Ask the Author: V.M. Gautier
Answered Questions (9)
V.M. Gautier
So many of the books I read take place in dystopian landscapes that I would not want to visit, but I think if I could go visit anyplace, I'd stop by the home of the widow Haze and warn her that that Humbert fellow she's been renting a room to is a creep and is after her daughter Delores. She needs to kick him out and call the cops.
V.M. Gautier
Ha! Love the "when." The problem is unlike vampires, actors get old so chances are if it were ever made into a film all of my picks would be too old by that time. Emmy Rossum might be good physically for the lead. Ten years ago, Natalie Portman, maybe. Five years ago, possibly Rooney Mara. Michelle Trachtenberg is also 29 already, but she certainly has that leggy but waif-like look.
V.M. Gautier
Often, it's the author of the book I've just read. I go through phases and obsessions, but if I had to be stuck on an island with a book it would be One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Why? Just look at the first line. There's so much going on there. A man is about to be shot but he's remembering "that distant afternoon in which his father took him to discover ice." It's poetry even in translation. It's a whacky juxtaposition between the past and the present. Then he goes off into the story of the past, but we never quite forget that Buendia is still standing in front of that firing squad until we get back to him.
V.M. Gautier
Hemingway made a great observation. He suggested stopping every day BEFORE you ran out of steam, so there's be something to go back to. The well wouldn't run dry. If you have a job, kids, pets, spouse or other things that are getting in the way of your writing, you just have to put them aside == even on a train, or in a tiny corner, and give yourself a few minutes consistently to write. I'd recommend participating in something like the 3-day novel contest. It's a great way to get a draft, and you don't have time to be blocked.
V.M. Gautier
Writing. My fiction doesn't consistently pay my bills. If you don't love writing, don't do it. Frankly, I'm turned off by writers complaining (seriously) about writing.
V.M. Gautier
You don't have to "aspire" to write. You just need to do it. If you want to hone your skills, there's a lot you can do -- read books on the craft, take workshops, join groups (real or virtual), look for places to showcase work and get feedback, etc. Just remember, NOT everything you write needs to be published. Even with self-publishing, REAL writers don't push the button until they know a work is ready.
V.M. Gautier
Various blog gigs (some paid) under my "real" name. Honestly, haven't been working on any fiction since I stopped working on Blood Diva. I have been working on promo, but I'm not very good at that. I'd love for you to visit my blog and give me some advice on doing it better.
V.M. Gautier
It doesn't take a lot to inspire me.. It takes sitting down and working. I can write a novel in my head when I go out for a walk or while I'm on the treadmill. The trick is writing it down.
V.M. Gautier
I'm a total opera-geek. I've seen several different productions of La Traviata. I've long been fascinated with the life of Marie Duplessis. The idea of making her a modern-day vamp seemed like a perfect way to get her into the 21st century and let history repeat itself.
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