E&I: What is your (writing) background?
TRACY: I’ve
been writing since I was really young; I feel like I’ve always known I wanted
to write for a living. Growing up, I went to a lot of super nerdy (but awesome)
writing camps, and took creative writing classes all through school. After
college, I worked as a proofreader, technical writer, and marketing assistant
for a small academic publisher. I got a master’s degree in Publishing. I kind
of tried to get to the writing sideways – find a job in publishing and write on
the side, but that ended up not working as well as I hoped. Now I’m a stay-at-home
mom and full-time writer.
~~~
E&I: Who are your favorite authors, your favorite
books, and who or what are your writing influences?
TRACY: I
grew up reading a lot of Robin McKinley, Cynthia Voigt, L.M. Montgomery, and
Madeline L’Engle. I was really drawn to the fantasy and scifi elements of
McKinley, Voigt, and L’Engle, and the characters of L.M. Montgomery,
particularly Emily in her Emily of New
Moon series. I’d love to think a little of their incredible skill has
seeped into my own writing, but I don’t know!
~~~
E&I: When did you first know that you wanted to be
a writer?
TRACY: Pretty
much from the time I could read. When I was five, I wrote my first story: The
Dog, Cat, and Bird.
~~~
E&I: Tell us about your writing process. Do you
have a writing routine?
TRACY: For
me, particularly with first drafts, it’s all about momentum. Writing every day
is more important than the amount of time (which is usually not a lot because
I’m chasing a toddler all day.) But honestly, I think I’m still figuring out a
writing routine that works for me. Before my son was born, I had all the time
in the world…and I would spend a lot of it on the internet, working up to my
writing time. Now, I have so much less time that if I take too much “getting
ready” time, I don’t actually get any writing done. I’ve been doing sprints
with writer friends a lot lately, and that helps me turn off the inner editor
(and the internet) and just go.
~~~
E&I: What do you find easiest about writing? What
the hardest?
TRACY: Honestly,
I think this changes day to day. Sometimes it’s really easy to dive in and put
words to paper, because I’ve been thinking about my characters for hours and
they’re right there in my mind waiting to do their thing. Other times, actually
putting words down is the most difficult thing ever, like wandering through a
dark tunnel without a clue where I’m going or how to get there. Some days, I
LOVE revising. Other days, it feels like I’ll never get this or that scene
exactly right. I think there’s a quote out there about how the best part of
writing is having written…and I definitely feel that on a regular basis. I love
re-reading what I’ve written, even if it’s terrible, because seeing the
evidence of all my hard work is always an awesome feeling.
~~~
E&I: When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
TRACY: Playing with my son,
watching TV with my husband, sleeping!
~~~
E&I: How do you think you have evolved creatively
since your first novel?
TRACY: Ohh.
Great question. I think one of the biggest things that has evolved from my
first book to now my fifth (which I’m writing now) is the scope of what I’m
writing. I started my first book with a very basic idea. It was just for fun…I
wasn’t hitting on any larger themes or “saying” anything about the world. By
the time I got to my third book, I was taking more chances, thinking bigger in
terms of the scope and themes of the story. I took more risks. I’ve also been
exploring world building more; my first two books had contemporary settings,
while the next three are scifi/fantasy settings. I think I challenge myself a
lot more now, creatively.
~~~
E&I: Please tell us about your latest novel.
TRACY: SHATTERED
VEIL came out in February, and it’s the “book of my heart”. It’s a scifi
adventure that was inspired, in part, by my husband’s last deployment (he’s in
the Army). I wrote the first draft back in 2010, and since then it has gone
through many revisions, close calls in terms of traditional publishing….and is
about to go through another…hmm….transformation? (To be revealed on July 29th!)
It’s a story about a girl
who wants nothing more than to marry the boy she loves…until he’s sent to war.
She ends up disguising herself as a man to join the male-only military to be
with him, only to discover there are more important things to fight for. It’s
all about discovering your own strength and self-worth, and I feel really
passionate about my main character’s journey of self-discovery, as well as the
multiple strong female characters in the book.
~~~
E&I: What inspired you to write the book?
TRACY: My
husband’s deployment…at the time it kind of felt like everyone forgot that wars
were still going on and our soldiers were still in danger. The isolation I felt
and longing for him informed a lot of what my main character, Aris, feels at
the beginning of the book. Another inspiration was my desire to write a
“strong” female character who didn’t necessarily start out that way. So many
books and movies have the badass female lead who starts as a badass and ends as
a badass, without a ton of growth in between. I thought it would be interesting
to explore a character who actually thinks she’s really weak and needs to be
taken care of…and watch her evolve into a woman who is both physically and
mentally strong, without losing her humanity or vulnerability.
~~~
E&I: What makes your book special?
TRACY: Aris,
the main character, and her transformation. That’s what makes it most special
to me, anyway.
~~~
E&I: How long did it take it to write the book?
TRACY: The first draft took 3 months. Subsequent revisions
spanned three years.
~~~
E&I: Are you working on another book project? Can
you tell us a little about it?
TRACY: Right
now I’m working on the sequel to Shattered Veil. It’s a lot of fun – there’s a
bit more romance than in the first book, and a lot of exciting action
scenes.
~~~
E&I: Where do you see the book market in 5 or 10
years? Will there be only eBooks and will book stores disappear like record
stores disappeared?
TRACY: I’m
not sure. I think this is all really up in the air right now, especially with
Amazon’s new subscription service. I’d like to think we’ll still have physical
books and bookstores – personally, I buy print and ebooks probably about
equally. But who knows. The one thing I feel sure of is that people will still
be reading, one way or another.
~~~
E&I: What are your thoughts on social media as an author
and as a way to promote your books?
TRACY: I think social media only
works for promotion if you’re not actually using it to promote. If you use it
to connect with readers, other writers…if you offer insights or snapshots into
your life and let yourself be an actual person in your online interactions – versus
someone just posting about their books all the time – people will connect with
you on an emotional level and want to check out your books.
~~~
E&I: How has blogs contributed to your success?
TRACY: I have put all of my
books up on NetGalley, and have received such wonderful positive feedback from
bloggers. I am seriously in awe of how much time and effort book bloggers put
into reading, reviewing, and talking about books. I can barely keep on top of
my blog – I know it’s hard work!
~~~
E&I: What do your fans mean to you?
TRACY: Everything. The idea that
strangers are reading and loving my books is THE best, most rewarding feeling
for me as a writer.
~~~
E&I: How can readers connect with you?
TRACY: You
can find me here:
Website: www.tracybanghart.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tracytheauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tracythewriter
Also, sign up for my newsletter – I send out updates
once a month (no spam) and always give stuff away.
I’ve got BIG news coming on
July 29th – be the first to know! http://eepurl.com/ETAwz
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