Occasionally on the blog we find a new talent we want to brag about. There are lots of writers who put words on paper because they have to, not because they want to. It became a job and stopped being fun and it shows in their work.
BB Free has a passion and energy that are palpable in her writing. Take a short walk with us as we chat.
- What is the working title of your next book?
I published my first children’s book, The Rescuers, this July. My next children’s book is in the illustration phase and it’s called The Knights of Ugly. I am two thirds done with my novel Friends of the Bride.
- Where did the idea come from for the book?
The Rescuers was written back in 2001 while I was taking a course in teaching gifted students. It was a culminating activity for the course. My daughter Laura was quite the kind and generous pre-teen at the time, and that was the inspiration for a children’s story that actually showcased children engaging in random acts of kindness.
- Which is the more important of these two: write drunk, edit sober?
Definitely edit sober. You can allow yourself some flights of fancy with your libation of choice, but editing is a serious business.
- How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
The very first draft was written in three or four weeks.
- Which living author or blogger would you buy drinks for?
That changes from time to time. Right now, I’d love to have a drink with Elizabeth Gilbert and J.K. Rowling.
- What is the best part about being an indie (or traditional) author for you?
Control. Being a new indie writer, there are aspects that I need to ease into, like expanding my social media presence and personal appearances. I like that I can set the pace of my writing life considering I must have a full-time job to pay the bills.
- If you have a blog, how did that start?
My blogging practices are unusual. I don’t blog about writing. I blog about food. I’ve had a foodie blog now for almost two years. It started during a dry period in the development of the novel. (I don’t like the phrase “writer’s block”). My husband suggested that I step away from it and write something completely different for a while to keep up my writing “chops”. He told me to write about something I knew, and since we like to travel and restaurant-hop, I began to write about our gastronomic adventures.
- Besides writing, what are your favorite things to do?
Travel, cook, travel, read, travel, study Italian, travel…
- What do you think some of the greatest misconceptions about indie authors are?
That we’re not as good as traditionally published authors simply because we haven’t been picked up or because we choose not to go that route. There is quality indie writing and there is indie dribble, just like there is quality in traditionally published product as well as dribble.
- What’s your favorite social media?
Facebook, by far. It gives you the freedom to set up anything from a simple page to one resembling a webpage. Advertising is effective and very cheap. But, and this is a big but, their restrictions on reach seem to be getting worse every day. You have to be crafty and strategic to get your content seen.
- How much structure is in your story before you start writing it?
It depends on the piece, but the one thing I’ve noticed I must have whether it’s a children’s story, a short story or an epic saga is an ending. I need to know where I’m going or I get completely stuck.
- When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
That’s hard for me to pinpoint. I’ve been writing since I was 15, about 40 years. I decided I would write a book for others to read just three years ago, and I decided I would do this for the rest of my life a year after that. I’m quite the newbie.
- What’s the strangest place you’ve gotten a great story idea? Describe in detail. Inquiring minds want to know!
My dreams would be the strangest. Every once in a while a concept is so clear in my dreams, I can’t shake it. It doesn’t fade in the light of day. I recently wrote a short story based on a momentary vivid image of a girl who had locked herself in an attic.
- What is the single most important quality in a novel; what must an author do to win you over?
Beautiful language, but that’s just me. It doesn’t have to be poetic in every page, but the writer has to show me that he/she knows and loves what language can do to elicit visceral reactions, whether it’s compassion, anger, fear, joy… you name it.
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Social media and other links:
http://www.facebook.com/bbfree61
Twitter@bbfree61
Instagram@bbfree61
Pinterest@bbfree61
Goodreads@bbfree61
Wattpad@bbfree61
Foodie blog: bbfree61.blogspot.com
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/reviews/the-rescuers-b-b-free/1122314622?ean=9780986120107#reviews-header
Good post 🙂
Thanks. It’s tough getting some people out for an interview, it’s so out of their comfort zone!
I guess it puts them on the defensive.
Write drunk/edit sober. Has always been my favourite quote. Cool interview.
Glad you enjoyed it!