The Writing Process of "Ain't We Got Fun" - a Guest Post by Emily Ann Putzke

Hello, friends! Today I am thrilled to be featuring a guest post by one of the lovely Emily's (yes, they are two of them!) who wrote the newly released novel, "Ain't We Got Fun" - Emily Chapman and Emily Ann Putzke! The two of them wrote together a fun novel about two sisters during the Depression, and shared their writing on their blogs before deciding to publish it this month. . . it sounds like the sweetest sort of story, and I am very excited about its publication. Emily Ann is a delightful young author who I am sure you'll all enjoy meeting through this post this morning (ahem. . . it is late in the evening for me, but anyways. You get the idea! :D)
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Towards the end of December my writing friend, Emily Chapman, suggested that we write a epistolary story about two sisters during the Great Depression. We had tried writing stories together before, but we both got too busy and our handwritten letters were soon forgotten. But this time, Emily suggested we post the letters on our blogs throughout the month of January. Our story was dubbed Ain’t We Got Fun, and it’s now available in paperback and kindle!
Many people are curious about how exactly we co-authored a book. I’m here to let you in on the process!
WRITING
Most of the letters contained new information that surprised the other writer! We really didn’t do a lot of plotting. We had vague ideas of where the story was headed, but we didn’t know how each other’s characters were going to get there. We really didn’t start plotting until the final letters. We had to make sure our endings were headed in the same direction. The writing was the best part! We were so excited to get an email from each other with the next installment! It was like opening a present … we had no idea what each other’s letters contained.
EDITING
We used Googledocs for all our letters. Googledocs is wonderful for editing! It has an option for suggested edits. When a person edits, it doesn’t change the original document … it’s more like a virtual red pen and you can accept the changes or deny them. If you accept them, Googledocs magically applies the changes. This makes it so easy on the writer’s part. They just click “accept” or “deny”.  My sister-in-law was our official editor. It was neat because all three of us – Emily, Maria, and I – could all access the same file at the same time while living in three different states.
PUBLISHING
Emily and I decided to independently publish Ain’t We Got Fun after all the positive comments and encouragement regarding our little story. We chose my publishing imprint, The White Rose Press. The publishing process was a little more difficult than the writing and editing process. We had to work out quite a few details, so we ended up talking on the phone to sort it out. We had cover and formatting ideas to collaborate on, release dates to plan, giveaway items to buy, and a plethora of other things to figure out. We hired Rachel Rossano to make a cover and format our book. She made a truly scrumptious cover which we both fell head over heels for! We’re both extremely happy that it’s finally published!

If you have any question regarding Ain’t We Got Fun or writing in general, you can send me an email at authoremilyannputzke or leave a comment on my blog, www.authoremilyannputzke.com


We hope you all enjoy the story!
Author Bios:



EMILY CHAPMAN, also known as Bess Rowland, is a young hobbit living in the dear old South, and she is entirely bonkers. She's a dreamer, an optimistic pessimist, and an introverted people person. Blue skies, dancing, Disney, and whipped cream make her happy, and she swears she's once been to Narnia. She's been a reader all her life, became a writer because of that, and published her first novel, Cry of Hope, in March of 2014. But without her Savior, all of this would mean nothing. It is in Him that she puts her hope.You can learn more about Emily Chapman and her books at www.emilychapmanauthor.com and www.facebook.com/emilychapmanauthor.

EMILY ANN PUTZKE and Gi Rowland have two big things in common: their love for God and coffee. Besides writing historical fiction, Emily enjoys being an aunty, photography, Irish dancing, spending time with family, attempting to play the guitar, reenacting, and reading. She loves polka dots, war movies, and all things vintage. Her first novella, It Took a War, was published in December of 2014. You can learn more about Emily Ann Putzke and her books at www.authoremilyannputzke.com and www.facebook.com/authoremilyannputzke.
You can purchase Ain't We Got Fun through:
Amazon (Paperback) 
Amazon (Kindle) 
Createspace (Paperback)
Smashwords (ebook)
About The Book:
It was never much of an issue for Bess: living contentedly on her family's farm, despite the Depression which loomed around them. But when her older sister Georgiana takes off to New York City to make a fortune and help Papa out, feelings of adventure and wanderlust strike Bess at home. Through their lively letter correspondence, the sisters recount to one another their adventures, surprises, and heartaches, leaving little room for depression. For in a world of such wonder, ain't we got fun?

Giveaway: Only Open to People in the U.S. 
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"Gracious words are like a honeycomb; sweetness to the soul and health to the body..." ~Proverbs 16:24