We recently connected with Natalie Murphy and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Natalie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

I feel like when you start out in your chosen field or industry you should ask family and friends for their support. They are the closest people to you and help get you off the ground. But after a while, you might want to back off some if you see them losing steam. You don’t want to burn them out, especially if your support is financially based. Like with my romance novels, my family is extremely supportive, but I don’t pressure or automatically expect them to buy every book… although my mom does. They support me in other ways, like helping me sell at bookfairs, allowing me to post a new release on their social media pages, and letting me know when they come across an opportunity for me to sell. I appreciate it all.

Natalie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an award-winning author, self-publishing coach, and unapologetic romance junkie. With nine steamy romance novels under my belt, and now my latest release, Make Room for Romance: A Flirty Guide to Passion & Play, I am on a mission to bring love, passion, and happily-ever-afters to readers everywhere.
My writing journey began during the 2020 pandemic. God turned a turbulent time into a creative outlet. Since then, my work has earned widespread recognition, including four Distinguished Author’s Guild Awards for Romance, two BookFest Awards for Love Story & Romance, and the prestigious Black Author’s Award for Fiction.
Navigating the self-publishing world alone, after I completed my first manuscript, I turned my challenges into a calling. I created From Pen to Published: The Road to Self-Publishing, a workshop designed to empower aspiring authors with the tools and confidence to bring their stories to life. This transformative program has already produced five proud graduates who are now self-published authors, with two earning the Distinguished Author’s Guild Literary Award.
Outside of writing swoon-worthy love stories or mentoring future authors, I am a professional photographer with a passion for music, singing, and journaling. I’m a collector of dolphins and whales… mermaids are my spirit animal (lol), and potato chips are my weakness.
You can follow my creative journey and stay connected:
Instagram & TikTok: @nataliermurphy_author
Facebook: Natalie R. Murphy Author or Make Room for Romance
Website: natsbooks.net

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My whole journey demonstrates my resilience. The only thing I knew when I started this journey was that I liked to write. I knew nothing about the publishing industry, So after I finished my first romance book, THEN CAME YOU, I was like a fish out of water. With family and friends encouraging me to get it published, I didn’t know which way to go. I didn’t know how to find an editor or publisher. I’d had a little experience with marketing, but I’d never had to do it on my own. Thankfully, I love researching.
My research began with finding out the pros and cons of traditional publishing versus self-publishing. Once I had decided that self-publishing was the route for me, I then had to learn how to publish. That took me into a whole new world! I had to learn new terminology. I had to learn that there is more than one way to number the pages in WORD. The hardest thing I had to learn was how to format the book to upload for publishing. It took me two days to figure it out, then it was wrong when I received my proof copy. Four proof copies, three tantrums, and a thousand tears later, I finally figured it out. I still get stuck on numbering the pages, but I’m much faster at it now.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission as a romance writer is to share as much love as I can before I leave this big blue rock. As Dionne Warwick sang, “It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” I love writing. I love, love, and I combine the two to interject love in the world. My romance books aren’t just about the love of the couple. They include the love between friends and family as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.natsbooks.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliermurphy_author/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/506109148509530/