Lynn Slaughter

Photo by Ilya Bronskiy on Unsplash

It’s the beginning of a new year, and I’ve been busily putting the word out to my writer’s groups, Sisters in Crime and publisher connections, and my Seton Hill University alums and faculty that I have openings for guest author blogs in the coming year. I enjoy alternating my own personal weekly blogs with those of other authors.

To be honest, it’s a bit of extra work. For authors who prefer responding to my interview questions rather than writing a guest blog of their choosing, I try to do enough research on them and their work to individualize my questions.

So why do I do it?

To be honest, some of my motivation is sheer self-interest. Perhaps readers interested in a particular author I’m featuring might be curious about my website and check out my books as well. Moreover, it’s a chance to widen my own writing community and get to know others who share my passion.

Like many writers, I’m also incredibly nosey, and authors tend to be remarkably interesting people. I love learning about their lives, passions, and their books.

Moreover, featuring guest authors is one of the ways I get to “pay it forward” and support other authors. So many writers along the way have helped me improve and promote my work, and I absolutely love being able to do that for other writers. I was reminded of this when a new writer whom I’d worked with on a short story learned that her story had won a national contest. It was the same week that my novel, LEISHA’S SONG, was awarded a bronze medal by the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.  I realized I was just as excited about having helped this new writer with her work as I was about the award for my novel! It’s a cliché to say “it feels good to do good,” but it’s true.

In the coming months, I hope you’ll enjoy my guest author blogs as much as I do. First on deck January 21^st is award-winning historical fiction and cozy mystery author Judy Alter. She’s had a fascinating journey as a writer, and I’m eager for you to get to know her!