Author Bio:
I write. It’s a sanity saving thing. Living in a sea of testosterone with 1 hubby, 3 sons (1 of whom is mildly autistic), and 1 brother-in-law, the only other females who live with us are the dogs and cat. Is it any wonder I write romance and eat chocolate?
In and around writing, I enjoy adventures with my family, train laundry (Sooner or later it will learn to do itself. Right?), clean my house, feed my family, provide bus service (I sure hope this minivan doesn’t make my butt look fat.), chat with my friends, do crafts, read voraciously, and on the occasions when my loving spouse has abandoned the remote, I watch TV. Sleep is optional. That’s why caffeine was invented.
We recently moved from Big City to Rural Town in the Sierra foothills. Trees, fresh air, blue sky. Oh my. We have enough room for chicken (there was a coop here when we moved in – we’ve filled it with 20+ chickens, including Big Blue, our Blue Cochin rooster. He thinks he’s badass.), we have ducks, 4 turkeys (3 are males!), and a pig named Annie Oinkly. Oh, and 2 desert tortoises we’re fostering, a bunny and fish (which actually belong to my middle son). Life’s good.
What inspires you to write?
All the people chatting and telling their stories to me in my head. The stories run through my mind all the time, and writing is the outlet.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am a seat of the pants writer. I’ve tried outlining, and the Muse then says, “Thanks! NEXT!” I keep a document where I can keep track of the characters names, ages, physical description (so the color of their eyes don’t change midway through the story!), extra characters and that sort of thing, but that’s the extent of any sort of tracking I do. My goal is to write a minimum of 100 words per day. Anything over 100 is “Gravy!” and once I’ve started, I can usually write a full chapter in a day. Life being what it is, a whole chapter (2K words plus), doesn’t always happen, but I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished anything unless I get that much done. The 100 word daily habit has made writing 1K+ words a day much easier.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Yes, yes, yes. I listen and talk to my characters. My stories are character-driven, so it’s a listening task every time I sit down to write. We talk when I get stuck. Usually, my characters are telling me I derailed somewhere. “You’re doing it wrong.” Cheeky of them, but I’ve learned that I can tell if I’m on the right track based on how the writing flows.
What advice would you give other writers?
Write. Write every day. Don’t worry if it’s garbage, it can be fixed once it’s written. It can’t be fixed if it’s not written. And “Emotion, emotion, emotion!”
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to self-publish because I’ve been published before by a small, ebook/POD publisher before, and that was wonderful, of course, but this time around, I wanted a bit more freedom with getting my novels out there. I didn’t wish to be at the mercy of a publisher’s timeline, submitting, waiting for acceptance or rejection.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think the future is bright. There are so many options and opportunities out there if you’re willing to work for them.
What do you use?
Beta Readers
What genres do you write?
Contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormally-elements romance
What formats are your books in?
eBook
Website(s)
Laura Hamby Home Page Link
Link To Laura Hamby Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8164431
https://www.facebook.com/LauraHambyAuthor
https://twitter.com/LauraHamby1
