When Eliza and I went to the Romance Writers of America conference in New York last month, we swore that we would NOT load ourselves up with books. That resolution lasted about as long as it took for us to get to our first signing. How could we pass up an autographed book from Meg Cabot? Or swag from the Kensington party? Truth is, we couldn’t. To assuage our guilt we decided to pass some of it along to you.
So this week’s contest winner will get what I’m calling our “Lover’s Dream” package. It includes:
One copy of Liz Carlyle’s The Bride Wore Scarlet, our August Top Pick for Romance, complete with loo mask as modeled below by the lovely Eliza.
One Kensington Zebra T-shirt, size large, with slogan “Black & white and passionately read all over.”
Copies of Size 12 Is Not Fat and Size 14 Is Not Fat, Either, signed by the delightful Meg Cabot herself.
But wait, there’s more! We’re throwing in copies of The Girl Who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane (MIRA) and You Belong to Me by Karen Rose (NAL). We had the pleasure of talking to both authors at RWA. In fact, we spent a lot of time asking authors questions at RWA (see our RWA video playlist for the evidence), so we thought we’d crowd-source for next time. What question would you like to ask your favorite author? Bonus points if it’s a romance author.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post telling us what one question you’d like to ask an author. It can be a general question or a specific one.
CONTEST DETAILS: One winner of the prizes shown above will be chosen by random.org from among entries received by 6 pm CST on July 22. Prize must be shipped to a North American address.
You can find all our RWA videos on our RWA playlist.
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ETA: Congrats to our winner, Nita! She would love to ask an author if they can hear their characters’ voices in their heads.
Thank you to all who entered! Contest is now closed.
I always like to ask..how did you get started,when did you start writing and why?
Did you always know you wanted to write,and what suggestions of any kind do you have for us wantabes???
How do you know when your inner voice is in your writing?
I would like to know if there are any other writers in your family. Did you learn from them or vice versa?
When your characters are based on real people, how much research do you do?
I would ask if he/she would ever risk his/her life to research a story idea.
Meg Cabot, which do you enjoy more writing books for teens or adults?
How does a beginning or hopeful author get read by the industry?
When did you realize you wanted to write books? What made you decide to start writing? Was getting started hard?
I’d like to ask Diana Gabaldon (or a hundred or so other authors) if they would visit our library….so we could ask lots of questions. Oh, yes and if a genie gave me 3 wishes, one of my wishes would be for … you guessed it … more wishes.
For writers of historical fiction: do you research first or write the story first and fill in the gaps with research later?
I would like to ask what writer living or dead she would like to meet.
What do the authors do when they have finished a book? Do they already have a new idea for the next book or do they feel ‘empty’ and sad because of the finished story?
Meg Cabot books are always flying off the shelf in my library. How do you keep coming up with ideas that readers will love?
I want to ask Stephen King if his books ever give him nightmares?
How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a writer?
I would like to ask Meg Cabot how she manages to write such sensitive, yet humorous novels about “overweight” women that makes one laugh about it instead of crying.
I would like to ask Liz Carlyle how she comes up with her delicious plots that her fans never tire of reading.
Thanks!
Connie Fischer
conniecape@aol.com
I always want to know where they got their inspiration for their stories….. is it based on their life? someone they know? how they wish their life was? Especially when you get into the steamy romance novels
I’d like to know if they had an experience in school that was particularly motivating for their writing.
I’d like to know where writers get their inspiration for a novel.
I would like to ask which authors or books were your favorites as a child?
My question: What motivated you to keep writing after the first rejections?
I would ask: What are your favorite authors? What do you read for pleasure?
I’ve seen on author blogs where the author has set a goal of “so many words” for that day. How do you count or keep count of the number of words you write?
When it comes to writing the “romantic scenes,” from where does your inspiration come?
I want to know which comes first, the story, or the title of the book?
My question: Are your characters inspired by real life people or figments of your imagination?
love the mask!!!
Who’s your favorite author? do they inspire you to new story lines? or are they just an indulgence for personal reading pleasure?
To authors who write about gruesome serial killers, do you make it up or have you researched real killers and based some of it after them?
What is next on your desk?
What’s next?
Do your characters ever change the story you planned or talk directly to you about what is going on?
How oftern are your books related to true life situations that you have experienced?
For top-list, best-selling, successful authors: what is it like to run into representatives of publishers who flatly rejected you early in your career? How is the last laugh?
I would like to ask if the characters stay with them for a while after they finish writing their books. I find that sometimes the characters stay with me long after I’ve finished reading them.
I would ask, “What would you say to young adults or teenagers who love to write short stories?” “Were you writer when you were school?”
I would like to ask, where do you write and do you always write in the same place each time or do you jot down little notes on napkins or in a little notebook you keep in your purse?
I would ask, “when you hit writers block, how do you overcome and come up with more of your story?”
What role does romance play in the longevity of lasting relationships?
How does a writer fill the story with the details?
Meg Cabot, do you prefer writing for adults or young adults – and why?
If you weren’t a writer what career do you see yourself in?
I love romance. I would want to know what other books the author reads. I also want to know how the author decides what makes a great book.
What was the defining moment in your life, where you realized that you would become a writer?
Are there any quirks/habits you have when you start a novel?
I would ask, “Do you do the writing or does the character take over?”
How do you prepare yourself? do you have to be in a certain room? do use a favorite pen? Is there music playing and if so what are you listening to?
how do you keep your plots/books new and fresh and not formulaic (because they are sooo good)…so many writers or series become boring to read after book 3 4 5…how do you do it?
Who is the author whose work has made the biggest impact on you?
Where do you like to plop yourself down to write?
For your personal reading, do you have a preference–fiction vs. nonfiction?
I’d like to ask Meg Cabot where she does her writing? Thanks for this opportunity.
makeupgirl21@comcast.net
Do you know the ending of your book before you start writing or does it change as you develope and define you plot?
I would like to know, how you plan out your story? Do you story board it before you begin so you know where your going? Or is the planning and direction all in you head?
If you could invite anyone to dinner……… what would you serve?
how long does it take from an idea to writing your book
Do you start writing with an outline? How do you develop characters into fulfilling stories?
Do you have any pets?
Where do you get your ideas on the books you write, from your imagination, or do you do some research on what sells and then decide on the book to write?
How many hours of the day is devoted to writing your novel?
How do you decide if secondary characters get thier own books?
I would ask them if they can hear their characters’ voices in their
heads.
I would like to know how you organize your book while you are writing it. Do you use sticky notes or something?
I don’t know that I’d have a question. Would like to express my amazement at the intricate plots that they craft. Guess I do have a question: How do you keep everything running so smoothly?
Did you have a wild imagination from little on?
I’d like to ask how you make the time to DO the writing! I never seem to be able to get off the dime.
I usually like to ask an author If you could live in any book which one would it be?
How did you get started?
I’m always interested in how an author is inspired to write a fabulous book. Whether it is a heart breaking personal story or a chance meeting at the grocery store. What has been the most surprising interaction that has inspired you to write? Why do you think that event has been such a catalyst for inspiration?
How do you know when you’re really DONE? And also, every attempt I’ve had at fiction writing still feels autobiographical…how do you remove yourself from your main character…or do you?
To romance writers: do readers ever ask your life partners about how they inspire your love scenes?
I always like to ask authors what made them write a particular book & who was their influence to write their 1st book? (guess that’s 2 questions)
I would like to know what it is that draws a particular author to their genre of writing?
How do you gain the confidence in yourself to know that your work is worthy of being published?
What was your reaction the day you held your first published work in your hands?
Does your husband/significant other ever get jealous of all those romances or is he the inspiration?
I would like to know how she comes up with a unique story for almost every state in the U.S. and it feels so real.
To authors who write about such intricate fields as medicine, law, or law enforcement: how do you get the minute details right?
Where does real life end and fantasy begin?
I would ask how many of the stories they come up with end up not going anywhere and have to be tossed?
I would ask Jennifer Egan how she managed to get so fully inside my head.
I would ask, “Do you decide on the titles for your books or is that done by the publisher?”
Who is your favorite author?
If you were not writer, what do you think you would do?
Did an event in your childhood help your decision to become an author?
I wish I could have went to the conference with you! What fun that must be! I would want to ask Nora Roberts and Debbie Macomber how they keep coming up with new and fresh ideas and characters?
How do you know when the characters have reached a resolution and the story has come to an end?
I would like to know if you set certain hours to write each day or write “as the spirit moves you” for Meg Cabot
I am always interested in where author’s ideas come from – personal life or fantasy?
What and/or who are your inspirations?
Was becoming a writer a lifelong goal?
I would like to ask, Do you ever wish you had went with a different ending in the book?
hello. i would love to know how involved you are in the process of marketing your books. the cover photo, the blurbs, etc. i would think it would be so rewarding to be published that you would want to be involved in the process, but wasn’t sure how that worked. anyway, thanks to all the great writers out there!!
How and when did you know you wanted to write as a career as opposed to just a hobby?
How long do you write on a normal day and how long does it generally take you to write a full book?
How do you keep the story line flowing and the plot and characters organized?
If writing children’s book, is it a MUST to also include the illustrations before submitting to publishers for review or will they handle that part if they want your book?
Do you know what you want to write before starting, or does the story develop of its own accord?
Do you always know how a book will end or does it sometimes take a different turn than you had planned?
I’d ask Kate Atkinson how and why she transitioned from writing literary novels to her her Jackson Brodie mystery series and whether she has plans to write any non-Brodie books again.
What types of books did you read when you were young and is this reflected in your writing?
Do you write an outline, or just start writing?
I would ask what keeps you from quitting if you write something you thought was great and it gets rejected? And does the time of day influence your creativity?
Does the plot come first or does the main character?
What was your favorite book when you were a teenager?
Do you ever consider the population of the state where you locate your stories in order to increase book sales?
I would like to ask whether you write with the aspirations of becoming great or if it’s more of personal process to get your thoughts on the paper?
How often does your research require you to actually visit the locations you are writing about (if indeed you are writing about a real location) and how much can you pick up online or from talking to people knowledgeable about the specific area?
Do you ‘become’ your character(s) to make them authentic, to get a feel for their inner and outer beings?
How do you deal with writers block?
Where do you do your best writing? (place, etc.)
What would you be doing if you weren’t writing?
Where does the discipline come from? Especially when you’re a first time novelist and you don’t have an agent/publisher breathing down your neck. How do you, as they say, put “butt in chair and write?”
What authors do you like to read when you’re not writing?
Great giveaway!! I’d like to know how the authors find the time and place to write without life getting in the way!
What inspires you to come up with your stories?