Loreth Anne White is the author of the Shadow
Soldiers trilogy for Silhouette Intimate Moments:
The Heart of a Mercenary (Oct. 2006),
A Sultan's Ransom (Nov. 2006), and Rules
of Re-Engagement (Dec. 2006). Here Loreth
answers 15 questions about writing, books, and
more, all in 15 minutes.
1. Which comes first when you're starting
to write a new book: character, setting, plot,
or theme?
The whole shebang, all mixed in. I can't pull
one out of the other.
2. Do you plot or write by the seat of
your pants?
I'm a plotter.
3. How do you write the first draft (longhand,
typewriter, Alphasmart, computer)?
A bit of longhand, mostly computer.
4. How long does it take you to write
a first draft?
A few weeks, usually.
5. How many drafts do you usually end
up writing?
That depends on the book, and how easily it comes
to me. And it depends on my deadline.
6. Out of all the books you've written,
which one is your favourite?
I think, perhaps, the one I finished today for
Silhouette Romantic Suspense—Deal With
the Devil (working title). Having just written
"the end" may have something to do with
my fondness.
7. What's the best book you've ever read?
That's like asking whether I like sweet or savory—it's
an impossible question for me to answer. I love
so many books for so many different reasons.
8. What's the most useful book on writing
you've ever read?
Techniques of the Selling Writer, by
Dwight V. Swain.
9. What's the most useful writing advice
you've heard?
Derek Rydall's Ten Habits of Highly Successful
Screenwriters. He says it all.
10. Which character do you wish you had
created?
Kay Scarpetta, or Anna Pigeon or John Rain or
Adam Dalgleish, or Barbara Havers—okay,
I'll stop. It's not that I wish I had created
these characters per se, but more a case of wanting
to one day be able to create story people who
resonate with readers in ways that these characters
resonated with me.
11. What prize or award would you most
like to win?
This is where my weirdness shows—I can't
answer questions like this for fear of jinxing
myself.
12. If you hadn't become a writer, what
might you have become instead?
There was a while I seriously entertained trying
my hand at espionage, but otherwise, a psychologist
or marine biologist.
13. What's the nicest compliment someone
could give you about one of your books?
That my story made them FEEL they were there.
I love books that take me away to other worlds,
that make me feel a part of the story, and I'd
love to be able to do that for my readers.
14. What's the worst thing about being
a writer?
The long hours alone.
15. What's the best thing about being
a writer?
The long hours alone.
Sheri Radford is the author of Penelope and
the Monsters, Penelope and the Humongous
Burp, and other upcoming books in the Penelope
series. Visit Sheri on the web at www.sheriradford.com.
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