Ask the Author: Myndi Shafer
Answered Questions (10)
Myndi Shafer
The third book in the Shrilugh Saga, RECKONING.
Myndi Shafer
A little of both. I went with the Hubster to the CEDIA 2014 expo, to visit with vendors for his business. It was fun - lots of neat new products! It was the first time we've ever gone away without the natives. :)
Myndi Shafer
Great questions, and nope, not asked yet. :)
The inspiration for the Shrilugh books came from an old silo that was on the edge of the farm I grew up on. There was a ladder that went up the side of it, and extended over the top of the bricks, where the dome should have been (it'd long since crumbled away). As a kid, it always looked like a door to me, and I spent a lot of time daydreaming about where that door went. One day (I think it was the year I turned thirty) I decided to write about it. What I found on the other side of the door was completely lovely and unexpected. Do you know, I discovered the Shrilugh trees for the first time alongside Aydan? That was a really neat writing moment.
HH1+2 came about because Johanna was a pesky character in my head that wouldn't shut up and wouldn't go away. :) She really wanted her story to be written, and was hella stubborn about it.
I sound a little schizophrenic. Thankfully, I'm not the only writer in the world who operates this way, so I do think it's a sort of normal. Maybe not the most normal type of normal, but normal enough that I can tell myself my brain isn't broken. *snort*
As for the becoming-a-character-in-my-books thing, I hadn't actually thought about that before! Maybe I'll have to do a contest around something like that. I'll chew on it and get back to y'all on that.
The inspiration for the Shrilugh books came from an old silo that was on the edge of the farm I grew up on. There was a ladder that went up the side of it, and extended over the top of the bricks, where the dome should have been (it'd long since crumbled away). As a kid, it always looked like a door to me, and I spent a lot of time daydreaming about where that door went. One day (I think it was the year I turned thirty) I decided to write about it. What I found on the other side of the door was completely lovely and unexpected. Do you know, I discovered the Shrilugh trees for the first time alongside Aydan? That was a really neat writing moment.
HH1+2 came about because Johanna was a pesky character in my head that wouldn't shut up and wouldn't go away. :) She really wanted her story to be written, and was hella stubborn about it.
I sound a little schizophrenic. Thankfully, I'm not the only writer in the world who operates this way, so I do think it's a sort of normal. Maybe not the most normal type of normal, but normal enough that I can tell myself my brain isn't broken. *snort*
As for the becoming-a-character-in-my-books thing, I hadn't actually thought about that before! Maybe I'll have to do a contest around something like that. I'll chew on it and get back to y'all on that.
Myndi Shafer
Read. Read lots. And don't give up because you think you're writing crap. Of course you're writing crap. Everybody writes crap. If every author quit because they were writing crap there would be no GOOD books. You have to learn to edit that crap into something good.
Read. And don't give up.
Read. And don't give up.
Myndi Shafer
You know, I don't have a set soundtrack for this one. I made a Pandora station based on Takenobu's Shady Grove, and that's what I've been listening to a lot. Loads of strings, kindof folksy. I love Cows On The Hill by Jay Ungar, and The Supine by Andrew Bird, Expression by Helen Jane Long. My writing music has been pretty quiet this time around, even though there's more action in this story than the others.
Here's a link to Takenobu's Shady Grove. It's such an enchanting version of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyjZ1...
Here's a link to Takenobu's Shady Grove. It's such an enchanting version of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyjZ1...
Myndi Shafer
BAHAHAHAA!
"Shoe size?" That's a totally embarrassing question, but I'll answer it anyway. ELEVEN. But I'm also pretty tall, 5'10".
"What is your dog's favorite color?" Ummm...do dogs see color? I'm going to say Ginny's favorite (if she could see it) is blue, and Willie Nelson's favorite (if he could see it) is red.
"How much can Took bench press when she's angry?" You've seen The Hulk, right? Now imagine The Hulk is a two-year old with bed-head. I've seen her lift her Fisher Price Power Wheel Barbie Jeep over her head with one hand, so...
*grins*
"Shoe size?" That's a totally embarrassing question, but I'll answer it anyway. ELEVEN. But I'm also pretty tall, 5'10".
"What is your dog's favorite color?" Ummm...do dogs see color? I'm going to say Ginny's favorite (if she could see it) is blue, and Willie Nelson's favorite (if he could see it) is red.
"How much can Took bench press when she's angry?" You've seen The Hulk, right? Now imagine The Hulk is a two-year old with bed-head. I've seen her lift her Fisher Price Power Wheel Barbie Jeep over her head with one hand, so...
*grins*
Myndi Shafer
As it stands, I'm planning four books for THE SHRILUGH SAGA. But that's tentative. I'm still not entirely sure how the series is going to end.
*bites nails*
*bites nails*
Myndi Shafer
You were told right! I was a music major in college, with emphasis on piano performance. But, as it turned out, I wasn't really the college type and my career there was short-lived. I still play every day, though. I have a lovely baby-grand that my grandfather gave me; she's one of my best friends.
The writing bug didn't hit until much, much later. I was thirty, and it kind of just came to me one day that I wanted to write a book. I told the Hubster as much (who by then was pretty accustomed to my whims). I'm sure it was a surprise to him how obsessed I became. Writing kind of grabbed me by the throat and pulled me along. It still has me by the throat some days, but I like to think we've found a better balance in our relationship over time.
The writing bug didn't hit until much, much later. I was thirty, and it kind of just came to me one day that I wanted to write a book. I told the Hubster as much (who by then was pretty accustomed to my whims). I'm sure it was a surprise to him how obsessed I became. Writing kind of grabbed me by the throat and pulled me along. It still has me by the throat some days, but I like to think we've found a better balance in our relationship over time.
Myndi Shafer
This is a hard one to answer - there are lots of 'best things' about being a writer. For me, today, my answer is probably that it doesn't just give me permission to carve out time to read, but it demands that I carve out time to read. It's part of the job description, you know? And I love that.
Myndi Shafer
It depends on my mood. Sometimes I'll pick up a book that's in a genre I don't normally read - nonfiction oftentimes has a way of jolting me out of writer's block. And sometimes a change of scenery helps - doing something that's out of the ordinary (which isn't too tough, since my normal is waaaay tame). Probably most effective for me is driving, alone, in the country while my mind wanders. I can usually get to where I'm going (writing-wise) that way.
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