Ask the Author: E.E. Orme
Answered Questions (8)
E.E. Orme
Oh so many books I WANT to read but so little time as I spend so much time in the great NW outdoors over the summer because it is so splendid! Top of of the list are the books A New Model, How to Be a Person in the World and The Killing Wind. Still looking for that fun YA Harry Potter type book that isn't too dystopian.
E.E. Orme
Great question! My father once said that my mother had a child before I was born. I value family and a lost sister or brother out there is upsetting. This would make for a great story!
E.E. Orme
I don't deal with writers block. If I have nothing to write I focus fully on living my life. If a story comes that wants to be told I write it. Forced creativity is lackluster at best. It's downright flat and boring at worst. If I'm in the middle of a book and my character has come to a crossroads and stops dead, I pray for guidance, I meditate, I walk my dog, or go for a hike. Every problem can be solved by being patient, receptive, and connected with source energy, aka God.
E.E. Orme
The best thing about being a writer is the research. I'm not talking about the hours of time you spend in the library or on the net, but about walking through Central Park so you can absorb the vibe and take it home with you. It's feeling a Chicago wind and knowing that it can be a character in itself. It's spending time watching your baby sleep in your arms so you can make a memory you'll never forget. It's these perfect moments that make a life real. By adding personal experiences to my work, I'm able to help my readers feel more connected to the characters. Life may imitate art but art must also be infused with life or it is dead and flat.
E.E. Orme
My advice to aspiring writers is to learn to pray deeply, to meditate, to connect with source, with life, and with every person who has something to say. There are brilliant stories in every person, but it takes a good listener to hear them, and an open heart to feel the emotion that brings them to life. Be open to the magic of small moments and odd experiences. Nothing is what it seems. A dream really can become a novel as truly as a drop of rain can begin a flash flood. Nothing, no matter how small, is insignificant.
E.E. Orme
I am currently working on the final edit of my new adult historical romance, A Place Among the Thistles. The characters evolved through conversations with my mother about world war two, being an emigrant in America, and surviving L.A. in the 1960's. I wanted to talk about her experiences, about how she crossed the Atlantic on the streamer, Queen Mary. I wanted to show people what America looked like to a small red haired girl who has survived war, hunger, and bombings. Nothing in her small village life in England could prepare her for life in Los Angeles. Though my mother's life is vastly different from Gidra's in form, I believe I have maintained the soul of her experience in this book.
E.E. Orme
I don't. I'm not inspired at all. I'd rather be riding my horses or playing with my dog. Truth is, I'm compelled to write like it or not. I never know when a new character will appear in a dream. When I feel them I get this rush of energy that's so incredible that I absolutely have to sit down and write out what I am feeling. That's where the focus of the book begins. When Coco came to me she was in pain. I had to find out why. I let her story unfold without knowing it's direction or the pain and joy it would bring me. When I finish a book I feel that same energetic emotion as when I began coupled with heartbreak because the story is told and I have to say goodbye to its characters. Many of my readers have asked if there will be a sequel. Honestly, It really depends on the characters. So far, no.
E.E. Orme
I don't begin a new book on purpose. Instead, a character will come to me with an issue. In Coco's case, I was presented with a thin teenage girl in search of identity. After spending time exploring the complexities of her emotions (mostly grief and loneliness) the story began to form. I found her to be brave, loving, honest, and kind. My biggest issue was not with Coco but with Rob. He was difficult to shape into a man who deserved to be with Coco. I rewrote him more than any other character because his bitterness continually poisoned the scenes.
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