Tell me a about yourself. What got
you started in writing?
I’ve always enjoyed reading, and during the
years I was a busy working mom I’d often read romances at night to help me
de-stress after a long day. But then I read a lousy book and I thought, “I
could do better than this.” A year or so after that I started reading a series
that was supposed to feature heroes from each of the fifty states. When I
finally got the book that was supposedly about Michigan, I was so disappointed!
Very little of the book actually took place IN Michigan. I actually sent a
letter to the publisher asking whether they thought this state wasn’t good
enough for an entire book. Of course, I never heard back. So I decided it was
time for me to start writing.
How do you schedule your writing
time? When do you write?
I am not very disciplined when it comes to unstructured
time. I keep track of scheduled commitments on my calendars (the ones on my
laptop, iphone, and ipad are all synched, and I have a wall calendar as well),
but when I have time to write I often waste it. What gets me motivated are
writing sprints, which means that several authors agree on a day and time to
start writing – usually for sixty minutes. At the end of that time we report
how many words we’ve written. My local writing group sprints twice weekly and I
belong to a Facebook group that has them once a week. Another thing that
motivates me is when I get a challenge. I’ve written two novellas and two short
stories in answer to publisher call-outs. Most of my writing is done after my
husband goes to bed. Fortunately for me, that’s right after supper. He’s
usually asleep by 6 pm and then the house is nice and quiet until he gets up
again at 1 or 2 am.
How and where do you write? Do you
prefer a laptop or some other method of getting your words down?
Most
of the time I write on my laptop at the kitchen table. I use a program called
Scrivener, which lets me set up the chapters or scenes I want. I very rarely
write in chronological order – I usually write the beginning, then the ending,
and then fill in the middle.
What's your favorite part about
writing? Your least favorite part about writing?
My
favorite part is meeting people who have read my books, even if they didn’t
particularly like them. I’ve gotten a lot of valuable feedback from people who
have pointed out things I could have done better. My least favorite part is stitching
the parts of my book together. I write the beginning, then the end, and then
various scenes in the middle. Sometimes putting the pieces of the puzzle
together are quite daunting.
How did you come up with your book
idea? How long did it take you to write your book?
I
wanted to write a sequel to The Partridge and the Peartree, which has been one
of my best-selling novellas. I felt that it would be interesting to focus on
the servants of the duke and duchess, so this story features Robert, the duke’s
valet and Jeanne, the duchess’ maid. Their story took about four months to
write.
What types of marketing do you do
to promote your writing?
I participate in a lot of online parties on
Facebook, and search out opportunities to share my book on other authors’
blogs. I also join in blog hops, Twitter parties, and I have a street team that
helps me put the word out on their social media. I have accounts on Google+ and
Instagram, too, but I don’t do as much on those platforms as I should.
What are you currently working on?
Do you have a new book out?
Currently I’m working on a new adult story
featuring a young Japanese girl whose family has arranged for her to meet a
prospective groom. He’s Japanese too, but he lives in San Francisco. So in
addition to getting to know this man her parents expect her to marry, she’s
adjusting to the change in culture. I’m hoping to get it finished by the end of
the year so that I can promote it in the spring.
Two Tutor Doves is my most
recent release. My publisher also released an anthology of four of my Christmas books – both
of my regencies and two contemporary stories.
Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.
The Stitching Post series (The
Calico Heart and The Friendship Star Quilt) features members of a quilting
group. These were written with Stephanie Michels. I have a third book for that
series that I’d like to finish at some point – it’s about half done. I also
need to finish a sequel to The Samurai’s Garden.
What would you tell a beginning
writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?
Write
for yourself, for your children, for anyone who will listen. Then join groups
of writers. Listen to their words of advice. Take classes – there are lots of
great online workshops and classes. Keep writing. Blog. Put things on Wattpad
or other journal sharing site. Know what your story is about, and be passionate
about it. And write some more.
Thank you, Patricia!
Patricia
Kiyono can be found at her website, personal blog, group blog (on Mondays), Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter, Pinterest, and
Instagram.
Read the character interview here: http://idea-creations.blogspot.com/2015/12/character-interview-robert-townley.html
Thank you so much for the feature!
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