Interview with Author Tara Lush

 

Author: Tara Lush!

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of sitting through a presentation given by author Tara Lush.   I was so impressed by this author, because not only  is she a talented writer, she's a successful entrepreneur. She's done incredibly well in the Indie/ non traditional publishing market. Please read what she has to say.

1/ So tell us a bit about your background  in one paragraph or less.

 I’m a longtime journalist turned fiction writer. I spent two decades as a reporter in Florida, working at the then-St. Petersburg Times, the Miami New Times, and The Associated Press. During my time with the AP I began writing romance novels, and from there I branched out to mystery novels. I’ve always loved crime fiction!

 

2/Describe your reaction to your very first sale. Who was it with? What year and which
publisher?

 My first sale came with my first book, a romance novel in 2015. I sold a romantic suspense to Boroughs Publishing, a digital-first press. It was incredibly exciting because I wasn’t sure I could actually write an entire book after writing short articles as a reporter.

3/ What caused you to leave what some would describe as a dream day job?

 I was burnt out. I’d covered covid and politics, along with mass shootings and other intense stories. I’d had enough and needed time to mentally recalibrate. It took me from 2021, when I left, until about 2024, to fully exit the burnout stage. Covering such deeply emotional and difficult stories really took a toll on my emotional state.

4/ What has been some Highlights of your writing career?

 Being a finalist in the RWA Rita awards for one of my self published romances (Constant Craving) was a highlight. Also writing my romantic mystery Gator Queen was a definitely highlight — I adore that book and everything about the plot. It was my love letter to Florida.

5/ Tell us about your experiences selling your books in a non-traditional manner via subscription sites.

 As a romance writer I was an early adopter of the Radish fiction serial site, and also extremely active on Wattpad. (Wattpad also published three of my books with its imprint). I’ve also played with Ream, a subscription site. I think those all make sense for romance authors, where readers are voracious and willing to adopt new technologies to read their favorite authors. Mystery readers are a bit more traditional and prefer e-books and paperbacks, I believe. This is why I’ve moved away from putting my current work there, but I do adore serial fiction!

 

 6/ Have you given up on selling to traditional publishers?

 No, not entirely. Right now I’m focused on my indie published series, The Crescent Moon Mystery series. It’s a long paranormal cozy series about a midlife woman and her cat who solve crimes, both supernatural and otherwise. It’s been doing pretty well so I’m spending all of my time on that. I have a thriller idea that appeals to my agent so someday soon I’m going to turn my attention to that book.

 7/What’s your writing day like?

After I eat and walk the dog, I usually write for about three hours. I try to write about 1,500-2,000 words a day. I’m really mindful of burnout so I don’t try to do too much. I also try to get in some exercise and stretching daily. My social media is now contained to one day a week — I schedule everything on Sundays. I’m trying to get away from a lot of social media these days.

8/ If you weren’t writing would you still be reporting?

 Probably in some way, yes. I’m not sure I’d be happy about that, though.

9/What are you working on currently?

 I’m working on Book Seven of the Crescent Moon Mysteries. It’s set in Vietri, Italy, where I’m spending three months. My husband is from here so we are visiting his family and having an absolute blast.

10 You have such fun book covers. Who can we credit them to?

 The majority of my Crescent Moon book covers are by Lou Harper. Sadly, she passed away in late 2024. My current book cover is by Mariah Sinclair, who is extremely talented! Some of my covers were also done by Melody Simmons, whose work I adore. Lou, Mariah, and Melody are the absolute tops in the indie cozy mystery space.

11/ How can readers reach you?

I’m always available on Instagram: @The.Book.Lush, or at my website: www.taralush.com