Interview with Lindsay Buroker
-Try to describe your books in one sentence.I’m not very good at that! Here are the ads I tried at Goodreads (they’re about three sentences, but short):
Encrypted: She cracked codes during the war; he was the enemy commander. Now they must work together to decipher ancient evils threatening the world.
Emperor’s Edge: He’s the empire’s most notorious assassin. She's a protocol-quoting enforcer. They're an unlikely team, but somebody has to save the city...
-Your genre in Emperor’s Edge is fantasy-mystery right?. You did that on purpose, or you just start writing?
I just write. I like stories with lots of action and fun dialogue, so that’s what I try to write. I do always seem to end up with a mystery element. I like my characters to have to run around, scrambling after clues with no clear path to the end goal. Its good for ‘em. ;)
-What inspired you to write, you took any ideas from other books, movies etc?My mom taught me to read at a young age, and I always loved making up stories. There have been times in my life when I haven’t done much writing, but I’ve always come back to it. This time I’m planning to stick with it!
As for story inspiration, I’m more likely to get ideas from non-fiction than other novels and movies. The whole counterfeiting scheme in Emperor’s Edge was inspired by a History Channel special on counterfeiting. The cryptography stuff in Encrypted was inspired by a cool read called The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography.
-Did you do any research before start or during of the writing of the books?I’m not the world’s best researcher, but I try to do enough so things sound plausible. I’ve learned a lot about steam-powered technology in writing these novels.
There’s an ironclad steam ship in London I’d love to tour some day and a steam-machinery museum in California that would also be cool to visit. I need to make some money as an author first to justify those trips. :)
-Which scenes were the hardest to write?I find fight scenes the least fun to write. That said, I tend to get through them quickly. I love writing dialogue, but those important moments can be tricky to get right, and I’ll go over them a number of times. There’s a scene at the end of Emperor’s Edge with Sicarius and Amaranthe that I wrote and rewrote several times.
-How long has it taken you to write a book ?I started Emperor’s Edge several years ago, didn’t like the ending, and put it aside for a while (it ended up being a long while!). I came back to it last year and finished it. With Encrypted, I wrote the whole thing from first word to polished copy in about six months. I can write fairly quickly if I don’t get stumped along the way!
-What’s the best part of writing for you?Writing the first draft. Editing is a lot less fun. ;)
-Are you reading or writing something else at the moment?I’m working on Book 2 of what will become the Emperor’s Edge series.
-Did you have support at the beginning and/or during your writing?I just live with my dogs. They’re not much help. My parents have always been supportive though.
-Did you always had in mind to be a writer or it just happened?
I always enjoyed writing, but I didn’t think it was a very viable career, so I focused on other things first. It’s just in the last year and a half or so that I’ve gotten serious and started finishing some novels.
-How important you find the communication between you and your readers? Do you reply to their messages or read their reviews?I’m happy to answer emails. I read the reviews, but I don’t comment on them. People should be able to say what they want to say without the author butting in.
-Are you working on any other projects except writing, right now?I’m trying to become a better tennis player. :)
-Something special you want to share with us?
Uhm, my favorite color is peridot. (Bonus points if any of your readers know where that quote is from!)
Now some simple questions and more fun^^
-Your favourite books and author?Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan series.
-Your favourite band/singer?In no particular order: Three Days Grace, Lake of Tears, Eminem, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and ES Posthumus
-Twitter or Facebook?Twitter--Facebook is too time consuming! BTW, I’m at http://www.twitter.com/GoblinWriter if anyone wants to say hi! Or people can come visit my blog at http://www.lindsayburoker.com/ too.
-Favourite place in the world?Hawaii, Mexico, Italy, Palm Springs... Any place warm and sunny. It rains too much in Seattle!
-Last movie you watched at the cinemas?Shrek 4
-The last book you’ve read?Made to Stick (a business book, haha, sorry to be boring!)
-Writing, reading or hanging out with friends?Well, both are healthy, but I’ve been known to plot scenes while I’m actually hanging out with people... (don’t tell them)
-If you wouldn’t be a writer, what you would be?I don’t care as long as I can work for myself and call the shots. :)
-And last one....printed or ebooks?
Ebooks are all I’ve got out right now, so I better say that!
Thanks Lindsay for spending some times with us!
Thanks for posting the interview and for all the help promoting my stories! :)
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