About TJ Shortt:
TJ Shortt, a perpetual teenager, has been fascinated by the supernatural her entire life. She spends her days dispatching trucks and plotting out how to kill people… on paper.
In 2010 she attended the Borderlands Press Writer’s Bootcamp. She enjoys participating in local and on-line writing groups improving her craft. She lives in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada, with her husband and four-legged children.
What inspires you to write?
The big “what if” question inspires me to write. I love asking “what if” and then setting pen to paper to figure out where the question can lead me.
Tell us about your writing process.
I like to come up with some kind of outline before I begin to write a novel. I’m kind of old fashioned and still use pen and paper for my outlines. I create character sketches before I start a novel.
On the other hand if I’m writing a short story I just start writing and let it fly.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
At some point my characters just take on a life on their own and quite often they aren’t doing what was set out in my outline for them. These guys live and breath in my head. They talk to me and certainly demand my attention at times!
What advice would you give other writers?
Best writing advice I can give is put your butt in the chair and write. Don’t wait for the perfect time, make it.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
A pile of rejection slips from traditional publishers and a knowing in my heart that my writing needs to get out to the world made me decide to go the self-publishing route.
I think you need to do what feels right to you. If you want a traditional publisher, then go after it and don’t stop. If self-publishing is more the way you want to go, then get out there and do it!
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The future of book publishing is a curious thing right now. I hope that there will be a place for both print and ebooks when the dust settles.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Young Adult
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
TJ Shortt Home Page Link
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
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.
