{"id":12702,"date":"2012-01-30T11:36:51","date_gmt":"2012-01-30T16:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/?p=12702"},"modified":"2012-01-31T07:11:26","modified_gmt":"2012-01-31T12:11:26","slug":"distant-shore-love-is-in-the-air-blog-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/2012\/01\/30\/distant-shore-love-is-in-the-air-blog-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"Distant Shore, Love is in the Air Blog Stop"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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<\/a>, Mariam Kobras delivers on both points, and does so expertly.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Q: What influence do you hope readers recognize in your writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not really influenced by any other writer. Maybe by some art. I think Eric G. Thompson\u2019s portraits of his wife Hilary influence my haikus. Maybe some music.\u00a0 Not any specific artist, but songs, sometimes classical pieces. I put together playlists for every book.<\/p>\n

But not other writers. I guess I just want to be my own best self.<\/p>\n

Q: Who is the most important person or character to your writing life ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: Person \u2013 that would be our mutual boss ( Mary Chris Bradley ).\u00a0 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\u2019s actually a lot harder to see myself in that light than I had thought.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bit of a guilty feeling too, like being that kid in the proverbial candy store. I\u2019m still waiting for someone to slap my hand.<\/p>\n

Character \u2013 definitely Jon Stone. I know him inside and out. Naomi, she\u2019s still a mystery.
\nIt\u2019s funny how characters develop.<\/p>\n

I remember how Solveigh came to life, Naomi\u2019s right hand at the Seaside.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Q: If you weren\u2019t a writer, what would you be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: At this point, probably a very unhappy housewife with an almost empty nest.
\nBut you didn\u2019t ask me what I would LIKE to be. Why not? I mean, it\u2019s not as if being a writer is a conscious decision. You don\u2019t wake up one morning and say to yourself, \u201cHey, I\u2019m gonna be a writer!\u201d It\u2019s something that grows in you, and shapes itself into a passion at some point.<\/p>\n

Now if I could DECIDE what I would like to be, I\u2019d be on a starship. Or even better, I\u2019d be resident writer on a starship. How cool would that be?<\/p>\n

Q: What\u2019s your favorite strategy for getting through a writing block?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: I don\u2019t use blocks. I use a MacBook. (Sorry, I couldn\u2019t resist.)<\/p>\n

Q: What do you hope people remember most about your books?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 I hope they will remember phrases and passages like a poem, remember the tune of the words, and hum them.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d also like them to remember my characters.<\/p>\n

It would be nice if, after finishing the book, my readers would sometimes think back and wonder, \u201cWhat would Jon Stone do in a situation like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

I mean \u2013 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?
\nOr \u2013 even worse, Naomi cooking Christmas dinner for the entire family?<\/p>\n

No, I can\u2019t see that one either.<\/p>\n

Or maybe I can, but that book hasn\u2019t been written yet . . .<\/p>\n

Much thanks to Mariam. And now some marketing stuff from the Boss:<\/p>\n

This was the fifth stop on Mariam\u2019s \u201cLove is in the Air\u201d Blog Hop & Giveaway. We hope you enjoyed this review and will join us Wednesday at Teresa\u2019s Reading Corner<\/a> for a post called One Small Step for Woman with the author of The Distant Shore<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Buddhapuss Ink is giving away copies of Mariam\u2019s book, along with some pretty terrific (and very romantic) gifts, as we count down to that most romantic day of the year\u2014Valentine\u2019s Day!<\/p>\n

Want to enter the giveaway?<\/p>\n

In order to enter, Tweet a link to this blog including the hashtag #TDSBlogHop. Make sure to include the hashtag!<\/p>\n

Want another chance to win? CLICK HERE<\/a> for all the info!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12702"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12712,"href":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12702\/revisions\/12712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.samhilliard.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}