It’s Wednesday, so that means it’s time for another fabulous (cause they’re fabulous right, right?) author interview here at the blog.
Today’s author is Edie Ramer–and Edie is fabulous. She recently made it to the third round of the American Title V Contest with her book, DEAD PEOPLE. Way to go, Edie!
Now, on to the interview…
1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and the genre (or genres) that you write.
Cynthia, thanks so much for having me here today!
I live in southeastern Wisconsin with my handsome husband, my beautiful cat and my loveable dog. None of us has any faults. Can you believe that?
I write light paranormal and women’s fiction. Though the genres are different, my characters in both are damaged and quirky. In my wip, my heroine and her family are aliens. Not illegal, but extraterrestrial. When I’m not bleeding out words, it’s a fun book to write. Aliens get to do things that earth people can’t do.
(I’d love to tell you what some of those things are, but they have blaster guns and would make me suffer.)
2. Describe your current (or upcoming) release in 15 words or less.
A ghost whisperer thinks men are hard and DEAD PEOPLE are easy.
3. That was a great description, Edie! Great!
And now, feel free to use as many words as you’d like to describe your story.
I could get in trouble here. That’s like saying “Take as many cashews as you want.” Lucky for anyone reading this, the current round of the American Title V contest is our story summaries. My longer summary is on the Romantic Time contest page, so here’s my shorter paragraph:
When Cassie Taylor talks, ghosts listen. She wants to heal their souls so they can leave earth. Brooding songwriter Luke Rivers wants to give his newly found daughter a normal home, but he discovers his new house in small town Wisconsin is haunted by a ghost with an attitude. His ghost whisperer has an attitude too–even before someone tries to kill her. So why does he have the hots for her? And why does she lust after him? He wants conventional. She wants acceptance. No wonder she thinks men are hard and DEAD PEOPLE are easy.
4. Which character do you like more from DEAD PEOPLE—the hero or the heroine? Why?
You ask tough questions! Luke is a sexy, brooding songwriter who is trying to do the right thing by his newly discovered eleven-year old daughter – even if she hates him for it. How could I not love a man like this?
But I’ll pick Cassie, because she’s more proactive and has more at stake. She’s trying to get the ghost out of Luke’s house before she does something stupid like falling for him and his sad daughter. And Cassie is the only one who knows that the ghost was murdered. The ghost doesn’t even know it. Then there’s Cassie’s hunky best friend who used to be a police detective before he was killed – fifty years ago.
5. What is the most challenging part of being a writer?
The most challenging part is selling. Other than that, I challenge myself to write each book better than the last. I’m not satisfied with writing an okay book. I want to write a fabulous book. I want it to resonate inside me. I want to feel that excitement when you know it’s good. It doesn’t always happen, so I challenge myself to make it happen.
6. In a fight, who would win…Dracula or the wolf-man?
I’m so thorough (anal), I looked this up. Benicio del Toro is playing Wolfman in the 2009 movie. He’s hot. He’s brooding. (Like Luke in DEAD PEOPLE. 😆 ) I’ll pick him over Dracula any day.
7. What’s your favorite scary movie? Come on, spill. No explanations—just name it. Let everyone else guess why.
Marley and Me. (I know it’s not billed as a scary movie. But if you saw the ending …)
8. Tell me the one thing you wish you’d known about being a writer, um, before you became a writer.
I wish I’d known about RWA when I first started to write. Romance writers rock! Romance writers are the most supportive, sharing and caring group I’ve ever met. Through RWA I’ve met my CPs, which led to the Magical Musings blog and many of my cyber friends. From different loops and blogs, I find out the latest publishing news. Like the American Title V contest. And writing classes, including Margie Lawson’s.
Without RWA and all the interconnections, I wouldn’t know you, Cynthia. Though I’d probably be reading your books and wishing I knew you. 😀
9. What is your writing schedule like?
People have schedules? 😯 I’m not structured. My goal this year is to get structure in my life. To write at least five pages in the morning before I check my email and blogs. Only then will I reward myself with the Internet.
As it is, I check my emails and internet and then open my wip file. So I end up writing on and off all day, checking emails in between. My goal is to have a normal working day. Writing is my job and I need to treat it like one.
10. Tell me anything you’d like to tell me.
I love writing. I love it when my voice melds with the voice of my character and I’m in the flow. I love it when I read something I wrote and I know it’s good. I imagine it’s the same thing an artist feels when she looks at a painting or sculpture she did and she knows in her heart that it’s beautiful.
And I love revising. I can’t always write in the flow, but during revisions I can put something good – something special – in every page. And if something bugs me, no matter how small, I listen to that niggle in my mind. I fix it. I want to make the ms. shine from every angle: writing, characters and plotting. I want magic to happen.
Thanks for answering my interview questions!
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If you’d like to vote for Edie’s story, DEAD PEOPLE, in the American Title V Contest, just send a blank email with the subject of “Dead People” to votes@romantictimes.com.
