This is so exciting!  My very first writer’s Q & A, thanks to my friend Eve Messenger.  Eve has some great stuff about writing and reading that she shares on her blog, so take some time to visit her if you can.

Eve’s Questions

1.  What are three things you do really well as a writer?  I will say, based on something an editor friend told me, I am good at spelling, grammar and beats.
2. When you daydream about “making it” as a writer, what do you visualize?  This is easy.  I visualize helping provide toward the household income to a place where we can keep our bills paid and also be able to take a vacation every year.  I also visualize having a loyal group of readers and enjoying successful Book signings.
3. Do you have a regular writing routine?  If so, when?  This is still a struggle for me, but I am finding more time to sit down and write on weeknights, sometimes even Saturday and Sunday, but nothing is yet an actual routine.  After the end of the current school year, I will only have one child left that i will be homeschooling, having graduated the other two, and I hope to be able to create a regular writing routine then.
4. Dogs or cats?  Definitely dogs!  I love animals, but dogs are definitely my pet of choice.  They are loving, loyal and obedient.  We had to say goodbye to our first black Labrador Retriever last summer, but we currently have another one that I love.
5. What’s directly to the left of where you are sitting right now?  My kitchen.  I do most of my writing at the dining room table.
6. When do most of your plot ideas come to you?  In bed, on walks, in the shower, while driving, while reading other books?  In bed.  Most of my writing ideas, whether plot, characters, or anything else come to me when I am in bed.  I keep a notebook and pen beside my bed so that I can write them down, otherwise they don’t let me sleep.
7. What’s your most recent writing breakthrough?  Realizing that not every story conflict has to be really big.  A story has to have lots of conflict to keep the story moving and the readers reading and I always thought conflicts had to be big, but at a recent writers’ retreat I shared that I was struggling with putting enough conflicts into my story.  One of the ladies made a suggestion for a very simple conflict and that’s when I realized not every story conflict has to be really big.  It has helped me get back to my writing and to be able to write enough conflicts to keep the story interesting.
8. Are you able to write in noisy environments?  My answer to this question is both yes and no.  Yes, I can write in a noisy cafe or mall food court because I know none of the noise there has to do with me.  No, I can’t write in my own home if it’s noisy because I usually have to be involved in the noise in some capacity.  The home noise directly affects me; cafe and mall food court noise does not directly affect me making it easy for me to tune it out.
9. Have you ever attended a book signing event for an author you admire?  If so, what was it like?  This is an interesting question.  The only book signing I ever went to on purpose for the book signing was because the author had been one of my favorite teen t.v. stars who had written his first book.  The line was quite long and they actually ran out of books and he signed book plates to hand out that you could paste into your book when it arrived.  I received a book plate and also was able to get my photo taken with the author.  I would say his book signing was a huge success, but I believe a lot of that success was due to his previous television fame.
10. Are you better at coming up with titles or elevator pitches?  I struggle with both of these, but I would have to say I’m better at coming up with elevator pitches.  I find it a bit easier to summarize and pitch my writing than to come up with a really good, catchy title for something I’ve written.

Tag, You’re It:

Laura L. Zimmerman

Sue

Blue Moon Thinker

Donna L. H. Smith

The Rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to their blog and Twitter in your post.
2. Answer the questions that the blogger who nominated you has provided.
3. Nominate up to 10 other bloggers or Twitter followers
4. Create ten questions for your nominees and notify them of their nomination.

Kelly Barr’s Questions:

1.  Who are your top three favorite authors?
2.   Are you a plotter, pantser or something in between?
3.   Where do you do most of your writing?  At a cafe, a room in your house, etc.?
4.   What’s the biggest writing challenge you are currently facing?
5.   Do you listen to music while you write?  If so, what kind?
6.   Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?
7.   If you could ask any writer, past or present, one question, who would the writer be and what would you ask?
8.   How do you get past being stuck in your writing?
9.   What do you do to relax?
10.   What is your favorite movie that’s based on a book?