50 good questions to ask an author
I found this online I’m sorry I can’t remember where.
Q: What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
A:Nowhere in the real world but everywhere in the books I read.
Q: What is the first book that made you cry?
A: Where the Red Fern Grows
Q: What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
A: Agents asking you to pay them to represent you.
Q: Does writing energize or exhaust you?
A: it does both depending on the scene I am writing.
Q: What are common traps for aspiring writers?
A: for me it was falling for the agents asking for money to represent me. An ethical agent will not ask for money up front the get a percentage of the money you get once a publisher wants you book it’s part of the contract
Q: Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
A: I believe it hurts more then it helps.
Q: What is your writing Kryptonite?
A: social media.
Q: Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
A: no I don’t think so.
Q: Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
A: yes for a split second, then I decided I wanted my real name on my books.
Q: Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
A: I try to be more original but still deliver what my readers want.
Q: Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?
A: yes I do as long as you have a story to tell.
Q: What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
A: I’m not friends with any in real life but on social media I follow a lot, they made me realize that as long as I have a story to tell I can be a writer no matter how badly I spell. That’s what spellcheck and a few trusted friends are for they help me edit my rough drafts.
Q: Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
A: I am at the moment I am writing a series so all books will be contacted.
Q: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
A: keep writing, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be a published writer.
Q: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
A: It made me rearrange my schedule to fit promoting in.
Q: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
A: On hiring an editor.
Q: What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
A: I don’t have any I still dislike the authors I disliked as a younger person.
Q: What did you do with your first advance?
A: I haven’t been traditional published yet, but I would put a lot of it away for taxes.
Q: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
A: to be honest when I was in 8th grade and read Where the Red Fern Grows
Q: What are the most important magazines for writers to subscribe to?
A: to be honest I do not subscribe to any magazines.
Q: What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
A: that’s hard, I guess anything by Piers Anthony.
Q: How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader?
A: the only thing I have ever asked of my readers is to review my book(s) when they are done reading.
Q: As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal
A: that would be either a hedgehog or a penguin since they both are my favorite animals.
Q:What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?
A: I thank them for being apart of my life and allowing me to base some of my characters on part of their personalities.
Q: How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
A: two or three
Q: What does literary success look like to you?
A: being able to go in to a book store and see my books on the shelves.
Q: What’s the best way to market your books?
A: the way I am doing it social media and talking about my book.
Q: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
A: With the type of writing I do I research animals and environmental stuff for the animals. It takes about a week or two depending on the animals.
Q: Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
A: not spiritual but more of a mental clearing, you see if I don’t write I get too many different stories or scenes going in my head. It makes it hard to sleep and concentrate on my daily tasks that do not involve writing.
Q: What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A: yes but since I write from a female point of view I just have to write the guys’ reactions.
Q: How long were you a part-time writer before you became a full-time one?
A: I don’t work outside the home, so I was only a “part-time” writer until both my kids were in school. So until my kids were seven and five ( they are fifteen and seventeen now)
Q: How many hours a day do you write?
A: I try to actually write at least 6 hours a day, some days it’s more some days it’s less.
Q: What period of your life do you find you write about most often? (child, teenager, young adult)
A: I write about mid to late 20’s to mid to late 30’s
Q: What did you edit out of this book?”
A: a lot of sex scenes that were not needed.
Q: Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?
A: yes I read and still read the new releases of Laurell K Hamilton.
Q: What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?
A: I don’t know I don’t write about them.
Q: How do you select the names of your characters?
A: I look up baby names and I read through them until one jumps out at me.
Q: If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
A: I have no Idea I was cleaning theaters before I got married I guess I would be doing that but I would not be happy.
Q: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
A: if I have any I do, I am happy about good reviews and learn from bad ones.
Q: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
A: yes but I am not saying what ;)
Q: What was your hardest scene to write?
A: scenes about a death they make me cry.
Q: Do you Google yourself?
A: I have but not recently.
Q: What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?
A: nothing I am the writer I am because of everything that I am and everything that happened to me and around me.
Q: What are your favorite literary journals?
A: I honestly don’t have one.
Q: What is your favorite childhood book?
A: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Q:What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
A: felling guilty when I have other things I want to do but know I need to write.
Q: Does your family support your career as a writer?
A: my husband, kids, and most of my in-laws do support me my parents and siblings not so much.
Q: If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
A: talk more creative writing classes and not listen to a rude teacher.
Q: How long on average does it take you to write a book?
A: years
Q: Do you believe in writer’s block? (DO NOT ask whether they’ve had writer’s block).
A: I do to a point but I also believe it can be worked through.
Q: What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
A:Nowhere in the real world but everywhere in the books I read.
Q: What is the first book that made you cry?
A: Where the Red Fern Grows
Q: What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
A: Agents asking you to pay them to represent you.
Q: Does writing energize or exhaust you?
A: it does both depending on the scene I am writing.
Q: What are common traps for aspiring writers?
A: for me it was falling for the agents asking for money to represent me. An ethical agent will not ask for money up front the get a percentage of the money you get once a publisher wants you book it’s part of the contract
Q: Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
A: I believe it hurts more then it helps.
Q: What is your writing Kryptonite?
A: social media.
Q: Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
A: no I don’t think so.
Q: Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
A: yes for a split second, then I decided I wanted my real name on my books.
Q: Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
A: I try to be more original but still deliver what my readers want.
Q: Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?
A: yes I do as long as you have a story to tell.
Q: What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
A: I’m not friends with any in real life but on social media I follow a lot, they made me realize that as long as I have a story to tell I can be a writer no matter how badly I spell. That’s what spellcheck and a few trusted friends are for they help me edit my rough drafts.
Q: Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
A: I am at the moment I am writing a series so all books will be contacted.
Q: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
A: keep writing, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be a published writer.
Q: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
A: It made me rearrange my schedule to fit promoting in.
Q: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
A: On hiring an editor.
Q: What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
A: I don’t have any I still dislike the authors I disliked as a younger person.
Q: What did you do with your first advance?
A: I haven’t been traditional published yet, but I would put a lot of it away for taxes.
Q: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
A: to be honest when I was in 8th grade and read Where the Red Fern Grows
Q: What are the most important magazines for writers to subscribe to?
A: to be honest I do not subscribe to any magazines.
Q: What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
A: that’s hard, I guess anything by Piers Anthony.
Q: How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader?
A: the only thing I have ever asked of my readers is to review my book(s) when they are done reading.
Q: As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal
A: that would be either a hedgehog or a penguin since they both are my favorite animals.
Q:What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?
A: I thank them for being apart of my life and allowing me to base some of my characters on part of their personalities.
Q: How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
A: two or three
Q: What does literary success look like to you?
A: being able to go in to a book store and see my books on the shelves.
Q: What’s the best way to market your books?
A: the way I am doing it social media and talking about my book.
Q: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
A: With the type of writing I do I research animals and environmental stuff for the animals. It takes about a week or two depending on the animals.
Q: Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
A: not spiritual but more of a mental clearing, you see if I don’t write I get too many different stories or scenes going in my head. It makes it hard to sleep and concentrate on my daily tasks that do not involve writing.
Q: What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A: yes but since I write from a female point of view I just have to write the guys’ reactions.
Q: How long were you a part-time writer before you became a full-time one?
A: I don’t work outside the home, so I was only a “part-time” writer until both my kids were in school. So until my kids were seven and five ( they are fifteen and seventeen now)
Q: How many hours a day do you write?
A: I try to actually write at least 6 hours a day, some days it’s more some days it’s less.
Q: What period of your life do you find you write about most often? (child, teenager, young adult)
A: I write about mid to late 20’s to mid to late 30’s
Q: What did you edit out of this book?”
A: a lot of sex scenes that were not needed.
Q: Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?
A: yes I read and still read the new releases of Laurell K Hamilton.
Q: What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?
A: I don’t know I don’t write about them.
Q: How do you select the names of your characters?
A: I look up baby names and I read through them until one jumps out at me.
Q: If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
A: I have no Idea I was cleaning theaters before I got married I guess I would be doing that but I would not be happy.
Q: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
A: if I have any I do, I am happy about good reviews and learn from bad ones.
Q: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
A: yes but I am not saying what ;)
Q: What was your hardest scene to write?
A: scenes about a death they make me cry.
Q: Do you Google yourself?
A: I have but not recently.
Q: What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?
A: nothing I am the writer I am because of everything that I am and everything that happened to me and around me.
Q: What are your favorite literary journals?
A: I honestly don’t have one.
Q: What is your favorite childhood book?
A: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Q:What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
A: felling guilty when I have other things I want to do but know I need to write.
Q: Does your family support your career as a writer?
A: my husband, kids, and most of my in-laws do support me my parents and siblings not so much.
Q: If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
A: talk more creative writing classes and not listen to a rude teacher.
Q: How long on average does it take you to write a book?
A: years
Q: Do you believe in writer’s block? (DO NOT ask whether they’ve had writer’s block).
A: I do to a point but I also believe it can be worked through.
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