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Read some interviews from past editions:
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CJ Love
August, 2009
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DeAnn Smallwood
June, 2009
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V.S. Meszaros
April, 2009
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Nikki Poppen
February, 2009
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Elisabeth Rose
October, 2008
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Sherry Lynn Ferguson
August, 2008
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S.J. Stewart
June, 2008
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Zelda Benjamin
April, 2008
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Shirley Marks
December, 2007
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Donna Wright
December, 2007
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Carolyn Brown
August, 2007
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Roni Denholtz
June, 2007
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Tara Randel
April, 2007
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Sydell Voeller
February, 2007
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Sheila Robins
December, 2006
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Ann Holt
October, 2006
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Cynthia Danielewski
July, 2006
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Jane McBride Choate
March, 2006
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Kathryn Meyer Griffith
January, 2006
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Mel Taylor
November, 2005
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Kathleen Fuller
September, 2005
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Tracey J. Lyons
July, 2005
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Ludima Gus Burton
May, 2005
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Holly Jacobs
March, 2005
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Sandra D. Bricker
January, 2005
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Kathryn Quick
November, 2004
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Cheri Jetton
September, 2004
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Heather S. Webber
July, 2004
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Karl Fieldhouse
May, 2004
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Shelley Galloway
March, 2004
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Ilsa Mayr
January, 2004
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Kathy Carmichael
November, 2003
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Dorothy P. O'Neill
July, 2003
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Joani Ascher
May, 2003
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Patricia DeGroot
March, 2003
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Nancy J. Parra
January, 2003
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Barbara Meyers
November, 2002
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Christine Bush
September, 2002
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Debby Mayne
July, 2002
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Jean C. Gordon
May, 2002
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Charles E. Friend
March, 2002
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Norma Seely
January, 2002
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Glen Ebisch
November, 2001
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Gina Cresse
September, 2001
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John Paxson
July, 2001
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Terri Alcock
May, 2001
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Clifford Blair
March, 2001
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Amanda Harte
January, 2001
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Kent Conwell
November, 2000
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Carolyn Brown
September, 2000
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Annette Mahon
July, 2000
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Marjorie McGinley
May, 2000
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Jack Lewis
March, 2000
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Amanda Harte
January, 2000
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Joyce and Jim Lavene
November, 1999
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Return to the current Author! Author! interview:
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Loretta C. Rogers
October, 2009
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Author! Author!: December, 2008
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Click an image to learn more about these books.
An Interview with
Sue
Gibson |
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Have you ever used real people as characters?
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No. It’s much more interesting creating characters from scratch. Certainly bits and pieces of real people make it into a story, but my characters are composites made up of many individuals who have passed through my writer’s viewfinder. Sometimes a particularly unique trait will capture my attention, and I’ll stash it away in my mind or add it to a computer file knowing that someday it will resurface in a book.
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Where do you get ideas for plots?
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Plot ideas are everywhere! When I sit down to plot a story I need to be very focused because there are endless possibilities of where and how to take my hero and heroine through any storyline. Generally I start off a new book by visualizing the heroine in my chosen setting and the story line grows from there. Settings are huge with me, probably the most defining element of my writing style.
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How did you start writing?
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I’ve been writing for close to twenty years. I dabbled with writing as a teenager, but left it behind in the crazy, self-indulgent decade of my twenties. I started writing in earnest in my thirties. My regular jobs were uninspiring, so I began writing in the evening as a creative outlet. The process excited me. A more mature me was seeing the world through different eyes. When my gaze roamed a crowded room I began to imagine everyone’s story. Next, I joined the Ottawa chapter of the RWA and began taking workshops. I can’t say enough about the value of belonging to a writer’s group, whether a small critique group in your own living room or a large organization like the RWA. Writers need to be with other writers.
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What inspires you to write?
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Landscapes capture my heart and from that wells everything else. At this point, I need to credit my husband, a great outdoorsman, with introducing me to a lifestyle that fired up my desire to write about the incredible experiences we were experiencing. He shared with me his love of the quiet, heavy bush and tiny spring fed lakes. I fell for the man and the unspoiled, rugged land he’d plunked me into.
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What's the hardest part of writing?
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Sitting down in front of my computer and writing the first paragraph. It’s the same experience almost every time I write. Once words starting filling the page, I’m fine. But I find it takes a while to clear my head of the details of my real life before I can immerse myself into the fictional one that I’m trying to create.
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Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Or for anyone wanting to submit to Avalon?
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Writing is great fun, but be prepared to work. I’ve been developing my craft for many years and I’ll always continue to tap into the vast pool of writing knowledge out there—on-line courses, how-to-books, workshops and conferences. Read Avalon’s guidelines and their books to understand what Avalon is looking to buy. Understanding your genre and your publisher’s writing guidelines is essential. Also, I suggest ignoring the publishing trends and write the story that is in your heart.
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When do you find time to write?
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I’m a morning person, so my preferred time is just after my kids leave for school each day. I’m a neat freak, so when I’m working on a book I first tidy up the house. Once I’ve cleared the decks for writing, I’m good to go for four or five hours. I set myself a target page count for each day. I don’t always make it, but without a goal I tend to fritter away time with editing, a job better left to after I’ve completed the first draft.
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What do you do for fun — other than writing?
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I read, of course! And I love camping with my family and fishing the small back-country lakes with my husband.
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