After reading Family Inheritance, I wanted to know a bit more about the author, Terri Ann Leidich. Thankfully through Net Galley, we can express interest in connecting with the authors of the books we review. Terri contacted me and agreed to be a part of an “Author Interview”. She is my first official interview! Yay!
This is Part of 1 of the interview which consists of questions on the process of writing a book and a few other book related ones. Part 2 will be published later and will be specific to her book Family Inheritance, which I recently wrote a review on. You can check it out here.
So, here we go…
Q: What genre do you like to write in? What draws you to this genre?
I like Contemporary Women’s Fiction because the stories feel real and could be happening to women just like us. Many times, no matter who is reading the book, there is some aspect of one of the characters in the book to whom we can strongly relate. And, that can be life changing.
Q: How much research goes into your books?
A lot! That’s why it took 30 years to bring Family Inheritance to the marketplace. Most of my research is done by talking to people about their lives, their experiences, their feelings.
Q: How do you structure your day for writing? Is there a special time of the day you write?
Because I still have a “day job”, my writing life doesn’t have the structure I would like it to have. Most of my writing is done on the weekends.
Q: What is the hardest thing about writing?
Once the “creation” is done and it’s time to get into the nitty gritty of editing, honing, and bringing the story to the place where a publisher will accept it. That’s hard work!
Q: Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
What works for me is stepping away, taking a nice warm bath, going to Starbucks and sipping on a chai – something that will get me away from “creating the story” and giving my creative self or what I call “the space beyond the mind” an opportunity to let the story flow. Writer’s block for me is often a time where I’m trying to fit my story or idea into a predetermined outline when in actuality, the story wants to be able to flow in another direction.
Q: What writers inspire you?
One of my favorite authors is Jodi Picoult because she tells stories that are so real and sometimes so raw that by reading them, you come out changed. My Sister’s Keeper is one of my all-time favorites. At the end of the book, I just sobbed. I really think the film makers did the movie a disservice when they changed the ending. True, it was a tough ending, but it was so poignant.
Q: Where do you see your writing career 5 years from now?
I intend to keep writing and/or pulling out manuscripts from my jammed file drawer and working on them. How many books I will have written and published in five years, I’m not sure. I’d rather craft a book and have a story unfold than be on a deadline where I have to “put out something” by a certain date. I’ve been delighted to read that reviewers are interested in my writing and look forward to more books. What a nice feeling to take into my writing.
Q: If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?
Gone with the Wind. That is such a masterpiece! The characters are so real, and they stay with you forever. I still have moments when I think about Scarlett and how she would say something to the effect of, “I’ll think about that tomorrow.” Sometimes, that’s good advice.
Q: If you had one piece of advice for aspiring authors, what would that be?
Write because you love to write. Only a small percentage of authors become rich and famous. If that happens to you, fabulous, but if it doesn’t, make sure that you can say you thoroughly enjoyed the process.
Thank you to Terri Ann Leidich for taking the time to answer my questions.
Stories Unfolded 