Steve: I have the great pleasure today of interviewing author Zoe Tasia. She’s a multi-genre writer of fantasy, romance, and psychological thriller novels. Some of her books are co-written with Minette Lauren under the pseudonym Zari Reede. I just finished reading her Kilts and Catnip (The Shrouded Isle Book 1), which is a fantasy that includes Celtic myths and magic, but it also adds mystery to that genre list. [Note from Steve: A review of this book will be posted tomorrow.]

Without further ado, let’s begin.

Zoe on Reading and Writing:

Steve: Why, how, and when did you start writing?  

Zoe: I have admired authors my entire life and can’t imagine a more perfect vocation for me. One of my most vivid memories is the moment of awe and joy I felt when I was proficient enough to read a “proper” book. Joy, because I have always loved books, and I was so excited to be at a reading level that I could tackle pretty much anything I desired. Awe, because of the implications. I could read anything—what a head rush! I realized very early that knowledge is power and the ability to read opens that door. From that point on, I scribbled down the stories in my head that beforehand, I could only share verbally with my friends and family.

Steve: Did you publish the first book you wrote?

Zoe: Oh dear, no. I still have it, though. It’s a very primitive, young adult novel written by hand.

Steve: What is your biggest problem with the writing process? How do you tackle it?  

Zoe: Switching between POVs is tough. When I was writing Kilts and Catnip in first person POV, I was also writing a third person POV book. That was a difficult experience.

Steve: Do you feel writing is something you need to do or want to do?

Zoe: Need to do. I can’t help it. Even before I could read and write, I would tell my sister and cousin stories. I was born a storyteller.

Steve: Have your personal experiences or situations influenced you creatively? If so, how?

Zoe: Definitely. I lived in Scotland for years and knew I would write a book taking place there.  After the West Nile virus scare, I penned a book about a boy who came down with it. (I lost a portion of it when my computer died and haven’t had the heart to get back to it, but I will.) I majored in psychology, which very much influenced my writing while working on a co-authored psychological thriller.

Steve: How much of your creative ability do you think is innate and how much is learned?

Zoe: My creativity is mostly innate; however, I work hard to use it to the best of my ability.

Steve: What is the last book you read? What are you reading now?

Zoe: The last book I read was Strange Days by Rick Gualtieri. I’m currently reading a couple of books. The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz for my book discussion group; she’s a fantasy author who is new to me. And I keep a book of poetry on my end table that, when I have a spare moment, I read a poem or two.

Steve: Who are your favorite authors?  Whose writing inspires you the most and why?

Zoe: Anne McCaffrey, Carol Shields, Kate Atkinson, Tolkien, Sheri S. Tepper, Asimov, Mercedes Lackey—suffice to say, I could go on for pages. I recently met one of my favorite authors, Jasper Fforde. I love the unique formatting of his Thursday Next series and hope to write something in that vein someday.

Steve: What’s the last book to make you laugh? Cry?

Zoe: The last book I read, Strange Days, had many humorous scenes that made me chuckle.

Steve: Should writers read in their genre?  Should they be avid readers? 

Zoe: A writer who doesn’t read? Weird. I read my genre. I’ve read fantasy since I was a child. I read it because I love it and because it’s good to know what’s selling.

Steve: How do you find (discover) your plots?

Zoe: The Plot Fairy? Neil Gaiman answered that question in a hilarious manner. He basically, owned up that nobody knows, but when asked, writers feel compelled to answer the question in some manner. My problem isn’t finding plots. My problem is that I have too many floating around in my head and keep discovering more. I don’t know where they come from. Or is it, “from whence they come?” Whence is an underused word. (Oops, one of my ADD moments, sorry.) Here’s my theory. In our minds, there are doors. Most people read the sign on the front of the door and move on. I open the door. When I do, I see a maze. Now if other people open the door, most, when faced with a maze, back out and shut the door. Me, nope. I skip down the path and, unlike Theseus, I don’t bring a string to find my way back.

Steve: Are your characters based on real people?

Zoe: No. My sister lost her husband when her daughter was a teenager like one of my main characters. But Becca from Kilts and Catnip is definitely not my sis, Martha.

Steve: How do you name your characters?

Zoe: I’ve made up names, used baby names sites, heck, skimmed the phone book. (Remember those?)

Steve: Which comes first for you, plot or characters?

Zoe: With the latest book I outlined, the character came first. In fact, she wouldn’t leave me alone until I at least did that much work on the book. In other cases, the plot came first.

Steve: Any comments about writing dialog?

Zoe: My favorite dialog to write is snarky banter. I love it when characters take over and I’m just typing as fast as I can to keep up with them.

Steve: How do you handle POV?

Zoe: I love first person, but I think third person sells better.

Steve: Do you do fact-finding for (AKA research) your books?  If so, how? What sources do you use?

Zoe: Mostly, I research online. I have on occasion consulted experts and read books. I take pride in my book set in Scotland because it was read by a Scot and she loved it. She did send me a message about one fact I didn’t mention that she thought should have been included. I was aware of it, but due to the circumstances, didn’t think it was necessary to expand upon it.

Steve: What reference works do you use most?

Zoe: A dictionary and thesaurus. I do have tons of writing related books, though.

Zoe on the Writing Business:

Steve: Do you use a formatter?  Editor?  Agent?

Zoe: No, yes, and I wish.

Steve: Do you self-publish or traditionally publish?

Zoe: Traditionally with a small press. I am finding that many in the business place me in the “indie” category along with the self-published authors. [Clarification note from Steve: Small presses are sometimes called “independent presses” or “independent publishers,” meaning they’re not part of a big publishing conglomerate—hence the confusion. Small press authors aren’t indie, though. An author who finances the production of a book, or is completely DIY, is indie (but not vanity), and indies keep up to 70% of the royalities. Small presses finance the production of their authors’ books, and their authors are under contract to share royalties with their publishers. There are pros and cons to both, and the spectrum from 100% DIY to traditional is a continuous one.]

Steve: What are your most effective marketing techniques?  Where would you like to improve?  Do you go it alone or seek professional help (outside what your publisher provides, if appropriate).

Zoe: Marketing is my bête noir. I utterly hate doing it. My book only came out a couple of months ago, so I’m not sure how much anything I am currently doing marketwise is working. Hiring a pro is out of my price range. If not, I totally would go that route.

Steve: Do you release trade paperbacks or ebooks or both?

Zoe: Both

Steve: What do you think of publishing services like Amazon, Smashwords, etc?  What about small presses v. large, traditional publishers?

Zoe: I’ve not used the first, but plan to self-publish hopefully this year. There are pluses in each camp. Since I don’t like to market, a large, traditional publisher appeals to me. However, I might lose some of the freedoms I have with a smaller publisher.

Steve: Do you want to include a snippet of prose from one of your books? What does it illustrate that you find important for readers to know?

Zoe: This is a brief scene between the two main characters, Becca and Greg. (Becca speaks first.)

“What is this?”

“What do you mean?”

“This—place, this island.”

“Tis magic, but you already ken that, now didna you?” He bent and his lips touched mine.

The snippet illustrates what Kilts and Catnip is—a whimsical fantasy romance.

Personal questions for Zoe:

Steve: What is your favorite place to eat out?  Favorite food?  Drink?

Zoe: My favorite restaurant closed, unfortunately. Favorite food would be pizza. Favorite drink, champagne.

Steve: What are your favorite other places, either here or abroad? What places would you like to visit?

Zoe: Scotland, hands down, is my favorite place. I also loved France, Greece, and Italy. I want to go to Turkey and see if my father in-law’s childhood home is still there. Visiting every country in the world and every state here is on my bucket list. Now, if they get space travel….

Steve: What other interests and activities do you have besides writing?

Zoe: Reading, ballet, opera, and exercise. I love trying new things.

Steve: What was the last movie you went to see?  If your book(s) were to be made into a movie, who would you want to play your main characters?

Zoe: Aquaman was the last movie I went to see. (See…sea. *giggle*) As for a movie based on my book, I’d cast Amy Adams as Becca and Richard Madden as Greg.

Steve: If you could trade places with someone for a week, famous or not, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?

Zoe: I’m not interested in trading places with anyone.

Steve: What is your favorite (song) and why?  Piece of music?  Theater work? Movie?  Piece of art?

Zoe: That changes depending on mood. I tend to be very emo when it comes to music. Lately, I’m listening to “Gangsta” by Kehlani. I like harmonizing where I can, and I get a thrill when I can hit that high note. Theater wise, I’m a sucker for musicals. Amelie or The Princess Bride for movie. Art, probably “The Kiss” by Rodin.

Steve: I want to thank you, Zoe, for being an excellent interviewee. Your answers are candid and will certainly interest all your readers and visitors to this blog. Readers, you can learn more about Zoe at http://zoetasia.com. Other links you might want to visit are Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zoetasia and her Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Zoe-Tasia/e/B07N33RVBK%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

She also has Twitter and Instagram accounts: https://twitter.com/zoetasia; https://www.instagram.com/zoetasia/. Please use all these to “like” and “follow” this interesting author.

***

Comments are always welcome!

The Last Humans. Ex-USN and LA Sheriff’s Department diver Penny Castro goes on a forensic dive and surfaces to find a dying world as far as human civilization is concerned. She struggles to survive. Her adventures—and there are many—aren’t for the faint of heart. This post-apocalyptic thriller published by Black Opal Books in both ebook and print versions is available at the publisher’s website, online retailers like Amazon and Smashwords and the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.), and bookstores (if they don’t have it, ask for it!).

Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 24th, 2019 at 3:21 am and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.