PROOF OF LOVE

A  friend and wonderful writer, Arabella Stokes, is joining us today at Between the Sheets. She talks marketing herself as a debut novelist, her hero-husband, and writing, even when you think it stinks. Her first novel, PROOF OF LOVE, has just  been released in ebook from Champagne Books.

A Georgian-era, historical romance, PROOF OF LOVE is the tale of a young lady who has lost all faith in her heart and a scientist-nobleman who  never believed in love to begin with. Together, they learn that love is the greatest experiment of them all.

Arabella, tell us about yourself.

Hi! I’m Arabella Stokes, and I write historical romance and chick lit.  I blog as part of the group at
SouthernSizzleRomance.wordpress.com – a wild and crazy group of ladies from the  Gulf Coast, and all by myself at http://www.arabellastokes.com/.  And I’m absolutely wild about Twitter, so  follow me @romancemama!

 I work by day as a lawyer for a local government agency here on Northwest  Florida’s Emerald Coast. It’s a real high-pressure job where I have to deal with unpleasant things, so at night I write stories about attractive people  doing interesting things on their way to finding true love and a  happy-ever-after. I’ve been married for 27 years to my own personal Mr. Darcy  (aka Lord of the Far Junior College), and we have two teenage daughters. To my  chagrin, they refuse to even consider an arranged marriage. To their chagrin, I
write books with love scenes in them!

 What are your plans for marketing yourself? 

I love tweeting, blogging, and other social technology, so I’m talking up the book there. I’ve also made a personal appearance at a regional Reader’s Luncheon, and I’m eager to do more conferences and similar events.

I’ve been really pleased to see how many people I’ve known through the years – either in real time or virtually – have contacted me to say they are reading the book. I’ve heard from high school friends, people I’ve met at writing  events, all kinds of places.  I’m relying on the people who’ve read Proof of Love  and enjoyed it to tell others.

What inspires you?

 I know it sounds cheesy, but my husband. He’s not what you’d think of as a stereotypical Romance guy – no bulging muscles or piercing cobalt-blue eyes, but he’s a real hero. The kind you can depend on when everything’s going wrong,
when you simultaneously need a shoulder to cry on and a kick in the pants. I  also think the greatest thing a man can do for his woman is be a good father to their children, and my husband is the world’s best.

What are your future writing goals?

I want to tell stories that make my readers believe that happy-ever-afters really do happen. I want to show that you  an find romance anywhere, whether it is twentieth century Southern-fried chick lit or a traditional Georgian/Regency historical setting. Love is something anyone can have – you just have to believe that the right person is out there.

Any advice for other writers out there?

 Butt in chair. Hands on keyboard. Write. Even if its crap, keep writing; you can  always edit it into something better.

That  pretty much sums up what I’ve learned. You have to sit and write, even when you  think it is just awful. You can’t edit a blank page, but as the wonderful Anne Lamott told us in Bird by Bird, awful  first drafts can be the secret to success.

Order now!

You can order Proof of Love at ArabellaStokes.com, or at Champagne Books. It’s  also available on Amazon, All Romance Ebooks, and other popular sites.  If you can’t find it, tweet me and I’ll get you hooked up!