Ask the Author: Eva St John
Answered Questions (7)
Eva St John
Honestly, it's been a passion of mine to get lost in writing stories since childhood. I've always had an overactive imagination and, according to my brother, a flair for the dramatic. It didn't take much encouragement to continue on after getting A's in every writing class I signed up for. Now I write for myself, sound advice given by a famous author I have the good fortune of being FB friends with. He knew I was feeling a little down after seeing an uncalled for, unfair review by someone who didn't even read my book. That's when he said "No matter what anyone else thinks, always write for you..."
Eva St John
I'm not actually following any horror authors right now. If I had to name an all time favorite other than everybody's go to author, i.e. Stephen King (who I also love), I would choose Lisa Gardener. I ran out of books to read when I was in Brazil, at which time the rancher handed me a box of books left behind by other guests. I read my first Gardener novel titled "The Killing Hour" and was hooked ever since.
Eva St John
I don't get writer's block, don't believe in it. I worked on my first novel every single day for 6 months straight. Every day without fail, and was excited to write each and every time. You know your story is working when the ideas keep flowing. I've heard walking away for a small chunk of time (a day or two, maybe a week) then picking the story back up is a great way to gain a new perspective on one's work. Guess I've just been lucky so far.
Eva St John
It's a terrific outlet to be able to create characters and scenarios in your head then write it all down in story form. If you can get lost in a story, feel a gamut of emotions, identify with the characters, and/or feel like you could be in that book then the author has done their job well. That's my goal; to pull people into my stories so they feel something...anything! One of the reasons I read Stephen King novels over and over is because his words are so powerful. That's my motivation - to do the same.
Eva St John
Write it all down first, or at least have a well thought out outline with all of your major ideas in place along with books of inspiration from your favorite authors at hand. Write it, then go to the computer and type it. Too many authors are caught in the loop of writing, re-writing, and changing the details every time they pull up their stories in Word. It will slow you down every time.
Eva St John
Another Scarlet St. James Novel currently titled "I see you, Agnes Lillywillow"
Eva St John
Growing up as kids in a small Michigan boat town, we spent a lot of time entertaining ourselves at the docks, in the water, at the malls, and of course in the woods. They were centrally located at that time, and kid's imaginations being what they are, we all swore the random animal killings and eerie sounds emanating from the local nearby cemetery had to be that of a hideous witch. Stories and personal testimonials handed down over time made it a local urban legend.
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