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  • Writer's pictureHelen Blacksmith

Since I'm not really "out there" just yet, I figured I would practice my interview skills by answering some questions I may get when I get my name out there. So here it goes...




1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?


I wouldn't say that I ever realized that I wanted to be a writer. It was more like, one day, I just realized that I am a writer. For as long as I can remember I have always written little stories, made casts for movie ideas I created, and got involved with fan fiction for various tv couples.

2. How long does it take you to write a book?


It can take me anywhere from six months to a year depending on my motivation and how in-depth my story idea is.

3. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?


I write whenever I can. I have endless notes about scene ideas, scene successions, and dialogue scattered throughout the notes in my phone and in every single notebook I own, including work ones.

4. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?


I don't know if it's a quirk as much as it's a miracle that I get anything completed with how scattered everything is. I never write in order, and then, in the end, I piece the scenes together like a puzzle.

5. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?


I get them from everywhere: little ideas sparked from something small I see in a movie or something I read about, what-if scenarios created from real-life scenarios. Inspiration is literally everywhere.

6. When did you write your first book and how old were you?


I wrote my first complete novel two years ago. I was forty-one years old.

7. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love spending time with my dog. I love my job as an educator. I love to draw. And I love movies.


8. What does your family think of your writing?


I'm not sure. They really haven't said much, but I think they're probably proud of me.

9. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?


That I could actually do it. Actually that I could actually finish it. Having ADD is a real struggle, and writing a book with it is a Herculean effort, but it can be done. I am proof of that.

10. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?


Altogether, I have completed six total books I think, with The Summers We Lost being my baby. It was the first one I completed and it's the one I want to see on the big screen someday.

11. Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?


Don't give up. Keep at it, and just have patience. And don't look for perfection. I'm pretty sure you will never find it.

12. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?


Feedback has been pretty positive, but I'm just getting started. I hope to hear more from them in the future.

13 What do you think makes a good story?


Books that make people think, and books that make people feel.

14. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?


I wanted to be an actress, and now I kind of get to do that even if it's just in my head.

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  • Writer's pictureHelen Blacksmith

When I wrote my first novel, The Summers We Lost, my intention was to create a book that told a happily-ever-after story for a lesbian couple. I wanted a little angst and a little drama but overall the happiness is what I wanted. I will be the first to admit that my knowledge of lesbians in fiction is minimum, but I do know that in television and movies they often end up in situations where someone is cheating or one of them ends up dead. I really wanted this to have feel-good vibes to it.


Battle Scars, my first novella, was rather dark but given the subject matter I think it was expected but again I wanted to tell a story from a perspective other than mine, an anglo heterosexual.


For me it's important that my characters are diverse. The age old adage is that you should write what you know, but I don't think that's much of a challenge. To put myself in someone else's shoes, and try to think and feel from their life experiences is much more difficult than to just write what I've been through or how I feel. For me, that is the ultimate challenge as a writer and I love putting other types of characters in the spotlight where they deserve to be.


Helen

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