GUTGAA Meet and Greet

First of all, thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. Please make yourself at home and enjoy your stay. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the participants of this year’s ‘Gearing Up To Get An Agent’ event hosted by Deana Barnhart. Deana has done an amazing job of putting together what promises to be a fun-filled event and although, I found out about it at the last minute and am still struggling to find my feet, I know I’m bound to have a good time.

So, to start it all off, I’m posting my meet and greet questions and brief bio to help others get to know a little about me. Here goes…

Questions for the Meet and Greet
-Where do you write?
     Nine times out of ten, you’ll find me on the living room couch sitting in a lotus position with the laptop balanced on my lap. If I’m not there, I’ll be somewhere in the house. I rarely venture outside to write unless it’s with paper and pen to brainstorm.
-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?
     Hey, guess what? I am already there! (Turning head to the left) I see a lamp, a family photo, and a big stack of magazines, books, and papers that one of these days I should get around to organizing. lol There might be a bit of dust there too but I’ll never admit to it… Nope, don’t see it. Don’t know what you’re talking about.
-Favorite time to write?
     If I had a preference, it would be mornings when I’m most ready to tackle the day. In reality, it’s whenever I’m able to sneak in a few minutes.
-Drink of choice while writing?
     Water is what I normally drink during the day but I have been known to indulge in a glass of wine or enjoy a rum or coke (or two… or three?) when I write in the evenings. All depends on how much fun I’m having or how much I need to unwind after the kids go to bed. ha ha
-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?
     I go both ways. I enjoy listening to music while I write and will often find that it helps put me in the write mood to get the words out but I’m just as happy listening to silence. Usually music is the catalyst to visualizing a particular scene and if I need to re-trigger those feelings, I’ll play it while I’m writing. Otherwise, whatever is on works.
-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
     You know, I’m not even sure anymore. I wanted to write a story about a woman involved with a man that she finds out is dangerous so that she’s torn between hanging on or letting him go. I didn’t want this to be an easy choice for her and if he was simply human, well, that would be too booorrring. (ha) I sat down to write, gave up on it like I usually do about ten pages into it, and forgot about it. I stumbled across it one day and thought hey, I really like that. I changed it around a bit and voila, the story was born. I often wonder about the inspiration for my stories though (not to mention, some of those crazy dreams I have!) and since I’m a paranormal writer, I have a few odd ideas about that too. As a matter of fact, one of these ideas is currently begging to transform into one of my next books. We shall see…
-What’s your most valuable writing tip?
      Just do it. Seriously. It’s the one and only tip that truly gets me from Point A to Point B. Otherwise, I sit and worry and wonder so long that I never type a single word. Even if it’s crap, I need to just do it and tell myself I’ll fix it later. So far, I haven’t found any other way to finish a book than to actually put one word after another. Crazy!
And who am I?  I’m wife to one and mom to three. I have one self-published novel under my belt titled The Between World and I’m determined to follow a traditional path with my recently completed second novel currently titled Ghosts Don’t Wear Silk Stockings. Sitting down to start my third book over the next few days. (ooooohhh, I always get so excited to start something new!) I live in Pittsburgh and when I’m not writing or reading, you’ll find me doing yoga, camping, or spending time with my family. My stories often have a paranormal flavor to them and ghosts are a personal favorite. I’m an Aries, an INFP, and my favorite color is red. Find me on Facebook, Twitter, or come back to visit me again here on the blog. The doors are always open! Feel free to say hello.
Anything else you want to know? Just ask! I’m a friendly person.

Published by Stephanie Ingram

Author and Short Story Writer

36 thoughts on “GUTGAA Meet and Greet”

  7. Kelley Lynn says:
    Reply

    Hello Stephanie! *waves*

    That titled made me laugh out loud. The golfers walking below my balcony looked at me funny… haha

    Good luck with starting your third novel! Remember to keep your advice in mind. To just do it. When I started my fifth, I had spent SO MUCH TIME on my fourth, it had been edited to perfection, that when I started my fifth I was like THIS IS CRAP! How did I get so bad?

    But then I had to tell myself, those other novels were crap when they started out too…

  8. G. Donald Cribbs says:
    Reply

    Dear Stephanie,

    Nice to meet you. I enjoyed reading your answers for the GUTGAA meet and greet. I see we’re both NF’s, although I’m an ENFJ. I’ve got spawn, er children, too. Four boys. Good luck on the new WIP. I’m currently researching a new one as well.

    Warm regards,

    Don #138

  9. James Garcia Jr says:
    Reply

    Hi, Stephanie. It’s always great to learn more about your pals. Thanks for sharing. I’m currently seated at the dining room table with my laptop. I don’t have an office space, as you may already know. I’m enjoying Labor Day off. How about you? When the season finally dies and things grow thankfully colder, I’ll be sure and pour you a Rum & Coke, too. Actually I prefer Crown, but rum will work. *grins & waves*

    -Jimmy

  15. Rhiann Wynn-Nolet says:
    Reply

    Great title for your second book! Two of my finished books also have ghosts/spirits in them. I also found out about GUTGAA at the last minute, and only started blogging two weeks ago, but hey, YOLO as my teen daughter is overly fond of saying 🙂

  20. Lara Schiffbauer says:
    Reply

    Just do it has become my mantra since I started writing, and especially since I’ve started blogging, tweeting, submitting, querying, etc… There is no better way to get me to get off the fear fence. Have a fabulous GUTGAA!

  23. stephscottil says:
    Reply

    I like this: lotus position on the couch. Me too! I find I need to get up and move around a bit though. I recently got a new couch in an L shape (with an extra long chaise end) and I sit right in that corner and stretch my legs.

    Just do it is a great tip. Books don’t write themselves. Here’s my GUTGAA Meet & Greet post: A Girl and her Diary

  33. michaelsirois says:
    Reply

    Hi, Stephanie–

    I used to listen to all kinds of music when I wrote, but lately I’ve taken to using it only when I need to block out external distractions, so nothing with lyrics, usually post-rock or ambient.

    Have a great time with the rest of GUTGAA.

    Michael

  34. Tamara says:
    Reply

    Hey Stephanie,

    Just thought I’d come say hi. I love that you sit in lotus position. i sit like that all the time! Congrats on the idea for your third book. I just finished my second and I’m so afraid I won’t be able to come up with anything now. I guess I need to take your advice and just do it. 🙂

    In the meantime, I got so inspired by all the great blogs on here that I finally started one.
    I’d love it if you could stop by. I’m kind of in desperate need of followers. haha.

    Anyway, good luck with GUTGAA. Nice to meet you. 🙂

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