6Ws, Author Interview

6Ws with Author Sarahlyn Bruck

Sarahlyn Bruck is the next Crooked Cat Books author to be featured in my 6Ws series. Contemporary women’s fiction is the genre for this Philadelphia-based author. Designer You, her debut novel, officially launches Aug. 31. Yes, I have my copy ordered.

29343289_1873365232703276_6394784370451808256_oI especially like Sarahlyn’s answer to the question when does she write. It appears anywhere and everywhere, no surprise for a working mom.

Here are Sarahlyn’s responses to my 6Ws — who, what, when, where, how, and why. (How does end with a W.)

Who is author Sarahlyn Bruck?

Hi Joan! Thanks for hosting me on your blog. I’m a writer based in Philadelphia. I also teach writing and literature full-time at a local community college and am a part-time book coach for Author Accelerator.

What does she write?

I write contemporary women’s fiction.

When does she write?

It depends. I’m a morning person, so when I’m writing a first draft and need that laser focus, I carve out my drafting time in the mornings. When I’m in editing mode, I edit in the afternoons, usually after grading student papers and working on client material. I try to work on my writing every day. I’m not always successful, but I try.

How does she write?

I write mostly on a laptop. Sometimes I write on my iPad that has one of those little, cramped keyboards attached.

Where does she write?

I’m fortunate to have a “room of my own,” so to speak — an office slash guest room on the second floor of our Philly townhouse. I love it, but I can write anywhere and sometimes I have to. I’m a working mom, so I need to be flexible if I want to get the words in. I can write at 5 a.m. perched on a barstool in our kitchen. I can write at work in between classes and meetings with students. I can write in a coffee shop waiting for after-school pick up. I can write sitting on a hard wooden bench in a gym during my daughter’s indoor soccer practice.

Why does she write?

I’m crazy about stories in any form — books, magazines, movies, TV, dance, theater — and always have been. Books, though, have provided a constant stream of stories for me since early childhood. Libraries were always magical, wonderful, and safe places. I was never one who could get anything done in a library — too distracted by books! So for me, writing is my way of participating in storytelling, using a form that comes really naturally to me and is the most fun.

More: Give readers a brief description of your new book plus when it is available to buy and where, plus the publisher.

Title: Designer You

Publisher: Crooked Cat Books

Release Date: Aug. 31

Format: Paperback and Ebook

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DH6B38H

Pam and Nate were a couple who just couldn’t get away from each other, sharing not only their bed but also a successful joint lifestyle empire as DIY home renovators, bloggers, podcasters, and co-authors. When Nate dies in a freak accident, Pam’s suddenly a 44-year-old widow, at once too young and too old — too young to be thrust into widowhood and too old to rejoin the dating pool. And now a single mother of a headstrong and grief-stricken teenager, Pam’s life becomes a juggling act between dealing with her grief and learning how to parent by herself. On top of all that? She also must reinvent herself or lose the empire that she and Nate had so carefully built.

Now is the time for Pam to seize the opportunity to step up as a mother, come out from behind Nate’s shadow and rise as the sole face of the Designer You brand, and maybe, possibly, hopefullyfind love, again.

Sarahlyn Bruck on social media:

Website: www.sarahlynbruck.com

Email: sarahlyn@sarahlynbruck.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahlynbruck/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@sarahbruck/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slbruck/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5803427-sarahlyn-bruck

 

Standard
6Ws, Author Interview

6Ws with Author C.J. Sutton

C.J. Sutton is the next author to be featured in this 6Ws series. Dortmund Hibernate, a psychological thriller, is the debut novel for this Crooked Cat Books author who lives in Australia. It has an official launch July 18.IMG_20180501_230430_452

He shares his takes on writing and how it works for him. How about this fun quote: “Writers can commit crimes all day on the page. I can’t think of another gig with such freedom.”

Here are C.J.’s responses to my 6Ws — who, what, when, where, how, and why. (How does end with a W.)

Who is author C. J. Sutton?

That’s my alter ego. No, I’m not some superhero. I’m much better at being the villain, in a words-on-the-page sense. I live in Coburg which is a suburb in Melbourne (Australia) with my wife, our two rabbits, Florence and Leo, and enough books to sink a fleet. I’ve adopted this as my official author name, and it makes its debut with Dortmund Hibernate.

What does he write?

I tend to stray towards the dark, the disturbing and the psychologically challenging, but I also love to write about small towns with big issues. Everything is magnified in a rural town, and the location becomes a character in itself. My perfect scenes are when the troubled protagonist meets the smiling antagonist; I thrive for this dialogue, the push and pull, it’s like an exciting version of chess where one wrong move could result in death. I place high emphasis on dialogue because while others state “actions speak louder than words” it is words that lead to action. And words are the craft writers deal in. Currently I’m focused on promoting my debut novel (out July 18) and writing another novel which takes a completely different direction.

When does he write?

Whenever he can. Working a full-time writing job means I have to find both the time and the drive to write novels. The latter comes quite easily, but the former can be a challenge. Generally that time between getting home from work (5 p.m.) to before dinner (7:30 p.m.) is my best writing slot of the day, but I also type furiously on the weekends. I’m the kind of writer that could easily stay up all night, but once I’m asleep I don’t want to get up until my alarm shoves me out of bed. I am in awe of writers who can get up at 6 a.m. and start writing; my brain is sloppy, still waking up, searching for caffeine and a place to hide from the all-too-bright world.

How does he write?

With a coffee. There’s something comforting about a well-brewed hot drink, a friend on the shoulder that encourages you onward and gives you this energy of creation. To me it’s like petrol to a car; when there’s none left I hear a faint dinging sound reminding me to either stop or top up. I also need to hide my phone away, because there are simply too many distractions available on that little jerk.

Where does he write?

I have a space upstairs in my two-bedroom apartment that has a built-in desk and a hanging picture of Heath Ledger’s Joker; it’s a sketch made up by his quotes, with half of his face drawn as the Clown Prince of Crime and the other being simply Heath. The space is enclosed on three sides so it locks me away with my thoughts. I love a landscape, a pristine view, but I find I’m easily distracted and I’d probably watch the leaves fall from the trees or a dog chase a car.

Why does he write?

Because if I didn’t write I would probably be a character in Dortmund Hibernate locked in an asylum. Writing is my creative outlet and has always offered escape. Despite the darkness of my themes, I enjoy the freedom of creation. There are no limits, and a strong piece of writing can leave a name etched into history. Some work a trade, others deal in figures, but with me it has always been words and characters. How can one ever be bored when there are no boundaries? Writers can commit crimes all day on the page. I can’t think of another gig with such freedom.

About Dortmund Hibernate:

Psychologist Dr Magnus Paul is tasked with the patients of Dortmund Asylum; nine criminally insane individuals hidden from the world due to the extremity of their cases. Magnus has six weeks to prove them sane for transfer to a maximum-security prison, or label them as incurable and recommend a death sentence under a new government act. The small rural town of Dortmund and its inhabitants are the backdrop to the mayhem on the hill. As Magnus delves into the darkness of the incarcerated minds, his own sanity is challenged. Secrets squeeze through the cracks of the Asylum, blurring the line between reality and nightmare. And the most notorious man of all is strapped to the floor of his cell, urging Magnus towards a new life of desire…

Get your copy of Dortmund Hibernate via this link: mybook.to/dortmundhibernate

C.J. Sutton on social media:

Website: www.cjsutton-author.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cjsutton.author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/c_j_sutton

 

 

Standard