Author Bio:
Candice Lee holds a BFA in Creative Writing. As a long time New Yorker who has studied myth, religion, poetry and philosophy from the Mahabharata to the Mabinogi-on, she has developed a healthy sense of the sublime and the ridiculous. She enjoys travelling with her husband through the Mediterranean where every street is an arti-fact and every sunrise a poem. She is also a sculptor of mythic subjects.
What inspires you to write?
Great writers inspire me to write, the beauty of the world, and of people at their best. Also, I write when life sucks. I like to write to get away from it all or to rant about things or try to find a solution to them.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am a seat of the pants writer. I usually have a vague idea of what I want to do, but sometimes the characters don’t agree. If I try and force them into my scene, they get quiet and I find I can’t go on until I listen to them. Also, I edit like mad. After I vomit out the story, I go back over everything to find the themes, and sharpen the plot and style. I find the gems in the story and toss the rest.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen. I listen hard and try not to interfere. I try to get down as much as I hear, in the purist form that I’ve heard it. What I write is never as good as what I hear in my head, except for rare moments.
What advice would you give other writers?
I know it is trite advice, but keep writing. I am a much better writer that I was when I finished college. I kept writing even through rejections. They say you need ten-thousand hours of doing a thing before you master it. You’ll never get those hours if you don’t keep writing.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I self-published. it is said that most authors have to wade through hundreds of rejections until they get a publisher. My favorite authors had to wade through at least two-hundred. I am not a patient person, so I thought I would see if I could publish a book. It has been a fun, learning experience.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I don’t know. Publishers have been the guardians at the gate for years making sure only a certain type or quality of book gets published. Now there is a lot of crap out there, but there was only a little less crap out there when the publishers ran the world. So, I guess we’ll see what happens.
What do you use?
Professional Editor, Beta Readers.
What genres do you write?
Literary, Metaphysical, Multicultural, Humor, Spiritual, Young Adult literature.
What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print.
Website(s)
Candice Raquel Lee Home Page Link
Link To Candice Raquel Lee Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20691929-the-innocent
https://www.facebook.com/candiceraquellee
https://twitter.com/candicerlee
