***Alert: Giveaway Included ***
Hi, Miners, and Miner Readers!
I'm tickled to be here with something new . . . something I've never tried before. But I thought it would be fun to do a dual interiew with one author who writes as two different eople, in two different genres.
So please join me in introducing authors Donna Schlachter and Leeann Betts
Welcome, ladies! This might be
tricky, but let’s give it a try. Answer each question either as Donna, or
Leeann, or each of you answer the same question. Are you ready for this?
Okay, then, here we go . . .
PEG: As Donna, you write historical.
As Leeann, you write contemporary. How do you keep your voices distinct from
each other?
D: I think
the genres help with that. Historical tends to be a little gentler, with more
emphasis on description and language, which I always find to be more poetic.
L: Right.
And I don’t think Donna would disagree if I said that the characters in her
contemporary tend to be a little more autobiographical than the characters in
her historical.
PEG: Do you ever feel schizophrenic
being two different people? Who do you wake up as in the morning? :)
L: Only
when I go to writer’s events because they often know me as Leeann. I tell
folks, since in my headshot I’m wearing a hat, that I’ll be the one with the
hat on.
D: Which
could prove problematic, since I just bought two historically authentic hats
which I really love—a naval airman’s hat, and a cavalry hat.
PEG: Do you ever write
simultaneously? I mean, both as Donna and Leeann?
L: Only in
interviews like this one :)
D: Not
usually, but I am sometimes writing a book as one and editing as the other.
PEG: Explain your filing system as
separate writers.
D: Since
I’m the organizer—Leeann can be so bad about just putting things in any old
place—I simply file alphabetically, both on our laptop and in the file drawer.
L: Don’t
get me started on that lost file again. It wasn’t my fault!
PEG: What about culture shock? As a
writer, do you find it difficult to shift your mindset when jumping from
present day to a time in the past, or vice versa?
L: Since I
live in the same era in which I write, I don’t have any problem at all.
D: I like
to immerse myself in the era, so I read a lot, I watch a lot of movies and
television shows set in that time period, and I visit as many historical sites
as I can, particularly the setting of the book. And I record the sounds, like
bugs and birds, in that setting.
PEG: What does one of you do when
the other has a deadline?
D:
Honestly Leeann has no concept of deadlines. Particularly mine. She is
constantly coming up with ideas for new books in the middle of my final push to
The End.
L: And
Donna can be such a stickler for those pesky deadlines. Give her a date, and
she treats it like it’s scripture. Life stops. Fun stops. Distractions stop.
PEG: Which one of you has the most
fun with your writing?
D: I do,
of course, because I am a fun person.
L: No way.
I am the one who is cute and perky and all the things you’re not. You
constantly tell people that.
D: Just
because you’re cute and perky, and, thankfully, all the things I’m not, doesn’t
mean I don’t have the most fun. Why, I recall just a few months ago when you
were complaining about editing, saying you wished someone else would write this
book for you. That doesn’t sound like you were having much fun.
L: That’s
just one time. And what about that time when you—
D: Don’t
even bring that up. You promised you’d never bring that up again.
L: Fine.
You have the most fun with the writing. But I have the most fun with the
interviews.
LOL! I can see that wrestling with
an alter-ego isn’t always peaches and cream!
Peg: Let’s talk a bit about the two
books you both have out.
Nuggets of Writing
Gold: comment by author Janet K. Brown: This book is
a great little resource to learn about writing. The authors touch on everything from where to get ideas to how to self-publish. The thing I like best was the 1 sentence takeaway at the end of each chapter along with various exercises. Anyone following the exercises will improve their writing and publishing many times over. It's a must-read for newbies and a big help to ones not so new.
♦ ♦ ♦
♦ ♦ ♦
Donna & Leeann are each offering a book giveaway:
For the writers in your following, Donna will sponsor a copy of Nuggets of Writing Gold, a collection of articles, essays, and exercises on the craft of writing. And for the readers in your following, Leeann will sponsor a copy of “No Accounting for Murder”, the first in her By the Numbers cozy mystery series. (***see below***)
Where can our blog readers find you?
Donna:
Purchase
link: http://amzn.to/2aRHszw
Leeann:
Author Bio
Donna lives in Denver with her husband Patrick, who is her first-line editor and biggest fan. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She has published four cozy mysteries and a devotional for accountants under her pen name, and a collection of short stories, a book on writing tips, and several devotionals under her own name. She is currently under contract with Barbour Books in a novella collection on the Pony Express. Donna is a ghostwriter and editor of fiction and non-fiction, and judges in a number of writing contests. She will be teaching an online course for American Christian Fiction Writers in March 2017, “Don’t let your subplots sink your story”. Donna loves history and research, and travels extensively for both. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter, and online at: www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com and www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com. Her books are available at Amazon.com in digital and print.
*** About the Giveaway ***
Entering is easy!
Just leave a comment about this blog post below and include your name and contact email: e.g. you(at)abcxyz(dot)com
,
Tell us which book you'd like to receive, and . . .
Tell us why you chose it.
This giveaway will remain open through Friday, September 2, closing at Midnight, CDT.
5 comments:
What a delightful interview and a fun idea, Peg. I enjoyed hearing from both of your interviewees!
Thanks, Patti. I got a kick out of doing it. Loved the banter back and forth :)
How fun is this?!?! Way to go, Peg and BOTH of you authors! Nuggets of Gold sounds like a powerhouse to me
Hi, Gail, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Got your name in the drawing :)
Lovely Interview . Fun T0 Read . way to go .............
Amit lamba
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