Interview *lizzie starr

by

Deanna C. Miller

1) Please tell a little about yourself.

There’s not much to tell that’s not in my bio. I’ve been writing seriously for about six years, and at my current *day* job as a cook amazingly even longer than that. I’ve widely varied interests--from Anime to Zoser (an Egyptian ruler). I think the unsinkable Ms Brown said it well... ‘I’m interested in everything ‘cuz I don’t know nothin’.’ Well, maybe I should paraphrase that paraphrase and say I know just enough about a lot of things to be dangerous!

2) Tell us about your book and how you came up with the title and plot line.

A Faire Keltic Renaissance is the sixth and final book in the Tales of the Double Keltic Triad. The plot grew from the preceding books--and a couple other things I’ve written--with a lot of character input. The title? After the first Keltic book came out and the idea of more tales blasted into my brain, I knew each one had to have Keltic in the title. In this tale, Jayse’s dream is to own a permanent Renaissance Faire site. So...

3) What types of books do you enjoy reading? Who are a few of your favorite authors?

Like everything else, I’m very eclectic in what I like to read. It depends on my mood. Although, I do like a happy ending--that’s why I write romance! I do read mostly fantasy and sci fi--with or without the romance. When I’m in a darker mood I like vamps! Fave authors--hmm. How about our own Angela Verdinius and Sue Thornton (who writes great paranormal suspense). Tolkien, of course. Anne McCaffrey. Mary Janice Davidson. Oh, I could go on and on and on...

3) What writing routine do you follow?

I write whenever I can. Breaks at work. Waiting for appointments. Yep, even in front of the television. I like mornings, but since I have to be to work at 5:45, I don’t get much done then. I’ve learned to take my time when it’s given to me.

4) How do you handle the stress that goes with writing?

Sometimes, I walk away for a bit. I read--though I have to be careful there because it’s so easy to start comparing my writing to everyone else’s. Not a good thing to do. I watch movies. I wander and daydream. I work on something else. It’s not uncommon for me to be writing more than one thing at a time. That helps keep my words and ideas fresh.

5) What kind of research do you do?

Whatever’s needed. Research is a dangerous thing and I have to be strong in order to just get what I need and not go off on so many different tangents that I lose track of what I started with. A real problem when you have so many interests! This is why Internet research is tough for me. Also, I know that you can’t always trust what you find online, so some things I check out with physical book research as well. The Discovery and History channels are great starting points, too.

6) Do you ask advice from your spouse? Or friends? Do they read your manuscripts?

Most of my writing advice comes from my critique partners. I belong to two great groups and between them I find the help I need. And, it’s kinda hard to critique if they don’t read the manuscripts, huh? As a voracious reader, my mom is one of my best sources for input. As are my brother and sister--their eyes may glaze over when I go on and on about a plot, but then along comes this little spark of an idea from one of them...

7) Are you a writer who writes by a rigid outline or do you write by the seat of your pants?

I have a basic idea of where I want to go when I sit down to start a new tale. So, guess that makes me a pantser. However, I’m learning to understand more of my character’s motivations at the beginning--well, I suppose I usually know them, but can’t always put them into words. Then as I go along, I have a running list of ideas--some of which make it into the story, and some that don’t. An outline of sorts, but not very rigid. I’ll leave the rigid for other things...

8) If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing?

Reading. Oh, or maybe I’d own some sort of a small restaurant--chocolate oriented, of course.

9) Any words of encouragement to our fellow unpublished authors?

Ah, you open a can of worms with this one. I’m full of platitudes and inspirational sayings. Today, all I’m going to say is believe in yourself and the stories you tell.

10) Do you have a favorite comment or question from a reader?

I’ve had readers say that there’s no way I could have made up a world--it’s too real. Wow! That’s an amazing thing... and a reaction I’ve had to some of my favorite authors. It’s humbling. And of course, who doesn’t love to hear--“When’s the next book?”