Welcome Author Teshelle Combs

Join me in welcoming our fourteenth (ALMOST DONE) Fall for the Indie Book author, Teshelle Combs! /S.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Young Tess, stop wasting your time worrying about whether you’re beautiful or not. You’re beautiful, babe. You really are. Now believe that and use the time you spent denying it to write.

How do you relax?

I take along shower an think about new stories. In fact, I come up with a new story about once a week. Then, I make some coffee and toast and watch reruns on Netflix. When I’m through with that, I think about more stories. Ultimate relaxation.

How do you handle receiving reviews?

Oh man, I LOVE reviews! It’s like my birthday every time. Because it means someone bought my book, read it all the way through and felt passionately enough about it to come back and write about it. I get all giddy and nervous and freak-out happy. And almost every time, it’s made my day. I love to hear from people who care about my work!

What is your favorite book?

What? An excuse to gush about the Hunger Games? I’ll take it! It really is my favorite series. Suzanne Collins is my best friend (she just doesn’t know it yet). Her pacing inspired me, and Katniss was the first convincing kick-butt female lead I’d ever met (because to me, we’re buds).

What advice would you give your future self?

Hey, future Tess! I told you so. I told you we’d have underwater houses and streets. I told you we’d never have to eat anymore and that one pill a day would suffice. And I told you that you would be a bestselling author and that you’d be able to support a whole bunch of families with all the money you earn. You should really listen to me more often.

What do you tell yourself before you start writing?

Quickly! Before the baby wakes up! You can edit it later!

Why did you choose to go indie?

Because I was tired of waiting. I was tired of wondering if I was going to fit into some agent’s plans, tired of wondering if they’d even bothered to open the email. One day, I decided I was going to go after what I wanted, and that nothing was going to stop me. And I never looked back.

What's the best part about being an indie author?

My fans are the best part of being indie. I get to write as fast as I want, as much as I want. I get to listen to their feedback, change my plans, add chapters, delete characters. I get to work directly with and for my fans. Writing for you is the best job in the world, and being indie lets me experience all of it up close.

What's the worst part about being an indie author?

Marketing is hard for me. I’m a much better writer than I am promoter, and if I didn’t have to get the word out there, I’d have twice as many books out. But you can help by telling a friend if you like my stuff. And oh God, leave me an amazon review! Then, I can spend even more time writing you super cool stories!

What advice would you give to other writers?

Every story you write—every sentence, word, period—is changing someone’s life. Never think you’re writing for an empty room. Persist. Persist. Persist. Change the world with your words.