Aunty Cindy's Intro Q&A

All righty then, I'll go first since I'm in the midst of my blogging learning curve:

1) When did you start writing? Or if you've been writing all your life, then when and how did you decide to pursue publication?
I've been writing since I was nine years old. Before that, I printed.

But seriously, I started writing almost as soon as I learned to read, which was at about age five. If I didn't like the way a story ended, I made up my own ending. Yes, I'm an oldest child and have always been bossy.

As for pursuing publication, I've been doing that off and on (mostly off) for waay more years than I like to admit. But when I retired from my full-time career as a government bureaucrat at the end of 2003, I decided THIS IS IT! I got serious. In the past three years I have made signification progress, even if it doesn't always feel that way sometimes.

2) What books/authors have influenced you?
I remember reading The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings when I was a freshman in high school and I loved those stories so much! I also read a lot of the gothic type romances by Mary Stewart, Phyllis A. Whitney, and Victoria Holt. My mom read them and since they were lying around I picked them up and was hooked! I'd still like to be Phyllis A. Whitney when I grow up!

I was also totally enamored with Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and Terry Brooks' Sword of Shannara the first time I read them. I especially remember after reading the latter thinking, "By gosh, if HE can write sword & sorcercy fantasy, so can I!" Yes, I was young and dumb, but I gave it a try.

3) Describe your writing process.
I used to be a TOTAL PANTZER! Never knew what was happening next. However, with my current WIP, I decided to try something different and I spent a couple of weeks developing some kind of story outline before I plunged right in. So far the writing does seem to be going a bit easier and faster... sometimes... Okay, maybe not!

I'm also a very linear writer. Start at the beginning and plow along until The End. No skipping around until the first draft is complete. But during revisions, all bets are off.

4) Tell us about your current Work In Progress and what is next for you?
I'm currently working on my third novel of what I like to call "romantic suspense in exotic locations". The previous two were set in Italy, but this one is set in Northern Ireland and features a hero with psychic abilities. Unfortunately, he can't necessarily control those abilities. The heroine, meanwhile, has come to Ireland in search of her biological father. A key element of the plot hinges on a DNA marker that's been traced back to the ancient Irish High King Niall of the Nine Hostages. And because it's Ireland there are a couple of ancient druids and some nasty IRA guys thrown in for good measure.

What's next, I HOPE is a three book contract! LOL!

5) Any advice for others or personal observations?
Discipline really IS more important than talent! I'd say a good 85--90% of novel writing is "just keep showing up!" I'm the world's slowest writer, but even at two or three pages a day (my usual goal), you WILL get there.