Q & A With Author Christine Campbell

/

It is such a honor and pleasure to be able to chat with author Christine Campbell. She is an accomplished novelist of contemporary fiction with two published novels currently working on her third. 

What inspired you to be a writer?

Writing was always something I loved to do. From when I was quite young, I adored the feel of a pencil or pen flowing across a smooth expanse of paper, the joy of filling its virgin whiteness with words. Words themselves enthralled me and, once I realized they were the building blocks of stories, I was captivated and played with words the way some children play with Lego. No matter what else I did in life, I knew I would always write.

After having published a couple of novels, do you feel that the process has gotten easier?

I feel I have learned a lot about the craft, so, yes, it has become easier to know the best way to approach a new piece of writing. The part I still find difficult is editing and rewriting in such a way that the reader will derive the same pleasure as I had as the writer. I try not to present my readers with a stream of consciousness, but to refine my original thoughts, to distill them until they express the thoughts or emotions as clearly as possible.


The goal of a writer is to give the readers characters that they can really connect with. The characters in your books have such a engaging depth to them, what advice can you give other authors with finding that authentic voice that speaks to the reader?

Thank you, Michelle. One of the things I do is sit still with my characters for a while before I put pen to paper, finger to keyboard. When I have a story in mind, I decide whose story it is going to be, then I spend some time getting to know that character. Sometimes I write details down, sometimes I just get a feel for them. I see them in the situation and I see the situation as a scene in a movie, so I sit back and watch how they move through it as I have directed.

Is this a character who moves purposefully, or does he or she move more aimlessly? Do they get easily riled or are they laid back? What does she sound like? Does he have an accent? Does she have self-confidence, a certain swagger, even? Or is she timid and reticent to put forward her opinions?

For some of my characters, I have found it fun to choose film stars to play them. Not necessarily as the actors are in real life, but perhaps as they played a certain character in a particular film. For instance, I have a character in some of my short stories who is very much modeled on Hugh Grant in the film Nottingham Hill. He is handsome and kind, but rather vague and a little hapless. To be fair to Hugh and the character he played, I have exaggerated these qualities in my character, but it was fun to imagine Hugh Grant playing the part in my stories.

You have a gift of storytelling, especially in writing your short stories. Have you ever thought about making a compilation book of them?

Thank you again, Michelle, and, yes, I have thought about doing that. In fact, I have gathered a few of my 'hapless Hugh' stories and I may even embed them in a rather lighthearted novel. His wife in the stories I have modeled a little on Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality, so I think there's a bit of fun to be had with the pair of them.

And I may also, at some point, publish a compilation of other short stories, including flash fiction, drabbles, and poetry. A drabble is an extremely short work of fiction, exactly one hundred words in length not including the title. The purpose of the drabble is brevity, testing the author's ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in an extremely confined space. I have been enjoying writing them recently, using an image as a prompt.

What book or author can you say has had an impact on your career as a writer?

That's a hard question for me to answer because I doubt if there was ever any one author who had such an impact. I think it has always been a conglomeration. As a child, it was the classics: The Bronte sisters, Jane Austin, then Enid Blyton with The Famous Five and a series of books called The Chalet School Mysteries by Elinor Brent-Dyer, initially published between 1925 and 1970. Thirty years ago, it would have been writers such as Maeve Binchy, Rosamund Pilcher. Now, I am inspired by such authors as Anita Shreve, Anne Tyler, Nicholas Sparks and JoJo Moyes. There have been many more authors whose works have inspired me. These are just some names that come to mind.

What really inspires me is good writing, no matter who wrote it.

On a different note, there is one writer who inspired me to publish my novels. That was Barbara Cartland. I'm sorry if any of your readers enjoy her books, but I read one once that my mother handed on to me. Her butcher was giving them away free with every purchase of mince. How very appropriate. The book was total mince. It was drivel. It was so badly written that I thought, 'I can write so much better than that!' And she had hundreds of books published! Hundreds! I was shocked into doing something about getting my novels out there.

What is the hardest part about being a writer?

Having to stop and make the dinner. When in a flow, I find it so difficult to emerge from fiction to deal with reality. But then, I find that as a reader too. I get engrossed. Another thing that is hard, at the other end of the writing spectrum, is getting started on a new piece of work, getting into that flow.

What have you taken away from your experience so far that you can offer someone who is just beginning?

Not to be disappointed when not everyone likes your writing. Anyone can call themselves a writer. Not everyone can call themselves a good writer. So practice, practice, practice. Read, read, read. Learn your craft. Be the best writer you can be. Then, at least some people will enjoy your writing.

Are you currently working on anything that you can share?

Absolutely. I have just finished writing another novel. It is currently with my proofreader and will be published very soon, I hope. It is called Flying Free and it tells the story of how a woman overcomes the disabling memories of her past in order to carve out a future and be able to commit to a relationship with the man she loves. To call it a romance would probably be misleading because, although it traces a romance, it is the difficult emotional journey the character has to make that carries the story.

Do you have any advice to any writers?

Just to write. To quote something I read, 'You can't edit an empty page.' So, get the story out there on the page then go back and refine it until it is something you can be proud of.

To find out more information about Christine:
http://cicampbellblog.wordpress.com/

Q & A with Author Bianca Sloane

/

Remember this name, Bianca Sloane. This upcoming novelist truly embodies the genre of suspense thriller. With two published novels that have been well received, she is definitely carving her own path to becoming a household name. After her latest release, Sweet Little Lies, I am pleased to have her come by and chat.

What inspired you to become an author?

I was always that kid who was pecking out something on my ancient little typewriter.  I loved doing fan fiction, short stories—anything and everything.  I was a bit of an introvert with an active imagination.  I don't think I could have been anything but a writer!  

What would you say are pros and cons of self-publishing against being traditionally published?

I would say one of the pros of being in Indie author is the freedom you have.  You can tell the types of stories you want to tell, you can do it on your own timetable and you have complete control over the creative process.  The cons are that you're a one-man band, responsible not only for writing the books, but also finding a cover artist, editors and proofreaders and formatters.  And that's all before you market the books.  Sometimes, it can be tough to find enough hours in the day to fit it all in. 

In your books, you have such addictive and amazing characters. Where do you find the inspiration to create them?

Oh wow – thank you!  One of the best compliments a writer can hear.  

I pull inspiration for my characters from a variety of places.  My characters talk to me (yes, I'm one of those authors) and they tell me who they are.  That's what comes out on the page.  I don't do character bios or anything like that.  It's all free-form and just comes to me as I'm writing and during the revision process, I'll make tweaks as I need to. 

I also strive to make them strong and smart.  They may have moments when they falter, but that makes them human.  I put little bits of myself and people I know into the characters.  When I'm out and about, I observe people and  listen to conversations.  Reality TV is also great for studying human nature.  Yes, that's it...reality TV in the name of research...

It's also important to know who your characters are apart from what's on the page – where they were born, any siblings, past romantic relationships, relationships with their parents, etc.  That helps to make them more real and more relatable.  

Your latest release, Sweet Little Lies, is definitely one of those books that should be on the movie screen. Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead?

Ha ha!  How much fun would that be to see this turned into a movie?  I actually have a Pinterest board for the book where I envisioned who would play the roles.  I like Carmen Ejogo (she played opposite Whitney Houston in Sparkle) as my main character, Kelly. I've also thought Paula Patton would be good. I'd love to see Boris Kodjoe as Kelly's husband, Mark.  Talk about a McHottie.

What are the challenges that an author in your genre has when trying to create “the story”? Is it easier to build up the story with a huge ending that may be predictable or build up to the unexpected?

I think for a suspense writer, the challenge is to come up with a new way to tell the same old story. As the saying goes, there are no new ideas.  You have to ask yourself what can you do that hasn't been done before?  For example, in Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn took the story of the missing wife that we've all come to know so well and completely turned it on its head with explosion after explosion.   

I think it's certainly easier to build up to the predictable ending.  Formulas exist for a reason, which is why we see them over and over again. For me personally, I love twisty, unpredictable endings, because they're more fun and certainly more thought-provoking. Harder to develop, yes, but ultimately much more fun and satisfying. 

Is there an author or book that has inspired your career as a writer?

Mary Higgins Clark was an author who I read in high school and college whose books I couldn't read fast enough. The first book of hers that I read was The Cradle Will Fall and it remains a favorite. One of the most unsettling books I've ever read.

What are you currently working on?

I'm in the throes of my next release, Every Breath You Take, which is about a love affair gone horribly wrong. There is of course murder and some twists along the way. That will be released in 2014. 

What advice can you offer upcoming authors?

Read, read, read. Read the good stuff. Read the bad stuff. Read everything in between. Read different genres. While I love to read suspense books and this is mostly what I read, sometimes, I want to get lost in some chick lit or a good old-fashioned family saga. As Stephen King says, if you don't have time to read, you don't have time to be a writer.  

Q & A with Author Fran Veal

/

After falling in love with reading at a young age, becoming a writer was something that she was to become destined for. After publishing her well received debut, Finding My Escape, she is about to release her sequel Finding My Way Back.

Your first book, Finding My Escape, seemed to have some fantastic reviews. What do you think the secret to writing a successful novel is?

Good question! First, I think you have to love to read. Reading gives you a feel for how a book should flow, how to make your characters interesting, etc. Second, I think you have to be willing to really scrutinize your plot, your characters, and every single line you write. I threw away 30,000 words of the sequel to Finding My Escape because the story just wasn't as good as it needed to be. I started over from scratch, and the sequel is much, much better. Finally, you need to listen to the criticism of people who have been writing longer than you have. That's how you improve.

Your new novel, Finding My Way Back, the sequel to your debut is about to be released. Do you have anything that you want to share with your fans to ease their anticipation? 

I'm sure everyone is anxious about Matt and whether he is still in a coma or not. The answer is 'yes' he is at the beginning of the book, and that's all I'm saying.

Your books so far seem in the suspense and thriller genres, do you seem yourself exploring any others?

Funny you should ask. At the moment, I'm co-authoring a romantic comedy with Bryden Lloyd entitled Five Strikes. The story is about a single dad who's trying to start dating again and the attempts his five daughters make to thwart him. It's been a fun story to write because it's such a departure from the other. I'm also outlining a series based on the actual Grimm Fairy Tales, which should be pretty fun to write.

As social media plays a more prominent role with many authors, many seem to shy away from it. What are your thoughts about its relationship?

I think social media is a vital part of connecting with your fans as well as other writers. Last week I was tickled when a young fan sent me a Twitter message asking for my autograph. Of course since my genre is YA, most of my fans are going to be extremely comfortable with social media, so I have to be up to date with it as well.  

However, I think the key to social media is realizing the power of exposure. The more social media sites you are on, the more people can become familiar with you and your work. It has an exponential effect. Here's an example. A few months ago, I jokingly told my daughter I'd buy her back-stage passes to the OneDirection concert if I sold 10,000 books. She took my promise to heart and began tweeting all her friends. Within two hours, she had over 300 retweets! While I only sold a couple of books, my book's title was getting out there in front of the kids. Several even posted pictures of themselves holding a picture of the book on their reading devices. You can't buy that kind of exposure!

Who would you consider as an author who has influenced you as a writer?

Wow! There are so many - every writer I've ever read, in fact. To name a few: Ted Dekker, Amanda Peters, Terry Brooks, Douglas Preston, Louisa May Alcott, Roald Dahl. I've also been influenced by some of my Indie writer friends: Tammie Gibbs, J J DiBenedetto, Mishael Witty, and Bryden Lloyd are part of an ever-growing list of authors who influence me every day.

Are you currently working on anything that you can share today?

In addition to the books I've mentioned above, I'm working on Finding My Way home, the third book in the Finding My Escape triology. There are some interesting twists and turns yet to be revealed!

What advice can you give aspiring writers?

Read a lot. Invite and be willing to listen to criticism. Learn your craft. Don't be afraid to change what you've written. Edit well, then have your book professionally edited. Spend the money to get a good professional cover.

To get more information on Fran, you can reach her at:
http://franveal.com
http://facebook.com/franvealauthor
Twitter @franveal

Q & A with Yolanda Isabel Regueira Marin

/

There are very few poets that I have come across in this life that have touched and inspired me as much as Yolanda. If you don't know who she, after reading about her, I suggest you familiarize yourself with her body of work. Her passion for writing is so eloquently felt with each word she pens to paper. It is such a privilege to chat with her about writing and what inspires her passion to write. 

You have such beautiful and inspiration poetry, what or who has inspires what you write?

Thank you.  Of course I have read many of the great poets and this has nurtured by love of poetry.  But feel most inspired by life and its many facets.  From life you can draw emotions and tell stories. 

Do you have a particular writing style or do you just pen to paper what you feel?

I don't think I have a particular writing style.  I write from the heart and from my own life experience, if and when the inspiration comes.  Words start to form in my head and I write them down as they come then extend on them.  If I allow them to leave my mind before writing them down maybe they will not come back.  LOL  I have found that for me, it is the best way to write, and because it is honest I find people relate to it. 

So many poets struggled to find that inner voice. What advice can you give to encourage them to be able to connect with their readers?

Listen to your inner voice and be true to yourself, do not be guided by others voices. Whilst it is helpful to get constructive feedback everyone writes from a different place and in their own distinctive style.  Of course, we all write hoping that the reader will enjoy our writing, but we must write for ourselves first before others will find insight  in our writing.

How to you break that writers block as a poet when you heart tells you the words but you cannot express them on paper?

When this happens I find it best to put whatever I am working on away and come back to it. You cannot force words to paper when they are not fully formed in you mind.

Poetry is often used as a form of expression or self healing. How has your poetry affected your life?

Whilst I have always written, I started my blog and writing became much prominent in my life when I was going through a particularly difficult time.  It allowed me to externalize feelings and filter emotions.  Writing has been like therapy.  It has documented the different phases of my life and in the process brought me great joy.

Is there a poet or an author that has influenced your passion to write?

I love the classics both in literature and poetry.  My favorite author is Jane Austen, I am in awe of the way she makes the characters in her books come to life and creates a world that I can visualize.  In respect to poets, Shakespeare because his sonnets roll of the tongue like music.

When you write your poems, is there a particular message that you want to send out or is it interpretive to the reader?

Poetry is always open to interpretation.  Whilst I may write with a certain message in mind the reader will draw their own story from each poem.  It becomes personal depending on the readers own life experience.  If my writing touches the reader and evokes emotion it is the greatest compliment.

Who is your favorite poet?

Shakespeare for the reasons stated above.

What advice can you give to other writers?

Always be true to yourself and be honest in your writing.  Readers will see through anything else.

For more information about Yolanda and her work, she can be reached at: 
http://lovepainandothercatastrophes.blogspot.com/