I am excited to report that I am nearly done with MBRC II! I’m at 65,000 words, and I expect the book will be 70,000–perhaps a little longer. I am HOPING I can make a mad dash to the finish line, and officially end the first draft by this Saturday. Time will tell if I make it.
Anyway, it’s been quite a while since I last did a round of questions for Who Am I? So I found a few interesting-type questions on some author interview sites, and I’m including a few questions some Champions have posed to me.
Q: How do you come up with your book titles? A: Usually I sit around for about 8 hours, pound my forehead with my fists, and snivel on the ground before I give up and call my mother to complain. I’m half joking. With a few books I know the titles right away. (My Timeless Fairy Tale series is a perfect example of that.) Other books give me trouble. Sometimes I’ll talk it over with my beta reader, other times I’ll make a list and choose what I think is the least stupid idea. It took me over a month to come up with the Timeless Fairy Tales series title. I was being extremely indecisive when one day I was languishing on my page for Beauty and the Beast, and the series title struck me. Naming a book is a lot like getting a bucket of ice water dumped on your head.
Q: Do you have a favorite character? A: Yes, and no. I don’t have one top favorite character, but usually I have one or two special characters per book. Also, my definition of “favorite characters” usually morphs into “the most fun to write.” Currently a few of my favorites are: Isaac Eastgate, the Director of Saint Cloud Library from Life Reader (he has the best insults, and I love how cruel he is to Daire. He says the things to Daire that I would love to say to Daire!); Seir Ringali, Tari’s mentor from Red Rope of Fate (He also has the best insults, and he treats Arion like a dog which is always funny.) Sybilla the fairy godmother from Cinderella and the Colonel (She only appears for one scene, but it is one scene of pure win!); and Lancelot from King Arthurs and Her Knights (His two-faced personality is an absolute blast!).
Q: Do you have a least favorite character? A: Hmmm, not really. Surprisingly my villain characters are usually interesting to write, so I don’t dislike them. I find Daire of Life Reader to be insufferable at times, and more than once I wanted to shake Arion while writing Red Rope of Fate. Possibly the WORST duo I ever worked with, though, were Elle and Severin. Talk about two people who were completely uninterested in each other. I enjoyed their characters over all, but I really had my work cut out for myself in herding those two together.
Q: If you could cast a Hollywood version of The Wild Swans, who would you get to play the main characters? A: Oohh, that’s a fun question! Jennifer Lawrence would make an awesome Angelique. William Moseley (Peter from Chronicles of Narnia) is an absolute shoe-in for Rune. Lilly Collins would be a great Elise, and I don’t know who I would cast as Falk. Any ideas?
Q: If you were an animal in a zoo, what would you be? A: A koala, hands down. All they do is sleep, eat, and look cute as they either sleep or eat. Talk about the perfect life!
Q: What is your writing advice to hopeful writers? A: It’s been said it takes 10,000 hours to become skillful at something. While I don’t think 10,000 is a magic number, I do know you have to invest a lot of time and practice in order to be great at something. It’s the same for writing. Try to carve out time each week to practice your craft, and be sure to get out of your comfort zone. Even if you’re only interested in writing fiction books try writing short stories, poems, song lyrics, kids books, adult books, news articles, book reviews, everything. The more you write, the more quickly you will become skilled at writing.
That’s all for this week, Champions. I’ll update you as soon as I finish MBRC II! (Yes, I promise I will come up with the official title soon. Read the top question again for an explanation for my tardiness in that area.)