Ask the Author: Rusty Watson
Answered Questions (8)
Rusty Watson
Everyone likes a mystery! Perhaps the mystery in my own life would be; Why did an art student in the 60's leave her large hometown to settle in the backwoods of Missouri and then the coal mining country of Southern Illinois?
What historical and social significance prompted the move? Most of my stories involve the maturation of a young person, even mine! I have found that life rolls us along like a pebble on a path. We think we are in charge but the meanderings make us who we are!
What historical and social significance prompted the move? Most of my stories involve the maturation of a young person, even mine! I have found that life rolls us along like a pebble on a path. We think we are in charge but the meanderings make us who we are!
Rusty Watson
If I had to choose my favorite fictional couple out of all the wonderful novels recently published, I would have to choose Ove and Sonja from A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman. Opposites do attract, as in that scenario! I also adore the relationship between Jeremiah and Charity in my own novel, The Idler, as well as the tension between George and Dehlia in my latest novel, Journey Through the Half-Door. In both stories, there is a dynamite pull between opposing mindsets of political and social precedents, but in the long run, they listen to each other and learn to understand a differing point of view. This seems to be a contemporary problem our country is coming to grips with right now.
Rusty Watson
The idea for the book I am working on now is built upon the oral history passed down from my family genealogy, a source rich in tales of adventure and over-coming adversity. It involves a Trappist Oblate, the founding of a Missouri town and the love of his life, all taking place between the years of 1782 and 1843.
Rusty Watson
My advice for aspiring writers? Read novels similar to the ones you are attempting to write like, sit yourself in the chair and write as often as you can. Don't become obsessed with the amount of money you can make. The beauty is in the process of creating!
Rusty Watson
The best thing about being a writer is being able to share wonderful stories with my readers! After I have completed my research I try to envision what my main characters' lives would have been like and then attempt to give them a voice. In all of my novels I have chosen young people who have lost their way. Their outcomes are not always the same but since history repeats itself, we can all learn by their mistakes and have hope.
Rusty Watson
I handle writer's block by reminding myself that it is a part of the normal creative process. I am also a professional artist so I am familiar with the ebb and flow of ideas and concepts. I relax, walk outside, take a yoga class or just read a good book for inspiration.
Rusty Watson
I get inspired to write by reading historical fiction, of course! I also have a great resource in my mom's genealogical publication. She spent fourteen years researching our family roots. She unearthed quite a few characters!
Rusty Watson
I have several manuscripts in various stages of formation but the story most dear to my heart is my historical fiction of Irish immigration thirty years after the Potato Famine.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more