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URL:
http://ElizaMarch.com
ABOUT ELIZA
Eliza March has always have been a big
fan of Little Women, then she started
reading voraciously after discovering
Nancy Drew, and before long the authors
and subjects grew exponentially. She
reads everything from Art History to
Erotica, and still loves a good mystery
thanks to Nancy.
At one time she wrote non-fiction,
straying into fiction from journalism,
library science and marketing, until she
discovered satisfaction in fiction.
There she found she could build a world
to her liking, twist the stories, and
sometimes, if the characters cooperated,
even determine what happened in the
plot.
Visit her website
http://ElizaMarch.com, or for more
up-to-date rants stop by her blog at
http://elizamarch.blogspot.com.
For those of you interested, she’s on
Facebook, but claims she can’t
Twitter... “I guess I’m too easily
distracted.”
“My future plans include lengthening my
books and shortening my titles.” ~ Eliza
March ~
INTERVIEW
Q: What did you first read? How did you
begin to write? Who were the first to
read what you wrote?
A: The first real series I read
voraciously was Nancy Drew, then the
authors and subjects grew exponentially.
I devour everything from art history to
erotica, and I still love a good
mystery, thanks to Nancy.
I eventually strayed into fiction
writing from journalism. Here was a
world I could build to my liking, and
sometimes, if the characters let me push
and prod them, I determine what happens
next.
My family and friends were the first to
read my amateurish attempts at creative
writing. Now I have critique partners to
punish with my wordy choices.
Once I started writing erotica, I only
let my critique partners read it.
Q: What is your favorite genre?
A: Suspense is my favorite genre. I
don't care if it's romantic, paranormal,
horror, or erotic. I want a suspense.
Q: What is your creative process like?
What happens before sitting down to
write?
A: I wake up in the morning or during
the night with the stories running
around in my head. I can't wait to put
them down on paper...then the process
begins!
Q: What type of reading inspires you to
write?
A: There isn't much that doesn't
motivate me. My favorite authors inspire
my work. History is also a great
motivator. It gets your imagination
visualizing what life was like during
the specific time period you're
studying, who's living and what's
happening to them...then anything goes
from there.
Q: What do you think are the basic
ingredients of a story?
A: 1. Character. Character drives the
plot in my opinion. If I'm interested in
characters, I'll stick with a slow paced
plot, just because I want to see what
happens to them. I hate books that have
great plots and during the conflict I
don't care if the hero dies. It makes me
feel harsh, very harsh.
2. Plot. I like a well developed plot,
even in short stories. Weave a good tale
with twists and turns and I'll follow
you anywhere.
3. Conflict. There's no story without
one. The bigger the conflict the more
there is to the story. It's the meat and
potatoes in the story stew.
4. Voice. The author's voice makes the
story personal. Don't you think
somewhere deep down, there's a part of
Charlaine Harris who really is Sooky
Stackhouse or one of her southern
Louisiana characters? I'm sure of it!
Voice -- You either love it or hate it!
It becomes your 'comfort zone' once you
enter the author's world.
Q: What well known writers do you admire
most?
A: Norah Roberts. How fast do you think
she types? Unfortunately I never took
typing, so I'm so jealous of anyone who
can use more than a couple of fingers on
a keyboard or a piano.
Q: What is required for a character to
be believable? How do you create yours?
A: The character has to act in a
believable manner. Put them in a
situation and let them react
realistically. My characters act out.
I'm just the conduit to the paper, or
screen if you are an eBook reader.
Q: Are you equally good at telling
stories orally?
A: No, I don't have an internal editor
in my mouth.
Q: Deep down inside, who do you write
for?
A: Me. The process of writing the tale
is as good as reading it. It takes
longer, requires more blood, sweat, and
tears, but that's the challenge. Nothing
worth anything comes without hard labor.
Why do I write for me? Because I'm an
avid reader. If I like the subject, the
plot, and most of all the characters, I
hope others will too.
Q: Do you participate in competitions?
Have you received any awards?
A: I rarely enter contests. I finished
one place out of the running recently
for a book I'm crazy about writing. I'll
send it out there again and see how it
does. Contests, like taste, are very
subjective. I don't write cookie-cutter
romance. I break rules, so I don't fit
into a comfortable niche and neither do
my stories.
Q: Do you share rough drafts of your
writings with someone whose opinion you
trust?
A: Sure, always. I think my words are
golden until someone else slaps me back
to reality. I'd write slop if left to my
own devices. I like words too much,
especially adverbs and adjectives, and I
like to share them.
Q: Do you believe you have already found
"your voice," or is that something one
is always searching for?
A: I definitely have a voice, sometimes
too many, and I have to add more
characters to satisfy my urge to sound
different. That works in dialogue. My
true voice is emerging and strengthening
with each book I write. Frightening,
isn't it?
Q: What do you surround yourself with in
your work area in order to help you
concentrate?
A: Cork board and white boards, sticky
notes, tacks and dry erase markers.
Crystals and stars, pixies and angels.
They work very hard to keep me focused.
Prayer most of all.
Q: Do you write on a computer? Do you
print frequently? Do you correct on
paper? What is your process?
A: I write on a computer, infrequently
print and correct. Tantrums and sticky
notes play an important role in my
revisions.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I was writing a contemporary piece
stuck in travelogue mode until the book
turned into another paranormal. Sultry
Santorini Sunset was going to be an
erotic trip to the exotic Greek Island
some believed may have been the Lost
Continent of Atlantis. The story could
almost replace the trip itself. Reading
and writing these eBooks provides
instant gratification when you're in a
mood for a specific genre.
For now, I have a full plate and this is
one question I love updating. It means
I'm showing progress! |
