Why do we write what we do?

[Mandi]

Just wanted to see why we as authors choose to write in the genre that we do? Did you want to write since you were young? Did you have a life changing experienced that caused you to want to write? Was English and Literature your favorite subject in school? Please state what type of books you write and a also why?

[Mandi]

I write for kids because I love kids and I love to write. It is so much fun to read my stories to them as they are always so excited to hear more. I have always enjoyed writing and have several stories I wrote when I was small that are really funny to look back on now. :o) My favorite subject in school was Math. I actually didn't care for English much at all. Lol. I'd love to hear from other authors as well as to why?

[LaVerne]

What a good question Mandi!
I can't write children's stories for the life of me, but I love to read these stories to my children. Their favourites are Lynley Dodd's Hairy McClary series.

I write romantic - my first book is a suspense, but the one I'm writing at the moment is a fantasty romance. I found the genre because my writing tended to include a strong romantic feeling between the characters - and it's what I love to read. My favourite part when writing is that first meeting - that zing and attraction. I must enjoy re-living that moment when I first laid eyes on my husband maybe! ; )

[Mandi]

LaVerne wrote: "What a good question Mandi!
I can't write children's stories for the life of me, but I love to read these stories to my children. Their favourites are Lynley Dodd's Hairy McClary series.

I write..."

:o) I love romantic suspense. :o) I'll have to check your book out. What is it called?

[Patricia]

Hi Mandi,

I write children's stories because I love children and I'm a child at heart. I left school at the age of fourteen unable to write properly. I had no idea where commas went or how to spell, though I always wanted to write children's stories. I used to tell stories to my siblings and friends and they'd always ask for more. This encouraged me as I didn't seem to be as bright as the other children. Maybe it had something to do with the cruel teacher I had for four years. She told me I was too thick to learn anything and nicknamed me Wishy-Washy. She would always use that name when speaking to me in the classroom, but not if other teachers or adults were around. Though I wasn't a wimpy kid - I turned into the class clown and gave her a run for her money. LOL.

Years later, she was sacked for being a bad teacher, which I won't go into, though it didn't help me at the time.

When I was in my early fifties and had more time on my hands, I found the stories I'd written as a child. Most were mischievous things I'd done as a seven-year-old. I went on on-line critique groups and writing forums and learned how to write. After studding hundreds of children's books, I turned my stories into fictitious stories for reluctant readers and published my a children's book called : Star-Crossed Rascals: Adventures of Rascals, Polly and Gertie.

I'm also a member off a wildlife rescue in Australia and I wrote and published : Molly Gumnut Rescues a Bandicoot: Adventures Of Molly Mavis Gumnut

My other published book is a children's fantasy story that just popped into my head while I was learning to write: Velvet Ball and The Broken Fairy


I'm doing a Giveaway for this book on my blog and to enter all you have to do is make a comment. The winner will be picked out of a hat and other entrants can download the story for free on Smashwords with a discount code.

I've been told by many Y/A authors that books in that genre sell much better, which I know they do, but my heart is with children's book and I have so many to write. I think I'm still a child at heart. Writing for children is like living the life of a child. I go on a journey with my characters and experience their joy and adventures.

Plus, I love to make kids laugh. It's a wonderful feeling.

[Mandi]

Ok so here is my reason that I write. I woke up yesterday and just had to write this so I decided I'd share it. This is my true story

MY ANSWER AS TO "WHY?"
I woke up this morning with a really clear view.
My answer as to “Why?” I hope you see it too.
Several years ago, I had a two pound baby boy
12 weeks premature… I felt anything but joy.
He wasn’t doing well, his life was hanging by a thread
Not knowing why this happened, my heart was filled with dread.
The doctors said he may not walk, his brain was full of blood
He wouldn’t learn, he may not talk, none of this was good.
I sat and wrote that very day, an email to my friends
Asking all of them to pray and then to please hit send.
Within a week, to my surprise, I had an inbox full of letters
Strangers sending hope our way, praying he’d get better.
They sent him home after 73 days but again, with not much hope
We had no clue of what may happen on this scary uphill slope.
On this day, he’s five years old and no one would never know.
He’s doing great, he’s really smart. He’s anything but slow.
As I said before, I woke today with an answer as to “why?”
I came to my desk to try and type and then began to cry.
My child was saved so I’d spread the word of what Jesus did for me.
I feel that’s why I rhyme so well. I want all the world to see.
Something big will come of this, I can feel it in my heart.
For now I’ll spread to my home town, but I know it’s just a start.

[Patricia]

Mandi, that is an amazing and wonderful story. I bet he's a dear little boy too.

It's amazing what can come out of tragedy isn't it? And with the help and encouragement from others praying too.

[LaVerne]

Oh! I'm wiping away tears here. That is beautiful Mandi! I'm so glad your story had a happy ending : )And although I'm not religious - I certainly believe God lives in all of our hearts - and sometimes if we're very lucky he/she/it hears our heartfelt pleas and delivers a miracle. I'll hold my own little miracles that bit tighter tonight *sniff* Thanks for sharing : )

As to my book - here it is Guardian of the Jewel
Sorry for not saying earlier - I tend to hold back from anything resembling promotion - seen too many nasty comments from readers who get sick of it. Can't blame them really : )

Patricia! What a witch that teacher was! I can't stand bullies and she sounded like a particularly nasty one. So glad you rose above it. I bet it helped shape you into the strong woman you are today.

[Mandi]

Thank you. :o) http://manditillotsonwilliams.wordpre...
here is my blog, you can see his picture now on there. :O) He is my little miracle baby. He actually knows more going into kindergarten than my other two did. His only preemie symptom are his little blue glasses but I think he looks cute in them. :o) I wrote a poem about him in his glasses too. He liked it.

[Patricia]

La Verne, yes, she was a witch but she got punished for it, big time. I never let her get to me. Sometimes she'd send my friend an I home from school after lunch, and just because we arrived late back from choir practice. Unlike the rest of our class, we didn't have a bicycle and had to walk miles. My friend and I used to go to the park and play all afternoon.

We never told our parents. However, one day my father saw me in the park when I should have been a school and when I told him why, he went and complained about her. That teacher was reprimanded by the principal, but boy did we get a smack or two of her for that. We never told our parents after that. She was horrid. I'm making up for it now though, plus my friend and I had many adventures at that time. LOL.

Mandi, your little boy is so adorable. I can't believe how much he looks like my grandson. He'll be five in a couple of months and will be starting school in January.

He goes to pre-school now and has a two year-old sister who he adores. I love my little grandchildren. I'm so glad that your little boy is well now. His little blue glasses are so cute, bless him.

[Brenna]

I've always enjoyed SF/F/H/P stories, so it's no surprise I write them (straight genre and cross-genre). I've been reading romance/sensual romance since I was 11, so it's no surprise I write that. To be honest, there was very little available in NY conglomerate in cross-genre of those two when I started writing novels, so I wrote what I wanted to see. Now they are popular.

I've been writing poetry since at least age 7 and hit my peak of writing it in my teens and twenties. I prefer writing traditional/antique styles of poetry and have never much cared for freestyle, though my teachers tried to beat it into me. Since I also use antique literary styles in much of my prose, my editors have decided that my early influences of Shakespeare and friends have highly influenced how I put words together.

I have written a non-fiction children's book for my youngest (when she was 4), and I have written some PG-13 safe horror and paranormal romance. I have two separate WIP that are YA...one science fiction romance and one fantasy romance. I might get to finishing those someday. Grin... Of course, I started them, because I have three children, and the youngest still reads mostly YA...a little adult fiction, mostly the classics in adult fiction.

Brenna

[Brenna]

Awww... Your son is sweet. My son started wearing glasses at age 2...also had surgery on his eyes and had to have one eye patched. When I finally demanded his pediatrician give us a referral to ophthalmology, the specialists said he was 6 months from being legally blind. He still wears glasses and always will, but his testing the other day was surprisingly good for a child with his medical history. Always a good feeling.

[Brenna]

Since you're sharing about your son... The non-fiction children's book I wrote for my youngest was to explain the bleeding disorder she was "misdiagnosed" with for 7 years of her life. It was dedicated to her and included pictures of her when she was 4. I used to send it to school with her on the first day, so her teachers could get an understanding of the fact that we do not let disability define our children in this house. It has only been this year that we've learned she was misdiagnosed all this time. Not the first time I've had a child misdiagnosed. She still faces surgery to correct the actual problem, but better that than a lifelong affliction.

[Mandi]

OMG. Brenna, poor thing. That is terrible she was misdiagnosed. I have dealt with things with my son and I had to beg to be sent to an eye specialist and a pulmonologist as he has asthma too. It is so hard because we trust these people to tell us what is wrong with our kids. My husband was misdiagnosed by a doc. and was being sent to have gallbladder surgery and thankfully the surgeon caught it and it wasn't his gallbladder at all! He had two hernias! And the doc. he was using was really cocky and would always brag about how smart he was. lol. He wasn't too smart though obviously.

[Patricia]

Brenna and Mandi, that's terrible that your children were misdiagnosed. You two girls have had a lot of worry. My grandson has asthma and really bad dermatitis, but it was only diagnosed when he was three and a half. He takes his preventative medicine now and has to be smothered in a special cream every day or he scratches himself and cries. He has other health issues too, but nothing that you two ladies have to deal with.

It's good that you both write about it. It helps others with similar problems.

[Mandi]

I am so blessed that my kids are all well now. I feel confident that Evan will outgrow his asthma and his eyes will be corrected with the glasses. I will make sure to say a prayer for your grandson Patricia and your daughter Brenna. :o) Patricia, I haven't had a chance to read your book yet as I do photography too and have been slammed. Also, my daughter has had a bad case of strep throat so she hasn't felt up to reading. I promise I will though. :o)

[Patricia]

No worries, Mandi. Life is like that. I have many books to read and review, but I've had a few birthday's this month, and visitors. Plus I have more visitors tomorrow as it's my daughter-in-law's birthday. We get there in the end though, don't we?

[Brenna]

Back in the Navy, we had several dangerous doctors mixed in with the good ones. One of them... I refused to take appointments with him anymore when he nearly cost my son his sight, nearly cost my older daughter her hearing, and nearly killed two of my best friends' children...one a two month old who'd contracted viral pneumonia and one a two year old who had an impacted colon.

Worse, when my oldest was five, I FINALLY forced the pediatricians to send her to developmental pediatrics. She came out with a list of diagnoses as long as your arm. All of them were true...and not true. Basically, they did what the Navy often did and tried to treat her symptomatically instead of looking for an umbrella condition that explained why they were all happening. In short, it's a good thing that I refused medication for her, because they would have mis-medicated, because they didn't understand what her actual problem was, causing what were not diagnoses but rather symptoms of something larger and more pervasive. It took only a month with a civilian doctor to be sent to neurology and have a proper diagnosis.

In a similar manner, one of my best friends had the Navy doctors tell her that her daughter had a torturous bone in her leg, and there was nothing they could do to correct her gait until she was 8 and old enough to have the surgery. At 8, she was sent to an outside doctor to be evaluated for the surgery. In examining her and taking x-rays, he learned she had NEVER had such a problem. They never bothered to confirm it. After 8 years, what did they find her problem was? Ataxic cerebral palsy. Every symptom pointed to it, and the doctors missed it for 8 years. She was affected all down her right side...arm and leg, but they told her parents her arm was her way of trying to balance to make up for her leg. NOT! She still had to have surgery, but a completely different surgery...and physical therapy she should have started as a toddler.

[Mandi]

Ok, Just didn't want you to think I had forgotten. :o)

[Brenna]

Aww...Patricia, the poor kid! I've taught kids with similar problems.

My older two both have asthma. It's cleared up immensely since we moved to MA. Their allergies were so bad in VA that it set off the asthma all the time. My oldest especially. She spent at least one day a month, every month of her life from age one until age six, in either the ER or the major treatment room of the clinic with breathing complications from any one of a half dozen different ENT infections, ranging from pharangitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, ear infections...to pneumonia (four times in four years...and twice it seized a lung completely). She had to have typanic tubes put in when she was about a year and a half old, and she still got ear infections with them in.

To this day, she dislikes IVs...needles of any sort, actually.

[Patricia]

Bren, you need a medal for all you've had to deal with. Those poor children. I would be ropeable. And I bet your still dealing with it. No wonder your write. It's a great stress relief.

My grandson's skin is so sensitive, if he doesn't have that cream all over his body every day, he turns bright pink on most of his body and itches like mad. He cries. Luckily, the cream works for him. His asthma isn't too bad at the moment as he takes preventative medicine, but whenever he gets a cold, he throws up all the time and can't eat. He also had to have an operation on one of his toes as few months ago as he had curl-toe. He's moved closer to us and the new doctor said it had to be operated on, but should have been done before he was three. The doctor's where he lived before didn't suggest an operation yet and he's nearly five. He wouldn't have been able to run properly. They didn't discover his asthma or his exsima << I've spelt that wrong,) and he was a very sick little boy, always coughing and throwing up. Now he's thriving, doesn't get asthma as much, had his toes fixed, and been given a wonderful cream that helps him.

All this affected his speech and now he's having speech therapy before he goes to school in January. He's the sweetest little boy and if his speech isn't corrected, the other kids won't understand him. I think it's already working.

His new doctors are fabulous.

[Brenna]

My oldest had speech therapy. My youngest had occupational therapy.

I actually started writing when I was a kid. I had a childhood that was (by turns) extremely abusive and extremely neglectful. You're right. It is stress relief.

[Patricia]

That's sad that you had an abusive childhood, Brenna, and then to have all those troubles as an adult doesn't seem very fair. How do you cope?

At least you rose above your abusive childhood and are the opposite to your children. That's great.

[Alison]

My mother and father loved to read. I grew up surrounded by the grand dames of mystery (Christie, Sayers, Marsh, James), historical fiction (Georgette Heyer especially), action adventures (my father loved Alistair MacLean and Jack Higgens) and the westerns of Grey and L'Amour.

Not surprising thatUnder a Texas Star is western/mystery/romance.

Whether I'm writing a science fiction, fantasy, mystery or western, there is always a mystery to solve and a romance to unfold.

[Alison]

Brenna, like you I started writing as a kid.

Like your kids, I suffered from a misdiagnosis. As a result I am completely deaf in my right ear. One-on-one, I can hear just fine, but when it's noisy, my hearing becomes spotty at best. In noisy classrooms or school yards, it was often easier to retreat into my own world than sort out what was going on around me.

Alison

[Brenna]

Alison... Nodding. I have similar problems with hearing. I had constant ear infections until the age of 12 or so and spent several years reading lips. I'm okay now, until it gets noisy. Then I can't separate one thing from another. The doctors think I actually have an auditory processing/defensiveness disorder (which my older two kids share, so that's probable) and not true damage to the ear, but I also have balance problems, which indicates an inner ear problem of some sort.

Patricia... How do I cope? I'm seeing a therapist to help me sort out the aftereffects of my early life. Like most severely abused children, in adulthood, I display PTSD. I additionally have health problems related to severe abuse, including early-onset osteo arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and high blood pressure.

[Patricia]

Brenna, that's sad. I'm interested to know how osteo arthritis and degenerative disc disease relates to child abuse. That's very interesting.