Ask the Author: Heather O'Brien
Answered Questions (7)
Heather O'Brien
Wow - interesting question! If I could, I would go to the fictional world(s) depicted in the Star Wars saga. I'm not much of a SciFi or Fantasy fan, but I think I could probably hang out in Naboo for a bit! While I'm there, I'd definitely try to snag a pre-Vader Anakin Skywalker away from Padme Amidala. If I were successful, Padme's life would be spared. I have an unnatural "thing" for Darth Vader anyway. And if he looked like Hayden Christensen, I'd certainly take one for the team!
Heather O'Brien
I recommend writing through it, if at all possible. You can always go back and change what's there after the ideas are flowing again. But for severe writer's block, I recommend stepping back, retracing where the plot started, where you are now, and where you want to go. Sometimes it may be as simple as diving deeper into a particular character -- their past, what made them who they are, etc. The answer may be in something that never even makes it into the book. But you know it. You know them. And they tell you.
Heather O'Brien
I love plot development and being surprised by the direction in which my characters take me. Some of them appear out of nowhere -- whether I like it or not! But it's always a great ride.
Heather O'Brien
The biggest advice I could give an aspiring writer is to WRITE. Don't get caught up in editing and re-editing your own stuff. You don't have a book until you write, "The End." My second piece of advice is equally important: get an editor. Do not skimp on this. We all may feel we have the best book, the best plot, and that we don't need someone who doesn't know us coming in and suggesting changes, but don't fall for that lie. Even editors need editors.
Heather O'Brien
I am currently working on "When First We Practice to Deceive," the third book in my series (The Ties That Bind saga). It is an exciting time for me, and the book has a feel to it that is different than the last two. Unlike previous installments, this one gives us a sense of closure. It is heartwarming on many levels. It resolves a few of the plotlines. But don't get too comfortable. Book four is going to be the big "reveal" that sets up the rest of the series!
Heather O'Brien
Music inspires my work. I have been known to envision entire novels while listening to a song. I also come up with "sound tracks" in my head while writing novels. I then organize the music into a file, play it on "repeat," and listen to it during my non-working time (need quiet while I'm writing) until the book is finished.
Heather O'Brien
This book series originated when I was in sixth grade. I thought I was doodling to myself and my best friend, with whom I used to "trade stories" every weekend when we would spend the night at each others' houses.
I have always loved music, so it was only natural for me to write people in the music business.
Many years later, after the death of someone I loved, a different friend suggested that I pick this particular story up and make something of it as a way to write myself out of my depression. I resisted at first but then took his advice. The rest is history (in the making).
I have always loved music, so it was only natural for me to write people in the music business.
Many years later, after the death of someone I loved, a different friend suggested that I pick this particular story up and make something of it as a way to write myself out of my depression. I resisted at first but then took his advice. The rest is history (in the making).
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