Smashwords Interviews

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Smashwords introduced author interviews several days ago, but being the pokey puppy I am (does anyone else remember that children’s book?) I’ve only just gotten mine done.  You can check out my Smashwords interview here.  And, for the sake of some meat in this potato-style blog, here’s one of my answers.

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?

I grew up in the south west corner of Iowa in a tiny pocket of unreality; a place that time literally had not caught up to (and still has not). Everything was a little slower, a little smaller, and a little quieter. Farmers with withered sun tanned skin woke up at five in the morning and had coffee in the small cafe at seven. Carhart and coveralls were the fashion, the county fair was one of the big events of summer and the volunteer fire department still had dances in the street. I dreamed of escaping to a metropolitan area that was “like TV”, but moving doesn’t matter. Those kind of places aren’t only around you, but in you, and you can’t run from what’s inside. It oozes out in my writing; in my settings and my descriptions. There is nothing creepier to me than a dark field of corn or an abandoned barn. The backdrops of my books are small towns, slowly dying, with grass choked parking lots and rain striped motels. My monsters lurk in the woods and live in the abandoned farm house. They drive down old highways and shop in the local chain stores. And why not? There’s a subtle beauty in the Midwest; in old gray barns and rusted windmills. I only hope I can capture it.

I promise the rest of the answers aren’t as long winded.

And while you’re there check out DM Yate’s interview. I loved her answer to “What do your fans mean to you?”

“Readers of my work are precious to me because they’ve taken the time to read what I’ve written. I enjoy introducing readers to my new world and waiting for their reactions.”

and Roger Lawrence’s interview. His answer to “What is your writing process?” is similar to what mine would be:

I just get it all down as it comes out and edit much later, since the majority of my books are written with no planning. I just begin with a sentence, or perhaps a line of dialogue and see how it goes. This often results in dead ends and frustration, but for me is the only way to write. That includes my newest book about the potentially eternal man. I knew how it would begin and even knew what would happen in the middle, but I let the end take care of itself. In fact I have two endings written and shall let my wonderful beta readers advise as to which they think is the better.

There are hundreds of other interviews, so take some time and browse around. You might find a new favorite author.

if you’re an author and you’ve done a Smashword’s interview, leave us the link below.

Posted by Joleene Naylor on September 2, 2013

https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/smashwords-interviews/