Ask the Author: Christie Grotheim
Answered Questions (4)
Christie Grotheim
I’m working hard on my second novel, A Ballad in Cobalt Blue. I’m deep into it and kind of obsessed with it right now; it’s my very heart and soul. I find pouring myself into it relieves the anxiety I feel about marketing my current book, uses a completely different energy, so it allows for balance and an escape from this exciting but intense process! It's much different from The Year Marjorie Moore Learned to Live, and much darker—a beautiful love story between two artists that explores issues of depression, but is ultimately about human resilience.
Christie Grotheim
My advice to aspiring writers is, of course, to keep writing! And as Jonathan Ames once said to me, "make every sentence entertain." It takes persistence, strength of character, and thick skin to put your work out there, and there will be so much rejection. I read that 90% of what you submit will be rejected (if not more!) but that 10% will add up to many, many accomplishments—that others that do not try will never attain.
Christie Grotheim
The best thing about being a writer is when my work resonates with readers, finds its audience, and seeing what each unique reader takes away from the book. I'm experiencing that now as my debut novel, which came out on April 2nd, makes its way into the world and into the hands of readers, and it's a wonderful feeling—makes all the hard work (and the emotional intensity) of the publishing process worthwhile. Another great perk of publishing has been meeting other authors and experiencing their talent and generosity—and being an active part of this supportive community.
Christie Grotheim
Inspiration, for me, comes when I sit down and do the work. I rarely have writer's block, because when I sit with my laptop and consciously quiet my distractions, I find that I will be in the zone in fifteen or thirty minutes. When I'm immersed in the words, the pages, and the story, transported into the world I'm creating, ideas will strike me as I'm writing and the narrative will evolve and move forward organically.
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