10 Questions

I've posed 10 Questions with... to a few authors and I love the variety of responses I've received. I've reworked the questions a bit and am going to make this the focus of my blog with the occasional book review. With that in mind I'm looking for an author of any genre with an upcoming book release date who might want to answer the following questions.

1. From where did your love of writing come?
2. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
3. What did you find most useful in learning to write?
4. What inspired you to write your first book?
5. When did you first consider yourself a writer?
6. What is your favorite part of the writing process? 
7. What is your least favorite part of the writing process? 
8. Do you have any writing rituals or superstitions?
9. What, outside of writing, makes you happy? 
10. If stranded on a deserted island, what three fiction books (other than your own) would you like to have with you?

It's been too long since I last posted but life has been a little crazy. On January 25th my wife saw a home online she loved, we looked at it, and by February 25th we were moving in having sold our house in two days. To say it's been a whirlwind month would be an understatement. On top of this I also took my End of Program (EOP) exam for graduate school. I'm in my last semester of getting my master's degree in Library Science and the EOP was my last big hurdle. We were given ten questions and had to select three and write a paper on each one. You either pass all three or fail all three and can take the EOP again one time if you fail. If you don't pass the second time you are out of the program. Now that the move and the EOP are behind me I want to dedicate myself to posting regularly to this blog.

I'll be graduating in May and have 36 boxes of books that I packed some of which I've not had a chance to read. I am looking forward to getting to unpack them and start reading again for pleasure. Not to say I'm not reading for pleasure now because I'm taking a class called Adult Materials and Reading Interests and I love it! We study a different fiction genre each week and have to write a short report on the book we read that fits that genre. This week's report, due Wednesday, is all about romance. Needless to say I'm in my element this week unlike a few weeks ago when we covered westerns or the week we covered inspirational fiction. But even though these are not two genres in which I usually read I did enjoy the novels I picked as it exposed me to what's being written in those categories. That in turn has helped me already with book recommendations and will help me as I graduate and become a librarian.

10 Questions With...Jennifer Estep

Jennifer Estep is one of my and my wife's most loved authors. Her Bigtime, Mythos Academy, and Elemental Assassin series have been favorites of ours and she's got a new series, Black Blade, coming soon and we can't wait. Jennifer has a new book out today Black Widow which is the 12th book in the Elemental Assassin series. For those unfamiliar the series is about Gin Blanco, an assassin known as the Spider and also a BBQ joint owner. She can control the elements of ice and stone which aid her in her duties as an assassin. I can't recommend this series highly enough as it's got fantasy creatures such as giants and vampires, an assassin who isn't conflicted about what she does to pay the bills, and a supporting cast of characters for which you'll want to root. Leave a comment and you'll be entered in a random drawing to win a copy of Black Widow (open to US resident's only). Winner will be chosen on Black Friday. Thanks to Jennifer for taking the time to answer my questions:

1. What is your favorite part of the writing process? 

JE: Typing “The End” on a book. LOL. Seriously, though, I always enjoy finishing a book because it is such a sense of accomplishment, that I have taken all these thousands of words and hopefully turned them into a story that folks will read and enjoy.

2. What is your least favorite part of the writing process? 

JE: Reading and re-reading through my books. I do several drafts of each book, along with copyedits, page proofs, and more. So by the time a book is finally finished, I am thoroughly sick of reading and re-reading it so many times.

3. What, outside of writing, makes you happy? 

JE: Reading for fun, of course. Also, watching movies and TV, and hanging out with friends and family.

4. What, outside of writing, do you hate to do and wish you could hire someone to do for you? 

JE: Washing dishes

5. What word do you love? 

JE: Macabre

6. What word do you hate? 

JE: Can’t

7. What is your favorite food when under deadline?

JE: I love comfort food, so fried chicken, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and cheese fries are all good with me.

8. What profession, other than yours, would you like to give one of your characters? 

JE: I think it would be fun to run a bookstore, so one of my characters will probably do that at some point in one of my books.

9. What profession, other than yours, would you not have a character do?

JE: Probably being a dentist. Does anyone really like going to the dentist? LOL.

10. If heaven exists, what three books would you like to find in the library there?

JE: Beauty by Robin McKinley; Casino Royale by Ian Fleming; and Bank Shot by Donald E. Westlake

Thank you...

My to-be-read pile is huge. It's made bigger because I'm in graduate school and thus reading for pleasure is something I don't get to do often. Yet there are those authors that, as soon as they publish a book, I am going to buy it and start reading. I want to take a minute and acknowledge those authors and say thank you for the pleasure they've given me. So to:

Nikki Duncan
Jennifer Estep
Liliana Hart
Candace Havens
Mark Henry
Nicole Peeler
Vicki Lewis Thompson
Jaye Wells

Thank you for doing what seems impossible. You take the English language and you pluck out words and put them to paper. You create characters that then come to life and put your words into action so that as we read these characters become real to us. For a few hours (in my wife's case) or a few weeks (*grumble* stupid grad school taking up all my time *grumble*) we can lose ourselves in the world you have created. So keep writing and I'll keep reading anything and everything you publish.

10 Questions with...Vicki Lewis Thompson

NYT bestselling author Vicki Lewis Thompson has written over 100 books including the Nerd, Hex, and Sons of Chance series. When not writing Vicki can be spotted hanging out at Disneyland and it's not unheard of for new employees to ask her for directions. Vicki's latest book, The Perfect Man, released in September and she has two Christmas themed books set for release in November. You can find Vicki at her website and on Facebook.    

1. What is your favorite part of the writing process? 

Writing a scene that works, a scene that sings and dances and makes me want to do the same.

2. What is your least favorite part of the writing process? 

Writing to a specific word count.  I used to be able to hit the word count better in the early days of my career than I do now after more than 100 books.  What's up with that?

3. What, outside of writing, makes you happy?

Riding Grizzly River Run at Disneyland, hanging out with my family, traveling with writer friends, connecting with readers, and listening to my cat purr. 

4. What, outside of writing, do you hate to do and wish you could hire someone to do for you?

Housework, and I do hire a housecleaner!  Also jury duty and taking my car through emissions. 

5. What word do you love? 

Serendipity.

6. What word do you hate? 

Semi-automatic.

7. What is your favorite food when under deadline?

Very sharp cheddar cheese. 

8. What profession, other than yours, would you like to give one of your characters? 

Talented visual artist, which I'm doing with my current WIP.

9. What profession, other than yours, would you not have a character do?

Undertaker, which is probably not the PC way to describe that profession anymore.

10. If heaven exists, what three books would you like to find in the library there?

Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Winnie the Pooh

On being a romance author's fan

1. Authors are people who write books they are not the character in their book. The reader is very familiar with the author’s character but remember the author is not that character. The author also doesn’t necessarily believe all the things they write. It’s called fiction for a reason.
2. Writing is work. It is the author’s business and livelihood. Remember that when you email them or comment on one of their social media sites. They are working and might not be able to get back to you promptly so be patient. Most authors love interacting with their fans but
3. You want to get to know an author but you need to respect their privacy. Some authors are an open book. Some authors reveal little about themselves or their family. Respect that and don’t pry into their personal lives.
4. Many published authors also have day jobs because for many writing won’t pay all the bills. For every Stephen King or Danielle Steele there are many authors that struggle to build their readership. If you have an author you love you can help them out by mentioning their book to your friends, writing reviews on Amazon, Good Reads, etc., and by buying their books and not looking for a free source. Pirating is illegal and is not hurting the publishing company nearly as much as you are hurting the author.
5. The single worst question I’ve heard asked of a romance author was during a book tour when a young man asked, “When are you going to write real books?” The author was very polite and didn’t go off on the young man though I think some of us in the audience wanted to for her. Authors write real books no matter the genre. They put their heart and soul into what they write and the finished book is a real book with characters that make you feel, that move you, that make you want to know more about them. What could be more real than that?  

10 Questions with...Jaye Wells

With my apologies to Marcel Proust, Bernard Pivot, and James Lipton I am asking 10 Questions of my favorite authors. First up is Jaye Wells who is the author of the Sabina Kane and Prospero's War series of books. Cursed Moon, the second in the Prospero's War series, was recently released. Jaye can be found on both Facebook and Twitter as well as lurking in coffee shops hoping to overhear conversations that might become part of her next book.

1. What is your favorite part of the writing process?

The days when I am really in the zone. I lose track of time and totally get into a rhythm. It's magic.  

2. What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

The last two weeks before deadline.  

3. What, outside of writing, makes you happy?

My family, cooking, good bourbon, travel, and reading.  

4. What, outside of writing, do you hate to do and wish you could hire someone to do for you?

Laundry.  

5. What word do you love?

Fecund.  

6. What word do you hate?

Panties  

7. What is your favorite food when under deadline?

Something-something-carbs-cheese-sugar-alcoholic-caffeinated.  

8. What profession, other than yours, would you like to give one of your characters?

Mortician 

9. What profession, other than yours, would you not have a character do?

Accountant or sales 

10. If heaven exists, what three books would you like to find in the library there?

Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, and a book explaining the meaning of it all.