Joan's new release The Clock Strikes Midnight is an e-book ready for download! Joan, can you tell us what your book is about?
The Clock Strikes
Midnight is a race against time in a quest for revenge and atonement. This
is a story about hate, love, betrayal and forgiveness.
If you
found out you had only 3 months to live, what would you do? That’s the question
Janie Knox faces in this fast-paced mystery full of uncertainty and tension
that will surprise you until the very last page.
Tell us a bit about yourself. I’m a
communications consultant married to a psychiatrist. I have three stepchildren
and 4 step-grandchildren. I’m also the mom of five animals (5 cats and one
dog). I love to travel, particularly to Italy. I spend most of my time reading,
writing, working out and doing mundane things that life demands.
It sounds like we have a lot in common, Joan! :)
How old were you when you knew you were interested in
writing? Don’t know
if I can identify a particular age. I wrote a play when I was in 8th
grade. That was probably my first non-assigned written work. But, I also
directed and produced puppet shows in our garage. So, why didn’t I become a
famous Hollywood director?
That could definitely be in your future!
Did you excel at writing as a child, or did this skill
emerge with age? I’d guess my writing skill emerged. My
mom encouraged us to be creative. Writing was just one part of that. My sister
had artistic talent—she could draw and paint. I suspect my mom was focused on
her talent, and she let mine emerge.
It’s always great when a parent encourages
creativity! Did you ever think about
writing and have your sister illustrate?
Do you most love to write the type of books you like to
read? Absolutely I write the type of books I’d like to
read. When I say that, I mean fiction. I
read a lot of biography, but I don’t see myself as ever becoming a biographer.
That’s too limiting. I like to be able to create and manage the “truth.” You
can’t do that with biography!
I agree, but I bet you would write a very interesting
autobiography!
I see you are a cat lover.
Do you include cats into your stories? There is
a cat in The Clock Strikes Midnight (and a dog), but she doesn’t play a
dominant role. In my mystery series, which will debut in the spring of next
year, the main character has two cats, Churchill and Stalin. Because she is a
single young woman, her cats are like her children. They are very important to
her and to the story. I do not like books where cats do things cats would never
do—like talk or capture a villain. My cat characters are real cats.
I love animals and am passionate about them. I like that you incorporated them into your
story cats – it helps to appeal to more people and makes your characters more
realistic!
What sparks your ideas for your stories? Anything can spark an idea. Living sparks ideas. The key is
taking that idea and putting it on paper. I have many ideas, but I don’t always
follow up with them. Usually an idea starts the story and then things happen I
don’t expect. The idea is the impetus.
I love it when the spark strikes at midnight! Then you might be up for hours, but it’s
worth it! I also love how life can spark
stories! The stories I love most are
based in reality!
Do you typically write one genre, or do you try several? I’ve written in the mystery genre (but two sub-genres) in
fiction. The Clock Strikes Midnight is a mystery/suspense. My series, which
will debut with e-Murderer, is a cozy mystery. I’ve also published nonfiction
business books. That is a very different kind of writing. It helps me to write
in different genre in order to keep my writing sharp.
Wow! That sounds
like a lot of fun to me! Each type of
writing uses a different part of your brain, and I’m sure that it does help to
filter into all of what you create! I
can’t wait to read your stories! I
bought The Clock Strikes Midnight yesterday. I just have to upload it to my Nook! :)
How does blogging help you?
Is it mostly promotional or do you benefit personally in your writing as
well? Similar to the last question, blogging is a
different form of writing. The good thing about blogging is it requires you to
write nearly every day. You soon learn that you can write all kinds of
things—usually not fiction, but I have put some flash fiction on my blog. I see
blogging as another way to keep my writing skills sharp.
I rarely use blogging as
“promotional.” Instead I see it as a way to engage both writers and readers. I
strive to present good content—tips for writers, challenges to writing,
interviews with authors, reviews of books, character conversations, grammar
conundrums, to name a few.
I love your blog!
You help me and many others with all your wonderful hints and tips! I am very blessed to have found such a
wonderful inspiration in you to help mentor me!
What is your personal ratio of ideas to finished products
(guestimate)? I
can only guess but I’d say about 50-50. I need to reduce that number and that’s
my plan for next year—Yippee! A New Year’s resolution.
Haha! You know
what they say about New Year’s resolutions!
What do you do with ideas you don’t complete? (Do you save them for a possible ideas for
future writing or do they go into a place of no passion?) They usually languish in my computer. If I don’t complete
something, then I don’t have enough energy around that story to see it
finished. It’s best to move on.
I, personally, am a horder. I think I MAY, someday, return to develop an idea.
At least you have the comfort of knowing you can go back if you choose, but I agree – don’t waste time on
something that just doesn’t hold the passion anymore.
What is your method for writing? I’m
a pantser. I say that having just learned the meaning of the word. My stories
evolve. The characters tend to take over and move the story along. My method is
to create very strong characters around some idea or event and then to see what
happens. That kind of writing means I usually spend a lot of time editing. But,
I’ve found it is the only method that works for me.
I was going to ask what a “pantser” was! J I love it when a story takes a life of its
own. It makes it more realistic, believable,
and I’m more willing to invest in it.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received for writing? Not to give up in the face of rejection. All writers hear
that, but it’s very hard to put into practice. You spend so much time working
on something and still you hear things like, “The story is too sad,” or “I
can’t get into your story,” or “Show don’t tell.” It becomes quite a challenge
to stick with it. Much of the criticism is good and has helped me become a
better writer. The trick is sifting the good out of the rest and to keep going.
I have to agree.
I have been so discouraged, but somehow, I always found my way back to
looking for that publicist. I think it
is very difficult to get a company to read your product with any real effort
due to the market being inundated with the masses of manuscripts. However, I agree – don’t give up on your dream! I am still working out the sifting
process!
What would you avoid with writing?
I’m game for most things as far as writing goes. I suppose I avoid writing
horror or science fiction. Those are two areas I do not read and have little
experience with. I did write a ghost story once that might be construed as
horror, but that’s about as close as I’ve ever gotten to either of those genres.
I think it is good to avoid things you’re not
passionate about. Writing just seems
flat (or I can’t get into it) when an author just doesn’t put his/her heart
into it! I, also, am not a fan of horror!
What is your purpose for writing?
I’m not sure I have a purpose. I write because I can and I like it.
That is purpose enough for me! You do it because you are called to it, and
you love it!
Are you currently working on anything? Gosh! I’m working on so many things: 1) My WIP is a second
book in the Jenna Scali (cozy) series. 2) I’m writing a series of stories for a
story blog 3) I’m creating a prequel for The Clock Strikes Midnight for
Wattpad. 4) I have a stand-alone mystery floating around in my head that is
dying to get out.
You are a very busy lady! I will be looking forward to reading it
all!
Where can we find your books? All my books are on
Amazon and Barnes&Noble. The Clock Strikes Midnight is also on Kobo Books.
Here are some links.
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-clock-strikes-midnight-joan-curtis/1120581919?ean=2940046275223
MuseItUp Publishing: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/coming-soon/the-clock-strikes-midnight-detail
Any last words, advice, or comments?
Thank you, Sheri. I appreciate the opportunity to think more about my own
journey as a writer.
Thank you so much for this great honor, Joan! I truly enjoyed it and learning more about you! :)
