Tara Lynn Masih
St. Augustine, FL
USA
Good morning, Tara, and welcome to Vision and Verse, a great place for art and authors. Can you tell us a little about what you've written?
I’ve done a variety of writing over the past 30 years, from poetry (chapbook, “Pulling Eagles from the Sky”), essays (the introduction to The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction), and short stories (Where the Dog Star Never Glows), to finally tackling a novel (My Real Name Is Hanna). In October 2020 I have a flash novelette due out from Cervena Barva Press. The Bitter Kind was written with coauthor James Claffey. It was a lot of fun to collaborate with him.
What is your favorite genre to write?
I’ve fallen in love with historical fiction. I love doing research!
Favorite food.
Chocolate. Is that a food?
YES! It is one of of my favorites, too. Tea or coffee?
Tea for sure. I had coffee ice cream when I was a kid and hated it, so never got started drinking coffee. Recently I started drinking tea because I heard it’s good for your brain.
Where would you like to visit?
There are parts of Spain I want to go to with my family, and Australia is high on the bucket list! But really, I enjoy going anywhere new.
What makes you laugh?
I like it when people make fun of themselves. Nothing beats a self-deprecating joke.
Favorite work of art or sculpture.
The Pietà. I saw it in person. It haunts me. I’ve written about it.
How old were you when you started writing?
Hmm. I’m going to say about 8. I started writing little fairy tale cartoons and illustrating them.
Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write?
Unfortunately for me, I just write. So far, anyway. I learned though when doing my novel that I need to be more organized and a bit less spontaneous. I will for sure do more outlining for the next novel. I do use notecards.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Where do you get your inspiration?
I really can’t say where it comes from. Sometimes it feels like a higher power. Not necessarily a god thing, but sort of a creative force. (One reason I think Star Wars has been so successful, it taps into that feeling.)
What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I don’t believe in writer’s block as a “block.” I just figure things want to be dormant for a while and I wait for that creativity to come back. It always does.
Who is your favorite author?
I don’t have just one. I have dozens in all genres.
Best book you ever read.
Again, no one book. Favorites I can think of off the top of my head: CE Morgan’s All the Living; Anthony Doerr’s The Shell Collector; Gil Adamson’s The Outlander; Michael Parker’s Prairie Fever; Rick Bass’s The Watch, Helen Maryles Shankman’s They Were Like Family to Me.
What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
I already did it. I was a Book Editor for many years. The next best thing to writing is editing and proofreading and producing books.
Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
My grandmother, who understood me completely and totally fostered my love of books and art and writing. I wish she had lived to read my books. She did get to read some smaller pieces.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
My grandmother, so I could thank her. I never really did. I regret that often.
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
Learn to accept and weather rejection. Very few writers rise to the top easily and quickly. Those that do are the exception. Learn to not take rejection personally and to keep going and working on your craft. Enjoy the creative part, the publishing part is work and not always fun!
Do you have some links for us to follow you?
Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon Central, Goodreads, Instagram
National Jewish Book Award Finalist
Julia Ward Howe Award
Florida Book Award~Gold Medal
Foreword INDIES Award~Gold Medal
Skipping Stones Honor Award
A Goodreads' Best Book of the Month~YA
Note:
Vision and Verse does not use cookies. We do not store any personal information like email addresses, home addresses, etc. We do not give any information to third parties.
No comments:
Post a Comment