Ask the Author: Edale Lane
Answered Questions (11)
Edale Lane
Hi Sam!
I see you found Jaz. Sorry I'm so slow to answer you. Wow, I really haven't been keeping up with GoodReads, have I? LOL
I see you found Jaz. Sorry I'm so slow to answer you. Wow, I really haven't been keeping up with GoodReads, have I? LOL
Edale Lane
A lot of non-authors write memoirs both for their family legacy and to sell. If the idea of writing sounds too intimidating, you could look for a collaborator or ghost writer who can take all of your stories, perspectives, and wisdom and help you form them into a crafted piece of literature. I have never done anything like that, but there are authors out there who specialize in that kind of work. Or, just start a notebook and write down things you remember that were meaningful, informative, fun, scary - the more emotion the better. You can always go back later to organize them. Also, if you do find a colab or ghost writer, they are going to want all that anyway.
1) do not let a blank page intimidate you 2) it's ok to start with a voice recorder 3) the history of your life matters as much as any other history that has ever been written 4) JUST GO FOR IT!
1) do not let a blank page intimidate you 2) it's ok to start with a voice recorder 3) the history of your life matters as much as any other history that has ever been written 4) JUST GO FOR IT!
Edale Lane
I could give you a fun answer, like where'd I leave me keys? or a serious one. On the serious side, there is one question that I have never received a satisfactory answer to. When I was 21 a very good friend of mine from high school, a young man who sang at my wedding, who I would have dated if his parents let him go out with older girls, a very close friend 19 years old attending college and seemingly doing well, committed suicide. It devastated me and I spent months wondering if there was something I could have done, but I had no clue there was a problem. He left no note. He apparently shot himself in the head when no one else was home at his apartment. No one has ever provided a reason why. There could be a mystery there - I'm not even totally convinced it was a suicide. So there, raw and real.
Edale Lane
I know it's a real thing, but I don't get writer's block; what I get is writer's indecision. I have so many ideas rushing into my head that I have to choose which story to write next. Because I drive a truck all day, I have plenty of time to come up with what to say and very little time to actually type it in. But I was thrilled to publish 4 books in calendar year 2020 while holding down a very full-time job. :D
Edale Lane
There are several worlds I would love to travel to, but if I could only choose one, it would have to be Middle Earth. I've always wanted to meet elves and dwarfs and could learn so much from a long talk with Gandolf. I would love to lie in the fields of the Shire, ride a horse across Rohan, commune with an Ent of the Fangorn Forest, climb the Misty Mountains, and quite possibly live the rest of my life in Rivendale.
Edale Lane
This summer's highlights for me have been Bernard Cornwell's "Warriors of the Storm" from his "Last Kingdom" series, Robert Harris's "Pompeii", and I am a big Eve and Roark fan - currently reading J.D.Robb's "Divided in Death."
Edale Lane
Inspiration is everywhere! I am inspired by nature, current events, famous quotes, memories, feelings, a whisper on the breeze, you name it! It may be evident to the discerning reader that I wrote "Heart of Sherwood" in 2016. I want to make my characters real, so I often incorporate my own feelings and experiences into them. If I felt this way or had this happen then however unlikely it may seem, I know it is real.
Edale Lane
Since the time I was a young child, I have written stories. There is a creative flow in me that will not be denied... I also have a full shelf of unfinished manuscripts going back for years that I deemed didn't make the cut. Besides serving as an outlet for my creativity, I like that I can keep my full-time money making job and can still write during my "down" time. Having been a professional educator for 24 years prior to my current career, I write to teach, but to hopefully do so in such an entertaining way such that the reader never realizes she was a student in my classroom.
Edale Lane
Don't give up on your dreams, but don't be sloppy. I am asked to read a lot of people's work that may have likable characters, an interesting plot, and displays loads of imagination, but the book is chocked full of grammatical and spelling errors along with boatloads of typos. If you want to publish, invest in an editor - or at least some professional editing software.
Edale Lane
Wow, that answer was old! Today, I'm currently working on an enemies-to-lovers Viking Romance. It has action, intrigue, and a forced-proximity element to bring our protagonists together, and hopefully not kill each other. What could be better than a bold, beautiful, fierce shieldmaiden? Why two of them, of course! Still untitled, but at 80k words in I'd better start shortening my list - LOL. Keep you posted.
Edale Lane
I was looking at a call for submissions for an anthology on the topic of LGBTQ faerie tales and legends and the idea of a female Robin Hood came to mind. But as I started to construct the tale I wanted to tell, I knew it wasn't a short story, but a fleshed out novel.
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