AUTHOR INTERVIEW - REBECCA WEINSTEIN

1.                  What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?

Rebecca Weinstein, born & raised in Central NJ

2.             Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

I actually had dreams of working as a Disney animator most of my life. Sometimes life gets in the way of your dreams. Before my father passed eight years ago, he told me that if my dreams of Disney didn’t pan out, to find a new dream. I have.

3.             When did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?

I’ve always been a creative writer, but I don’t think I first considered myself a “writer” until about six years ago.

4.             Did it take a long time to get your first book published?

I finally took the leap in 2009 and went the Indie publishing route and put out Dexter By A Nose, but took a big step this year and put out several others.

5.             Do you work another job as well as your writing work?

Oh, gosh, do I! I am a high school teacher, moderator for a school club as well as the school’s newspaper and yearbook, coach the boys and girls bowling teams and on top of that, I’m a full time wife and mom! And yet, I still manage to squeeze in a little writing every day. I don’t think it’s a wonder I’m exhausted most of the time!

6.             What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?

Blood Moon (Redstone Series #2)

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Nashoga teams up with Henrik to defeat an old foe.

7.             Who is your publisher? or do you self publish?

I Indie publish with Summertime Publishing.

8.             How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?

I don’t think there is a standard time. If I put all of my energy into it and know exactly where a story will go, I can write it in a month. Then it has to stew on the shelf for a bit before I take another look at it and have it edited. The longest book of mine was a five year project. It sat on a shelf for four of those years. The shortest was three months from start to last edit.

9.             Which of your books were easier/harder to write than the others?

Amazon took five years to create. It might not have been quite so hard to write, but it was hard to pull everything together in final edits. The novel I’m currently writing is a historical fiction set in 1800’s Nevada, and requires a lot of research to make it accurate, so I find it a lot more work than making up a world purely from your own head.

10.           What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

I write primarily YA, and as I said, I’m working on a historical fiction. However, in the following year you can expect the third in the Redstone Series, a sequel to Amazon (already in the works) and the historical fiction. I also have a dystopian fiction (not YA) novel plotted out for writing after these other projects are completed.

11.           Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

Redstone Series #3 and a sequel to Amazon will be out in early 2012.

12.           What genre would you place your books into?

Young Adult, fantasy, adventure

13.           Do you have a favourite out of the books you have written? If so why is it your favourite? Wow. I have never really had to think about this before. That’s a tough choice. I would have to say Nashoga (Redstone Series #1). It was the first one as an ebook, but I liked how while I was writing it, the characters wrote the story themselves. A lot of unexpected turns happened that I had not originally planned.

14.           Do you have a favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite?

I really enjoy Comanche, the German Shepherd, from Amazon. He has a great personality and a wonderful sense of humor. I wish he was my dog.

15.           How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?

Technically, I have been writing creatively since seventh grade when I received an essay topic for class. “How to fit an elephant through a keyhole” was quite an interesting assignment.

16.           Where do you get your book plot ideas from?

The voices in my head. Just kidding!

17.           Do you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially release them?

I have not done pre-release reviews yet.

18.           Do you gift books to readers to do reviews?

All the time!

19.           Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

I’d be stupid not to. There’s a lot you can learn from your readers.

20.           What was the toughest/best review you have ever had?

I have not really received tough reviews. I receive reviews where there are comments I don’t always agree with, but you really have to keep in mind that it’s an opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinion even if I don’t see it their way. Sometimes reviewers might make a statement about style choice, and that’s their prerogative. But I know I can always learn something from my readers. I think the best review or comment I’ve ever received was from blogger Albert Robbins III, who posted an unexpected review of my book Seraphim. When I asked him about it, because I didn’t remember sending it his way, he said he “just had to have it.” That just about made my life!

21.           How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books?

That’s all me. The benefits of also being an artist is that I can create some nice cover artwork. Titles come to me during writing or afterwards.

22.           How do you market/promote your books?

I send them out to book bloggers, I use Twitter and Facebook,

23.           What do you think makes a book a really good/bestseller?

Quality writing, believable characters you can empathize with.

24.           Have you ever suffered from a "writer's block"? What did you do to get past the "block"?

I don’t know a writer who hasn’t. I work on a different project for a while and usually I’ll think of something that gets me past it.

25.           What do you do to unwind and relax?

Watch anime.

26.           Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you?

Absolutely.

27.           Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")

Although I don’t ever start a book intending to tell a moral, I’m sure they’ve worked their way in there. Nashoga has anti-bullying and abuse themes, as well as friendship in adversity. Although I did not start out with the intention of having these themes, they developed along the way.

28.           Is there a certain Author that influenced you in writing?

It’s funny, because out of the people who influence me the most as a writer, only one is a YA author, and that’s J.K. Rowling. The other two are King and Butcher. I’ve learned a lot from King’s On Writing, and I’ve learned a lot about dropping dialogue tags from Butcher.

29.           Which format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback, or paperback?

I prefer paperback, although I love my ereader because I can switch books at any time.

30.           What is your favourite book and Why?  Have you read it more than once?

The Eyes of The Dragon or Wizard and Glass (King) and yes, I’ve read them both more than once. I love them both because they aren’t King as the horror author, but the fantasy author. I love the characters and plots of these novels. Wizard and Glass gives the reader an in depth look into the young Roland Deschain (gunslinger) and the events that made him who he is.

31.           Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst  book to movie transfer?

I suppose it depends on the director of the movie, doesn’t it?  Worst one is an easy pick. Percy Jackson – the Lightning Thief was a horrible book adaptation. Jurassic Park was fantastic.

32.           What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback)

I’m reading an ebook in the More Than Angels series by Ruby Moon-Houldson as an ebook.

33.           Do you think ebooks will ever totally replace printed books?

I don’t think they will totally replace them. I couldn’t live without print books. I love holding them, feeling their pages, the smell of them. I’m sure plenty of bibliophiles feel the same way.

34.           Do you think children at schools these days are encouraged enough to read? and/or do Imaginative writing?

As a mom of a thirteen year old daughter, I can attest to that. Although, I’m pretty sure her mom had a little to do with that!

35.           Is there a book you know you will never read? Or one you tried to read but just couldn't finish?

After reading Gregory MaGuire’s Wicked, I wanted to read Son of a Witch. I didn’t get past the thirtieth page. I felt it was too disjointed, too much strange vocabulary, and just could not get into it. I don’t like abandoning books, but for my sanity, I just had to.

36.           Are there any New Authors you are interested in for us to watch out for? and Why should we watch out for them?

I wouldn’t say he is new, but keep an eye out for David H. Fears, another Indie author. He writes hardboiled crime novels. I think I’m secretly in love with his Mike Angel, his MC.

37.           Is there anything in your book/books you would change now if you could and what would it be?

Oh sure. I’m human, my editor is human, and we make mistakes. Even the best authors in the world have typos in their books. That’s what I would change.

38.           What do you think about book trailers?

I have one for Nashoga. When I think trailer, I think mini-movie, so that’s what mine is like. The others I see are more like a slideshow set to music. I’m not fond of those.

39.           What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?

Write, write, write, and then write some more.

40.           Do you or would you ever use a pen name?

Maybe. ^-^


Thankyou for taking the time to take part in this Interview Rebecca.
If you want to win some of Rebecca's books check out the Christmas Giveaway!