Ask the Author: Debbie Babitt
Answered Questions (5)
Debbie Babitt
Interesting question! Characters talk to me, so their mysteries belong to them. However, they give me a window into their worlds, and there are times perhaps where the mysteries in their fictional and my real world intersect. We all have secrets that can or don't or shouldn't be revealed. There may be something unconscious at play when I create, and I wouldn't want to plumb those depths lest I lose inspiration! I will say, however, that I do have my own back story, family-wise (like most people), which I'm sure informs my work. As for a mystery in my life, that would imply that it needs to be solved, so again I bow to my creations...
Debbie Babitt
Aside from working at home (except when I take long walks and talk into my recorder), I love being alone with my characters (who, as my husband says, are always sitting on my computer every morning waiting to see what they will do next!). We inhabit each other in the best possible way. I love being able to write their stories, and the give-and-take between us. It is also a universe I share only with them (until their stories are finished) and their lives become as real as mine. It's a secret we share, and is why I never feel lonely when we are together.
I also love the written word. As a former Copy Director for Manhattan publishing houses, I got to spend all my working hours with words. Words that tell a story; words that reveal a character. Words that grab--and hold--a reader's attention. Writing novels was a natural progression from copywriting.
Short answer? I am always happiest when I am writing.
I also love the written word. As a former Copy Director for Manhattan publishing houses, I got to spend all my working hours with words. Words that tell a story; words that reveal a character. Words that grab--and hold--a reader's attention. Writing novels was a natural progression from copywriting.
Short answer? I am always happiest when I am writing.
Debbie Babitt
A novel about a female judge on the Manhattan Supreme Court.
She is telling me her story, and I am taking notes!
She is telling me her story, and I am taking notes!
Debbie Babitt
Keep writing. Never, ever stop! And you must always believe in yourself. Truisms that never stop, well, being true! Talent and ambition go hand in hand; talent often breeds ambition. Don't let self-doubt become an obstacle. Time has no meaning. Don't tell yourself, "it's been so long. If I had what it takes, I'd be published by now." Wrong! Success comes when you least expect it...and carries a host of other things to think about and obsess over, believe me. I can't reiterate enough: DON'T. STOP.WRITING.
Debbie Babitt
Characters start talking to me. And I have to be a good listener. If I listen hard enough, they will tell me their story. Sometimes it's one character's voice, i.e., Mary Grace Dobbs, my main character in my debut thriller, Saving Grace. Mary Grace speaks to me over two time periods, one in which she is an eleven-year-old orphan; the other when she's the adult sheriff of her rural Arkansas town. But I must listen carefully. There are many winding paths and twisting roads in Repentance...
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