Interview with Author N.G. Peltier

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! If you haven't already pre-ordered Sweethand I'm not sure what you're waiting for. This Caribbean romance is sure to capture your heart. If you need convincing you can check out my review here. But today I'd like to introduce you to the author behind what is sure to become your next favorite romance N.G. Peltier.

Where did the idea for Sweethand come from? What made you decide to self publish?

Sweethand first started as a YA contemporary fantasy. The food element for Cherisse was always there but there was a magical slant to it. I felt like I wasn’t getting the voice right for YA, so decided to change it to contemporary romance and go with one of my fave tropes: enemies to lovers/dislike to love. 

After I got my agent, we went on submission to US publishers in 2018. Then went on sub again after revising in 2019. By the time 2020 rolled around and we realized we didn’t have any bites for the book I had a choice to make, either self-pub it or shelf it and focus on getting something else ready for submission. I really felt in my gut that it wasn’t time to let go of Sweethand yet and decided that self pub was the way to go.

Congratulations on securing a book deal with Hatchette UK! How did that deal come about and what has your experience been like so far?

Thank you! It’s all still pretty surreal. I would never have thought I’d have a deal with a UK pub for a book that was passed on by US pubs. But it’s all thanks to my gorgeous cover I must say. Shout out to my cover designer Leni Kauffman who did such an amazing job! After I did my cover reveal, my agent reached out to me to say a UK publisher saw the cover and asked if we would want to submit to them. I was all (insert shocked emoji !!!!) and we agreed to submit to several UK pubs :) 

I honestly didn’t anticipate hearing back from any of them so soon but there came December and an email from my agent saying she had good news and here we are!

My experience has been good so far. I’ve been emailing with my editor back and forth, with any questions that I have. So far, so good!

Sweethand is set in the beautiful twin island of Trinidad and Tobago. Did you ever feel pressure to change the setting or make your story feel more palatable for a non Caribbean audience?

Nope, never once felt like I needed to set it anywhere else. I did struggle during revisions of whether I needed to make it more Caribbean or less Caribbean but eventually decided I don’t care, I’m gonna write it how I want! I wasn’t writing specifically for a non-Caribbean audience. I feel like the same way I Google stuff that I may not get right away while reading books set in the US/UK, readers can do the same here. 

What has it been like preparing for a book launch during a pandemic and do you have anything special planned for the release date?

Hmm, well I think even if there wasn’t a pandemic I may have been doing my launch like this anyways, getting some virtual events prepped etc since I’m in the Caribbean. It may have been difficult to do it any other way. I think the main difference is I would have been celebrating here on a bigger scale with friends/family if COVID wasn’t a thing. Like going out to dinner or something, but I’m keeping it low-keyish. 

For the actual release day I’ve ordered a cake, some cookies and there will be wiiine. I do have a lil something planned in the evening as a way to celebrate virtually but more on that soon :)

You’ve participated in DV Pit? What was that experience like?

It was pretty great! People were so supportive and helpful leading up to it. I’ll never forget how Alexis Daria and Meredith Ireland offered to help me with my pitch. It was my second time doing the event, having tried with a different book the year before, and I was nervous of course. But they gave me great feedback and encouragement. The excitement and intrigue of people for my pitch felt good too. 

I felt like I was taking a bit of a risk with my pitch format since I did it like a recipe (which I thought was cute given Cherisse’s job) but I think that’s what got others interested in it too. 

What are your tips for finding an agent?

Most important tip of all research research research. I had a spreadsheet with names, their agency name, what genres they repped, their submission guidelines etc. I went on their agency website and checked out whatever info I could find. Before I had my agent I didn’t have a Publishers Marketplace subscription, but if you can afford it it’s a pretty valuable resource. You can see all the deals they’ve done in the various genres/categories. 

What's the most common misconception about island life you come across? 

That we all live on the beach and are there 24/7 LOL. I wish! I don’t live near the beach, can’t even see a hint of water from where I am. It can take up to two hours for me to get to a beach. 

You’re an avid romance reader. What got you into reading romance?

Hmm, I was always that person who scoped out someone’s bookshelf when I went to their house or asked about whatever book I saw they had, and I vaguely recall finding a tattered falling apart Mills and Boons book at my grandparents house (we all lived there until we got our own house). I can’t pin down exactly what drew me to actually read it but that’s the earliest memory I have. And I’m pretty sure I wasn’t old enough to be reading that lol!

What are your favorite romance tropes?

Well I mentioned enemies to lovers above but I also looove fake dating, friends to lovers, second chance romance, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity. 

Do you have any tips for writing and drafting while working a full time job?

It is tough but carving out small bits of time can add up. Everyone has their method, so don’t feel pressured to be writing for hours if that doesn’t work for you. I actually sneak wrote at work sometimes, (lol) or  would even write sometimes after work for maybe even an hour. That’s not usually the norm for me. The weekends are more when I do the most writing because it’s so hard to feel energized to do anything after coming from the office. So I ensure to make some time on Saturdays and Sundays. Even if I chip away at a scene for 30 mins then take a break then come back at it. That works best for me. 

Can you give us any details about your next story?

I can’t go into too many details yet. What I can say for now is I'm working on Island Bites book 2 and it’s grumpy/sunshine trope, which is a lot of fun to write!  

You can keep up with N.G. Peltier via Twitter @trinielf