I interview other
people all the time. Today, I decided to interview myself. I sent
myself the questions I generally reserve for others and was surprised
at how I responded. Which just goes to show that not only am I full
of surprises, I am, quite possibly, suffering from some
horrible dis-associative disorder. As I post this, I think I might have done this before. Doesn't matter since
not everyone read them.
When
did you start writing?
I
was telling stories even as a child. I didn't start to write them
down until I got into elementary school. One of my first formal works
was a myth "How We Got Hair". I remember absolutely nothing
about it but the title. When in high school, I wrote lots of short
stories and humorous essays. In college, I branched out into plays. I
didn't attempt my first novel until I was teaching high school many
years later. It's not finished yet, but it has potential! My first
finished and published novel is "Indian Summer", an
historical adventure/ romance set in St. Augustine, Florida in 1739.
What
gave you the idea for your first book?
My
very first, as yet to be finished, novel, "How Many Miles to
Avalon" was inspired by a board game I developed for my gifted
students. The idea for "Indian Summer" came to me when I
was a chaperone on a field trip with my eldest son. I wandered around
St. Augustine thinking how many amazing stories the oldest city on
the East Coast had to tell.
What
genre do you write?
I
write mostly romance. I also have a sci-fi series that could be
called futuristic romance. I also write a crime/ romance blend that
gets your pulse racing for more reasons than one!
What
do you do to keep yourself focused?
Me
focused? Not gonna happen. I try, but life is full of distractions. I
think I have a slight ADD problem which makes it even harder to
concentrate. I keep music playing all the time and that helps me
ignore many distractions.
Do
you stay with one project or do you work on multiple projects?
I'm
a multiple project girl. I get stuck on one story or the muse takes a
powder, and I move on to something else. I rarely suffer from
writer's block as a result.
What
is your writing process?
When
I get an idea, I sit down as soon as possible and start at the
beginning. I try to find a strong starting sentence and work from
there. I don't really outline, though I do jot down notes—like
names, ages, hair color, eye color, etc. If I don't, I have the hero
gazing into the heroine's beautiful brown eyes on page 10 and into her
bottomless blue ones on page 66.
I
write chronologically. I've tried writing scenes and stringing them
together, but that doesn't work well for me. I did write one story in
reverse once. I wrote one section which became the end, wrote a
middle and moved on to a beginning. That's extremely rare for me.
How
do you find your voice?
This
was hard for me when I first started writing. Gabriella, heroine of
"Indian Summer", very much wanted to tell her own story.
Since she was capable of doing that, I allowed it. She did a great
job. I originally chose to write as journal entries but that was far
too limiting. Instead, I let her speak her own way and the voice
found me. I do that all the time now with great results.
Do
you know your ending before you begin?
I
very rarely know the ending when I begin. I like the exploration
process. I might have a goal in mind, but it doesn't get there often.
I enjoy the ride.
What
is your latest release?
My
latest release is "Lone Wolf", the first in my sci-fi
series.
What
other books do you have published?
I
currently have two novels in print. The first is "Indian
Summer", the second is "Lone Wolf".
Where
are your books available?
Both
books are available through Second Wind Publishing, Amazon, Amazon
UK, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.
1 comment:
"I very rarely know the ending when I begin. I like the exploration process. I might have a goal in mind, but it doesn't get there often. I enjoy the ride."
I do the same thing. Not always the best results for me but when it works, it *works*!
Post a Comment