Let's start off with something simple. Who are you?Simple? Yeah right. For the living, I am supposed to be a real estate broker but as that doesn’t earn enough money to pay the dues in this market, guess I’m a failure. In reality I usurp money from my ex-husband’s pocket in order to write.
Could you tell us a little bit about your work in progress?
I have two current WIPs. The first, UNCLASSIFIED, is a YA dystopian in which the MC is stuck in a world of genetically altered humans. It’s your classic, ugly girl saves the world plot. The other, PHELAN’S RAMPAGE, is a sequel to the first novel I wrote, ALKONOST. Taking the lead as the MC, Phelan is a shifter with a vendetta against the evil goddess that killed the love of his life in the first segment. It’s set in Dubrovnik, my favorite place on earth.
What is the first story you remember writing? What was it about?
How the Skunk Got His Stripes in the 5th grade.
Are you more of a “plotter” or a “pantser”?
I am totally a “pantser”! I plotted my NaNoWriMo novel this past November, BLAZE, and wow, won’t do that again.
All writers need encouragement. Who first encouraged you to write, and who is it that encourages you today?
Does mandatory writing to pass a class count as encouragement? I’d like to say the ex-hubby who pays my bills is my encouragement, but lately he’s been encouraging me to return to work. And while he was the first to believe in me, it’s a fellow writer that keeps me churning out the pages every day. Gina White, she has a blog, http://tiredbutwriting.blogspot.com, and she is a snotty, I mean snarky,
rattlesnake bite of daily wisdom.
Which authors have had a significant influence on your writing?
OMG Where to start? I read GONE WITH THE WIND when I was nine and thought of myself as Scarlet for three pubescent years. Hey, I was a scrawny redhead forced to wear long dresses to school? I think that allows for a ‘don’t judge me pass’. So, Margaret Mitchell, Anne Rice, VC Andrews, and the awe inspiring Suzanne Collins.
What music, if any, do you enjoy listening to while you write?
I wear headphones to block out all sound while I write, if something seeps through, I read out loud what I am writing.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a writer?
I’ve been told my greatest strength is my ability to describe the scene, but I think it’s my dedication. I write every day, at least three hours. My greatest weakness is I hate to cut out scenes, and save them in separate pdf file to visit later.
What do you hope to achieve with your writing?
To be published, make the NYT Best Seller’s List and live happily ever after. Doesn’t everyone?
What was once traditionally a print medium is now rapidly branching out into many digital formats. What do you think of this trend?
When it comes to Kindle, NookBook and etc, I’m ecstatic, I buy most of my books in ebook. But as for indie publishing, I’m torn. I want to be published traditionally, who doesn’t? But I’m thinking more and more of going with an independent publisher. I suck at querying!
What was the last sentence that you had to re-read over and over again because of its awesomeness? What struck you about it?
It’s funny you should ask, I just sent this to my reading buddy yesterday. It’s a line out of her WIP, the title is either dEADgIRL, my preference but I’m not the author, or AMBIOSIS, quite cool too right?
Eventually she would annoy herself so much she was sure she would find a way to die.
It sums up the tragic MC in a nutshell, and I love her.
What book(s) have you recently read that you would recommend to the readers of this blog?
As I am writing YA, I’ve been reading YA and I can’t pay homage enough to THE HUNGER GAMES series by Suzanne Collins. And while it took me until 80+ to care, I fell in love with BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
What advice do you have to other aspiring authors out there?
Don’t quit writing! Write every day, if you don’t have time, set a goal even if it’s only 10 minutes, and keep it. Don’t overanalyze your work; if it’s a draft…it sucks. All drafts SUCK, get over it and keep going.
An apocalypse destroys the entirety of human literature, apart from the work of three authors that you can magically save with your wizardry – what do you save from imminent destruction?
My laptop, my Chardonnay and my Keurig coffee pot.
Our time is at an end. For our curious readers, how can we follow your progress?
I have a blog to mark my public humiliation at http://wantonredheadwriting.blogspot.com
And any day now, you can pick me at Barnes & Noble. Hey, it’ll happen!
***Are you an aspiring author willing to do an interview for my little blog? If so, click here.***
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