My first author interview of 2016 is with Tara Ellis, Tara became a new to me author in 2016 when I read The Mystery of Hollow Inn (Review to Follow) and she kindly agreed to let me interview her.
In your spare
time what do you like to read?
Science fiction is
my favorite, but I’ll go through my own trends. For years, Stephen King was it,
but his work got too dark for me. I still think he’s one of the best writers
ever, but I lean towards lighter tales. Medical thrillers or a good mystery are
a sure thing!
When you were
younger who was your favourite author?
Julie Campbell
(author of Trixie Beldon) during my younger years. I discovered Stephen King in
4th grade and I also loved Dean Koontz and Ken Follett.
What inspired
you to write the Samantha Wolf series?
I have to mention
Trixie Beldon again. My ultimate, all-time favorite series as a child, and it
gave me many, many days/nights of healthy escapism. I originally started my
series when I was sixteen, and based Sam and Ally on myself and childhood best
friend. It has a lot of special meaning to me.
How do you come
up with your story ideas?
The Mystery of
Hollow Inn was something I thought up in my teens. My grandparents and a lot of
family members lived in Montana, so that was my idea of a mountainous getaway.
The last three are all very recent. Honestly, I can’t really define how I come
up with it. Sometimes I surprise myself how it all coalesces and comes
together. I spend weeks, sometimes months on the outlines. I take a lot of
walks where I dedicate my thoughts to the story, and I always do my best
thinking in the shower! (Although it makes it hard to write it down!)
Can you tell us
anything about the next book in the series?
Yes! It’s called,
The Haunting of Eagle Creek Middle School. It takes place in late October, and
the girls are helping to form a new club at the middle school, for raising
money for non-profits. Their first project is a haunted house in the school on
Halloween. Of course, it turns out there’s an old haunted story for the school
itself, and their first benefactor has some secrets.
In the Samantha
Wolf series, who is your favourite character and why?
Samantha Wolf. I
relate the most to her, perhaps because back when I was sixteen, I originally
based her on myself. The character has most definitely evolved since then, but
I still see a lot of the same compulsiveness that I had as a child.
For you what is
the easiest and the hardest part of the book to write?
The easiest part
is the outline, because there isn’t as much pressure at this point. It’s like I
have a ball of clay and I’m just deciding how to mold it, but don’t have it in
my hands yet. For me, there is always a bit of hump to get over. The first
chapter or two are always a bit slow, because I want to proceed cautiously and
not make any major plot errors, or rush it early on. A few chapters in, I
always hit a spot, a major point where I have to push through some sort of
issue. I have found that if I take my time…perhaps even a step back for a
couple of days and think about it, the story always ends up being better for
it.
What advice
would you give to someone who “ran out of creativity” while writing?
I would say that
they’re looking at it in the wrong way. You never run out of creativity. Most
likely, you’ve hit a spot where you have an issue with your plot or storyline.
I know some authors swear that they don’t need an outline, but I discovered a
few years ago that this had been my issue my whole life. I had always struggled
to finish a cohesive book prior to this revelation. A good, solid, thoughtful
outline will help you. If you already know where you’re going, then you can
figure out how to get there. If you hit a wall, step and look at the whole
story, not just the point where you are stuck. If you don’t already have an
outline, write one. If you do, revisit it and flesh it out. You’ll be amazed at
how much better the whole story will be, if you put more time into this aspect
of it.
What do you do
when you get writers block?
I think I just
addressed that above. J But…to be more specific on how I work on the
outline, or take a step back, I often go for a long walk. Or take a long
shower, or sit in a hot tub. I put myself in an environment where I’m free to
be alone in my thoughts, and I work through the issues mentally. I always
envision the scenes in my head as if it were a movie playing out. So I do
this….over and over again, with various scenarios until I find one that works.
Do you have
anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I hope that my stories take you to another place for a little while, and offer
that same escapism that I enjoy while reading. I try to write relatable
characters and plots that in the end, leave you feeling good and a bit
nostalgic. I also love feedback, so please feel free to reach out!
Thank you Tara for answering my questions and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
Title: A Dark Kiss of Rapture
