Ash Krafton
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Interview
- Please tell the readers a bit more about you. I'm a speculative fiction writer from sorta-near Philadelphia, PA. I'm a full-time pharmacist, an over-time mom, and a writer in between. I love hard rock music, Bollywood, and show tunes; I wear Indian clothing—I'm a champion sari wrapper—when I do my housework and I have a real thing for boots. I almost developed a stiletto addiction but my husband intervened before it could over-run my life.
- I write urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and magic realism. Although I write mainly for adults, I do have a YA project in the works. My debut novel, BLEEDING HEARTS: Book One of the Demimonde, was just released on March 15, 2012. It's an adult urban fantasy with romantic elements.
- When it comes to writing- what are your strong points? What are your weaknesses? I love working on world building. I do more writing in my head than I do on paper—I seem to be constantly daydreaming about the ideas and the conditions and the neat stuff that goes into creating a reality for my characters. My weakness? I'm a chatterbox…and so are my fingers. I end up writing way more than what gets into the final draft. Thank goodness for editors!
- What do you think of this term- Writer's Block? How do you overcome it? Writer's Block is a real problem for all of us…I get around mine by switching gears and closing the file that I'm working on. I then pick up my poetry notebook. Writing poetry and short stories really help to "blow out the carbon"—a term that used to make sense when cars had carburetors. It means, pretty much, to blow out the gunk that's keeping the creative juices from flowing freely. (I guess I'll have to update my phrase to involve fuel injector cleaner. *grin*) To date I've had close to a hundred short publications. In your face, writer's block!
- How many books have you written? BLEEDING HEARTS is my first complete novel. Its sequel BLOOD RUSH is about 90% complete, and the third in the series, WOLF'S BANE, is a good quarter of the way going. I have a few other WIPs that have outlines and chapters done (also writer's block solutions!)
- How many are published? BLEEDING HEARTS is my first published, with agreements for the two sequels. I'm glad to know my editors are ready to read more!
- Are you self published or traditionally published? I am traditionally published with Pink Narcissus Press (http://pinknarc.com) a small press that began in 2010. They have an amazing staff and I encourage writers to check out their guidelines.
- What's the hardest part of the writing process for you? Finding the time to get my rear in the chair! Like many writers, I spend more time thinking than typing…but that's often because day-job and family and home have to come first. I try my best to stay on task by carrying a notebook for unexpected bursts of inspiration. I also use Dragon Naturally Speaking so that I can dictate to my tablet PC on the drive to work. I wish there were more hours in the day…and fewer fun websites like Facebook and Twitter!
- What type of books do you enjoy reading? I love fantasy, especially Melanie Rawn and Mercedes Lackey. I also like urban fantasy such as Kim Harrison and paranormal romance by Charlaine Harris. I'm also a fan of sci-fi humor from Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and Stuart Sharp.
- What's your all time favorite book? THE GOLDEN KEY by Melanie Rawn, Kate Elliott, and Jennifer Roberson. The story is amazing—talk about world building—but the story behind how the book was written by three authors is truly inspirational.
- How long does it take you to write a book? Longer than a year --although I only completed one book and didn't have a deadline on it. I know I won't be strolling through the next two with contracts looming.
- Out of all of your characters, which is your favorite? Why? From BLEEDING HEARTS, Sophie is my favorite—I used a voice similar to my own and gave her a lot of vulnerability so that she can discover her inner strength. We inspire each other, in a way.
- What is one of the most surprising things you've learned as a writer? That I have entire worlds inside me! I never expected I'd be in a position where they'd be anything more than daydreams. I work full-time in pharmacy and writing fantasy is a polar opposite from it. I love having two separate careers—they keep both sides of my brain happy.
- What does your family think of your writing? My family is very supportive…and even my mom likes my book. I'm grateful my husband likes to help out—he's a fantastic editor and beta reader and really likes teaming up for edits on a first draft. He's great at slashing word counts on synopses, too.
- What does your writing schedule look like? I work twelve-hour shifts every other day, so my writing schedule is perhaps two to three mornings a week, with breaks to pop into social networking and blog maintenance. I wish I had time to write everyday—I'd do it if I could!
- What's the latest news you'd like to share? I'm currently on my first virtual book tour! You can see the full tour schedule on my blog at http://www.ash-krafton.blogspot.com/2012/02/bleeding-hearts-virtual-book-tour.html and a huge end-of-tour raffle, which you can read about at http://www.ash-krafton.blogspot.com/2012/03/bleeding-hearts-blog-tour-gvewy.html I'm lucky to have been hosted by such fantastic authors and bloggers so I hope everyone gets a chance to stop by, read some guest posts, check out some excerpts, and try your luck in the great giveaways!
- Do you have any advice for new writers? PERSEVERE. If you ever have any hopes of succeeding at the writing game, you have to persevere. Don't let writer's block slow you down. Don't let criticism convince you to give up. Don't let rejection—and there is ALWAYS rejection—make you turn your back on doing what makes you happy. Surround yourself with positive, supportive peers, learn the craft of writing as best you can, and ask for directions when you get lost. NEVER STOP WRITING.
Thanks for having me, Rae! I really enjoyed getting a chance to
talk about what writing means to me.
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