My first interview

I have just been interviewed for the first time.  How cool is that? I will tell you, pretty freaken cool!
It was so fun, and John was so patient with me.

http://tinyurl.com/42758qh

 

 

 

A copy:

 

 

Sharon is a native of New England but now resides in North Carolina. She is married with 1 son. She is owned by a flock of 8 birds and 2 hamsters. She is working on her first MS which is a children’s book based on her Amazon parrot Jasper.

Learn more about Sharon by clicking on the links below:

Sharon’s Blog: https://newenglandmuse.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @NewEngland_Muse

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sharon-Williams/195232693863109

What is the current project you are working on?

I am working on my first MS, it’s a children’s book. It is based on my Amazon parrot Jasper. It is set in the Amazon.

Did you always want to be a writer?

No, it had never occurred to me- I had always thought this was a field set aside for people who had skill and talent

What inspired you to become writer?

My husband told one of my friends that I wrote really well. A year or so after I started thinking of a story in my head and it would not go away. Later that year I had 2 surgeries within 3 months of each other( not related).  Having time to recover, I decided to put my thoughts on paper. I have been writing ever since, from short stories to full blown books.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

You can write about anything- from personal history to things you know. A writer can make up anything with different scenarios that makes their readers think.  I have always been an avid reader.  The thought that one day I can be one of those writers that bring people joy excites me.

What is the worst thing about being one?

The process one has to go through once a book is complete. So many hoops to jump through, it is not an easy business especially for the first time writer like myself. The easiest part is the writing no doubt :)

What is the estimated number of projects you have worked on?

I am working on my first MS, in the process of editing and fine tuning it. However, I have a nice collection of short stories. Down the road, I plan on making two of them into a book.

Who is your favorite author?

Oh an easy question for me- Stephen King. I am from Maine and bias. However, I do love his works. Agatha Christie, James Patterson, Bentley Little and Greg Ilse are other authors I follow.  These are the books you will see mostly in my library.  However being an avid reader- I read basically anything between two binders.
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How has your life changed since you became a writer?

It has consumed me. I look at things differently now. Before I started writing, I was going through the motions of life. I see things through a different perspective now. Looking at people, I now go hmm how can I make that into a story?  I wonder what they are thinking and doing.  I use my senses more now.  I look at everything as a potential story.  For example, I have a long going war with the squirrels in my back yard.  I am not a fan.  Yet  I wrote a short story( I am on page 23 and still going) in 3rd person on what they thought of me.  It made me rethink, so yeah my life has not been the same.

What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to become a writer?
I know it sounds like a cliche but this has been the best advice I have ever received. Write on what you know.  It is really that easy.  A writer just needs to know a little tidbit and turn it into a short story or book.

What do you like to do besides writing?

I am owned by 8 birds and 2 hamsters. I love to read,take pictures,walk, exercise, go to the movies and listen to music. I am a budding bird watcher and learning to crochet on the side.  I run a book club in town but also am a member of one at a local library. I am a huge sports fan. I love baseball, basketball, hockey and football.  I like to stay busy needless to say.

Have you had any other jobs before you decided to become a writer?

My jobs have varied from janitor to cashier to office assistant to chemist


How would you describe your education?

I have a BS degree in Chemistry

How would you describe the writing “scene” where you live?

There are many writers in my area. In fact, I am a member of 2 writing groups. The need and want is here.

How has social media changed the publishing film industry?

It helps writers promote themselves. The writers gets to “meet” and talk with fellow writers. Everyone knows writing is a solitary job- the need for social interaction is there.  Places like Twitter and Facebook and the likes gives writers a chance to share information and ask question. Ideas can be exchanged and a network is formed. It is so beneficial mentally and emotionally.

What is your thought process like when your writing?

I lose all track of time. The world could be coming to an end and I would be oblivious to it.  When I am writing, I envision the scenes in my head. I try to imaging the reality of what I am writing down on paper.  I think of different options, scenes and problems. I will write them down on the side in case I can use them later.  I tend to write by long hand- the flow works better for me. It consumes me and  I love it.

You could have any book in the world. Which would it be?

The bible- hands down.

You could be any animal. Which would you be?

Anyone who knows me would say a bird and they be right. I have owned or rather been owned by birds since 1998, they are my inspiration- relaxation

You could have any super power. What would it be?

To fly

What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?

Unless the author helps with the screenwriting or does it themselves- then I tend to worry they will mess it up.

There have been some amazing movies that have done honor to the book they are adapting from- but it is a hit or miss .

You could have any first edition book. Which would it be?

Drawing blank

Thanks Sharon for doing the interview. I wish you the best of luck with your book. Please let me know when it is published. I’m sure my niece would love to read it.

Simple Pleasures

Everyone is feeling the pinch of higher gas prices and how that is effecting everything else. We have a radio station here where the DJ will say “ If it’s free it’s for me” and we have adopted that in our home. I rephrase it by calling it simple pleasures, which just happens to be free. The saying “count your blessing”s is one of many cliches that just happens to be dead on.

Here is just a list from my standpoint. Can you list 5, 10, even 20 ?

-I woke up this morning- a lot of people did not
-I woke up and I can see, smell, taste, touch and hear all the beauties around me
-I am loved by family and friends
-I am surrounded by a flock of birds that are colorful and who can sing multitudes of tunes just for me
-I can laugh at myself
-Even though I am disabled- I can start off the day happy and realize there are people worse off than me
-I still have one parent that is living
-I have the most amazing in laws any wife could possible want
-I have a husband who has stuck by me through thick and thin( a lot of thin) for over 20 years
-I have a son who amazes me daily ( though some days I feel like Home Simpson and he Bart)
-I can still feel the emotions that make us humans
-I am not the smartest but I’m sure as heck not the dullest tool in the shed
-I can pick up a book and lose myself for hours, in it imagining all sorts of adventures
-I can dance and sing to the music to my heart’s content and get a nice work out in my own living room

I can go on. We need to step back and think of the simple pleasures in our lives. It is something we should never forget, and most importantly cherish. Do I do this daily? No, I have to say honestly I do not. However, I do try. All one has to do is turn on the news or read the newspaper, if that does not do it, nothing well. Appreciate what you have- it is not here forever.

Waitressing 101

Waitress 101

We all know being a waitress is a hard and thankless job. The wages are pitiful and you work long hours. So we do expect at times for the service to be not up to par. However, one of the thing that infuriates me the most is when the waitress will have eye contact with my husband and totally ignore me. When she takes my order her head is down as she writes it, while with my husband she is looking at him and nodding and smiling. What the heck? Well one day I had had enough of this bull. My husband and I went to one of our favorite mom and pop places and settled in to be waited on. Sure enough, when she showed up, my husband got the attention. I finally cough slightly. What do you know she actually looked at me.

Me: “Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps I am paying for the meal?”

Her: confused

Me:”Has it ever occurred to you that I am leaving the tip and the more you ignore me the less you will get if any at all?”

Her: still confused

Me:” Perhaps you want to think on this next time you totally ignore a customer who has your tip in her hands.”

She just nodded and left.

If I am at your establishment and you are waiting on me, the sweet ice tea glass is never never EVER suppose to go empty, again NEVER.  Your tip does depend on my glass being kept filled or if it remains dry. I do understand there are periods where you are busy and have a lot of tables- but apart from that- fill my ding dang glass or leave the pitcher behind on the table. If my family needs ketchup or some condiment and 15 min has passed and we still have not received it- that does not help your cause. Especially when we have to ask the couple behind us to borrow it.  The fact that you were at that couple’s table 3 times and you never checked up on us- what will result is this. I will not leave a tip and your manager will hear of it. I know waitressing is a hard job- it is not one I want to do. I know you make minimal wages and you depend on tips. If you keep my glass full you get a tip regardless how much you screwed hosting on us. However to pay attention to the man and not his wife is rude. Paying more attention to the group of cute guys when we see you holding our food- does not help you either.

There is a up to this. A long time ago my husband and I were eating and the waitress paid me all the attention while totally ignoring my husband. He was confused, jealous and did not know how to act. It is different when it is on the other foot I told him.