Monday, November 23, 2009

Guest Author Day with Gemini Judson



Tell us about your latest release. What inspired it?


My latest release is Ring Around the Sun, from Eirelander Publishing (eirelander-publishing.com). It is a wintery romp in the north woods of Minnesota. Teal Marin is escaping an abusive relationship and goes to hide out in her recently deceased brother’s cabin. A city girl, she’s clueless at cabin life, and Darren Kennedy arrives to warm her heart, heal her wounds, and keep her fire going. Unfortunately her ex-lover is not ready to let her go so easily.

The inspiration? The story was written in the dead of winter and I longed to get away to my cabin. I was recovering from a broken ankle and spent long days with my foot in the air and my computer on my lap. (That’s not easy, by the way…)

Who are your literary heroes and why?

I admire prolific writers. As a new writer, I find it difficult to sustain the umpf to keep at it. Ideas swirl all around me, but let’s face it – the writing is work. As a reader I am not married to a genre. I admire all those writers who turn out deep, compelling characters book after book.


Tell us five random things about yourself.

I’m a biologist. I’m a digital art junky. Photoshop, Painter, Illustrator – all my playground. I was once in car that broke through the ice in forty feet of water. Damn near drowned. I love cats and I’m a beer snob. I’ll like the really good stuff, ice cold and on tap.

What type of writer are you—the one who experiences before writing, like Hemingway, or the one who mostly daydreams and fantasizes?

Great question. I’d say I write mostly from daydreams. But the very first spark, the “that might make an interesting story…” comes from experience. In Ring Around the Sun, I know the cabin Darren lives in – know it intimately. Been there. The sledding and the snowmobiling and the sauna all come from experiences. The rest is make-believe.

When it comes to writing, are you an early bird, or a night owl?

Sorry to say, night owl. That’s probably because I have a day job and a family. When things are all settled at the end of the day, I take out my laptop and going.

How was your experience in looking for a publisher? What words of advice would you offer those novice authors who are in search of one?

Grueling, just like everybody else. Checking my email every five minutes to see if someone got back to me, and feeling dejected when they did. One thing I have noticed is that often what one editor disliked, another applauded. Everybody’s taste is different and it really is a matter of getting your work in front of the “right eyes.”

What book are you reading now?

Wow, talk about getting caught with your bookmarks down… Nothing. I’m up to my earlobes in rewrites at the moment. Well, actually I picked up Characters, Emotion and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress. This woman cracks me up and I’m learning a ton.

If you were a world ruler and you were given a choice of 3 laws to enact, what would they be?

Global warming would be solved immediately. Homelessness would be a thing of the past. And let’s go with a four-day work week. No – make that three.

If your muse were to talk behind your back, what secrets would he/she tell?

Fickle little muse….she’d say that sometimes, Gemini is so dense, when a clear story line is right in front of her…she goes off on a bla bla bla tangent. She’d say that her first drafts are the stuff of 6th grade writing assignments, but luckily her rewrites sing.

If you were a Superhero, would you wear tights and a cape?

Totally. Maybe even a crown.

The Holidays are here. If you could get any present from Santa, what would it be and why?

A barn. A big red barn filled with hay in the loft. Then I’d start collecting horses. The ones that nobody else wants.

You have to ask a fictional character out on a date—who would you ask and what would you do together?


I’d ask Conrad (from Animals by Gemini Judson, Loose Id). I created him and stuffed every delicious quality I could think of into his 6’5” frame. We’d go to the batting cage and work up a sweat, then grab some really cold beers, on tap.

Find Gemini at these places on the web:

Gemjudson.com

Gemini@gemjudson.com

Geminijudson.blogspot.com

Animals available from Loose Id

Ring Around the Sun available from Eirelander Publishing

In Her Dreams, coming soon from Loose Id

7 comments:

LM Spangler said...

Gemini,

Great interview!

Wishing you many sales and congrats on the upcoming release!

Liena~

Gemini said...

Thanks Liena! Ditto....

Sandy said...

Interesting questions and great answers. Good job, Gem.

J Hali Steele said...

Gem, I hope you get the barn! I think I have to go meet Conrad...

Congrats!

DawnsReadingNook said...

Hi Gem and thanks for being my guest author today.

Dawn

Gemini said...

Pleasure's mine. Questions like this always get you in touch. Thanks to my Eirelander pals for stopping by!

Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn) said...

Lovely, Gem! Really felt like getting to know you!

The beer snob part brought to mind some of my London friends, and I agree with J - have to meet Conrad somehow...

Wishing you lots of sales and lots of fabulous stories from your pen!

Hugs

Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn)

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