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Author Meeting Place Interviews Author Aggie Villanueva of Gallina, NM, USA
Bio: Writing since the late 70's, Aggie Villanueva’s first novel, Chase the Wind, Thomas Nelson 1983, was published before she was 30 and her second, Rightfully Mine, from Thomas Nelson in 1986. Villanueva freelanced throughout the 80s, also writing three craft columns and three software review columns, both for national magazines. She was featured on the cover of The Christian Writer Magazine October 1983. After teaching at writer’s conferences throughout the Midwest, she founded/directed the 3-day Mid-America Fellowship of Christian Writers conferences for four years until 1990. Rightfully Mine is republished. Aggie runs/writes a successful partnership blog, Visual Arts Junction, founded January 2009, and teaches writing/photography courses online.
How many book/s have you written?: I've written two historical/Biblical novels.
Please share with us your book titles: My two published books are Chase the Wind, published by Thomas Nelson, and Rightfully Mine, originally published by Thomas Nelson, reprinted by myself.
What genre/s would you like to write in?: My favorite genre is fiction, but I write mostly non-fiction. I love informing people, and doing interviews. Interviews currently take the biggest chunk of my writing time.
Please share with us who or what encourages you to write and why?: All writers write because they can't NOT write. As I said, historical fiction is my first love, and I plan to return to that again, but the majority of my present writing is the interview.
The reason for that is the inspiration and encouragement I gain from researching and communicating with writers/photographers/artists that are, well...inspiring.
The entire purpose of interviewing is to inform and inspire readers/listeners, but I think many don't understand the creative spirit that the interviewer absorbs from the act of interviewing. Add that to your own flame, and it's simply a superb way to spend your writing time that enhances everyone involved.
Writing is such a solitary career. Interviewing allows you to touch and be touched by other creatives. Each time my creativity is expanded, and that is conveyed in every interview and absorbed by every reader.
How long did it take for you to write your book/s?: I took me two years to write each book. The first year I immersed myself in research, the second year I wrote the book. For the second book I couldn't satisfy myself with just reading research so I traveled to Israel to experience it first hand.
How long did it take for you to publish your book/s?: I have to be humbled by the answer to that. Humbled because I guess I don't have the stamina for rejection that most writers possess. I guess God knew I might not stick with it, so for some reason, the first publisher I sent to accepted both books. Both were published by Thomas Nelson.
Who did you publish with and why?: I published with Thomas Nelson, well...because they accepted the books!
Please share with us how you prefer to market your book/s?: Nowadays I self publish. Times have changed greatly. I know my writing is of acceptable quality because, well...I've been accepted by standard publishers. In fact my writing has improved since then. So I don't abide by the criticism of self publishing creating inferior writing.
And, having been in the standard publishing cycle, I also know that they do very little marketing unless you're a big name author, and they take most of the money.
I have learned over the last few years to establish an internet presence. I've done that through my partnership blog, Visual Arts Junction. www.visualartsjunction.com
I also, like everyone else these days, use social media daily, constantly working to expand my presence and credibility there. Most of my posts are helpful tips and information for writers and photographers, but I slip in info about my products and offerings too, and of course talk personally with my closest 900 friends! chuckling.
I love social media. I have met so many fellow writers and photographers I can't count them. And I learn something from each of them too. Social media marketing is a two-way street.
I've created an audio podcast introducing Rightfully Mine on by RM blog: http://www.aggiev.org/rightfullymine/. I will be recording many more because readers like to see and hear the author.
Trailers are a favorite marketing tool. I use audio, podcasts and personal videos too. In fact this afternoon I'm going on a photography shoot to one of the most beautiful autumn sites in America. I will take a video to post on the blog dedicated to my photographic art.
I use Infusionsoft.com to automate the back end of my business. It's expensive, but I was overwhelmed with daily chores until I signed with them. I can't live without them now.
The interviews themselves are a good marketing tool because you market the interviewees too. I'm starting work on two interview compilation books of 2009; one for writers and one for photographer/artist.
One of the most important marketing strategies I've learned is that you must offer the reader/customer something of value to them. I hated sales, and refused to do it, before I learned that. When I realized I could help others through sales, marketing took on a whole new meaning to me.
I'm also in the beginning stages of setting up my own blog tour. I guess I'm incorporating the same marketing strategies that others have discovered as well. And I'm always looking for new and better ways to market.
The trailer will be released in early October, 2009. I've gone all out on it; hired an excellent illustrator, and Blazing Trailers to do the video. I used BT for my photographic art trailer and couldn't have been more pleased with their work.
The blog tour is shaping up for early 2010, hopefully a two-three month tour, with book giveaways, prizes, etc. If you have a blog/website and would like to be one of my stops, just holler: myaggie2@gmail.com. Also email me if you want to be informed when I have the schedule completed.
I'll be posting contest soon on 17 social sites; buy print book get ebook free, etc. I'm even considering some paid advertising...and anything else I can think of. Any ideas anyone?
Do you wish to share any additional information with our readers?: If you're reading this you love to write. Never give up your dream, and never stop expanding them. With the massive electronic media of today there are no barriers to publishing and marketing, not even the cost.
It's fun, it's usually free, and it benefits us as creatives. All it takes is hard work and commitment to raising the standard of literature with our own writings, whether fiction or not.
Never in history has there been such a revolutionary time for writers to succeed (example: the Espresso Book Machine where you choose from a list of books and watch while it’s printed, cut, bound and delivered into your hands in under ten minutes?. Go for it. Grab it for yourself.
Aggie Villanueva has freelanced since the late 70s. For this, her second novel, she traveled to Israel to research Rightfully Mine, the story of Rizpah (Noah, as she is called in Numbers 27). After teaching at writer’s conferences throughout the Midwest, from Kansas to Chicago to Minnesota, Villanueva founded/directed the 3-day Mid-America Fellowship of Christian Writers conferences for four years until 1990. She is currently the founder of VisualArtsJunction.com and a photographic artist dubbed the Grandma Moses of the American Southwest.
Originally published by Thomas Nelson.
Book Review/s to share: "A carefully researched and inspiring story of someone who stands up against the crowd and seeks God with their whole heart . . . regardless of the cost." Bill Myers - bestselling author of "Eli."
“There is an era in Israeli history where anticipation is a palpable hum, where the bedouin lifestyle gives way to the birth of a nation: The era between their forty-year wandering and their victory over Canaan. This is the era, the setting, the people into which Aggie masterfully breathes life. Seamlessly woven into the plot is a love story of Rhett-Scarlett-Ashley proportions. Along with the rich plot and subplot of the novel, Aggie exhibits a talent for placing the reader in the heart of the bedouin camps, in the very tents and activities of the characters she brings to life, with the economy of words that is the hallmark of a masterful writer. Her characters are full-bodied; her action scenes are tense and exciting; her love scenes are both pure and seductive. I’d recommend this novel to anyone who wanted to step away from the ordinary.” Linda Yezak, AuthorCulture.com.
“One of my favorite movies of all time is The Ten Commandments. Rightfully Mine is now one of my favorite books.” Cindy Bauer, author of Chasing Memories & Shades of Blue.
“Villanueva’s careful research aided by a visit to Israel is evident on every page of this fast read. With a light hand, she sketches the history of a people that, in our modern age, seem very foreign indeed. Villanueva follows no clichéd storyline. She presents an array of plausible characters and includes an intimate look into the lives of some of the most famous biblical heroes, never faltering from uncomfortable historical facts. Her portrayal of a humanity struggling between safety and destiny is touching, palpable, and memorable. This is easily one of the best biblical novels I’ve ever read.” K.M. Weiland author of A Man Called Outlaw, and Behold the Dawn.
Email to share: myaggie2@gmail.com
Rightfully Mind: God's Equal Rights Amendment Aggie Villaneuva
In Rightfully Mine: God’s Equal Rights Amendment by Aggie Villanueva writes about a young woman named Rizapah who fights for what she believes in whether it is her inheritance or her right to love the man she thinks she wants. I like that the setting of the book is set at the time that Israel, as a tribe, is about to cross the Jordan into the promised land that God has given them and it explores a little about life back then. But mainly I loved reading how Rizapah fights to change the law that does not allow women to have an inheritance in that era. This reviewer liked the book so much that she is buying it as a Christmas gift for a family member. **** 4 stars
Carol Langstroth, Manager Mind Fog Reviews
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