Terry Tyler: Sara Shepard

Astrology ~ a bit of fun, a load of rubbish, or something to take seriously?

I invited around 70 writers/bloggers to write a piece about how typical they are of their sign, and how its traits affect their writing life ~ if at all...

Has your favourite writer been featured yet? Links to all previous posts at the end of this one :)

Today I'm delighted to welcome someone I've known online since shortly after I started this self-publishing lark, and whose huge success is well deserved ~ Aries light romance, contemporary fiction and cosy mystery writer, Joanne Phillips. Jo's not only popular with the reading public but is also extremely helpful to other writers, sharing advice and her experiences on the self-publishing section of her site, on which you can also read about her Writers Workshop ~ it's all HERE. Her very first novel, back in 2012, was the widely read Can't Live Without, and her latest, touching emotional drama Keeping Sam, has just been published.

Greetings, Jo, and please tell us about your Aries self!

Jo and Aquarius husband, Jez ~ more later!

Aries:

Determined, a leader, strong, honest, straightforward, ready to voice opinion and a champion of the underdog... but can also be brusque, impatient, prejudiced, arrogant.

"I grew up with an acute awareness of zodiac signs, and I’ve often wondered how many of my Aries qualities are innate and how many were influenced by the wonderful Linda Goodman books I absorbed as a teenager and young adult. Either way, I know that I am all the things listed above and many more - good and bad; every one of us has light and shade in our personalities."

"My determination has shown itself through the drive to self-publish six books since 2012, sacrificing nothing in quality along the way, absolutely adamant I would produce books that looked and felt the same as traditional ‘bookshop’ quality books. I go my own way, however, and wouldn’t dream of imposing these values onto other people. In the Aries profile above, the description ‘champion of the underdog’ is one I relate to - I am always ready to jump on a cause if I feel people are being treated unfairly. In the indie world, for example, there are regular attempts to ‘police’ self-publishing output (usually by those with their own books or products to sell), but I have argued against this in the past, even while striving for excellence in my own work. This apparent contradiction is quite typical for an Aries - it’s all very much “Be independent; don’t follow the crowd.” Everyone has the right to do their own thing - I’ve been known to argue for the principle of something, even when I don’t actually agree with it. I guess I just like a good argument!

Sometimes an independent spirit can be quite isolating; I’m not a sociable person by nature, and I’m not sure how typical this is of an Aries woman. As it says in the description above, I am strong, and I can’t help but be honest - primarily with myself. I am tactful and sensitive too, however: my honesty is not the bracing, hurtful kind, which is a common misconception about honest people, I think. The worst kind of liars are the kind that believe their own lies. I can always tell if I’m not being 100% authentic in my life as I start to feel physically sick, and then I have to do something about it quickly!"

"Now for the negatives! Brusqueness comes from being impatient, and I’m certainly more impatient than most :) Arrogance isn’t a great quality, but I guess it is possible to come over this way occasionally when you appear to be confident in your own knowledge and abilities. As for prejudiced, I guess I do have a tendency to pre-judge situations - I think it’s the writer in me, in that I use my imagination to pre-think what a situation might be like. I never pre-judge people, though. I have become more humble as I’ve grown older and wiser - I think my Aries characteristics are softened now, whereas they were more brash and overt in my twenties and thirties."

"One Aries characteristic that isn’t mentioned very often is innocence. We are the babies of the zodiac. Everything is new to us, every experience seen with wide-eyed wonder. I’m often caught out by how cruel and calculating some people can be; with me what you see is what you get, and while I can be outspoken, I would never intentionally hurt someone. We Aries may be strong but we are also vulnerable - never more so than when we lay ourselves open to betrayal by those we trust. These wounds cut deep, and it’s taken me many years to learn not to be so trusting. In the self-publishing world I’ve been happy to give help and advice to many writers, and so far I’ve only been stabbed in the back once. Once was enough, though. It’s made me wary."

"I’ll finish by saying that my husband, who is a scientist and doesn’t believe in the zodiac at all, is a typical Aquarius, and that our partnership - Aries woman/Aquarius man - is everything Linda Goodman promised me it would be in her excellent book Love Signs all those years ago. I had been searching for him my whole life. I don’t think anyone else could put up with me, or bring out the best in me, the way he does. And whenever I get down, or feel overwhelmed, I remind myself of those positive Aries qualities I used to read about when I was a teenager and I remember why I wanted to emulate them as I grew into the woman I am today. Or did I already have them? I guess I’ll never know."

Jo, I love this piece! I am sending it to my Aries sister to read as soon as it comes out, as she's been in a happy relationship with an Aquarius man for some years. I love that you mentioned the 'childlike' thing - one of my favourite Ariens is Steven Tyler of Aerosmith; at the age of 68 he still displays that childlike wonder of which you spoke. The babies of the zodiac, yes; I believe each sign represents an age of man. Leo is your average 18 year old ~ stepping out in the world and enjoying everything on offer (yee-hah!). And Aquarius is the 11th sign ~ of very old age and wisdom, when you've done everything and been everywhere you're ever likely to do. Perhaps they keep Aries calm :) Really makes me laugh about Linda Goodman's Love Signs, too - I had that book in my teens!

You can see all Jo's books HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.

Now.... two famous ram writers to go with Jo....

... the first one I've chosen is chick lit goddess Trisha Ashley ~ who actually appeared on The Z Files a few weeks ago! You can read her piece HERE