Sibling of the World Award (Honorable Mention)
Author and artist Leticia Toraci nominated me to participate in the “Sibling of the World Award,” in which you answer questions posed by the previous blogger. My answers are below. I'm supposed to tag others to play, so if you're an author (or aspiring author) reading this and are so inclined, please answer Leticia's questions, which are much better than any I could come up with.
1.What have you been up to in your writing life?
Writing and publishing my science fiction romance Central Galactic Concordance series. There will probably be nine books in all, which should keep me off the streets and out of the karaoke bars in the next few years.
2. Which theme has surfaced in your story? Has it surfaced naturally or you wanted to talk about it since the beginning of your project?
Each book has a theme that resonates with the characters, but it isn't always readily apparent to me when I'm writing the book.
3. How do you find time to write?
As with all things in life, it's a trade-off. I've mostly given up watching TV and have cut back on volunteer gigs. I'd like to give up work, but I'm entirely too fond of eating regularly and sleeping indoors. I also take my laptop with me whenever possible, so I can write while waiting for the car to be fixed, at a coffee shop, or doctor's reception area. Luckily, the Mad Scientist I live with is also the cook, meaning I don't starve.
4. Did you always wanted to write a book since your childhood or was this an idea that you had later in life?
I've been a writer forever, but it didn't occur to me that I could write a book until my mid-twenties. Not that I did that, of course, but that's when the idea was planted.
5. With what did you have difficulty with in your first draft? How did you overcome it?
Pacing. I tend to take it too easy on my characters, and give them time to process and think about things. In Overload Flux, I rewrote the first four chapters, and in Minder Rising, I added the prologue. In my current work in progress, I revamped the first three chapters, realizing I was falling into the same trap. Maybe in the next book, I remember to do this in the outline before I start writing.
6. Do you have other ways to express yourself artistically or is writing your sole passion?
I'm a professional actor and singer, an amateur graphic designer, and a dilettante in whatever craft catches my eye, such as sewing, fused glass, oil/acrylic painting, paper making, fabric dyeing, and jewelry making. I'm a godawful dancer.
7. In which social media are you more active?
Facebook, and sometimes Pinterest. Twitter completely flummoxes me.
8. Do you sometimes need a break from social media and/or writing?
Not usually, except I could spend hours on Facebook when I *should* be writing.
9. What are your favorite authors?
I'm fickle, I'm afraid, and this changes from week to week because I read fast and voraciously. This week, Anna Hackett, Athena Grayson, Veronica Scott, Eve Langlais, and S.E. Smith.
10. Which books influenced your writing?
Probably dozens, but I'll mention both Lindsay Buroker's Emperor's Edge series and Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series, because they showed me how I could structure my current series.
If you have a minute, check out stories by Leticia.
