Great writers are so because they tell good stories, the sort that stay with the reader long after finishing the last page. With The Distant Shore, Mariam Kobras delivers on both points, and does so expertly.

Mariam stopped by for an interview as part of Day 5 in her Blog Hop tour. And so from one writer to another, here’s five questions an author wishes they would be asked about their writing.

Q: What influence do you hope readers recognize in your writing?

A: That’s a really tough question. I needed two cups of coffee before I could even start to think of an answer. In the end, the answer is really simple though: None.

I’m not really influenced by any other writer. Maybe by some art. I think Eric G. Thompson’s portraits of his wife Hilary influence my haikus. Maybe some music.  Not any specific artist, but songs, sometimes classical pieces. I put together playlists for every book.

But not other writers. I guess I just want to be my own best self.

Q: Who is the most important person or character to your writing life ?

A: Person – that would be our mutual boss ( Mary Chris Bradley ).  She allowed me to take myself seriously as a writer, to accept that I am, indeed, an author, and that my writing is good. It’s actually a lot harder to see myself in that light than I had thought.

It’s a bit of a guilty feeling too, like being that kid in the proverbial candy store. I’m still waiting for someone to slap my hand.

Character – definitely Jon Stone. I know him inside and out. Naomi, she’s still a mystery.
It’s funny how characters develop.

I remember how Solveigh came to life, Naomi’s right hand at the Seaside.

That moment when Naomi steps out of the elevator with that tray of plates, she sees Jon standing at the desk, talking to Solveigh. In that moment, when Naomi sees them, that was when I created Solveigh. Somebody had to stand there, and it turned out to be a lively, blond girl with a razor-sharp mind.

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

A: At this point, probably a very unhappy housewife with an almost empty nest.
But you didn’t ask me what I would LIKE to be. Why not? I mean, it’s not as if being a writer is a conscious decision. You don’t wake up one morning and say to yourself, “Hey, I’m gonna be a writer!” It’s something that grows in you, and shapes itself into a passion at some point.

Now if I could DECIDE what I would like to be, I’d be on a starship. Or even better, I’d be resident writer on a starship. How cool would that be?

Q: What’s your favorite strategy for getting through a writing block?

A: I don’t use blocks. I use a MacBook. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Q: What do you hope people remember most about your books?

A: I hope it will be my writing style. I hope my readers will remember my writing like a melody, like a snatch of a song that keeps popping up in their minds for years and years.  I hope they will remember phrases and passages like a poem, remember the tune of the words, and hum them.

I’d also like them to remember my characters.

It would be nice if, after finishing the book, my readers would sometimes think back and wonder, “What would Jon Stone do in a situation like this?”

I mean – can you imagine JON STONE in hospital, maybe for a gall-bladder surgery, forced to wear one of those hospital gowns with the open back? Really, can you imagine?
Or – even worse, Naomi cooking Christmas dinner for the entire family?

No, I can’t see that one either.

Or maybe I can, but that book hasn’t been written yet . . .

Much thanks to Mariam. And now some marketing stuff from the Boss:

This was the fifth stop on Mariam’s “Love is in the Air” Blog Hop & Giveaway. We hope you enjoyed this review and will join us Wednesday at Teresa’s Reading Corner for a post called One Small Step for Woman with the author of The Distant Shore.

Buddhapuss Ink is giving away copies of Mariam’s book, along with some pretty terrific (and very romantic) gifts, as we count down to that most romantic day of the year—Valentine’s Day!

Want to enter the giveaway?

In order to enter, Tweet a link to this blog including the hashtag #TDSBlogHop. Make sure to include the hashtag!

Want another chance to win? CLICK HERE for all the info!

In other news, I survived Hurricane Irene. Compared to much of NJ, my town weathered the maelstrom easily–less than 16 hours without power. Not too shabby. Also, half of the outage occurred overnight, so it didn’t feel like a hardship. Not when my employer only got back online Thursday night.

Really the “downtime” was welcome; it allowed an opportunity to finish reading a book that had been crowding out the bookshelf for too long. The ending wholly redeemed all the narrator issues that slowed down the story; I’ll read another entry from the author.

Right or wrong, I have a strict one book at a time rule. Occasionally this is a painful course of action; not every book hits a home run. Nor should every book, really. But I’d rather take a little longer finishing something challenging than leave a trail of half read books all over the apartment.

Besides, some authors really do pull it out from the drink in the last mile.

First, Amazon is already the largest e-tailer in the world. As of byproduct of being the biggest, they maintain the largest known mailing list of book buyers and the buying patterns of these readers–be they frequent and occasional. Through the Encore program Amazon culls self-published authors who sell well on Kindle and then re-release titles on hardcover, complete with a marketing campaign and professional reviews.

Today Amazon game ratchets the game up a notch. Amazon just signed a best selling author–away from Crown Publishing, a division of Random House. Like other authors Amazon backs, his new title will appear on hardcover, e-book and paperback.

But now for the first time, Amazon will also push an author’s wares into bookstores. With the arrival of Tim Ferriss, it’s clear Amazon anticipates big sales online and at the register.

Well, we seldom vacationed, the AC often broke, and the long nights mean very little to a kid whose primary mode of transport was a ten speed. Thankfully, perspectives can change. And a working AC helps.

Now as an adult I like summer because it means vacations, which really mean longish writing sessions. I guess that means I live to work. Or at least for some kinds of work.

Towards that end, here’s another picture of the undisclosed location that figures into the next book. This one is from the other side of the fence. No laws were broken to obtain these photographs. * whistles *

Speaking of writing, have a field trip scheduled in the next few weeks for research the next book. Many people have warned that the terrain in question is treacherous not because it’s difficult to cross–though portions of the excursion involve blatant acts of trespass–but more because of the denizens that live among the abandoned structures. Since I trance out now and again in the fresh air, I’m bringing an extremely large friend along for the hike.

Spiking deeper into the research vein, I’ll also be visiting my favorite drop zone in a few weeks to get some technical advice about a skydiving scene. Last I’ve decided to begin a correspondence with an individual who has generally resisted all contact with the outside world. Just getting them a letter is going to be a task in itself, but I’m working on it. Their perspective could add a certain something to the book.

That last bit is a long shot, but so is everything else these days.

The first was from a graduate student doing a research project on literary marketing services that today’s author might consider useful. The discussion led to a more formal interview. A rather indirect way into the academic curriculum, to be sure, but humble beginnings are steps all the same.

Speaking of interviews,  all the Q&As for The Last Track have been a good experience. Mostly because the interviewers forced me to consider what I was trying to do with writing. In a few years, I’ll have a well practiced stable of answers that will cover the standard battery most interviewers ask, but for now it’s all new. Which leads to note number two.

In the interview vein, there’s a possibility of an interview about writing on a very popular site. I’m pretty excited about the prospect, especially since it would be conducted by an accomplished writer. That’s all I can say now. That and the details came via email.

Last, an email appeared from a vary exotic locale, where the publisher has no distribution. She had read about The Last Track and wanted to know how she could get swag. Because she was so polite about it, I put together a little package. Hopefully it reaches her in good condition.

So that’s three very different developments, all three of born from emails.

Maybe even in these days of spam, database hacks, and phishing scams, email still has a place in the writer’s toolkit.