fuonlyknew

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What book do you think everyone should read?

1984 by George Orwell.

 

How long have you been writing?

12 years

 

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?

When we moved from the UK to America, part of the plan was to pick up my parents in Florida and drive them home to Minnesota. On the way, I insisted we stop in Frankfort, Kentucky as a lot of the book takes place at the governor’s mansion in Frankfort. I had looked at a lot of pictures on the internet, but boy did I get a lot of it wrong!

 

I managed to get onto the grounds and wandered around for a minute or two with my tape recorder making notes before a Kentucky Secret Serviceman came out of the mansion and asked what I was doing. I told him I was writing a book. He wished me luck and told me to get the hell off the property.

 

What do you think about the current publishing market?

I think Fifty Shades of Gray did for publishing what American Idol did for the singing industry. A lot of hidden talent has emerged, but there is also a huge number of people who should have never been put on the stage or into print.

 

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?

I have to have absolute silence. Somebody once asked me how many words a minute I can type. I replied, “It depends on how fast I’m thinking.” When I’m in the zone the slightest distraction can make three paragraphs in my head vanish before I can get them down. I am a focused person which means I suck at multi-tasking.

 

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?

I do one at a time however, I have a rather long editing process. So when I hand over my current work in progress to an editor or beta readers, I work on another book. But as soon as my WIP comes back from whomever I’m right back into editing it.

 

Tell us about a favorite character from a book.

In my third book, FORBIDDEN TROUBLE, I needed a friend for Tyler so he could talk about his feelings. I came up with a bumpkin from Kentucky named Billy Earl McClure. I would write Billy Earl and whenever I read it back I’d laugh out loud. I think he was my funniest character to date.

 

Do you have any advice to offer for new authors?

Be patient. Don’t rush to get the first book out and into the public’s hands. I know that is the exciting bit but don’t rush the editing. Editing is the most important part—it is also the most expensive, the most time-consuming, and the most rewarding.

 

Describe your writing style.

Very simplistic and humor is always included no matter what I write. I’m not a great writer in terms of lavish detail and deeply emotional characters, but I’m a good storyteller. I create difficult situations for my characters to see how they get out of it. Part of the fun of writing is writing myself into a corner without any idea of how to resolve it and let the character figure it out. They surprise me time and time again. And I don’t often send the reader to the dictionary—the odd character might now and then, but not me.

 

What makes a good story?

Unpredictability. I love it when readers tell me “Wow, I didn’t see that coming.”

 

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?

After I come up with a basic idea, I let it formulate in my mind for weeks without writing anything down. I visualize the characters, their personalities, and the obstacles they must overcome. I let it resonate. By the time they hit the page, I know them. They may surprise me and evolve into someone different to make a better story but that’s where the editing aligns my original thoughts with their paper persona.

 

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Telling not showing, but I didn’t even know how to do that until I joined a writing group. A very basic example is: Karen was standing by the jukebox. You just told the reader what Karen was doing.

Karen’s hips swayed as she stood next to the jukebox as Bryan Adams sang Everything I Do. Now you’ve shown the reader what Karen did and created a better visual. Don’t rely on self-editing alone. If you can’t afford editing services join an online writing group such as CritiqueCircle.com or Scribophile.

 

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

I try to be more original. That’s why I write across so many different genres. When I meet people and tell them I’m a writer, the next question is “What do you write?” And that’s when I give a silent “Uh Oh.” I can’t summarize it in one or two words because I don’t have twenty books about billionaires with different haircuts. But if you want originality, I write romance, comedy, suspense, noir, satire, memoir …

 

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from other genders?

Oh I love it! When I write a female character, it is the only time I can control what a woman thinks, says, and does.

 

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

3-4 months writing it, 4-6 months editing it.

 

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Yes. It’s when your imaginary friends quit talking to you.

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Trouble Triangle