Immaginary friends, pets and family from Maria Hammarblad

Lynette: Which book was the easiest for you to write? The hardest? The most fun?

Maria: I think the third book in The Goddess’s Saga – “Return of the Goddess” – was the easiest. It almost wrote itself, and it was ready long before the second one, “Wrath of the Goddess.” Wrath really fought me. I don’t know why; I knew what would happen in it, but I still needed almost three years to finish it.

The most fun? “Brand New World.” It’s a science fiction spoof and I chuckled all the way through it. The main character wakes up in the future, accompanied by a hologram of a rock star and a humanoid cat. It sort of gets worse from there…

Lynette: How about the people and/or animals you share space with. Do they know not to bother you when you are writing, or are there constant interruptions?

Maria: Haha, no, there are constant interruptions. I always have dogs climbing on me. My youngest doggie tries to stand on the keyboard, and he very helpfully types things like, “lk;i0i0ko;k;l.” If Mike is home, he always has the TV on and is usually talking. He’s a good sport though – he never gets mad if I don’t answer, or if I answer something that’s evidently wrong. Still, I’d much rather have company and be interrupted than be more efficient and all alone. J

Lynette: What do family members think of your writing? Do you ever ask him/her/them for advice? Editing?

Maria: I have tried to make Mike read my books. ”Kidnapped” is even dedicated to him, but he refuses. I think he’s worried he won’t like them. He’s an optimist though; he says, “Naah, I’ll watch the movie when someone makes one.” His mom reads all my books though, and she has valuable input.
Lynette: Are you a member of any author group and how does that help your writing?

Maria: Yes, I am a member of Florida Writer’s Association, but I don’t have time to go to the meetings, so it doesn’t help all that much. I have promised myself that once life settles down a little I’ll start going. Input from other writers is invaluable.

Lynette: Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?

Maria: My characters take on lives of their own. I sometimes say I have to go play with my imaginary friends so I can write their stories… They pop up out of nowhere and insist on getting attention. Okay, that doesn’t sound entirely sane, hahaha!

Lynette: Any words of encouragement for unpublished writers.

Maria: There are times when everything is easy and happy joy joy. When it’s not easy, just keep writing, and don’t be discouraged if it feels up-hill and you get rejection letters from agents and publishers. Try again. Sometimes you need to re-write and try again, but don’t give up. Same thing if you get a bad review; if people hates what you’ve written, you’ve somehow reached them and created an emotion. Remember, a reader might hate your story line for other reasons than it being bad.

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