My Name Is and I Write...

I've already posted this month about goals, so I thought I'd talk about something different. Part of knowing your goals as a writer is also "knowing" who you are as a writer. Recently I was asked by two online sites to have my interview done, to share with readers about myself as a writer and my work. It took some time thinking about and answering the many questions. But it was interesting and I had a chance to think about things that I haven't before. I'm going to share some of those questions (from both places) and hope sometime you might sit down and analyze yourself, get to know you the writer better.

Who is Starla Kaye (insert your name here) really? Are you married, have a significant other, kids? Pets? What are your hobbies and interests? What things other than writing are important to you?

If I were going to interview you in person where would we meet...describe a room of your house...or the view from your deck...or a favorite little cafe. The idea is to give the reader a sense of who you are and what you are like as a person.

When do you write? What kind of atmosphere? Do you write in the same place all the time? Do you need quiet or do you like music, noise, activity around you? Are you a night owl or a morning person? Again the idea is to give the reader a sense of who you are and what you are like as a person.

Do you take forever to write a book or do you write quickly? How many books do you write in an average year? How many have you written in your career?

What was your inspiration to begin writing?

How long have you written romance? Have you ever written or considered writing other genres? What drew you to the romance genre?

What sets your work apart from the work of other romance authors? What can a reader who picks up one of your books expect to find?

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you plan your stories before you write, or do you let your characters lead you through the story as you are writing it? Have any of your characters ever surprised you because you thought they would do one thing and they ended up doing something else? Think about an example from your work.

Can you relate any funny, heartwarming, touching stories about meeting readers or friends or family reading your work?

Can you tell me a bit about where you get the ideas for your stories, what elements attract you to a story?

Is there one of your books that stands out as your favorite? What do you think makes it stand out for you?

In your writing projects, do you have a favorite hero? Why him? What made him special to you and, hopefully, special to a reader?

In your writing projects, do you have a favorite heroine? Why her? What made her special to you and, hopefully, special to a reader?

Some authors seem to be everywhere--in groups--on MySpace--on Twitter--on various forums--just chatting and occasionally (or more frequently) promoting their books. Do you consider yourself one of the authors that is out there--highly social--or are you quieter--more reserved?

Along with that, are you on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace? Do you have a blog or a website?

We have talked about pieces and parts of some of these questions here on this blog. But take sometime to think about or rethink about the questions and have fun learning about you the writer. Plus, you'll be pretty set for an interview of your own at some point, adding in, of course, information about specific books you've written.

Just so you know, I'm one of those who attempts to be an author who is "out there," socially connected. But I'm really stumbling along with all of that because it is very time-consuming to keep up with everything.
Website: www.starlakayeromance.com
Helpful Blog: www.starlakayeromance.com/blog
Main Promotional Blog: http://starlakayeromance.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com (Starla Writes)
Facebook: Starla Kay Criser
LinkedIn: Starla Criser