Interview with Author Andrea R. Cooper
Andrea R. Cooper is the author of The Garnet Dagger and Viking Fire and she is currently the featured author on a popular Goodreads group.
Q: Does your home landscape affect your writing?
A:I write at the kitchen table while my 10-month old is sleeping, and my four year old plays during the day. At night, I still camp out at the kitchen table after everyone has gone to sleep. I would love a 'writer' desk and office, but it's not feasible right now while my children are young.
Q: When did you start writing and why?
A: I wrote poetry in my teens until my mid-twenties. Before that, I was a story teller. As early as I can remember, kids would come to me during recess and ask what we were going to play. I set the characters, plot, etc. Once I even had us play 'space vampires' (yes, I know silly now, but at 8 years old I thought it was amazing). So that we wouldn't bite each other, I had all of the vampires use their first two fingers as 'fangs'.
It wasn't until my late twenties that the characters wouldn't be quiet and I had to start writing out their stories.
Q: You mention your husband being the one who taught you to love, are any of your plots based directly on your relationship with him?
A:Not the plots, but a lot of the banter between the hero and heroine in The Garnet Dagger and Viking Fire are inspired by him. Pieces of him are in many of my heroes, but once I start writing, the characters develop a life of their own.
Q: Do you have a writing schedule? How did you make the time to finish two books?
A: My writing schedule is whenever the kids let me. I'm a stay-at-home-mom right now so both of my bosses (10-month old & four year old) let me know when I can have a break. Ironically, I wrote both books years ago. I was one of those writers that have many manuscripts sitting in a drawer. I wrote The Garnet Dagger trilogy shortly after seeing the movie Underworld in the theaters. Now I'm working on revisions for Book 2, Son of Dragons - then I start tackle the revisions for Book 3, War of Darkness.
Q: Who are your influences?
A: Terry Goodkind, Anne Bishop, Yasmine Galenorn, PC Cast, and Kim Harrison to name a few.
Q:Has anyone ever interpreted your writing in a way you didn't expect?
A: Yes. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not. When someone points out how wonderful a character is - especially if they are a secondary character, it makes me feel wonderful that they connected that strongly to a character.
Q: How do you feel when in the moment of writing?
A: I feel like I'm discovering the story with the characters. I don't outline. I do know the beginning, basic plot, and that the bad guy or situation will be x, but the journey between a and x is varied - and sometimes I end up with xyz when I only planned for x.
Q: The Garnet Dagger is written in the first person, how do you think it would have been different if it had been from a third person perspective?
A: It wouldn't have held all the emotion of first person. Brock's voice came so strong and repeated lines in my head over and over until I wrote them down. I don't think I could have written it in third person. Before The Garnet Dagger, I wrote all my novels in third person.
Q: What are you working on now?
A:I am working on revisions to Book 2 of The Garnet Dagger trilogy - Son of Dragons. I've also started a new YA novel about shifters.
Q: How do you balance writing for yourself and writing for the reader?
A:First I write for myself. Then when I re-read it trying to put myself in the reader's place for edits. Did I explain enough, too much? Is this scene clear or needs more?, etc. Of course, it is so much easier to edit someone else work. For me, it's hard because once I start re-reading, the story unfolds like a movie in my mind - but it might not be the same movie the reader sees. That's why editors are worth their weight in diamonds.
Thank you for having me and for your wonderful questions.
Q: Does your home landscape affect your writing?
A:I write at the kitchen table while my 10-month old is sleeping, and my four year old plays during the day. At night, I still camp out at the kitchen table after everyone has gone to sleep. I would love a 'writer' desk and office, but it's not feasible right now while my children are young.
Q: When did you start writing and why?
A: I wrote poetry in my teens until my mid-twenties. Before that, I was a story teller. As early as I can remember, kids would come to me during recess and ask what we were going to play. I set the characters, plot, etc. Once I even had us play 'space vampires' (yes, I know silly now, but at 8 years old I thought it was amazing). So that we wouldn't bite each other, I had all of the vampires use their first two fingers as 'fangs'.
It wasn't until my late twenties that the characters wouldn't be quiet and I had to start writing out their stories.
Q: You mention your husband being the one who taught you to love, are any of your plots based directly on your relationship with him?
A:Not the plots, but a lot of the banter between the hero and heroine in The Garnet Dagger and Viking Fire are inspired by him. Pieces of him are in many of my heroes, but once I start writing, the characters develop a life of their own.
Q: Do you have a writing schedule? How did you make the time to finish two books?
A: My writing schedule is whenever the kids let me. I'm a stay-at-home-mom right now so both of my bosses (10-month old & four year old) let me know when I can have a break. Ironically, I wrote both books years ago. I was one of those writers that have many manuscripts sitting in a drawer. I wrote The Garnet Dagger trilogy shortly after seeing the movie Underworld in the theaters. Now I'm working on revisions for Book 2, Son of Dragons - then I start tackle the revisions for Book 3, War of Darkness.
Q: Who are your influences?
A: Terry Goodkind, Anne Bishop, Yasmine Galenorn, PC Cast, and Kim Harrison to name a few.
Q:Has anyone ever interpreted your writing in a way you didn't expect?
A: Yes. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not. When someone points out how wonderful a character is - especially if they are a secondary character, it makes me feel wonderful that they connected that strongly to a character.
Q: How do you feel when in the moment of writing?
A: I feel like I'm discovering the story with the characters. I don't outline. I do know the beginning, basic plot, and that the bad guy or situation will be x, but the journey between a and x is varied - and sometimes I end up with xyz when I only planned for x.
Q: The Garnet Dagger is written in the first person, how do you think it would have been different if it had been from a third person perspective?
A: It wouldn't have held all the emotion of first person. Brock's voice came so strong and repeated lines in my head over and over until I wrote them down. I don't think I could have written it in third person. Before The Garnet Dagger, I wrote all my novels in third person.
Q: What are you working on now?
A:I am working on revisions to Book 2 of The Garnet Dagger trilogy - Son of Dragons. I've also started a new YA novel about shifters.
Q: How do you balance writing for yourself and writing for the reader?
A:First I write for myself. Then when I re-read it trying to put myself in the reader's place for edits. Did I explain enough, too much? Is this scene clear or needs more?, etc. Of course, it is so much easier to edit someone else work. For me, it's hard because once I start re-reading, the story unfolds like a movie in my mind - but it might not be the same movie the reader sees. That's why editors are worth their weight in diamonds.
Thank you for having me and for your wonderful questions.
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