Welcome all.
Today I’m very lucky to be
interviewing Susan Tarr, author of PHENOMENA the Lost and Forgotten Children,
JACK, just an ordinary dog in the dog
house, MIRANDA BAY, and FRIENDS TO THE END. ALMOST AN AUTHOR is
due out this year.
ME: Hi SUSAN TARR, thank
you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself and your
background?
SUSAN TARR: I was born down south in New Zealand. and my working
life started in various
psychiatric hospitals in NZ, employed not admitted.
Then the travel bug took over. I
sailed to Kenya in a 28 foot yacht, without even considering whether or not I
might get sea sick. I did. Dreadful trip. But I continued to crew on other yachts.
Deck hand and sail repairer, caulking and painting. A real blokes girl. lol.
I married and lived in Kenya for
10 years--that's where my girls were born.
Europe became a favorite holiday
destination but when we returned to NZ, USA and Australia were next.
So, I have travelled extensively
and have now settled down into a peaceful life in a country town in NZ
ME: What genre do you write?
SUSAN TARR: Historical fiction based on fact, women’s medical
dramas, humor and life.
ME: What are you working on at the minute?
SUSAN TARR: A revamp of MIRANDA BAY. It was first published in
2009. I need to make it more current.
ME: Can you share a little of your current work with us?
SUSAN TARR: Miranda is impulsive and bids on an established
property, sight unseen, simply because it bears her name, Miranda. She gets
more than she bargained on...
ME: Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead
character from your most recent book?
SUSAN TARR: Sandra Bullock should play all my female roles. I love
her style and personality. She reminds me of my daughter who I base all my
30+yr old female characters on.
ME: While you were writing, do you ever feel as if you were one of
the characters?
SUSAN TARR: Always. My characters talk, and act like me. But now I
am older, I can only dream.
ME: When did you decide to become a writer?
SUSAN TARR: When living in Kenya, I wrote huge letters home to NZ.
They will form the basis of my Kenyan stories when I have time to finish them.
ME: Which writers inspire you?
SUSAN TARR: Louis de Bernieres, Joseph Heller, Marian Keyes, Sophie
Kinsella, Jane Green
ME: Do you write on a typewriter, computer, dictate or longhand?
SUSAN TARR: Lap top.
ME: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to just see
where an idea takes you?
SUSAN TARR: I type a million notes. When someone says or does
something my new character would, I note it. When I have a plot and title, I
start to order my notes, scene by scene. Heuristic is apparently my style. I
think it means I make sense out of a mess.
ME: Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors.
SUSAN TARR: Psychological thrillers are my current fix. Reading
Netta Newbound books first got me addicted.
ME: What book are you reading now?
SUSAN TARR: Paul Cleave's A KILLER HARVEST.
ME: Do you think that giving books away free works and why?
SUSAN TARR: I am in two camps here. If a book is given free it can
be perceived as worthless. But an author might gather a brand-new fan and sell
other titles to them.
ME: How do you relax?
SUSAN TARR: Hah! I am an active relaxer. I find it hard to sit
still. Coffee in a cafe with my writer friends might do it, although we'd spend
all our time talking about books and our writing.
ME: What is your favorite quote?
SUSAN TARR: Considerer the ramifications of your words or actions.
ME: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
SUSAN TARR: Oh, editing definitely. Sometimes in our enthusiasm to
publish 5 mins after typing The End, we miss this valuable step. I advise all
aspiring writers to set aside their finished MS and come back to it a few weeks
later. I promise that when they re-read it they will find unnecessary words and
so many bloopers. I also suggest they do not ask family members or close friends
to read their work, unless they promise to be totally honest. They LOVE you and
will lie through their teeth to be supportive. That doesn't help at all. (With
the exception of my hubster. He immediately picks up a red pen and starts
dissecting the title!)
ME: What does your writing process look like?
SUSAN TARR: No plot. No routine. Three books in different genres on
the go at any one time, so I can flip flop as the mood takes me. Humor versus
historical mental health.
ME: What is your least favorite part of the publishing / writing
process?
SUSAN TARR: The back matter. All the links and contacts.
ME: Is there a certain type of scene that's harder for you to write
than others? Love? Action? Racy?
SUSAN TARR: No, I seem to be able to write each scene by immersing
myself in it. Mainly I write from close experience
ME: Did you learn anything from writing your book(s) and what was
it?
SUSAN TARR: Oh, yes. Even if a particular character is based
closely on a particular person, readers ALWAYS want them to be likeable. So,
they can have negative aspects but need positive attributes too. Even if in
real life they are just plain nasty.
ME: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family
members.
SUSAN TARR: My best friend who is also an author. Otherwise it can
be a pretty lonely journey.
ME: Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and
why?
SUSAN TARR: Janet Frame. She was in the Seacliff Mental Hospital
during the period I wrote my historic mental health book, Phenomena. Her
writing inspired me.
ME: What is your favorite theme/genre to write about?
SUSAN TARR: Women's fiction/drama based on real life events but
written as fiction to keep my butt out of court. lol
ME: What is your favorite theme/genre to read?
SUSAN TARR: Psychological thriller.
ME: What secret talents do you have?
SUSAN TARR: Oh dear. I am such a big mouth, I don't think any minor
talents are secret anymore.
ME: If you had a superpower, what would it be?
SUSAN TARR: To be all my girls and grandchildren need me to be. And
to write books in under 6 months.
ME: Where is one place you want to visit that you haven't been
before? Why?
SUSAN TARR: GREECE! I saw The Lotus Eaters years ago. It was a TV
series. From then my longing to visit has been strong. Although I visited
Europe many times, I didn't make it to Greece.
ME: How can readers discover more about you and you work? i.e.
Website: Blog: Facebook: Twitter: Lnkedin: Pinterest: Amazon Author Page:
Smashwords: Book Links: (* American, UK, etc.) Goodreads.
SUSAN TARR:
ME: Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t
included?
SUSAN TARR: I am lousy with anything IT. I panic and press the
wrong keys. Chaos.
ME: Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy
schedule to take part in this interview.
SUSAN TARR: You are very welcome, Victoria. Thank you for including
me. XX
Great interview from a funny, lovely lady! xo
ReplyDeleteThank you, my friend! XX
Delete