Bestselling author Brittney Sahin chatted about her new novel “The Lost Letters,” which she co-authored with actor Joseph Cannata.
She opened up about being an author in the digital age, and shared how she uses technology in her everyday life in publishing.
Inspiration behind ‘The Lost Letters’
On her inspiration to write the book “The Lost Letters,” she remarked, “Ever since Jesse and Ella’s story, ‘The Broken One,’ came out in 2022, I have been asked to write more for Jesse and Ella.”
“I was putting together a bonus for the readers when I decided to ask Joseph Cannata if he wanted to try his hand at ‘becoming’ Jesse and writing a letter while Jesse was deployed in Iraq, an unsent letter to Ella,” she said.
“Joseph wound up giving me several letters, and the idea for the book began from there: to share with readers Jesse and Ella’s love story in a new and unique way,” she added.
Working with Joseph Cannata on ‘The Lost Letters’
She opened up about working with actor and co-author Joseph Cannata on this new book. “I have been working with Joseph for over two years, so we’ve developed a great working relationship and friendship in that time. He has brought so many of my characters to life through video and audio, so it felt almost like a natural progression to have him try his hand at writing one of the characters he’d already portrayed on film for me before,” she said.
“We used Google Docs to write in real-time together, so we could, in a sense, ‘be in the same room’ to co-write. I think this made it a much easier and more fluid co-writing experience,” she added.
Motivations as an author
On her daily motivations as a published author, she said, “I’ve been a full-time author since 2015. As much as I love writing, it’s a job now instead of a hobby. The only difference from my previous line of work is there is no clock in – clock out. I’m always working. Seven days a week.”
“To be honest, the business side of things tends to interfere with writing more and more these days, but knowing I have readers looking forward to my next release is truly what motivates me to reach my daily word count. I never want to let them down, so I do my best to ‘show up’ every day and write when I’m on a deadline,” she said.
The digital age
On being an author in the digital age, now with streaming, technology, and social media being so prevalent, she said, “It’s interesting. I remember sitting in the bookstores as a child dreaming about being a published author, but I’d always feared how difficult it’d be. The query process was rather intimidating.”
“When I set out to officially publish in 2015, I opted to go the Indie route, something I never envisioned would be possible when I was younger. I’m now a hybrid author, as I’ve accepted deals with a traditional publisher, but I still love the flexibility the digital age gave authors, allowing us to publish and take a chance on ourselves,” she said.
Using technology in her daily routine
Sahin spoke about her use of technology in her daily routine as an author. “Technology is integral to publishing, particularly social media. I think more than half of my day is spent online,” she said.
“Whether it’s creating content, posting stories, or answering/responding to readers and comments – my phone tends to be glued to my hand. I usually set aside certain ‘offline hours’ a day to ensure it does not interfere with my writing schedule,” she added.
Advice for young and aspiring authors
For young and aspiring authors, she encouraged them “to never rush the process.” “Always save up and invest in quality editing and design,” she said. “If possible, create a backlist of material before hitting publish on your first book. Oh, how I wish I had ‘saved up’ a few manuscripts to have ready before my first book was published.”
Success
On her definition of the word success, she said, “I’ve reached a lot of milestones in my career, but I wouldn’t define success by the fact I’ve sold millions of copies or hit bestseller lists.”
“At the end of the day, numbers don’t define my success (not for, me at least). Those numbers do push me to set new goals. To aspire to reach new milestones. To constantly outdo the “me from yesterday.” But to be honest, that can be exhausting and lead to burnout,” she explained.
“So, when I really look at what it means to be successful, I have to step back outside of a business mindset and ask myself, ‘What actually makes me happy?’ And the answer to that is the fact I get to live my dream of being an author. And more importantly, it’s the messages people send me that tell me my words helped them/gave them hope and so forth. That is important to me,” she elaborated.
“Being fortunate to help other people is how I’d define success. We only get one shot at life, and I want to make the most of it, and for me, helping others gives me the most satisfaction, which equates to success in my book,” she added.
Closing thoughts on the book
She remarked about “The Lost Letters, “This book is a fully immersive experience, especially if readers view the videos and listen to the audios we put together as well.”
“It opens the door into the minds of two beloved characters who are meant for each other but were posed with obstacles obstructing their chance at happiness at every turn. And at the end of the day, if it’s meant to be it’ll be … and their love story is one that shows that,” she elaborated.
To learn more about bestselling author Brittney Sahin, follow her on Instagram.
Read More: Review: ‘The Lost Letters’ is an emotional book by Brittney Sahin and Joseph Cannata.
