Colleen’s Comments (group member since Apr 21, 2014)

Colleen’s comments from the Colleen Houck Book Club group.

Breeana wrote: "Colleen wrote: "Any must haves while you write?"

Diet Dr. Pepper. :)"

One of my faves!

Breeana wrote: "Colleen wrote: "How did you get started writing?"

I've been writing as long as I can remember. Before I even started school, I used to write little stories and then pay my sister to illustrate the..."

I think that's so amazing that you knew what you wanted to do at such a young age. It took me forever to figure out writing was something I wanted to do.

Miranda ❤️ wrote: "Thank you for the writing advice section on your website. I've always wanted to write a book. Before you were an author, did you know beforehand that you'd be good at writing?

Also, how long does..."

Hi Miranda. I had absolutely no idea I could write before I gave it a go. I mean, I knew I could write papers and essays but an entire book? No way. I was so proud when I finished Tiger's Curse, I can't even tell you. Then, to get it published, was amazing. Ideas come pretty easy for me. Creativity is my strong suit. Plotting not so much. I basically spend most of my time writing myself out of corners. Good plotters don't have to do that. If you want to figure out some good plotting methods, I'd invest in the Save the Cat! Writes a Novel book by my friend Jessica Brody or maybe take a plotting workshop from my other writer friend Beth Revis. They are both really talented in this particular area. Good luck! There's nothing more fulfilling than seeing your ideas come alive on the pages of a book =)

What's up next for you?

Chocolate or caramel?
Ice cream flavor?
Cake or Pie?
Coke or Pepsi?
Cocoa or Tea?
Fav sandwich?

Any must haves while you write?

How did you get started writing?

Trudy wrote: "Are there any ways in which you think your main characters over your different series have a common thread? Like a trait that they all possess or their personality?"

That's a good question. They probably all have a bit of my personality. All my girls would likely get on well. I think the main thread with each of them is bravery. They're all tough in their own way and stand up for what they believe in.

Thanks, Mindy for an awesome chat! Our winner this month is Trudy! I appreciate everyone for participating. Don't forget to join us next month.

Trudy wrote: "Who is your favorite side character in your books/any books? Are there any that surprised you or made you want to read or write only about them?"

Hi Trudy. Good question. I think the character who surprised me the most was Kishan. I didn't expect to love him as much as I did. By the time I finished Tiger's Dream I understood his character in a way I didn't think I understood everyone else and I came to appreciate him immensely. I miss him a lot.

What's your typical writing schedule?

Have you ever set a book in your hometown?

How did you get started writing?

Thanks to everyone for joining the chat and to Jessica for being such a lovely guest! The winner of the chat this month is Plethora. Congrats! Don't forget to join me next month when my featured author will be the amazing Mindy McGinnis!

Jessica wrote: "When I first pitched the idea to my editor about doing a book set in Romania that would have shapeshifters she was like, But what about making it middle grade? Kids love animals! And I just went, Er. No. By the time I was ready to show an editor the manuscript, though, that editor had gone on to a different publisher and my new editor was like, Oh, wow, this is not middle grade, FYI! And I was like, Whew, yeah, I know! "

Isn't that funny how editors respond to ideas so early on. I'm often surprised by how strongly they feel about something I haven't even written yet.

Jessica wrote: "Colleen wrote: "Jessica wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Where’s your favorite place in the world to escape to?"

I freaking love Disney anything. We are Disney vacation club members and we go on Disney crui..."

That sounds nice. I'll have to try it then. I've only been on one cruise and during my massage, the woman told me that my hubby and I were the youngest people on board and that included the ship! ;)

When you begin developing a book idea, does it come to you automatically that it's going to be middle grade or YA or do you start leaning one way or another? Meaning, do you start with character or story?

Jessica wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Where’s your favorite place in the world to escape to?"

I freaking love Disney anything. We are Disney vacation club members and we go on Disney cruises all the time. Lounging aroun..."

Really? I've never been on a Disney cruise. I've always imagined it crowded with kids, sticky, and basically like standing in line at Disneyland but on a ship. Never thought of it as relaxing. How does it compare to a non-Disney cruise?

Jessica wrote: "Trudy wrote: "What’s your perfect book day look like? Ex: mine looks like a rainy day with a crackling candle, perched in a reading nook, with various cheese trays :):):)"

I like softly falling sn..."

I love that idea. Never had cocoa with coconut milk. I've got to try that one.

Jessica wrote: "Colleen wrote: "How did you get started writing?"

When I was 11 and read The Hero and the Crown (for the first time), and found out that Robin McKinley's job was to write stories about dragons and..."

That's so interesting that you had to wait for the market to catch up to you. There's a good lesson in that for aspiring writers. Everyone remembers the easy, burst-onto-the-scene success stories but I'm much more impressed with those who just plug away and don't give up. It takes chutzpah to keep at it and that's the reality of a writer's life.