Author Bonnie Trachtenberg toiled as a senior writer and copy chief at Book-of-the-Month Club. Wedlocked is her first self-published book and she takes us on a bumpy and entertaining ride with the protagonist Rebecca Ross and the cast of characters that go in and out of her life. Seat belts are required.
Q. Wedlocked has a storyline that many women find themselves in: do what is expected, don’t make waves, and suffer in silence. Was there one thing that triggered this story in you?
A. Yes, I lived it! This is a story loosely based on my first brief, disastrous marriage, something I went into impulsively and out of desperation after fifteen long years of dating. My ex-husband came into my life like a hurricane and I let myself get blown away. Luckily, I was independent enough and strong enough to find my footing again.
Q. How do you go about developing your characters? I did not see me in your book. I am working through the pain.
A. Sorry, Elizabeth! Many of the characters are closely based on people I know, some are totally made up, and some are composites. It was a challenge to write a fictional story so close to reality and my heart. You’re inclined to want to stick to the way it really happened, but that doesn’t usually make for the best novel. Likewise, characters based on real people need to be taken up a few notches.
Q. Since nearly every novel has a message running through it. What is the message you would like women to take from your book?
A. The underlying message of Wedlocked is that we can be worthy of love without being a perfect person, and that sometimes it’s our flawed human nature that makes us more loveable than anything else.
Q. What was the best experience about writing Wedlocked?
A. The best part was the catharsis I got from turning such a horrible time in my life into an entertaining story I could laugh at along with my readers.
Q. A lot of women, including myself, want to write the book that makes every talk show host book us as their favorite guest. How did you work out the time to write, edit, edit again and get your book published? Please tell us that it was easy.
A. One of my favorite quotes is from Red Smith: “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” But he didn’t tell us that once you’ve bled out you still have to market yourself! This is a lot harder than writing for many writers. I’m psyching myself for all the “out of my comfort zone” stuff I’m in for. The first thing I did was launch my websites, http://www.bonnietrachtenberg.com and http://www.Wedlockedthenovel.com. As for TV, fiction writers often don’t have the platform to sell ourselves in that media, which is why you mostly see nonfiction writers appear. They have a topic and can market themselves as an expert on it. I’m lucky. My husband is an entrepreneur who’s taking on marketing my book as his new business. Although he’s never tackled publishing, he’s very bright and thinks outside the box—both of which are keys to success.
Q. Can you let our readers know what made you decide to try self-publishing?
A. Victoria Skurnick, an agent at Levine Greenberg, took on my book despite her caveat that “selling new fiction these days is near impossible.” She tried and I got some great feedback, but no takers. We then determined my second novel’s high concept idea might be easier to break in with, and then Wedlocked could follow. However, after a year of badgering, my husband finally talked me into self-publishing. It was his business savvy and the rave reviews I received from a wide variety of people that gave me the confidence to do it.
Q. How do you plan on promoting your book?
A. We’ve put together a big marketing push that includes a virtual book tour targeting my audience; social marketing, including blogging, interviews, and articles; and local book signings. I’ve brought on someone who specializes in driving traffic to websites and I’m also in the process of creating a platform for myself to help equip my traditional media publicist with material that can help get me on television and radio, as well as in magazines, newspapers, etc.
Q. I always ask what advice authors can give authors in waiting. I think it helps to hear your insights about what you went through only to come out a published author.
A. My advice is: if you really believe in your talent don’t let the so-called experts in the publishing industry crush your dreams of being published. They are focused on making money, which is evidenced by the many unreadable books they do publish because the author is well known. Happily, we all have another option now. There’s a huge learning curve, lots of work, and financial investment involved, but I strongly believe those efforts are going to pay off in the long run.
Wedlocked is now available for purchase. Wedlocked
$20 off the royal peek
