Mary Alice Pritchard’s Blog

 Join me in welcoming Dawn Rasberry, another author from the anthology of Taming of the Wolf.  Please make comments and you might just win a prize!

You can find the anthology for purchase at the following link. Be sure to get your copy soon.

 http://www.thewildrosepress.com/taming-of-the-wolf-volume-2-p-3708.html
     1.     Tell me about when and how you started writing professionally. Is there a point before Stephen King and Anne Rice-ism at     which any writer feels “professional?” The summer my divorce was final, I took some time from work and set a few progressive goals: first, start writing again; second, actually finish the story; and third, publish it. After that, I read everything I could get about publishing.
2.     Did you always want to write, or was your decision more of an epiphany? I started writing when I was a child, so it was always a part of me. Actually publishing something I’d written was the epiphany part J
3.     Where do you get inspiration for your characters/stories? Give examples from some of your stories. Everywhere. Vashti’s Star was inspired by a dream, Raven’s Shelter was inspired by reading about the Got Wolf? Contest on The Wild Rose Press site, Aidan’s Will was inspired by a Black History event and a subsequent dream, and Jordan’s Wings was inspired in Bible study, to name a few.
4.     Experts say we often build characters to fulfill our fantasies/desires. What characteristics do you desire in your main characters (hero/heroine)? Give examples from some of your stories. The most important characteristics to me are loyalty and strength, even when the character is unaware of his/her own strength. I’ve noticed that my heroines are often “Steel magnolias” in that they appear to be fragile, but when love and crisis meet, strength emerges. In Vashti’s Star, Vashti often appears to be unstable to the reader, yet her steadfast love for Mark reveals loyalty and unexpected strength. My heroes have to be loyal, strong, and responsible, even when they don’t appear that way initially. Even when Raven in Taming of the Wolf – “Raven’s Shelter,” is in the clutches of his enemies, he’s more concerned about Karen than himself.
5.     What do you find most fulfilling about writing? Hearing or reading positive comments from readers. Most challenging? Dealing with the business aspects.
6.     I’m sure you could write a book about this, but writing is a journey. What advice would you give to those just embarking on the journey? You don’t have to be a literary genius, but please do brush up on your grammar. Remember – everything changes so it’s important to read continuously. There are resources for writers now that just a few years ago, we never would have dreamed. Take advantage of them (www, E-publishing, contests and conferences, etc.). Read everything you can about the publishing process, get started on a story or two while you’re still reading, keep reading while you’re writing, and plan to learn more about style and marketing as you go. The Writer’s Market annuals are a great intro to publishing. If nothing else, they snap you out of quite a few assumptions people have about writing and publishing.
7.     What are some of your most cherished resources? Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich’s English Grammar and Composition is still one of the best, concise references in existence. I also have a book appropriately called Writing Clinic, by Kelly Nickell. In addition to reviewing the elements of fiction and non-fiction works, the author offers examples of query letters, synopses, and proposals. I have to mention my friends at Romance Divas – I’ve never asked a question they couldn’t answer, and the support there is unbelievable.
8.     Any helpful hints on balancing self, work, family, and writing? I haven’t found it, and perhaps it doesn’t exist for everyone. I always seem to be running to catch up, but for the most part, I enjoy everything I do. Unless it’s an absolute necessity, I say “no.” I guess that’s my hint: prioritize and focus your efforts on what matters most to you. I’m still working on it.
9.     What do you do to re-energize, restore, and recover? Study the Bible (with reference books and all), visit my Mom and just hang-out, dote on my dogs, play and sing, dance, move from place to place while reading an entire novel (exciting, huh?), watch two movies back to back (this is really living, folks), prepare my favorite comfort foods (spaghetti or oysters).
10.                         Tell me about your WIPs. Jordan’s Wings is a novella about the descendants of disinherited fallen angels and the human women they fall in love with; Aidan’s Will is a full-length piece about the reincarnation of a former slave and her rescuer, a Native American who lost his life for her; Gabriel’s Keep, another full-length novel is also about a special angel who is on a frightening mission; and Dayspring is a futuristic full-length/possible series about a race of shifters and the human women destined to save the Earth from destruction.