Tell me a about yourself.
I’m just a girl who
is trying to make her way in this world. No… well I am a mom, a wife, a
Christian, and an author. I feel like everything I do fits into those four
fields.
What got
you started in writing?
It was a
contrast between two things actually. First, I read an amazing book called
Eragon when I was 25. I was so inspired by how young the author was. I read
that the author couldn’t get a publishing deal and that he had to do some pretty
amazing things to get his stuff out there. Then I read a truly ridiculous story
which got published no problem and I kind of took that as a challenge, I guess.
I also thought if a teenager can write so can I! That was when it became real.
That’s when I began plotting.
How do
you schedule your writing time? When do you write?
I have three kids, a very
busy husband and a life, as we all do. And though I am a stay at home mom, I
home school my kids part time, so I really have to plan things out. My husband
gives me one night a week of peace and quiet for writing and I do it when my
youngest is in preschool also after the kids are in bed and early mornings
that’s what I have to work with. My personal time, I give to writing. But
writing has become so much more than just the creative stuff. I can’t believe
how much extra work there is in promotion and social media. It really could be
a full time job.
How
and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting
your words down?
I am a pants-er, completely. I don’t really feel like my
stories come from me per se. I don’t ever get writers block because my
characters are so big they always have something to say. I of course work out
the plot but truly I sit at the key board and my fingers go.
I type,
but I do make a lot of notes in my little notebook of secrets. All the plot
points I can’t forget, all the twists and turns my stories must make get jotted
down there. I also print sections out. Like in my story BLOOD OF THE GODS, (my
WIP). The gods have these kind of disembodied heads, very few tags, or
descriptions, conversations periodically throughout the story and I recently
had to print them all out and look at them on paper to find the flaws. So I
guess I have several ways of doing it.
What's
your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?
I
love that I get to tell these cool stories. I love researching. Like with
ELIZABETH TUDOR, I wanted it to be as historically accurate as possible. I read
everything from novels, to encyclopedias, to her journals, to her speeches, to
her bank statements, just to assure that I have things correct. I can get
lost in the researching.
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I hate
that I can’t write whenever I want. I get in moods where all I can think about
is my story. During these times, I would write day and night if I could. And
then I have times where all I want is to be far away from writing. Wow, putting
that out there sounds a little bipolar doesn’t it. Well maybe it is, it doesn’t
change the fact that when the juices are flowing I wish the world would
disappear so I could enter a different world for a time.
How
did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your
book?
Well, as a history major, when you learn about the sixteenth century you
can’t help but learn of Henry VIII and all his wives and his shenanigans. I, of
course, was fascinated with the subject but something my teacher said in passing
one day sparked the idea for this book; what if Henry’s claims that Anne Boleyn
entranced him really were true? The idea stuck and when I began writing it was
just a natural topic for me to explore.
In
ELIZABETH TUDOR: Ancestry of Sorcery, Anne and Elizabeth come from a long line
of sorceresses, but Anne makes certain that her daughter, the potential queen
of England, will be the most powerful one yet.
I am very
excited about this story. I feel that it is a strong retelling made more
interesting with the sparkle of magic and the tragedy of star crossed love.
It took
me and entire year of consistent writing during naps times and early mornings
and evenings to get ELIZABETH done. I don’t have a great memory and that is
exacerbated by the fact that I’m dyslexic so when I am dealing with people and
places and loads of facts I’m connecting, I must review every day. If I leave
it for a week or something its literally like starting from scratch.
What
types of marketing do you do to promote your writing? I use social media
exclusively right now. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Wordpress,
Goodreads, Bookbub, basically anything I can. I had to hire an assistant to
manage my social media because I just can’t keep up with it. My time is so
finite. But I check over what she posts and make it my own.
What
are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?
I am working on a
super cool story about the Persian gods right now. There are hundreds of
stories about the Greek and Roman gods but nothing about the Persian gods and
they were the originals. So, I’m going for it. You can check out a little bit
of it on Wattpad if you are interested. https://www.wattpad.com/user/theresapocock
However,
ELIZABETH TUDOR: Ancestry of Sorcery will be out soon. December 1 2016 is my
release date. FILLOS book 2 of Ancestry of Sorcery will begin a series run on
my publisher’s website (www.bigworldnetwork.com)
in January.
Do
you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.
I have something I am
so excited about. It is a fantasy set in the Garden of Eden. I call it
GUARDIANS OF THE GARDEN. Briefly, it’s about a family that protects the garden
of Eden from those wanting to gain immortality by eating of the tree of life.
As time marches on they gain fantastic powers and they need them to protect the
garden from advancing technology. My story starts in the chaos of a
PRE-apocalypse world and a betrayal from inside the garden. I have a really
amazing agent looking at it right now and I have high hopes.
What
would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn’t believe
he/she has enough talent?
I would tell them to write 500,000 words before they make any decisions about their talent as an author. I would also say don’t force
it. If you have a story to tell it will come out. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, that just means you won’t be able to leave it alone. If you can’t leave it
alone, you’re an author and you need to do your prerequisites.
Read a ton. I
feel like this is imprinting. You imprint good writing in your mind, all the
while you practice.
Research the elements of writing. How to show not tell, how
to change tense, how to write tension, how to plot things out.
Figure out if
you’re a pants-er or a plot-er.
Have people read your stuff and get some
opinions. If you do these things and you have a story to tell the ability
to get it down on paper will come. So never ever lose hope. Then I say write an
amazing query letter and send it to me at www.bigworldnetwork.com as of January
1, 2017. I am the new submissions manager there.
Traditional publishing or self publishing?
Great question! I started out traditionally with my first book, bought the rights back, and now do things on my own. There is a lot of work in self publishing but I like having my hands in everything - the cover, the interior layout, the price, what I really want to edit and what I don't, etc.
Kind of like searching for what type of writer you are, whether a pants-er of a plot-er, a writer needs to ask themselves questions to learn what sort of publishing suits them best.
Where a traditional publisher will take care of almost everything - excluding the marketing, which the author will have to do much of themself, self publishing gives the writer the freedom of making all of their decisions based on what they want. They might not have all of the connections to get their book in bookstores and libraries, but they will be able to make choices not readily available to traditionally published authors.
***
Learn more about Theresa:
Check me
out at:
@theresapocock
@cleanlit
Instagram.com/theresapocock
My book is on Amazon at
and my book trailer is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aZ1TEvok-A
Thank you so much for your time! Please let me know if there is anything else
you need. Theresa Pocock
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