Please Welcome My Guest......

Since I first became a published author I have been extraordinarily well-treated by established authors who have invited me to guest on their web or blog sites. Now it is my turn to start welcoming some of those authors, and some new ones too.

My first guest is fellow Books We Love author, Janet Lane Walters. Janet is a mother and grandmother and has penned more than thirty novels. She writes in several genres - from sweet to sensual romance, from contemporary to fantasy and paranormal. She has published cozy mysteries, medical suspense, and Young Adult fantasies.

 She answered my questions with some very interesting answers. Please check back on Thursday, February 16th for details of some of her books and how to contact her. Thank you, Janet!

Q: What is one subject or genre you would never write about and why? 
A: I will never write horror. I don't even like to read in the genre. I have never acquired a taste for this kind of story. I would also not write hard science fiction or genres that are heavy on the science end of the spectrum. I don't feel I have enough information to write tech focused fiction.

Q: What was the best writing advice you ever had, and did it work? 
A: Years and years ago, I went to a conference in Pittsburgh. The speaker gave this advice. Finish the book. Then revise. Don't look at what you've written until you have completed the story. Plan, plan, plan before you start. Since that day, I've followed that advice and it does work. 

Q: What type of scene do you find the hardest to write? Funny, romantic, scary, or sad?
A: I find the opening scene the hardest to write and often write that scene eight or nine times before I can begin the book. After that the rest of the scenes come fairly easy.

Q: Do you read your reviews? If so, how do you celebrate the good and get over the bad? 
A: Yes, I do read the reviews but I don't let whatever they are trouble me. I feel what has been said positive or negative is just one person's opinion. Many of my writer friends obsess over the bad reviews. This only makes one upset and can keep someone from writing.

Q: Do you work with critique partners? If so, what do you most like about the process? If not, is this an avenue you would consider in the future and if not, why not? 
A: I belong to a great critique group. We've been in existence since around 1990. Though members have come and gone, the group is supporting and always gives me a hit on the head when I've gone off track.

Q: Have you ever judged any writing competitions? If you have, what about the process surprised you the most?
A: I judge one or two competitions every year. What surprises me is the published contest I judge and how some stories though in categories I enjoy reading often fall short. Some are published by publishers and some self-published. I often wonder why some editor hasn't asked for more re-writes.

FUN QUESTIONS:

Q: What holidays do you most like to celebrate? 
A: Christmas is my very favorite. I love filling stockings for the large family and spend all year finding trinkets and useful items to put in them. I also love decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments collected over the years. The children, in-laws and grandchildren have fun opening the stockings.

Q: Which of the four seasons do you like/dislike the most and why?
A: While thinking about this, I found I couldn't dislike anyone of the seasons. At first I thought winter but my favorite holiday comes in winter. I also thought summer but that's when my birthday falls. Spring and autumn have the advantage of cooler or warmer weather. I would have to live in a place where there wasn't fall with the colorful display of leaves or spring when the new growth begins.

Q: What is your greatest extravagance? 
A: Buying books. Just the other day I spent a hundred books re-filling my kindle. I have always bought too many books.

Q:You are offered a free vacation, one a beach destination, the other a sight-seeing tour, which would you choose and why? 
A: I would be torn but maybe Hilton Head since my daughter lives there and traveling to West Palm Beach from there wouldn't be too long of a trip. But then I think of Hawaii and my times on the beach there, I would want to choose that. I might ask if I could plan a beach tour hitting all my favorites.

SPEED QUESTIONS: 

Have you ever:

1. Lied about your age? No

2. Danced naked in the rain? No

3. Called in sick to work when you weren’t sick? Yes. Mental health day though.

4. Won a contest? Yes.

5. Eaten ice cream straight from the carton? Yes.

6. Locked yourself out of your house? Yes and spent the night in a friend's attic apartment complete with wall to wall windows looking over the Hudson River.

7. Ridden a motorcycle? Yes.

8. Taken an enormous risk? No.

9. Gotten lost in a strange city? No.

10. Eaten a whole packet of cookies? Yes/

11. Watched the stars at night? No though I do watch the moon.

12. Worn odd socks? Yes. My granddaughters do this all the time. Seems to be some style thing.

 

So there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed meeting Janet. Look for her books and contact information tomorrow!