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.
Stephanie Ingram 