Author Bio:
Erin Emerson was a two-time contender for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Her novel What Would Oprah Do was released in September 2013.
Erin is active on Twitter, where she often tweets about what she’s reading, trends in publishing, and bacon. Erin lives in Atlanta with her husband Paul and their mighty dogs.
What inspires you to write?
Reading inspires me just as much as observation from real life.
Although on any given day, I’m like a lot of writers, a person on the outskirts of things, noticing everything. The edge of a conversation can be the best place for a writer to observe and find inspiration in not only what isn’t being said, but in how it isn’t being said.
Tell us about your writing process.
My writing process is pretty basic. I sit and write, then get up and pace around. Repeat. When I get stuck, when the story isn’t flowing, I do something else. The story comes back when it’s ready.
I don’t outline. I don’t even understand how writers use Whiteboards. For me the process is very organic. I don’t know that I could do it any other way, but I know I wouldn’t want to either.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I definitely listen to my characters. When they are fully formed, they are in my head talking to me. The become very close friends, and it’s hard to say goodbye when the story ends.
This is partially how I knew that there needed to be a sequel to What Would Oprah Do. Cate Sanders, the main character, wouldn’t quit talking to me.
What advice would you give other writers?
The best advice I could give to another writer would be to read. Read everything. Read a long established writer from their first book to their last and see how they’ve grown and honed their craft.
When you’re reading a book you don’t like, keep reading it. Pay attention to what’s lacking and make sure you don’t repeat those mistakes. You can learn a lot from bad writing.
Read books on your craft by writers that you admire; my personal favorite is On Writing by Stephen King.
Read a wide variety of genres.
Always have a book on you because in case you somehow missed this, you’ve got a lot of reading ahead of you.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I learned about the different options and made the best choice for me at that time. Publishing is a changing industry right now. Educate yourself on what is happening now, not the model that existed five years ago. Know what you’re doing, make sure you have a good partner in your agent, and be prepared to work your ass off.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I may have a lot of opinions, but the future of book publishing is a mystery to me. I’m not in the business of projecting. I am a writer, and no matter what happens in the future of book publishing, I’ll still be a writer.
What do you use?
Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?
Women’s Fiction, Literary Fiction, Humor
What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Link To Erin Emerson Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18456889-what-would-oprah-do?from_search=true
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Erin-Emerson-the-Writer/506607259427996?ref=br_tf
https://twitter.com/EmersonErin
http://www.pinterest.com/erin0586/
