Author Bio:
Chelsea was once obsessed with cats, longed to live in a big city, didn’t think she would ever have children, and aspired to be an attorney. She now lives in Boulder, Colorado as a stay-at-home mom with her husband and three daughters. She has no current plans to own a cat.
What inspires you to write?
I know it sounds hippie-dippie and cliche, but life inspires me to write. As a mostly comedic writer, I love writing about all things random, and there’s nothing more random than real life. Observing the world around me and then documenting it…that’s sort-of my M.O.
Tell us about your writing process.
Before writing my book I’D RATHER WEAR PAJAMAS, I had a conversation with a writer friend which was a total game changer for me. He told me all about how he organizes his writing, and now I swear by the method.
You see, I like to start with a skeleton of a plot, but definitely spend most of my time watching my own story unfold as I write. I start a file in Google Drives, and then make a separate folder for every single chapter. That’s right – every. single. chapter. That way, I can work out of order, go back and change things in one specific chapter, reorganize the story, etc. It makes writing a novel much less daunting when it’s broken up in bite size pieces.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Who are your favorite authors?
Given the memoir nature of my book, I spent the better part of last year reading funny memoirs for inspiration:
Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Jim Gaffigan… all greats in my mind’s eye.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
At first, I thought I wanted to publish traditionally, just because that’s what you do, right? But after talking to a handful of different people (both traditionally- and self-published), I came to the conclusion that self-publishing was the right approach for me. First, I knew that, as a stay-at-home mother to three young girls, if this book was going to get out to the world, it would have to happen quickly. I didn’t have the time or patience to pitch my story to agents, wait for them to find a publisher, and then wait for years for my book to finally come out. Second, I wanted it to be MY book. I was super excited to have a hand in the cover design and book layout. It’s so perfect for me.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Self-publishing definitely seems to be gaining momentum. Its becoming less of a looked-down-on method and is resulting in some really awesome books. Quality-wise, my book looks just as good printed as any traditionally-published book I’ve seen out there.
What genres do you write?
Humor, memoir
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Chelsea Flagg Home Page Link
Link To Chelsea Flagg Page On Amazon
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