What do you create? Books, mostly. Which is funny to me, because growing up, I couldn't even write a poem that was longer than a page or two. That's what I used to write, poems. But about ten years ago, I had an idea that wouldn't leave me alone. I wasn't sure what it was—a short story? A thinly veiled memoir? Just something I had to write down? After I had about 20,000 words, I decided to see if I could turn it into a novel. Although I've read consistently my whole life, I wasn't exactly sure what that meant. How many words? Was I capable of the feats of imagination required? Could I … [Read more...]
3Ws – Amy Sue Nathan
What do you create? I create novels about women who don't wait (or want) to be rescued. After realizing they're in or have created a big mess, they help, redeem, save, and transform themselves. Why do you create? I have ideas, characters, and dialogue rattling around in my head all the time and I have to write it all down and get it all out to make room for more, and to make sure I don't forget! I eavesdrop, remember, and internalize everyone and that needs somewhere to go! What do you consume? Too much television of all kinds. Good books of all kinds. … [Read more...]
3Ws – Roberta Gately
What do you create? Stories about ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances often in the darkest places imaginable. Why do you create? I am a nurse and a humanitarian aid worker, and I write to share the stories of people I’ve met as they struggle to survive crisis after crisis in a world that’s grown weary of so much misery. The people I meet are not so different from all of us and that is what I hope my readers will take away from my stories. What do you consume? Books—like so many other writers, I am an avid reader. But, I am … [Read more...]
3Ws – Katherine Howe
What do you create? Novels with a historical dimension that generally involve disused epistemologies or historically contingent modes of understanding. Also, magic and sometimes animals. Why do you create? Because it's the best way to get at the questions that interest me, and because I'm categorically unqualified to do anything else. What do you consume? Nineteenth century seafaring narratives. Bandwidth. Fake … [Read more...]
3Ws – Kathryn Craft
What do you create? Psychological women’s fiction. I like to feel around in the recesses of the human psyche for feelings so complex we've shoved them aside so our egos won't trip and fall. Once pulled into the bright light of story, I explore situations that evoke those emotions through an intimate cast of characters. My love for lush prose battles my love of concision in each and every sentence. Why do you create? So that my readers, like I, will benefit from seeking meaning and beauty within the chaos that life sometimes throws our way. I create to renew my faith in … [Read more...]
3Ws – Lisa Brackmann
What do you create? Quirky, somewhat existential suspense novels in which “ordinary” people get involved in situations way above their pay grade, often when they are far from home. Why do you create? I can’t seem to help it. I’m not one of these people with the voices in my head compelling me to write, nor can I say that I always love the process – it can be a real slog, and I’m a terrible procrastinator – but if I stop for too long a time, I feel unmoored. I think writing helps me make better sense of the world. What do you consume? Good books, … [Read more...]
3Ws – Jan Ellison
What do you create? The biggest, best thing I’ve created is four new people. The eldest is six foot four and sometimes my husband and I look up and wonder how this extra man ended up living in our house. In four days, he’s headed off to college. I’ve also been writing fiction and creative non-fiction for fifteen years. My debut novel, A Small Indiscretion, published in January by Random House, took longer to create than all four of my kids put together. That said, create is not usually the word I think of when I think of writing, and I don’t think of myself as a … [Read more...]
3Ws – M.J. Rose
What do you create? I create novels that are a combination of the gothic, esoteric, historical, erotic and suspenseful. My most recent, The Witch of Painted Sorrows, is about passion and possession in Belle Epoch Paris, circa 1894. Why do you create? I create because I believe mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice it... by writing books that exaggerate mystery and magic I can draw attention to it and remind us all to look for it and revel in it. What do you consume? I consume beauty, art, perfume, books, dog … [Read more...]
3Ws – Mindi Scott
What do you create? I write contemporary novels about teenagers. When I first started writing with hopes for publication, someone described my work as “the perfect blend of humor and pathos.” I’ve been aiming to live up to that compliment ever since. Why do you create? Oh, man. I’ve been asking myself this question frequently while juggling deadlines. My best answer at this moment is that I always have characters and stories appearing in my brain, and some of them are too endearing, too special, or too something else to keep all to myself. My second published novel, … [Read more...]
3Ws- Eric Smith
What do you create? Stories, mostly. I love writing blog posts and (attempting) to write books. You can generally find me blogging over on BookRiot with some amazingly passionate bookish people, occasionally on The Huffington Post in their books section, and over on Quirk Books’ blog, the publisher where I work. I also started a local geek blog, Geekadelphia. You can find my prattling about local geek culture in Philadelphia there pretty frequently. As for books, I like writing Young Adult books and humor. My first YA novel, Inked, comes out this month, and my first humor book, The … [Read more...]