Authors: Trying to get the word out about your book(s) or broaden your fan base?  Why not connect with other authors and writers for a few interviews?  It's an opportunity to get your name out there AND have fun sharing juicy tid-bits about yourself!  Plus, networking with other authors and writers is a great way to reach out to new readers!

I recently had the honor of interviewing with two different people, writer & filmmaker, Magda M. Olchawska, and romance author, Desi Moon.  I had a blast with each and really enjoyed the opportunity to meet people outside of my usual domain. 

Check out my recent interviews below!
Interview with Heather Payer  - by Desi Moon
Interview with American Author of ”The Nameless World” Heather Payer-Smith - by Magda M Olchawska

Interview Tips:
- Keep things light-hearted.  You want your audience to have a good time reading your interview.
-  Keep things interesting.  Readers will want to take something away from your interview, whether it is learning more about you and your work, gaining insight into your methods or even learning a few fun facts about you that show you're someone worth getting to know.
- Be informative.  Give readers a reason to follow you!  Show them that you're an expert at what you do.  Show people that you have something to say worth listening to.
- PROMOTE!  Don't be shy when talking about your work.  This is a great opportunity to make more people aware of your books and why they should read your work!
- Be gracious.  Do your best to help promote the interview AND the interviewer. 

Keep in mind, author interviews are an excellent way to introduce your followers to someone new, as well. 

 Compelling books begin with compelling characters.  No matter how big or small their roles may be in the grand scheme of your story, each character has a history, a personality, quirks and passions…. At least, they should.  So what can you do to freshen up your characters if you find some of them are reading a little stale or seem to be cliché? 

Why not get to know your character(s) better through a character interview?

Write down a series of questions that you would ask anyone you didn’t know very well.  Adjust them to suit your character, perhaps give him a job interview or write questions that your character would have to answer for an online dating site.  Come up with questions that will really force you to look deep into your character’s soul, motives, likes and dislikes. 

Once you have your list of questions, it’s time to sit down with your character and really get to know him.  Don’t just answer the questions as if you were the character - imagine that your character is actually sitting across from you at a coffee shop or in your office. 

Pay attention not only to what your character says, but HOW he or she says it.  Is your character quiet or loud?  What does his voice sound like? Does he have strange or annoying habits when he speaks?  

Write down the character’s reaction to the questions you ask and make notes about his body language when he answers.  Does he avoid eye contact?  Does he bite his nails?  Does he hesitate or is he quick to answer?  Does he smile?  Is he flirty? 

This is your opportunity to really investigate what makes your character tick.  It’s also a great way to discover what kind of feeling YOU get from your character and determine how you can best present this persona to your readers.  When you are done with your character interview, you will have a detailed list of traits and idioms unique to your character.  Use these elements to SHOW your reader who your character really is. 

Taking time to get to know your characters will make all the difference when writing them into the story.  Again, no matter how minor the character may be to the plot, creating compelling characters will help to build a compelling story.  Be inventive and find ways to make each of your characters stand out.  Your readers will thank you.

Sitting at my computer, I glumly stare at the screen, quietly breathing, as I wait for something to suddenly inspire my next words.

OR

Sitting at my computer, I stare at the screen with little anticipation, breathing as though  each sigh robs me of my train of thought as I wait for inspiration to strike and guide my next words.

There is an ongoing debate in the literary world regarding the use (or overuse) of adverbs in writing.  While adverbs certainly have their place in the literary world, relying too much on adverbs to convey a thought can leave your work a little lackluster in the end.  The above examples both convey the same idea (author experiencing writer’s block) but I think we can all agree that the second sentence is far more engaging to read.   Why?  Because it SHOWS (versus tells) the reader what the character is thinking/feeling.

Good writing draws the reader in, makes him or her experience the moment with the character.  The more enticing the writing is, the stronger the connection between the reader and the story can be. 

That’s not to say that you, as a writer, should avoid adverbs altogether, but you should certainly be aware of how often you do use them, as, again, too many can take away from the potential of your storytelling. 

If you find that you use adverbs a lot, that’s OK - keep writing!  Don’t let your flow be hindered by word choice; but when you go back over the pages you wrote, challenge yourself to find other ways to phrase your sentences to omit some of the adverbs and engage the reader with more active descriptions.

In time, it will start to become more natural for you to move away from using so many adverbs and can broaden your literary horizons.