Today on the blog I will be interviewing author Andra Dill. Read on for an amazing interview.
Cassandra's Writing World:
1) What is your favorite childhood book?
Andra Dill:
Please don’t make me pick just one. LOL Okay, if I must then I have to go with Marguerite Henry’s ‘Misty of Chincoteague’. I believe I read that book a dozen times. Of course, I wanted a pony just like Misty.
CWW:
2) What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
AD:
I’m fortunate to have many talented writers in my life. Annabelle Hunter and Stacey McIntosh both Beta read for me and I value their comments. They, and my other Beta readers, help me improve my stories.
Locally, I’m in a Romance Writers group with JoJo Bartlett and Cassie Leigh. It’s a fun group that offers moral support and a lot of laughs. Then there are the wonderful authors I’ve met through Perfectly Poisoned Anthologies. I bounce ideas off them. Plus, they are helping me learn more about marketing.
CWW:
3) What genre would you never write?
AD:
Espionage or Military influenced fiction. My knowledge is so sparse that I couldn’t pull off an exciting, authentic story.
CWW:
4) When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
AD:
When Mr. Fedders, my seventh grade English teacher, said we could write short stories for extra credit. He encouraged my creativity and kept asking for more stories.
CWW:
5) What do you think makes a good story?
AD:
Finding out how interesting characters handle intriguing situations.
CWW:
6) Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
AD:
Not currently. Some of the side characters in my Kayla Byrnes stories are side characters in my Besoins world. Besoins (French for ‘Needs’) hasn’t been published yet.
CWW:
7) How do you select the names of your characters?
AD:
Google is my friend. I enjoy researching the meaning of names. Once in a while a character’s name pops into my head and I don’t have to whip out my iPad.
CWW:
8) What is your writing process like?
AD:
I call myself a plantster. I like to have a general idea of where a story is going. I write out a rough outline or at least a series of scenes of how I would like the story to go. Sometimes it is just a few sentences. Then during the writing process things change organically. A character will do or say something that I hadn’t envisioned and it opens up an entire new avenue for me to explore. Or when I’m walking an idea will come to me about how I can rewrite a problematic scene and while I’m rewriting… more ideas creep in, which leads to more rewriting.
CWW:
9) What do you like to do when you're not writing?
AD:
Read. Hands down my favorite thing to do. I also enjoy walking (my dog is very keen on me doing this), practicing yoga, and going on road trips. I do enjoy crocheting but only in cold weather.
CWW:
10) What advice would you give someone trying to get published?
AD:
There are a couple things I tell people. First, write. Sit your butt down, turn off your internet, your phone, the television, anything that pulls your attention away and write. It can be for ten minutes a day or for hours. You choose. But if you don’t write… you have nothing to publish.
Second, find good Beta readers and cherish them. They will help you find clarity.
Third, submit your work. Take the risk, I know, it is terrifying (or at least it is to me). When you get a rejection (and at some point, you will) don’t despair. Just because your story didn’t fit that particular editor or publisher doesn’t mean that’s the end. Submit again, and keep writing.
Bad, Bold & Beautiful, Perfectly Poisoned Anthologies
Available on Amazon Kindle Unlimited https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TW9STYN
Author Links:
Twitter @aedill
Instagram andradillauthor
FB Author page www.facebook.com/andradillauthor
Amazon www.amazon.com/author/andradill
Until next time Happy Reading! Thank you Andra Dill for being with us. Later Days!!!