Ask the Author: Debra E. Marvin
Answered Questions (4)
Debra E. Marvin
My publisher requested stories set along RT 66. As I'd traveled part of Rt 66, and I have a lifelong love of Arizona, I chose Flagstaff with an historical setting. I'm a fan of the golden age of Hollywood. Think of a movie like It Happened One Night, and you'll know why. I dug around in Flagstaff history and chose 1930, the year Pluto was discovered at the Lowell Observatory. Then I chose two characters that were miles apart, and a plot that played off the common criminal activity of the day. Starlight Serenade was born!
Debra E. Marvin
If you think you're a good writer, you probably need to wait a few years to publish. Year after year, writers see how much they've improved if they keep working at the craft and learning. You might be a good storyteller (that's half the battle), but if you don't study the craft by watching, reading, learning and most of all practicing, your work is probably not going to be as good as you think it is. Just because you can publish a book that your friends like, don't do it if you have a serious commitment to be an author.
Debra E. Marvin
I think the perception of writer's block is that we can't come up with something to write. That's not true. I think it's the emotional fence we have to climb over every time we struggle. Writing is putting a bit of 'us' on the page and sometimes it's ugly. Writing both saps me out and energizes me. Being blocked for me is an emotional experience of being unprepared to face my shortcomings.
Debra E. Marvin
I'm currently working on another historical romance novella set in Arizona!
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