About Naomi Stone:
Naomi Stone lives and writes in the twin cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. She's been a fan of fantasy and science fiction for years, and a fan of folk and fairy tales since before she even learned to read. Active in f/sf fandom for years, she loves board games, filking, sf conventions and her cat, the rascally Rajesh.
What inspires you to write?
Most of my stories arise from the desire to heal broken hearts and meet needs the world leaves unfulfilled.
The world can be tough on us, but our imaginations have the power to bring us some solace. It seems to me that my job is to use my imagination to share that solace with others who have needs like mine.
Tell us about your writing process.
I usually have a good general idea of the story, and part of the fun of writing it is to discover the details along the way. I'll start out writing 'by the seat of my pants' and get to a point where I want to solidify the shape of the story by giving it a plot-framework later. Particularly, making time-lines to be sure of when events happen relative to one another.
Sometimes the story doesn't want to stick to the framework, but that's okay. I'm writing people not robots – and the story stays more interesting for me if it can surprise me.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I put myself into the shoes of my characters, as much as possible without actually writing in first person. Strong feelings from similar experiences give me a sense of how they feel, and a little bit of writerly perspective helps me find the words.
What advice would you give other writers?
Read a lot and take note of what you like about the best stories. Write. Get feedback. Rewrite.
As you gain practice in writing and rewriting, you'll be able to learn more from reading well-written stories, picking up on methods of creating a mood or engaging with characters and building tension.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I started out thinking only of traditional publishing. I found a couple small digital-first publishers who produced my first two novels and a set of novellas. I had a couple short stories published in magazines.
But I grew increasingly frustrated with how long it took to go through these very limited channels. (Slush piles have backlogs measurable in years; agents and editors may /never/ get back to you, and you're not getting any younger.)
Then, your books are not the primary concern of agents, editors or publishers who are dealing with whole stables of writers.
One of my novels was acquired by a big publisher that acquired the original small publishing house I'd signed with. By then I was learning something about Indie Publishing, and I noticed that they had mis-categorized my book on Amazon.
No one looking for stories that might include fairy godmothers and magical djinn would be looking under 'Contemporary Romance.' The book wasn't finding its audience – or making any money – in their hands; I figured it could hardly do worse if I took over the publishing.
Since then, I requested reversion of rights on all my work that had been published by others and have been busy re-issuing new editions and making sure they are categorized and branded so potential readers can tell what sort of story they are getting.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
That depends on the future of our technologically advanced civilization. If we destroy our environment and society collapses back to feudal levels, there won't be anything to read but the books that aren't burned for fuel through the winter, and few people will have time to read while evading marauding bandits and scavenging for resources among the remnants of our once great cities.
On the other hand, if we are smart, we'll fight for alternative energy sources, support the sciences, and continue to create a dynamic e-publishing environment where niche genres can thrive.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: SF/Fantasy fairy tale romances and Superhero crime-fighting adventures
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Naomi Stone Home Page Link
Link To Naomi Stone Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
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