Author Paulette Stout and I first crossed paths years ago via a Facebook group, and since then, I’ve been surreptitiously keeping up with her. Paulette “considers herself a rhythm writer, using pacing to craft momentum, tension, and sticky reading experiences” and a “wordsmith who reveres the written word.” That’s probably why readers are singing praises, calling her work “brave,” “relatable,” and “inspiring.” In addition to writing novels, Paulette co-hosts a podcast and offers great insight on her blog. Readers and writers alike would be wise to check both out!

Welcome, Paulette!

Christina: Congratulations on the release of What Eyes Can’t See, the third of four books in your Bold Journeys series. Did you always set out to write a series? Did you struggle with anything in creating the series? When did you decide to call it “Bold Journeys”?

Paulette: When I started writing, I had no plans beyond just getting a book done. It took me nearly 17 years as it was! But as I approached publication and learned more about the benefits of writing in a series, I absolutely scoped out what would follow the first book. I had more to say about my two protagonists, so gave them a brand-new story in book two. From there I made my way around the friend group giving each woman her own empowering story. The name Bold Journeys came from reader reactions to my first book. Everyone started calling me bold and brave for taking on the subject matter I do, so it fit. Plus, my original title for Love, Only Better was Journey to O so the word “journey” was always top of mind for me. It became an affectionate nod to the title I never used.

Christina: The last in the series, What We Give Away, publishes early next year. How is the fourth book like the first three? How is it different? How do you make sure that your characters across a series are distinct?

Paulette: Each book is similar in that it focused on characters from the same universe, and each features a heroine’s transformational journey to find the best version of herself. Of course, she finds some spicy love along the way! In fact, Books 3 and 4, What Eyes Can’t See and What We Give Away, definitely lean into the romance plotlines, and I intentionally craft them to be satisfying for both women’s fiction and romance readers.

That said, my focus on a different social issues in each book gives the stories a powerful punch that readers really appreciate. The unique themes give each main character a distinct challenge to tackle in their lives. As distinct people, they have different personalities, make decisions differently, and like real people, were very much shaped by their unique upbringings and experiences. Some are more introverted, some bolder, so that impacts how they navigate the world and engage with their romantic partners. Even how they make love is different, so I don’t have any trouble crafting fully formed and distinct humans.

Christina: In your introductory email to me you said, “I write fast-paced contemporary fiction that says the quiet things out loud.” I love the idea of giving a voice to certain things we’re hesitant to talk about. Why is it important to you to give voice to those “quiet things?” Has it always been easy for you to do?

Paulette: I was raised by a single dad who dedicated his life to working for social change. He experienced a lot of discrimination as a young man, being Jewish in New York at time when “Jews need not apply.” He marched for civil rights and was active in his union, even going to jail briefly during a labor strike. Being raised in Manhattan by a man like my father instilled a boldness in me to ask for what I want and speak up when I see something isn’t quite right. Also, being a daughter of a bi-racial, interfaith marriage has always made me feel like a perpetual outsider. I see the world in different terms, so writing is my way of bringing those conversations into the fore for people to ponder.

Christina: As you mentioned, your writing focuses on various social issues. Do those issues find you or do you go looking for them? Is there an issue you don’t think you’d want to tackle? What do you hope to impart to readers by centering your work on social issues?

Paulette: The issues absolutely find me. My first book centered on my own struggles in the bedroom. I figured I wasn’t the only one and wanted to help other women feel less alone who couldn’t “finish” in the bedroom. From there I became more a social observer, and selected the characters in my world who would best bring those issues to life. Kyle, in What We Never Say, centers on a #MeToo story with a twist that came to me after watching that movement come to life. Barbara and Sebastian in What Eyes Can’t See centers on race, class and belonging, something that I’ve struggled with my whole life, as have many Black women. Leslie and Risto in my next book will cover weight, body size and the costs of diet culture. I’ve taken a meaningful journey in this area and I’m sure many readers can relate. I can’t imagine an issue I’d avoid if I can craft a meaningful story around it.

Christina: Your book covers are striking. What do you look for in a solid book cover? How important do you think book covers are? I believe you changed book covers at one point. Can you comment a little bit on why you made that decision?

Paulette: Book covers are vital packaging that make a promise to readers. Authors have seconds to capture reader interest, especially online. But too often, authors fail to understand genre trends or misalign the cover with the story inside. Genre conventions, color, typography, visual hierarchy, all those are essential to get right on book covers. Get them wrong, and you’ll pay the price. My debut’s first cover made the story look like a romcom, when it’s more rightly women’s fiction. It has romance and tons of spice, but I’d set the wrong expectations with the first cover. Now that it’s right, my reviews are strong because I’m attracting the right readers. Changing covers three times in the first 6 months was a bumpy start, but worth it. As a lifelong marketer, I’ve long since learned to pivot quickly if something isn’t working. Today, my book covers are gorgeous, are aligned with the stories inside, and have earned a finalist award for book cover design.

Christina: You also co-organized the anthology A Million Ways: Stories of Motherhood. Motherhood is rich with diverse experiences, feelings, and emotions. How did the project come about? What did you learn from the experience? How has motherhood shaped your writing?

Paulette: Author GG Andrews initiated the project and I was happy to partner with her to give this opportunity to women’s fiction writers. There aren’t a lot of women’s fiction anthology opportunities out there, so we decided to make one. Anthologies are a great way to cross-pollinate reader bases of multiple authors and forge new network connections. Ironically, I was disappointed with the “motherhood” theme the group selected, thinking it too limited.

But I was so wrong. This dynamic group of stories highlights the amazing multifaceted world of motherhood, from birth, to mid-life, to death and mourning. My story explored the consequences later in life of a single-parent who put her career ahead of her daughter. Women are expected to abandon career aspirations to have children, but what happens if they don’t? I had fun exploring that concept, once again finding my own twist on a topic people don’t want to discuss.

Christina: One of your jobs was as media buyer/planner. How has that background informed your work or writing process?

Paulette: I think my background in marketing and branding keeps me laser focused on the customer. What would readers want? How can I craft an amazing experience for them? How can I craft a book that’s the perfect balance of something familiar with something completely new? Also, because marketing copy needs to draw readers in and hold their attention, I think that helps me write page-turning books readers don’t want to put down. I’m super proud that my strong chapter endings make readers eager to learn what happens next.

Christina: Congratulations on being co-host of The Best of Book Marketing Podcast. How did you decide to join forces with author Lainey Cameron? Do you have one or two top tips for authors looking to market their work better?

Paulette: Lainey and have known and supported each other for years, and I couldn’t imagine a better co-host for a podcast on marketing. We’re both lifelong marketers, who spend a lot of our personal time supporting fellow authors and are passionate about giving back to a community that has been so good to us. I was honored she proposed joining forces when she decided to pivot from her award-winning reader-focused podcast, The Best of Women’s Fiction, to create one targeted to writers. Two brief tips for authors: 1) Understand your goals and build an author life to help you achieve those goals. It might be very different from authors around you, so stay true to yourself. 2) There are many ways to conduct an author career, so remember that you don’t have to do “all the things.” Do what works for you and build out over time. You help no one if you’re a frazzled mess trying to keep up with what others are doing because you think you “should.”

Christina: I’m a fellow lover of grammar T-shirts. What are some of your favorites? How do you feel about the Oxford comma? Did you enjoy diagramming sentences in school? Do any grammar rules not make sense to you?

Paulette: I’ve worked in software for years, and the geeky developers I knew always wore fun t-shirts. Adopting a wardrobe of grammar t’s just made sense. Two of my favorites are “No em dash—no peace” and “Metaphors be with you” written in the Star Wars lettering style. As for my own writing preferences, I use Oxford commas in my books, but not in my business marketing writing. I also break a lot of grammar rules in my stories. Specifically, I find sentence fragments to be a powerful tool for reinforcing points, so use those a lot, especially with dialog.

Christina: Aside from the fourth book, what’s next?

Paulette: I’m planning a new story, potentially the beginning of a new series, but it keeps my focus on social topics. I’ve discussed it with a literary agent, so my plan is to write the story and share it with her to see if she’d be interested in representing me. If not, then I’ll self-publish. The agent angle is interesting to me at this point in my career as she’d be able to pursue foreign rights and movie/television deals. My stories would do great adapted for either visual medium. 🙂 I’m also potentially working on a prequel for my fourth book and may be putting out a boxed set of my first three titles in advance of book four next February. Always something!

Paulette can be found in multiple places!
Website: https://paulettestout.com/
X: @StoutContent
Instagram: @paulettestoutauthor
Facebook: @paulettestoutauthor
BookBub: @PauletteStoutAuthor

Thanks to Paulette for agreeing to this interview! If you know of an author or artist who’d like to be featured in an interview (or you would like to be featured), feel free to leave a comment or email me via my contact page.