Ask the Author: Judith Post
Answered Questions (11)
Judith Post
Teeth chattering, she looked down. His talons still clawed deeper into her abdomen as blood spilled from her.
Judith Post
Whoa! I can think of places I DON'T want to go. I don't want to live in Ilona Andrews's Atlanta where magic sweeps across the cities and all kinds of supernaturals--vampires and ghouls--roam the streets. I don't want to live in Jorg's world (Prince of Thorns) where the strongest survive. I think I'll choose Martha Grimes's old mystery series with Richard Jury and visit a different English pub for each book and just be a common bloke having a pint:)--even though I'd rather have wine.
Judith Post
I'm not as organized as Goodreads readers. I'm just happy with myself that I've made the time to read one book every two weeks this year. Right now, I'm lucky enough to get to beta read Julia Donner's Regency romance--AN AMERICAN FOR AGNES. I love her Regencies and her wicked humor! I just bought MAGIC SHIFTS by Ilona Andrews and I'm going to buy her WHITE HOT the minute it comes out. Then I'll probably look for a new romance by Catherine Bybee and then try to find a traditional/cozy mystery. Any suggestions? I'm having trouble finding a new cozy author. I read Michael Connelly's THE POET, and he's a master writer, but I'm looking for an amateur sleuth. Oh, and I still want to finish Mark Lawrence's PRINCE OF THORN series. I only read the first one, and I fell in love with Jorg. If I get really, really brave, I want to read THE HANDMAIDEN'S TALE if I'm so cheerful I can survive it.
Judith Post
I'm actually a pretty boring person, so I'd have to fiddle with reality to turn an event into a mystery. I taught two boys in fourth grade, though, who got into mischief whenever they got together. They weren't bad boys. They just didn't like rules:) I actually enjoyed their antics when they were in my class. So it was depressing, four years later, when they were in middle school, to see both of their names and faces in our local newspaper. There's a huge, deep gravel pit not that far from our town. It's surrounded by a high fence and no trespassing signs. The boys climbed the fence during the night and decided to burrow a tunnel at the base of a huge, steep mound of sand. The mound gave and buried both of them. Workers found their bodies the next day. It was so tragic, so senseless. It bothered me for weeks. But for a mystery, you could tweak what happened and have the boys see something they shouldn't have and someone made sure they never told anyone about it.
Judith Post
My first thought was Tommy and Tuppence, because I fell in love with Agatha Christie in my twenties, but then I thought I should think of a more current work. And that made me think of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth--but I was going backward, not forward:) So I decided on Nevada Baylor and Connor Rogan from Ilona Andrews' new Hidden Legacy series. They both have "magic," literally. And their chemistry smacks you in the face. I enjoy it when they spar and then rally to help each other. They're great characters on their own, but boy, are they fun together!
Judith Post
I've loved Greek and Roman myths since I took Latin in high school. Then I dabbled in Norse myths and was particularly interested in the sky god Tyr. I wondered what would happen if men forgot all of the old gods, but some of the old gods never gave up on mortals. What if the goddess Diana still meets sinners at the crossroads? What if Tyr, Donar (Thor now), and Freya still protect Norse lands from fire and frost giants? And that's how EMPTY ALTARS and SPINNERS OF MISFORTUNE came to be.
Judith Post
I plop my fanny in my chair and edit the pages I wrote the day before. That almost always gets me back in the story and ready to write the next scene. Inspiration isn't really a problem, though. If I go too many days without writing, I feel funky. My husband puts up with me for a while and then says, "Go turn your computer on."
Judith Post
Right now, I'm writing a contemporary romance, because my agent asked me to give one a try. I usually write urban fantasy--SPINNERS OF MISFORTUNES just came out, but romance is a big market with lots of readers. Writers have a better shot at finding an audience there. I worried at first, because my sex scenes don't always sizzle. It's not my strong point, but I'm getting better at it:)
Judith Post
Enjoy what you do, because the journey has ups and downs. Rejections are part of it. And keep learning and growing.
Judith Post
For me, the best thing about being a writer is the process. I get to live with characters who intrigue me in a world I've created and watch their story unfold. It's so satisfying to be able to tell their story in a way that brings it to life.
Judith Post
I've been writing for a long time. When something in a story blocks me, I know I've taken a wrong turn or gone in the wrong direction. So I go backward in the manuscript and skim through pages I've already written, and I trust myself. I know my mind will eventually fix the problem and I can move on. I always know the story's big question and two turning points and the end before I ever start writing, so I have goals to aim for. That helps.
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