Q. Do you have a
special ritual to set yourself in writing mode?
A. No, I just snatch moments when I
can have relative quiet to think. Between my husband watching Spanish novellas
which usually feature screaming or wildly weeping women and my grandson needing
help, those moments are rare. Usually they are late at night.
But
I keep a pen and notebook at my bedside, because inspiration frequently strikes
at night.
Q. When did you realize you wanted to be a book author?
A. I don’t describe myself that way.
I just enjoy writing books. I needed to make a serious living, and not being
Charles Dickens, chose a more secure career in nursing. Besides, you can’t
swing a cat without hitting an author, whereas nurses are in demand and useful.
If you had stomach pain which would you rather have next door, a writer or a
nurse?
Q. How
do you come up with names of your characters?
A. Sometimes they just appear out of
nowhere. Other times I go through lists of baby names.
Q. Do you prepare and follow an
outline?
A. Absolutely. Every time I try to
pants it, I end up with pages of stuff that go nowhere. At least I need to know
how it ends. I usually read the end of books also, because I like to be
prepared if it’s going to end tragically.
Q. Do you ever consider co-writing
a book? If yes, with whom?
A. I’m afraid not. I know few other
authors in person, and those I know don’t write scifi or fantasy.
Q. What is the best thing about being a
writer?
A. An occasional fan letter is
nice. But I enjoy the process and the challenge of exploring ideas and worlds
in succinct yet evocative ways.
Q. As a book author yourself, do you
have a book that you consider your favorite. If yes, what is it?
A. My favorite books are Charles
Williams’ spiritual thrillers, and the best of those is The Place of the Lion.
Although his style is obscure at times, he manages to combine exciting
adventures, such as dealing with an escaped lion, with supernatural elements
such as Plato’s Ideas being real creatures.
Q. What
are your purposes in writing books?
A. My purposes are first, to
entertain, second to present a Christian worldview in well-written fiction. I
try not to be in-the-reader’s-face about it, but it’s just there in the
background and the assumptions.
Q.
How do you get over writer’s block?
A. I haven’t really had the problem
of writer’s block. If I know where the story is going, I start writing it. It
will often be clumsy and incoherent at first, but you can always go back and
revise. In fact, you must go back and revise, but at least you can see in what
direction you’re heading.
Q.
If The Witchstone is ever turned into a movie, who would you like to play
Sibele and Fenrulf?
A. Strangely enough when it first
came out, there was talk that Warner Bros was interested in the film rights. I
wasn’t enthusiastic, because I was afraid they might make a horror film out of
it because of all the dark elements in it. But if it were, I think David
Giuntoli, from Grimm, would make a good Fenrulf, and Scarlett Johansson a
lovely Sibele. It won’t happen, but what fun to fantasize!
That was great! Yes, and it's not only
so much fun to fantasize it is also absolutely free!
Thank
you very much Ms. Victoria Randall (@Entlover27)! I’m looking forward to reading more
of your books.
You may check out the other books
of Ms. Randall featured on this blog:
