Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers

 

1.Does writing energize or exhaust you?

A little bit of both. When I’m really into a chapter and it’s practically writing itself, I get pumped and full of energy. When I’m having trouble with a chapter or scene that isn’t coming easily to me, I end up at the computer working on it for hours. That is exhausting.

2. What is your writing Kryptonite?

Sometimes a little too much narrative. I can go overboard with detailed descriptions. I end up taking a lot out when I edit.

3. What are your writing strengths?

I’m a good storyteller and I’m good with dialogue. Dialogue can make or break a story. It moves the story along and shows how the characters relate to one another.

4. Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

No. I’d get too confused.

5. What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

I’ve been in a few writing groups and have formed friendships with several authors. I was the founder and facilitator of a group of women writers for 9 years. I currently belong to a group of men and women writers at a local library. We all help each other. I have a writing buddy who also writes romance books. We critique each other’s work on a regular basis. This is a great motivator. I highly recommend it to other writers, especially aspiring ones.

6. Do you want each book to stand alone, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

I write my books to stand alone. I am working on a series called Tucker’s Landing. LOVING DANIEL and LASTING IMPRESSIONS have many of the same characters and they both take place mainly in Tucker’s Landing, but each book can stand alone.

7. What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

Probably when I started writing for newspapers. I did travel and feature stories for a while. It always amazed me when people came up to me and asked questions about a story of mine they’d read and wanted to know more about what I thought.

8. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

At least two half-finished and a couple more only in the early idea stages.

9. What does literary success look like to you?

My favorite authors: Nora Roberts, Anita Shreve, Barbara Delinksy, Debbie Macomber. That’s success. To me personally, it’s getting my stories and books out there and having them read. If I can do that, I’ve achieved success.

10. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

I rarely do much research before beginning a book. I do my research as I’m writing it. Certain things that I need to know come up in the process. That’s when I look things up. Research is not a part of writing I like doing, but it has to be done. You have to be accurate.

11. How many hours a day/week do you write?

It varies, depending on what else is going on in my life. I try to do a couple of hours a day. When I’m deep into a chapter, I can spend several hours on it.

12. How do you select the names of your characters?

I often drive myself crazy trying to come up with the “perfect” name for a character. In LOVING DANIEL, I wanted to use my grandmother’s family name of McRae. I researched names to go with it and used Aidan because I liked it. When I was looking for a name for my hero in LASTING IMPRESSIONS, I told my ten-year-old granddaughter I needed a name for a male character. (She likes to write.) She thought about it for only a minute or two and said, “Dylan.” Just like that. Kids don’t hesitate. Dylan Granger was born.

13. What was your hardest scene to write?

My first love scene. I wanted it to be hot, but not too hot and I didn’t want it to be explicit. I brought it to my writing group for critiquing and was too embarrassed to read it out loud myself. I had to have someone else read it.

14. Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?  If you write more than one, how do you balance them?

I liked writing essays and personal stories and found I had a knack for writing nostalgia. I loved doing that, but always wanted to write fiction. Now that I have more time, I’m into the fiction writing and loving it. I balance them by writing whatever I’m in the mood for or whatever my muse tells me.

15. How long have you been writing?

For as long as I can remember, which is a long time. I used to make up stories when I was a child. I wrote a short piece with a couple of other kids in the fifth grade that was published in a yearbook. I think that was my first published piece. I still have the yearbook.

16. What inspires you? 

A lot of things. I never know where it’s going to come from. Even the smallest of every day events and happenings can create a spark for a story or a scene. Observing people often inspires a character. Listening to conversations in restaurants, at the hairdresser or in line at the supermarket.

17. How do you find or make time to write?

It’s much easier to find time for writing now that I’m retired. I do a lot of my writing in the morning. If a chapter is working for me and I’m on a roll, I just ignore everything else and write for hours.

18. What projects are you working on at the present?

Book Two of my Tucker’s Landing Series, Lasting Impressions. I’m hoping to have it out in late February or early March of 2018.

19. What do your plans for future projects include?

Definitely another romance novel. Most likely, book three of the Tucker’s Landing Series, Worth Waiting For. It was supposed to be book two, but it wasn’t working for me at the time so I made Lasting Impressions the next one. I’d like to write another Carousel Kisses book of nostalgia. It’s one of the half-finished books I mentioned. Maybe putting together a book of short stories. I’m also working on a presentation on self-publishing that I’d like to do at local bookstores or libraries or writing groups.

20. Share a link to your author website.

www.thefuzzypinkmuse.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Lina-Rehal/e/B008L5FNPS/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/thefuzzypinkmuse/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarouselKisses

Bio:

Lina Rehal is a self-published author who writes nostalgia, memoirs, slice of life stories and contemporary romance. Her first book, Carousel Kisses, is a collection of nostalgic stories, personal essays and poems about growing up in the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s.

She combines her passion for fiction and love of storytelling in her contemporary romance novels. Her two seasoned romance books, October In New York and Loving Daniel, Book One of her Tucker’s Landing Series, are available on Amazon.com in both print and Kindle formats.

Lina is currently working on Lasting Impressions, Book Two of the series and plans to write a second Carousel Kisses book in 2018. Email her at rehalcute@aol.com or visit her website http://www.thefuzzypinkmuse.com

I hope you all enjoyed getting to know Lina as much as I did.