Author Captain Lee Rosbach – February 2019
Welcome to The Naked Reviewers, Captain Lee! We are honored to have the Captain Lee Rosbach from television’s hit Bravo show, Below Deck for an interview. I took a chance and tweeted him a message, asking him to do an author interview, and he said YES! He has also sent us a free copy of his book, Running Against the Tide and we are out of this world excited to review his story on February 6th. We are so honored to be doing this.
Let’ meet Captain Lee, shall we?
Author Bio:
Born and raised in Saginaw Michigan, Harold Lee Rosbach is the second of seven children. While Capt Lee has been in the industry for over 20 years, he started yachting a little later in life than your average “yachtie.” While living in the Turks and Caicos Islands managing a restaurant, Lee was attracted to the industry after serving as a mate on a sailboat delivery to earn some extra money. At the age of 35, Lee took the time to get his Captain’s license and left the restaurant management business to pursue his newfound passion for the seas.
Having worked both private and charter, Captain Lee prefers charter as he feels the joy he gets in seeing his guest’s reaction’s as they view the beautiful scenery. The gin clear water with its multiple shades of blue is priceless and not something he can get in an office setting. He loves his job and everyday looks forward to new people and new adventures. Capt Lee is always ready to answer the call of the Caribbean, the Med or anywhere there are islands to explore. There is always a new adventure just beyond the sunset. Some of the superyachts that have been under his command are 164’ Cuor di Leone, 162’Mustang Sally, 155′ Ohana, 140′ Just Enough, 135’Atlantica, 120′ Sovereign, Pauly D, Insatiable, Morganstar, Mostro and 135’ Feadship, Sea Ghost.
You can find out all the latest and greatest about Captain Lee on his blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Hang onto your hats, here we go.
Interview Conducted by Very Sherry Terry.
TNR: What drew you to write your story?
Captain Lee: The motivation for me writing the book was Frances Berwick, the President of NBC Universal. We met at the launch of Below Deck Med and had a very enlightening conversation and she wondered why I hadn’t written a book about my Capt Leeism’s and while this current book did incorporate some of them in it, it wasn’t the total focus. But she was my inspiration for doing the book. And for that, I am very grateful to her.
TNR: How long did it take you to write your book?
Captain Lee: It took about a year to write the book, a lot of back and forth with my collaborator Michael Scholl, who without him we may have not gotten it done. My hat goes off to him.
TNR: A year isn’t that long at all to take a book from an idea to the final product. It took me three years for my first book. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Captain Lee: As far as advice for aspiring writers, I really don’t have the experience to be giving advice at this stage, but if I had one for first-time writers, it would be just DO IT. How many people have said I should write a book, I know all about this, but never happens, life gets in the way. Well, get it done. Just do it. You will regret not doing it and trust me you will have enough things in your life to regret, don’t let this be one of them.
TNR: I agree! Did you need to do any research?
Captain Lee: I didn’t have to research, all I had to do was remember. I lived it.
TNR: You’ve lived a very fascinating life, and I loved your book. Where did you like to write?
Captain Lee: I liked to do my writing out by the pool in the hot sun, cool drink, and conversing or not with my collaborator Michael. It was the best. I looked forward to it.
TNR: That sounds like a great place to write. What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?
Captain Lee: My view on bad reviews, I don’t know yet, I haven’t had any yet. Some with some suggestions on what else they would like to see, but no negative reviews. Not that they won’t come, but, I’m not a writer by trade, I do it to convey what I have experienced to people the way I saw it. Nothing more, nothing less.
TNR: I hope you don’t get any bad reviews, and that’s the truth. How was your experience working with traditional publishing?
Captain Lee: I never had a bad experience with the publishing process. My publisher was Gallery Books, which is the pop culture division of Simon & Schuster. So my best experience was seeing the completed project come to life. Had to pinch myself the first time I walked into a bookstore and there I was. Surreal.
TNR: What do your fans mean to you?
Captain Lee: My fans, what do they mean to me? They mean the world to me. Without them, there is no there. I’m not where I am today without them. So when I’m out and about and someone comes up and wants a pic or just to be acknowledged, I say why not. If I can put a smile on someone’s face for 10-15 seconds of my time, why would I not do that?
TNR: That’s so nice to take the time to make a fan’s day. Do you read your reviews?
Captain Lee: Do I read my reviews? Of course, there is no better gauge of how you are perceived.
TNR: What do you want your tombstone to say?
Captain Lee: What do I want my tombstone to say? Tough one. I guess if I have one, I would like it to say that “The going up was worth the coming down”.
TNR: That is an incredible thing to have on your tombstone. I’m a little jealous I didn’t think of it first. Which famous person living or dead would you like to meet and why?
Captain Lee: Who would I like to meet or have met? John Wayne, he was a giant of a man, for his morals, his work ethic and integrity.
TNR: And I think you have a little John Wayne in you with your work ethic and integrity. Another question along that line. If you could have dinner with three people (living or dead), who would they be and why?
Captain Lee: Who are the three people I would love to have dinner with, John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and my wife Mary Anne. Why would I want to deprive her of meeting these two giants among men? Both had everything that I admired then and still do now. That won’t ever change. At least not for me.
TNR: Aww. You and Mary Anne have the best relationship! So, at this dinner with John and President Reagan, what would be your favorite meal and beverage?
Captain Lee: My favorite meal is Kolbe Ribeye, which I don’t get very often, in fact only twice, mid-rare, baked potato with sour cream and chives, a side of broccoli al dente and a great glass of wine, maybe Caymus or something of that caliber. As long as I’m wishing.
TNR: Thank you so much for stopping by and doing an interview with us. This has been one of my personal bucket list items that I can now cross off my list. Now, if I could just be a guest on your yacht, that would pretty much round everything out for me. This was awesome! We had a wonderful time interviewing Captain Lee and found him to be extremely nice and accommodating.
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Author Roseanne Beck – January 2019
We first met Roseanne when she sent us her book, Talk to Me for review. We fell in love with her style and voice. Then she sent us Turn the Paige, and we were hooked. Roseanne writes love stories with witty humor and beautiful writing. She did our annual book event and made it a fabulous time with grace and great content.
We have done book reviews on Talk To Me and Turn The Paige.
I want to properly introduced you to Roseanne, so we will start here:
Author Bio:
Roseanne Beck is a lover of laughter. A writer of romance. And an injurer of her male main characters.
It is her greatest hope that the people in her head entertain you as much as they do her.
She’s a physician who enjoys unleashing her creativity in her off-hours.
She loves college basketball and hates Christian Laettner. She has way too many song lyrics rattling around in her brain. It’s a wonder there’s room for anything else. She would love to hear from you if you’ve enjoyed her stories.
You can find Roseanne on Facebook and Twitter.
Interview conducted by Very Sherry Terry.
Come. Read her interview with us for a peek into her writing and her life.
TNR: Tell us about your writing process, and the way you brainstorm romance story ideas.
Roseanne: So far I’ve been lucky—characters and situations pop into my head. They usually roll around in there, percolating, while I’m working on another book (and doing my day job). I’ll get an idea for the main characters and their overall situation, then as I write, the story kind of fills in around them. The first few chapters are always rough and time-consuming while I get to know them, then the story tends to flow better/go faster as I get a sense of their personalities and how they react.
TNR: Why did you choose to write romantic comedies?
Roseanne: Because I love romance, I love to laugh, and I love awkward situations. This is what I enjoy reading, and this is what I enjoy writing.
TNR: I love the humor in your books. What are you currently working on and what is it about?
Roseanne: I’m working on the third book of the Love Hurts series – Ellie and Clay’s book. Ellie’s done with the bad boys. Clay’s the epitome of what she’s trying so hard to avoid. The more she gets to know him, however, the more she gets the feeling that he’s not exactly what she thought. And that makes him all the more dangerous.
TNR: That sounds so interesting! How often do you write, and do you have a special time during the day to write?
Roseanne: My ideal writing time falls between 9 AM and 3 PM. It seems that my brain has an off switch in the late afternoon. Unfortunately, I also have a full-time job, so writing for me is usually a weekend endeavor (with occasional bursts of creativity scattered here and there).
TNR: Do you write with a specific reader in mind?
Roseanne: I write stuff I like/what I’m looking for. The entertaining, awkward, and funny, because that’s what I enjoy.
TNR: Me too! There are some great dark romance authors, but I like fun and humor and a lighter hand with the storytelling. Let me ask you, for your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hardback books?
Roseanne: I love paperbacks and hadn’t tried reading ebooks until I started publishing them earlier this year. Now I’ve made the leap, and I love them too!
TNR: I love the smell of a library book, but alas I also had to make the leap into ebooks too. What marketing strategies do you find most helpful? Any resources you would recommend to other authors or aspiring authors?
Roseanne: Listen, learn, research, and practice. I actually like the business side of writing, and to me, the marketing aspect is enjoyable and challenging. I’ve joined several FB groups which have been invaluable, and I’ve read and reread a stack of books which I can’t recommend enough. The books that have helped me the most are Brian D. Meeks’ MASTERING AMAZON ADS, Michael Cooper’s HELP! MY FACEBOOK ADS SUCK, and Chris Fox’s books (SIX FIGURE AUTHOR, WRITE TO MARKET, and LAUNCH TO MARKET were most helpful to me).
Read them, study them, read them again. Writing is a business.
TNR: I agree. Writing is a business. What part of your writing time do you devote to marketing?
Roseanne: Since my brain isn’t good for writing in the late afternoons and evenings, this is when I tend to do more of the business-y stuff like marketing.
TNR: Do you prefer to write alone or in the company of other people?
Roseanne: Alone. I get distracted otherwise.
TNR: And now for a more personal question. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
Roseanne: Ireland and New Zealand are on my bucket list. I’ve taken Australia off the list because there are too many snakes. (Hint to those of you who have read my books—there’s usually at least one aspect of the FMC that’s based on me.) I have no idea why they’re on the list, other than I’ve just always wanted to go there.
TNR: Those sound like awesome places to visit. I myself want to stay in a castle in Scotland. What a great research trip that would be. Thank you so much for taking the time to grace us with an interview. I had a blast!
Please go take a look at Roseanne’s catalog of books.
Every image of a cover is a link that leads to third-party retailers and are affiliate links. If you purchase the product in question by clicking on the cover, we earn a small portion of the profits.
