I'd like to welcome to my blog Patricia and Aaron, fellow XoXo Publishing Authors! They are going to talk about their little gems and entice you to want to learn more.
1. First off why did you become a writer?
Aaron: It was quite the accident for me. My wife got
me into a role playing group, and I hadn't written anything creative since high
school. I found I really enjoyed creating characters and writing their stories.
Then I saw a call for submissions for an anthology one day. I took a role play
that Patricia and I had done, edited it, and submitted it and it was accepted!
Pat: I had an art teacher give us an assignment in
high school. We were to write a descriptive narrative of a painting we would
like to paint. After reading my paper she called me aside and told me my talent
didn't lie with painting {truthfully I had no talent} but in the telling of the
story behind the painting.
2. What does
your wife think of your writing?
Aaron: My wife Wendy is very supportive. I believe
it helps that I have a very hard rule about not letting my writing interfere
with the kids' activities or our life in general. That's a good thing. It does
make me a very slow writer compared to many others I know though. Patricia and
I have been working on the story for the novel we are working on for nearly two
years.
Pat: ~Giggles~ No wife....but his tells me I have
talent, does that count?
3. Have you
thought about writing a solo novel or do you prefer the team writing?
Aaron: I really enjoy the collaboration of having
another person to write against and with. It helps to have someone to bounce
ideas off of, and honestly I think it makes us both better.
Pat: I wrote poetry as a younger woman. Nothing
published mostly for my own amusement. But no First off I never dreamed of
publishing anything I had ever written *squinting my eyes at my partner, then
grinning* but this one *nodding at Aaron* he was the one who sneaked this in on
me.
4. What
inspires you to write?
Aaron: Similar to my collaboration comment above, my
writing partners inspire me to write. All of them, in their own way. Other
things do as well, maybe something I see, a picture, an idea, a song. There are
some pages in particular on Facebook that I go to in particular when I need a
jump start in the form of a visual image.
Pat: You’re not going to believe me but I have the
ability to remember my dreams and Trish speaks to me a lot through my dreams.
That and in the shower she screams at me in the shower or on my long car
commutes into the city where I work ... she will demand I turn the radio off
and listen to her babble.
5. Do you
have a special place to write in your home?
Aaron: Not really. I write on the couch, at the Tae
Kwon Do studio, at Starbuck's, wherever I get a chance. I have to take the time
where I can.
Pat: I took a car garage a few years ago and
transformed it into a spare room, the rest of my home has dark wood paneling
this room I had dry walled and I painted it a sunflower yellow. There I have my
kitchen table and my computer set up facing a window where I can write and keep
watch on my neighborhood.
6. How did you come up with the idea for your short
story 'Tears of the Mermaid'?
Aaron: I would like Patricia to answer this one :)
Pat: *This gets him another glare* Well it actually
all started when a member of our role playing group created a group page
"Otherworlds: Pirates". Now there were two things as a child I was
sure I was going be when I grew up; one was a pirate the other a cowboy. *Can
we say tomboy* So for a Mermaid this was just tailor made for me and it gave me
wings to fly....
7. Are the characters Rudy and Trish based off of
the authors?
Aaron: Rudy is my character, and I think there is a
lot of me in him. There are several incarnations of him in various settings and
times. He was the first character I ever "created". Loyal, honest,
compassionate, strong-willed, and always putting others ahead of himself, even
though he's been through hard times. He's what I want to be, in a sense.
Pat: I am Trish and she is me there really is no
separation of the two. I am the only landlocked Mermaid you will ever meet.
8. How long did it take you to write the first and
second short stories?
Pat: *Bows and grins* I'll let Aaron answer this
one...all though I will say that we started writing together 2010. He does all
the writing an editing. Truly I am just the side kick he does all the heavy
lifting.
Aaron: She
never gives herself enough credit. We
started the Pirates version of Rudy and Trish in 2011. Those two short stories are part of a much
larger narrative that has taken us nearly two years to complete. But the stories themselves in their current
format took about a day or two to edit from their draft form.
9. Which is your favorite of the two short stories?
Aaron: Wow ... I love them both, but I think my
favorite of the two is "Tears", because it Rudy's fight for Trish,
the willingness to put it all on the line because he loves her more than he
loves his own life. "I would rather die with you than live without
you."
Pat: I have to say I agree with Aaron, not that both
stories aren't dear to my heart, "Tears" means the most to me
personally because this was done out of love and the pure fun of it. Not to be
published nor even have anyone else ever read it. When we started this story I
had no idea where it would take us but I was on the journey of a life time.
10. Aren't you making it into a novel? How is that
coming along?
Aaron: The story is complete, and we are about
30,000 words into the manuscript. I've had to pause because my computer
crashed, but I should have it back this week. Right now it is looking like it
is around a 100,000 word story. And this is hopefully the first in a series,
and I believe it is a unique concept for a series. But I don't want to give all
that away right now.
Pat: Aaron is the idea man I have the habit of
calling him "Butch", if you have ever seen Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance kid you will know what I'm referring to.
11. What's in the future for you?
Aaron: For me, I want to turn the Realmwalker
Prophecy (which is the series name for Rudy and Trish's series) into a
long-running series of novels. I already have ideas for eight or nine books. I
have another collaboration with Dawn Treadway called "Children of Sheol:
Dark Dreams". This is a paranormal romance between a demon and an empathic
human. It's a finished manuscript looking for a home. Got a few other ideas
bouncing around, but as I said above, I'm a slow writer. These ideas could
represent years of writing. Which is okay with me.
Pat: Like I said and have all ways said I'm just the
side kick to his genius. As long as he wants to keep me around I'll be happy to
write with him. I really never expected our story to be picked up much less
published so every day is a gift, a treasure I hold close to my heart.
Aaron:
*Shaking my head* And as I said
before, she is too modest. None of this
would have worked without her.
Fire Round:
Chocolate or Vanilla Aaron: Vanilla Pat: Vanilla
Favorite Color Aaron:
Blue Pat: Red
Morning Noon or Night Aaron:
Night Pat: Night
Weekdays or Weekends Aaron: Weekends Pat: Yes
Favorite Holiday Aaron: Thanksgiving.
What? I like food. Pat: Hands down. Halloween
Favorite Vacation Spot Aaron: Just about anywhere
Pat: The beach ANY beach.
Favorite Sport Aaron: Football, hockey, and soccer Pat:
Watching the UK Wild Cats
Favorite Saying Aaron: Sometimes you have to go through something to
realize why you did it. Pat: Where are we and why are we in this
handbasket?
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Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies. You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories! Here's where you can find them:
Evernight Volume 1: Amazon XoXo ARe
Evernight Volume 2: Amazon XoXo ARe
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