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WELCOME TO THIS INTERVIEW WITH PAMELA GOSSIAUX & BE SURE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!
Pamela Gossiaux graduated from the University of Michigan with a degrees in Creative Writing and English Language and Literature. Since then, she has worked as a journalist, freelance writer, horse trainer and secretary (sometimes all at the same time!) and has won several awards for both the writing and the horses (the secretarial part didn't work out so well...) She also loves to travel, which is good, since she spends time as a public speaker - sharing her testimony and stories to anyone who wants to listen. She writes from her home in southeastern Michigan, where she lives with her husband Duane, their two sons, and too many cats. Visit her Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | 
The course of true love never did run smooth...
Abigail Chartwell, university librarian of ancient maps and documents, gave up on love the icy winter night that she lost her husband. For the past six years, Abigail has been hiding behind thick glasses and the wedding ring he gave her. She had her one true love, and lost him. She isn't about to experience that hurt again. But then sizzling hot Tony the Cat Burglar drops into her life on a rope from the library skylight one night, when he comes to steal one of her maps--a map he claims can lead him to the "lost painting" of famous Italian artist Antonio Russo. Quoting Shakespeare, clad in black spandex, and armed with his charming smile, Tony and his story are hard to resist. Intrigued, Abigail gets caught up in the hunt, not realizing that the thief's real target may be her heart! 
My Interview with Pamela Gossiaux – (Humorist, Inspirational speaker, & author)
You have stated you “love Michigan”. Have you always lived there? What makes it so special to you? I was born in this state and have lived here my whole life. I love the changing seasons, and I especially love the great lakes. We vacation by Lake Michigan every summer and the sand dunes are gorgeous. I even love the upper peninsula, except in the winter! It is a beautiful place. You have a dual BA Degree in creative writing, English Language & Literature. What motivated you to get a dual degree in these fields? How many years did it take? It took me 4 ½ years. My original intent was to go on and get an PhD in literature and teach at a university, while writing novels on the side. I’d love to be a professor. I have a passion for academia, and the old feel of universities, and books and learning. And I love to teach. But life got in the way and I’m not quite there – yet! I do teach writing workshops, I am surrounded by books, and I have published several novels, so I am living that dream life, just from a different angle. In the 20 years you have written as a journalist, what did you primarily write about and for what Publications? I wrote for several small publications but most of my work was for the Ann Arbor News. I did some hard news stories, but I was primarily a feature writer and that is what I enjoyed the most. I was instrumental in an off-shoot community start-up in the Ypsilanti area, as well as a county further north. Those were really fun. I won some in-house awards, an Associated Press award for an inner-city story on gang violence and did pretty well overall. When I had my first child, I decided to switch to working from home as a freelancer. I do miss the comradery of the news room, but I think this has been the best choice for me. That is outstanding! When you edited books in the various genres, did you work for a company or did you work from home? How long did you do editing? I work as a freelance editor, so I am self-employed. I have been editing pretty much since I graduated from college. I have gotten a lot of work over the years through world-of-mouth. I also do a lot of marketing and promotional writing for authors. I hope upstart authors take note! 
In your self-published book, Six Steps to Successful Publishing, what were the key points you covered?
There are so many aspects to publishing that I wanted to corral them all in one place. Chapter topics include: Treat Writing Like a Business, Create a Platform and Market Your Book, Know Your Material, Know Your Audience, and Your Publishing Options. It’s a quick, easy read for both aspiring authors and someone who has a finished manuscript and wants to know what the next steps are. I loved your novel, Mrs. Chartwell &the Cat Burglar! How many fiction books have you written? Please briefly describe a few. Thank you! I had so much fun writing Mrs. Chartwell, and I’m excited about the sequel coming out on May 8th! I like to write fun books with a touch of inspiration. It’s also important to me that I create characters that resonate deeply with my readers. Mrs. Chartwell and the Cat Burglar started out in my head one day and after the first few sentences just expanded from there. I had no outline, I just want with it and it has been so much fun! Mrs. Chartwell is a university librarian who works with old maps and documents and lives alone with her cat. But she’s young and beautiful – and widowed. Her heart is breaking and she’s wracked with guilt over the death of her husband…and then suddenly one night she is working late and this cat burglar drops into the library (literally!) to steal a map. She catches him – and he claims it leads to this lost painting that collectors have been looking for for decades. The story intrigues her, the cat burglar is charming (he quotes Shakespeare and is hot in his spandex suit!) and she gets caught up in the adventure. But will she let the thief steal her heart? This is the first book in a series. 
Book 2, called Trusting the Cat Burglar, comes out on May 8th, and a third book, Romancing the Cat Burglar, will be out later this year. Mrs. Chartwell is getting very good reviews, and I’m excited about it!
Good Enough can be classified as chick-lit but I also like to think of it as an empowerment story. It’s a humorous book about a young woman named Amy, who has it all – a great job, a handsome boyfriend, a perfect wardrobe. And then in one very bad day she loses it all, but her ex-boyfriend leaves behind a lottery ticket. She discovers that it’s worth millions and wonders if she should cash it. Through Amy’s funny adventures, she learns a lot about herself, and about what really matters in life. And she meets Josh…he’s cute. ☺ If it is as good as the last one, it will be a treat to read! You have also written non-fiction. What were they about? 
Those are Christian inspiration books. The first book I wrote came from a decade of difficulties that I had in my life. A lot was going wrong – job loss and the financial stress that comes with it, serious medical issues, marriage difficulties, and more. I kept praying for God to remove some of these challenges. But instead of changing my circumstances, He started changing my heart. I realized that we could have inner joy when our circumstances weren’t happy, and we could have peace when our life was in total chaos. Because it comes from God. So I wrote the book Why Is There a Lemon in My Fruit Salad: How to Stay Sweet When Life Turns Sour in response to what I learned through that difficult journey. It’s based on the Fruits of the Spirit in the Bible.
What is your next BIG Project?
I am working on a fiction saga about the life of a determined woman, and a man with a tragic past. The setting is a horse farm, which is something I’m familiar with since I grew up on one. That’s all I’m going to say right now about that, but I’m hoping to get book one out later this year. As for non-fiction, I have a few projects in the works there too. We will be looking forward to them. What Top Ten Goals would you like to accomplish in the next ten years? Wow, that’s a loaded question! Staying close to God and having a healthy, happy family are the obvious goals. So that aside, let’s dream a little:
Yes I do! I’m giving away a signed copy of Mrs. Chartwell and the Cat Burglar, the first in my Russo Romantic Mystery series, to onelucky U.S./Can. Winner I’ll also give away an ebook of that title to one lucky International Winner! Thank you, Lu Ann, for the interview! It has been a pleasure getting to know you, and I really enjoy reading your book reviews! The pleasure is mine! Thank you for you kind words, the Interview and this wonderful Giveaway! We will end it on May 7th. To enter, U.S./Can residents enter for the Print copy below. ALL other International residents, Enter to Win the e-copy Rafflecopter below!
1 Comment
desiree
5/7/2018 05:39:18 pm
the book sound great and i am usa Leave a Reply. |
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