Ask the Author: Natasza Waters
Answered Questions (15)
Natasza Waters
Hi Ellen, and the answer to that is yes! I'm retiring today after 33 years with the Coast Guard. It means more time to write, and Adam and Kels story is at the top of the list. :)
Natasza Waters
Gosh, this goes to show you how often I visit Goodreads. Lucy, I'm sure you found the Kindle version of Redemption by now. My apologies for not seeing this sooner.
Natasza Waters
Awesome question and thank you for saying that. Observation is my best tool. Whether it's work or at the grocery store, people offer memorable traits. To have a character that's believable, I find I need to carve their weakness', strengths, idiosyncrasies into the story. We all have common emotions to specific events. Littering a story with these elements reminds us of people we know or ourselves, hopefully resulting in the reader relating to the character.
Natasza Waters
Thanks Sabrina for the great question, and the answer is, yes. It's called the "Elemental Prophecy" series. A mix of urban fantasy with a biblical backbone, it has a very unique group of heroes and heroines. There will be six books. Four of them are already written. They need some brutal editing, but they have been created. I hope readers will fall in love with them as much as I have. I wrote them before Too Grand For Words but because the story line is more than just light entertainment I wanted to gather a group of readers before launching the series. As soon as "A Warrior's Challenge" series is completed, they will be released.
B/Rgds
Natasza
B/Rgds
Natasza
Natasza Waters
Hi Diana, I dabbled in the craft since I was a teenager. Of course those stories will never see the light of day, but they were good practice. The real catalyst occurred on my patio deck. My friend had brought over a gal she'd recently met. Her name was Natasza and she was born in Poland. Her life as a girl was an extreme hardship but she found her happily-ever-after in Canada. We talked about the years passing and missed opportunities. The conversation went something like this...
Natasza "Haven't you ever wanted to do something other than just work?"
Me "I used to write, but I don't do it anymore."
Natasza turned her sharp blue eyes on me. "Why not?"
It was as simple as that. I didn't have a good excuse. So I wrote a book.
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Natasza "Haven't you ever wanted to do something other than just work?"
Me "I used to write, but I don't do it anymore."
Natasza turned her sharp blue eyes on me. "Why not?"
It was as simple as that. I didn't have a good excuse. So I wrote a book.
88's
N
Natasza Waters
Hi Mary, not all, but I have to admit that many of the individuals I have worked with over the years have become what I call book fodder. Whether it's an odd trait, an obstinate outlook or a brilliant phrase someone coined, it all makes its way into the books. I would love to finish Too Grand For Words and give each brother his story. That may happen if I request the rights back to the book which is on my to-do list. That darn list is getting longer all the time.
88's
Natasza
88's
Natasza
Natasza Waters
Home sweet home, Sheri! Although, I have this vision of sitting on a patio, bevi beside me, bestie across from me, and lap top in front of me, somewhere in San Diego.
Natasza Waters
Cassandra,
I was afraid someone would finally ask me that second question! The first one is easier! I was standing outside of work one night, and my friend who the character of Kayla is created from, popped into my mind. Here was this amazing woman who had experienced something so horrific, most women would crawl under a rock and give up. Not her.
I wondered first, what kind of man could make her trust again? It had been many years since she fought for her freedom. Ghost popped into my head. He would be rugged and harsh, extremely intelligent to match her IQ, but most importantly more stubborn than her. He would have to walk through hell in order to see it through. It was then a Navy SEAL came to mind. Almost as if an affirmation, a while later I'm in Las Vegas with Kayla's muse and I sit down at a slot machine next to this guy. When you think of the chances, of all slot machines in the world, let alone Vegas, I sit down beside a retired Navy SEAL. I met his wife as well, and we spent a few hours playing and talking. Me being in the Coast Guard and him being Navy, of course we had a lot to talk about. When I left him and his wife I had to grin. Ghost was most definitely a SEAL.
As for who is my favorite SEAL in the series? They each hold a special place. When I'm writing their books, I think this is my favorite, but the one SEAL who intrigues me the most is one you haven't met yet, because he only appears in the final book of the series, Code Name: War of Stones. His name is Damien Stone. The lady who will attract his eye is a girl named Sloane Austen. Can't wait to release that book.
Thanks for the questions Cassandra!
I was afraid someone would finally ask me that second question! The first one is easier! I was standing outside of work one night, and my friend who the character of Kayla is created from, popped into my mind. Here was this amazing woman who had experienced something so horrific, most women would crawl under a rock and give up. Not her.
I wondered first, what kind of man could make her trust again? It had been many years since she fought for her freedom. Ghost popped into my head. He would be rugged and harsh, extremely intelligent to match her IQ, but most importantly more stubborn than her. He would have to walk through hell in order to see it through. It was then a Navy SEAL came to mind. Almost as if an affirmation, a while later I'm in Las Vegas with Kayla's muse and I sit down at a slot machine next to this guy. When you think of the chances, of all slot machines in the world, let alone Vegas, I sit down beside a retired Navy SEAL. I met his wife as well, and we spent a few hours playing and talking. Me being in the Coast Guard and him being Navy, of course we had a lot to talk about. When I left him and his wife I had to grin. Ghost was most definitely a SEAL.
As for who is my favorite SEAL in the series? They each hold a special place. When I'm writing their books, I think this is my favorite, but the one SEAL who intrigues me the most is one you haven't met yet, because he only appears in the final book of the series, Code Name: War of Stones. His name is Damien Stone. The lady who will attract his eye is a girl named Sloane Austen. Can't wait to release that book.
Thanks for the questions Cassandra!
Natasza Waters
Hi Kim :)
Only one huh? Wow, great but tough question. It had to be the moment I found out that my feet were spring-loaded. That occurred when I opened my email after a long night shift and saw a letter from a publisher I'd sent a query for Code Name: Ghost. It took me a second to build up the nerve to open it. I'd had about eight refusals up until that point, but something told me this might be different. It was. They not only accepted Code Name: Ghost but wanted the entire series. Somebody put rocket fuel in my shoes because I was doing the happy dance all over my office. Although "Too Grand For Words" was my first release and I did the same with it, that was the story I cut my new teeth on. I learned a lot. When the series was accepted, I finally realized, I just might be an author.
Only one huh? Wow, great but tough question. It had to be the moment I found out that my feet were spring-loaded. That occurred when I opened my email after a long night shift and saw a letter from a publisher I'd sent a query for Code Name: Ghost. It took me a second to build up the nerve to open it. I'd had about eight refusals up until that point, but something told me this might be different. It was. They not only accepted Code Name: Ghost but wanted the entire series. Somebody put rocket fuel in my shoes because I was doing the happy dance all over my office. Although "Too Grand For Words" was my first release and I did the same with it, that was the story I cut my new teeth on. I learned a lot. When the series was accepted, I finally realized, I just might be an author.
Natasza Waters
Thanks for this question. I suppose offering the answer, thumping my head against the desk top won't work...at least not always. Thankfully, I haven't had it a lot, but when it happens I walk away from the manuscript. Often I've wound myself too deep into the story that I'm running around it like a mouse in a maze. A new perspective always helps. I don't know if you've ever experienced this before, but you're looking for the answer to something and you can't remember it, and then the next day it magically pops up in the newspaper, on the radio or you catch a conversation, and bam there's the answer. It's sort of like sending the question out into the ether and some unknown force sends the answer back. The release from writer's block works the same way.
Natasza Waters
Daydreaming. LOL. When we're kids, we often got in trouble for doing this, but as an author it's the place we create our stories.
Natasza Waters
I've been asked this a lot, and the answer is simple: when creativity crosses swords with determination a book will be born. If you're writing a book, I commend you. The hours of diligence, research and editing as you've probably figured out is immense. Aside from not giving up, the other true answer is falling in love. Fall in love with your characters. Fall in love with the story. The only reason to compare yourself to other authors is to strive to become better at your craft. Your writing voice is unique, don't doubt yourself. At the end of the day, endurance will create a book that you can share with the world.
Natasza Waters
Folks have been so patient. This year was a tough one for me, because outside forces kept me away from my keyboard and book five in the SEAL series. Some folks already know that I'm an officer in the Coast Guard. It's been my source of Mac n Cheese for over thirty years. My duty to this trumps everything else, unfortunately, but I'm back to writing Code Name: Forever & Ever which is Marg and Cobbs' story.
Natasza Waters
LOL. It's the sound of a whip cracking in the background! I only have so much time to get the words down. Often, that time is spent not writing but daydreaming which is where the characters start moving and talking in my head. They never finish a scene on their own, (cheeky little buggers) but they give me enough to start penning a path toward a finished story.
Natasza Waters
Great question! His Perfect Imperfection is my newest release. If you read the forward and author's note at the end I mentioned that it's dedicated to everyone who is unique, not flawed by psoriasis and other skin disorders. After writing four books in "A Warrior's Challenge" series I knew there was another group of heroic people I could write about. Because "P" is such a visual disease and I've lived with it all my life, I thought I'd attempt to weave a story that educated and entertained. HPI was the result.
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