Talking On A Tuesday

Today I have the pleasure of talking to author Elle Druskin.



First of all, thanks for inviting me.



Can you tell us about your latest release?


Yes, I should talk about two books. The first was released in June, To Catch A Cop. The second which is due out at the end of August is Outback Hero.

To Catch A Cop was an interesting experience for many reasons. I wrote it years ago mostly to figure out how to write a book. I had written a lot of non-fiction as an academic and had a lot of experience in that style, but fiction, of course, is different and I thought the way to learn was to try. So I wrote a book, didn’t think much of it or about it and started to do some reading about how to construct a novel. I didn’t have a problem with a story or dialogue, at least I thought I didn’t, but I didn’t understand the craft, the change of pov, the break in narrative and when to get some dialogue in to break the narrative, how much is too much back story, how to build tension and so forth. I have been on Books and Writers Forum for years and some great writers are members like Diana Gabaldon and Jo Bourne and I learned a lot from many discussions there.



A few years later I took it out again, but this time, it was much clearer to me. By that I mean, this time I could see and hear the story and the characters and that was important. The heroine told me I had her name wrong and please fix it which I did. Rewrote and after that rewrite decided it was time to show it to someone. I showed it to a friend who writes romance who read it and thought it was an unorthodox romance but definitely that genre. Showed it to someone else and she said, “Hmm, this is a very cute mystery.” Now, ahem, I never saw it as a mystery. I did intend for it to have elements of a mystery, but I didn’t see that as the primary genre. Showed it to a friend who writes thrillers and he said he thought it had some elements of a thriller and made a few suggestions for revision and that was it. I still didn’t know what I wrote but I thought I had nothing to lose by submitting the final product and then it took its course through contract, editing, and publication. What surprised me enormously was that it has been a consistent best seller in both contemporary romance and mystery. I have since seen the reviews and getting a 5 Star review has been wonderful, and here’s the interesting thing, it was consistently called a great mystery with a great twist and a wonderful romance.



I was so engaged with the book that I thought I had finished with it and the characters but they kept talking to me and the second To Catch book is now under submission and hopefully on its way to publication and the third is in development.



Outback Hero is another thing altogether. That is a contemporary romance set in the Australian Outback. That developed from years of living in Australia, visiting country towns and rodeos, meeting the rodeo cowboys and clowns and trying to write a book that interpreted some of that wonderful culture within the context of a romance.

To Catch A Cop is available at www.redrosepublishing.com in a number of formats and is available at www.bookstrand.com in Kindle format. In due time, it will come out at Amazon and Barnes and Noble but no idea when.



Where do you take your inspiration from?


I am not sure exactly. I am always interested in people. I can talk to anyone and I watch and listen. I have traveled all over the world, had a lot of experiences and undoubtedly, that has factored to some extent in my writing.



Do you like to work with music playing in the background? And if so, do you listen to a specific type to evoke certain moods?


That depends. I don’t mind background noise; I can work anywhere. When my kids were little I would write on a laptop while they were taking dancing or skating lessons. I was completely capable of focusing on the writing and still paying attention to their activity periodically during a lesson.



If I listen to music, it might have something to do with what I am writing. For example, I am working on and off on a book set in Scotland. I have been to Scotland many times and know the country quite well, but, I like to play Scottish musicians, especially, if they are from live recordings with an audience because they will often speak or banter with the audience so I catch the nuances of speech from that sort of music. I am very partial to Dougie MacLean and The Corries for that wonderful Scottish speech.



What was it that gave you the final push to submit your first story? And how did you feel when your work was accepted?


The feedback from my readers was that it was a good book, funny (which was important to me since it was meant to be) entertaining and great story, so I felt I had nothing to lose and yes, it was very exciting to receive the contract, but I knew from experience in academia that it is a process that takes time from contract to publication.



Can you describe to us a typical day in your life as an author?


There is no typical day. I still work in my profession so I don’t manage to have a set time to write as much as I would like to have that. If possible, I try to write every day. I also read voraciously, read everything and read every day which is important for many reasons, but especially for writers. In my opinion, all writers must read and not fall so in love with their own writing that they stop reading.



What is the best thing about being a writer?


The best thing is creating a world that other people enjoy, become engaged in and get pleasure from because really, these people, whoever they are as characters, exist in my head until I can find suitable words to make them come alive to other people who don’t know them as well as I do.



What does your work space look like? Neat as a new pin? Or area of mass destruction?


I work on a laptop and work anywhere, but at home, I often sit on a couch, have the news on in the background or whatever, and write.



Which, if any of your stories, has been the most emotionally difficult for you to write?


I wrote one book that I don’t think I will ever submit. It was very personal, very emotional, and the only person I have allowed to read it, cried and I cried while writing it. It was something I needed to do and as I said, I don’t know if I will ever do anything with it, or let's put it this way, I don't feel that I need to do something with it other than having written the book.



Most authors that I've spoken with have at least one finished or nearly finished project that they've held onto for a number of years. Do you have any such work?

And if so, what has stopped you from submitting it?


Sure. I have things I have put away because I thought they were not good enough yet. I take them out and work on them again if I think I want to continue with them and I often work on several books at once. I don’t need to focus solely on one project; that’s a habit from academia. If I get stuck on one, move on to the next one, by the time I get back to the first one, I have some fresh ideas for it.



Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?


See above


Which of your upcoming projects are you most excited about?


I am in different stages of three projects right now, almost done with a short contemporary romance which I hope is funny, another one that is far more serious, that is the one set in Scotland, and I am working on a new contemporary that is either very good or awful because it is coming very easily to me; very visual and auditory. I think I am most excited about that one because it is making me laugh while writing it and I hope that is a good sign.



When not writing, how do you relax?


I go to several dance classes. I don’t say I am a good dancer but I like dancing. I go to ballroom dancing 2 times a week and I try to get to an Irish dance class once a week. I am awful at that, but I like it and I keep going and like everything, you get better if you stick it out. Persistence pays in the end whether it is writing, learning a new skill or whatever.

I am currently preparing for a show in a month’s time at one of the studios with a great partner to perform a very sexy rumba. I only hope I don’t manage to do something really dumb like poke his eyes out -- he tells me he has very good insurance


I have not played my guitar in months, but I enjoy music. I love the beach and swimming and I love being with my friends and having them over or going out with them. I am on my way out to dinner in about five minutes with a very good friend and friends are important. We have to make time for them. That includes my dog too!



How do your friends and family feel about your work and do you let any of them read your stories?


For a long time, I didn’t say anything to anyone, but once To Catch A Cop was contracted, I told them. Everyone has been thrilled and supportive. No, I don’t let them read work in progress. I don’t let anyone read anything other than a short scene if I need feedback, or eventually I might send a first draft of a book to a reader to see what he or she thinks. I have a brilliant beta reader who is always willing to read for me. Her job is to read the story and see what she thinks; she is not reading for structure or grammar so much, as a good story that is engaging and satisfying.



Has your life changed significantly since becoming a published writer?


I don’t think so. I still work in my profession, still do the things that I enjoy doing but I now have to spend time on promotion and that is a difference.



Where do you see yourself in three years time, as far as your writing is concerned?


Good question. I would like to have a solid track record; that when you see my name, you know you are getting a great story, engaging characters, and you spent your money well. I would also like to write a very large, complex book but that is coming in bits and pieces and could take years to finish.



If you weren't a writer, what else would you be doing?


I am doing other things, but I would love to try archeology, and there are plenty of things I would still love to study. I would love to take a proper course in gardening; I do some of that but to actually study it would be fun, especially medicinal plants. I have read a fair amount on the topic and visited large medicinal gardens in Europe. I would love to take some courses in cooking, French, Italian, Thai, for example. I do cook things in those styles but you can always learn more from a course. I would love to take a course in astronomy; I love looking at the night sky. I have traveled all over the world but there are still places that I would like to see. I could easily come up with some other things that I would like to do but this is enough for now.



Which of your books would you love to see turned into a movie?


I am not sure I would like any of them to become a movie. First of all, for the most part, the author does not have artistic control over the project so that the final product (the movie) may not resemble the book in any way. Now then, some adaptations have been great, faithful to the book, or as faithful as they can be. Some classic examples are Gone With The Wind, some of the Harry Potter movies, and others, like My Sister's Keeper were disappointing to me. I thought the book was great and was disappointed in the way the movie was changed when the story was brilliant exactly as it was. An author does not control casting, and even if part of the screenwriting team, it still means there will be many changes. I would rather spend my time writing books than screen adaptations that require continual tweaking.



Can you let the readers know where to find you on the web?



Sure. You can find me in a few places. First, my website:

www.elledruskin.com

There are free downloadable bookmarks and recipe cards there, my blog, and a Recipe Forum that is free for anyone to join, post a recipe, provide a comment, etc. In due time, I will organize a contest around that on the theory that we all have to eat .

I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter and I hang out at the Books and Writers Forum with a lot of great writers and readers and generally check in there daily.