Ask Me Anything
Recently I was invited to take part in an Author Spotlight Party where a very good time as had by all! Many thanks to the wonderful ladies on Covers, Corsets, and Candles for their outstanding hosting of this fun event.
Below are some of the questions I was asked by the attendees and my answers.
Do you consider yourself a crone? Like mother maiden crone?
Yes, I finally had to embrace being a crone. Not easy in a world that so greatly values youth. But there is much power and peace in this stage. I am the embodiment of Maiden and Mother moving on and coming into my own. Finally coming to know who I am.
What’s the most fantasy feeling vacation you have taken?
Most fantasy vacation? Family vacations were mainly in the six New England states…and surrounding area. Not very fantastical. Beautiful though. We went out west one year to Colorado and it was gorgeous. Rather magickal in its way.
Do you like clam chowder?
I am the world’s worst New Englander…I dislike almost all seafood. Tuna sandwich, fish ‘n chips, shrimp cocktails, stuffed clams…the fewer clams the better! LOL. That’s about it for me.
What was your favorite book to write so far?
I think The Heart of War was my favorite book to write. It actually wrote itself in about 30 seconds, out of the blue, when I stumbled across a certain picture on the internet. BOOM! Said the Muse. Here’s a story for you.
What’s been your favorite read?
I think my favorite book will always be “The Stand”. I put it behind every textbook in every class! LOL
Where’s your happy place? Where you like to write? What kind of discipline do you give yourself since you are your own boss?
My happy place is a lazy rainy day. I write in my chaotic office! It’s truly a strange collection of things and with two dogs at my feet its a bit crowded. I try to dedicate 8am to noon to writing/marketing…must never forget the marketing!
How do you choose who does your book art, merch designs, etc?
I do it all. Everything you see that’s associated with me I have done it. Maybe I took being an “independent” author a little too seriously, but I never had that ‘disposable income’ to be able to spend on cover artists and marketers and web designers. I had to learn how to do everything on my own.
What was the most difficult book to write so far?
South of Eden-The First Sin. I guess you just never know how much religious baggage you might be carrying around until Lucifer walks up and wants to be friends
When writing, where do you pull your inspiration from? Do you write your characters with anyone in your real life in mind? Or real-life situations and experiences?
For me the Muse speaks through songs, TV, and movies. Something grabs me and I start asking; What if…. Other times a character will just walk up to me in my head and we start chatting. Real life does bleed through, but the stories never start there.
As a new author myself I’m curious on what helped you achieve this dream and if you went in with full understanding of the business or are you still learning? Also if you had one piece of advice what would it be?
I’m old. I’ve been doing this since before Bezos bought Mobile Pocket Books and turned it into Kindle. Back then there was no algorithm to please. Marketing was easier…and cheaper…because people who loved books also had blogs, They loved to read and review. A lot has changed. Keeping up with it all is hard and frustrating! One piece of advice: give yourself some grace.
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Lisa Beth Darling 