ABOUT TOSCA LEE: Tosca M. Lee is a sought-after speaker, consultant, and writer. She received her BA in English and international relations from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, with special studies at Oxford University. She holds the titles of Mrs. Nebraska-America ‘96, Mrs. Nebraska-United States ‘98, and first runner-up to Mrs. United States. Tosca has appeared on radio and television to promote women’s charities, health, and family causes.
You are one busy lady, when do you find the time to write and can you tell everyone what you do for a living? What time of day works best for you? Where do you enjoy writing most?
Finding time to write isn’t the problem—-it’s finding time to sleep! When I was in my 20s I was far less mortal. Living on two hours’ sleep a night wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t a big deal, either. I stayed up through the night if necessary to do what I needed to get done. These days, around 11pm or midnight or 1am… when my eyelids start dropping and I literally find myself nodding off, fingers on the keyboard, bed becomes so much more important than chugging a vat of coffee. I start thinking of viable ways to push back deadline, or what I can cut out the next day to get the extra time I need-—and some sleep. I will write through the night if necessary--I wrote 84 pages between 5pm and 7am the night before Demon was due (I have no idea how). But I definitely don’t like it. I work as a Senior Consultant for a consulting and research firm. I travel almost every week. So writing happens in airports, on planes, in hotels sometimes. Days at home are more conducive to good writing since all my research and stuff is there, but it’s hard to be disciplined at home; I’m totally one of those people who doesn’t feel able to concentrate or be productive if my kitchen is messy or my laundry isn’t done, or my hairbrush has hair in it, or my garbage can needs to be washed or I suddenly realize I haven’t polished my silver jewelry in a decade. Seriously, I can find just about any excuse not to write. The best times for me are mornings and nights. During the afternoon I feel sluggish and stupid. Noontime I’m hungry and distracted. So I either have to get up early and tell myself I’ll clean/run errands/answer e-mail/sanitize my vacuum cleaners later in the day or stay up late. Some writers plot out what they are going to write step by step and others say they write by the seat-of-their-pants, which style of writing best describes your style? Part 1 of Linda Evans interview - Story Line for Demon Something mostly in between. With Demon, the story unfolded as Lucian telling his life story. I went in later and added Clay’s story alongside the unfolding of Lucian’s. With Havah, I had a really messy list of ideas and scenes all jumbled together. I went through the file and started moving things around mostly in order as much as I could. I never got more organized than that. I printed that sucker and just crossed off ideas as I used them. I seriously fantasize about having storyboards, about detailed scene outlines with tension and arcs all neatly outlined in order so that when I sit down to write all I have to do is just that—-write. I also fantasize about world peace, which is likely to happen first. How did you come up with the idea for Havah? What was your inspiration? What research did you do for this book?
Some time a few years ago, I’m not sure why, I started writing the musings of an old Eve. Just a few notes, here and there. And then I put it in a drawer. I didn’t take it out again until Demon was getting contracted and the publisher asked me what else I had. Those early scribblings became my prologue. The bad part was that’s all I had. Oops. So some time after Demon released, I started writing the rest of the story in a fit of panic.
Research… Everything from the Pentatuch to translations of Genesis to plant propagation to flora and fauna of the Levant, Mesopotamian history, ancient farming, basket weaving, history of pottery, child bearing, ancient toolmaking, the Midrash, wolves, lions and other animal behavior, early sacrifice… have I bored you yet? I had more books on field survival, horticulture, Middle Eastern cuisine and the archaeology of the Zagros Mountain area than any sane person should possess. Patti Lacy and Tosca Lee at the Mall of America 2008 - Book Fair Can you tell me of two "Wow" moments you have had since you have been published? What made the moments so special for you?
Signing at my first book at events was a “wow” moment. It was so surreal; it had been a dream for so long.
The biggest “wow,” though, is when readers write and say their view or understanding of God has been impacted by one of my books. Because I know that does not come solely from me. There is something at work there that I could not have done on my own. So in that way I get to wonder at this idea that God works alongside and through us and in a way we are only a part of the process. Wow.
Julie Lessman is a new author who has garnered much writing acclaim, including ten Romance Writers of America awards. She resides in Missouri with her husband and their golden retriever, and has two grown children and a daughter-in-law. She is the author of The Daughters of Boston series, which… Continue
How was the process of writing the screen play into a book? Was it harder than actually writing the book from the ground up like you usually do? What do you love best about the process?
Richard Doster pens a heartfelt, powerful, thought provoking book that gives a broad view of when things started to forever change in the South. It was as much of a surprise to Martin Luther King, Jr. as it was to the rest of the world when a group voted him to lead a fight of justice, for all! Martin Luther tells a reporter, “There comes a time when people get tired of being plunged across the abyss of humiliation.”
Martin Luther tries to explain that this movement is not about… Continue
Hello, I'm Bert Martinez, I'm looking to network with success minded authors. If you would like my free report 30 Strategies for Selling More Books just fill out the form below. I look forward to networking with you and if there is anything that I can help you with please do not hesitate to contact me.
Christian Fiction Day At the Store. Creston Mapes author of "Nobody" stopped by to spend a few hours talking to people and signing books. We had so much fun.
Comment Wall (2 comments)
You need to be a member of The Book Marketing Network to add comments!
Join The Book Marketing Network
You Were Created to Succeed!
Bert Martinez
www.bertmartinez.com