What piece of advice would you give to a
new writer?
Take your time. Prepare first by learning
all you can about writing. Next, practice writing - you will write a lot of
badly written pieces before you start writing gems; it’s all part of the
process. Finally, publish some of the gems to get used to other people reading
your writing, to get feedback on your writing, and to get over the initial shyness
involved with sharing your writing.
Are there any New Authors you are
interested in for us to watch out for? and Why should we watch out for them?
John Prescott. He wrote two fabulous books
- Pray and Hell - which are about the end of the world. They are very
adventurous stories with a paranormal twist. I am awaiting the third book in
the series, which will be coming out in December 2012. He is a very talented
writer with the gift of crafting a powerful story.
Did you read a lot at school and write lots
of stories or is being a writer something newer in your life?
I’ve always liked to read and write. My
parents read me children books every night when I was little, and I began
writing when I was three years old. I read most of the Nancy Drew series as a
child and then quite a few V.C. Andrews books, which I inherited from my mother
from when she was a child. Then I got into horror books and Christopher Pike
was my favorite author, and my favorite book by him was The Season of Passage. I wrote short stories in grade school and
junior high. I also wrote poetry in junior high. I started journal writing when
I was nine years old. I also went to college for writing for over two years and
wrote a lot then.
Do you think ebooks will ever totally
replace printed books?
Absolutely, but probably not for a very
long time. Print books will be around for as long as they remain physically
intact, but ebooks will become the norm. Technology is advancing and will leave
paper books behind. Which is good in a way, because it is better for the
environment.
What are you currently reading? Are you
enjoying it? What format is it? (ebook, hardback or paperback)
I am currently reading Anywhere but Here by Sherri Moorer. I have it on my Kindle ereader.
It is about a girl in her twenties who goes through increasingly bad life
experiences and deals with people who are not honest to her and try to bring
her down. She has dreams that reflect aspects of her life in a fantasy kind of way,
which are told as part of the story. The book leaves me guessing about what
will happen next. It is an interesting and captivating book with a great
storyline. I can relate to the main character, who is trying to move up in the
world of business, which is what I was doing before I became a professional
writer.
Which format of book do you prefer, ebook, hardback,
or paperback?
I definitely prefer ebooks on my Kindle. I
find it very cumbersome to hold a print book. An ereader is so much more
efficient and practical. I read a lot more with my Kindle than I did with print
books. I bought the Kindle Touch recently, because I wanted a good ereader, but
I didn’t want special Web browsing features. I wanted it to be like I was
reading a paperback - so black and white on the pages. I’m very happy with it.
Plus, I love Amazon.
Do you basic plot/plan for your book,
before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you let the writing flow and
see where it takes the story?
With my latest book, Freelance Writing Guide: What to Expect in Your First Year as a
Freelance Writer, I had the title planned and a detailed outline completed before
I started writing the book. It was tremendously helpful. It kept the content of
my book organized. And because I had all of my main ideas and some of the
details planned out, it was easier to write the book. I didn’t have to think
about what I was going to write each time I sat down to write, because all of
the information was there in front of me. I highly recommend outlining a book
before beginning to write.
How do you come up with the Title and Cover
Designs for your book/books? Who designed the Cover of your books?
I came up with the title of Freelance Writing Guide: What to Expect in
Your First Year as a Freelance Writer by brainstorming. I knew what my topic would
be - freelance writing - but I needed to decide on a slant that made it unique
compared to other books of the same topic. So I literally sat down with a pen
and paper and let my mind flow around the topic of freelance writing until I
came up with a bunch of ideas for a title. Then I reviewed the title ideas,
narrowed them down, and edited a title until it accurately reflected what I
wanted my book to be about. The cover I designed myself. I purchased the
background design from Dreamstime, saved it to my computer, uploaded the image
to a PowerPoint slide, added the title and my name, and formatted it exactly
how I wanted it. I’m happy with how it came out and it only cost me $10.
Would you ever ask a reviewer to change
their review if it was not all positive about your book/books?
Never. I would not have the audacity to do
so, and I find it very inappropriate to do. I don’t mind negative reviews,
because I know that not every reader is going to like my books. Reading preference
is subjective and sometimes readers pick up a book that isn’t to their liking.
And that’s okay. People need to see the negative reviews as well as the
positive ones, because it’s best to have many viewpoints on the book and a wide
range of opinions to give readers a well-rounded perspective on what the book
is about to help them decide which books they want to read.
Do you read all the reviews of your
book/books?
Yes! I love getting reviews of my books. I
like to hear what my readers think about my books and I like to learn more
about my readers’ opinions. My readers are very dear to me, and I appreciate
every time a person reads one of my books.
Who is your publisher? or do you self
publish?
I self-publish all of my books. The books
I’ve published so far have been shorter works, so a traditional publisher
probably wouldn’t pick them up anyway. I did try once to get a nonfiction idea
approved by an agent, by sending out book proposals to twenty different agents,
but no one liked the idea. I never ended up publishing that book anyway. I’m
very much a do-it-myself person, because I’m independent and like to learn new
things. If I can do it myself, I don’t find it necessary to hire someone else
to do it. I feel better when I self-publish, because I get to do all parts of
the publishing process. I like having that involvement with my books, which are
dear to me, like my readers.
What is the name of your latest book, and
if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
My latest book is Freelance Writing Guide: What to Expect in Your First Year as a
Freelance Writer. My summary: Freelance
Writing Guide is a book about all the things a writer needs to know to
become a freelance writer. Wow, that’s exactly 20 words!
Did you always want to be a writer? If not
what did you want to be?
I wanted to be many different people
throughout my lifetime: actress, lawyer, model, psychologist, fashion designer,
business person, and veterinary technician. I wanted to be a writer seven years
ago, and I have achieved my dream and stayed with the career for the longest of
any career I’ve had in the past. This is the career and life for me!
Thanks for sharing Christine!
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