Today’s
guest is author M. Irish Gardner. Thank
you for allowing me to be the first person to do an author interview with you
for my blog. My readers and I look
forward to learning more about you and your writing.
I’m so
grateful for this opportunity to be a guest on your blog! It makes me feel like
I can actually call myself an author now! A little information about myself: I
live in on the east side of the Phoenix metropolitan monstrosity with my hubby
of 10 years and two young daughters. I am a homemaker and love being around my
family. I write whenever the muse strikes - 4am or 4pm, it doesn't really
matter. My husband is very supportive of my craft, so we trade nap times as
needed.
I have
always had a very vivid imagination, but didn't dive into actually writing down
the scenes in my head until about seven years ago. I spent those years making
lots of common mistakes, learning about them after the fact, then figuring out
I should probably learn a bit more about what I was getting into. I joined the
American Night Writers Association, then two months later was appointed to
serve on their Board of Directors. After a very intense year of personal growth
within the writing industry, I became an editor with Xchyler Publishing, an
innovative publishing company designed to find new talent. I anonymously
submitted a short story to their quarterly open submissions. The judges thought
it was decent enough to publish, so my first published work, Reformation, a psychological thriller,
will be coming out July 31st.
Often,
the company will encourage the short story authors to submit full novels, so I
queried my historical romance. That time, they knew it came from me, but I had
established my ability, so they accepted. That doesn't mean my novel didn't
need significant work. Actually, I believed it needed a major overhaul, which
my editor in chief confirmed. I am currently in the process of rewriting the
entire thing. A very liberating, empowering act. That novel is due to come out in
January, 2014.
1.
You said you started writing seven years ago, what was the first
thing you wrote?
My
first project was actually my historical romance, which I unwittingly filled
with cliché characters and scenes. I hadn’t realized how influenced I was by
other beloved romantic tales, either in book or movie form, and though I
thought I had something original, research proved otherwise. I learned that I
needed to give the reader what they wanted, just not in the way they expected
it.
2.
From all of the scenes that come to your mind, which ones have
your written down?
I write
down just about every scene that comes into my head, either in “gist” format,
or with full narration, dialogue, and action—just so I never forget a usable
idea. In their infant states, many are not ready for any sort of use, but you
never know where inspiration can originate. I keep notebooks by my bedside, my
phone is filled with little thoughts, and occasionally I excuse myself from
polite company so I can scribble like a madwoman as the revelation flows. I’ve
learned that my brain will not hold on to ideas for long, so I must record them
somehow.
3.
Did you use any of those scenes in a novel or short story?
All of
my work originates from one, or a combination, of those recorded scenes. I woke
up in the middle of the night one time to the sound of rushing water. While I
was cleaning up the result of my daughter putting an open water bottle on the
edge of our ottoman (we have a master suite—for some reason I feel the need to
explain that I don’t sleep on the living room couch . . . often), an idea came
to mind. I wrote it down, and about three notebook-pages later, I had the
beginning version of my short story set to be released in a psycho-thriller
anthology in July.
4.
Have you ever used real people fictionally in any of your
stories?
In the
original version of my historical romance, I used a real name when describing
an individual’s old Dutch-style home in Kingston, New York, where my book takes
place, and whose home actually still exists. I also included a story about the
British soldiers burning said village, but with a rewrite, many things will
change. For instance, the time is now set as during the American Revolution, instead of fifteen years after. The people and situations have
changed a bit, and I will likely mention a few military and political leaders’
names, but not have them as actual characters in the story.
5.
Your book is being published in January 2014, what is its name?
Yes,
that is the tentative release date, the 17th of January, and its
working title is Dry Rain, although
that may change, too. I think that title fit my previous version better.
6.
How excited are you to finally get one of your stories
published?
Um,
extremely? It was something that I knew I had potential for; I’ve rarely set my
mind to something without finding one way or another to accomplish it, but this
is something really special to me. My short story’s first draft was written in
a day—testament that my writing ability and comfort had grown over the years. My
full-length novel has taken SO much work and time and effort, and still will,
so I feel that the sense of accomplishment will be greater.
7.
When will you have your launch party so everyone can celebrate
your accomplishment?
The
release party will happen on a Facebook page created by the Marketing
Department of Xchyler Publishing. Check frequently on their page: https://www.facebook.com/XchylerPublishing.page?fref=ts,
and my page: https://www.facebook.com/MIrishGardner?fref=ts
for more information!
8.
Where can my readers and your fans find your book for purchase?
My
book will be available through Amazon (Kindle and paperback), Kobo,
Createspace, and Barnes and Noble Nook. Possibly even Barnes and Noble stores
if the anthology gets as wide recognition as their last one: Mechanized Masterpieces: A Steampunk
Anthology.
9.
How old are you children?
I have
a four-year-old and a three-year-old. They are my little monkeys!
10. Do
they understand what you do as a writer, or do they just know that you spend a
lot of time on the laptop?
A
little bit of both. We talk about the people that write the books I read to
them each night, and I explain that I write books, too. I try to help them
understand that my job is to also help other authors make their books even
better than they already are. Both of my careers are extremely fulfilling. As
an editor, I develop my technical abilities. As a writer, I develop my creative
abilities. I love every part of it and appreciate that my girls are best
friends together and love to create their own imaginative worlds.
11. Where
do you write? By that I mean, do you
have a specific place in the house you type every day or just where ever you
are when you decide to write?
I have
an office, but I also like going to the library to work, or Starbucks, which is
dangerous because I love their extremely fattening hot chocolate. Basically,
anywhere that has a/c and the internet is fair game. My girls especially love
Chic-Fil-A where they can play and eat while I type away.
12. Are
you working on a new book now?
I am
currently revamping my outline for my historical romance, which is due in three
days. I like to have my outlines really solid and fairly detailed so there is
no excuse for writer’s block once I dive in. I outline the when/where, what
happens, what’s revealed, and what’s foreshadowed. I also create in-depth
character sketches, so I know how they’ll behave in any given circumstance.
13. When
will your next book come out?
As
mentioned above, Reformation will be
coming out July 31st in the A Dash of Madness: A Thriller Anthology.
And Dry Rain (working title) is
planned for January 17th, 2014. We’ll see how close I can get to
that!
14. Where
can my readers find your webpage or blog?
I do
not have a website at this point, but my Facebook author page is: https://www.facebook.com/MIrishGardner?fref=ts
Feel free to stop by and “like” what I have going on! I love what I do and
can’t wait to do more!
15. How
can my readers contact you?
mgardner.author@gmail.com
Please visit M. Irish Gardner's Facebook page and her publisher to learn more about her and books.
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