I'm interviewed about Skin of Tattoos!
The way I See it interviews me, runs an excerpt and the Kirkus Review of my literary crime novel.
http://anindiangirlrants.blogspot.in/...
Interview:
When did you decide to become a writer?
I won a prize for “writing interesting stories” when I was six years old so I think writing was something I was born with. As a kid, I loved books – I devoured them and I knew I wanted to write one when I grew up. I discovered journalism in high school - a career that would pay me to write! Now I’m focusing on developing my fiction.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
It may be a tall order, but I’d love to be able to write fiction fulltime without having to write other stuff to make a living. My career has been in journalism, but now I do a lot of corporate communications writing and editing to pay the bills.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he do that is so special?
Hubris. Magdaleno is a gang member who decides he wants to leave the gang, the Cyco Lokos, but he gets wrapped up in a bunch of circumstances – the gang’s a source of good income and he can’t find a job, he loves hanging with his homies, his only friends who give him the respect he craves, but then the biggest factor comes along - he falls victim to his inner demons - pride and ego. He wants revenge when he sees his rival take Mags’s place as gang shotcaller, or leader. Like many of us, he just can’t let it go and that proves his downfall.
Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?
I’m definitely a morning writer. My best stuff comes when I’m fresh so I really organize my day around that. I get up early and get going. I like to stop writing early afternoon and attend to emails, marketing stuff, errands and so on.
Where do the ideas come from?
Working as a journalist for many years has deeply influenced my fiction. As a reporter, you have an entrée into many subcultures, slices of life and people that normally you would not have access to. “Skin of Tattoos,” for example, was sparked by a story I did in El Salvador about Los Angeles gang members being deported to a country they had left as small children. International themes really call to me. I grew up around the world and I’m a passionate traveller.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
I’ve learnt, the hard way, that it’s best to write with some type of outline first, to know where you’re going, at least have some type of ending in mind. I’ve done the “winging it” thing and ended up completely lost in the story with no exit, like getting trapped in a labyrinth. I've since found that periodically mapping out the next scenes is very helpful. Of course, characters can take you on unexpected journeys, which is great, so you have to be flexible.
Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
When I get stuck, I take a break. Sometimes even just walking to the kitchen is enough to jog my brain and the solution will come. Another remedy I’ve found is to move ahead to a section that I do have in my head and come back to the problem section. Luckily, I don’t get stuck too often, but it happens!
What can we expect from you down the line?
I’m hoping to complete a sequel to “Skin of Tattoos” so I can finish Mags’ story. I’ve got some of it written, but it’s messy. But first, I’m making myself finish two novels that are both near completion. One is called “The Revolutionaries,” a literary political thriller based on the 2002 coup attempt in Venezuela, where I was living at the time. An expat couple are the protagonists and they get wrapped up in opposite sides of the political debate, which drives a wedge in their marriage. The other is called “Angel’s Lust,” a detective mystery set in Los Angeles with a Latin American twist to the mystery. If that develops into a series, each mystery plot will have an international element to it.
http://anindiangirlrants.blogspot.in/...
Interview:
When did you decide to become a writer?
I won a prize for “writing interesting stories” when I was six years old so I think writing was something I was born with. As a kid, I loved books – I devoured them and I knew I wanted to write one when I grew up. I discovered journalism in high school - a career that would pay me to write! Now I’m focusing on developing my fiction.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
It may be a tall order, but I’d love to be able to write fiction fulltime without having to write other stuff to make a living. My career has been in journalism, but now I do a lot of corporate communications writing and editing to pay the bills.
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he do that is so special?
Hubris. Magdaleno is a gang member who decides he wants to leave the gang, the Cyco Lokos, but he gets wrapped up in a bunch of circumstances – the gang’s a source of good income and he can’t find a job, he loves hanging with his homies, his only friends who give him the respect he craves, but then the biggest factor comes along - he falls victim to his inner demons - pride and ego. He wants revenge when he sees his rival take Mags’s place as gang shotcaller, or leader. Like many of us, he just can’t let it go and that proves his downfall.
Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?
I’m definitely a morning writer. My best stuff comes when I’m fresh so I really organize my day around that. I get up early and get going. I like to stop writing early afternoon and attend to emails, marketing stuff, errands and so on.
Where do the ideas come from?
Working as a journalist for many years has deeply influenced my fiction. As a reporter, you have an entrée into many subcultures, slices of life and people that normally you would not have access to. “Skin of Tattoos,” for example, was sparked by a story I did in El Salvador about Los Angeles gang members being deported to a country they had left as small children. International themes really call to me. I grew up around the world and I’m a passionate traveller.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
I’ve learnt, the hard way, that it’s best to write with some type of outline first, to know where you’re going, at least have some type of ending in mind. I’ve done the “winging it” thing and ended up completely lost in the story with no exit, like getting trapped in a labyrinth. I've since found that periodically mapping out the next scenes is very helpful. Of course, characters can take you on unexpected journeys, which is great, so you have to be flexible.
Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
When I get stuck, I take a break. Sometimes even just walking to the kitchen is enough to jog my brain and the solution will come. Another remedy I’ve found is to move ahead to a section that I do have in my head and come back to the problem section. Luckily, I don’t get stuck too often, but it happens!
What can we expect from you down the line?
I’m hoping to complete a sequel to “Skin of Tattoos” so I can finish Mags’ story. I’ve got some of it written, but it’s messy. But first, I’m making myself finish two novels that are both near completion. One is called “The Revolutionaries,” a literary political thriller based on the 2002 coup attempt in Venezuela, where I was living at the time. An expat couple are the protagonists and they get wrapped up in opposite sides of the political debate, which drives a wedge in their marriage. The other is called “Angel’s Lust,” a detective mystery set in Los Angeles with a Latin American twist to the mystery. If that develops into a series, each mystery plot will have an international element to it.
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