About Rosemary “Mamie” Adkins:
Over sixty years ago my life began in Houston, Texas where growing up in mid suburbia with what appeared to the world as a normal family, was really one of great secrets.
It was still a time of turmoil in the world and racism yet to me, there was never a difference from one person to another and my life in †hat regard was very happy. Behind closed doors was a woman that we called our mother but she was a tyrant and possibly not all together in her emotional state. Life of abuse was †he normal way of life from the age of four and in some ways, I must thank her for the lesson on how to stand tall at the age of four with an attitude to “Never Give Up” which became my way of life forever.
My life has always been filled with intrigue and I became an expert schemer, planner and dreamer of ways I wanted my life to be. Following my dreams was my focus then and now.
I never knew what love was or how to accept or give it without reservations so I made manny errors and judgments throughout my life until 1974 when my ex-husband and I adopted our daughter. She was the one positive in my life for many years having made the wrong choices with other parts of my life. In 1986 my life changed again and I met and fell in love with the man I married in 1988 and whom I still share my life with twenty seven years later. Doug adopted my daughter making Kecia his own daughter and we found that perfect life.
Writing had always been my passion but I was never allowed and everything destroyed I put on paper. After years of giving up on writing, I returned to it and it has remained once again a passion alive in my heart.
Today I live in Washington stare and love our walks along the ocean beaches but miss our daughter madly as she now lives with her husband in Colorado.
Now along with writing, I enjoy finding ways to help those that have been abused-both children and animals. My hobbies in the past were quilting but now I spend my days writing or making simple fleece tied blankets as gifts to friends and family.
Life is now one that I am proud of and have found to be fulfilling surrounded with happiness.
What inspires you to write?
Life. My life has given me many experiences to draw on-some good and some bad but all of which makes for a background in finding new ways to create new stories. I writer creative non fiction and while writing, I listen to my Charles Suniga CD’s for inspiration and peace of mind to allow my words to flow. I often find my inspiration at the ocean’s edge as that is where I have always found my peace.
Tell us about your writing process.
In some ways, my writing is by the seat of the pants approach. If something crosses my mind at night while I am suppose to be sleeping, I jump out of bed grabbing my nearby pencil and pad and hide out in the bathroom taking down notes to finish in the morning. It is †hen after writing what comes to me from the notes that I go back and decide if it is going to be something I keep. If so, I lay out an outline of where I want it to begin and end but often leave the middle until I get there.
So, I guess that means that although I write out an outline, I really do play it by ear! When using an outline, I simply make it the old fashion way on paper and then on a program on my computer.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
This question is meant for fiction writers but even though my genre is non fiction, I do talk to my characters and hear what advise they offer for my characters. Yes, even in non fiction you have characters even if yourself, friends or family but nonetheless, they are characters of sort. When I write non fiction, I interact with the people in my life and draw on memories of the past reliving the fast fun times and the days of horror in order to get to the most accurate accounting of that particular story. Recalling music of the time and then interacting with the people of the time actually seeing them as they were. It is †he only way I can be creative in my writing.
What advice would you give other writers?
The one thing I would like to pass on is to set a reasonable schedule for yourself but every day, with a time of day and time to spend but always stick to the schedule as you would in any job. Set up your space to write and go there every day. Can’t write-no words? Sit there anyway and just stare at the paper or computer if necessary but don’t do something else. After a while you will become a creature of habit and your words will come to you. Turn on the music that sets the tone for the story you are writing. Just stay with it everyday!
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Everyone wants to be published but money dictates the results in many scenarios. Traditionally published often can mean you invest thousands of dollars and then do the work any way. There are many ways to publish-Vanity Presses which also cost you money and then you have often find yourself not controlling the fate of your books. Self published gives you the most amount of freedom but be careful as the pitfalls are there too. In order to be in bookstores you give away up to 55% of the retail price of your book and then the cost before you see a few dollars. And they must be returnable meaning you guarantee the sales and if not you buy them back. It is a tough world of writing/publishing but most of us do it because we love to write and be read. Some of us that yearn to be in bookstores will learn that Amazon is really a friend but we need more rights as authors there too although it is not as bad as some of the storefronts.
I would advise anyone to sit down and write the pros and cons from each way of distributing their books and see whig works best. Never ever edit your own books and get references. It does not have to code thousands to have editing done but you need to find the right person.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I believe that our future as authors are in E-Books as technology is leading everyone into electronics. With e-book versions, we do not have to guarantee sales and are able to keep some of the profits. The brick and mortar stores despise Amazon but some handle the e-book sales as well as our hrs copies. I also believe that traditional publishing is never going to be what it once was and will be phased out someday sooner than later.
What do you use?: Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers, Professional Editor
What genres do you write?: creative non fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Rosemary “Mamie” Adkins Home Page Link
Link To Rosemary “Mamie” Adkins Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
