Meet Virginia Rose | Indie Author & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Virginia Rose and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Virginia, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Probably the biggest thing is that writing is actually a pretty small part of being an indie author. I thought going into it that all I had to do was write a book and publish it, but that has been far from the truth. I think a lot of people don’t realize, that being an indie author makes you the owner of a small business. I’ll probably end up spending far more time marketing my book, than I actual did writing it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Lots of patience and hard work. On top of being an author I’m also an artist and so I do a lot of the art for my books, including the covers. Getting both my writing and artwork to a place where I felt ready to share it with the world wasn’t easy. Neither one of them came as naturally to me as I might have liked. I think having passion and encouragement along the way were sometimes the only things that gave me the drive to keep moving forward. I also wonder, if storytelling or art had come naturally to me, would I still be doing it? I think there is definitely something to be said about having to work hard for something. It has taught me to have grace and patience with myself, even when I don’t quite meet my own standards. The sense of accomplishment I’ve felt holding my finished work in my hands, would not feel the same if it didn’t have years of work behind it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d definitely want to show them as much of the Outer Banks as possible! Of course the beach is an excellent place to hang out at, but the community here is also very artistic so there are lots of interesting places to see. Staying in the more central part of the beach, I’d definitely want to take them to Waveriders, Ashley’s Espresso Parlor, Surfin’ Spoon, the Saltbox Cafe, Colington cafe, Jockey’s Ridge, and the Wright Brother’s Memorial maybe in the first couple days. On the third day I’d probably take them up north to visit Corolla and Duck to go to Duck’s Cottage, walk around Corolla village a bit, see the lighthouse, and stop by Island Books. On the fourth or fifth day I’d probably take them down to Ocracoke island and Hatteras where we could stop at Dancing Turtle Coffee Shop, Books to be Red, Eduardo’s Taco Stand, the Ocracoke Lighthouse, Village Craftsmen, and Over the Moon. Then on the sixth day I’d probably take them to Manteo and stop by the Aquarium, Elizabethan Gardens, Blue Water Grill, Downtown Books, and Festival park.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family. I would not have gotten to this point so early in my life if not for them. They have supported me every step of the way and for that reason they definitely deserve a lot of credit.

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/virginia-rose-author/home

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosewritergal?igsh=MTR3dGxwanoyOWlkMg==

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555360195105&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Rosewritergal-rk8rd

Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/virginiaroseauthor

Image Credits
Whitney Norko Photography