“There are no accidents.”
From the story, “Witness Testimony”:
“There are no accidents.”
From the story, “Witness Testimony”:
Pain is just weakness leaving the body.
You can’t fix a blank page.
I trust my intuition.
From my most recently released novel, Wild Times:
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
She believed she could and so she did.
Do what works for you.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I am a mom to two awesome little girls. I did not graduate college, as I really loved my job in the restaurant industry. I have been writing since I was in grade school, and had won a few writing contests, but always felt it was more of a hobby than a career. I finally took a chance to put my writing out there for the world and it was extremely liberating! I am now trying to fully commit to seeing if I can make turn my love of writing into my dream job.
How do you make time to write?
I write during bath time! The kids are happy and no one can grab my glass of wine. Other than that it’s just stealing time where I can.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
1000%
Tell us a bit about the genre you write and why you love it.
I just published my first book a picture book, and am working on publishing a collection of fairy tale graphic novels. I am also working on a YA fairy tale. Fairy tales/fantasy are my jam, as that is what made me fall in love with reading as a child, though eventually I would love to write a good who-dun-it mystery.
How are you publishing your recent book and why?
Self publishing! I didn’t have the patience for traditional publishing.
Are you an Introvert or Extrovert? How does this affect your work?
I am an introverted extrovert. I like the idea of socializing and being the “life of the party”, but really deep in my soul I want seclusion and sweat pants.
What is your favorite motivational phrase?
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is today.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
If you love your writing someone else will too.
Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?
My website! www.KPPages.com
Do you have an excerpt you’d like to share with us?
One monster was plenty! This many were scary.
The monsters as well seemed especially wary.
The silence was so loud you could hear a dropped pin, the quiet dragged on with no sight of an end.
They both were afraid what the other may do, so they stayed still until someone sneezed, ACHOO!
One monster giggled and another guffawed, all their cold feelings were thoroughly thawed.
So I wasn’t able to squeeze in a fellow author, today, so I thought I’d interview myself ahead of Valley Con which begins tomorrow in Fargo, ND.
How do I make time to write?
I’m pretty lucky – I’m almost a full-time writer, meaning it’s my day job. I get up in the morning, eat breakfast and head to write. I have an office in our guest-room where I write, blog, e-mail, go on Zoom Calls, Stream on Streamyard and craft on Saturdays. I leave the office between 4 and 5 weekdays. That’s not to say I don’t sneak writing in at other times, cuz I do. I don’t write full-time June-August when I’m helping my husband with his crop-dusting business. I take it easy the month of December because I’ve usually finished NaNoWriMo and also the publishing industry as a whole seems to be taking a break.
Do I believe in Writer’s Block?
Yes, but not in the sense there is this great muse that won’t give me words. I think writer’s block is a manifestation of stress in your personal life or an indication there’s a problem with the story that needs to be fixed. When I have too much going on, I will cut back on my word count goal for the week and manage self-care along with refilling my creative well. I find small breaks are helpful in maintaining momentum. If I step away from a project for more than a week, I have a very hard time getting back into story. So, I find if I at least open the page and stare at it or edit or write a few lines, I don’t lose my place, but I try not to pressure myself to write.
How am I publishing my recent book and why?
Currently my back-list and my most recent work, “Alchemists of Archangel” are published with Book Boutiques. They are a small distributor that takes care of the copy-editing/line editing, provides a cover, does the formatting and distributes my book on digital platforms. This removes a lot of components about self-publishing that scare me. While they don’t do developmental editing, that was unnecessary when I released my back-list as those books were already edited. I found editors for my two recent novels in the “Archangel Revolution” series to help fix issues with them so the editing was already completed.
My current manuscript – “The Widow Spy” (this poor ms. has gone through about ten title changes), is being shopped around. I’m hoping to get in traditionally published but I fear it may be too short for NY and will happily settle for a larger digital press. I like small presses, but I really want more exposure. I may Self-Publish it if I have a hard time finding a home, but I still have concerns about doing Indie publishing correctly.
What is my favorite motivational phrase?
“Just Do It!”
It’s so cliche’ but when it comes to writing, you have to put butt in chair and muddle through until you reach the end.
What advice would I give aspiring writers?
There’s so much, but I think most important is find your tribe of writers. There are so many out there and the connections can be invaluable. I’ve found that my writing friends are supportive when you need to be lifted, ground you when you are floating away and commiserate with you through troubles. It’s no surprise that many have become life-long friends.
I hope you found this interesting and feel free to ask questions below. I’ll be happy to answer them. If you’d like to read some excerpts of my work feel free to hop over to my Books page. You can find my social links on the About Tina page.
Please welcome Alexander Vayle to the Clog Blog. Alexander and I are both members of The Moorhead Friends Writing Group. So Alexander, tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I’m a father of four, a former paramedic, and a registered nurse. I grew up in the country and I believe the quiet and calm out there helped nurture my imagination. I wrote my first story in elementary and writing has been a hobby of mine off and on ever since. A few years ago I found an excellent writing group and really buckled down to produce some work. Since then I have published my first book, a collection of Supernatural suspense titled “Among the Stray”, and I have a novel in the works.
How do you make time to write?
Early morning has always been my best for clarity and creativity. I try to get up around 5am so I can get in an hour or two of writing before the rest of the house starts waking up.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
I haven’t found it yet. If get stuck on something I simply change gears, free-write, whatever it takes. I don’t believe in beating my head against a story until it starts to work. I’ll think about my book or other stories at night, as I’m falling asleep, so I usually have pile of ideas ready to go by the time I sit down in front of a keyboard.
Tell us a bit about the genre you write and why you love it.
Supernatural suspense, drama, Syfy, Murder mystery. It’s hard to pin down a genre I enjoy the most. As long as the characters are real and story draws out emotion from the reader, I’m happy.
How are you publishing your recent book and why?
My first book was published traditionally through All Things That Matter Press. If I can, I will always go traditional. The amount of advertising and the work they have done getting my book out is something I simply wouldn’t have time for on my own. Working with professionals also gave me a better grasp of how the industry works.
Are you an Introvert or Extrovert? How does this affect your work?
Introvert. I’m comfortable by myself and I always have been. I think it comes from growing up in the country where we didn’t have a lot of neighbors. My sister and I made up a lot of stories to entertain ourselves and it became a big part of who I am.
What is your favorite motivational phrase?
Hard to pick a favorite, but one that I’ve always liked is:
“If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you.”
Getting up early is not always easy. Trying to find time to edit other people’s writing and my own and come up with new material isn’t easy either. But it certainly is satisfying when I lean back and look at what I’ve accomplished.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
FIND. A. WRITING. GROUP. Seriously, it made all the difference for me. Working on your own is fine, but getting feedback from other people takes writing to a whole new level. I think some people feel like their work is not good enough to be reviewed by their peers, and that hesitancy is what stops their work from becoming as good as it can be. I’ve had my writing reviewed by a lot of other writers and most of them have been very gracious with constructive criticism and compliments. Writers, in my experience, love to help other writers.
Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?
@Alexandervayle on Twitter
email me at Alexandervayle@gmail.com, check out “Among the Stray” on Amazon, booksamillion, and basically any site where books are sold.
For those who prefer brick and mortar you can find “Among the Stray” at any of the Ferguson Book Store locations, Zambroz in Fargo, or at the Fargo Public Library.
Do you have an excerpt you’d like to share with us?
You bet! Here’s a few lines out of Back From Where You Came, the final story in “Among the Stray”
“Getting in the house was the easy part. The streetlight on their block was out. The back door, the one going out to the detached garage, wasn’t locked. It seemed like … like everything was set up just for me that night. I walked right in. Little mud room off the kitchen. Kicked off my shoes so I be quiet. I even set them on the rug so I wouldn’t get the floor dirty. Imagine that, huh? There to shoot somebody and I didn’t want to get the floor dirty. Habits, I guess.”