Wednesday 24 February 2016

INTERVIEW- 6 KIRTIDA GAUTAM INTERVIEWS TANYA ANNE CROSBY

INTERVIEW 6
KIRTIDA GAUTAM INTERVIEWS 
TANYA ANNE CROSBY
Tanya Anne Crosby is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-five novels. She is known for stories that are charged with emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters. 
Thank you Tanya for taking out time for this interview.

How your growing-up years have inspired you to become a writer?
I knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I was a little girl. I remember being 12 and getting my tonsils out and my father told me I could have anything I wanted, probably thinking it would be ice cream. But I asked to use his typewriter!

What is the secret behind being the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five novels? Consistently being able to write books that garnered huge readership and praise, do you follow a writing method or regime?
Writing is a very individual journey, but if there is any secret at all, it’s this: Perseverance matters. If you have a drive to write, it’s what you must do, and to do it well, it takes practice. With lots of practice, you have a published book, and after a number of great books, you have a following. Essentially, the secret is simply to write the best book you know how to write and to keep doing it for as long as you love what you’re doing.

Is there a character of yours, which is closest to your heart?
My favorite character is always the characters I’m currently working on. It’s important, I believe, to love every book from the bottom of your heart as you are writing them. Your passion for your work always shows.

You have written books in different genres. How do switch between the genres? What are the difficulties that you face?

I actually find it fairly easy to switch between genres. As long as you’re writing a book you love, and feel a passion for, each and every book has its own rewards and pitfalls. In general, historical are a little harder, because they take more research, but although contemporaries are easier in the sense that we are living this history, right now, you’ve got to get it right, because there’s always someone out there who is ready to bonk you on the head with your mistakes (figuratively, of course!).

You refer the term Hybrid Author for yourself, having your roots in both trade and self-publishing. What are the pros and cons of traditional publishing and self-publishing according to you?
Although my publishing roots are trad, I definitely do not consider myself either indie or trad. I guess the term hybrid author most applies to me. I don’t believe there is any one right path for an author to take and I do believe under the right circumstances traditional publishing is still a great option, although I know that doesn’t answer your question. I came to a point in the late nineties that I no longer enjoyed what I was writing. That, and life got in the way, so I took a break. When I came back to the industry, it was an entirely different world. I was determined to love writing again. For me that meant telling the stories I wanted to tell and that was far easier to do as an indie author.

What is the inspiration behind choosing the historical background for your romance Novels?
Literally, it could be anything. I’m inspired by life in general.
After ten years hiatus, you returned with your first contemporary romantic suspense Novel. What made you take a break for ten years? What stirred you to choose contemporary suspense as a genre for your comeback Novel?
I came to a point in the late nineties that I no longer enjoyed what I was writing. That, and life got in the way, so I took a break. When I came back to the industry, it was an entirely different world. I was determined to love writing again. For me that meant telling the stories I wanted to tell and that was far easier to do as an indie author.

Could you please tell us little about your future work? Which character will take the lead in the story?

This year is going to be crazy. I have a new book out in March, HIGHLAND STORM and one out in April, THE GIRL WHO STAYED. I am now working on the next release, a second anthology with Glynnis Campbell and Laurin Wittig, called THE SUMMER STAR. And I’m also in the midst of book 4 of the Guardians series, which takes the series in a whole new direction. HIGHLAND FURY is due out in January 2017, and I’m plotting and scheming a new book for The Story Plant.

How writing has moved you as a person? Are you different in your personal life then what you are as a writer?
Probably not so much. Although I can’t say I identify with all my characters, there’s probably a tiny bit of me in all my characters, heroes and villains.

Being the editor for ten years and a renowned published author for over twenty years, what advice would you like to give to new authors of today regarding editing, publishing and book promotions? 
My advice is pretty rudimentary. Writers write. So do it every day. It seems simple, but this piece of advice has served me through twenty seven years as a published writer. The more you do it, the better you get.

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Kirtida Gautam is a clinical psychologist and an author. Follow her on Twitter @KirtidaGautam  

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