Dark Blue Waves received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Kimberly Sullivan.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
My novel is entitled Dark Blue Waves, and it was published in May 2022.
What’s the book’s first line?
Janet pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the train window; the sun shimmered on the River Avon, creating a glimmering ribbon snaking lazily between lush, green fields.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
When you wake up in Bath, England two hundred years in the past, how far can a love of Jane Austen get you? For a student of nineteenth-century English literature, time travel should be a dream come true. Suffering an accident while on a Jane Austen seminar in Bath, Janet regains consciousness in her own room—back in Regency England. Can she discover the way to return to her twenty-first century life? After working so hard to create a rewarding nineteenth-century life for herself and opening her heart to friendship and love, does she even want to?
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I love to travel, and ever since my sons were born, my husband and I have been dragging them around with us on far-flung trips. I took them on a solo trip to London when they were 3 and 5. I organized plenty of fun activities for them on this trip (more dinosaurs, kids?), but when we went up to Bath, there was no way I was going to miss out on a Jane Austen walking tour, so I did what any desperate mom would do – I lied shamelessly to my kids. I told them Jane Austen wrote adventure tales of brave knights and fire-breathing dragons. Yeah, so they caught on to my whopper pretty early on and I may have had to promise a fish & chips lunch to keep them quiet and good. But I still got my (amazing!) tour. And post-tour, while they were racing around with their boundless energy and wrestling one another on the Crescent lawn, I sat there admiring that incredible building and the story began to take shape in my mind.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
We all need some escapism – even more so today. My novel allows a reader to travel back to the slower pace of the nineteenth-century and to follow a Jane Austen scholar who should know the customs of the time better, but quickly learns literary knowledge and real life knowledge are worlds apart. After all, everyone knows about the corset, but just try wearing it on a daily basis and it becomes pretty apparent why the “weaker sex” were often reaching for their smelling salts. It’s a fun read for those who enjoy Jane Austen, time travel stories and Regency romance – or just stories about women trying to carve out a meaningful life for themselves, in any century.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
My protagonist, Janet Roberts, already feels herself between two worlds when the novel opens and she is studying Jane Austen in Bath. Although she is young and talented, she lacks a sense of feeling rooted in her world. Although it’s difficult for her to adjust when she travels to the past, with time, she feels more grounded in her new (old) world and develops a sense of belonging and acceptance she felt was missing from her contemporary world. This inner turmoil and desire to follow one’s heart–wherever that takes you–are at the core of her story.
When did you first decide to become an author?
It was a childhood dream, and I always wrote stories when I was younger. College and beyond took me in a completely different direction, but I always had story ideas floating around in my head and characters speaking to me. Although I started committing them to paper a little late, and joined writing groups and craft classes to develop my skills, I’ve never looked back since then and I want to keep writing novels and short stories as long as I can.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
This is my second novel. My first is Three Coins, contemporary women’s fiction about three very different American women living in Rome, Italy. They meet by chance at a 1950s movie night, and their unlikely friendship helps them to overcome challenges and to take control of their messy lives.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
My career is in international development, working on socioeconomic development projects in developing countries around the world. It’s highly rewarding work, and I feel I am constantly learning in my career. I still write a lot for my work, but it’s much less creative and far more institutional and diplomatic.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
As much as I can, but that varies week by week. I’m lucky because I am a pretty fast writer, so I tend to complete projects quickly. But I more than make up for that with a much slower (molasses-like?) editing pace.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part is maintaining complete control of your projects. The hardest part is maintaining complete control of your projects. Seriously, however, I do like having that full control over the story, blurb, title and cover design. I work with an editor and proofreader and graphic designers who do my cover, formatting and social media visuals. I have an MBA, with a concentration in strategy and marketing, so the marketing aspect is one I truly enjoy. But since the grass is always greener and all, I do understand it’s more challenging not to be surrounded and supported by a professional, well-managed editorial machine. That said, I’m thrilled to have started writing at an exciting time for indie authors and I am grateful for all the indie authors who share their expertise through blogs, webinars, podcasts and conferences.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Networking. There are such great author networks out there. Be sure to find one that’s right for you and your genre. Not only will you create new friendships and support systems, but authors are amazingly generous with their time and knowledge. You will learn so much about craft, what worked and didn’t work for fellow authors, and industry trends. I’m in both the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the Historical Novel Society – and get so much from my participation in those groups.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
While life experience has taught me to never say never, I still don’t think I would. I am at the beginning of my journey as an indie author, but for now, I’m enjoying full control over my projects, and since I tend to write quickly and have multiple projects on the horizon, I like the speed with which I can publish when I’m my own boss, so to speak.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
While I’m not averse to fame or fortune, that’s not my motivation. I also don’t need my works to be universally loved or my ego to be propped up. While I certainly don’t enjoy getting bad reviews, I also don’t really sweat it. I read it, perhaps feel a fleeting sense of disappointment, and then get on with my day. Some will like my work, some won’t, and I can live with that. For me, I am happy to have a small following of readers who enjoy my novels and who tell me I write stories that resonate with them, or felt some connection, or needed the virtual escape and my book brightened their week. I find that deeply satisfying.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
So, so many. I’ve lived in a lot of countries, and learn a lot about a country and its culture and traditions through their literature and have so many favorites. But those I return to most – my comfort reads – are Jane Austen and Edith Wharton.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
I don’t think I could name just one. I am always in awe of an author who can draw me into his or her world and keep me reading ‘til the wee hours of the night. Viva talented authors!