Monday 8 October 2012

#Orangeberry Author Interview - Lynn Ricci

If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future? The past, for sure.  My grandmother always said I was an old soul because I deeply admired and appreciated things from the past.  There are places and times I would like to just pop in, visit, and get out of dodge though because they are lacking some modern conveniences like bathrooms! But there are other eras such as the roaring 20′s that I could see myself really enjoying and staying for awhile . . . even if it meant I wouldn’t  have my mobile phone with me!
If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose? Five people, huh?  Well, since you didn’t specify living or dead I think an interesting table for me would be a mix of thinkers and artists.  John Lennon, Leonardo DaVinci, and Steve Jobs.  And, I’d have George Clooney on my left and Cary Grant, my childhood crush, on my right for a nice distraction.
If you could have any superpower what would you choose? Having a teen and a tween at home, the power to “see” anywhere someone is or whatever situation they are in just by closing my eyes would be not only handy but very cool.  It could also be very embarrassing if my timing was bad.
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? You hit on one of my favorite things – ice cream.  A favorite flavor would be difficult but perennial favorites come with the change in seasons here in New England.  As we move into fall I love coffee based flavors like coffee heath, coffee chip, etc.  My winter favorite is Brigham’s Peppermint Stick.
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? My favorite would be warm gooey cinnamon rolls, but I try to be good. . . most of the time.  My typical breakfast of cereal is, quite frankly, a little boring in comparison.
Night owl, or early bird? Early bird.  I can’t tell you how many nights I am writing on my laptop and wake up with my fingers still on the keyboard!
One food you would never eat? Liver.  Never. Ever.
Pet Peeves? People that expect handouts that they don’t deserve when there are so many that do deserve assistance and can’t get it.
Skittles or M&Ms? Chocolate, always!  M&M’s
Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. I think my book is very relatable to anyone trying to find love and follow their dreams while still balancing all the challenges of today’s hectic life with kids, coaching, careers, responsibilities, etc.
Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? I am working on a paranormal romance, set in Boston, called Cursed.  I am hoping to get that finished and released by the end of this year or early 2013.  There are two other lighthearted romances I have in my head but I’m not sure which will get from idea to fingertips first.  My goal would be to get one out for next summer as they are both more of a beach read.
What inspired you to want to become a writer? I always enjoyed writing.   Growing up I would write science fiction or ghost short stories. I also painted and sketched a lot and, since I wasn’t a strong student but showed some artistic talent, I pursued fine arts.  Life has a funny way of coming full circle, as I found myself having a career in a financial communications role which required a lot of writing – press releases, scripts, communications plans, etc.  All that writing made me want to break free of press releases and return to being creative.
Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published. I was out to dinner with an old friend in our hometown shortly after releasing my first short story, Daydreams.  A girl from our high school that I hadn’t seen in many, many years came by the table and said she had to come over to say hello because she had stumbled across my short story through a mutual friend on Facebook, downloaded, and read my book that day. And most importantly, she loved the story. That was pretty cool, I felt like I was a real author.
What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? I would pass along what I read from Neil Gaiman which has served me well:  ”The best advice I can give on [writing] is, once it’s done, to put it away until you can read it with new eyes.”
What is your favorite Quote? One of my favorite poems is by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken.  It carries a lot of wisdom, and for me it’s about making choices in life – not always being a follower but a leader and choosing a different path than the one everyone else is following.  I love the famous quote from the poems last lines, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” It’s like branching off my corporate career to become an author.
How did you know you should become an author? With a career and young children diverting some of my creative outlets for awhile, my desire to become a published author happened late for me.  A few years ago I had an idea for The Dating Intervention and kept building on it until I thought I had enough substance for a book.  I told myself that I won’t know if I can do it unless I try so I set a goal to bring it across the finish line.  It’s a nice feeling of accomplishment.
Can you see yourself in any of your characters? Yes, I do identify closely with my main character, Vanessa Parker, because in the book she is divorced, with two kids, trying to make the best decisions for her family and consequently puts her life on hold.  I also see myself in some of the friends in the book too – it’s kind of like you put a little of yourself in each one because that’s how you breath life into them – but then they grow and take on their own quirks and characteristics.
What’s the craziest writing idea you’ve had? I’ve wondered about alternative endings, in the digital world, where you could write several different final chapters and the person who downloaded the ebook could choose the ending they want to see played out.  At that point, they download their selected ending that gets added to their original ebook. It would be a little more interactive for the reader and would guarantee they get the ending they want.
Buy Now @ Amazon 
Genre – Contemporary Romance
Rating – PG
More details about the book
Connect with Lynn Ricci on Facebook & Twitter

1 comment:

Lynn Ricci said...

Thanks for having me and for the great interview -- that was a lot of fun! Lynn Ricci

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