Ask the Author: Debra Gaskill
Answered Questions (9)
Debra Gaskill
I just finished Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker, which provides the backstory for Jane Eyre's mysterious Edward Rochester. As a long time Bronte devotee, I expected to be able to pick the story apart. Nope! Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down!
Debra Gaskill
My favorite fictional couple of all time has to be Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. I love how she demands that the relationship be on equal footing, despite the economic and gender inequalities of the time.
Debra Gaskill
I think the biggest thing I have noticed is how I'm developing a process for writing a novel. It makes the act of actually putting words to paper go so much faster and I have been able to cut down on the number of rewrites I need to do. Adopting dictation software has been a recent thing and I'm enjoying that. I'm also getting to know my characters better, as if they were sitting here beside me in my office, which is kind of fun.
Debra Gaskill
As a journalist, I had no options for writer's block. How many times was your paper's front page empty because somebody didn't get a story finished due to writer's block? NEVER! If it isn't working, I just keep pushing, keep writing, keep revising until changing it only changes it and doesn't improve it.
Debra Gaskill
My writing is an obsession, something I never had a choice in. I never wanted to be anything else.
Debra Gaskill
Keep writing. Write every day and read every day, even if it's just a few paragraphs. And don't let writer's block paralyze you—just push through it.
Debra Gaskill
I am currently at work on DEATH OF A HIGH MAINTENANCE BLONDE, which I hope to have released by the end of this year.
Debra Gaskill
I spent 20 years working full-time in journalism, covering everything from schools, to crime, to courts and city council. That left me with lots of stories and story ideas. For example, I was covering the disappearance of a young girl in 2000 when my daughter attempted suicide and was later diagnosed as bipolar. That book became BARN BURNER. Unfortunately, the missing girl was never found, although someone did serve time for abuse of a corpse.
Debra Gaskill
The idea for MURDER ON THE LUNATIC FRINGE came from two sources: my love of llamas and weaving and an interview with a woman long ago who came out of the Witness Protection Program following the death of her husband.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more