If some of you hang out at the Petit Fours & Hot Tamales blog, you may have seen this post there a while back. Apologies for the rerun, but with 2 deadlines this month, I'm trying to be frugal with my online time. The comments are always fresh, though. ;)
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As the
published author of nearly 50 books, I get invited to present workshops at
conferences, speak at book clubs, etc. I get fan mail and reader e-mail. I socialize on Facebook and Twitter, and am
learning Google+. I blog here on the Intrigue
Authors blog,
post regularly on the http://community.harlequin.com/
boards, and post a monthly newsletter on my website. Plus, I grocery shop,
attend my son’s music and school events, work with the community theater and
treasure time with my family and friends.
In other words, there is plenty of opportunity for people—readers and
non-readers alike—to ask me about my writing.
Some
questions make me laugh out loud; others make me wrinkle my brow and wonder
what planet that person just transported from.
Many questions are from aspiring writers seeking to learn all they can,
and the teacher in me feels right at home answering them. A few comments touch my heart. As any shy
person (like me) out there knows, it’s easier to jump into a conversation when someone
asks me a question, and so I’m grateful to all the queries I’ve been asked over
the years. I’ve started some wonderful friendships from just one little
question.
Today I
thought I’d share some of those questions that I’ve heard more than once over
the years. And I’ll give you a bit of my
responses as well. Enjoy!
1. Is that you and your husband on the cover?
Yes. Look at the cover of
AT YOUR COMMAND. I’m a tall, willowy
blonde with a slammin’ body, and my hubby is a 6’4” lean, mean, muscle-packed
Marine who goes through his daily life without a shirt.
Okay, that’s sarcasm.
Wishful thinking. I’m married to
the Marine’s comic sidekick. I’m leaning
toward middle age and have a sedentary job.
The only thing “slammin” about my body is when I trip down the
stairs. But I appreciate anyone who
thinks we resemble the heroes and heroines on my covers. Really.
Thanks!
2. Your characters feel so real. You’ve lived
through those experiences, right?
I write romantic suspense, folks. Happily, I’ve never been a serial
killer. And while yes, I’ve been the
victim of crime, I’m far less brave than my fictional counterparts. I get a lot of my information from “life”,
too. In my other life as a teacher and
IMPROV trainer and processor, I’ve been fortunate to work with trauma nurses,
DEA agents, undercover cops, detectives, rape counselors, doctors, attorneys, ranchers,
firefighters, computer techs, reporters, business executives and more. I’m lucky that I’m a great observer of
people. I’m luckier that these people
enjoy my company and are willing to answer my questions. I’ve also worked with a lot of teenagers
who’ve been through some unspeakable things as well as the usual issues all
teens face. I grew up in a Marine Corps
family and am married to a former juvenile probation officer, so I’ve got a
pretty good idea how military personnel and cops work, too. Plus, I’m an avid reader of fiction and
non-fiction, a television watcher and movie fan. I immerse myself in how others
portray the characters and situations I’m interested in—then I internalize
those real feelings and responses and
bring them out in my own unique characters.
It’s an acting technique I learned in the theater that also works well
in writing fiction.
3. I have a great idea for a story, will you
write it for me? (and split the money, of course)
Um, no. I have far too
many stories of my own playing inside my head—stories I’m anxious and excited
to tell. It seems that with each story I
write, new characters and situations pop into my head—a supporting character
who calls to me to be featured in his/her own story, a plot-line that I’d like
to try with a different character or setting to see how it would play out, etc.
I hope that these people learn how to write for themselves, or
make the time to write their stories for themselves, whichever the case might
be. Those are THEIR stories to tell, not
mine. I need to conserve my creative
energy and sore typing fingers for my own career. But best of luck! It’s a great time to be a writer, and there
are numerous opportunities out there to get one’s work in front of readers.
4. Are your characters real people? Did the events in your stories really
happen? Where is this
precinct/bar/school/hospital/etc. where your characters work and hang out so I
can meet them?
Again, I’m writing fiction, folks. While I try to make my characters as
realistic as possible, they’re all figments of my imagination. My Precinct books for Intrigue are set in
Kansas City, Missouri—a very real, diverse, rife-with-potential-settings,
city. However, while I pepper in the
name of a highway or art museum, historic landmarks, etc., in my stories to
give it an accurate sense of place, the homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, etc.
are created by yours truly to meet the fictional needs of each particular
story. I’ll take a real K.C. building
and turn it into a local pub or penthouse lab
One fun thing I do for my family and friends is to drop in the
mention of something real from our lives into a story—only the family member or
friend will get the reference, but it’s a fun way to personalize a book without
the readers never knowing. For example,
almost all the pet names I’ve used in my books are the names of pets I’ve had
or have, or the names of friends’ pets.
So, there are some real inspirations in my books, but they’re truly
works of fiction.
5. Where do you get your ideas?
The short answer? Everywhere.
Observations of life. Favorite tv
shows, movies, fictional characters.
Travel. Learning history. News.
Reading other books. Writing my own books. My imagination. As a shy kid growing up, I spent a lot of
time inside my head, creating stories to entertain myself so that I was never
bored. It’s a habit that has continued my entire life.
So, do
you have any questions you’d like to ask?
These, of course, were on the more humorous side of things, but I’m
happy to talk more seriously, too, if you have questions about my books, about
writing your own stories, the publishing market or whatever. I’ll give away a copy of KANSAS CITY COWBOY
to someone who posts a question or comment.
Best
wishes,
Julie
Miller
USA
TODAY Bestselling Author
Breathtaking
Romantic Suspense
