Occasionally on the blog we will talk with one of our author friends, gaining valuable insights into their behind the scene world. Today we meet with Kaye Lynne Booth, a freelance writer, editor, and novelist.

 

Poetry, short fiction, and children’s books are all in her wheel house, as well as  literary and gardening articles. She recently completed all the requirements for her dual MFA in Creative Writing and Screenwriting.

Her western novel, Delilah is already available on ebook on Amazon.

Join me in welcoming Kaye Lynne Booth to the blog!

Dan: What is the working title of your next book?

KLB: The book I am working on now is the second in a science fantasy series of four. The series title is Playground for the Gods. The second book is titled In the Beginning. I know, you’re saying why is the beginning the second book? But the answer is simple. The series gives an alternate, but parallel universe, which develops and evolves along the same lines as our Earth’s history. The first book is titled The Great Primordial Battle and it actually occurs before the early human history on Earth.
What’s something most readers would never guess about you?

That I am 53 years old. I think I talk and write younger. I’ve picked up a lot of the modern lingo from my kids and I use it in both speech and writing.
Besides writing, what are your favorite things to do?

I like to hike in the mountains and I love to camp and fish. I ride dirt bikes (motorized), and watch birds. In fact, My Backyard Friends children’s series is based on the birds and wildlife which visit my yard in the Colorado mountains.
Why do some authors sell well and others don’t? (Indie or otherwise, but indie if possible)

I think the digital revolution made it too easy to publish. Don’t get me wrong, it opened up opportunities for writers that were undreamed of before digital publishing came along, and that’s a good thing. But, it made it so easy that anyone could publish a book, regardless of the quality of their work.

Without traditional publishing gate keepers to ensure quality, a lot of unedited and untalented works were put out, creating a reputation for self-published authors as putting out poor quality work. Authors that know how to write well and take the time to edit and revise put out quality work which sell. Those that don’t know, will put out poorly written, low quality work. Their work won’t sell so well, and the image and reputation of independent authors in general may be tarnished because they didn’t care enough about their work to polish it.
On my blog, I give honest reviews in exchange for ARC copies, and I see a lot of these books that are poorly crafted, or unedited, or both, and the reviews I have to give them won’t help them sell. I really hate doing that and if they are really bad, I will tell the author I can’t review it and why.
How did your blog start?

My blog is Writing to be Read, and it got started when I found a pay per click blogging site. I never made a dime off of it, but one day I went to post and they were just gone. Couldn’t find them anymore. All my content was gone. At that point, I was liking the blogging thing, so I wasn’t very happy with this latest development. So I started looking around on the Internet, and came across WordPress, where you could start a blog for free.

What kind of Chinese food do you order all the time?

Cashew Chicken, and I absolutely die for crab-cheese wontons and green tea ice cream, (but not together).
What time of day do you prefer to do your writing?

I’ve always been a night owl, and I like to write late at night, when it’s quiet and everyone else is in bed. But, life doesn’t always accommodate my schedule, so I write whenever there is opportunity, and grab every chance I get.
Which author, dead or alive, would you love to have lunch with?

Hands down, Stephen King. He’s always been my favorite since I was a teen. I wouldn’t turn down lunch with Anne Rice either.
What’s your favorite way to get exercise?

Walking. It gives me time to think, either working through problems in whatever story I’m working on, or formulating new ones. In my short story, Woman in the Water, the idea was formulated on a walk to a nearby dam.
What is the hardest part of being a writer?

Marketing is the hardest part for me. I think a lot of writers don’t realize that it’s a part of writing in today’s digital world.

I know I didn’t, and I rant a lot about how much time I have to spend on marketing, that could be spent writing.
If writing suddenly made you rich and famous, what would you do?

Kick back and enjoy my golden years, but I wouldn’t stop writing. Writing is my passion and I love to write. Maybe I’d become a travel writer and write about all the places I would go. They make good money, so then I’d be richer. It’s all good.
What’s the most fun part of writing a novel or short story? What’s the least fun part?

The most fun part is when the story just takes off on its own and I sit back and watch it unfold as my fingers click away at the keys. It’s really cool when a scene or chapter is finished and I’m surprised at the way it turns out. That doesn’t happen a lot, but it does happen occasionally.
The least fun part is when you’re doing revisions on the finished draft and realize you have a flaw in logic that is going to require a rewrite of at least half the book to fix.
In a story we are often asked to create images for the reader that we may not have experienced ourselves. When have you had to do that?

With my science fantasy series, I’ve had to do a lot of that. It begins in prehistoric Earth, so obviously, I haven’t been there and I’ve had to do tons of research in order to write about the setting in detail. For Book 3: Inanna’s Song, I wrote scenes that took her to the jungles of the Amazon. I had to research flora and fauna in order to write about the animals she encounters and the plants in the surrounding environment. I also had to research volcanos when Inanna climbs down into one on her descent into the underworld of Kigal. Those are just two examples, but you get the idea.
What accomplishments are you most proud of?

There are a couple, but the biggest accomplishment to date is earning my dual emphasis M.F.A. in Creative Writing, with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting. I graduated last summer. But the list would also have to include my published works, which have appeared in publications and sites such as, Zetetic: A Record of Unusual Inquiry; Across the Margin; Colorado Life Magazine; Manifest West #5; Freeman Magazine; Writing From the Peak; and Dusk & Dawn Magazine, and the fact that my poem Intimacy and the Harlequin Dance was featured in the artwork of artist Mitch Barrett and displayed in Kaleidoscope Gallery, in Battle Sea Park, London.

 

Be sure to check out Kaye Lynne’s blog , her books, and her other ventures:

Her thesis novel, The Great Primordial Battle, is a science fantasy novel, to be the first in a four book series titled Playground for the Gods. You can follow its progress on Facebook, as well as her western novel, Delilah. You can also follow her screenwriting page on Facebook.

Her short story Last Call is available for sale on Amazon. She also has a short story, I Had to Do It, published by Zetetic: A Record of Unusual Inquiry in 2016. To see more of Kaye’s work, visit her Contently Portfolio.

Thanks for stopping by! I love getting writerly insights from fellow authors!