Other Questions
Hello all,
Congratulations or, I suppose, condolences to our two worst date story winners, Alison and Britnee, who shocked us all with their truly awful dates. Both girls win a tiger/tiger T-shirt. I got some really good questions in response to my top ten so I’ll post those with the answers below. Numbers 1-7 are found in the newsletter issue called "Top Ten."
#8: Will the tigers in the film be real or CGI (Computer Generated Imagery)?
I hope to be able to share more information on the movie soon. Right now all I can say is the movie is in the works.
#9: When will Tiger’s Curse the movie be released?
No one knows at this point.
#10: Is your husband anything like Ren?
Ren and my husband Brad have several things in common. The asking-permission-to-kiss scene is from true life. My husband asked permission to kiss me the first time and I really did say if you have to ask then the answer is no. He set up dating rules like Ren did because we agreed that we wanted to remain chaste until marriage. If I remember correctly, our rules were: Midnight was pumpkin time, meaning the date was over when the clock struck twelve, no kissing in a horizontal position which he later amended to no kissing past a forty-five degree angle, and no chapstick because he could never resist my lips when I used chapstick. I broke that one a lot just to unnerve him. My husband also writes poetry, loves Shakespeare and musicals, and gives great massages. He’s a terrible gift-giver though so that’s one thing Ren has that my husband doesn’t.
#11: What is the hardest “thing” you face as a writer?
Editing is by far the most difficult thing I have to do. It’s about as painful to cut away pieces of your work as it is to go to the dentist. I don’t think anyone likes the process but we all agree it’s necessary.
#12: What is your biggest writing challenge?
Forcing myself to sit down and get it done.
# 13: Do you still ask family to edit and give feedback?
Yes. But not as many of them as before.
#14: What inspires you to write?
Dreams mostly. Almost all my ideas for books come during the night. Sometimes ideas keep me awake.
#15: How far ahead to you plan in writing the books?
I plan out the basic plot for the whole series then do a rough outline of chapters but the story takes me where it wants to go.
#16: What time of day do you write?
I started writing after work in the afternoons and I’ve kept to that schedule. I’m most likely to write creatively during the hours of 1pm-5pm.
#17: How do you keep the story going when you get writer’s block?
I don’t really get writer’s block. I either feel like writing or don’t. Even when I don’t, I force myself sometimes because I can get lazy and I really like it once I start. Most of the time I just have to open the document and reread the part where I stopped, then the ideas start coming.
#18: How many times did you start writing only to toss it away because you didn’t like it?
I don’t throw out anything. I don’t think you can have a bad idea. Even if you don’t like it right away you might want to use it later. If I have a concept or an element or a line I like, I keep it in a database for later use and find a way to plug it in. I pretty much write a book straight through. The only time I make cuts is when working with the editor and then she has to pry the paragraphs from my desperately grasping fingers.
#19: How accurate is the background history of the Indian gods?
The mythology of India is very complex and layered. I sift through information and pick and choose what I like and how I want to represent Durga, Indra, Hanuman, and Shiva. I give them traits that align more with cultural elements that I understand and that are meaningful to me. As a result, all of the mythology is westernized and therefore not really all that accurate. I try to remain true to the basic stories but I put my own spin on everything. Bottom line-don’t try to pass a test on Indian mythology using my books.
#20: Does the Dalai Lama have an Ocean Teacher? If not, what made you create him?
The Dalai Lama is also called the Ocean Teacher. In the original version of the book I used the actual Dalai Lama but my advisor from India said that to use him would be controversial. To avoid controversy and to show respect, I decided to create another lama—a teacher for the teacher. It makes sense to me that as the Dalai Lama is found usually at a very young age that he would have a teacher to instruct him. It’s been fascinating to study Tibet and its culture.
Congratulations or, I suppose, condolences to our two worst date story winners, Alison and Britnee, who shocked us all with their truly awful dates. Both girls win a tiger/tiger T-shirt. I got some really good questions in response to my top ten so I’ll post those with the answers below. Numbers 1-7 are found in the newsletter issue called "Top Ten."
#8: Will the tigers in the film be real or CGI (Computer Generated Imagery)?
I hope to be able to share more information on the movie soon. Right now all I can say is the movie is in the works.
#9: When will Tiger’s Curse the movie be released?
No one knows at this point.
#10: Is your husband anything like Ren?
Ren and my husband Brad have several things in common. The asking-permission-to-kiss scene is from true life. My husband asked permission to kiss me the first time and I really did say if you have to ask then the answer is no. He set up dating rules like Ren did because we agreed that we wanted to remain chaste until marriage. If I remember correctly, our rules were: Midnight was pumpkin time, meaning the date was over when the clock struck twelve, no kissing in a horizontal position which he later amended to no kissing past a forty-five degree angle, and no chapstick because he could never resist my lips when I used chapstick. I broke that one a lot just to unnerve him. My husband also writes poetry, loves Shakespeare and musicals, and gives great massages. He’s a terrible gift-giver though so that’s one thing Ren has that my husband doesn’t.
#11: What is the hardest “thing” you face as a writer?
Editing is by far the most difficult thing I have to do. It’s about as painful to cut away pieces of your work as it is to go to the dentist. I don’t think anyone likes the process but we all agree it’s necessary.
#12: What is your biggest writing challenge?
Forcing myself to sit down and get it done.
# 13: Do you still ask family to edit and give feedback?
Yes. But not as many of them as before.
#14: What inspires you to write?
Dreams mostly. Almost all my ideas for books come during the night. Sometimes ideas keep me awake.
#15: How far ahead to you plan in writing the books?
I plan out the basic plot for the whole series then do a rough outline of chapters but the story takes me where it wants to go.
#16: What time of day do you write?
I started writing after work in the afternoons and I’ve kept to that schedule. I’m most likely to write creatively during the hours of 1pm-5pm.
#17: How do you keep the story going when you get writer’s block?
I don’t really get writer’s block. I either feel like writing or don’t. Even when I don’t, I force myself sometimes because I can get lazy and I really like it once I start. Most of the time I just have to open the document and reread the part where I stopped, then the ideas start coming.
#18: How many times did you start writing only to toss it away because you didn’t like it?
I don’t throw out anything. I don’t think you can have a bad idea. Even if you don’t like it right away you might want to use it later. If I have a concept or an element or a line I like, I keep it in a database for later use and find a way to plug it in. I pretty much write a book straight through. The only time I make cuts is when working with the editor and then she has to pry the paragraphs from my desperately grasping fingers.
#19: How accurate is the background history of the Indian gods?
The mythology of India is very complex and layered. I sift through information and pick and choose what I like and how I want to represent Durga, Indra, Hanuman, and Shiva. I give them traits that align more with cultural elements that I understand and that are meaningful to me. As a result, all of the mythology is westernized and therefore not really all that accurate. I try to remain true to the basic stories but I put my own spin on everything. Bottom line-don’t try to pass a test on Indian mythology using my books.
#20: Does the Dalai Lama have an Ocean Teacher? If not, what made you create him?
The Dalai Lama is also called the Ocean Teacher. In the original version of the book I used the actual Dalai Lama but my advisor from India said that to use him would be controversial. To avoid controversy and to show respect, I decided to create another lama—a teacher for the teacher. It makes sense to me that as the Dalai Lama is found usually at a very young age that he would have a teacher to instruct him. It’s been fascinating to study Tibet and its culture.
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