#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jim Hepburn

I’d like to welcome Jim Hepburn to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

A few of your favorite summer traditions: Love going up north to the family cottage on the lake whatever chance we get. We bring the dog and swim and play in the water, get a frisbee out, and just spend the days outside on the dock. Best time ever.

Something summer-related that you’ll never do again: Used to love mountain biking but the only problem was that I’m an absolutely horrid biker in general. I’ve no sense for it. All the worst accidents in my life have somehow happened on simple two-wheel bicycles. They don’t like me, and I stay away from them whenever I can, haha.

Favorite summer beverage: Cold and crisp Dark and Stormy, made with Goslings Ginger Beer and Rum, in a copper mug with ice and a lime. Fantastic.

A drink that gives you a pickle face: Anything with Gin. Not my favorite.

Best thing you ever grilled in spring: Fresh Italian sausages, cooking them low and slow until they’re splitting. Sausages on the frying pan just don’t ever come close.

Your worst kitchen or grilling disaster: Love eating it more than anything, but I’ve had several disasters making my own pizza at home. That dough loves to stick to the stone.

Most favorite place to write/edit in the summer: In the early morning up at the cottage. Everybody is still asleep, dawn is coming up through the window; best time to dig deep and write deep.

The worst place to try to write in the summer because of all the distractions: I’ve heard people say that they love hanging out on the dock and writing but I’ve never been able to find any peace in that. Too many boats going by, and too many things happening that friends and family want to fill the daytime hours with.

The thing you like most about being a writer: Editing. You get to take your rough drafts and ideas and formulate them into something that approaches the final finished product, and that that feels so invigorating!

The thing you like least about being a writer: The screen headaches!

Things you will run to the store for in the middle of the night: Pizza. Any day, any time.

Things you never put on your shopping list: Fruit

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life: Waking up early in the morning at 4:30 to get writing done before I went to work. Some days went better than others but some days I was a complete zombie.

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over: I’m very much near the beginning of the writing journey as I plan to do this for many years to come, but I do wish that I hadn’t used google docs (autosave feature) to then copy/paste into word to make the final PDF version of Hunted by Fire because of all the hours of format fixing I had to do! The two programs were not very friendly with each other and there was no end of things getting shrunken, enlarged, interspaced, etc.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Putting Hunted by Fire out into the world to be evaluated and judged. The first book very much feels like a piece of your soul, so that’s pretty tough!

Something you chickened out from doing: Doing anything with TikTok. Not a huge video guy, and I know there’s lots of folks out there who use it to spread the word about their book and find lots of success with it, but I just can’t bring myself to try to make goofy and hopefully entertaining videos of myself 3-4 times a day!

About Jim:

Like many young men in high school cursed with a dash of creativity, Jim found a love for writing, which everybody else thought was practically useless. Those folks urged him to get good at math and science instead, and so he worked at those, but he was never sure if he could hack them out at a university level. After he graduated said university with an arts degree (where he had to read an awful lot), he wondered what other young people had gone through the same thing. It's always been his dream to inspire young men and women to pursue STEM projects, as he thinks the world could use as many helping hands it can get and he thinks they are up to the challenge.

In other news, he grew up near Toronto, Canada and devoured any written adventure he could find, including many of the works written by Kenneth Oppel, D. J. MacHale, Christopher Paolini, and Rick Riordan. Later on, it was Jim Butcher, R.A. Salvator, Hajime Isayama, and Tsugumi Ohba who fueled him through his early adult years and to whom he associates much of his personal growth to.

#WriterWednesday Interview with Keith Saltojanes

I’d like to welcome author Keith Saltojanes to the blog for #WriterWednesday — summer edition!

Something crazy you did on vacation:

Accidently walked onto the grounds of President Emmanuel Macron’s estate while they were doing construction on his fence, leaving it wide open for someone to accidently walk in. He has great security as I now know what it’s like to be yelled at in French while having a machine gun pointed at me.

Something you’d never do again on vacation:

Walk near fencing that has signs reading “en cours de construction.”

Favorite summer beverage:

Unlimited refills on iced tea. I’m a three-tea minimum wherever I go.

A drink that gives you a pickle face:

Cucumbers that have been marinated in vinegar.

Your favorite thing to get from the ice cream truck:

The attention of the driver so they can serve me. Hey, I know I’m an adult but take my order too!

Some dessert that you wish you’d never bought:

Lamb ice cream with whipped cream tartar

Best summer vacation memory:

Swimming in a pool as a kid with my dogs running around it contemplating whether or not they should jump in or not.

A summer vacation disaster that you’d rather forget:

That one unforgettable summer that I forgot about.

Most favorite place to write/edit in the summer:

A quiet, empty coffee shop, instrumental music playing, and good iced tea options.

The worst place to try to write in the summer because of all the distractions.

On a raft in the middle of a public pool during open swim. Oh, and there’s a lot of bees around for some reason in this scenario.

The thing you like most about being a writer:

The freedom to write whenever I want and to see ideas that were in my head come alive, either from actors or from other people reading them.

The thing you like least about being a writer:

That freedom also comes with immense guilt at any moments that I’m not currently writing.

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life:

All the ideas that I still haven’t written.

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over:

Have a clone of me who could write out and complete all those ideas while I’m busy with other things.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Jumping onto a moving train in Bangkok.

Something you chickened out from doing:

Waiting a little bit longer for the train to be going even faster.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

“That really inspired me.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

“There once was a little walk to get the best answers for the next few months back” ….I think they wrote it to me using predictive text.

The best summer job you ever had:

Working at Dunkin' Donuts because of all the free unlimited donuts

The worst summer job you ever had:

Working at Dunkin' Donuts because of all the free unlimited donuts

About Keith:

Keith Saltojanes is the Founder of Improv-LA, the internationally known creative training center based in Los Angeles. He has taught improv techniques in over 10 countries and for executives at some of the biggest companies around (including Disney, Netflix, Amazon, IBM). He also has a Guinness World Record for the Longest Improv Show and was a writer National Lampoon and for comedians from SNL, MADtv, In Living Color, and Mr. Show. His first book The Improv Mindset releases June 2023.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://www.keithsaltojanes.com

The School: http://www.improv-la.com

Instagram: @keithsaltojanes

Why Mysteries?

I have been a fan on mysteries since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. I loved all the 70s Saturday morning cartoons where the amateur sleuths solved the crimes and capers…”The Funky Phantom,” “Josie and the Pussycats,” “Speed Buggy,” “The Pink Panther.” The list is long. These were definitely my gateway mysteries to my current habit.

I read lots of genres, but I always gravitate n to the mystery. It has so many interesting subgenres and has been a reading staple for so many for generations.

Here are my Top 10 reasons…

1. I love a good puzzle and the opportunity to solve it before the end of the book.

2. I want to see justice served in the end.

3. Mysteries are an escape from the craziness of normal life.

4. Cozy mystery sleuths always have interesting jobs and hobbies. I like to learn new things.

5. The locations are intriguing. I love take book vacations to all kinds of interesting places.

6. The amateur sleuths are fun. They prove that every-day people can solve crimes. (As a kid, I loved that Nancy Drew was a teenager with a car who could solve crimes before the adults did.)

7. The mystery genre has so many subgenres that there is something for every taste. I bounce around from sweet and cozy (but deadly) to dark thrillers that keep me up at night.

8. I love puns, double entendre, and other kinds of wordplay. Mystery writers are masters at multiple meanings, clues, and red herrings.

9. I am fascinated with technology, pop culture, and science, and they all appear everywhere in this genre.

10. The community of mystery writers is so amazingly kind and generous with their time and advice. It is such a fabulous group to be a part of. I just came back from the Malice Domestic Conference in Bethesda, MD, and it was a whirlwind weekend full of so many mystery writers and readers.

And that’s why I love mysteries. What would you add to my list?

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Leslie Karst

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Leslie Karst to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: My book collection, my grandmother’s cast-iron skillet, my mint green Bianchi road bike

Things you need to throw out: Numerous T-shirts I no longer wear, but which have tremendous sentimental value

Things you need for your writing sessions: Silence and warmth. Coffee helps, too.

Things that hamper your writing: Music, people talking

Hardest thing about being a writer: Marketing and publicity

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing dialogue—I love it!

Favorite foods: Triple-cream brie, steak Bèarnaise, crème brûlée (you sense a trend here?)

Things that make you want to gag: Kidneys. I’ll eat pretty much anything else!

Favorite beverage: A floral, perfumy gin served up, with a twist

Something that gives you a sour face: Not much; I’m pretty pucker-proof!

Favorite smell: Rain on hot pavement

Something that makes you hold your nose: Metro stations in Paris which men use as their personal pissoires (funny how close these two are, yet so very far away!)

Something you’re really good at: Perseverance and follow-through

Something you’re really bad at: Carpentry

Things you always put in your books: Food and cooking, fast-paced dialogue, a strong sense of place

Things you never put in your books: car chases (though I did once have a short chase scene involving a bicycle), sex scenes, ghosts

Things to say to an author: I bought your last book, loved it, and posted a review!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Can you loan me a copy of your book to read, so I don’t have to buy it?

Favorite things to do: Attending mystery writers conventions, being invited to dinner parties where someone else cooks, lying in bed and reading before it’s time to go to sleep

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Moving heavy furniture

The coolest person you’ve ever met: Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Lou Reed (whom I once saw at an LA sushi restaurant) looked even more haggard in real life than he did in photos

About Leslie:

Leslie Karst is the author of the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari mystery series and JUSTICE IS SERVED: A TALE OF SCALLOPS, THE LAW, AND COOKING FOR RBG. After years waiting tables and singing in a new wave rock band, she decided she was ready for a “real” job and ended up at Stanford Law School, then returned to school to study culinary arts. Now retired from the law, Leslie spends her time cooking, cycling, gardening, observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock, and of course writing. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz, California and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Let’s Be Social:

http://www.lesliekarstauthor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lesliekarstauthor/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/leslie-karst

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14220589.Leslie_Karst

https://www.instagram.com/lesliekarst/

https://twitter.com/LeslieKarst

#WriterWednesday Interview with Zachary Rosenberg

I’d like to welcome author Zachary Rosenberg to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

A few of your favorite things: All the books around

Things you need to throw out: Old CDs from when we still had CD players

Things you need for your writing sessions: Scented Candles

Things that hamper your writing: Loud music

Hardest thing about being a writer: Having to take the thoughts in your head and placing them into workable prose

Easiest thing about being a writer: Thinking of various ideas to begin with

Favorite foods: Pizza, Matzo ball soup, shakshouka, falafel

Things that make you want to gag: cocktail shrimp

Favorite beverage: Raspberry seltzer

Something that gives you a sour face: raw milk

The last thing you ordered online: Books. Lots of books.

The last thing you regret buying: Books without space to put them

Things to say to an author: “Loved your book!”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “Hey, can you write the next book faster?”

Favorite places you’ve been: Boston, NYC

Places you never want to go to again: Miami

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “You’ve inspired me to do more Jewish stuff in my next book.”

The craziest thing a reader said to you: “Can you have less Jewish stuff in this?”

About Zachary:

Zach Rosenberg is a Jewish horror and SFF writer living in Florida who crafts horrifying tales by night and practices law by the day. The latter is even more  frightening. His works have been published in various magazines and anthologies, including Seize the Press, Dark Matter Magazine, and his upcoming books will be released with Brigids Gate Press, Darklit Press and OFf Limits Press.

Let’s Be Social:

Twitter: @ZachRoseWriter

Instagram: ZachRose32

What's Your Writing Process?

What’s your writing process? This is mine. If something resonates with you, give it a try. If it doesn’t work with your schedule and lifestyle, stop and try something else. With this method, I can usually write three mysteries a year.

My first novel took five years to write and another two to get published. I edited each little paragraph and chapter, and I did hundreds of rewrites. The revision focus was good, but I never got around to finishing the book. I also read every writing book I could get my hands on. I finally picked the ones that spoke to me and donated the rest of them to the Friends of the Library. It was time for BICFOK. I learned this from the amazing Alan Orloff. BICFOK is butt in chair, fingers on keyboard. Tune out the distractions and write.

Writing is a business, and most readers read a lot. For me, seven years of prep was too long. I knew I had to find a way to speed it up if I wanted to be a published author with more than one book credit.

I write cozy mysteries, and they’re generally between 71 and 75k words. I write a series, so I try to think about the next book, and I also make sure to mention something that happened in a previous book to remind readers of past adventures or to tweak their interest if they haven’t read the earlier books.

Getting Started - I spend about 2-3 weeks doing a summary outline for each book. This helps me see plot holes. It helps me know where to add clues and red herrings. It also lets me plan out the murder or caper. I know who does it and why. It also keeps me from getting stuck in the saggy middle of the writing process. I know what’s going in each chapter. This summary also helps me write the dreaded synopsis later. It is the plan or roadmap when I have to pick up the project on different days.

The Outline - When it’s done, I look over each chapter to make sure there’s enough suspense. Sometimes as writers, we want to move on to the next thing, but you need to slow down the action to build up tension. I also highlight the comic events and the romance to make sure they’re sprinkled throughout the story. I also check to make sure there are enough motives for some of the other characters, so it might be plausible that they are the guilty party.

The Characters - I have a spreadsheet for each book in the series. It has a column for each book. I list basic facts for each person to make sure I keep important attributes consistent. Examples include what kind of car they drive, personality traits, hair color, eye color, etc. I also have a second chart to list key places in the book.

The First Draft - When I sit down to create the first draft, I just write. I don’t go back and edit and revise. I just write. This is what the great Mary Burton calls the “sloppy copy.”

During the writing time, I set a word count goal to keep me on target. I usually do 1k on days I have to work and 3k on weekends and holidays. If I stick to my schedule, I can usually have a rough, first draft in a little over two months. Life does get in the way sometimes. When that happens, I try to write ahead of my word count goal. If I can’t plan ahead, I don’t beat myself up over it. Just keep writing.

I also don’t stop to research or verify things while I’m writing. I make a note in the manuscript and highlight it. That way, I know to go back and check on it during revisions. Keep writing.

Time for Revisions - When I finish the first draft, I let it sit for a couple of days. Then I jump into revision and editing mode. I usually do three or four full revisions on the entire book. I print it out and proofread on paper. I run spell check each time there is a round of revision to catch any little typo gremlins that found their way into the story.

Beta Readers and Critique Group - When I think I’m done with the revisions, I let critique or beta readers give it a whirl, and they always provide good feedback. When I get their suggestions back, I do more revisions and proofreading.

Editors - I am so fortunate to have a fabulous agent and great editors at my publishers, so I don’t pay for an independent editor anymore. But before I had these amazing resources, I did hire an editor to go through my manuscript. You often get one chance to pitch to an agent or publisher, and I had to make my work the best it could be.

Each round of editing leads to more revisions and proofreading. (Spoiler alert: When the publisher gets the manuscript, there are several more rounds of revisions and proofs to check.)

The Agony of Deadlines - One book in each of my three cozy series comes out each year. I don’t write well under a lot of pressure, especially of a looming deadline I try to write ahead of my deadlines, so I have time for the thousands of hours of revisions and beta readers ahead of my contract deadlines.

Flexibility and Grace - I create my outlines and daily word counts as tools to keep me on track. If I need to add or remove a chapter to make the book better, I just make a note on the outline and write on. And if I don’t make my word count one day, it’s not the end of the world. Life happens. I just try to get back on track during the next writing session.

This is what I’ve found works for me. Try pieces and parts that appeal to you but know that your style is your own. If something doesn’t work, try another technique.

#ThisorThatThursday with Ruth J. Hartman

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Ruth J. Hartman to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday. If you haven’t already, you need to check out her Facebook page. She has the funniest cat memes.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My recliner out on our enclosed porch, a diet drink, and at least one sleepy cat.

Things that hamper your writing: Any kind of noise: TV, music, cat fights (especially cat fights!)

Words that describe you: Kind, funny, caring, a good listener

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Clumsy, awkward, overly sensitive, tongue-tied

Favorite foods: Pizza, chocolate, ice cream

Things that make you want to gag: Brussel sprouts, beets, fishy-fish

Favorite music or song: Anything rock from the 80s

Music that drives you crazy: Twangy country

Favorite smell: When my husband makes homemade pizza

Something that makes you hold your nose: We live in the country. There are skunks!

Things you’d walk a mile for: To pet a cat that lived on our our walking trail

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Too many people standing too close to me all at once. And yes, I have literally run away!

Things you always put in your books: Cats

Things you never put in your books: Gore, bad language, sex scenes

Things to say to an author: Thank you for writing your book! It made me laugh.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Why in the world do you write stories with cats in them?

Favorite places you’ve been: Wyoming, Alaska, Egypt

Places you never want to go to again: Las Vegas, New Orleans

Favorite things to do: Taking walks with my husband

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Being in any kind of play or show, or something that makes me feel stupid or embarrassed.

Things that make you happy: Reading a great book, holding sleeping cats, having the windows open so I can hear the birds chatter to each other.

Things that drive you crazy: Standing in lines, people standing too close to me, having to listen to someone else’s conversations (in a store, airport, somebody talking way too loud on their cell phone)

About Ruth:

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people's recliners. Not that the cats couldn't get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else's.

Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying.

Ruth's husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them. See updates about her cozy mysteries at Ruthjhartman.com.

Let’s Be Social:

https://www.ruthjhartman.com

https://www.facebook.com/ruth.j.hartman

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063631596817

#WriterWednesday Interview with Randi-Lee Bowslaugh

I’d like to welcome Randi-Lee Bowslaugh to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

Favorite summer treat:

Peanut butter chocolate Ice Cream!

A summer treat that makes you gag:

Mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Favorite summer beverage:

Pink Lemonade

A drink that gives you a pickle face:

Beer

Your favorite thing to get from the ice cream truck:

Swirl ice cream.

Some dessert that you wish you’d never bought:

Spongebob popsicle

Best summer vacation memory:

Camping with my husband before we were married.

A summer vacation disaster that you’d rather forget:

Realizing that the couch at the cabin actually pulled out - after the last sleep!

Most favorite place to write/edit in the summer:

On my back deck.

The worst place to try to write in the summer because of all the distractions:

At the cottage with my Godmother.

Favorite thing to do on a summer evening:

Listen to the crickets by a campfire.

Least favorite thing about summer:

Are mosquitos!

The thing you like most about being a writer:

Being creative and following

The thing you like least about being a writer:

Having to market the books.

Things you will run to the store for in the middle of the night:

Ice cream.

Things you never put on your shopping list:

Pickles.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Scuba diving, big drop like bungee jumping

Something you chickened out from doing:

Jumping down from the high ropes course - I needed to get pushed to get down.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

My book made them cry.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

When reading about your child I thought you were writing about mine.

About Randi-Lee:

Randi is a mental health advocate, author, and YouTuber. She started writing at 14 years old as a coping strategy for her depression. Twenty years later, she is now a mom, grandma, and thriving, creative individual.

Let’s Be Social:

www.rbwriting.ca

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