A Blog for Writers: Women and Adversity, Nancy Lee Badger
My Lady Highlander by Nancy Lee Badger
Nancy Lee Badger’s latest release is a Scottish time travel romance, available in ebook and print. My Lady Highlander is the 1st book in the Kilted Athletes Through Time series. After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two sons in New Hampshire, she moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Triangle Area Freelancers, and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers.
1) What was the biggest obstacle she had to face when she decided to become a writer?
Nancy: I was always a poor reader. Actually, I disliked reading. I struggled to maintain a ‘B’ average in junior high and high school. My mother said my teachers were concerned that I was not reading well even though I had a high IQ (Yes, I’m loving that memory). A teacher suggested I couldn’t see the board, and I remember visiting the eye doctor weekly for odd vision tests and exercises. Many evenings, after dinner, I lay on the floor and Mom helped me swing my arms or legs up and down, as if I was swimming on my back. Somehow, these odd exercises helped my eyes. The doctor told her to let me read anything, even comic books. (Superman, Batman, and Aquaman became my weekend companions). In my senior year, I took a remedial reading course. All I can remember was the teacher flashing sets of numbers on the screen and me writing them down. It did help my memory, which I didn’t realize until I worked in a store years later. In the world before UPC-scanning registers, products had 6 digit SKUs (stock keeping units) and I had to glance at them, then ring them into the cash register.
2) What was the biggest obstacle she had to overcome when she decided to self-publish?
Nancy: Confidence. Once a few contracts were signed, I had a fairly nice relationship with a small publisher, but they closed up shop. At the same time, I wasn’t making any money with another publisher, and I am currently trying to get my rights back. I wondered “Can I self-publish?” Could I create a polished, edited manuscript with a decent cover, then figure out how to upload everything to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, etc.? If I screwed it up, would it hurt my career? I had retired from my job as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the State of New Hampshire in order to write full-time. I had the time, the stories, and a degree in Art Education, though I originally out-sourced the first few covers. Since August 2011, I have self-published 2 novellas, 5 novels, and republished 2 novellas from a publisher’s backlist. I now create my own book covers, too. Obstacle overcome!
3) What is the biggest obstacle she faces now?
Nancy: Name recognition, or so-called branding. I have found the most success with my Scottish time travel novels and my dragon shape-shifter novellas. When I visit blogs or Facebook or Twitter, people might see me wearing a MacBean tartan sash over my shoulder. I am more than this type of writer. I have a great idea for a Regency romance, a contemporary paranormal, and a straight contemporary. Publishing these books, since they are in totally different genres, means I will stretch the boundaries of branding. Do I want to do that? I could publish under a pen name, but I tried that years ago. Juggling two identities proved too hard for me. Will I do it? You bet I will!
Contact Nancy Lee Badger at http://nancyleebadger.blogspot.com or on Twitter or Facebook
Amazon, http://amzn.to/1i72gLV, Amazon Print, http://amzn.to/QKTP2Q,
NOOK http://bit.ly/1j9Eu51, Barnes Noble Print http://bit.ly/1qdbe0n
