We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Blye Donovan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Blye below.

Blye, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, one thing many business owners consider is donating a percentage of sales or profits to an organization or cause. We’d love to hear your thoughts and the story behind how and why you chose the cause or organization you donate to.

Last year, Hurricane Ian threatened to tear through where I live. Thankfully, the storm shifted so that we felt little of its effects, but many were not so fortunate. Because hurricanes are a continued threat to all of us dwelling near the coasts, organizations like Team Rubicon are so vital. This organization is a veteran-led humanitarian effort that supports communities with disaster relief. As a veteran myself, I whole-heartedly support their mission. After Hurricane Ian, I decided to donate my first set of earnings from swag (stickers, t-shirts, and other memorabilia) sales to their cause.

I am also embarking on a new series this year that will start publishing in 2024. It will feature military heroes and/or heroines. Because female veterans are often undervalued or go unrecognized, I plan to donate a percentage of the series sales to the Military Women’s Memorial.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My journey to becoming an award-winning author is a long and winding road. Writing had always been a dream, and it fell further and further from my plans as life took me in different directions. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree, joined the Navy, got out, attained a master’s degree, and eventually found my way back to writing.

I don’t regret any of the stops I made along the way, but I feel amazingly lucky to be able to do what I love now. In the summer of 2021, I self-published my first book, and I’ve published four more since then to complete my first series. My most recent release, Marked as Queen of Hearts, won the Literary Titan Gold Book Award and is up for several more, including InD’Tale’s Reward of Novel Excellence next year. I’ve also written two novellas that are available on different platforms—one is free when readers subscribe to my newsletter and one is available in Kindle Vella.

The books I write are romantic suspense stories featuring strong heroines and alpha protector heroes overcoming dangerous villains. Growing up, my favorite books always had strong female leads. While writing romance is more about partnerships, my heroines typically end up helping the heroes as much as they help them. I set my books in small towns because I love the charm they have. I even live in one! I am a military brat and a veteran, so I’ve managed to live in quite a few states in the US. I currently reside in the lowcountry of South Carolina with my wonderfully supportive husband and our fluffy companion dog, Max.

This year, I’m embarking on a new journey. While I have a military romance series in the works, I’m also working on an urban fantasy/paranormal romance series that will be set in Savannah, Georgia and will, again, feature that strong female lead. Though my books are meant for adults, and primarily read by women, most often, we’re the ones needing the reminder that being strong doesn’t mean not accepting help. Themes of found family, overcoming trauma, finding yourself and accepting who you are, loving unconditionally, are woven into my writing.

When I’m not writing, I’m reading or traveling. I’ll be attending a book signing in New Orleans at the end of September. This will be my third signing and I’m doing another one, Charm City Romanticon, in April of 2024. Meeting readers in person is the most-rewarding part of being an author. I love interacting with readers and invite you to join my private readers group on Facebook, Blye’s Book Besties. We talk about my works-in-progress, play fun games, recommend reads to each other, and I’ve even held contests, and invited readers to name a character for me! However you like to interact, I’m probably on that platform. Follow me!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a writer is reading a review from someone who really enjoyed your work. And if you get the chance to interact with or meet that reader in person, it’s even better. Creating something and putting it out into the world for others to ingest can be a terrifying process. But when you see your work resonate with someone, and even help them through a similar experience you put your character through, that gift outweighs the fear.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I have several ways I keep in touch with my readers. I reach the largest audience through my bi-monthly newsletter. But I also post daily on social media outlets. I have a private reader group on Facebook with my most loyal audience.

The main thing any independent author can do to foster brand loyalty is to stay relevant. You do this by publishing often, or if not, by offering free stuff like snippets of works-in-progress and maybe a deleted or bonus scene with characters readers have already fallen in love with. Because the market is so saturated, you have to keep a constant presence to stay in the forefront of readers’ minds. Doing book signings helps bring in new readers and connect with other authors. Having and knowing the authors writing in your field means you can share audiences through newsletter swaps and cross-promotions in order to reach readers who you know like your genre.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blyedonovan.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/blyedonovan
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBlyeDonovan/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/blyedonovan TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@blyedonovanauthor Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Blye-Donovan/author/B099CQ6YVR

Image Credits
Kim Gauger