Reading is a vital part of my life and books are among my best friends. I read widely; anything and everything that kindles my curiosity, but am partial towards stories with a human element and good characterization. I like to read both fiction and nonfiction, therefore I have a long list of favorites; ‘Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens, ‘People of the Book’ by Geraldine Brooks, ‘Lovely Bones’ by Alice Sebold, ‘Black Beauty’ by Anna Sewell, ‘Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ by Agatha Christie, ‘Fledgling’ by Octavia Butler, ‘Infidel’ by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and many, many more.
Let me admit that I did not write my story with a plan to publish; I did so because the idea occurred to me and I wanted to present the situation with a positive twist. I shared it on my blog with my followers and was thrilled with the response and the way it touched so many lives. And so I thought why not? I pitched it to a couple of agents and received prompt rejections–guess I’m not a very good pitcher. I then sent a sample directly to my publisher and was accepted. If not, I may have considered self publishing.
It varies widely. About 3-4 hours/ week; not as much as I’d like to.
I am an island and music is my community.
Freedom of expression; not enough time to exercise it.
6. Are writers born, taught, or both? Both.
Age and experience don’t count in writing. Just do it and have fun.