R. Read is here with us, today. R., can you please tell us about yourself and how many books you have written?
R: Twenty-five years of writing copy for other folks’ marketing plans & strategy I finally took a class in Dec 2016 called Write or Die. Opened the floodgates and have been self-publishing so far. She Too. 2017. Describing Water in 2018. And most recent Energy Fix late 2018. All are on free library app Overdrive and available through Kindle and Amazon.
Me: Sounds like you had a calling! :-) What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
R: Energy Fix was inspired by a job I had ten years ago. I was the recipient of a piece of hate mail, recognized the corruption at levels that were dangerous and wrote a fiction novel based on the actual words in the letter, warning me to get out!
Me: Wow, sounds like a job best left behind. Glad you found some good in the experience by taking that inspiration to write a novel. What are you working on now?
R: I am writing another “based on real life” story of a third-year student killed randomly in his dorm...my hubby was a polygraph examiner on the case. Its ending or resolution is so crazy (stranger than fiction) so I am using much of what I learned about how they found the killer(s)
Me: Sounds interesting! :-) What authors, or books, have influenced you?
R: Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins got me thinking about fiction based loosely on IRL. Love Diana Gabaldon but newly addicted to thrillers by Linwood Barclay. I too am Canadian. His stuff is SO Good!
Me: Cool! What are you reading now?
R: I am reading all of Linwood Barclay and just started All the Light We Cannot See...but my favorite of late was On Writing by Stephen King.
Me: I agree, Stephen King has a lot of great work out there. For those who might consider reading your book, what would you tell them to expect?
R: She Too is dark and choppy, but VERY BENEFICIAL to anyone headed to college/their families. One detective who read it said “it should be required reading,” which I totally agree with. Hazing and assault on campus are at epidemic proportions of late - I wish I had known before my daughters were off. Also, Energy Fix will get people talking about how PGE should be held responsible for their actions IMHO.
Me: Awesome! Thought-provoking books are always a good thing. :-) What's your favorite part of being an author?
R: Getting messages off my chest. Gifting books to willing readers. Hearing back “their stories” once they have read mine. EVERYONE has a story in them!
Me: True! And sometimes they write them down for the rest of us to enjoy. ;-) Do you have a day job as well?
R: Yes, I still create marketing strategies, logos, book covers now :)
Me: Busy, busy, busy. What are the hardest and easiest parts about being a writer?
R: Its hard knowing who to trust. Got duped by a supposed editor :(
Me: That's true, unfortunately. You might want to try joining a supportive author group, like the Authors-Professionals Co-op Facebook group, so that you can ask around and get recommendations for things like that. What genre do you place your book in?
R: My books so far are fiction based on true crimes. The mini-memoir mainly helped me to know what from my past I wanted to write about.
Me: Great! Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers?
R: Please hit me up for free books!! I love hearing feedback
Me: And so these fine folks can do just that, are there any links you'd like me to post?
R: I have good reads page, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18090861.R_Read, FB, https://www.facebook.com/
R: I have good reads page, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18090861.R_Read, FB, https://www.facebook.com/
Me: Wonderful! Thank you so much for stopping by, today, R. And thank you, also, to the rest of you who joined us. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the latest in Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)
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