Author Interview: Stacia Carlton

Today I am pleased to present to you all the fourth in a series of Author Interviews. Recently I sat down with the creative Stacia Carlton and our conversation went something like this:

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PAUL: I like to start my interviews by asking if you have any writing rituals?

STACIA: Wouldn't it be fun if I told you that I have a collection of talismen (those 1970's plastic trolls perhaps!) that I arrange around my laptop before doing a series of yoga poses whilst listening to Shel Silverstein on my iPod? Nah, I just can't be hungry… if I'm hungry it's all I can think about. Sadly I'm hungry almost constantly… probably should have been a chef.

PAUL: What types of books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? Why?

STACIA: Lately I've been very into Canadiana… specifically Linden MacIntyre and John Irving, although, I suppose we can only partly lay claim to Irving. I enjoy epic stories exploring relationships and family. I do however like to throw a good mystery or romance novel in between to keep from getting too heavy about everything.

PAUL: If someone had the power to step into your creative mind what would they see?

STACIA: Mass confusion, LOL! No, my creative mind is rather organized and single focused. Once I form a notion about what I will write, I am able to zero in on it (sometimes to the detriment of other things I should be focusing on), allowing it to grow and change as the characters develop. They really do speak to me! Not in the "would benefit from meds" kind of way, but a visitor into my creative mind might be confused by the many voices vying for attention.

PAUL: What is a typical day for you? 

STACIA: Wake, feed cats, edit work from previous day, feed children, cardio, household duties, write, gym, write, cook, family dinner, sometimes write, sleep, dream up solutions to writing problems or sometimes just problems.

PAUL: Do you have a favorite character in each of your series, aside from the lead? If so, which one and why? 

STACIA: I always find a character in my stories which begs to become a bigger part than I had originally intended. In recent work it has been Danny, Jules' brother, he wound up with his own book of sorts. In a short story I'm currently working on, it's an old drunk named Tony… Who knows where he came from, but I'm growing rather fond of him.

PAUL: In all the years you’ve been publishing your work, what is the biggest mistake you made that you could share so others can avoid making it? 

STACIA: Not thinking big enough.

PAUL: How do you find the time to write?

STACIA: It's amazing how much coffee can speed up the mundane yet necessary tasks, creating more time for writing!

PAUL: What is one thing you hope I do not tell the readers?

STACIA: That you have found me predictable or boring in any way.

PAUL: If you are self-published, what led to you going your own way?

STACIA: Encouragement from a friend.

PAUL: Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

STACIA: I would love to say that I'm organized and professional but in all honesty I just go with the flow, with where my imagination takes me, which often results in a completely different story from where I began. Sort of how I live my life.

PAUL: Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

STACIA: My writing is definitely evolving and improving, but I will always do a lot of editing. Oddly enough I really quite enjoy the editing part of the job. In my case it's a LOT of adverb removal. I think of it as fine tuning. 

PAUL: Do you have to do much research for your stories?

STACIA: As my stories are typically based on emotion, my research is my life experience, or that of friends and family. I will however research aspects of the story for historical or geographical purposes.

PAUL: What is your most recent book? Tell us a little about it

STACIA: I'm working on an epic tale of a young girl growing up on the St Lawrence River in Eastern Ontario. I suppose one might consider it a coming of age story. It is somewhat of a memoir, although I've taken a few artistic liberties. 

PAUL: What inspired you to write this book?

STACIA: A friend's encouragement and vision.

PAUL: Do you also write any poetry, non-fiction or short stories?

STACIA: I definitely do NOT write poetry, although I have made terribly clumsy attempts… Just not my forte.  Non-fiction? Ummmm well the memoir-esque novel I'm working on will seem rather non-fiction to my family, although I expect that they may remember some of the events a little differently, maybe a LOT differently! Short stories? Yes absolutely… Much of my WIP is based on several short stories, which I continually work on, add to, and manipulate. I like to write short stories when I become stonewalled by the book.

PAUL: Do you have any pieces of work that will never see the light of day?

STACIA: Yes, many! Some early pieces which I originally had high hopes for now seem terribly amateurish. There is one piece which I would love to re-work but due to a long and terribly scandalous tale, it will never happen.

PAUL: Do you enter competitions? Are there any you could recommend?

STACIA: I'm new to the competition world, but I'm enjoying it. I can't help but feel that it hones your craft.

PAUL: What’s your favorite / least favorite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?

STACIA: What has surprised me is the tremendously supportive indie author network out there… WHO KNEW! What I like least is the business end of things… I'm not a business woman, I just want to entertain, amuse and maybe even thrill readers.

PAUL: What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any hobbies or party tricks?

STACIA: I'm an avid photographer. I took a stab at it professionally a few years ago. I was moderately successful with the fun part of it (fine art and exhibitions!) but every time I had to work within someone else's guidelines or with models (argh, models), I felt my creativity seeping out through my ears.


PAUL: Well thank you, Stacia. I have enjoyed our conversation and I wish you every success for the future.

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About Stacia Carlton: Stacia Carlton is a writer of Mummy Porn (and other less controversial, but no less riveting, works).


Stacia's Blog: StaciaCarlton.com
Stacia on Twitter: @staciaEcarlton
Stacia on Tumblr: staciacarlton.tumblr.com
Stacia's latest book: A New Set Of Rules (Amazon)