I’m in the mood to try something different! The sun is shining and I’m in a quirky mood today!
I’ve read quite often that readers like to get to know authors. I know this to be true as there are authors I would like to know more about than the public persona they portray.
You quite often see interviews with authors on blogs, but how many writers open themselves up to be interviewed by their followers? I don’t think I’ve seen it yet (and I follow quite a few blogs, even if they’re not all listed here).
So, here is your chance to interview me.
Send me your questions by commenting on this post and I’ll answer them – it’s as simple as that. I’ll be totally open and honest with you, but I would hope that you won’t try to embarrass me by asking anything too personal! I’ll even answer questions about my first novel, but I won’t give too much away! 🙂
Ok peeps, over to you and just to make things even more interesting, the best question will win a free book download from Amazon!
Carlie M A Cullen 
Three questions initially (hoping to be allowed to ask more :-)):
1) What is your main source of inspiration in your work?
2) Do you have a (writer) role model?
3) When do you write and what are your tools?
🙂
Hi,
You can ask as many questions as you like! 😮 I’ll answer them in order.
1) My inspiration doesn’t come from just one source. It can be from a holiday/vacation, a day out, something I overhear in a conversation, other writers, tv/films and sometimes even from dreams. I’ve always had a very active imagination and am not afraid to use it, lol. I’m also lucky to have a Muse who guides me and helps my ideas become reality.
2) That’s a difficult one to answer as there are so many authors I admire, but not one specific person that I would call a role model.
3) I write every chance I get, but specifically most evenings after work (with the exception of Mondays and Tuesdays) and as much as possible at weekends, in between housework and cooking, of course.
All my writing is done on a HP laptop. For my first novel I used Word, but when I entered NaNoWriMo last year, I discovered software called WriteWay. It’s fantastic and I’m writing my second novel on it. It has some really useful features, like having each chapter plot on the same page and being able to call up various windows without it obscuring your text, so you can refer to it as you type.
My other tools are a combination dictionary & theasaurus, copious cups of tea, chocolate and sometimes a chilled glass of white zinfandel wine!
Thank you for your questions and for popping in to visit my blog 😮
I love your avatar, but what do you really look like?
Hi Deborah,
Green hair, hook nose, warts … teehee just kidding!
I’m 5 feet 8 1/4 inches, slim-ish, blue eyes that turn grey sometimes, dark blonde, collar-length hair with light blonde and bright red highlights. I’m told I’m reasonably attractive, but … Lol. I think I have a nice smile. I have pierced ears and I wear glasses for reading and computer work.
Do I stop here or go into even more detail??
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a question 😮
What are some grammatical errors you still find yourself using/doing even though you know you shouldn’t?
Hi Ryan,
Good question!
One thing my editor is always nagging me about is starting a new paragraph for dialogue when it should be a continuation of the previous line. Other than that, I tend to use too many exclamation marks in my first drafts – I know I’m doing it, but can’t seem to stop myself, lol.
My other big faux pas is using the word ‘that’ too often in first drafts. I am trying to get out of this habit and I’m gradually succeeding, but it’s so hard when you’re in full flow and everything is coming together so well to think of all the things you shouldn’t be doing. The above is why my first edit/revision takes so much longer than it should – getting rid of all my naughty slip ups!
Thanks for dropping by and for leaving me a question. Feel free to ask another if you want! 😮
Thanks for answering my first question. Second question. How many words do you lose (more or less) during your first edit?
Hi again Ryan,
I had to check back to Heart Search to answer this question and was rather gobsmacked at the result.
I would say that I got rid of around 2,500 extraneous words during the first edit, but there were other parts that needed improvement/tweaking, so the word counts actually stand at:
1st draft – 150,441
2nd draft – 151,101
3rd draft – 152,132
Final version – 152,069
Thanks for another great question 😮
Thanks for the answer once again. Last question unless I think of another good one to ask. Have you ever tried a writers group? If yes what’s your opinion on how helpful / hurtful they are?
Hi Ryan,
I do actually belong to a writers group. I joined them after NaNoWriMo last year. They are a supportive group who are trying to find their direction at the moment. We are all working together to bring something to the group to help it move forward in a way that suits everyone (or at least the majority).
We do a Flash Fiction challenge every month (my idea) and invite critique from the other members. Personally, I have found the critique helpful and I know some of the other members have too.
Critique should never be hurtful. It should always be constructive though. We can never expect everyone to like our work, but in my opinion, anyone who is disparaging or hurtful about your work is not acting in a professional manner and is either jealous of your talent or is trying to destroy your confidence!
I used to belong to an online writing group and they were fabulous – very supportive and their critiques were always constructive & helpful. Unfortunately, everyone got so busy with their projects/novels etc, we all sort of drifted away from the group. I am still in touch with everyone though and we’re all still friends!
If you think of anything else to ask, please feel free! I’d also be interested to know your thoughts about my answers!
Carlie 😮
My thoughts.
Question 1 on repeating mistakes:
I was happy to hear that you do it as well. I was just editing some of my work and I noticed I made some errors that I had made before and it irked me a little that I haven’t fixed those. Grammar has never been my strength.
Question 2 on word count reduction during editing:
I was impressed that your word count increases as you edited. My word count always goes down. I mean significantly down. I do write YA so I feel like the book needs to be really condensed to keep a younger audiences attention. Plus I have never written anything anywhere near 150k. Wow.
Question 3 on writing groups:
I have never participated in one (mainly due to time constraints) and I’m always curious on people’s opinion. It varies so much I have come to the decision it depends on the group as much as anything. If you have a good group you are in favor. If you have a bad group it is a waste of time.
Thanks so much for the answers. It really has been helpful and interesting.
How much of your writing is based on real personal experiences? I ask this because many writers find they cannot produce 100% fiction, they combine their real live experiences with fiction. If you were to be deprived of experiences (say locked in a castle tower room for a few decades) would you eventually run out of things to write about?
Hi Rolando,
I can honestly say that none of my writing is based on personal experiences (well not yet anyway). One of characters in Heart Search is very loosely based on my daughter(s) – does that count?
I’ve always had a very active imagination so coming up with story ideas isn’t generally a problem. As I grew up as an only child, I was sometimes lonely so I invented imaginary friends, wrote fairy stories to amuse myself and lost myself in the beauty of books. I always did well in English at school and my teachers always used to comment on how creative my stories were.
I guess if I was locked in a castle tower room for decades, then maybe eventually I might run out of ideas for things to write about, but I don’t think it would happen for a very long time.
Thanks for the very interesting question! :o)