Rebecca V. Archer (Rum Sips and Salty Lips) | Forced Proximity Interview
Sailboats, beaches, cocktails, and the Pomodoro Method
A few years ago, I took Sarah MacLean’s “Mastering The Art Of Great Conflict” class, and someone took the initiative to create a Slack channel for attendees, for support, draft swapping, and solidarity. It died out pretty quickly, but before it did, I connected with Rebecca V. Archer, who was hard at work on as many projects as I was, and she kindly read through and edited an early first few chapters of one of mine. When I was looking for beta readers for Rehabbing the Billionaire, I got back in touch with her, and it turned out, she had already begun her indie publishing career with her novella, Staged, and she gave me some incredible advice about her journey and what she’d learned. We’ve since started meeting regularly for book marketing accountability sessions, where we swap ideas, vent about how hard marketing is, and have a solidarity buddy to keep us on track.
She’s officially publishing her first full length novel, Rum Sips and Salty Lips, out TODAY, and of course I wanted to make sure I highlighted her here on my newsletter!
Forced Proximity: Thanks so much for agreeing to doing an interview! Please introduce yourself as if we are just meeting on the deck of a chartered sailboat.
Rebecca V. Archer: I’m Rebecca V. Archer and I basically wish I was on a sailboat at all times. Or at least on the water in some fashion, like a paddleboard, inflated tube, or a pool noddle. Or near the water, on a beach towel, beach chair, or driving past a lake on the way home from a bookstore. You get the idea. Is it a surprise I live in and write about Florida? I’ve been writing since I was six, but only started writing romance since 2020. I also drink a lot of tea.
How would you explain your latest book to a non-romance reader?
It’s about a woman who really needs to shake up her life, and the force of nature who comes in and does that.
How would you explain it to a regular reader of romance?
Two people have a one-night-stand and then are next-door neighbors. They can’t handle their actual feelings, so they have sex with each other instead of being functional adults. It’s on the beach.
What’s something you wish you knew at the beginning of your writing career?
Nothing is linear, including growth and emotions, both of the author and the characters.
What has surprised you about writing professionally?
There’s a lot of paths to success. What works for one person isn’t necessarily going to work for someone else. And that’s really freeing. Also, how many authors genuinely want to be friends with other writers. I’m a huge introvert and haven’t made many friends as an adult. Except in the last year, I’ve made some really wonderful connections with people through writing.
What’s your writing routine, if you have one? When/where/how do you find yourself at your most creative?
I do the pomodoro method a lot. That’s twenty-five minutes of dedicated work time. Then a five-minute break and then you repeat. I generally work best at night since I have a day job and I’m not a morning person. I don’t have one dedicated spot where I work best. I joked with my husband the other day that we should put a little writing desk in every room in the house since I move around a lot depending on how I feel on a particular day. I do have a writing corner in my house that gets a lot of light and looks out over some trees, but I also moved a table into my living room yesterday and wrote while watching a football game. I also handwrite a fair amount. I have a fountain pen collection, and I like to play with different colored ink.
What hobbies do you have outside of work that aren’t literature-related?
I don’t understand the question. All my hobbies are writing related. Kidding, but not really. I try to be pretty active. I like to run or go for walks. But even that feels writing related since I use the time to brainstorm. I tried to teach myself piano during the pandemic and that’s been fun, but I’m not great at it. I also like to cook and make cocktails. I tend to give those hobbies to my characters. For example, Carina practices yoga and paddleboards, two things that I do. But I can’t combine them like she does. My next book is about a chef, so then cooking has become research.
Which of your protagonists would you least like to be forced into proximity with? Why?
My first instinct is Orion! Whom I love so much! Like he’s perfect in every way. But he would use the time to force me to face my inner demons and I don’t want that for me. Carina can keep him!
How do you find new authors and books to try? Are you a casual browser, or do you have a network of trusted recommenders?
I have a TBR that’s several hundred books long of books that I already own, so I don’t go looking for recommendations all that often right now. Most of the new authors that I’ve read lately are actually local to Central Florida. We have a fantastic author network here. Someone has an event almost every weekend it seems and it’s great to try genres that I might not have gravitated to. Other than that, I usually get my recommendations from podcasts. Fated Mates and Heaving Bosoms are my favorites.
Is there a romance trope that’s an auto-read for you? What about one you’re suspicious of unless a favorite author tries it out?
I do really like forced proximity, but that can mean a lot of things so I’m not sure that there’s one auto-buy version, at least not that I can articulate at the moment. I know I’m not unique in this, but I don’t love an accidental pregnancy. It’s hard for me to suspend disbelief with that one since I’ve seen it play out in real life.
What were the strategies you employed in the early days of your self-publishing journey? What were your priorities that allowed you to reach the readers who love you, they just didn’t realize it yet?
I think the most important thing is to focus on writing the best book possible. And then write the next one. I know social media and marketing is important, but the craft of writing has to come first. Then I have to trust my work and cross my fingers that as long as I keep showing up, I’ll find the readers, or the readers will find me.
What else do you want readers to know about you and your work, if anything?
This really is only the beginning for me. I have dozens of books planned and they all are part of the same universe, and I can’t wait for the pieces to start falling into place with future books.
Orion Edwards has drifted his whole life.
He’s never needed more than the wind in his sails and a good navigation chart. But after a near-death experience, he moves to Wendell Beach, Florida, and sets up a fleet of sailboats for charter.
The town comes with rules. The biggest: keep the town darling, Carina Webb, happy. Even when a mix-up means taking her out on his personal boat instead of the company’s. And he hates strangers on his boat.
But Carina is a siren calling to him.
Carina runs a thriving athletic wear company and is always around to support a friend. She’s perfectly pleasant at all times, even if she’s spiraling on the inside, never letting anyone see more than she wants them to. She doesn’t need help, and she doesn’t need a relationship.
One night in Orion’s bed, and her world shifts on its axis.
They agree they can’t keep sleeping with each other. Especially since they are next-door neighbors, and their friends won’t mind their own business. But their boundaries fall apart when they are alone.
She trusts him with the pieces she keeps hidden. Can he be trusted to stay?
Get Rum Sips and Salty Lips now, or snag a signed paperback version here!
Find more from Rebecca on her… website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
You can also now read my own debut romance Rehabbing the Billionaire! Buy your copy on Amazon, or snag it on Kindle Unlimited!
Next week on Forced Proximity, we’ll be talking about books with ultra-reclusive heroes. Until then, have a great weekend!