Author Q&A: Summer Prescott

Author Summer Prescott’s personality is fully reflected in her written work, unsurprisingly.

The names of her cozy-mystery series — Cupcakes in Paradise, Frosted Love, INNcredibly Sweet — reveal her affection for cooking and eating.

And her recent foray away from her writing “sweet spot” (pun intended) into the world of thrillers seems right on point for someone whose regret about a trip to Honduras was that it ended a week before iguana season began.

Prescott, who also founded and runs a publishing company bearing her name, was kind enough to answer a few questions about her career, and we’re so glad that the reader who recommended her did so!

SADYE: What motivated you to launch a publishing company as well as do your own writing?

SUMMER: I love writing. It’s my escape, my joy, my passion; and it gives me the chance to live my dream. I realized along the way that I could help other authors live their dream by mentoring them and publishing their work.

There are so many authors who want nothing more than to write. They would rather spend time doing what they love and let someone else take care of the other details like ordering covers, editing, proofreading, formatting, publishing, and (worst of all to us creative types, LOL) promoting.

Summer Prescott Books takes care of all of the administrative tasks so that authors can focus solely on their work — learning, building, and making a habit of writing.

SADYE: So how do you balance both those roles, then?

SUMMER: I used to have a rough time with the publishing aspect of SPBP because I tried to do everything myself. I was fully committed to the success, not just of the company, but of each individual author in it, and I literally oversaw every last detail.

I’m a bit of a perfectionist (just ask my assistant), and as the company grew, I soon learned that I needed someone very special to help keep me on track in the publishing side of things, so that I could refocus on my writing. I hired Gretchen Allen as my personal assistant, and it was the best thing I could’ve possibly done.

SADYE: What has been your proudest moment as a published writer?

SUMMER: When I first started out writing cozies, I used to watch my author ranking pretty closely and measured my success by that and my book rankings on Amazon.

I was totally shocked one day when, in the mystery and thriller category, I was one slot below Janet Evanovich. She was number eight and I was number nine — that was an adrenaline rush. In the past I’ve outranked Stephen King, James Patterson, and Agatha Christie on Amazon, and that was an amazing feeling!

While those rankings made me feel good about getting my work out there, I think the best feelings of all are when readers share their stories of how my books have helped them through a rough time, or have taken their mind off of the harsh reality of life for just a little while.

I cry every time I read those touching stories, and I’ve received precious gifts from readers that make me bawl like a baby — that’s the absolute best. 

SADYE: What was it like branching from cozy mysteries to the darker thrillers?

SUMMER: A whole lot of fun! I love writing cozies, but I also like branching out and doing things that make your heart pound just a little bit harder.

If you’re getting up and locking the doors and windows and snuggling your dog just a little bit closer because of the book you’re reading, I’ve done my job.

I like to experiment with genres and will probably write a romance or two at some point as well.

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Learn more about Summer Prescott on her website, where her books can also be purchased; like her on Facebook; and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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