Interview with Heather Ames:
Hi Heather. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. *bg* We are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...
- Please tell us about your latest book.
In “The Sweetest Song,” a high school English teacher dreams of making a permanent move to the music department and being swept off her feet by a knight in shining armor, complete with a white horse.
Her fantasies don’t include an ex-rock star with a custody battle over a six year old child and a shaky career move, but once she falls in love, there’s no turning back. She has to learn the value of the word compromise, and accept that knights come in many different guises, including tails and tennis shoes.
- What can we expect from you in the future?
More romance, plus mystery/suspense
- How do we find out about you and your books?
Through my website. It is currently under construction, so keep an eye open for www.heatherames.com coming soon.
- How may readers contact you?
There will be a link on the website through which you can e-mail me.
- Why did you decide to write romance novels?
I joined the RWA some years ago, and attended a lot of chapter meetings with speakers and conference seminars. I decided to take what I had learned and put the results on paper.
- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
I try to keep my personality out of most of my writing, although I believe all writers have something of themselves in their books. It’s unavoidable. I can frequently hear authors’ voices when I read their books. A lot of my life experiences find their way into my writing, or I elaborate on my experiences to enrich scenes. I have traveled widely and use places I have visited as backdrops for my novels.
- Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
I have to go with the flow as time is always an issue. I can spend as little as 15 minutes and as long as 4 hours at a stretch on my writing. I may set a goal of a couple of pages or a whole chapter for any particular day. Sometimes I’ve got plot problems that have to be worked out, and I can do that while I’m driving or walking the dog. Frequently, getting away from the computer brings solutions I hadn’t considered when focused on the screen. Right now, I’m tending to write in bursts—several days with only minimal computer work, then I write an entire chapter in one sitting.
- Where do your ideas come from?
Sometimes, right out of the blue. A certain situation; a chance meeting; a news or human interest story. My finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart competition came from a dream that I fleshed out in a brainstorming session with a fellow writer. My current novel came to being because my daughter was in band during high school, then attended a music college. Music was always in the house and it led me to say “What if a high school band director who hated rock music met a rock musician with a classical background?”
- What kind of research do you do?
Fairly extensive. I put a current city map up on the wall, plus a collage of photographs and post cards to set the mood. I take a lot of film when I’m researching, and make a lot of notes. I research on the internet and print up newspaper articles that are relevant. I listen to certain types of music and read books on occupations or talk to friends, acquaintances or whoever I need to talk to in order to find out what I need to know to make a setting, scene, occupation or lifestyle authentic.
I really enjoy research, so it’s never a chore, although it can be challenging. For The Sweetest Song, I went to Asheville, North Carolina with a friend. We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway, visited the Vanderbilt Estate and toured all over the town. We ate in a couple of restaurants and visited coffee houses. I fictionalized the high school, but the sounds, situations, etc. come from what I learned when my daughter was a student.
- Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre?
I actually do that already. My current work-in-progress is a mystery/suspense set in Miami, Florida.
- What are some of your favorite things to do?
Travel—domestic and foreign. Camping and hiking with friends in the Sierras. Going to the movies. Attending writers group meetings, where I always get so motivated. Being with my family. Walking the dog—it decompresses me and the exercise is always good, too!
- Who are some of your favorite authors?
I’ve been reading Sue Grafton’s alphabet books from “A” onward. She really found a niche. I admire that. Mary Higgins Clark & Tess Gerritsen. Romance-wise, LaVyrle Spencer has a wonderful way with words, as does Katherine Sutcliffe, who layers in so much richness. Nora Roberts for both romance and romantic suspense. Carole Nelson Douglas for her ability to write in several genres and master them all. I’m not excluding men. Thomas Harris keeps me turning pages way past midnight. He has a knack for making the macabre fascinating. Elmore Leonard. Jonathan Kellerman for a good psychological suspense. Elizabeth George, who writes as though she was born and bred in England instead of the U.S.
- Are you a member of any author groups - RWA, critique groups, etc.?
I belong to Alameda Writers Group, which has SIGs (Special interest Groups) for screenwriters, novelists & fiction writers, non-fiction writers. It’s very diverse. Each group meets once a month, plus we have a general meeting with a speaker every month. I’m also a member of AIVF (The Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers.) I’d like to be more involved in that group, but time is always an issue, and right now my focus is on novel-writing, although I have done some preliminary research for another documentary.
- What do you think of critique groups in general?
I find them very beneficial, but not every group fits every writer. I have to get as much out of a group as I put into it. I like being in my current group, which has both men and women writing in several different genres. It has been a good experience. We don’t all critique in the same way, and that’s great—I get more constructive feedback. I don’t believe in groups that spend all their time either praising a writer or ripping a manuscript to shreds. There’s usually something positive in even the most fledgling work. I do believe, though, that critique groups are no substitute for writing classes. There are a lot of writers these days who think they can skip classes, have a critique group do all the donkey work of putting their missing/bad grammar to rights and then self-publish, which then gives other authors in the electronic realm a collective bad name.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
Writing full-time, but also having the time, the equipment and the luxury of producing more documentaries.
- How long have you been writing - have you always wanted to be a writer?
I’ve written since I was in grade school. I won a novel-writing contest in high school and went on to turn out a 500 page historical that got worked on for years while I was traveling around Europe, then came to the U.S. and raised a family. I got a real handle on my writing once I started taking community college classes. I learned how to edit and that less is more. I also learned how to write in an Americanized manner versus sounding like a Brit. That was, and continues to be the hardest thing for me. My friends and fellow writers help me keep that tendency at bay.
- What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?
Every book has its own challenges, but the mystery/suspense category is the hardest. Keeping all the plot twists, suspects, clues, etc., etc. under control demands constant vigilance and a great memory. When I’m creating, I have to keep in mind that what I conjure up may not fly with the groundwork I have set up.
- Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
I frequently find the setting comes first for me, but that’s because when I travel, I envision what a great backdrop that particular place or area would make for a novel. Sometimes my characters arrive first, and then I have to decide where I’m going to have them live. That’s fun, too. Once the characters and the setting are in place, the plot just forms itself. I do a lot of “What If-ing.”
- What is the hardest part of writing/the easiest?
The hardest is the ending. Wrapping everything up and leaving the reader with a sense of completion. If I feel like jumping up and down and cheering, so, hopefully will my readers. The easiest is frequently, for me, the beginning. Everything is so new and fresh, it’s exciting to learn about the characters along with my readers.
- Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?
I start out being in control, but frequently, they try to take over, especially if I want the plot to go one way, but they have different ideas. Some characters are stronger than others, and they want to dictate what they’re going to do. I have had dialogues where I had to put them in their places.
- What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
Seeing your ideas take form and become something tangible
- If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?
I can’t even imagine what not writing would be like. It’s been with me my entire life. I once talked to a fellow writer about what it means to be us, and she had a great quote. She said “Heather, have you ever considered that most people don’t go around all day with characters talking away in their heads?” I suppose some of the general population does, but they are being medicated for that. Writers just learn to deal with the situation and put the words down on paper. People who say they want to write a book but haven’t figured out what to write about don’t have that extra component in their brains. As for what I would be doing, well, probably working on something else creative, such as film, photography, art or even needlework. I’m a creative person, and I have to let that urge have an outlet.
- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Persevere. Never throw an idea or a manuscript out (there will come a day, I guarantee it, when you will kick yourself for that moment of madness.) Find other unpublished writers and form a support network. Join a writers’ organization for the opportunities to learn, grow and mingle. Just write for yourself, but be aware that to be successful, you must also be aware of your audience.
Thank you very much for taking the time with us and answering our questions heather, and givnig us yur insights. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
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