Creators of My Watty Favorites (Part 1)

Interview : KerrieSalsac

This beautiful woman is an amazing writer. I sincerely believe that her works deserve a lot more reads than she's getting. Her story "The Unwitting Thief" is amazing! She's a great poet as well. I haven't read her other stories yet, but I'm sure they are awesome as well.

First off, - what's your name? (or nickname, if you don't prefer to give your name away).

Kerrie Ann Salsac

What are your major works so far?

The Unwitting Thief (Book One of the DragonKin Trilogy) [An Epic Fantasy Adventure Novel] Entrapment [A Contemporary White Collar Crime Novel]

What draws you to the genre(s) you write?

I have dabbled in many, but my heart longs for fantasy. I relish in the challenge of persuading my readers to believe in the impossible, and open the door that allows our escape from reality.

What are you working on at the moment?

The Unwitting Thief I am almost finished with my first draft, and my first 7 chapters have been roughly proof read and edited (and uploaded to Wattpad). I am aiming to have the first 50 pages polished and ready to submit to a publishing contest in January ’14, so wish me luck!

Which writers inspire you?

Trudi Canavan, because of her ability to move from POV to POV. This is something I have worked into my novel, The Unwitting Thief, and I hope I can pull it off as well as she does. J.R.R. Tolkien, because he is the most inspirational writer I know. He did amazing things with words, and his books are still a hot favorite around the world. Brent Weeks, because he wrote about children being corrupted and bent to another’s will in a fantasy medieval setting. His writing is believable, and I hope mine is too.

What made you decide to sit down and actually start something?

I always wanted to be an author, but I kept putting it off. I was either too busy, or lacked the confidence to try. However, in the summer of 2012, I had finished University and I was struggling to find employment. Being unemployed, I was going stir crazy. I was used to being busy almost 24/7, and that was when I decided to give my dream a chance. I started with poetry and short stories, but NaNoWriMo ’12 was fast approaching, and although it was scary, I jumped in headfirst.

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?

I usually have a loose outline, and I use Scrivener to plot them down. If you don’t use Scrivener, then I highly suggest you check it out. It has everything a writer needs in one place. I love it. My outlines aren’t set in stone, and they get changed very much as I move along the outline, but it helps me get my ideas down fast before they fly away. Then I flesh them out, and watch as my characters make decisions for me.

What is the hardest and the easiest thing about writing?

The hardest for me would be editing process. I struggle to pick up on my own mistakes, and I am loath to cut anything out. The easiest is the rapid-fire writing at the beginning. When an idea takes hold and I just it down and let my fingers fly over the keyboard. I don’t worry about anything, I just write, write, and write.

Do you ever get writer’s Block? If you do, how do you win over it?

Yes. Sometimes I reach a point and I don’t know where I am going next. I tend to walk away from it and dabble in something else. Usually flash fiction or poetry, so it is just a short break. Then I go back and re read a chunk leading up to my block. Sometimes I realize that I need to go back and change things, and sometimes it’s just enough to read it through to spark the buzz again.

Do you proofread / edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?

I do it first, but I have friends and family that read it and let me know what needs looking at. Of course there is also the lovely folk on Wattpad who give me great feedback!

How do you handle hate mail or negative comments (if you get any at all)?

I haven’t had any yet, and I hope it stays that way. But I’d like to think that if I did get any, I wouldn’t engage in any conflict, and I would just move on, enjoying the lovely mail and comments.

If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?

Mine, because it is awesome! But, seriously, I would have loved to be the author of Lord of the Rings, and not because of how famous it is. I would love to have a mind like J.R.R. Tolkien. He created an entire world, a whole array of new creatures, and his own language. The man was a genius!

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

I would tell them to just pour their heart, mind, and soul onto the page in front of them. Forget spelling, and forget grammar. You can go back and clean it up later, and even get some help doing so, but the idea and the story, that is the essential part that can only come from you. Most importantly, forget about what anyone else thinks of it! Doubt will get you nowhere.

What were / are you like at school? Were you good at English?

Hmm… Well, if you’re interested. I was born and raised on a tiny island called Jersey. I think Jersey is a lovely place, but it did not prepare me for the outside world very much. I did much of my emotional growth at University. At University I studied Law, and I am technically now a Lawyer. However, I am not fully qualified to practice law as a solicitor or barrister. Incidentally, my first novel is about a Law Firm, and my main protagonist is a newly qualified solicitor. Oh here is an interesting fact (I think), Entrapment is inspired very loosely by my life and experience. I’ll leave that one hanging in the air shall I?

When it came to english I was very good. My head mistress had my poetry in a few newsletters, and told my parents to never let me stop writing! I love that woman, and I send her updates every now and then.  Thank you very much for showing such interest, it is incredibly flattering.