Words With Hannah Harvey

Today I'm talking with Hannah Harvey and getting her insight on the world of writing.  Learn more about her on her Blog , at Goodreads or at Amazon.

What have you been working on?

I've recently published my second novel, a YA fiction book called 'After Summer'

Synopsis:
Everything changes for Arianna when she loses one of her best friends in an accident, suddenly everything that felt happy and safe, is no longer there, and she can't handle it.
It used to be Ben, Summer and Arianna, always together, and now it's just Ben and Arianna left, and she needs to escape.
After Summer's death she pushes Ben away, cutting of her connection with who she used to be, but she can't keep running forever, not when the past is always ready to catch her up, especially since it's more than just Summer's death that she's running from.

What genre do you write and why?

I write young adult contemporary fiction, because it's what I enjoy writing the most. I've dabbled in writing historical fiction before and a few other genres, but I always come back to YA.
I also love reading YA books and so that's influences me a lot.

What is your process?

I never used to be a planned, but since I started taking part in National Novel Writing Month, I've been planning each novel more and more extensively.
I like to make plans about the locations, the characters and what they look like, the things they like and who they're connected to. I keep all the information in a notebook so I can refer back to it easily.
I also like to use Pintrest to create boards of pictures and things which inspire the novel.

I'm a fairly quick writer, both of the novels I've written so far have been completed in about a month of less, it's the re-writing and editing that takes a lot more time, especially now I'm learning to be more detailed with my editing work.

What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Putting your stuff out there and not knowing what people will think of it. I always want people to be honest, but I'm also always secretly hoping they'll like what I've written.
It's hard when you've worked on something for a long time, and then you publish it and you have to let go of it, you can't suddenly decide to rewrite the ending, or take out a character. That's tough sometimes.

What is the best advice you've come across?

Read a lot. I've heard this piece of advice from a lot of writers, and it really does help.

Take The Time To Write

We all lead busy lives and as writers, things can get crazy with juggling writing, revising and editing with the business aspect of being an author like marketing and social networking.  Oh yeah and there is that thing called having a real life.  So how can you cram all of those authourly things into just 24 hours?  Well, here a few tips.

1.  Figure out when you will be most productive and make the most of that time.  Are you an early bird?  Then no messing around and get to work right away.  Maybe you need to wait until you have the house to yourself.  Perhaps you do best late at night.  Whenever it is, figure it out and make the most of that time.

2. Set some goals.  Set short term goals for the day or week, mid term and long term goals for the things you want to accomplish in a few months or by the end of the year.  Then set some supper long term goals.  This will help keep you on track and also gain some perspective.  Most of us will be plugging away at this for decades to come.  You don't have to accomplish everything by next month.

3.  Be willing to switch gears.  If you don't feel like writing, then don't.  Instead try out a new marketing idea.  Does the business side of writing have you feeling like you're spinning your wheels?  Schedule some uninterrupted time to write.  Does nothing feel right?  Read.  It could be something about the craft of writing, publishing or something just for the pleasure of it.  The idea is to switch things up in a productive way.

4.  Find creative ways to waste time.  Try writing a blog post, reach out to your social network and fellow authors, organize things, make a list, visit your favorite websites.  You will be surprised at how often these "time wasters"  will help spark a creative idea that can translate into your writing or your author platform.

5. Relax.  That's right.  Sometimes you need to turn it all off, put it all away and live your real life.  Without that real life, you will burn out and forget why you started doing this in the first place.

How about you?  

What do you do to make the best use of your time?  

Please let us know!

Words With Jill Sanders

Today I am talking with author Jill Sanders as she tells us about the world of writing.  To learn more about her or her work, check her out on her Website, Blog, and at Amazon, Facebook or Twitter.

 
What have you been working on?
Finding Pride is a heart warming story about Megan Kimble. After her divorce from a very abusive man, she moves to Pride, Oregon when her brother, Matt, dies. Deciding to try her hand at a new life in this small, tight-knit community, she takes over her brother's new business, a bed and breakfast, with the help of his best friend Todd Jordan. Todd, seeing Matt's sister arrive broken and bruised, feels it's not only his calling to see that she is taken care off, but the fact that he can't keep his mind off of her, makes him realize he's fallen in love.

Discovering Pride tells the story of spit-fire Lacey Jordan. Lacey has a knack for knowing things before they happen. She helps run her families restaurant and has always had her life laid out, until she bumps into the new town doctor, Aaron Stevens. Aaron has just moved in to town to take over his Grandfather's medical practice after coming out of a terrible relationship. All he wants to do is work on turning the old house he has just purchased into a place he can call home. But, he can't stop thinking about the fairy creature he bumped into while swimming In his pond.

What genre do you write and why?
Contemporary Romance. I prefer writing romance right now, but I do have other ideas about fantasy or mystery. Who knows...

What is your process?
I have always been a “story teller” in my mind. This may sound weird, but most of my stories come from dreams. Shortly after my mother died, I started having vivid dreams. Taking my husbands advice, I started writing them down.

What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Writing the exciting scenes. I tend to want to type too fast and can't make my fingers work as fast as my brain. Which causes a lot of typos.

What is the best advice you've come across?

Edit Edit Edit Edit Edit

Make Your Heroes Heroic- Lessons Fom the AFI Part 1

I am a HUGE film buff.  I love movies and one of my favorite places to explore is the American Film Institute’s website and its wonderful lists.  They catalog what members have voted as the best films, heroes, villains, comedies, thrills, passions and music.  Believe it or not, I use these lists as a source of inspiration when I write.  So I thought I would start a series of blog posts showing you what we all can learn from the AFI.

Today, I want to talk about heroes and explore AFI's list of Top 50 Heroes.  Often when we think of heroes, we think of some larger than life characters like Robin Hood (# 18 on the list), or General Maximus form Gladiator (# 50 on the list), or even Ellen Ripley form Aliens (# 8 on the list) and it is no wonder.  These people are tough, smart and resourceful.  If you are in a jam, they are who you want on your side.  So when writing a hero, think big.  There is a solid reason why Indian Jones is number 2 on AFI’s list of heroes.

A hero can also be an underdog.  He is the one we root for because the odds are stacked against him.  He is poised to fail, but when the going gets rough, he comes out on top.  My favorite underdog has to be Rocky (# 7 on the list) but AFI’s list is full of them.  It includes Jefferson Smith form Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (# 11 on the list) and I still can’t watch the filibuster scene without crying!  Erin Brockovich (# 31 on the list) is also a great example.  Audiences love to root for an underdog and readers love them too.

Then there are the anti-heroes.  These guys had no intention of doing something the slightest bit heroic but they do anyways.  They are flawed, complicated and sometimes not so nice but we love them.  Think Han Solo from Star Wars (# 14 on the list), Rick Blaine from Casablanca (# 4 on the list), or even Harry Callahan from Dirty Harry (# 17 on the list).  We love an anti-hero because of their flaws.  We can relate to them and hope that we too would make the right call when needed.  That is why when writing a hero, it doesn’t hurt to think about an anti-hero.

But a hero can be so much more.  Weighing in at the number 1 spot is Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird.  He is an ordinary man, living an ordinary life.  However, when called upon, he has the moral fortitude to stand up for what is right.  This trend shows up throughout the AFI list.  Will Kane in High Noon (# 5 on the list), Norma Rae (# 15 on the list) and Juror #8 in Twelve Angry Men (# 28 on the list) are all examples of ordinary folk doing extraordinary things.  So when you think heroic, it is okay to think of an average person doing something small that really means so much more.  Your readers will love them and relate to them.

So who is your favorite film hero?  Did they make the AFI list?  What can we learn from them?  Please share your thoughts.

Words With Stephanie Louise Smith

Today I am talking with author Stephanie Louise Smith as she tells us about the world of writing.  To learn more about her or her work check her out on Amazon, Tumblr, Goodreads, or Facebook.

What have you been working on?

At the moment I'm working on something new, hopefully out by the end of June. It's a tale of a woman who is a hopeless in all things related to dating and whose life falls spectacularly apart due to her inability to ever pick just one man at a time.

Olivia is a 31 year old woman whose best friend, Pete, has disappeared on her overnight for reasons no one is really clear about. Pete's twin brother Christopher moves in to her apartment, taking over both Pete's possessions and his role in Olivia's life. Offering her sage advice at a time when there are more men in her world than she knows what to do with, Christopher and Olivia start to form a strong bond, built predominantly on the failings in her dating life, and his belief that he can 'fix' her. They live the carefree lives of those who are 30, have disposable income, are unattached, and unclear whether they ever want to be.
As time passes without Pete's return, Olivia re-evaluates her role in the world as a single, career-focused woman, and begins to realize just what is and isn't truly important.

What genre do you write and why?

I write romance/general fiction and also creative nonfiction/personal essays.

The personal essays I predominantly write for myself. Typically they're about memories that stand out for me, or horrible dating moments. Whatever they may be there is always a lesson in them that I want to be able to hang onto as life goes forward.

With the fiction, it's more about taking those lessons and making them accessible to more readers. People love a story with a happy ending, but happy endings aren't always as Disney taught us they would be. Happy endings aren't always boy & girl riding off into the sunset happily ever after. I like to give the heroes in my books endings that don't always fit with convention.

What is your process?

I do almost no planning. I am without a doubt the laziest writer you will ever meet!
Basically a story forms in my head and then I just write and write and write until it is all down. Typically I will write the entire book before I go back and edit a single page. It can make for some interesting holes in the storyline or strange changes to characters, but for me that's what works.
Perfect process though is sitting in a quiet coffee shop somewhere and just letting it all flow. Usually it takes me about two to three weeks to write an entire novel. Finding the time to dedicate to it is the hardest part, because once the story starts forming I don't like to stop till it's all down on paper.

What do you think is the hardest part about being an author?

Promotions!!!

Without a doubt, if you self-publish the hardest part is making people aware that your work is out there. A lot of it is hassling friends to read your work and then convincing them to leave reviews. Being self-published puts a lot of stress on friends and family.

What is the best advice you've come across?

If you want to be a writer, write. Do it as often as you can and about everything that you can. There are no excuses. If you have pen and paper you can be a writer. But like everything, it takes practice to develop your craft.

Land of the Unaltered: Cover Reveal

 After 10 months of hard work, I’m proud and excited to announce that my newest novel, Land of the Unaltered, is almost here! 

You, my lovely blog followers, get to be the very first to see its awesome cover.