A Late SinC Blog Hop!

I’m delighted to be part of the Sisters in Crime Blog hop, even though I’m a few days late. I was tagged by the lovely Linda O Johnston and have tagged Shannon Baker in return.  Enjoy!

What books are on your nightstand right now?

For pleasure reading, I’ve been on a cozy mystery binge lately. I don’t have a night stand, but stacked on the windowsill next to my bed are the following novels:

·        Malled to Death by Laura DiSilverio

·        Pampered to Death by Laura Levine

·        Merry Market Murder by Paige Shelton

·        Death of a Crabby Cook by Penny Pike

·        How to Party with a Killer Vampire by Penny Warner

·        A Tiger’s Tale by Laura Morrigan

I just finished the sixth draft of my newest book, Karma Can Be Killer, and I have a few books that I used for research on that same windowsill:

·        Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement by Kevin M. Gilmartin, Ph. D

·        The Language of Crows by Michael Westerfield

·        The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi

And finally, my dog has been having some hip issues lately, so I’ve been reading a book on hip rehabilitation for dogs

·        Total Hip Replacement Home Rehabilitation Guide by Top Dog

What's the best part of the writing process for you? What's the most challenging?

The best part is hanging out with my characters and listening to the stories they tell me. I’m a visual person, so stories come to me in pictures of scenes with snippets of dialogue. I also love learning about my characters as they reveal themselves to me. I may not always agree with their choices, but I usually find something to love in each of them. Well most of them, anyway. ;-)

The hardest part is writing the first draft. It feels like a slugfest, in which I pound out word after word, hoping not to be knocked out by the next semicolon. Even worse, I usually don’t like those first words. I revise each manuscript at least a dozen times—usually more—before I hit “send” and let my first beta readers take a look. But even though I never like my first drafts, they are a necessary step on the path to publication.

If you were to mentor a new writer, what would you tell her about the writing business?

Writing is a business like any other, and only a small part of it is crafting your work. There are many options to get your work out in front of readers, and even more competition for those same readers’ time. Whether you go with a major publisher, a small press, or choose to self publish, you are ultimately responsible for building your own platform and marketing your work.

Writing, like yoga, is love work. Very few people are able to make a living at it. Even fewer get rich. Frankly, the odds are better if you buy a Lotto ticket. But if you love what you do, it will have been worth it in the long term. And isn’t that what’s most important?

Tracy Weber

          

Come visit Whole Life Yoga in Seattle, and check out Tracy Weber’s author page for information about the Downward Dog Mysteries series.  A KILLER RETREAT is available for preorder now from Whole Life Yoga. MURDER STRIKES A POSE is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble,  and book sellers everywhere!