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Deborah LaBlanc |
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Deborah’s 18Q |
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The Eighteen Questions |
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18Q |
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1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you? Hmm, hard to say. I've been a storyteller all my life, but didn't pen my first novel until 2004. I wrote it simply because I had an interesting idea for a story swirling around in my head and needed to get it out. Once I had the story down on paper, I figured, "What the heck, let's see if I can get this puppy published." After that book found a home with a publisher, the other books just sort of happened. J
2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.) I have a bachelor's in marketing with a minor in psychology. I worked as a marketing director for an oilfield company, then was the executive vice president of a transportation company before I created my own fuel inventory management company. That was 12 years ago. Around that same time, I also started a management consulting firm that specializes in helping the funeral service industry.
3. When did you 'know' you were a writer? The odd thing is, even though I have books published, I still consider myself more of a storyteller than a writer. The only way for me to get my stories to an audience, though, is by telling the tales on paper.
4. How would you describe your style of writing? I think my style would best be described as 'flying by the seat of your pants, with sticky notes stuck to your behind so you're reminded of the direction you're supposed to be heading.'
5. What is your writing process? Once I have the premise for a story in mind, my next step is finding a title for the story. For some reason, my brain goes into a state of chronic constipation regarding the rest of the story until that title's in place. Next, I work on the main characters, especially their names. The names help to form mental images of each character in my mind's eye. I begin to see their physical attributes, their psychological build, etc. When those two basic structures are well in-hand, the rest of the story seems to flow out on its own, and I soon find myself writing 10-16 hours a day, completely obsessed with getting the story out of my head and onto paper.
6. What was your path to publication? Oddly enough the path was relatively easy. I think I was too naïve at the time to know how tough getting published was supposed to be. After I wrote my first novel and decided to try and get it published, I simply hunted for an agent, found one in a month, and the book was sold shortly after.
7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea? Argg, that's a tough one. Marketing someone else's product in the real world and marketing one's own books are two very different animals for me. That said the most fun I have in self-marketing is when I hold contests. In the last year, for example, I've given away three trips for two to New Orleans , La. , a mini-laptop computer, a Kindle 2, and a ton of books.
8. What are the biggest surprises you've encountered as a writer? Being proposed to at a book signing event, in front of a large group of people, by a man I'd never met!
9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity? Life and people in general are my greatest inspirations. I have always been a people-watcher, so creating characters is never a problem for me. I simply take bits and pieces of folks I've met and create the people I need. As for the stories themselves, with an active imagination, anything and everyone you happen upon in life is a story potential. Most of the time, all it takes to spark a flame for a unique storyline is asking the age-old question. "What if . . ."
10. What is your proudest writer moment? When my oldest daughter grabbed one of my books from a shelf in a local bookstore, approached a complete stranger and said, "You really should try this book. It's great. My mom wrote it." And the woman bought the book! lol
11. What's the best advice you were given about writing? The best advice I've ever received is the same advice I give to new writers today---Read, Read, Read. Write, Write, Write...and NEVER give up!
12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment? The time I went up to Peter Straub, handed him a copy of one of my books, and blurted, "My main character pees in this one." (He'd just finished giving a keynote address in which he offhandedly mentioned that he'd yet to read a book where the main character takes care of bodily functions, like going to the bathroom.) Although I was under the influence of major sinus medication at the time I blurted out those words to him, as soon as they left my mouth, I wanted to crawl into a hole . . . even though he was laughing so hard at what I said, I thought he'd wind up having a bodily function accident right there on the floor!
13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer? The biggest business challenge I've faced as a writer is understanding the publishing industry as a whole. Overall, it operates via an outdated business model, which makes little sense to me. Imagine you're a computer designer and have just sold your latest and greatest design to Bill Gates. Bill pays you a small advance for said design, based off the number of computers he thinks will sell. If you do sell beyond that advance, you're promised a percentage of all sales thereafter… BUT, he will hold a good portion of the money owed you in reserve, just in case. Your latest and greatest is then sold via preorder to computer stores around the country and placed on a shelf BEHIND the golden oldie computers that have sold fairly well over the years. Bottom line, your latest and greatest is rarely seen by the general public. Then, three months later, your latest and greatest, which is still tucked away on that dusty shelf, is pulled out of hiding, the mother-board stripped out of it, and the empty casing is shipped back to Bill. So in essence, a sale was made, but not really . . . and you never see a dime from that so-called sale.
I don't know about you, but something tells me that Gates didn't become a gazillionaire by doing business that way.
14. What is your writer life philosophy? Oh, that's simple: Keep your butt in the seat, your fingers on the keyboard, and your head in the story until that sucker's finished!
15. When you're not writing what do you do for fun? I'm an avid paranormal investigator, am also a licensed death-scene investigator, although I don't do it for a living, love riding my Harley Davidson motorcycle, as well as ride horses, and I love reading a great book, of course!
16. Who do you like to read?
I enjoy almost all genres and many authors. A few of my favorites are: Jodi Picoult, James Lee Burke, Tom Robbins, Dean Koontz, Sandra Brown, Lee Child, and Ernest Gaines.
17. What's your advice for new writers? Read, Read, Read. Write, Write, Write...and NEVER give up!
18. What are you currently working on? I'm working on a few projects simultaneously; a paranormal suspense that will be one of the books in the Nocturne trilogy along with Heather Graham-the second book in a cozy series-and the first book in a new thriller series. |
