If someone asked me these questions…
photo by E. Jurus on island of Tahiti – all rights reservdI’m not anywhere near a famous author – maybe some day, but I was just very happy to write my first book and publish it last year – but I thought I’d have fun answering the questions posed to five authors in a recent article I read. Here’s what I’d have responded.
“Without summarizing it in any way, what would you say your book is about?”
Courage.
“Without explaining why and without naming other authors or books, can you discuss the various influences on your book?”
A few brilliant television series when I was growing up that all speculated on how normal people would handle crazy stuff that came their way: The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, and the revolutionary Dark Shadows. My brother and I stumbled across Dark Shadows one day (aired on a U.S. station that was hard to pick up by antenna in our area, but our house was by chance in a sweet spot geographically), and were instantly hooked. Soap operas were enormously popular at the time in daytime television, but we’d never seen one that was decidedly spooky1! My mom ended up watching it with me after my brother went off to university, and even she got hooked on it. I loved the idea of a small town with all kinds of supernatural secrets, which of course found its way into my own novel, even though the plot of the entire 3-book series expands far beyond that.
“Without using complete sentences, can you describe what was going on in your life as you wrote this book?”
Covid. Lockdown. Retirement and looking for something to fill my time. Finally the time to take a crack at writing it.
“What are some words you despise that have been used to describe your writing by readers and/or reviewers?”
None yet. All my reviews so far have been very positive, I’m happy to say. If/when the book(s) reach a larger audience, I may come across some I’m not fond of.
“If you could choose a career besides writing (irrespective of schooling requirements and/or talent) what would it be?”
A couple of possibilities: scientific guide on one of the Nat Geo expedition cruises, or safari guide in Africa. Great environments to work in – I love to be outdoors.
“What craft elements do you think are your strong suit, and what would you like to be better at?”
Two strong things that really took me by surprise:
Plotting twisty elements that keep my readers on their toesDialogueI’d like to develop a better imagination for writing horror elements – my brain just doesn’t naturally think that way.
“How do you contend with the hubris of thinking anyone has or should have any interest in what you have to say about anything?”
After I finished my first novel, I was thrilled to have finally done it. But although I thought the idea behind it was pretty good, I had no idea if anyone else would like it. My hubby was my first beta reader, and he really enjoyed it, even though it’s not his usual genre. He was very candid and unbiased, and I made more tweaks. Then it was time to let my assembled group of beta readers take a look at it. They were a good cross-section of potential readers, and their very positive feedback made me feel that the book was worth publishing. (They also gave me insightful comments on things that were working well or not so much). If no one had liked it, I would at least have had the satisfaction of completing a long-standing dream.
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You can find the original article and what the other authors said at Lit Hub Asks: 5 Authors, 7 Questions, No Wrong Answers. Many thanks to Lit Hub for providing the inspiration for this blog post.
1 Another great supernatural soap-style series came out in the same time frame: Strange Paradise. It was short-lived, but pretty cool while it was on.
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