I’d like to welcome my friend, the fabulous Korina Moss, to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Dealing with the uncertainty of the business.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Coming up with ideas, as long as you don’t have to flesh them out.

Something you wish you could do: Travel more.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: I can’t think of anything I learned that I wish I hadn’t, but I wish I’d never discovered reality television. It’s such a waste of time because it’s mindless, but it’s also fun because it’s mindless!

Last best thing you ate: Raw oysters and lobster ravioli in Rhode Island.

Last thing you regret eating: Ice cream that I didn’t love. Not worth the calories!

Favorite places you’ve been: The list is long, because I used to be able to travel often – London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Hawaii, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Montreal, Disney World, Maine, New Hampshire, NYC at Christmas time, Niagara Falls.

Places you never want to go to again: It’s not that I wouldn’t want to go there again, because I enjoyed many things about it, but if I ever got to go to Scotland again, I’d skip Edinburgh and venture to the Highlands.

Favorite things to do: Jigsaw puzzles with a lively seasonal scene, watching The Great British Bake-off, going on trips with my son, going out for a meal with family or friends.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Cleaning my house, running for exercise. (So I guess I’d only run through fire if it’s a very short run, lol.)

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Decide to pursue a writing career after my divorce.

Something you chickened out from doing: Riding Everest at Disney World. I love Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and I’ve done Tower of Terror and Space Mountain, but I draw the line at going backward in a tunnel on a rollercoaster.

The funniest thing that happened to you on vacation: My family and I were having dinner at The Whispering Canyon Café at Disney World and after getting our meal, I asked for ketchup for my son, who was about six. Still standing at our table, the server yelled throughout the restaurant, “KETCHUUUUUP!” and one by one, the other diners at the restaurant started bringing their ketchup bottles to our table. We were all laughing hysterically (my son the most) by the time the tenth bottle arrived. Apparently, that’s the tradition at this restaurant and we had no idea. (Of course, we did the same with our ketchup bottles when the next KETCHUP announcement was made!)

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you on a vacation: Our first trip to London, my (then) husband and I saw a café that looked good, so we attempted to enter, but when he pulled on the door, it wouldn’t open. It was a completely glass-fronted café and there were tables all along the front windows with people in them, so we knew it was open. So, he pulled again and again, tugging harder. By this time, the entire front glass is kind of shaking and everyone in the café is looking at us. Finally, he pushed the door, and we practically fell into the café. That’s when we learned much of Europe is push not pull.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: Getting to meet readers and other authors.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Give myself permission to prioritize it sooner.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That my books got them through a really hard time in their life. I’ve had several people say this for different circumstances and it really touches my heart.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: That I’m their favorite author. That blows my mind.

Best piece of advice you received from another writer: Writing is like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

Something you would tell a younger you about your writing: It’s something I heard from my agent and my editor many years later – You have good writing instincts. Trust them.

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: I think what most people call writer’s block is just a fear of putting those great images in your head on paper. Write through it. Write badly. Use a different medium (for example, use a notebook and write longhand). Give yourself a fifteen-minute time limit to put something on paper. However, what I consider to be writer’s block is when you feel creatively depleted. When this is the case, I do quiet things that allow my mind to wander, like walking in nature, driving without the radio on, or spending the day exploring a nearby town on my own—anything where I get out of my routine and also have plenty of quiet moments to myself away from distractions like my phone, books, or TV. I booked a cruise for myself once as a solo retreat. After seven days by myself at sea with no responsibilities and lots of downtime, my creative spark returned.

Things you do to avoid writing: Do my social media marketing, watch mindless television and live tweet it, chat with my sisters and friends.

About Korina:
KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series set in the Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead and the Agatha Award finalist for Best Contemporary Novel, Case of the Bleus. Her books have been featured in USA Today, PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World, AARP, and Fresh Fiction. The 5th Cheese Shop Mystery, Fondue or Die, releases on October 22nd. To learn more, visit her website korinamossauthor.com.

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