About O. N. Stefan:
Someone asked me why I wrote The Deadly Caress. It’s what captured my attention at one time from a newspaper article and I started to get the what if’s going. What if a person was to discover that the woman she thought was her mother wasn’t. How would she feel? What if this mother was murdered? What would this person do?
Then there’s a scary scene with Amanda driving down a mountainside and that comes from my memory banks. I grew up across the road from a very bad intersection and every weekend there would be at least one horrific accident. Some of these were youths speeding or chasing each other. Others were drunks or drivers who had miscalculated the sharp turn and careered into an oncoming car or the nearby light post. My dad would run over to see if an ambulance needed to be called as we were the only family in the street to have a phone. He’d take blankets over if the person/people was badly injured and I would help him. My sister and my mother would be too upset to be of help and didn’t go.
Once a car overtook another and miscalculated. He caught the side of the vehicle and the side panel was peeled away like a giant orange peel. This I have included in one of my scenes.
I find my characters everywhere and nowhere.
What inspires you to write?
My dad inspires me to write. He always told me that I could do anything if I put your mind to it.
Tell us about your writing process.
I generally like to start with an outline which I type directly into the computer. Although, I have written stories where I didn’t have an outline as well. I create character sketches in a little known program called Inspiration, where I can have interconnecting balloons with pop up notes. I can see in an instant a character’s attributes, quirks, favorite sayings, etc.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I always listen to my characters although sometimes, I have to urge them along. In the case of dialogue, I always try to be true to the character and ask myself what does this character want to convey. What is their agenda at this point, hidden or not?
What advice would you give other writers?
The best advice I was given is to write, write, write. You can create stories without doing this. Eventually, you will know when you have reached that stage where your stories are ready for the public.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to self-publish as I felt that I could be a master of my own fate.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The world of publishing is fast changing and those that can’t change with it become dinosaurs.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Thriller, mystery, suspense
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
O. N. Stefan Home Page Link
Link To O. N. Stefan Page On Amazon
