Lydia Rodriguez-Clement is probably the best example of the indie publishing phenom. We are not speaking about the sales, but about the desire to have a complete novel, without relying on publishers. Our next feature author is very busy, but still finds time to write, edit, self-publish and market her novel. Lydia is a very strong woman and a real fighter. Check out the interview about her last book The Guardian and you will see why the word respect must be added to her profile.

– What is your last book The Guardian about?
– Well, The Guardian is a story about how Sarah’s spiritual beliefs are reaffirmed when the existence of Angels and Demons are horrifically revealed. Never had she dreamt that her mundane life would be caught in not only a struggle to stay alive in this clash of worlds, but also in a sadistic plan by the Dark Angels to lure Jacob, her own Guaridan, to fall. It is also about finding love and acceptance under extraordinary circumstances.

– How you decide to write the story?
– This story actually came to me in dreams. It took several weeks of dreaming about my characters before I finally got out of bed to write it down. I really had no choice, because I was not getting any real sleep during that time. It was only after I had started writing down the conversations that I could sleep better.
– What was the biggest challenge during the write up process?
– I suppose, the biggest challenge for me was putting together the conversations. It was actually weird how one night I could dream up a conversation that happened at the end of the story, and the next night, dream of one that happened at the beginning. At the end of it all, it was like a huge puzzle. I had to fit each conversation or scene in order, and then I filled in the rest later.
– Tell us something more about your main character? Is it close to someone from your real life?
– I have two main characters. Sarah, I hope, every woman can relate to. She is like many women in my life including myself. She is a shy college girl at first, but as the story progresses, you can see that she really blooms into a strong woman. Jacob is her Guardian Angel, as well as, her love interest. He is like everybody in the world trying to find what God wants him to do, and conflicted with what he wants most. And he wants Sarah.
– How much time you need to finish the story and to publish it?
– This was another hard part. Since I had to piece the whole story together like a puzzle, and I really didn’t have much education on writing, this process took me a year and a half. I had to do a lot of reading to figure out my writing style and point of view before writing. To publish the book took another six months. I researched traditional publishing houses and compared them with self publishing houses. I really liked the benefits of self publishing houses so, I took that route.
– Give us insight about your first novel Angelus?
– Well, Angelus is actually the same story. You see, THE GUARDIAN is a revised version of Angelus. I re-wrote Angelus, because I was already starting to feel real sick, and I rushed through the publishing process. I was then diagnosed with Leukemia. When I got better, I thought of it as not only a second chance of life, but also a second chance to write and publish the story the way I really wanted to. After all the changes, my publisher said it was better to change the cover and the name too.
– Who are you?
– Who am I? Wow, that’s really a deep question. I guess I would say that I am a strong woman who loves her family very much. I have a love of cooking and of growing my own herbs and fruit trees. A very natural woman who likes home remedies, reading, and spending as much time as I can with my children. I do have a very active imagination, but I can appreciate a really good movie, musical, or music. My kids call me silly sometimes, and I would like to consider myself as a nice person. Someone that would try to help anyone who need it.
– What are your writing habits?
– You know, I really like writing with a pen and paper at my kitchen table. But when I edit anything, I do that on my computer. Either way, I do love to have a bowl of peanuts, and I do have a favorite pen to write with. But I must confess, I really do have to have peanuts when I write or edit, I’m kind of obsessed with peanuts.
– Are you satisfied by the sales of the book and do you plan another one?
– I really didn’t write this book to get famous. I wrote it, because I knew it would make a really good book, and I needed sleep. Haha. But really, I love books, and I’m just so happy that I was able to do this. That being said, yes, it would be nice to have some money from this book. It does take some investment when you are an Indie author. As far as a second book, definitely. I would like THE GUARDIAN to be part of a series.
– What are you doing to promote by the best possible way your book?
– Marketing your book can be real difficult at times, especially if you have a busy home life or a full time job. I happen to have both. Since I chose to be an Indie author, marketing is left to me. Fortunately nowadays, there are so many social media platforms that we can use. I do have a fanpage on Facebook, I am a Goodreads author with a blog, I also have an amazon author page, and a Twitter and Google+ account. The internet is a wonderful place that everyone around the world can use and find whatever they want. I also try and be available for amazing people like book bloggers that offer book reviews and author interviews such as this one. Book signings are harder to come by, but I always keep my eye out for them too.
– With five kids around you how you managed to find time for writing?
– Five kids can get really noisy some times, and they demand a lot of my time. With work during the day, and helping with homework in the evening, writing is usually done at night when they are all asleep. It helps me to relax, especially in the weekends. I love losing myself in my characters life, and the feeling that I am leaving behind a piece of me to my kids and to the world after I am gone.
– You survived Leukemia, what kind of advices you may give to all the people, who are diagnosed with cancer and are fighting for their life?
– When I was diagnosed back in 2010, I was in shock for about a week. Leukemia didn’t run in my family…it seemed like it just popped up out of nowhere. But I have to say that praying helped me a lot. My advice is to pray to your God, and to learn to accept help from family and friends. I was truly amazed at how my family and friends came together for me. They helped taking care of my children, and with cleaning my house while I was in the hospital. Positive thinking and leaving everything in the hands of my God helped me relieve the stress of worrying what was going to happen to my family if I died. It is a difficult sickness to go through, but I hope that I can be LIVING proof that it CAN be beat.
– Would you ever consider writing something else besides Paranormal Romances?
I have actually. I have another story in mind, but it is just a regular Romance. I want to work on that story after I finish with The Guardian series.

To learn more about Lydia check out her Facebook page or Twitter

Take a look at her books

The Guardian
Angelus