Julie Hammonds's Blog: Author Q&A for the creator of "Blue Mountain Rose", page 3
January 21, 2025
Why did you name the book “Blue Mountain Rose”?
Q: A friend on Facebook asked, “What’s the story behind naming your book Blue Mountain Rose?
A: Fun Fact: This book started as a Word document named “Scenes From the Summit Theatre.” It was a collection of story fragments from a fictional theatre company in my hometown of Flagstaff. The town is at 7,000 feet on San Francisco Mountain in Arizona, and its high elevation gave me the idea of calling this theatre “Summit.” But that name didn’t stick for long. It wasn’t romantic enough for the stor...
January 3, 2025
Did you edit your book yourself?
Q: You’re a professional editor as well as the author of Blue Mountain Rose. Did you edit the book yourself?
A: I worked with my early drafts the way any writer does, revising scenes and text as my understanding of the characters and plot improved.
Some people might define what I was doing after the first draft as editing, but I would call it revising or rewriting. All writers do it, or should.
About a year into my process, I sent the book out to a professional copy editor. Merlina McGo...
What was your process?
Q: What was your process for writing this book?
A: Early in 2023, I began developing the idea for a novel. It sprouted from some earlier scraps of writing I found in a folder on my computer called “Seeds.” That’s where I store bits of inspiration that float through my mind that are not related to a particular project (yet).
I wrote a few scenes and realized I really liked this idea. Sitting down at the desk, I felt energized, curious, and excited. Those were clues that this might turn ...
January 2, 2025
Where did you get the idea for this novel?
Q: Where did you get the idea for Blue Mountain Rose?
A: I’ve been an active supporter of the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival since it began in 2015. It’s northern Arizona’s only professional theater company, and they do inspiring work.
When they began performing in 2015, I helped out behind the scenes at a few performances. The first season was successful enough that founder Dawn Tucker and her company decided to establish a nonprofit so they could continue growing and performing. For that...
