Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Amanda Hocking Interview Blast from the Past May 12 2010



1: What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?

I’m a complete night owl. I usually start around 9 or 10 at night, and then I just go until I’m done. I usually hit my stride after midnight, and sometimes I’ll write until 11 am or noon.

2: Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

Paper and pen. I don’t actually write stories in notepads anymore, but I outline like crazy. I jot down all my idea, create a “cast list” for my characters, and get a complete story arc. I usually go chapter by chapter in a notebook, and then I write on the computer from there.

3: What do you draw inspiration from?

Everything. I try to incorporate the things that make me the happiest and draw from things I enjoy the most. That sounds vague, but I don’t know how else to define it. My idea always start with characters, though, and situations develop from there. So I’d say I’m inspired the most by people.

4: Do you set yourself goals when you sit down to write such as word count?

Yes. Definitely. The most I ever wrote in one sitting was just over 15,000 words, and I’m always trying to beat it. (No luck yet.)

5: Being a self published author how do you come up with your cover art?

Stock photos, digital photos, photoshop. I’m trying to keep the books in the series consistent, but I think next time around, I’m paying an artist to do something.

6: What drives you to chose the career of being a writer?

I never really wanted to be anything else. When I was very small, before I could write, I would tell stories. And as soon as I could write, I was writing. I’ve always had notebooks full of short stories and ideas.

7: Do you own an ebook reading devise?

I do not. I have Kindle on my PC and smart phone, but I don’t own an actual Kindle. I plan to get one, and maybe once the royalties start rolling in, I can afford one. :)

8: Who are some of your favorite authors and What are you reading now?

My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, J. D. Salinger, Chuck Palahniuk, Richelle Mead, and e e cummings. Right now, I’m reading Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk, and I gotta be honest, it’s a bit of chore. He wrote it the way new immigrants speak English, so it makes it difficult to understand. I’ve had it for almost a week, and I’m only page 30. It usually takes me about a day to read his books.

9: What do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?

I don’t know what to think of book trailers. Apparently, they help market the books. But even when I see high class ones on the TV for James Patterson or Dean Koontz, I cringe at how lame they look. It makes me want to not buy their books. But the good folks on the Kindleboards.com have told me they’re lucrative, so I’ll have to look into it more.

10: What are you working on now that you can talk about?

I’m working on about 5 different books. The third book in my My Blood Approves series is coming out on May 29th. It’s a paranormal romance set in Minneapolis. I have a few different books I plan to release, but I’m focusing on this series first.
I’m almost writing a graphic novel about cannibal unicorns, and that’s an interesting process because I’ve never written a graphic novel. It may never see the light of day, but I’m tremendously excited about it right now.

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