TN: Today my interview is with Kat Michels, story teller and award-winning author. When did you know you were a writer?

KM: I started writing stories and poems as soon as I learned how to write. However, oddly enough, I never considered myself a writer. It was just something that I did, and despite the fact that I did it well, it wasn’t one of the things that I considered a passion. It was more of a compulsion, just something I had to do.

In retrospect, I can see the moments where the burgeoning writer in me tried to get out, but got shoved back for one reason or another. The truth of the matter is that for most of my life, if people asked me if I was a writer, my answer was no. It wasn’t until I was in college, for the second time, that a professor asked me to stay after class one day because he needed someone to write the narrative for a documentary, and he had picked me. I told him that I wasn’t a writer, and he matter-of-factly informed me that yes, I was. He had read all of my papers and I was clearly a writer. As he was not the kind of professor that you ever wanted to let down, I gave it a shot and it turned out he was right. I wrote the narrative, the documentary turned out great, and we won a couple of awards. The next year he tapped me again for a similar project with the same result. Not only was I a writer, I was now an award-winning writer. Not even I could ignore that.

TN: What is your writing style?

KM: Like any good writer, I can change my voice to fit the particular piece I’m working on. However, I would say that my most natural voice can best be described with a quote from the movie Dragnet, “Just the facts ma’am.” I tend to be utilitarian with my words and eschew flowery prose that may confuse the intentions of the piece. Which means I generally have to go back through in subsequent drafts to properly flesh it out. But to start with, I put down the bare bones and work from there.

TN: Why did you write your first book?

KM: My first book was a children’s book that I intended to give to my sister at her baby shower for her first child. I had written it and I was going to do some rudimentary illustrations, print a single copy and give it to her. However, every time I asked someone to read it and give me feedback, they asked where they could get a copy. I realized that I needed illustrations that were better than I could provide, so I found an illustrator. In the end, the book wound up as a present for baby’s first Christmas, instead of the baby shower.

TN: Why did you decide to self-publish?

KM: I self-published my first book because I needed a cost-effective print and an easy way for friends and family to grab a copy. When I started work on my second book, I figured I had already started down that road, why not continue?

TN: How did you come up with your cover design?

KM: The covers for my children’s book were done by the illustrator of the book, and my novel’s cover was designed by a graphic designer.

TN: What software did you use? for print? for eBook?

KM: For my children’s books I used Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat for the print version, then used Calibre to convert the PDF into an eBook. For my novel, I used Adobe Photoshop for the graphics, Microsoft Word for the formatting then exported that to a PDF for the print version. Then, like the children’s books, I used Calibre to convert the PDF to an eBook.

TN: Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing?

KM: Every project is subject to the golden triangle, which is composed of Time, Quality and Cost. You can only have two of the three for any given project. If you want it fast and cheap, your quality won’t be great. If you want it fast with good quality, the cost is going to be really high. If you want cheap, and excellent quality, it’s going to take a long time. If you’re greedy and try to attain all three at once, your work will suffer and your readers will know. Always remember the golden triangle.

TN: What do you do when you are “stuck?”

KM: I’ve discovered that I don’t get writer’s block, I get writer’s fear. I’m afraid that what I put down won’t be good enough, or that I’ll never be able to adequately convey the picture in my head on to the page, and this fear paralyzes me. I become incapable of putting down a single word, because I know that it will be the wrong word. It’s taken me years to overcome this, and the best way I’ve found is to write. Whenever I want to write the least, is the exact time that I need to be writing. So I force myself to sit down and put words on the page. If I’m really dug in, I’ll do a free write with whatever is in my head, even if that means typing, “It’s going to suck,” over and over again. Every time I do this, I eventually get to the point where my brain gets tired of beating itself up, and I start writing something worthwhile.

TN: Describe the plot for one of your books.

KM: My novel, In A Time Never Known, is historical fiction that takes place during the American Civil War. This is the official back cover description – “Wife, mother, spy. Anna is hiding a dangerous secret from her family, especially her Confederate General husband. However, it is not her covert work for the Union that she finds the most daunting, it is dealing with her spoiled Southern belle daughter. When Kady discovers that her mother has been leading a carefully constructed double life, she must choose whether to work by her mother’s side in the shadows or return to the pampered life of a Southern planter’s daughter. Cast into the bloody fray of one of the deadliest wars in our history, In A Time Never Known is the story of women who courageously defy the expectations of the era to do unprecedented things, altering the course of American history and their own lives.”

TN: Which one of your books is your favorite?

KM: While my children’s books are my favorite to work on – they’re just fun – my novel is definitely my favorite overall. I love the opportunity to really flesh out a story and build a world that the long-form provides.

TN: Thank you Kate for sharing this interview with us. My readers can discover more about Kat and her books on her blog: www.katmichels.com

 

TN: Today my interview is with Diane de Simone, a versatile and accomplished writer who began her writing career penning articles for top national and international magazines. Diane, when did you know you were a writer?

DH: When I was about 11, I fell in love with reading at an early age. Then as a reader I found Nikos Kazantzakis. I read The Last Temptation of Christ, Zorba the Greek, and his letters. I became aware how this man was changing my internal landscape. It was then that I became a writer. But I knew that first I’d need to experience the world a bit. That I needed some age, some texture, some knocks, some deepening engagements. So, I didn’t begin to write “seriously” until my late twenties, after some wide-ranging experiences.

TN: What is your writing style?

DH: It depends on what it is I’m writing. I’ve written non-fiction, memoir, and fiction. The “stories” ask for different voices.

TN: Why did you write your first book?

DH: I was passionate about the subject-matter.

TN: Why did you decide to self-publish?

DH: I had been part of the traditional publishing world for a number of years. But then I left it and New York and London, and went off to walk down some very different roads. When I came back to writing books, the publishing world had radically changed. Walls had been erected. Gates. Statistics. Rules. Writing was no longer solely about the joy and craft of writing. Yet for me it still was. I was not ever going to give that up.

TN: How did you come up with your cover design?

DH: A designer friend said…how about this?!  (I just noticed that someone somewhere recently judged one of my covers as a very “bad” cover design. However, I like it. That’s what counts.)

TN: What software did you use? for print? for eBook?

DH: I’m a very simple lady who lives a very very simple life.  Microsoft word. Hired out for formatting.

TN: Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing?

DH: Be in the joy and the flow of writing. Learn to listen to the gentle voice inside of you as you write. Learn to trust your rhythm and your intuition. Forget what the world says you should or should not do. As for the afterwards, take some deep breaths. Do your research re: the business of publishing. Again, keep on listening to your inner self. There’s a lot of noise out there about what to do, which ways to go. Slowly sort through the information. Watch out for companies who say you can hire them to publicize your book. Don’t rush into any decision.

TN: What do you do when you are “stuck?”

DH: Take a break. Walk. Breathe. Go into town. Stay with the process. Keep trusting I can become unstuck and that I’ll be led into the how of that. Usually I’m being asked to go deeper.

TN: Describe the plot for one of your books.

DH: Dear Thailand: A Love Story is a memoir. It reflects a transformative journey that happened for me after I found Thailand – after my first visit here. (I’m still here!!) I ended up bringing my father to Thailand to die, and learned so much in the process. I not only explore the joys of Thailand in the book, but also explore who we think we are, what values we think we believe in, our tensions and behavior, how we meet life, and how our culture determines all of that… Unless we … become aware.

TN: Which one of your books is your favorite?

DH: Dear Thailand: A Love Story.

TN: Thank you Diane and I wish you continuing success with your writing. If you would like to read more about Diane’s interesting writing career and discover her other books go to her author description on Amazon.

 

 

 

TN: Today’s interview is with Marianne Sciucco. You’ll see as you read through the interview and her bio notes at the end that Marianne is a very accomplished indie author. Marianne, when did you know you were a writer?

MS: My mother likes to tell a story of when I was in first grade. One day, I came home from school in tears and told her I was going to quit. “I’ve been going to school for three weeks, and I still can’t read! And I still can’t write!” It seems that was all I wanted in my short little life. My mother had to go to the school to speak to the teacher, who assured her I was well on my way to reading and writing. And before long, I had mastered those skills. So, I guess you could say I knew I’d be a big reader and a writer from a very early age.

TN: What is your writing style?

MS: My stories stem from my own life experiences. I try to keep them as real as possible, and infuse them with each of five senses so the reader can feel she’s a part of the story in every way, not just a silent observer. I use a lot of dialogue to drive the story too.

TN: Why did you write your first book?

MS: I had a lifelong dream to write a book, and in 2002 decided to sit down and do it. My first attempt didn’t get too far, but then I met the couple who inspired the characters of Jack and Sara in Blue Hydrangeas, and eighteen months later had a complete manuscript. It’s a story about Alzheimer’s, which is a cause very dear to me as I had three aunts succumb to it, and, as a registered nurse and case manager counseled hundreds of families living with it. Twelve years after I wrote Blue Hydrangeas, I started living my own Alzheimer’s story when my stepfather was diagnosed with three types of dementia. After living through that, I may have another book to write.

TN: Why did you decide to self-publish?

MS: I tried to traditionally publish Blue Hydrangeas but gave up after receiving more than 50 rejection letters from agents and editors who never read my book. It was discouraging and disheartening. At the time, the Kindle was taking off and a friend of mine who had published that way suggested I try it. I had nothing to lose, so uploaded my files. It was easy and I found I loved having complete control over my projects.

TN: How did you come up with your cover design?

MS: I designed my first cover, which was simplistic but stunning. But I didn’t feel it told the story well, so after a year or two I decided to hire a cover designer to help me. Perry Elisabeth of Perry Elisabeth Designs and I came up with the cover of the white-haired couple dancing on the beach. It told the story of a loving, elderly couple, living on Cape Cod, and the blue hydrangeas were prominently displayed.

TN: What software did you use? for print? for eBook?

MS: I used Power Point and Photo Shop to design my first covers, both print and digital. I now use Canva. I designed the covers for my short stories Ino’s Love, Collection, and Birthday Party. The cover for my young adult sports novel Swim Season was professionally done by Heather McCorkle.

TN: Do you have any tips for someone who is considering self-publishing?

MS: It’s not easy. There is a very steep learning curve. You will need to spend lots of hours learning every little aspect. But it’s worth it because you’ll have complete control over your project.

TN: What do you do when you are “stuck?”

MS: I get stuck a lot, mainly because of my repetitive strain injuries, which cause me to limit keyboarding. I need frequent rest periods, sometimes for weeks, which really throw me off. It’s hard to stay focused on a project with so many interruptions. I think about my project every day, usually when I’m trying to fall asleep or as soon as I wake up. I also do research and jot down ideas to help keep me in the flow.

TN: Describe the plot for one of your books.

MS: In Blue Hydrangeas, Jack and Sara are enjoying retirement on Cape Cod in their lovely bed and breakfast (called Blue Hydrangeas). Sara begins showing signs of forgetfulness, and when the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s, Jack makes an impossible promise: he and Sara will remain at home no matter what the disease brings. But after nine years of selfless care giving, Jack can’t go on any longer, and agrees to admit Sara to an assisted living facility. On the day of admission, Sara is having one of her few good days, and Jack can’t bear to leave her in that place. He wants to take her far away from their troubles, so they take a drive to the outer Cape, where many of their most precious memories were made. The day doesn’t end well, leaving Jack with the realization that what really matters is for him and Sara to stay together no matter what, and he finds a way to make that happen.

TN: Which one of your books is your favorite?

MS: I love Blue Hydrangeas, but I must admit that Swim Season is my favorite. It took me five years to write that almost 600-page novel based on my daughter’s 10-year varsity swimming career. I put everything I had into that story, and wrote it for the thousands of young girls who swim competitively and dream big dreams of the Olympics and college swimming. Feedback from readers has been terrific, but the book doesn’t do as well as Blue Hydrangeas.

TN: Thank you Marianne for the interview. You can read more about Marianne below.

About the Author

Marianne Sciucco writes contemporary and YA fiction. Her stories are considered “clean” fiction, meaning free of graphic violence, gratuitous sex, and four-letter words, so you can feel comfortable sharing her books and newsletters with friends and family.

Marianne says she’s not a nurse who writes, she’s a writer who happens to be a nurse. A lover of words and books, she dreamed of becoming an author when she grew up but became a nurse to avoid poverty. She later brought her two passions together and writes about the intricate lives of people struggling with health and family issues.

Her debut novel, Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer’s love story (2013), is a Kindle bestseller, IndieReader Approved, a BookWorks featured book, a Library Journal Self-e Selection, and a 5-star Readers Favorite. Marianne’s work with Alzheimer’s led her to help found the organization AlzAuthors, which vets books and blogs about the dementias for those who need to read them. She is currently working on a novella, Christmas at Blue Hydrangeas, a prequel to her first novel.

Marianne has also published a young adult novel, Swim Season, which was recently chosen as an “Official Selection” in the Young Adult General Fiction category of New Apple’s Annual Book Awards for Excellence in Independent Publishing. Swim Season is based on the author’s 11 years’ experience as a Swim Mom, and the longest book she hopes she’ll ever write. She prefers shorter fiction, and has published three short stories: Ino’s Love, the award-winning Collection: Daisy Hunter Story No. 1, and Birthday Party: Daisy Hunter Story No. 2. Dinner at the Tamarack Inn: Daisy Hunter Story No. 3 will release in 2018. The Daisy Hunter stories are loosely based on her childhood experiences.

A native Bostonian, Marianne lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her patient, reliable husband and their beautiful, brainy daughter. They are ruled by Mr. Chance, a cat they rescued who thinks he rescued them (he may be right but please don’t tell him.) When not writing, Marianne works as a campus nurse at a community college, and teaches classes in independent publishing. She enjoys books, the beach, and craft beer, preferably all at the same time.

You may follow Marianne’s Adventures in Publishing on her blog, newsletter, Twitter, and Facebook.