Author on the 'Hump' Wednesday : Adrienne Ritter

Hump Day is that special day in the middle of the week, where we try to figure out whether the week is just beginning or about to end.  So, I've decided to use Wednesdays to catch up with some other writers.  

So I spoke with Author Adrienne Reiter on the release of her book, Twist, the first from her 

Rebecca Ashley series.

1) Was writing always your dream? I’ve been putting pen to paper ever since I can remember. I was always telling stories. Even before I could write I would draw picture boxes to describe scenes. The first thing I wrote for an audience was a play I had my cousin and I perform for our family Easter Sunday. It was about two girls finding a baby on the beach. They try to find its mother and then discover they’ve been carrying a dead baby throughout the play. My family still talks about it.

 

2) What was the greatest thing you learned at school in regards to writing? The greatest thing I learned in school is also one of my favorite things about writing. There’s no right or wrong way to write. Everyone crafts a story differently.

3) What current book or book series are you known for? TWIST is the first book of my Rebecca Ashley Mystery Series and is about a down on her luck, newly divorced art student Becca (Rebecca Ashley) who is taken under her professor’s wing. Shortly after Becca moves into her professor’s live/work loft her professor is murdered. Becca is then thrust into the underground world of black market art and artifact smuggling. The mystery surrounds a mysterious dark object Rebecca has to find or suffer her professor’s same fate.

4) What is a typical working day for you?  When and where do you write? I try to write at least five pages a day. I don’t read over a first draft until I’ve reached the end. I have writers ADD, which can be own special kind of writers block. Working on multiple projects at a time helps me avoid burnout. The northeast corner of my living room is my writing studio where I get most of my work done. I write mostly in the evenings and early mornings right when I wake up. Pretty much whenever the moment takes me.

5) So, you're a mystery novelist.  Is that your fave genre all around, or just for writing?  What genre do you prefer to read? I love crafting a story that takes readers on a rollercoaster ride. ‘Who done its’ are fun to plot point. I think writers write best in the genre they most enjoy reading. I grew up watching mystery theatre on KPBS and at a young age graduated from Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie. In college and just recently again I got into Raymond Chandler, Dashielle Hammond and Ross Macdonald.

6) Do you ever see yourself as one particular character in your novels?  If so, which one? I’ve been asked how much my protagonist in my Rebecca Ashley series and I have in common. I think all writers put bits of ourselves into our protagonists so some if my writing is unintentionally autobiographical. They say to be a good writer you have to first go out and live. I’ve definitely done that. Ha.

7) What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview?  How would you answer that question? Is that your real hair color? Just kidding. What I want to be asked the most is Will you be writing sequels? How many?

 ‘The Rebecca Ashley Mysteries’ is a three part series. I’m almost finished with the first draft of TWIST’s sequel ‘CHOSEN’. I’ve loosely outlined the third book ‘BORDER LAND’.  Last September I wrote the first draft of a mystery featuring a different sleuth for the International Three Day Novel Contest. I’m already anticipating making that into another series. I won’t want for writing ideas for a awhile.

8) What was the greatest thing you learned that helped you write the life-story of your characters? I think any story that relates to readers is a good story. I appreciate good character development that sends a message. I’ll take seemingly uninteresting characters, throw adversity at them and find out they’re actually extraordinary. Like I mentioned above, I agree with the saying that “A good writer has gone out and lived.” The characters I’ve met in real life through work and travel helped me develop my characters on the page.

9) Alrighty now, just to wrap it up, one last thing.  This is the trademark of this blog. What's your favorite bedtime drink? Cocoa, soda, wine?  Inquiring minds  want to know, please.  (Don't worry, you can answer 'water,' if you don't want to say (lol).  A Hot Toddy is my favorite bedtime drink. It’s hot water, lemon, honey and two fingers of scotch. 

Thanks, Adrienne, for stopping by the blog!

Author on the 'Hump' Wednesday : Dormaine G

Hump Day is that special day in the middle of the week, where we try to figure out whether the week is just beginning or about to end.  So, I've decided to use Wednesdays to catch up with some other writers.  

So I spoke with Author Dormaine G. on the release of the first book from her Connor series, Connor.

1) Was writing always your dream?  Initially writing was not my dream because I didn’t think it was in me but the older I became the more it became one. 

2) What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?  I try to work out before sitting down to write in order to clear my head. I like working later in the evening being that I am a night owl.  I work at the kitchen table and usually have a science fiction movie on as I write. I don’t always set a daily writing goal but try to get as much as possible done at least five days a week.

3) Can you tell us where you got the idea for your book, Connor?  Are there any plans for any sequels or other related books?   The idea of a teenage female having powers concept came from  childhood but the storyline, as a whole, came to me as I sat down to write it. I had no idea where I was taking the story or which direction only that she was going to be sarcastic, it needed to be science fiction and it felt right. There is most definitely going to be a series of books involving Connor.

4) So, about your book, are there any spoilers that you can give us from Connor?   I don’t want to give away too much but I will tell you it’s not a picture book ending and there is a love triangle.

5) Do you ever see yourself as one particular character in your novels?  If so, which one?  No, I don’t see myself as one of the characters but I can relate to Connor since she can be sarcastic at times.

6) If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?  It would be called, ‘Why I Refuse to Grow Up’

7) What was the greatest thing you learned at school in regards to writing?  My English teachers liked my stories and told me I should write more.  Their encouragement was lasting.

8) What was the greatest thing you learned that helped you write the life-story of your characters?  Always be true to yourself instead of pleasing others or you will never be happy in life.  While writing, I relied on what felt right to me while developing the storyline and the characters. 

9) Alrighty now, just to wrap it up.  This is the trademark question (we're not just being overly nosy) - what's your favorite bedtime drink? Cocoa, soda, wine?  Inquiring minds  want to know, please.  (Don't worry, you can answer 'water,' if you don't want to say (lol).  My favorite bedtime drink is either a cup of green tea with lemon and stevia or red wine preferably Point Noir.

Thanks, Dormaine, for stopping by the blog! 

Author on the 'Hump' Wednesday : R. Leonia Shea

Hump Day is that special day in the middle of the week, where we try to figure out whether the week is just beginning or about to end.  So, I've decided to use Wednesdays to catch up with some other writers.  

So I  spoke with Author R. Leonia Shea on the release of the second book from her Relic Hunter series, Destructive Magic.

1) Was writing always your dream?  

Writing was always just something I did to amuse myself.  I have notebooks from when I was in the 8th grade and wrote the normal teenage-angst stuff that was natural for an adolescent girl.  Years later, I saved up money from a waitressing job to buy myself a computer so I could write.  That's when it became a serious ambition for me. 

2) What current book series are you known for?

The series I'm currently known for is the Relic Hunter series.  I love archaeology and myths and I read a lot of urban fantasy.  It was natural for me to combine those three things and come up with Dr. Arienne Cerasola.  I wanted her to be older - someone who had a life and a career and then had to start over.  I think that's a scary place to be in, but it's also very exciting. 

3) When and where do you write?

I write in the wee hours of the morning and usually devote Sunday to writing and editing.  A few years ago, I developed the annoying habit of not sleeping well so rather than stay in bed and obsess over the fact that I'm not sleeping, I get up and work.  I just set up an office this past spring, so I'm still adjusting to working at a desk!

4) So, you're working on the prequel to Tattered Shadows.  Are there any spoilers that you can give us from the new novella? 

I'm going to write the novella from the perspective of Finn.  As a demon who feeds on strong emotion, I think Finn would be a fun guy to tell the story of how he gets banished by his lover, Cleo.  You have to be a really bad boyfriend to make someone send you to demon-jail for a thousand years!

5) Do you ever see yourself as one particular character in your novels?  If so, which one? 

I think I see myself as Arienne more often than I'd like to admit.  I have a successful career in another profession and in a way I'm also starting over with some the same fears she has.  There's the fear of the unknown, of what's next, of how to determine the success of the venture, but there's also the excitement of finding success and learning new things.  When I'm working on a project, I tend to see the characters more as my friends, but every once in a while I think "oh wait!  I know how that feels!" 

6) Do you have a favorite book character (not in your novels)?  Please, please, do tell who!!! 

I think my favorite character right now is Lisbeth Salander from Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy.  She has guts, she's sharp, and completely self-reliant.  It's impossible for her to ask for help, but she takes it when offered and she never hesitates to help someone else.  I really love the way she champions causes nobody else pays much attention to and the way she'll defend to the death what is right - she has a great sense of justice and the people in her life appreciate her quirkiness.  I also relish her ability to do things that are distasteful - she really lives the "ends justifying the means" philosophy and I enjoy her twisted side. 

7) What was the greatest thing you learned at school in regards to writing?

I've often said "it was always my writing that saved me" because that was often the truth.  I'd read the syllabus in college and immediately look for what papers I would be required to write for each class.  I could give you thirty pages - typed and double spaced - on any topic you asked for - and it would be logical and well organized.  I loved crafting the papers and developing the argument.  I didn't always have a strong opinion when I started the paper, but I wrote it with conviction.  I can't tell you how many times I got papers back with a huge "A" on them and knew that it was my writing that had earned that grade. It always made me smile!  

8) What was the greatest thing you learned that helped you write the life-story of your characters?

It's been over two decades since I bought that first computer and I remember thinking "but I have no real life experience!" as I faced a blank screen.  That type of self-doubt killed some of my early attempts.  I hadn't lived, really, and I forgot that my "experience" as a writer didn't need to come from my own adventures all the time.  When I started writing seriously a few years ago, I incorporated so many things into my character's life stories because I knew people who had similar experiences or because I imagined what something would be like.  I think the biggest thing I learned was that there are some experiences that are universal but how each person reacts to those situations is very different.  

9) Alrighty now, just to wrap it up.  One last thing, what your favorite bedtime drink? Cocoa, soda, wine?  Inquiring minds want to know, please.  (Don't worry, you can answer 'water,' if you don't want to say (lol). 

Since I don't sleep well to begin with and I always fear I'm on the verge of dehydration, I really do drink water constantly!  Some nights I'll have herbal tea or caffeine-free root beer or ginger-ale but nothing stronger than that.  I'm absolutely no fun because one glass of wine or a nice imported beer saps all of my ambition and makes me want a nap - but then I'm up again three hours later and I'm cranky!

Thanks, Leigh, for visiting the blog!

Author on the 'Hump' Wednesday : Mahlena-Rae Johnson

Hump Day is that special day in the middle of the week, where we try to figure out whether the week is just beginning or about to end.  So, I've decided to use Wednesdays to catch up with some other writers.  

So I  spoke with Author Mahlena-Rae Johnson on the release of her second book, 

Bianca Regan Where the Action Is.

1) What are you working on now?

Right now, I am working on THE BOOK OF NOA, a trilogy of intergalactic sci-fi novels. I am planning to put out the first one, ORIGINS, in 2014. I am also developing a few pilot scripts and a web series.

2) What did you want to be when you grew up?  Always a writer?

I wanted to be a lot of things when I grew up. In kindergarten, I wanted to be an astronaut. In elementary school, I did want to be a writer, then I shifted to fashion designer. In middle school, after watching D2: The Mighty Ducks, I decided I was going to be an actor, a filmmaker, and a top athlete in Jerry Bruckheimer's hockey league, despite growing up in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, which has neither ice nor a rink.

3) Do you research your novels?

I do! I didn't have to do much research for the BIANCA REAGAN series, since I have worked in entertainment for over a decade now. But for THE BOOK OF NOA, since much of the story takes place in Eastern California and Hawaii, I have been investigating the terrains and cultures and travel accessibility of those locations. Also, the main characters in THE BOOK OF NOA represent a variety of ethnicities, nationalities, sexualities, and abilities, so I want to make sure that they are portrayed accurately.

4) Tell us about your titles, please.  Where do you get the ideas for them?

My first two books--STEVE THE PENGUIN and WHERE THE ACTION IS are a part of the BIANCA REAGAN series. STEVE THE PENGUIN is about a Hollywood assistant named Bianca who goes home to St. Thomas for her ten-year high school reunion. WHERE THE ACTION IS follows Bianca back in Los Angeles, as she gets caught between the worlds of politics and entertainment.

5) What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?

A typical working day for me begins in the morning with breakfast at home while I listen to a podcast, and ends at night with my returning home from a networking event. In the middle, I definitely have lunch, and possibly take a nap. I usually don't have a daily writing goal, unless I have a deadline for something, like a speech I'm planning to deliver later in the week. I also try to exercise at least every other day. I especially enjoy yoga and Insanity.

I write wherever and whenever I can. Whether I'm at the doctor's office or sitting at a restaurant waiting for a lunch friend to arrive, I bring my notebook with me to detail a scene from my sci-fi series, or work on characterization for my web series. There are times when I do block off periods for specific writing tasks, but at the moment, since I am focusing on promoting my second novel, much of my day involves more marketing than generating literary ideas.

6) Do you ever see yourself as one particular character in your novels?  If so, which one?

Well, the main character of the BIANCA REAGAN series is based on me, but the rest of the characters are fictional. In THE BOOK OF NOA series, many of my best and worst traits are spread throughout the ten main characters, like tenacity, curiosity, introversion, guilt, and ambition. 

7) Do you have a favorite book character (not in your novels)?  Please, please, do tell who!!!

One of my favorite characters is Hermione in the Harry Potter series. I identify with her need to know everything and be right all the time, and her passion for education. I also relate to the way her strength and her genius is constantly overlooked because the people in charge are more concerned about the luck-driven accomplishments of her male colleagues. Aside from Professor Dumbledore, Hermione was the most brilliant person at Hogwarts, yet the entire series focused on how a boy who was good at flying was going to defeat a criminal mastermind who could bring himself back from the dead? That said, loved the books and the movies! I've read and seen them all.

8) What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

If you could have dinner with one person, living or dead, who would it be?

I would have lunch with Whoopi Goldberg's character in The Associate, and she would invite along Dianne Wiest's character. We'd eat at a sushi/dim sum fusion restaurant, and on the walk back to their office, Whoopi and Dianne would hire me to set up their digital media division.

9) Alrighty now, just to wrap it up.  One last thing, what your favorite bedtime drink? Cocoa, soda, wine?  Inquiring minds  want to know, please.  (Don't worry, you can answer 'water,' if you don't want to say (lol).

I'd love a Jamba Juice before bed, but mostly I drink water.

Thanks, Mahlena-Rae, for stopping by the blog!!

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Piss Your Characters Off

 1) they may leave you and decide to check out another writer

2) ever heard of writer's block? Try living in Writer's Barricade City 

*image courtesy of cliparttoday.com

3) they may choose to mess up your story in ways you NEVER intended 

4) they could stage a main character 
sick-out 

*Image courtesy of shutterstock.com


5) once you've written yourself into a corner, they won't help you out of it

SUPER-HERO!!! (SHE-RO?)

Anyway, so I am working on a profile for the perfect superhero, in between writing breaks.  Not sure of her powers as yet, just that she has laser eyes......anything to get through the writing roadblocks, right??

So far, she's got:

1) Laser eyes (you already know that)

2) A really big sword (in case the lasers miss)

3) Boots with spiky heels (for kicking, kicking, kicking..)

and

4) A short, but very stylish cape (remember, never long enough to get caught in any jet propellers, but long enough to swish)