THE WRITE JOURNEY

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I remember being in high school and talking about the future with my boyfriend.
I was trying to come up with a good "responsible" career. I had already written
a novel by then, but I assumed no one chose author as a career. You went to
college for something else, while writing on the side. But my boyfriend asked me
what I really wanted to do, in my wildest dreams, and I said I wanted to be a
writer. I'd always loved to read. I was the girl wearing out my library card and
still running out of books to read. I was the girl who would not only read the
classics assigned in my English class, but those assigned to my friends' classes,
just for fun. I realized how much I would love to write books that you can fall into
and forget the world, at least for a little while. My boyfriend encouraged me to go
for it and it really was life-changing advice. I couldn't be happier about the choice
I made and (almost two decades later) that boyfriend is now my husband.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I endeavor to write prose that doesn't call attention to itself. I want it to read cleanly
and smoothly, rather than poetically. I would definitely say I'm a lover of the story,
rather than the words themselves. I also focus a lot on the atmosphere, which is why
I love historical fiction.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I have written over a dozen books, but I have so far only published two of them.
Let's just call the others learning experiences, shall we? :) I have to say that my
favorite book is the one I have coming out this summer, The Queen of Diamonds.
Like my current releases, it is a historical romance set in the Victorian era, but this
one takes place in South Africa during the diamond rush. I think it's an exciting story
and I especially love the cover.

What books have influenced your writing?

My biggest influence is absolutely Victoria Holt. There was something about her gothic
novels that made them so compelling. You wanted to live in that world, even when the
heroine was in peril, which of course she always was. They are romantic books, full of
mystery and atmosphere. If I can transport readers with my novels the way her novels
always did for me, I will be thrilled.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I like to chase my kids around, drink too much coffee and diet coke, and feed my sitcom
addiction. I'm also a bit of a closet gamer (ps3 and those classic point and click adventure
games they don't make much anymore). I can argue for hours in favor of the Oxford comma
and I never share desserts. I don't care how many forks the waitress brought.

Thank you Juliet for participating in our Writer Wednesday. We wish you continued success!

Juliet's books are currently exclusive to Amazon Kindle. You can download your copy here:
The Hidden Heiress - A Victorian Historical Romance and
Punish Me With Roses - A Victorian Historical Romance Novel.

You can visit Juliet and learn more about her here.

"You can fix a bad page. You can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts (Born 1950)
Best Selling Author (200+ novels)

"A novel is a chance to try on a different life for size." Marion C Garretty

"A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting
a word on paper." E B White

"I hate people that don’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re”. Their so stupid……."

"I have written a great many stories and I still don't know how to go about it except
to write it and take my chances." John Steinbeck

“There’s a book called 'Characters Make Your Story' that you don’t have to read
because the title says it all.” Sol Stein

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I've been an avid reader my entire life, raised by avid readers.
My home is Prince Edward Island, the smallest province in Canada,
just north of Maine. I'm lucky to be surrounded by creative people,
both in my family and my friends, active in film making, songwriting
and improv acting every chance I get. My dream of being a full-time
writer came true two and a half years ago and I haven't looked back,
running my own Indie publishing company while also working with a
local publisher on a middle grade series.

What inspired you to write your first book?

I was raised on hard-core science fiction and fantasy by my very
enthusiastic father, who read me The Lord of the Rings when I was
six. I already had an over active imagination, so you can just
guess the nightmares that gave me! But I'm grateful. I was reading
books I would never have had access to normally, growing my writing
talent with the help of some fantastic authors just by absorbing
their stories.

When I was twelve, a friend of mine let me borrow one of her young
adult books--I think it was Nancy Drew. I read it in an afternoon,
sucked in by the fact the lead character was a teenager and, when I
finished, told my dad I wanted to be a writer, thinking to myself
I could easily come up with a novel like that one, so simple compared
to what I was used to.

My first book, The Wolf and the Bear, came out of my passion for
fantasy, a collection of short stories I worked on through most
of my teens. But it wasn't until my niece handed me Harry Potter
years later that I found YA all over again--and was inspired to
write my first young adult novel, Family Magic.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in
writing your book?

How easy it was once I understood what I was supposed to be writing.
I finally understood what 'writer's voice' meant--literally, that
connection to the voice of the character, the creative side of my
brain that, when opened up, practically wrote books for me while I
just went along for the ride. It's amazing and still fires me up
every day, allowing me access to characters and stories that still
shock me.

What has been the best compliment?

Honestly, every time I receive a fan letter, I can't help but smile.
My only wish has been to share my books with as many people as I
possibly can. And when I hear from someone they've devoured a series
and can't wait for more, or that they feel so connected to the main
character they cry when it's over, I want to reach out and hug the
whole world. How awesome is that?

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Honestly, I'm so focused on my work right now, I try to keep outside
things to a minimum. I have a passion for film making, so I do dabble
with the help of my creative partner and producer, Renee Laprise at
Mugisha Enterprises. I also love music and always have, though I don't
get to perform as much as I'd like. Otherwise, I'm a reading fiend,
devouring other people's books with gusto, trying to spend time with
my workaholic husband and my four very darling cats while making sure
I maintain some kind of social life.

About Family Magic: Sixteen-year-old Sydlynn Hayle is the daughter
of a powerful witch and a demon lord of the seventh plane. The trouble
is, she just wants to be ordinary. Syd struggles to survive the minefield
of her new high school while being torn between her attraction to
football hero Brad Peters and the darkly mysterious Quaid Moromond.
When her coven comes under attack, Syd is forced to face the fact
only her power can save her family’s magic.



About the Author: Patti Larsen is a middle grade and young
adult author with a passion for the paranormal. Her YA thriller
series, The Hunted,is available now. The first five books of
The Hayle Coven Novels, begun with Family Magic, are also out now.
Her YA steampunk series, Blood and Gold, can be found on Amazon,
along with her YA paranormal novel, Best Friends Forever, and
The Diamond City Trilogy. Two of her books (Run, Family Magic)
have been shortlisted for the PEI Book Awards. Her middle grade
novel, The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House (Acorn Press), debuts in
June, 2012. She is a full time writer and a part time teacher of
her Get Your Book Done program. Patti lives on the East Coast of
Canada with her very patient husband and four massive cats.

Thank you for participating in Writer Wednesday Patti!

Wishing you continued success as we anxiously await the release of
The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House.

I spent the last few days with my mom in Las Vegas, and I just
have to say there are some interesting people in Vegas.

And I do mean inter-rest-ting.

Saturday night we went to the Viva ELVIS, Cirque Du Soleil show,
which is amazing by the way. Fun, fast paced, and to say it’s well
choreographed would be a complete understatement. The dancers,
artists, vocalist, and other performers are so talented. If you’re
heading to Las Vegas in the near future, head to the ARIA and see
this show. These people are amazing. The show will be closing in
late August, so hurry and get your tickets if you plan to go.



After the show, we went back to the casino. I sat down at the
only blackjack table I could find with an open seat. The place was
packed. Out of all the games in a casino, blackjack is my
favorite. The man seated next to me seemed to have a different
opinion of the game. Every hand appeared to cause him great pain;
the source for a constant stream of mini-outbursts. Win, lose or
draw. It didn’t matter. If he lost, he'd yell “OF COURSE!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU FOR THAT! I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!”
If his hand was a draw to the dealer's he'd yell louder; “WELL,
OF COURSE - WHY WOULD I EXPECT IT TO BE ANYTHING ELSE?”
And when he won... “WELL, IT’S ABOUT DAMNED TIME!
THIS SUCKS! YOU SUCK!” he'd yell at no one in particular.

He appeared to be having the worst time ever. I glanced down at
his chair expecting to see that someone had chained him to his
seat, forcing him to stay and play when all he really wanted to
do was go back to his room and go to sleep. But there were no
chains. Nothing to keep him there but his contempt for the game.

On Sunday as we crossed the street toward the casino in one
hundred degree (plus) temperatures, we heard a loud “WHOMP”
on the sidewalk behind us, followed by a gasp - followed by
a harsh southern reprimand; “I told you to watch out!”
Turning, we saw a man lying face down on the sidewalk. Huffing
and puffing, he tried to balance himself back onto his feet. Beside him -
the woman who offered up the “I told you so!” My mom and I ran
back to help the man, extending a hand, but he wouldn’t take it -
fearing his size might pull us down. He was probably right.
He crawled over the hot cement to a lamp post a few feet away
where he attempted to pull himself up, but to no avail.
We yelled to a man across the street for help, but even he
was unable to lift him to his feet. I think he assumed as we did at
first, that the man lying on the sidewalk had had one too many.
But that wasn’t the case. He was an elderly gentleman with bad
knees. “He should be in a wheel chair” I mumbled to myself, feeling
completely helpless. A minute later a security guard pulled up
and the driver called for help. My mom and I went on our way.

On Monday morning we went to a coffee shop in what has to be
the largest casino in the world. It takes three days to walk from
one end to the other. Okay. Maybe it's just an hour. But still.
Sitting across from my mom having our morning coffee, I suddenly
noticed a lovely woman sitting at a table behind ours. She was
eating a dish of ice cream, carrying on a conversation with absolutely
no one. With hand gestures and all she nodded in agreement
to the empty chair positioned across from hers. She laughed and
shook her head as if the chair had just said something completely
absurd. She held out a bite of ice cream to the chair, and waved
at it dismissively when it refused her offer. We left before she
did, and I wondered silently how her conversation might end, or
if it would?

Las Vegas really is the Entertainment Capitol of the World. And as a writer, it's also one of the most interesting places to find new characters for your stories.

These characters will most definitely find a place in mine.

Julia Crane is both a writer and a busy mom of three. She is
honest, candid in her interview with me, and very down to earth.
She has a quality of ease about her that makes you feel like
you've known her forever.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Oh goodness, I’m really not sure. I was a very strange child.
Painfully shy was often used to describe me. I lost myself in
books from the time I learned to read. My bedroom had three
large bookcases double stacked with books. Writing was always
a dream, but not one I thought would come true. I still can’t
believe I’ve written six books.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

Everything! I always got my ideas from books. I do have to say
Nancy Drew had me stuck on wanting to be a private detective,
and truth be told, it’s still a dream of mine. I always thought
I would be a secret spy, a PI, or work for the FBI. I have a
degree in criminal justice, but I never used it. At the end of
the day, I wanted to stay home with my kids.

Do you ever experience writer’s block? If so, how do you
overcome it?

I often get stuck on sections when I’m writing. I am not a planner
so I just kinda go with it, and sometimes I come to a screeching halt.
When that happens, I either walk around my apartment in circles, or
go outside for a long walk. If I let my mind wander, I usually come
up with something to move the book forward.

What has been the best compliment?

Without a doubt, it was a review from Haley at ya-aholic.com.
I still think of it and smile — it helps to counter the negative
reviews.

“This book had me on the edge of my seat
and chewing my nails with excitement
and anxiousness I just needed to know
what was gonna happen next! With that
I read it in one sitting, there was no
way I wasn't gonna finish it that night.
You could have came in my room and been
like "HALEY ROBERT PATTINSON IS DOWN
STAIRS, HE WANTS TO MARRY YOU!" and I
would have told him it is gonna have
to wait till I finish Coexist...
ya this book was that good.”
~Haley from Ya-aholic.com

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Finding quiet time. I get easily distracted, and I need quite to
concentrate. Which isn’t the easiest thing to do with three kids —
two teens and a toddler.

Thanks for having me!

Thank you Julia. It's been a pleasure. We wish you continued success.

All of Julia's books are available here!

click image above to see the entire photo