Author Interviews
Our author interviews page is here to inspire and encourage writers of all levels and highlight the potential that we all have if we just persevere. Hopefully our individual author interviews will reaffirm your own writing goals because you will be able to see just what is achievable with a little hard work, some creativity and a will to succeed.
Our author interviews page is set to grow and if you are a published or self-published author and would like to share your writing journey and success story with us, we would like to hear from you.
Please contact us at info@creative-competitor.co.uk and mark author interviews in the subject line.
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Author Barbara Hart
My greatest inspiration was when I reached out to someone to help; and being told that I had blessed their soul. Knowing that I had given a word to uplift someone was truly a blessing, I wrote poems and kind words to friends on the job when they were having certain problems, some of them told me that I should be a psychologist because I was good at helping people. I would write them poems, take them home, print it out and take it to them to keep as a reminder when they were going through their trials. The sad thing was, I could help others that had problems, but I couldn’t solve my own.
The hardest thing about getting published was trying to find the right publisher, or one that would put my work out there. The other was finding someone that said that they would publish my work and when I sent them the manuscript; they told me that they couldn’t because it may offend someone. They wanted me to be easy with the subject, which would have sugar-coated the real situation.
I’ve learned that being a published author is a lot of hard work. If your financial status is not where you want it to be or, if you are not one of the rich and famous you may not get noticed. It takes all that you have in you and then some trying to promote your work. If it is a dream to get your work out there you may have to do it alone. It is your work and if you don’t search the different avenues to get it out to the media no one else will. Even though your chances look slim at getting the recognition that you so richly deserve, never give up on your dream.
I would like for my book to reach the top and to get to the much needed people to give them a sense of hope. No one was there giving me hope when I was going through my trials, and I want to use it to be an up lifter of others hearts. I want the reader to know that I care about them and that my prayers are sent out continually over the air waves for a better life for them. To know that I have helped others would be a true blessing.
I’ve had a couple of people write me and tell me that they had been abused and that it made them feel good that I put my life and heart out there to be a blessing to them and others that have walked a mile or two in our shoes. This book wasn’t written to knock anyone down; it is to lift them up. It was written to give hope in the midst of the storm. Even when it seems that no one understands of cares, I want them to know that I have been there too, and that I truly care.
This book was written by a 53 year old woman that has endured much and, wanted to be there to help other women. It is not to knock anyone down, belittle anyone, or to humiliate anyone but, to pick someone up. We all have our faults but, sometimes we don’t have a solution. I wanted to tell of trials with men that I and, other women have been through to help some one. I want to let women know that they are not the only one that have been hurt. As far as I am concerned it doesn’t matter who knows that I have been hurt or, what I’ve been through as long as it helps some one. I pray that it will be a blessing to all.
Sharon Tregenza
Author of over 400 stories, articles and poems worldwide. Many of these were as a result of writing competitions. I also won the Kelpies Award with my children’s novel “Tarantula Tide” and it’s now been short-listed for the Heart of Hawick children’s book award 2010.
Q: Why did you become a Children’s writer?
A: I love to write. I love to write words that make me laugh, cry and words that scare the hell out of me. Writing for kids I can do all that in one chapter.
Q: What makes a children’s writer?
A: Memory, imagination and a sense of the ridiculous.
Q: Why don’t you write for adults
A: I have and done pretty well with short stories and poems. But I find it heard to be too “serious” and long, long meaningful novels are a trial to a butterfly brain.
Q: Is it fun?
A: The best there is.
Q: What was your favourite book as a child?
A: “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norman Juster. I still think it’s a phenomenal book – an under-rated classic – the quirkiest, cleverest children’s book ever.
Q: Where do ideas come from?
A: Ideas are never a problem for me. They flash into my mind completely unbidden, with no respect for where I am or who I’m talking to. I often “come to” to find someone waiting for a response to their question. Awkward sometimes.
Q: Do you have any complaints?
A: Hmmm, let me think. Nope. None.
Q: Is it easy writing for children?
A: If you mean is it easier than writing for adults – then no. Is it easier than working down a coal-mine, driving a double–decker bus through a city or climbing Everest? Yes and you can do it in your jim-jams.
Q: Are there any drawbacks?
A: Obviously, life intervenes all the time and the constant desire to lock yourself away with just your imagination and your computer can make you feel desperate sometimes.
Q: You won the Kelpie’s Award for Tarantula Tide and it’s recently been short-listed for the Heart of Hawick children’s book award 2010 – how does that feel?
A: It feels TERRIFIC! Winning the Kelpie’s was one of the best moments of my life, the Heart of Hawick winner will be voted for by around 500 children – just imagine how it would feel to win that!
Q: What is the very best thing about writing for children?
A: This morning I got an email saying “I LOVE your book it is the best book I have ever read in my whole life” Emily aged 10. Is there anything better than that?
Check out Sharon’s website here:
Eileen Flanagan
Question 1.
When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?
I wrote poems and stories when I was young, but I never thought about writing full time until I was in my late twenties. I was feeling burnt out in a non-profit job and had just started attending a Quaker meeting.
I had a spiritual growth spurt that was accompanied by a very strong urge to write. It was only then that I realized I had always enjoyed writing and had gotten positive feedback from teachers over the years. Getting a few articles published gave me the courage to quit my non-profit job and begin my first book.
Question 2.
What inspires you to write?
I’m interested in how spiritual principles apply to real life situations, so I can get inspiration anywhere. Often it’s things that bother me that compel me to start an article or book, though I’m more likely to stick with it if I have a sense of clarity and purpose about what I want to say.
Question 3.
How do you plan your writing day?
I write while my children are in school. Usually I drop them off and head to my favorite organic, fair-trade coffee shop where I spend a ridiculous amount of money on decaf tea and veggie egg rolls. I actually get more writing done there because there’s no laundry or bills glaring at me over the laptop. A wonderfully supportive and encouraging community of writers has developed at the coffee shop. I usually stay until it’s time to pick up my kids. Then I’m on mom duty.
Question 4.
Describe your publishing break in full.
I feel like I’ve had two breaks, and both centered around finding the right agent. My first book was a spiritual approach to romantic relationships, and I wrote the whole thing and a proposal before I went to an International Women’s Writing Guild conference http://www.iwwg.com/index.php?section=events to attend their “Meet the Agents” session. I met an agent who agreed to represent my book and sold it pretty quickly. Then I had two kids, which seriously slowed the momentum of my writing career. By the time I started writing my current book, it was clear that my first agent wouldn’t be such a good fit for it, so I started the process of agent hunting again, this time before the manuscript was finished.
I remembered my good experience with the IWWG, so I looked on their website and found Stephany Evans, my current agent. She was the perfect fit and got the deal with Tarcher/Penguin, my publisher. I believe finding an experienced agent who believes in your project is really the key.
Question 5.
Tell me about your book
‘The Wisdom to Know the Difference’ is about how the Serenity Prayer applies to everyday situations and decisions. It is full of stories of people finding the courage to change their lives (and sometimes the world), as well as stories of letting go and finding peace. The thirty people interviewed come from diverse religious and racial backgrounds, including a Katrina evacuee, a mother who became an outspoken peace activist after her son was killed in Iraq, and a cattle rancher who went from bankruptcy to winning Paul Newman’s “most generous business” award. Each chapter ends with questions designed to help readers reflect on the lessons of their own lives.
Question 6.
What projects are you planning for the future?
I have several ideas, but none has grabbed me by the shirt-collar and said, “I’m the one!” yet. Please follow my blog http://www.eileenflanagan.com/blog/if you want to find out what comes next.
Question 7.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Start by writing, if that is what you really want to do–even if it’s just when your kids are napping or on the train ride home from work. Don’t wait until you have a year of uninterrupted time because that may never happen. Practice and find your voice, then it will be much easier to find your audience.
Eileen Flanagan is a Quaker who writes about how spirituality can inform the way we live each day, from romantic relationships and parenting, to race relations and politics. Her new book The Wisdom to Know the Difference (Tarcher, Fall 2009) offers spiritual tools to discern when to let go and when to stand up for what matters. She is also the author of God Raising Us: Parenting as a Spiritual Practice (Pendle Hill, June 2008), Listen with Your Heart: Seeking the Sacred in Romantic Love (Warner 1999), as well as numerous other articles and essays. To learn more, visit http://www.eileenflanagan.com.
Toni L. P. Kelner
Author of the ‘Where are they now? Novels
1. At what age did you start writing?
Very young. I have a version of “Thumbelina” I wrote in the second grade. I also illustrated it–badly, I’m sorry to say. I started writing seriously in high school.
2. When did you get your first publishing success?
I suppose it depends on what you count as success. I mean, I sold a dozen limericks to DRAGON Magazine, but I don’t think those were all that important. Down Home Murder, my first novel, came out in June of 1993.
3. Where do you get your ideas from?
Ideas are easy. The germ of Curse of the Kissing Cousins came from watching too many reruns of The Brady Bunch, and the idea for my Anthony-nominated short story “Skull and Cross-Examinations” came from a book about pirates.
4. What novel did you struggle with most and why?
Probably the first, Down Home Murder. I made so many mistakes. In the first full draft, I forgot to break it up into chapters, and I had way too many characters. I had to rewrite that one a number of times. More recently, Curse of the Kissing Cousins was tough because I was establishing a very different protagonist in a very different setting from my previous eight books.
5. Which novel have you felt most satisfied with?
I’m supposed to feel satisfied? Oops. Seriously, though, I’m pretty happy with Who Killed the Pinup Queen?, the book that will be coming out in January. At least until I see the reviews…
6. You’re renowned for your mystery stories, do you see yourself continuing in this genre or do you have plans to tackle different genres?
I feel very comfortable with mystery story structure, so I’m not leaving that behind any time soon. But I am branching out into urban fantasy, both in the anthologies I’ve co-edited with Charlaine Harris and in other anthologies. At least I’m trying to. Somehow, they end up being mysteries. Both my vampire story from Many Bloody Returns and my werewolf story from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe have been nominated for mystery awards.
7. When is your next book out?
January 5, 2010. Not that I’m counting the days or anything… I’ve also got a couple of translations coming out this fall: a German translation of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and an Italian translation of Curse of the Kissing Cousins.
8. What is a typical writing day for you?
I am the poster child for BAD writing habits. I don’t have a regular schedule, and I’m not sure I have a typical writing day, either. I do my best writing at night, or rather, in the wee hours of the morning. If I didn’t have kids, I’d probably stay up until 3 or so each night, and sleep late enough to make up for it. I can edit during the day.
9. It is hard to achieve publication, do you have any advice for those writers still trying to place their work?
It’s hard, but not impossible. My advice for new writers is two-fold. One, do not self-publish or subsidy publish fiction–you should never sell yourself short. Two, DON’T GIVE UP!
Toni L.P. Kelner believes in multitasking, which is why she’s working on two series. On the mystery side, she writes the “Where are they now?” novels for Berkley Prime Crime. Curse of the Kissing Cousins, the first, came out in May, and Who Killed the Pinup Queen? comes out in January 2010. Kelner also co-edits urban fantasy anthologies with bestselling author Charlaine Harris. They’ve done vampire birthdays in Many Bloody Returns and werewolf Christmases in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe. They recently handed in their third, Death’s Excellent Vacation about supernatural creatures on vacation. If that weren’t enough Kelner is also a prolific short story writer. Her pirate mystery “Skull and Cross-Examinations” has been nominated for an Anthony Award and her werewolf story “Keeping Watch Over His Flock” is up for a Macavity Award. Kelner has won a Romantic times Career Achievement Award and an Agatha. She lives near Boston with author/husband Stephen Kelner, two daughters, and two guinea pigs.
Jeffrey Oronato
The SIN of Addison Hall
1. When did you start writing and what motivated you to do so?
In a word “passion”. The idea for my novel germinated when I was going to be gym one Sunday morning. My gym was located next to a church and I noticed that while my gym parking lot was packed, the adjoining church parking lot was practically empty. What if you could create a workout that builds the body and edifies the soul? My idea for doing that became the first chapter I wrote.
2. Have you ever encountered writers block and any tips for over-coming it?
My novel, The SIN of Addison Hall, has taken 7 years to write. Quite often I encountered slow creative times. The way I overcame it was by ensuring I wrote for at least 30 minutes everyday. Some days I penned one sentence and other days I got “in the zone” and wrote for hours. To me, writing is all about discipline.
3. How do you create your storylines?
My method is perhaps a bit uncoventional. I know the qualities I want my primary characters to have in the beginning of my story and I know the qualities I want them to morph into at the end. It becomes a process of filling in the gaps so this change occurs in an interesting, realistic and entertaining way. Suffice to say, I do a LOT of re-writes. I think I did nine for The SIN of Addison Hall.
4. Did you ever feel like giving up on your writing dream?
I didn’t write with the end in mind, I used writing as a wonderful diversion. Initially my dream wasn’t to get published as much as it was to tell my story – even if it was only for the consumption of friends and family. I must admit however that after all the time and effort I put into The SIN of Addison Hall, it would have been disappointing to not have it published.
5. How did it feel to complete your novel and then learn that it was being published?
It was humbling. Writing is such a solitary act and you are never sure if what you are writing is good, or even palatable. For me, getting The SIN of Addison Hall published validated the quality of my story. My writing can and will continue to improve, but I know I can create compelling stories.
6. Any advice you can give to other writers?
I have had the good fortune on a few different occasions to sit down and chat with Bobby Moresco, co-screenwriter for the Academy Award winning movie, “Crash”. His advice was simple. “Writing is re-writing. Write about a topic you are passionate about and be disciplined enough to do it everyday. And once you finish your draft, the real work begins!”
The book will be available for purchase on my publisher’s website www.bryantparkpress.com on 8/3/09 but it is available now for pre-purchase on Amazon.
