Hello fellow book lovers!

Just a quick newsletter this time.

Introverted Indies have a selection of mini interviews up, none are longer than ten minutes so you can grab a snapshot of a new book to add to your TBR pile.

My amazing, lovely co-host Lucy McLaren is also on the lookout for ARC readers and members for a street team for her latest book, Echoes of the Etherstone - a dark fantasy, inspired by Jack the Ripper. Find the sign up here

I have had the pleasure of chatting with Anna Sapphire about her books and her writing journey. Enjoy.

Lydia x

Anna Sapphire
Romance Author

Thanks for joining me at Indie Author Insight, Anna. Please could you tell me a bit about yourself?

Hello! I'm Anna Sapphire, a 17-year-old self-published author from India, where vibrant culture and romance inspire my stories. A reluctant reader turned writer, I discovered my passion after joining my high school's Creative Writing Club at 14. Despite initially dismissing Harry Potter (yes, I confess!), I found myself smitten with writing.

Now, I craft beautiful love stories that resonate with readers worldwide. Self-publishing has its challenges, but I'm driven to share my tales and connect with fellow book lovers.

Great to meet you. Tell me about your books.

Although my favourite book is Scarlett Rose, I'd like to talk about my first one - Strawberries and Cigarettes. Obviously you can make out that the book name comes from the song Strawberries and Cigarettes by Troye Sivan and, yes, this book of mine was inspired by this song only. I was busy cooking a midnight snack for myself while listening to my usual Spotify playlist, until this song played. My brain, on its own, focused on its lyrics and a scene popped in my mind "two childhood friends meeting again" .

Now of course it's a really common scene but since that night, i couldn't help but get more and more scenes in my mind that made my book unique. Strawberries and Cigarettes is a Cute Love Story of two childhood frenemies who reunite during their last semester of college. They go through a lot of twists and twirls but as they say, love always wins in the end and thats what happened.

(Trigger Warning - It's has scenes about suc*de and self h*rm)

And are you working on anything else at the moment?

Right now, I'm working on my third book which is a second chance and age gap romance. I won't be giving any spoilers now! Also I'm working on a project name Fictioned Community where I sell bookish themed items, give guidances, services for writers and memberships with Discounts and more!

It sounds like you’re keeping busy. Being an author is a bit of a rollercoaster. Can you tell me about some of your highlights and how you over come the tough stuff?

The best moment would be when I sold my first copy. When I uploaded my book on Amazon, I searched the whole internet for how I could get buyers. I contacted some Bookstagrammers but most of them didn't reply, maybe because of a low follower count but when I got my first buyer/reader Andie, I was head over heels! My most recent low would be that for a month I didn't get any readers so I was really sad but getting cute little edits from my adorable readers made up for it !

Do you have any marketing tips for authors?

Of course marketing isn't easy but there is always a certain ladder you can climb to make it easier. Join as many as social media portals for advertising. Create an eye catching book cover, blurb and post edits and videos of your book. Ask fellow readers, friends or writers to give feedbacks on your book and post them online too if you wish, and Join as many communities and bookclubs you can. Exposure is necessary!

Is there any advice you’d give your past self if you could go back in time?

Trust yourself and might as well improvement of the vocabulary but no worries, I've started that now... Reading dictionaries instead of books !

What else do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?

Dancing and Singing. It what makes me feel free, plus listening to songs give me many book ideas. I also like to play sports and do a ton of physical activities or just tell my small brother all about my future books ...

Well, thank you for joining me, Anna, and telling me all about your books and your writing. Is there anything else you’d like to add and where can people get hold of your books?

I'd just love to thank all those who have supported me and those who've read my books ! I love you all from the bottom of my heart and I wish I keep getting it !

Buy Anna’s books here

And find her website here, she is also on Instagram and her Fictioned shop is here