Lost in the Mist by W. C. KeeseyHEIDI'S PICK SIX
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
That's like asking which of your children do you like best--but because I don't have any children, I don't have a problem answering the question. I like all of my characters, but I have the most fun writing the bad guys. Some of my short stories only have bad guys. In my first novel, Lost in the Mist, there aren't any really bad people, only one misguided man and he's not really bad, but then there's that war thing going on.
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
4. What else can you do besides write?
I cook a good meal now and then; bake from scratch, or a mix, crochet but I don't take the time anymore, pet a lap cat while trying to set up a new page on my website, or work a crossword puzzle or SuDoKu, drive my Jeep Wrangler just for the heck of it, go to car shows (hubby has a turquoise Corvette he likes to show) and toy train meets, and buy baskets and hats. I can, but don't; clean house as often as it should be done, work in the yard as often as I would like, or get as much exercise as I should.
5. Who are you reading right now?
I read a bunch for reviews, I'm cutting back so I have more time to do my edits. I enjoy finding a new author that I like, but haven’t read before. I also read the better known writers, James Patterson, Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, Janet Evanovich, Tom Clancy, and soooo many others as much for inspiration as for enjoyment. I do limit my reading, either for review or pleasure, to evenings and weekends, using my daytime hours for my own writing, research, and/or marketing.
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
Everything is an inspiration. I watch and listen. I loved riding the bus to work; loaded with inspiration. I always carry paper and pen, ready to jot notes to myself. I once wrote a short story on a napkin while my husband and I were having supper. I also read the short pieces in the paper, not just the front page, those short articles on page six, eight, or ten are full of intrigue. I read, watch, listen, and ask myself "What if?" Those two little words can carry me far and wide, into a world of horror, or inspiration.
9. Food you could eat everyday.
That’s a tough one. There are so many things I love to eat (and it shows), but I think peanut butter is the one food I could eat everyday-- heck, I do eat it everyday. Both my husband and I have a PB passion. I eat it in sandwiches, on fruit, on top of ice cream, in hot chocolate (yes a spoonful of PB in hot chocolate is great) spread on a graham cracker with a melted marshmallow on top (my own version of the somore) and chocolate if I have any (I don't keep chocolate candy in the house cause it is another obsession). I always have at least two large jars of PB in the pantry, and one or two in the frig (we like it chilled).
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
"Ride", is the right word. I always start out with a general idea about the characters, and plot, and I usually write notes on ideas about what might happen during the duration, but I don't "outline" the story. I enjoy going on the ride my characters take me on. I like watching them grow and I'm often surprised by what they say and do, and where they take me.
13. Celebrity crush.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Wanda C. Keesey lives with her husband and cat community in the small town of Highspire, west of Harrisburg, PA on the Susquehanna River. She retired as a statistician with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board at the beginning of 2006, and concentrated on her next career as a writer. She found that her interest in the Civil War and the people and sacrifices they endured were good fodder for her writing. So naturally her extensive research lent itself to her novels and short stories. She writes in the mystery, horror, and adventure/suspense genres. She has several flash fiction and short stories published, and her first novel comes out in print this year. Visit her website for more information, reviews, and upcoming events, speaking engagements, and publications. You can find her online at www.wandakeesey.com.
PATHS TO PUBLICATION, Heidi Ruby Miller, Wanda C. Keesey, Lost in the Mist, paranormal romance, time travel, PennWriters, writing, author interviews
