Victoria Gilbert interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

                                            

A little introduction:

Hello, I’m Victoria Gilbert, and here’s my official bio:

Raised in a historic small town at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Victoria Gilbert turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as an author and librarian.

 

Victoria writes the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, the Book Lover’s B&B series, and the forthcoming (2023) Hunter & Clewe traditional mystery series for Crooked Lane Books. A member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Victoria is represented by Frances Black at Literary Counsel. Raised in Virginia, she now lives in North Carolina.

When did your love of books begin?

As soon as I learned to read! Once I started reading as a child, I never stopped. I’ve been known to read 7 books in as many days, although currently my writing schedule has made me cut back on reading a bit.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

I always wanted to be an author, and wrote poetry, short stories, and that sort of thing all my life. But it wasn’t until I was 56 that I actually sat down and completed an entire novel. Although that novel and its sequel are currently shelved, I continued writing, and my debut novel was published when I was 58! Since then, which has only been 7 years, I’ve written 11 more books, 10 of which have been published (one is currently out-of-print, and one to be published in June 2022). I also have contracts for 5 more books in the next few years.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

It can be a difficult process, for sure. I was fortunate enough to get an agent and book deal only a year after I started querying, but neither that agent nor my first publisher worked out in the long term. Happily, I now have a wonderful agent and great publisher, but I did go through some “low” periods in the past. You just have to persevere, and be willing to make changes as needed. For example, I switched genres (from SF/F to mystery) which resulted in much more success.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

I always tell aspiring authors to be flexible and experiment – sometimes you don’t know what you write best until you try different genres and/or age categories. Also, be in it for the "long game." Success can come slowly, rather than overnight, but it's still success.

Tell us about your book/books:

I currently have two published series – the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series and the Booklover’s B&B series. You can find out more about them at this link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2199729/victoria-gilbert

I also have two YA fantasy books, and a short story in an anthology, published with Snowy Wings Publishing. More info. here: The Mirror of Immortality (2 book series) Kindle Edition (amazon.com) and here: Amazon.com: A Touch of Magic: A YA Anthology eBook : Franck, Janina, Chiavari, Lyssa, Watson, Jane, Gilbert, Victoria, Pierson, BJ, Paz, Selenia, Cosby, Annie: Kindle Store

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

As a former librarian, of course I appreciate everything about a community that loves to read and/or write! I think the support of other authors is amazing and heartwarming, and I really appreciate all readers. Without readers, where would writers be?

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

THANKS!!

Where can people connect with you?

Website: https://victoriagilbertmysteries.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Gilbert/e/B071ZQZN1P

Facebook Author Page: Victoria Gilbert | Facebook

Twitter: Victoria Gilbert (@VGilbertauthor) / Twitter

Instagram: Victoria Gilbert (@victoriagilbertauthor)