Tag: Q&A Page 2 of 17

This is the last in this series of posts asking for input about Author Interviews.

I’m working on a thing about writers and interviews to present to a local author group, and I’d appreciate some help with it. I’m supposed to talk about making interviews interesting/useful—I have plenty of ideas from the Q-side of the Q&A, but I would appreciate getting input from those in the trenches with me. I’m particularly thinking about the horror stories—or those that could have qualified as such but turned out okay. The more specific you can get, the better. (obviously, I’m not asking you to name names–and if you do, I won’t use them)

I’m thinking particularly of written interviews—via email, etc. But if you have something to say to podcasters, YouTube interviewers, or what have you—chip in.

I’ll be happy to mention your participation in this when I post what I get from this–but I’ll keep particular responses anonymous. I’m asking for an email and name just so I can get clarification if I need some. (also, so I can share the results of this just in case you’re curious)

Answer one question, answer them all, or something in between. I really don’t care. Thanks for your help—and feel free to spread this to others you know who might want to opine. I could use all the input I can get!

(Some of these are phrased awkwardly, but I was fighting with the form and decided that getting it to work was better than sounding clever)

Name

What do you want to see in an interview with an author?

Do you prefer more about them as a person or a writer?

Do you prefer the focus to be on particular books or on their books in general?

Do you have an ideal length of a response (I realize that is difficult to quantify)? How short is too-short? How long is too-long?

What kinds of questions tend to result in you tuning out or skipping ahead?

Have you ever read an interview and decided to read an author you had not heard of before? Do you remember what it was that made you decide that?

Have you ever read an interview and decided NOT to read an author you had notheard of before? Do you remember what it was that made you decide that?

What kind of advice would you like to pass along to authors about responding to interview questions--however awkwardly phrased?

Is there anything else you want to say on the subject?

I'm Curious

Hey, Bloggers/Podcasters/Vloggers! I Have Some Questions about Interviews for You!!

By HCNewton

On October 31, 2023

In Miscellany, News/Misc.

This is a companion to yesterday’s post asking for input from authors, for the up to ten of you who wondered.

I’m thinking particularly of written interviews—via email, etc. But podcasters, YouTube interviewers, or what have you—chip in.

(Some of these are phrased awkwardly, but I was fighting with the form and decided that getting it to work was better than sounding clever)

Name

Start on a positive note—what kinds of responses do you love to get in an interview?

Enough positivity—what kinds of responses do you not like to get in an interview?

Do you have an ideal length of a response (I realize that is difficult to quantify)? How short is too-short? How long is too-long?

What kinds of questions tend to result in a less-than-optimal response?

What kind of advice would you like to pass along to authors about responding to interview questions--however awkwardly phrased?

How do you take a dull/uninteresting/inappropriate response (or series of them) and turn it into something you like? Do you do anything to "help" an author there?

Have you ever been asked to change an interview question? How did that go?

Do you have advice for writers about the best way to approach an interview?

Is there anything else you want to say on the subject?

I'm Curious

Hey, Authors! I Have Some Questions about Interviews for You!!

By HCNewton

On October 30, 2023

In Miscellany, News/Misc.

Hi authors—I’m working on a thing about writers and interviews to present to a local author group, and I’d appreciate some help with it. I’m supposed to talk about making interviews interesting/useful—now I have plenty of ideas from the Q-side of the Q&A, but I could use some insight from those on the A-side. I’m particularly thinking about the horror stories—or those that could have qualified as such but turned out okay. The more specific you can get, the better. (obviously, I’m not asking you to name names–and if you do, I won’t use them)

If your horror stories, or at least your “well that was blah” stories happen to involve me. That’s fine. I’ll learn something.

I’m thinking particularly of written interviews—via email, etc. But if you have something to say to podcasters, Vloggers/BookTubers, or what have you—chip in.

Answer one question, answer them all, or something in between. I really don’t care. Thanks for your help—and feel free to spread this to authors you know who might want to opine. I could use all the input I can get!

(Some of these are phrased awkwardly, but I was fighting with the form and decided that getting it to work was better than sounding clever)

I'm Curious

LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About IdaHope Christian Writers

By HCNewton

On October 20, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

Literary Locals logo
In this series of Q&As, I keep running into mentions of the group IdaHope, a Christian Writers association in the area. Today, we’re chatting with ICW Secretary, Lisa Hess, and President, Hilarey Johnson (who has been here before) about the group.

It’ll come up below, but before I start with Lisa and Hilarey, I want to direct your attention to their Fall Gathering coming up on October 28, “Your Story Matters.” It looks like a good opportunity to spend 4 hours with people focused on writing and storytelling. If you’re local (or semi-local), look into it, will you?

IdaHope Christian Writers logo
I know we’re supposed to be talking about the organization. But you’re both writers–kick things off by telling people about your own writing.
Hilarey: I write fiction and nonfiction, I also ghostwrite and narrate. I published a coming-of-age literary fiction series which would appeal to readers with a faith background. Titles: Sovereign Ground | Heart of Petra | Sworn to the Desert. I also have a historical fantasy set in Idaho. Dance of the Crane and it is a retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo.

Lisa: My tagline is “Writing Relationships” because I don’t read just one genre, and there is no way I could ever stick to writing one genre—but people fascinate me. I’m sort of obsessed with the inner workings of relationships, and also, I’m an introvert. So relationships can be very difficult and downright puzzling to me. My favorite reads are probably what the industry calls “up-market” fiction—novels with the plot and movement of genre fiction, but some of the deeper, internal struggles and big life questions of literary fiction. People struggling to know and love each other, to pursue meaning and hope and redemption–that’s what I enjoy reading, so that’s what I try to write. You can see some of my short stories in a compilation called Passageways, and my first full-length novel, a coming-of-age mystery called Ghost of Gold Creek, was released in 2018. I worked in-person with the public all through lockdown and the years after, most recently at Boise Main Library, and that took all I had to give those years. But now, I’m excited about an adventure/romance in the final editing stages, and a half-done political thriller romance on deck…so I’m all over the place! And of course, so excited and pleased about the opportunity to be involved in this re-launch of ICW.
I do actually have a copy of Passageways waiting to be read. I’d planned on having it done by the end of July, so…any day now 🙂
Hilarey: You are such a fast reader, it will be any day. [snort. If only]

Lisa: Wonderful! Four different authors contributed to that collection, so there is a lot of variation in style and subject in Passageways. Hopefully, something for everyone.

Let’s move on to ICW. Elevator-pitch style, what is IdaHope Christian Writers? (Readers can access the longer, official, version here)

Hilarey: Idahope Christian Writers is a group for people of Christian faith, in Idaho, who want to write or be part of storytelling. This can include poetry, creative nonfiction, memoirs, devotions, spoken word, songwriting, children’s books, graphic designers…and every genre of fiction.

Lisa: Yes! I would just add that this version of ICW is created to provide community, education and encouragement for creatives involved in writing or publishing—not saying networking/promotion doesn’t happen, but that’s not our mission. Also, we are a completely volunteer-run nonprofit. 100% of donations, conference and member fees go to provide those three things: community, education and encouragement…aaaand here’s the 815^th floor in our elevator ride.

Could you flesh that out a bit? What kind of education? Articles on your site, speakers at your meetings/conferences? Anything else? What kinds of topics might one look for? How do you encourage one another?

Hilarey: I think we did a good job on the elevator pitch if you’re asking more questions! We have three types of weekly blog posts. Monday has a writing devotional to kick the week off. It’s called Meditation Monday and we’ve hosted a few local pastors. Writerly Wednesday has a craft post. One of our regular contributors is Peter Leavell. And Fiction Friday has a fiction or creative nonfiction post. Members can submit posts to be published on our blog and we’ve had fiction from Robin Lee Hatcher and Lisa Phillips.

Our monthly meetings are just getting started. We began with Sandy Jones from Christian Living Magazine. She shared “Why we need to be published to get published.” (This is one of the reasons we feature members on our blog.) Last month we had member Barb Sulfridge share “Why authors need to be speakers.” And I’m very excited about November’s speaker…you! With your experience interviewing local authors, I am excited to hear “How not to be a boring author interview.”

I am excited to have The Creative Space as our monthly meeting place. It is so conducive to community. Because, ultimately, our focus is on building in person connections.

Lisa: And don’t forget our Weekly Write-ins. These meetings are member favorites–a chance to meet in a smaller, more informal group for critique, brainstorming–so important and motivational when you have a work in progress. We hope to have a number of these kinds of groups meeting around the Treasure Valley in the future. We currently have two active groups, and the details about those are on our website.

We also have an active, members-only FB page where members frequently seek and receive advice and support from each other. We have a bookstore on the website, where members can promote their latest releases, and hope to have a “seeking/offering” job site service soon, for editors, graphic artists, audio-book artists, etc. that will be free to members to access and list.

As I understand it, like so many things, your organization’s activities got derailed in 2020. What did things look like things for you before? Were you able to do much at all between then and your re-launch?

Lisa: Right. ICW has been around in the Treasure Valley for more than a decade. A few years back, folks at ICW took a year’s sabbatical to reassess for the coming decade and plan for IdaHope’s Ten Year Anniversary celebration. A number of us began meeting regularly together to pray and plan…then COVID intervened. Our one-year sabbatical turned into an almost four-year sabbatical, kept breathing with our interaction on the ICW FB page, as we added new friends and waited for the right time to relaunch. That time was tragic and horrible, beyond what any of us could have imagined. But there is also the creative’s little secret: lockdown gave many of us time to rest, reassess, and renew our commitments to our purpose and callings. Most of all, we came to realize how much we need each other. Having almost four years to think and dream together about what we wanted ICW to look like going forward wasn’t a waste. The ideas generated during that time buoy and inspire the new ICW launch in both small and great ways.
Nice silver lining.

I’m sure a lot of this is to be determined (at least the details) as you get up and running–but tell us about your re-launch and what kinds of things IdaHope will be doing in the next few months?

Hilarey: We started informal meetups for people to gather regularly and encourage or critique each other. The local libraries have been wonderful hosts. We are hoping to set connection opportunities up all over the valley, in churches or coffee shops, so writers can find their people.

Our main goal is to meet monthly— have a snack, worship, learn something useful from a speaker and then spend time nurturing friendships with other people who hear fictional voices in their head.

We also plan to have an annual small conference in the fall, like the one coming up at Trinity Fellowship Church on October 30. Each year we will also have a larger conference, likely, in the spring. That might take a few years to grow to our vision.

Lisa: We also hope to lean into the diversity of our ICW members, and expand on that diversity in the future. Most of us are Jesus followers, and ICW was created to be a safe place for Christian creatives, who often aren’t understood or encouraged, even among their own faith communities. But I imagine our members represent a dozen or more denominations and faith groups, and just as many genres of writing. We hope that the variety of backgrounds and viewpoints continues to grow. We tend to focus on our commonalities, rather than our differences, which is helpful, in what can be a very divided world.

Can each of you give us a few particular ways that IdaHope has benefited you/your writing? (this feels like a job interview question, sorry!)

Hilarey: Idahope first connected me to my critique partners. I formed a small group with people I connected with personally. Even as our (writing) career paths have taken us in different directions, we remain friends. It also connected me to training and connections through writing conferences. Idahope is why I became an author instead of someone who writes.

Lisa: I stumbled into an ICW conference not long after moving to Boise twelve years ago. I had a couple drafts of Ghost of Gold Creek, I loved the characters, setting and ideas, but I knew it could be better—I also knew I didn’t know how to get it there. That conference was the first time I’d sat around with a bunch of other fiction writers, and it was a revelation. There I was, surrounded by fifty or so other writers who talked like it was perfectly normal to go through phases where you spend more time listening to the voices in your head than the person sitting next to you, that it was okay when the characters in your novel became more real to you than real life—I wasn’t the only one, not by a long shot, and it was so comforting. And motivating, that I could actually get that novel to a place that I would be proud to share it…and then, of course, all those great benefits that Hilarey mentioned about writing in community. There are a number of those same people still involved with ICW. Many have become very successful published authors, but one thing hasn’t changed—they have mentors hearts, every one of them.

That sounds great! Building on all this, why should someone in the area look into IdaHope?

Hilarey: Someone should look into Idahope if they are ready to work on the craft and pursue their dream.

Lisa: Nicely, said, Hil. That’s a great paraphrase of the first sentence of our mission statement. The second sentence is, “We strive to foster a community for creatives who will contribute to a faith-filled, nurturing environment.” That environment is important to our members. So you’re coming to a place where you will be nurtured, mentored and encouraged, but you’re also coming to learn how to do that for others.

I can’t let anyone get away from a Q&A here without a few book recommendations–tell me about some (at least 2 each) of your favorite writings produced by IdaHope members.

Hilarey: There are so many published authors in Idahope I recommend! The books which are extra special to me, though, are ones where I participated in brainstorming. So, I got to see the author’s eyes light up all the way to an end product that I couldn’t have imagined.

You should get Husband Auditions from Angela Ruth Strong–she started Idahope years ago just before she published Love Finds You in Sun Valley. She got the idea for the story from a 1950s magazine article about how to catch a husband. Things like “cry softly in the corner, so he approaches you.” Strong decided a modern girl should video post her attempt to work through the list and see how men react to the prompts.

My favorite from Heather Woodhaven is The Secret Life of Book Club. It’s about a book club that decides to start going on adventures instead of reading about others living their lives. We went on several adventures as a group while she was plotting that. It made brainstorming hilarious. Other than that, you will find Romantic Suspense novels on her website–some I’ve narrated.

Kristine McCord has a Christmas romance with a sexy santa called The Santa Society. Think of a suspenseful version of The Santa Clause. She wrote that in a matter of weeks–it just poured out of her. It reads just as fast.

From Lisa Phillips, she writes so fast I cannot count her books, but I will never forget when she had the idea for a secret witness protection town, called Sanctuary, hidden in the hills of Idaho. It was for people who were too high profile to live in the real world. So they were all thrown together. WITSEC Town was one of her first series, but it’s still a bestseller. I also enjoyed her supernatural thrillers she wrote under the pen name JL Terra.

Lisa: Great picks, Hilarey! This is hard, it’s like picking out my favorite children. I can’t do it. But just for a little parity, I’d like to give a shout-out to our male authors. For example, Peter Leavell’s Gideon’s Call is a civil war historical fiction that has won a number of awards. Paul Regnier, like myself, doesn’t stick to one genre, but writes books from speculative fiction, to fantasy to cozy mysteries. His latest is Bard Tidings.

Those look like some great picks! Thanks!!

Thanks, Lisa and Hilarey, for your time and willingness to put up with my questions. Idaho-ish people, you should absolutely look into ICW and check out their Fall Gathering.

Literary Locals logo

A Few Quick Questions With…Herman Steuernagel

By HCNewton

On September 8, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With...

For this next part of the tour, I have a quick Q&A with the author, Herman Steuernagel. I had to come up with these questions before starting the book, which is a different approach for me. I think it came out not-terribly-awkward. Either way, I enjoyed reading the answers and hope you will, too.

The words that got me to take a second look at the description for this book were “space pirates,” and I bet I’m not alone. Do you have theories (or just speak for yourself) about why pirates in general, or space pirates in particular, grab our imaginations the way they do?
I think there’s a rebellious part of all of us that sees pirates as these carefree individuals who decided to live outside of society’s expectations of us. There’s something in us that looks at it as a life of adventure, outside of the constraints of the day to day.

Space pirates, I think, is just an extrapolation of that, and definitely in Eclipse I’ve tried to make that comparison.
One our main characters, Mikka, left that life of piracy behind in order to become a responsible adult in her world. And I think in many ways many of us can relate to that experience. We grow up and suddenly we realize there are bills to pay and family to take care of, and part of us wishes that we could return to that life of adventure that we dreamed of growing up.

One of the side characters, Abigail Monroe, is almost a caricature of a sea pirate in a space setting. She provides a bit of comic relief in what would otherwise be a dark world. She very much represents that sense of
[The remainder of his answer was lost in cyberspace, sadly. Just think of this as an enticement to read the book. What does she represent?]

Looking over your website, it looks like you’ve designed three unique worlds at this point in your career. In general, and with this book specifically, what’s your approach to worldbuilding? Do you sit down and figure it all out ahead of time (setting, technology, culture(s), etc.?) or do you just make up most/all of it on the fly as you come across the need while writing?
There’s a bit of both actually. For Eclipse and the Fractured Orbit in particular, a lot of it was decided in advance. The world is set a couple hundred years in the future, I wanted the technology to be mostly feasible with the knowledge we have now. There are a couple of things that are a little more fantastical, such as artificial gravity and force fields that are currently outside of our capabilities, but it is far enough in the future that somehow we figured it out.

So with that in mind, I now have some constraints on what is feasible in this universe. We’re not traveling to different systems and galaxies, because we don’t have faster-than-light travel. The worlds in our system are not completely terraformed because we have no technological way to do that, so our colonies exist in pockets or bubbles.

Other things are constrained a bit to reality, so it’s more research than creation – like what exists on different moons and asteroids on our solar system. These types of things get passing mentions in Eclipse, but they’re talked about a bit more in future books.

Other things like how the Empire maintains its control on these colonies, there’s a bit more “on the fly” that happens within the drafting process. And then it’s just a matter of keeping track of everything so that it stays consistent. For that I have a combination of Trello boards, spreadsheets and documents where I keep this information stored.

For you, at the end of the day—creating believable characters, worldbuilding, or the story—what’s harder? What’s more rewarding? What do your readers tend to react to the most?
Ultimately characters are who the readers are going to relate to. It try to create my characters with realistic ambitions, needs and flaws. It’s that emotional journey that will draw a reader into the story and keep them invested in the plot. Pulling that off is definitely the most important and rewarding part of the process.

That said, building the world is a lot of fun, because, especially in a sci-fi or fantasy setting, you get to play a bit more. This is where you get to think about the “what if” questions. What if we colonized the moon, Mars? What if we had to abandon Earth in order to save it? What if corporate elites took advantage of that?

No matter how many books you have under your belt, as I understand, each novel/series tends to be a different experience than the one(s) before. What was the part what was the biggest surprise about the process of writing Eclipse? Either, “I can’t believe X is so easy!” or “If I had known Y was going to be so hard, I’d have skipped this and watched more TV”?
I got to the end of the first draft of Eclipse and realized the part one of the characters had to play in the story. Which sounds like a funny thing, but there was one side character who I realized had a bigger role to play, especially in the books going forward, so I had to go back and work that into the rest of the plot. It was definitely an “ah-ha!” moment at the end of the book for me that I wasn’t expecting.

The book has been out a few months now, is there a particular supporting character that your readers have responded to in a way you didn’t expect? Talk about them a little bit and how the reaction is different. What’s the key, for you, in writing a great supporting character, and how did that (if you can manage this without an essay) work with this particular character?
The side character that gets talked about the most is Abigail Monroe. This was kind of by design.

We meet Abigail in the Prologue of Eclipse, and it’s really the only chance we get to see her point of view. This is continued in the prologues of the sequels, but we’re kind of seeing a glimpse into her mind, and then we get to watch how other characters interact with her in the following narrative.

Abigail came to me as this female version of Jack Sparrow, who was really just your typical movie pirate. A lot of people love her, because she’s off the wall, erratic, and you really don’t know where she stands, if she’s a hero or a villain, and it’s really going to take the length of the series before we know for sure what she’s all about. But because there’s this familiarity about her, and what we’ve come to expect from a humorous type of pirate, I think readers are able to find something they can relate to in this otherwise dark and dystopian setting.

Readers either love her or hate her. She’s a lot of fun to write because she’s so enigmatic and erratic, but she also has a particular speech tic that some readers found over the top. Which is maybe a fair criticism, so it does get toned down a little bit in the following books. But even though she’s not a POV character, we also do get to see a bit of her character arc develop over the course of the series, and I think by the end people are going to have a very different opinion of Abigail and what’s driving her.

A supporting character reflects the main character, they highlight a main character’s strengths and/or weaknesses and that can take shape in either an antithesis to them, as a single part of their personality traits, or as a mirror. But it’s also important for a side character to have their own life to them as well. They need goals, needs and desires in order to make them realistic and believable. They also need flaws. And I think that the reception to Abigail has indicated that she does have all of these things. People love her because of her eccentricities, but they don’t like her flaws.

However, she does have a very important role to play in the story and Abigail is also very much an exaggerated mirror of Mikka in a lot of ways.

Thanks for your time and participation! I’m looking forward to seeing what Eclipse has to offer!
Thank you so much for including me! I hope you enjoy the book!

My thanks to Escapist Book Tours for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including the novel) they provided. The opinions expressed by me are honest and my own.

A Few Quick Questions With…Rebecca Carey Lyles

By HCNewton

On September 6, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With...

Rebecca Carey Lyles keeps popping up here this year—she’s participated in the Q&A about Writing in Idaho and in the series about Self-Publishing, now she’s here to talk about her latest book, Shaow Ranch (which I posted about earlier) and more. Hope you enjoy!

We’ve gone over your writer’s bio before, but I wanted to follow up on a couple of things. First, could you talk about your path to publication and what sparked your desire to write in the first place?
My path to publication was a long and winding road, ha. Like most authors, my desire to write began with reading. An amazing gift from our Creator, reading opens doors in our minds and in our lives. The thrill of holding that first Dick and Jane book in my hands in first grade remains with me to this day.

After reading multiple books in multiple genres and graduating from college with a degree unrelated to journalism or creative writing, I attended a six-week writing class. And got the writing bug.

From there, I enrolled in a how-to-write correspondence course and started writing articles and short stories. Some were terrible and some were published. Then I tackled books, both fiction and nonfiction. With the help of writing teachers, seminars and conferences, how-to books and magazines, and writing groups in Wyoming, Arizona and Idaho, I learned the craft.

But I haven’t stopped educating myself. I listen to writing-related podcasts and read articles, blogs, etc. on how to become a better writer, editor and marketer. I also rely on critique partners, beta readers and proofreaders to help me produce a quality product. Editing other authors’ work has enabled me to spot and address my own writing weaknesses.

Authors have dozens of ideas percolating at once (if not more), what was it about the idea that became Shadow Ranch that made you decide it was the one you wanted to focus on for a few months? Can you remember what nugget started that book? You discuss some of this in your podcast episode, “What Lurks in the Shadow Ranch Shadows” and I encourage people to give that a listen.
I don’t remember what I said on that podcast. Maybe I’m the one who should listen to it, ha. But as I recall my thought process, two things triggered the Shadow Ranch idea. First, I read Wife No. 19 by Ann Eliza Young (1844-1917). She married into a famous polygamous family at a young age and wrote about her personal experiences plus what she observed in other similarly trapped women, including her mother. Those women suffered incredible hardship and abuse, whether physical, emotional, mental, spiritual or financial. Usually, all of the above.

At the same time, friends were telling me about the Sister Wives television series. I haven’t watched the series, but to think a dysfunctional family’s illicit alliance has been glamorized for all the world to see is terribly sad. My personal opinion is that the adults and children in such “families” need our sympathy, not our adulation.

And that’s why I wrote Shadow Ranch. I wanted to show the emotional trauma “sister” wives experience as well as the control needed to ensure they continue to cooperate with the male-centric lifestyle. (It’s called brainwashing.) Today’s polygamists have all the problems their predecessors had way back when and possibly more. Yet, they continue to believe and teach that plural marriage ensures they’ll reach the “celestial kingdom” following death.

Talk to me about the research you did for this—I’d imagine it’d cover contemporary polygamy cults, some sort of trauma research—maybe some domestic abuse research? Possibly even research into some of the industries the compound used to fund themselves? How much time and effort does that part of the writing process does that take?
As I alluded to above, plenty of information is available online in news articles and documentaries. Books written by individuals who escaped polygamy and by authors who study plural marriage are also available. I just did a count and found 10 related books on my cult shelf, and more are out there. I’ve also researched narcissism and domestic abuse as well as cult mentality. Here are a couple of sites: https://psychcentral.com/ & https://www.icsahome.com/home.

Some say child labor and/or forced labor have enabled contractors in certain parts of the West to underbid competitors. Also, insiders say our taxes support thousands of polygamous women who don’t have marriage certificates for their unlawful unions. They receive food stamps, welfare payments, medical assistance, and other governmental benefits for themselves and their many children.

Regarding domestic abuse…all a person has to do is google “Warren Jeffs,” the imprisoned FLDS leader who’s still revered by thousands of followers. If you have the stomach for it, here’s a “true crime” report regarding his conviction. https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/what-evidence-led-to-flds-leader-warren-jeffs-conviction.

Truth is, I spend way too much time doing research for my stories. Rabbit trails, you know… In all seriousness, I can’t say how many hours research demands, but it probably consumes at least 25% of my writing time.

How difficult is it to write a convincing character like Brewster? And do you have to do something to get out of that frame of mind once you’re done for the day to keep him from taking up residence in your consciousness? How about one/all of the wives?
I hate to admit it, but writing nasty characters comes fairly easily for me. Brewster is an example of unrestrained selfishness. Our basic natures are selfish, mine included. Although my job is to portray a villain’s self-focused behavior, I must restrain my own tendency. Brewster is totally about satisfying his narcissistic self, however possible. If he has to turn on the charm to do so, no problem. His bottom line is not the other person’s well-being; instead, he uses others for his own self-perceived well-being. And, no, he doesn’t haunt my dreams, thank God!

To be honest, after being married almost 50 years, I cannot imagine having another so-called wife or wives in our lives. Maybe another woman could be tasked with changing diapers, cleaning toilets and pulling weeds. 😊 But it wouldn’t be worth the jealousy, the arguments, the broken hearts and hurt feelings. Or knowing my husband was regularly sleeping with other women—or favoring a certain one, maybe a younger one, which happens.

Although I try not to emotionally plumb the depths of polygamous women’s despair, I can imagine myself in their shoes and think how I would feel. Yet, nothing about plural marriage appeals to me. I cannot picture anyone finding happiness or fulfillment in that lifestyle. As a result, I want to warn others away from the fake glamor, intrigue and supposed pathway to heaven touted by groups like the FLDS.

A scripture verse in Ephesians says, “Have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” I trust that’s what I’m doing in all my books, exposing the darkness and warning people away from evil.

In our correspondence, you said Shadow Ranch “kind of a crazy one to start with.” (I probably should’ve asked for a sane one to start with). Why do you say that? How does this differ from a more typical Rebecca Carey Lyles book? (assuming such exists)
Ha, I’m not sure I have a “sane” series! 😊 My first series, The Kate Neilson Series, addresses human trafficking, and the second series, Prisoners of Hope, tackles religious cults. People I talk with at book events seem to be somewhat familiar with trafficking and religious cults. But not many know about modern-day polygamy. Americans tend to think plural marriage was outlawed over a hundred years ago, which it was, and assume it’s no longer practiced.

Online numbers, on the other hand, suggest our country has 30,000-50,000 polygamous families and somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000 individuals involved in those family groups.

This is one of those novels that comes with Discussion Questions at the end—is this typical for you? What’s behind your decision to include them? These are written by Pat Watkins—what can you tell us about her? Does it feel a little strange to read someone distilling your work into some talking points?
Pat Watkins, a retired educator, is amazing—and so are her questions! She “gets” my books better than I do, ha. I could never do what she does with the discussion questions, and I appreciate her willingness to compile them for my books. She came up with the idea to include questions for book clubs. I haven’t received feedback, but I trust the questions stimulate good discussion.

To answer your question about Pat distilling my stories into talking points, I’m fascinated to learn what she gleans from my writing. Every reader has a different take on a story because we have different backgrounds, world views and life experiences. Yet, she comes up with universal questions that any reader or group of readers can ponder.

What is it about storytelling/writing that keeps it fresh for you? Is this a compulsion to keep going, or is it more pleasure? Along those lines, are there genres you are still hoping to try, or are you sticking in the lanes you’ve picked? Are there genres you don’t see ever trying?
A couple things keep storytelling/writing fresh for me (other than the notion a true writer supposedly can’t not write). First, I do a lot of research. Learning about other people groups, historical background, contemporary cultures, locations, flora and fauna, etc. fascinates me.

Also, unlike many authors, I prefer to rewrite a rough draft rather than drag the initial draft out of my head. Maybe that’s why I’m an editor as well as an author. I enjoy fixing awkward or confusing sentences, paragraphs and storylines.

Will I write in other genres? Although I set my novels in the West, I’ll probably never write a true shoot-em-up western. And I doubt I’ll ever pen a murder mystery or fantasy or science fiction, but you never know. A few years back, three other Treasure Valley authors and I compiled a short-story collection titled Passageways. A couple of my stories in that book have fantastical elements to them. So, I can never say never. 😊

What’s next for Rebecca Carey Lyles, author?
The second book in the Children of the Light Series, Crimson Arches, is finished but in super rough form right now. If all goes well, it should be available before the end of the year. The third book in the series (no name yet) is percolating in my brain…

A reminder to readers re. all my books: No matter how grim the subject matter, every story has a happy ending. 😊

Thanks for your time—both now and before—I really appreciate what you’re bringing to this little corner of cyberspace.
Thank you! I always enjoy our visits, HC! 😊

A Few Quick Questions

A Few Quick Questions With…Hilarey Johnson

By HCNewton

On August 24, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With...

As I said a bit ago, Johnson participated in my Q&A series about writing in Idaho and now she’s back to talk about Stone of Asylum and writing in general. In case you’re interested, I gave my take on that novel a little bit ago. I hope you enjoy this Q&A, and I do expect to bring you more from Johnson soon, so stay tuned!

We’ve gone over your writer’s bio before, but I wanted to follow up on a couple of things. First, could you talk about your path to publication and what sparked your desire to write in the first place?
I wish I had known that writing could be a career choice, I might have finished school instead of this long journey: I was a young mama with time to read, and my grandma passed all her Christian historical romance books through the family. They always ended with a kiss at the altar…I started to feel like the only significant point of life for a girl was to fall in love and get married. Therefore, there was nothing left for me at the age of 20. I was happy in my marriage, but disgruntled that I had nothing significant left to look forward to in life. I had no idea there were other genres in Christian fiction.

One day while my 6 month fell asleep nursing, I daydreamed a complete story arc about a white missionary who rescues a baby from a village just before he was killed by his dad. They raise him up, until they are martyred, and he eventually returns to the his father’s village with the gospel of reconciliation. It was told from the two mother’s perspectives.

I jumped up and scribbled the outline down. It took me ten years to type out the first draft of that story. It was 50,000 words. I thought I was called to the mission field until I finished writing that book.

When finished, I was confident enough to consider myself a “wannabe writer,” and I got a job in publications. I got mentors, I published in local newspapers. I became the assistant editor. I spent five years writing my second book. (Neither are published.) Then, in 2005, I went to my first writer’s conference and started the path to publication. I wrote Sovereign Ground in a year and it became a finalist in contests before it was published. The editors and agents who liked it told me that the subject was too edgy for the current Christian fiction crisis and economic downturn. So I self-published.

Authors have dozens of ideas percolating at once (if not more), what was it about the idea that became Stone of Asylum that made you decide it was the one you wanted to focus on for a few months? Can you remember what nugget started that book? It’s pretty different from your first two books in terms of genre and tone (at least from what I can tell), was it a conscious choice to look for something different?
I heard once that artists are not satisfied replicating—they desire to create and they need to stretch themselves. My first book was about a dancer and lots of people thought it was my story, because you are supposed to “write what you know.” I was in a tight-knit critique group and they asked my why I didn’t write about martial arts (more about that in question 5). Also, I knew romance would never be the genre I wanted to spend all my time in. I love fantasy.

Was this always intended as part of a series or was it a stand-alone that couldn’t be restrained? How do you go about mapping out the overall arc of a series and what parts of that arc go into an individual book.
I intentionally planned the main story arc to spread over three smaller story arcs. It is intended to be one story told in three parts. I was going for a balance of unfinished but satisfying. It was fun and complicated. I think that was part of stretching myself to build a story differently than I ever had. My critique group helped in the initial brainstorming session. Many of the finer details about the magic and consequences were deliberated with my oldest son—an avid reader, nearly as irresponsible as you.

I like him already 🙂

Talk to me about the research you did for this—you’ve got two immigrant-Asian cultures in the nineteenth century. Immigration to the Western US during that period. Idaho history/mining history…and so much more. Was any of this “old hat” to you or did you have to start at the ground floor entirely?
It was all research. I do not have personal inside knowledge. I read fiction and non fiction written from Chinese Immigrant POV to start to understand motivation and perspective. I visited the Chinese historical museum in San Francisco. And another museum in Coeur d’Alene. It is one of the things I like about being a reader and a writer—trying to feel what someone else would feel while setting aside your own experience (which can make you unable to empathize).

You’ve got some pretty convincing fight scenes in the book, too. How do you compose one of those? I’ve heard of writers using action figures or something to map enact them first, for example. Also—what kind of martial arts background did you have going in—or was this even more research?
Thank you. It was mostly done in my head. But I did have the ability to act out some of the flow. I started practicing a Korean martial art called Tang Soo Do with my dad when I was 7. I met my future husband when we tested for our blackbelts at age 17. When I wrote the Dance of the Crane Series, I was working toward a Master Belt and had a school in Meridian, Idaho. It has been half a dozen years since I stopped practicing/training in martial arts.

What is it about storytelling/writing that keeps it fresh for you? Is this a compulsion to keep going, or is it more pleasure? Along those lines, are there genres you are still hoping to try, or are you sticking in the lanes you’ve picked? Are there genres you don’t see ever trying?
I think for me, it’s learning. I like new. I have a few stories in my head, but they don’t spin like they used to. I feel satisfied for now. I have been spending most of my writing energy on non-fiction. For storytelling, I’m starting to narrate other author’s books.

We should absolutely chat about that sometime.

What’s next for Hilarey Johnson, author?
I hope to continue my blog, Intimacy with God for the Over-Churched >. I’m contributing regularly to IdaHopeChristianWriters.org. And, I would like to set aside a few months to rewrite a non fiction I wrote, and then decide what to do with it.

Thanks for your time—and thanks for Stone of Asylum—I’ll be back for more of The Dance of the Crane soon, I have to know what’s next.
Thank you! That is every writer’s hope.

A Few Quick Questions

LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing in Idaho with Paul Regnier

By HCNewton

On August 22, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

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Paul Regnier’s fantasy novel, Bard Tidings, came out in June (and it looks pretty good–since Fflewddur Fflam, I’ve been a sucker for bards). You should absolutely give it a look. But we’re not going to talk about that today (hopefully soon)*. Today, we’re focusing on what being a writer in Idaho is like for him. Enjoy!

The way things are going around here, “soon” probably means February.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
I’m Paul Regnier. I’m a writer living in the Treasure Valley here in Idaho. You can find me online at www.PaulJRegnier.com.

Are you a native Idahoan? What brought you to Idaho in the first place? (answer whichever question applies) What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I’ve lived in Idaho for the last six years. I’ve heard once you cross the five year mark you’re an honorary native Idahoan. My family and I love it here. I love all the pine trees and the beautiful mountainous landscapes. Winters are mild and there’s very little humidity. I’m happy to call Idaho my home state.
I’m going to have to check the handbook on that five-year rule (is that akin the to 5-second rule?) and get back to you.

Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author.
I’m connected with a group of local writers called Idahope (idahopechristianwriters.org). They have get togethers, conferences, and events all geared around writing. It’s a great group to be a part of.

I’ve been connecting with a few IdaHope members recently—what to you is the biggest benefit? Or maybe I should ask, why would you tell a local author to join up?
The writing journey can be lonely. Much of the time it’s just you typing away at the computer. It’s so refreshing to get together with other writers and creative people and talk about stories and books and movies and everything in-between. Online meetups are nice as well but nothing compares to face to face, personal interaction with fellow writers.

What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
Besides the Idahope group I’m a part of, I’m looking into homeschool events that take place in the area. There’s one in Nampa that I plan on attending next year. Homeschoolers are big readers so the events are great places to connect as a local author.

That’s a great idea! And one that no one has mentioned before—a good fantasy novel and that crowd (at least those I know in that audience) sounds like a great combination. That’s not just a great market, but a fantastic way for readers to get to know you. Are you and your family part of the homeschooling community and is that why you thought of this, or did you get this tip from someone else? (thinking back to when I homeschooled, I don’t remember anyone doing this, but I’d have loved to see it)
We haven’t personally homeschooled our kids but my daughter had experience with online school and I was her learning coach so I got to experience it in a small way. I think homeschooling is such an amazing opportunity for families and if parents have the time and resources, I think it’s a great way to educate your kids, especially when it comes to imparting family morals and spiritual truths.

One of my favorite writing conferences is Realm Makers. It’s a conference focused on speculative fiction writing (fantasy, sci-fi, supernatural, superhero, etc…). Besides the annual conference, they go around to various homeschool events with their mobile bookstore. They always report on the great response they get from homeschoolers. That’s where I first realized what an amazing opportunity it was.

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
I would say my readers are more national than local. Generally people find me online through Amazon or from online recommendations. The internet is a wonderful way to reach readers around the country and around the world.

Do you have plans to change that—or is it early enough in your writing career that you’re still trying to see what works before you make solid plans?
Honestly, I’m open to anyone, anywhere that enjoys my books LOL. I’ve tried to go around to local libraries and give them free copies of my books but the response has been lackluster. With online accessibility, it’s just so much easier and quicker to “spread the word” to a wider audience.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
The latest series I’m working on is a fantasy series (the first book in the series is called Bard Tidings). Since the Treasure Valley in Idaho is filled with lush pine trees, hills and mountains, the scenic setting really helps in the creation of a fantasy world. I get inspiration for many of my scenes from the amazing locations around me.

Were you writing before you came to Idaho? If so, was the bookish community (writers or readers) noticeably different?
I lived in Southern California for many years but we moved here six years ago and never looked back. We love it here! I think my only tie to “local writing groups” in CA was a writing critique group that I was a part of. However, most of us are still in touch and we try to meet online as often as schedules allow.

Do you bring Idaho (or some sort of Idaho-sensibility, assuming one exists) to your work? Whether or not anyone else sees it, can you look at some aspect of your writing and think “That’s Idaho” or “I would do ____ differently if I was a Kentuckian or from Illinois?”
For me, the main aspect of Idaho that inspires my writing is the landscape. The trees, hills, and mountains. The beauty of creation. I created a fictious small mountain town in Idaho called Crystal Falls for my cozy mystery series. The setting was inspired by the area around Cascade Lake and Payette Lake.

One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
If there is, I haven’t found it. I think the “Idaho spirit” means something a little different to each resident and it probably varies in different parts of the state. For me, Idaho means peace, the beauty of God’s creation, and family.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!

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Even More Quick Questions With…Matthew Hanover

By HCNewton

On August 9, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Matthew Hanover

Matthew Hanover’s newest book, Not Prepared, really wowed me and I’m so excited to share this Q&A about it today. Hanover’s no stranger to people who’ve read this site for any amount of time. I’ve blogged about all of his books and this is the fourth Q&A he’s participated in about his writing—plus a Q&A about Self-Publishing.

Here’s the latest with him—and the latest in my campaign to earn him some new readers.

In the past, your protagonists have been in roughly similar places in their lives/careers/emotional development. With Not Prepared, you’ve moved to an older, more mature character well-established in his career. Is this because of where you are in life? You just needed a change of pace, or something else?
After three books with 20-somethings as protagonists, I was more than ready to explore a story with a character at a different stage of life, closer to where I am. It may reflect my age or my growth as a writer, or just the fact that Neil had to be the age he is to make the story work. I started working on Not Prepared before I’d even finished Not Awkward because I’d come up with the idea and stuff just started pouring out.

Are you sticking with men at this stage of life or are you going to bounce around some more? (or have you even thought that far ahead?)
Writing for younger characters is increasingly difficult for me, but I won’t say I won’t ever write about 20-somethings again.

For Not Prepared, the story really dictated what the characters had to be. Chloe’s age came first because she had to have a certain level of maturity and resourcefulness, but also be right for coming-of-age story elements that would make their living situation ripe for comedy. Once Chloe’s age was established, that really helped establish what age Neil had to be. He couldn’t be in his twenties because he had to be a father figure, not someone who could have been her brother.

That makes a whole lot of sense—I focused on Neil because he’s the protagonist, but yeah, you need to start with Chloe and do the math from there for everything to work.
Exactly. Neil may be the protagonist, but Chloe is very much the main character of the story. She’s the one who drives the story forward. Neil’s romance with Jenna is incredibly important, obviously, but the most important relationship is between Neil and Chloe.

Speaking of careers for your protagonists (and/or other characters in the books), do you spend a lot of time thinking about those and what they say about your characters?
Sometimes, a character’s profession is based on what is most helpful for the story. In Not Famous, Nick was a self-employed web designer because his schedule needed to be flexible to make the story work. In Not Dressed, which is half a workplace comedy, I really had to find a profession that people think is really awesome, but isn’t so great in reality, so Jake became an architect. In Not Awkward, Scott’s profession was less important because was unemployed for the main action of the story because it enabled him to participate in the main arc.

What kind of research—if any—do you do to depict them? Let’s use Neil’s wedding photography biz as a case study, but feel free to use anyone else, too.
The most research I did was for Not Dressed because so much of the story took place at Jake’s place of work. I had to get insight from people who are or were in the field to get some of the technical details right. For Not Prepared I had to research a lot of professions to figure out what would be best for Neil, and a wedding photographer worked out great because it meant he could be home a lot during the week with Chloe, because of the awkwardness of their living together is really what drives the story. It took a lot of research to understand how these photographers work, what they charge, how they can make a living for a job that is generally occurring on weekends, how they keep money flowing in, what they do when they’re not actually shooting a wedding, etc.

Do you remember any professions that you considered for him and decided against?
I came up with the wedding photographer idea quite early, and once I thought of it, I knew that was the answer and stopped considering other ideas. Perhaps what I liked most about it, is how ironic the job is for him because he’s a guy who’s essentially resigned himself to being single, yet he’s constantly documenting weddings.

Neil and Jenna both have pretty serious anxiety issues, I think it’s safe to say. At what point did you decide that their anxieties were going to be a significant part of this book, or did that just come up as you write? What kind of thought/research did you have to put into them to make sure you depicted them right and/or they were good for the story? Did you start (with either of them) having a different kind of anxiety and have to backtrack and rework?
Neil’s hypochondria was perhaps one of the first ideas I had for the story. One of the things about writing an older character is that they are not only in different places professionally, but also have different attitudes about their own well-being. As you get older, you start getting screened for various diseases, and you’re more tired and prone to aches and pains. Giving Neil health anxiety was just the perfect way to exaggerate that.

As for Jenna, at some point, it made sense to me that what would make her and Neil a great couple is that they both have neuroses that have made them unlucky in love before, but allowed each of them to see beyond those issues and make their relationship work. Figuring out the right anxiety for Jenna took a lot of research. I wanted her to exude all the qualities of a strong, confident, professional woman, but to have a phobia that was not only real but something that most people would consider completely irrational.

My mother has a strong (very strong) preference along the lines of Jenna’s, so that’s the way I was raised (although my father tried his best to negate that influence). So I’ve got to say I get where she’s coming from, my feelings aren’t as strong as hers, but I sympathize with her. I can see where a full-blown anxiety like Jenna’s would be a real hindrance to a new relationship (friendship/romantic) with some people.
For sure. It was a fun thing to research because I really had to get an understanding of the phobia and research how people who have it get around it. It really made her character so much more interesting.

You’ve never shied away from some serious things in the pasts of your characters, but Chloe’s backstory and the events that brought her to Neil’s door are a few degrees “darker” (for lack of a better term) than you typically go. Was this a deliberate thing for you, “I need/want to start going deeper/darker,” or was it just what was needed for Chloe?
Chloe’s backstory was something I struggled with, and changed a few times during the writing process. Believe it or not, it was actually darker than the final version, but it never felt right for a comedy. I really wanted to focus on the struggles of her imposing on Neil’s bachelor life while dealing with the awkward challenges of growing up. To me that allowed for a lot of funny moments that were also realistic.

Dark-but-not-too-dark is a great way to think about it. Because, yeah, if you’d taken a step or two in either direction it would’ve been inappropriate for a comedy, or too light for it to seem real.
Exactly. And it worked out well. At first, it appears that Chloe is quite resilient and seems generally unaffected by the abandonment, but as time passes, it’s clear that it has had an impact on her. Had she endured more than mere neglect and abandonment, I doubt she’d have been as socially functional or emotionally stable to make the story work.

Let’s step away from Not Prepared for a bit before I end up asking you to break things down chapter by chapter (and don’t think that’s not a danger). Have you been reading anything lately that’s got you excited? Or do you have anything on your radar you can’t wait to get to?
I find it very difficult to read when I’m writing because I don’t like to feel too influenced by other work. So, I have a rather large pile of books to read that I gotta get cracking on. That said, Brian David Floyd has just finished the first draft of his next novel, and I’m looking forward to that. There’s more coming from Ian Shane and Wesley Parker that I plan to get into when they’re out as well.

My upcoming list looks similar—I’m waiting for an ARC for that Shane book to arrive soon—and cannot wait for that new Parker (it hurt me to decline a beta copy due to time). I’m off to look into Brian David Floyd as soon as I schedule this post…

But that brings up another question—when you’re writing, how do you spend your non-writing/not-work downtime? How does Matthew Hanover relax?
Well, right now I’m trying to enjoy the summer the best way I can. But, my best downtime is just chilling out at night binging my favorite shows from my youth.

When we talked about your previous book, you said that you’d written a bit of book 5—is that what you’re working on now, or have you changed to something else? Can you say anything about it and your timeline for releasing it?
I actually have two more books in various stages of development right now. One is the next book in the Wallflowers series, and another more experimental novel that will be set in the universe, but not part of the series. I’m not sure which will get finished or published first at this point.

That could easily lead to another batch of questions…but I’ll save those for later. 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to answer these—and for Not Prepared—I loved it, and hope others find it soon.

A Few Quick Questions

LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing in Idaho with Justin Reed

By HCNewton

On August 8, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals

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I met Justin Reed at the Treasure Valley Indie Book Fair back in March and am really glad we’ve finally gotten our ducks in a row to be able to bring you this Q&A. By a strange stroke of coincidence, I should be starting his book today. So you’ll be hearing more about him soon. But for now, let’s introduce him.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
My name is Justin Reed. I live in Boise, and I am an author, publisher, consultant, software engineer, and investor. I have published one novel—However Long the Day—a historical adventure set in 1918 NYC about two young men who switch places for a day and nothing goes to plan (think The Prince and the Pauper meets A Tree Grows in Brooklyn). People can find me at justinreedwrites.com, and on Instagram (@justinreedwrites), Facebook (@JustinReedWritesNovels), and LinkedIn (@justinreedwrites). People can buy a hardcover copy of However Long the Day at Rediscovered Books in Boise and/or Caldwell; from my website (in which case I’ll personalize the inscription); and at online book retails (bookshop.org, B&N, and The Great Smiling Beast). You can also borrow a copy from most of the libraries in the Treasure Valley (though they share a few copies, so you might have to put a hold on it). The ebook is available here, and can also be borrowed from Treasure Valley libraries (any of the Lynx libraries, I believe). And you can listen to the audiobook on Audible, Apple Books, B&N, libro.fm, and on Overdrive (if you have a local library card).

Are you a native Idahoan? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I am a native Idahoan, born and raised in Boise. I went to Capital High School, and graduated from Boise State University with a Computer Science degree. Beauty, freedom, and family keep my Idaho.

Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author.
I run a writers workshop of sorts at the Lake Hazel branch of the Ada Community Library. I call it Group Therapy for Writers, and it gives us attendees an opportunity to support each other in our writing goals. It’s nice to talk about the writing process with others who care about the process of turning thoughts into words on the page, and words on the page into something compelling to read.

First, that’s a great name. Have others in your group gone down the publishing road yet, and have they been able to help you through it—or are you the group’s guinea pig?
It’s a great group. We’re a mix of folks who have published and those who haven’t. Everyone in the group is experimenting with their style, genre, etc., hence the need for outside perspective. We’re taking a break for the summer but plan to start back up in September.

What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
I’ve attended the Indie Book Faire at the Nampa Public Library, and I’ve attended several events at both the Boise and Caldwell Rediscovered Books locations. I would enjoy attending more events like these, as well as other author get-togethers.

What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
However Long the Day is my debut, so I’m still in the audience building phase. My focus is older teens and adults of all ages. Most of my readers are here in Idaho.

Do you have a plan on expanding that audience? Or are you in more of a “see what works” phase of life?
I am definitely more in the see what works phase in which I try a bunch of ways to grow my audience. As you might expect, most of these come to a deadend, but I’m certainly learning a lot in the process.

Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
Boise is geographically isolated, which is both a blessing and a curse. I would love to more easily visit other metros and talk books (including mine), but that isn’t as easy in the Treasure Valley as it is in other places. However, the isolation is part of what makes our town—and the rest of Idaho—such a great place to live. I’m not very connected to the writing culture here in the Treasure Valley, but I suspect that is more because of my introverted nature than anything. I suppose we all have the chance to build the writing community if we take it.

Do you bring Idaho (or some sort of Idaho-sensibility, assuming one exists) to your work? Whether or not anyone else sees it, can you look at some aspect of your writing and think “That’s Idaho” or “I would do ____ differently if I was a Kentuckian or from Illinois?”
The first novel was set in Idaho during the earliest part of our existence as a US territory (1864 gold rush era), so in that regard I bring Idaho into my work. Unfortunately, that novel hasn’t been published yet because I just can’t get it right. Even so, I bring my Idaho sensibilities into all my writing, both published and unpublished. I try to mute my voice as much as possible and let my characters speak for themselves, but complete silence is an impossible objective.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!

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