Tell me a about yourself. What got you
started in writing?
I started writing seriously last year
when I left my job in advertising.
I live just outside Vail, Colorado and
love to ski, meditate, visit used bookstores (probably too often) and of course
write.
I had a real passion for writing in
college. However, after graduation life took over and I got a job in
advertising and at the time I loved it. Over the years the excitement in
advertising wore off, and the passion for writing crept back in. I
finally took the leap of faith last year, and left my job to write full-time.
How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer
writing freehand?
I write
exclusively on my Mac Book Air, I never leave home without it. Most of my
writing is done at home from my desk, which faces outside and overlooks the
mountains. In my newsletter I share a photo of my exact writing
spot. This photo is only available to fans who sign up for my newsletter,
it’s my way of sharing a little bit of my personal life with them.
I do
use a small notepad to keep track of things that pop into my head, but I don’t
use it for writing just note taking.
What's your favorite part about
writing? Your least favorite part about writing?
My
favorite part is the solitude. It’s so peaceful, and relaxing. When
I was in advertising I was go, go, go all day, and all night. I didn't take vacations. I was in constant contact with the office via email, text,
phone, and video chat. That is all a thing of the past now and I don’t
regret it one bit.
My
least favorite part about writing would probably have to be finishing a
book. I know this sounds crazy but once I get writing I don’t want to
stop, but at some point I have to. You have to end your story somehow and
for me that’s a tough thing to do. I think that is why my last couple of books and the ones I’m working on now are part of a series. I get into the
characters so much I just want to keep going with them.
How do you come up with your
characters? Why would readers want to get to know them?
I come up with my characters in a couple of different ways. Some of them are variations of friends, family or old
co-workers. Others are just random interesting people I see that stand
out for some reason or another. I try to find a character or scene in my
everyday world that interests me and I write it down to possibly use it
later. I use a little something I see in these “real world” people in my
writing and it just grows from there.
I think readers would like my characters
because I try to put a lot of time and thought into creating them. My
character outlines are pretty extensive and I share those with my newsletter
list as well. So if you like the characters in my books you can read the
actual outlines I created for them. So sign up for my newsletter…hehehe.
What types of marketing do you do to
promote your writing?
You know it’s funny. I have a lot
of marketing experience but I don’t do much to market my books. I like to
write instead of market really and let my stories do most of the marketing for
me. I do submit my books to some promotional sites like Bookzio.com and
Bookbub.com but other than that it’s mostly word of mouth. I try to stay
active on GoodReads and answer all emails that my readers send me. I LOVE
opening my inbox and seeing emails from happy readers, I encourage them to
contact me.
How do you schedule your writing
time? When do you write?
I don’t really schedule my writing time
so much. I do write at least six days a week, usually seven.
I try to get my writing out of the way
in the morning. After my meditation and a cup or two of coffee. I
feel the creative juices flow best at this time and my mind is running wild
with new ideas and characters. Plus I’m a morning person so getting up at
4 a.m. is fairly standard for me. I usually have my writing out of the way
by lunchtime and the rest of the day is mine.
What are you currently working on? Do
you have a new book out?
I am currently working on the follow-up
to my last book Midnight Sun. It will be called Devil’s Dawn and should
be ready at the end of March or early April. Midnight Sun came out in
late February.
The funny thing about this series is it
started out as one book but towards the middle I had an inspiration. That
led to the end of Midnight Sun changing and it becoming a series. Now
Midnight Sun is really a prequel to the next book or two in the series. A
serial killer is born and I just can’t stop writing about it.
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Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.
I've had a lot of readers contact me and
ask if I could do something else with the characters from Do You Want To Play. That was my first book and I think it was only about 45k in
length. However, people really want more from Tobias and Loren. So, I've been kicking around some ideas and could have them in another book late
this year.
What would you tell a beginning
writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?
I would tell them if they have the
desire to write and be published they can, and that is all the belief they
need. Read and write everyday and don’t let any critic get you
down. I will say though that a good editor goes a long ways as well.
You don’t want to publish a book filled with grammatical errors. If you
can’t afford a professional editor have a trusted friend look over your
story. Sometimes just a second set of eyeballs on it can help tenfold.
***
Thank you, Charlotte
Twitter: https://twitter.com/crainebooks
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