Ask the Author: Z.L. Arkadie
Answered Questions (15)
Z.L. Arkadie
Madonna! I just saw this message. Yeah... 2020 was TOUGH. I wrote those three books under overwhelming stress and it showed in my work. I had to scrap all three books. The previous four years have been so surreal and so sad. Politically, I'm a centrist, leaning center-left. And that's all I'll say because you'll be amazed at how many far-right females are romance whale readers. Sigh... But, I read the other day that the US is going to open to vaccinated foreign travelers. So that's good news! Best, Z
Z.L. Arkadie
Ooh... Good question! The ongoing drama at my sister's condo complex. The HOA president is a crook. The drama is high. I can really write a good Shari Lapena type novel with all that I know. Like one of the residents, who's a gun enthusiast, who always threatens to shoot the board. It's crazy-town at that complex. It wouldn't be romance though. At the moment, I'm dedicated to writing the romance stories I have in me, out of me. Plus I'm writing a literary fiction novel. But that novel about the association president is on the horizon. I can write it--and it would be unputdownable. Only, I don't think I want to steer my career in that direction. I can't spend my days writing about murder. It's too depressing. Plus, I love writing LOVE too much! <3 Thanks for the question!
Z.L. Arkadie
Hi Madonna! I just saw your message today. Oh, I'm happy to hear you're able to work from home. I hope you've continued to stay safe and clear of COVID-19. I haven't contracted it and neither have my loved ones. We all are consistent with practicing safety measures. But OMG, when this is finally over, I have a long list of people to see too and parties and dinners to plan! lol And travel... OMG... Where to go first?!? Sales have been steady since COVID struck, even in the face of me not publishing a final book in 2020 and having one ready to go in 2021. But as you're probably aware, I love writing about families so taking my time to craft the story has benefitted me in remarkable ways. I love the slower pace. I can spend more time with my characters and in their world. So I think from now on, I'll release a trilogy a year and the breaks in the books will constitute a major shift change in the characters' lives. And the books will be much longer. :-) Again, I hope you're doing well. And thanks for checking in! I absolutely enjoy hearing from you! All best, Z
Z.L. Arkadie
Hi Madonna! I just saw your question! I've been working like mad while in quarantine. It's been crazy, everyday something new. Although, I am missing lunches, dinners and celebratory gatherings with friends. I'll never take those for granted ever again. I also miss vacation! A real good, on the airplane, traveling to a different country vacation. I'll never forsake those either! How has life in quarantine been for you?
Z.L. Arkadie
All of the Stephanie Patrick novels by Mark Burnell.
Z.L. Arkadie
I would go to the fictional world I created in Parched called Enu, and I would do whatever the hell I wanted there! One long day of fun and freedom!
Z.L. Arkadie
Ohh... Good questions. I have to think about my favorite book because I NEVER finish reading anything without enjoying it immensely. Now that I'm older and wiser, I would have to say that I love reading and writing series. So, my favorite series, the one that sticks with me like fat on the bone, is Elena Ferrante's Neopolitan Novels. She's not sugarcoating who Lenu and Lila are destined to become.
My favorite writer at the moment is Mark Burnell. His Stephanie Patrick novels are viscerally written. He uses POV to really make the reader feel the moment. His writing is brilliant, actually.
Ohh... I think my favorite is Intrigued, at least at the moment. I mean, I really did love writing LOVE in the USA, the Lords though. However, knowing what I know now, who I am today, I would've written the stories a lot differently. I think that's why I can't say Find Her, Keep Her is my favorite, although it sort of is.
My favorite writer at the moment is Mark Burnell. His Stephanie Patrick novels are viscerally written. He uses POV to really make the reader feel the moment. His writing is brilliant, actually.
Ohh... I think my favorite is Intrigued, at least at the moment. I mean, I really did love writing LOVE in the USA, the Lords though. However, knowing what I know now, who I am today, I would've written the stories a lot differently. I think that's why I can't say Find Her, Keep Her is my favorite, although it sort of is.
Z.L. Arkadie
Parched, for sure! Who would play Clarity? Hmm... I don't know! But I prefer someone who knows how to act first. I also think it would be really cool to do the series in CG for adults, being that there are seven sisters who are identical other than variations of hair, skin and eye colors, and so forth.
Z.L. Arkadie
Hi Maddie! Ooh... Good question. The answer is my characters feel more human because I'm focused more on intimacy rather than overplotting to get me through the story or series. I find myself taking several beats to restrain my instincts to go plotting mad. 😊 Thanks for asking! Z
Z.L. Arkadie
If you read my books, then I you know I love writing characters with family connections. Family inspires all the best and worst range of emotions we get to have as human beings. So yeah... My book is inspired by my family.
Z.L. Arkadie
I don't know. It just happens. I guess living and trying to digest all the world has to offer often inspire stories.
Z.L. Arkadie
I'm currently working on book one of a duet for the LOVE in the USA series, which is titled "Once Friends." I'm pretty sure that's the title I'm going with.
Z.L. Arkadie
Learn PLOT. It will be a long and tedious journey but learn it. I found it to be the only weapon in my arsenal that allows me to break the rules. If I can keep readers hanging on to stories that break conventions, then I become an agent of change. I hate conventionality. Humans weren't meant to be so stagnate.
Z.L. Arkadie
The creation process itself feels pretty amazing. I also love my natural inclination to be curious about what makes us tick as human beings, which is why I miss working around people. All the mixed nuts that make-up a regular work environment. I miss people...
Z.L. Arkadie
For me writer's block is usually a symptom of forcing the story in a direction it doesn't want to go. So I stop writing, try to visualize other directions to take the story, then delete the forced parts and head in a new direction. That usually cures my writer's block.
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