An Interview with Heather Thurmeier
Blog Tour
Please welcome this week's guest, Heather Thurmeier as she tours her newest release, The Hometown Hoax!
1. Why do you write?
I write because if I don't, then the characters in my head get very noisy and bossy. LOL. Also because I love it! There's something very satisfying about looking at a blank page and giving it a life of its own. At this point, I can't imagine ever NOT writing.
2. Name two mentors who influenced your writing.
Even though I've never met or talked to either of these women, they've both influenced my writing:
Jill Shalvis -- I read the first few of her Lucky Harbor series and I was awestruck with how well she wrote her heroes. I loved them! They're masculine, funny, stubborn, and even vulnerable at times. Everything you want in a real man. Every time I write a book, I strive to make my heroes as good as hers!
Dakota Cassidy -- Her books are quirky, unique, and hilarious. I strive to be as funny as she is! I love her Accidentally series. I was reading her long before I ever started writing. I had no idea my books would turn out to have any humor in them, but they do! I try to make sure the humor is witty not silly, charming not cheesy (though I do have my moments!), and most of all honest to the characters and their situation. I think Dakota does an amazing job of using humor in her writing flawlessly, and I hope I am able to do the same.
3. Name 5 writers you recommend.
I will preface this by saying I have VERY eclectic taste in books, so check out the genre if/when you look up these authors.
-- Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. They often write together and sometimes apart. Regardless, I love their adventure books!
-- Karen Marie Moning. She created the most awesome fantasy world. Love her Fever series. LOVE IT.
-- Jill Shalvis. Her books are funny, sweet, heartwarming, and somewhat steamy. She knows how to tell a great story!
-- Ann Aquirre. Dystopian, action adventure, sometimes with a touch of romance. She knows how to create a world that will draw you in and make you root for the characters. I love both her Enclave series and her Perdition series.
-- Sophie Kinsella. Classic Chick Lit. If you like this genre, you can't go wrong with her books.
4. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
When I'm not writing, I'm usually hanging out with my kids, dogs and my husband. We try to get outside as much as possible if the weather is nice. We take the dogs for walks, hike, geocache, and swim in the summer. I also watch a few TV shows, like to go to the movies, play video games and of course, read!
5. Describe your writing process. (Outline? Mind map?)
I'm definitely a plotter! I like to sit down with my writing journal and work through my ideas as they come to me. I try to figure out who the characters are, what motivates/scares them, and ask myself as many questions as I can think of. Then I make a loose guideline of scenes from how I want to open the book to how I see it ending. There is always stuff that changes along the way while writing it, but I need I need at least some idea of how I'm getting from Page 1 to The End.
6. Which character is most like you?
I think every character I write has a tiny bit of me in them in one way or another. But the character I relate to the most is Tessa from The Hometown Hoax. She leaves home to follow her dreams, which is exactly what I did. I can relate to her desire to do something that she's passionate about even if she has to struggle to make it happen.
Since the kids went back to school in September, I've mostly been getting ready for the release of The Hometown Hoax. There's always so many tasks to be done before release day! In the bits of spare time I've had, I've been writing the second book in the Falling Stars series called Releasing Starlight. Along with that, I'm always playing with and plotting new ideas for more books for Entangled. I have no news to share yet...but hopefully soon!
8. What does your writing space look like?
Well, I have an office with a nice desk, a comfortable chair, and windows looking out to the front yard—but I'm just as likely to be found sitting cross-legged on my couch with my laptop on my lap and my doggies by my side (currently snoring!). I try to rotate between those two places and my kitchen table. I'd love to write in my office full-time, but the dogs are no a fan of being away from me. It's just easier to be near them. One is still a puppy and not fully house trained yet. I'm hoping when she is, she can have full run of the house and I'll be a little more free with where I work.
9. Give 2-3 pieces of advice for writers.
-- Ignore everyone else's path. That doesn't mean ignore other writers. That simply means their path belongs to them and yours will be similar or completely different. Celebrate the successes of others, rely on your writing friends to tell you the truth about your words, but never get caught up in what they are doing compared to what you are doing. Everyone's path is unique. Have a clear goal of where you want to be with your writing and work for it each day. Eventually, or quickly, you'll get there.
-- Keep learning and striving to better your craft. Even after you finish your book, get an agent, sell to a publisher, or decide to go it on your own and self-publish, never stop trying to be better than your last book. There's always something we can improve on. Read lots of genres, not just the one you write in, and learn from other authors. Read books on writing to help with your problem areas. Always listen to your editor, think about it for a bit, then decide if you've done something that needs the suggested changes. I learn something new from my editors every single book.
-- Just get the words on the page and don't stop until you reach The End. All those nice edits you want to do and shiny polishing you can't wait to accomplish can wait. When you're writing, just write. Get those words on the page. Later, once the book is complete, you can go back with a clear picture of the book as a whole and start working on those edits and polishing. Sometimes you can't accurately see what needs to be changed until you know how the story ends. So just keep writing!
Heather Thurmeier, bestselling Amazon author, was born and raised in the Canadian prairies, but now she lives in New York with her own personal romance Hero (aka her husband) and their two little princesses. When she's not busy taking care of the kids or fur-kids, Heather's hard at work on her next romance novel. She loves to hear from readers. Heart, humor, and a happily ever after.
Title: The Hometown Hoax
Author: Heather Thurmeier
Release date: 11/16/15
About the book:
Leaving was hard, but staying away might be impossible.
Tessa Cutter escaped her tiny hometown and chased her artistic dreams straight to Manhattan. Now she’s home for a camping trip with her family. To keep them off her back, she makes up the perfect pretend boyfriend—successful, important, and most of all, permanently located in New York.
Logan Ridley lost everything when his Manhattan-based personal training studio shut down. Luckily, a friend got him a position as a gym teacher in the small town of Cutter’s Creek. He’s heard a lot about the infamous Tessa, but she’s even better than he imagined. Except, she seems to hate everything about the small town he’s growing to love.
The chemistry sparking between them is impossible to ignore, but falling for Logan will trap Tessa in the small town she worked so hard to escape. If they have any hope of a future together, he’ll have to convince her that everything she wants has been in Cutter’s Creek all along…
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hometown-hoax-heather-thurmeier/1122713191?ean=9781633754782
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