Ask the Author: C.A. Newsome
Answered Questions (7)
C.A. Newsome
Swamp Monster is available for preorder now :) Lia, Peter, and the gang have many adventures to come. Thanks for asking.
C.A. Newsome
For me, writer's block is not knowing what comes next. If I get stuck, I review what's happening in the story and how each of my characters are responding to it. That always gives me direction.
I'm never stuck for very long. But I do have a trick I invented back when I was in management. The job was stressful, and I had days when I couldn't focus. Unlike many jobs, I could make my own hours. There was a multiplex theater just down the road. If I was having a rough day, I would look in the paper to see what was playing. I would pick a movie and give myself permission to go see it if I was still feeling the same way when it was time to leave to catch the next showing. Then I'd pick a task and get going on it.
Giving myself permission to leave alleviated the stress and I soon found myself engrossed in work. Out of the dozens of times I did this, I only made it to the movie twice.
I'm never stuck for very long. But I do have a trick I invented back when I was in management. The job was stressful, and I had days when I couldn't focus. Unlike many jobs, I could make my own hours. There was a multiplex theater just down the road. If I was having a rough day, I would look in the paper to see what was playing. I would pick a movie and give myself permission to go see it if I was still feeling the same way when it was time to leave to catch the next showing. Then I'd pick a task and get going on it.
Giving myself permission to leave alleviated the stress and I soon found myself engrossed in work. Out of the dozens of times I did this, I only made it to the movie twice.
C.A. Newsome
Writing is an ongoing thing. It's not like I pick it up and put it down. It's more a matter of where I'm at in the process. If I'm not writing or editing or painting a cover, I'm mulling over plots for future books. I have enough book ideas to keep me busy for a very long time. I'll never get to write them all.
I also treat it like a job, which it is. You don't wait for inspiration to pay the rent. You just get to work, and if you're not in the mood, chances are you will soon be caught up in what you're doing.
I also treat it like a job, which it is. You don't wait for inspiration to pay the rent. You just get to work, and if you're not in the mood, chances are you will soon be caught up in what you're doing.
C.A. Newsome
Earning a living in my jammies is right up there with being paid for my creative work. I also love hearing from readers. I spent decades pursuing an art career. You just don't get the same kind of dialogue. People feel like they have to dissect art, when I just want them to enjoy it. Readers are a lot more fun.
C.A. Newsome
Here's my blog post for aspiring writers: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
C.A. Newsome
Sneak Thief is in rewrites, due out this spring. While I'm polishing up this book, I'm also playing with plot details for book 5 in my Dog Park Mysteries. I don't have the title yet, but it features a group of knitting cat ladies with a secret.
C.A. Newsome
I used my friend, Desiree, in my first book, as a young woman who fell for the charms of my heroine's louse of a boyfriend. A few books later, Desiree tells me she wants to be in the next book. I started wondering what would happen if Lia and Desiree met up, and I've been working on Sneak Thief ever since. Fortunately, Desiree has an excellent sense of humor.
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