Author Interview: Sparkelicious by Libby Floyd

Describe your book in five words or less.
Discovery, betrayal, passion and reward.

How did the ideas for your books come to you?
SPARKELICIOUS was inspired by one of my trip’s back home to South Carolina. After moving away to New York and then L.A. after college graduation, I returned after several years to discover the sleepy little Southern town of Greenville was now vibrant and alive. I also found that I’d missed so many family events and still hadn’t come to term with my father’s death. He died in 2000 from cancer and this particular trip home was closure for me. I had also missed the Southern charm and humor of the South. When you read my book, you’ll find my fictional characters to be colorful and real. And, after living in L.A. for so many years, I had to relive my life there, so I decided to capture the glamour of Hollywood. My novel showcases several famous locales and venues in my old stomping ground. And of course, Sparkelicious hits on the touchy subject of age and turning 40, which most women find devastating, especially in Hollywood. However, I decided to explore ageism in a positive and uplifting light through Laney Montgomery’s character, who finds that it’s never too late to fall in love with your true passion and your true love. I think that life can be, truly, Sparkelicious! I draw from real life experiences and then my imagine takes over and fills in the rest!

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Any obstacle that you face in life only makes you stronger and better! Age is just a number and it’s never too late to find your ‘sparkle’

What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Sitting down for long periods of time and staring at a computer. My eyes get really tired and my bum gets numb from sitting! Also, character descriptions are the most difficult part of writing for me. What's the easiest? The story. Writing is relaxing to me so I just enjoy the process of creating a story. I don’t write an outline so it’s exciting for me to see what happens to my characters as the story unfolds.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?
I’m working on several novels at the moment. One is called Prime Time Divas about the home shopping network industry and another is called Lake Hollywood, which I actually started about ten years ago, so I’m polishing that baby up as I type! And, there are a couple more that I’ve started as well so I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me!

Why did you choose to write for specific genre? Maybe the genre chose me?
My characters are modern and my stories are contemporary with a hint of romance so my books could fall under women’s fiction, romance or both.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
It’s very exciting and even more satisfying when they read the book, like it and want a sequel!

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question? Do I have a favorite place to write?
It would be at my kitchen island in a red chair with natural light streaming through the windows.

What was your road to publications like?
It has been a long but exciting journey. After submitting my novel to several agents in New York for about six months, with actually a great deal of interest but just not finding the right fit, I was tired of waiting for someone else to make a decision about me and my book, so I felt that it was time to take matters into my own hands and create my own destiny. Hence, Chardonnay Press, (www.chardonnaypress.com), was formed. We are a small imprint in Minneapolis made up of a group of writers and are a self-contained publishing unit. Each writer within the company gets to decide when they want to publish their book but as a collective we provide valuable support to each other.

Being a partner in Chardonnay Press, we make all of our creative decisions ourselves so there is an incredible amount of work involved, from designing the cover, taking pictures, to selecting pictures for the cover and back cover, to selecting the font for the book, writing press releases, getting press releases out to the media, constant social media updates about the book on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, updating the Chardonnay Press website, updating my personal website, libbyfloyd.com, booking author luncheon’s, etc. The list goes on and on and the work never stops, but it’s fun! The book is my baby and I want it to succeed, so I work hard in promoting it, in hopes that it will be read and enjoyed by lots of people.


About Author

Libby Floyd has been a national on-air television personality for over 15 years with appearances on ShopNBC, Shop-At-Home and The Food Network. She was the youngest ever nominee for the prestigious position of Poet Laureate of South Carolina following the release of her poetry book A Winning Heart. Libby is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and was a contestant in the Miss America and Miss USA programs.


Visit Libby on the web

Connect with her on Twitter

Friend her on Facebook

Pick up your copy of the deliciously wicked Sparkelicious at Amazon

Purchase your copy of Sparkelicious at Barnes & Noble

About the Book:

Laney Montgomery is living the dream – a successful L.A. fashion designer, a fabulous home in the Hollywood Hills and happily married to an English film director. But on a trip back home to South Carolina, she finds herself in the middle of a family crisis, which she’s determined to fix. However, the affections of a handsome, younger man creates havoc in her personal life. With her marriage in serious trouble back in California, Laney is faced with losing it all but maybe that’s the only way for her to find true happiness.