, while being able to make money. The making money part is essential to justifying the amount of money I invest into my books. If you are an author then you totally know what I’m talking about. Producing books is not cheap!
Sai: What types of things fascinate you, propel you, or are you passionate about? Causes or hobbies?
C: Oh goodness, where do I start? I’m a very passionate person with a lot of interests. Obviously I love writing. But I also love acting, singing, gardening, and spending time with my family and fueling my spirituality.
When it comes to causes I feel passionate about, that’s a long list, but I’ll just say that I’m most passionate about getting the corrupt money out of politics, which plagues American policy. What I love about this specific cause is it’s completely bipartisan and it’s something that, no matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, you can get behind it. I’d love to plug-in an awesome non-profit cause called Wolf-Pac.
Their goal is to get an amendment in the US Constitution to disallow big money to be involved in our elections. I encourage everyone to check it out.
Sai: Alright, jumping right into the Peaches questions: What inspired you to write this book?
C: There were a couple things that inspired me to write this book. I absolutely love the show, Shameless. If anyone reads this book they’re going to totally understand how this book was inspired by that show. It has the same premise, which is a young woman raising all her siblings, but it also has the same raw, unfiltered vibe that Shameless has. You really get a feel of what it’s like to live in poverty.
What also inspired me to write this book was the fact that it’s easier to write than young adult fantasy is. With my fantasy books they have much more complicated plots that take a lot more plotting, world-building, brainstorming, and editing. I was actually able to write Peaches without even pre-plotting anything because it just flowed so easily. While I love writing the books with the more complicated plots, it was just a nice break to write something simpler.
Sai: What would you say you want readers to take away from Peaches?
C: What I want readers to take away from Peaches is that no matter how little you have, there are always things in life to be grateful for. No matter how much you have in life, you’ll always want more, so you’ll never be satisfied. So, instead of always wanting more, more, more, just take time to appreciate the little things in life. Smell the roses, taste the peaches.
I also wanted to help people get a glimpse into what life in poverty is really like. Sometimes it’s really easy to judge poor people, especially if you’ve never had to live in poverty. Beings as I’ve lived in poverty myself, I feel I did a good job representing that.
Sai: How do you feel about some of the topics you touch on in this book?
C: Like I said, I touch on poverty a lot, and I feel that there’s a lot of misunderstanding and judgment out there about poverty.
There’s also another big subject in this book which is drug addiction. While I’ve never been addicted to drugs myself, unfortunately I’ve had a lot of people around me who have. I feel like there’s also a lot of misinformation and stigma around drug addiction. I feel people usually have a knee-jerk reaction to treat them as criminals and to judge them, rather than getting them the help they need.
Sai: Where do you envision the next book heading?
C: Well, I’ve already began writing the second book, and it’s called Peppers. That book is all about Izzy’s normal struggle in poverty and raising her siblings, but just like the first book there is some mystery and action in it. I don’t want to give up too much just because it’s so early on in the writing phase that there’s always the chance I may change the premise. But, you can pre-order it here.
Sai: Do you have the title mapped out already?
C: Yes, as I stated previously, it’s called Peppers!
Sai: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about Peaches, the Izzy Quinn Series or what direction you intend on going next?
C: I guess what I want people to know is that this will be an ongoing series. I would like to just continue writing books in the series since the premise of the series is something I can extend and build on for quite some time.
You can always expect the books to be funny, raw, unfiltered, sexy, edgy, sprinkled with some mystery and action.
You can purchase Peaches here.
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