Monday, January 2, 2017

Author a Day, part 12

PATRICIA THOMSON

Bio: No matter where her life has taken her–and it’s taken her to some very weird places–having access to books, a notebook and a pen has kept Patricia Thomson sane. From her beginnings in the same part of New Jersey that gave the world Bruce Springsteen and Kevin Smith to her current life living in Richmond, Virginia with her beloved and Poe the Wonder Cat, words have always been her friends, and now she lives the dream of sharing her words with the world. Please visit her at www.patriciathomson.com, friend her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter
@AuthorPThomson!
STEVE VERNON

Bio: “If Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch had a three-way sex romp in a hot tub, and then a team of scientists came in and filtered out the water and mixed the leftover DNA into a test tube, the resulting genetic experiment would most likely grow up into Steve Vernon.” - Bookgasm
Novel Link:
KELPIE CHRISTMAS (free on December 26)  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M7NHRRV
Genres you write: Paranormal Fantasy and Horror
Questions:
What’s the one piece of advice you’d give someone wanting to write?
Read, read, read and write, write, write. Write every day. Doesn’t matter if you write a thousand words or ten – but tack something onto that manuscript that is going to bump it a little bit further down the road.
How do you approach your stories; do you plan everything out before starting, or are you more a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of a person? 
I try to plan everything out and the next thing I know I am boarding the latest flight of fancy, courtesy of the kind folks fly-by-your-seat-United by way of good intentions and bad habits.
Of all your characters, do you have a favorite? 
I really do enjoy writing Lady Macbeth, however Rhonda (a professional assassin and foil for Lady Macbeth) is a lot more fun to write.
How long did it take you to write your most recent book(s)? 
Too long. Way too freaking long.
What motivated you to write your novel? 
Financial necessity. I need me a brand new book to sell. You might as well tattoo that onto my stomach, the single-most prominent feature of my dubious physique.
Name three favorite authors and why they impress you. 
Joe Lansdale, because nobody can make carnage, crime and corruption so danged funny. The late Robert Parker is a favorite of mine as well – mostly for his gift of dialogue. Lastly, I’d have to say Stephen Hunter – although his most recent books left me scratching my head and wondering just where along the way the man forgot how to write.
Would you rather set your story in a place and time you are familiar with, or would you rather research a totally different setting?
I prefer to set my story somewhere local, somewhere in a place and a time that I am familiar with – like the North Pole, or a Martian spaceship, or a field full of evil-possessed scarecrows. You know, common day settings that make you feel right at home.
Do you have any little writing rituals or quirks? E.g. an object you have to have on your desk, a particular drink or snack. 
I’ve got a hand-carved obeche wood mountain man leaning on his long rifle and looking down at me while I write. I get the feeling that he has been thinking about shooting me with that long rifle of his if I don’t figure out how to write faster. I guess that it is a good thing that I did not carve a barrel or ammo in that long rifle of his.
How do your own experiences influence what you write? 
That’s a little like asking how can you make soup without onions. Your own experiences are the grist for any story or novel that you write – even if it is set somewhere wild and crazy such as the North Pole, or a Martian spaceship, or a field full of evil-possessed scarecrows.
If you were a ninja with a vendetta to whom would it be? OR If you had to throw something into mount Doom to save the world, what would it be? OR If you had a group of celebrities to plan the perfect heist who would they be and what would you be after? 
I could not be a ninja. I’m not saying that I am uncoordinated, but I make a frozen moose look positively graceful. I suppose I might be one of those ninja vacuum cleaners that I have heard about – mostly on account of every time that I try to perform a backwards-triple-somersault I mostly suck out loud.
If I had to throw somebody into Mount Doom it would most likely turn out to be my own self. Why? Let me refer you back to that Ninja question, and the sad fact that walking and chewing bubble gum can be exceptionally difficult for a dude as innately clumsy as myself.
Lastly, if I were planning a perfect heist I’d need Bruce Lee to backwards-triple-somersault himself into the bank vault and Jackie Chan for comedy relief. I’d probably want Bruce Willis to get himself beat to a pulp and shoeless during the whole operation. I’d want George Clooney to give it that air of sophistication and Frank Sinatra just to show old George how it really is supposed to look. And lastly - if I wanted this heist to perfect I would arrange to catch my death of a head cold gone south before the heist went down – just so that I would have myself a perfect alibi and not klutz up too hard.
How do you deal with writer's block? 
I recommend pole vaulting. If there is a block in the middle of your plot just jump over into the next chapter and keep on writing.
What is your favorite part of the writing process? (i.e. first draft, editing, etc...) 
Let’s go with predictable. My favorite part of writing is being done.
If you were stranded on a deserted island with only one book, what would it be? 

I’d want to be stuck there with a great big book, like maybe In Search Of Lost Time by Marcel Proust – a book that weighs in at about 3031 pages – or over 1200000 words. Why such a big book? I know that some of you readers are thinking to yourself that I picked me a big old honking doorstop of a novel just to help pass the time – but heck no. It is not time that I am thinking about passing. This is a deserted island, remember? Toilet paper is in short supply.

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