Day Seven: Juli Caldwell
1.
Can you tell us a
little bit about yourself? I’m a
mom first, everything else second, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I
write whatever jumps into my head. Because I’m pretty sure the voices in there
all have multiple personalities, this means I write in a few different genres.
I love travelling, and I love love love to laugh. This means I’m usually the
biggest dork in the room, because if no one there is making me laugh, I’ll do
it myself.
2.
What do you do when
you are not writing? I chauffeur my kids around, I bake stuff
and then eat it. I do an awful lot of laundry and dishes. Dishes, laundry, and
cockroaches will be the only things to survive a nuclear holocaust, I think.
3.
What is your
favorite smell? Tropical
fruits. Nutmeg and cinnamon. Brownies ready to come out of the oven. Salt in
the air near the ocean.
4.
When did you first
start writing and when did you finish your first book? I started writing when I was super
young. I probably finished my first book when I was 13 or so. It will never be
published and never see the light of day, ever.
5.
If you had 24 hours
to live, excluding spending time with your family, what would you do? Lie on the beach and soak up the sun,
listening to gulls screech overhead and smelling the salty sea breeze.
6.
Do you ever
experience writer’s block? All
the time. Since I write in more than one genre, I just switch stories. They
require different voices and a different way of thinking, so it gets things
flowing in my brain again.
7.
Do you work with an
outline, or just write? Sometimes
I outline to keep me focused, but mostly I fly by the seat of my pants. The
endings usually surprise me, too!
8.
What is your
favorite kind of cheese? Whatever
you put on top of my nachos.
9.
Is there any
particular author or book that influenced you growing up or as an adult? Sooo many! I read all the Little House
books as a kid. I had a thing for the classics in my teens so I read the Bronte
sisters, Edgar Allen Poe, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Shakespeare. All the dead
people. These days I’m drawn to people
like Stephen King (Less Carrie, more The Green Mile) or Mary Higgins
Clark—people who can craft a beautifully written tale with the perfect amount
of suspense. I like a book that messes with my head but doesn’t gross me out. I
also really love Jodi Piccoult and Jennifer Weiner.
10.
Would I find anything growing in your refrigerator
right now? It would probably require cleaning it to find out,
so....maybe?
11.
How would you describe yourself in three words? Really quite awkward.
12.
Is anything in your
book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? A lot of my personal experiences end up
in my novels. In my romance novella Arms
Wide Open, the two craziest dates are based on actual dates I went on or
conversations I had with guys trying to hit on me. One reviewer said that those
two dates were so unbelievable, and that things like that don’t happen in real
life. They do if you’re me! Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. I
have a great love of the absurd, so when something random happens to me, it’s
going to end up in a book.
13.
Who is your favorite
author? Since most of you will probably say me ;) please tell me then, who is
your second favorite author? Not me. I still have a lot of room to
grow as a writer. Without a doubt, it’s Jane Austen. I can read her over and
over again and never get bored. I always find something new.
14.
What was your
favorite part of writing and why? It’s release. It’s therapy. I have dialogue
streaming through my head all the time, and it demands an outlet. Seeing that
turn from random thoughts into a book that others can hold in their hands is
such a rush.
15.
Chocolate or
Brussels sprouts? Chocolate-covered
Brussels sprouts.
16.
What has been the
toughest criticism given to you as an author? I think the reviews that come that are
just mean for the sake of being mean. When I get low reviews, I read them
carefully. Honest reviewers see things that I missed, and every honest review
helps me write the next one better. I’d rather have an honest 3 star that gives
me something to work on than a dozen 5 stars from my mommy. Sometimes people
just trash something because they can, and I struggle with that.
17.
What has been the
best compliment given to you as an author? I love it when readers find me on twitter or hunt
down my email and send me a message to let me know they liked my book. Anyone
who takes the time to leave a personal note really cared. Knowing that my words
somehow left an impression makes me happy dance. I appeared at Salt Lake Comic
Con last fall, and FanX is happening as of this writing. It’s amazing to be
when people find me at my booth, tell me they loved Psyched, and ask when the sequel is coming out.
18.
What is your least
favorite smell? I
can’t think of anything off the top of my head, so I’m gonna say Sherry Gammon.
(Just kidding! I’ve met her and she smells delightful!)
19. Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
People will give you advice all the time on how to write, what to write, how to
market, how to format, how to edit, how to (fill in the blank). Everyone has an
opinion, and most people will share it with you. Despite all that, do what
works for you and your story. Understand why you’re writing and who you’re
writing for, and put your whole soul into it. The sales may not come right away,
but if you’re writing for yourself that may not matter. Be true to your story,
and write it passionately.
20. Is there anything that you would like to say to your
readers? THANK YOU!
Sherry Gammon
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