EVE CULLEY
- Guest Author -
G'day folks,
Welcome to my first interview for 2018 - Eve Culley from Texas, U. S. A.
Welcome, Eve ...
1.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT
YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.
I live in the great state of Texas with my
hubby, grandson and all the critters that I write about in my books. Those
critters that live in our barn are chickens, ducks, geese, goats, rabbits, and turkeys.
We also have armadillos, cattle, coyotes, hawks, horses, llamas, and skunks that
are in the fields around us and find their way into my stories as well.
2.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU
BECOME A WRITER?
I started writing in
high school and stopped after I got married. However, I continued telling
stories to our children and grandchildren.
3.
WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A
MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?
I spend time in the mornings at the barn listening and
watching the animals. I see and hear the stories they are telling me and put
those ideas into notebooks for later use. I transfer my notes to a reference
file on my laptop and go from there. I also do research on speciality animals
or land areas that will appear in the book.
4.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST
ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
I think that I enjoy
seeing my ideas come to life on the page, to see that world evolve and become
real. Plus there is also the joy I derive from folk reading, learning and
enjoying my created world.
5.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST
THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
The hardest thing I
have found when I am writing is remembering to carve out time for the humans I
live with. I tend to forget the “real
world” they live in and must remember to come out of my world for a visit.
6.
WHAT WERE YOU IN A
PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
I was a school teacher,
a missionary, worked in a railroad shop as a purchasing agent among other
things.
7.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
I think it would have
to be seeing my idea grow from thought into a finished book.
8.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING
ON AT THE MOMENT?
I have started my
fourth book which contains several short stories. I find this concept just as
thrilling as any of the books previously written. The challenge is to tie the short stories
together so the flow from one subject to another and yet each story remains
complete within itself.
9.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
The magnificent and
glorious creation that God has made for man to enjoy and the interconnectivity
of it all.
10.
WHAT GENRE DO YOU
WRITE?
I write children’s
books.
11.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS
FOR NEW WRITERS?
I have been so blessed
to have a few well-known authors encourage me and answer my sometimes endless
questions on how to do such and such. They share their wisdom with me and I am
so grateful. My tip would be to find someone who is willing to do that for
them. I spend several hours a day when I
am not writing, reading their web sites and others on how to better hone my
craft.
12.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM
WRITER’S BLOCK?
I think everyone has
dry spells. I don’t call it writer’s
block. I just think the mind needs breaks to do other things like fold laundry,
sit on the front porch, talk to people about things you have or may not have in
common. When the mind is rested the words will flow and you’ll be compelled to
put them on paper.
13.
DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED
WRITING SCHEDULE?
I know some authors do
but I do not have a set schedule. When
it’s time to write, I write. Early mornings, late mornings, afternoons,
evenings and late at night I write until I need to stop. Then I stop writing
and do other things like visit the barn, sit on the front porch and drink
coffee, fold laundry….
14.
DO YOU HAVE A
FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
I do. My favourite place to write is in the living
room with my laptop on a snack tray. I can pretty much tune anything out but at
least that way my hubby, grandson and house critters can see me. I probably
won’t answer them if they ask me a question, but they’re use to that by now (grin).
15.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
JOY IN WRITING?
Reaching the
imagination of the reader and transporting them to my world for a visit.
16.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE
AUTHOR AND WHY?
Shanna Hatfield – Hardman Holidays
Book. A Christian romance series of six books set in Oregon in
the 1800’s.
Meets all my requirements for a good read.
17.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST
COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
A ten year old boy said
he cried when he read a sad part in the book.
18.
WHAT WAS THE WORST
COMMENT FROM A READER?
I was told I did not
have enough adventures in the first book.
19.
WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES
INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
Yes, almost everything
in my life ends up in my books.
20.
OTHER THAN WRITING,
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
Easy question, The Lord
Jesus Christ, my family and my critters.
21.
DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK
/ BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
Yes I did.
22.
DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT
DAY.
Coffee with French
Vanilla creamer on the front porch early in the morning. Talking with my
turkeys and other critters at the barn. Western omelette and green salad for
lunch. Quiet rain in the afternoon and
grandson completed all his school work for the day with no complaining. Hot
coco and fuzzy jammies and a good book to finish out the night.
23.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A
DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
My hubby, because he
cooks and I don’t.
24.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF
YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
Grow up! Life’s too
short for your animosity.
25.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?
My plans are to
continue to write and publish more books for children to read. Although I do
have several adult readers who like my books as well as the younger ones.
26.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON BOOK TRAILERS? DO THEY SELL
BOOKS?
I think that book
trailers are good tools to use in marketing. I believe they can generate more
traffic for the books. I think that
anything that helps draw interest to your book is a good thing.
27.
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN
ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
I suppose so - if I
squinted my eyes and titled my head a little bit to the right.
28.
DOES THE PUBLISHING
INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
NO! I am very thankful
to the publishing industry!
29.
DID YOU EVER THINK OF
QUITTING?
NO! I feel very blessed
to write. Truthfully, I need to write to let everybody in my head out into
their own space.
30.
WHAT WAS YOUR
FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
Each manuscript that I
work on is my favourite. It contains the joys and sorrows of Barn Town that
demand to breathe life and share their story with us.
31.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A
WRITER?
For
me it is having a reader say, “Yes, I like this book. I understand this book.”
32.
WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY
FEEL?
I
would hope that they understand that the animals in my stories have just as
complicated lives as we do.
33.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES? EVER WRITTEN A SCREENPLAY?
My
dream is for one of my books to be made into a movie. I have even thought who
would do the voice overs for the different characters. I have never written a
screenplay.
34.
HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
I was asked what I wanted on the cover and then Amanda L.
Matthews made them beautiful!
35.
WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
To
have my books published in different languages for children all over.
36.
WRITING IS ONE
THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
Marketing
is a struggle for me, but I am learning through classes and lots of reading.
37.
ARE YOUR BOOKS
SELF-PUBLISHED?
No
38.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.
Animal-lover,
Family First, Opinionated, Soft-hearted
39.
WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
Being
told I can’t do something that I am capable of doing
40.
WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
Don Quixote - yes
41.
WHAT WOULD BE
THE VERY LAST SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?
Time
to get back to work folks.
42.
WHAT WOULD MAKE
YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?
A
contract for 3 books.
43.
ANYTHING YOU’D
LIKE TO ADD?
I
appreciate very much your time in doing this for me, Clancy. Thank you.
VIDEOS:
Clancy's comment: Most welcome, Eve. You have a great attitude. Great answers also. I wish you huge sales.
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