The Author’s Marketing Powerhouses’ October 2012 Interview with Rusty Blackwood.
- Posted on 2nd September 2013
- in Interviews
- by admin
October 22,2012. The Author’s Marketing Powerhouse recently did an in-depth interview with Canadian Indie author Rusty Blackwood via e-mail in regard to her upcoming new title, Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary.
AMP: Tell us about this book.
R.B. I’ve written seven titles thus far, and am in the process of re-publishing a completely new version of my two-part romance/drama Passion in Paris, also to be published in two parts entitled, “Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary.” This poignant, heart-touching saga is a complete revision of its predecessor and contains exciting new content that poignantly tells the story of two star-crossed soul mates, Canadian author Joy Wychmere, and Irish actor/musician Cullen Malone, who find each other once again, but unfortunately just in time to be thrown into the most enduring test of their life, the outcome of which holds their very existence in the balance. The Prelude opens in the year 2040 with Joy’s adult grandchildren gathering at her home to help plan her memorial. While there, they discover an ancient diary she had written many years prior. Knowing that their grandmother had a time in her life never spoken about during their growing years – also to help them prepare their eulogies – they decide to read it, thus sweeping the reader back to 1999 and the story of Passions in Paris.
AMP: Who did you write this book for? Who would really enjoy it?
R.B. First and foremost, like many writers, I wrote it for myself. I’m a hopeless romantic who has always believed in perfect soul mates and love ever-lasting. I believe it exists, and even though it may take an eternity to find, once you do, it’s worth everything you have endured along the way. I think this story would appeal to anyone who believes the same as I do. One who enjoys a good, solid ride upon a roller-coaster of emotions and desires within a story that will fulfill your greatest expectations of the meaning of true love, and a love that can surpass all adversity.
AMP: Is there a central message in the book and if so, what is it?
R.B. I don’t know if I wrote it with any message in mind other than to follow your heart, your instincts, and stay true to what you believe in your mind, and in your soul. I suppose I could also add that one should be careful what you wish for because it might come true, but it might come true in ways you are not prepared to handle, and possibly in ways beyond your ability to endure.
AMP: If you could compare this book with any book out there we might already be familiar with, which book would it be and why?
R.B. When I write I am solely in my own little world where only my own thoughts and emotions exist. I don’t appreciate being compared to another writer – though that unfortunately happens in the literary world regardless of how one wishes it wouldn’t, for I feel it’s not fair to myself, or to another author’s title for all written pieces should stand on their own merit, not judged by something someone else wrote that may or may not flow along the same lines. The same can be said about comparing genres, for each is its own prized accolade or demon, but regardless, the work and its author should be viewed in their own light, not compared to somebody else.
AMP: Why did you decide to write this specific story?
R.B. Because I love romance as well as drama and intrigue; I also love Paris, and I thought the setting of that enchanting place would lend an exciting backdrop to the peril that my heroine and hero would face in the various situations I had decided to put them in. I also wanted to tell a story where anything is possible, and dreams really can come true.
AMP: Is this story based on an actual happening or is it fiction?
R.B.It is totally fiction, although in some aspects I did borrow from life experience to apply to certain areas of the story, but in general it is fiction.
AMP: How much of you is in the heroine?
R.B.I never really thought about that in terms of actual percentage, but if I were to venture a guess I would have to say a fair amount. I think any fictional protagonist carries a certain amount of their creator within them; I think it helps to bring them to life and make them more believable when you draw water from your own well.
AMP: If the characters actually existed, how many would you like to meet in person?
R.B. I would have to say about six, definitely three.
AMP: If you had to choose a favorite character, which would it be and why?
R.B.If I had to choose just one I would have to say Doctor André Des Jardin. André is Cullen Malone’s personal assistant, as well as so many other things within Cullen’s life, but he also comes to be an important part of the heroine, Joy Wychmere’s life. He’s the kind of character who – if he actually existed – would be someone I would very much like to have as a friend, for he personifies what a true friend really is, someone who is there for you regardless of whatever that might be, in whatever capacity that may entail.
AMP: Why did you decide to set the story in Paris at the turn of the 21st. century?
R.B. First and foremost I love Paris, I always have, and even though I’ve never been there in this life I feel as if I have in a prior life, and of course through research for the book I now feel as if I have spent time there. I’ve always had a great affinity for Paris and anything Parisian, so I wanted to set my first romance novel there. I feel there are two reasons why I set the time frame as I did, the first being I started to write the story in the fall of 2001 and thought it a good idea to set the main story during a time which had not long passed, and secondly, the hero and heroine of the story – who in actuality are star-crossed soul mates – find each other once again and strive for a new beginning together, and what better time to do that than at the dawn of a new century as well as a new millennium.
AMP: Do you have a specific writing style?
R.B. I’m not a trained writer. I hold no English BA or any formal training other than having a special ability to express emotions, thoughts, and a good imagination to project them. I think any writer must find what best works for them with regard to method and discipline. Each writer is different with regard to perception and projection, no one sees color the same, nor do they hear sound or feel texture in the same way as someone else. The same applies to creating a written piece. You have to find the path that best suits your ability, and your taste.
AMP: Who influenced your writing the most?
R.B. I believe we all have been inspired by the great names in literature that have gone before, each one opening their soul for whoever wishes to have a look, and I have my favorites as well, but I really owe my love of writing to the late Gladys Carroll, my elementary and junior high school teacher who saw potential in what I chose to write, and encouraged me to go after my dream.
Are your characters pure fiction, or did you draw from people you know?
R.B. I would have to say a bit of both, but the majority of my characters are purely fictitious. I think we are all influenced at some point in our life by people we have met, admired, or disliked for whatever reason, and as writers I believe we often borrow from that when we create certain characters, or use multiple people in the creation of one single character.
AMP: Are you more of a character artist or a plot-driven writer?
R.B. I would have to say character artist, for I love the creation of a character, giving them life, history, a past, breath, blood, emotions, everything that one feels themselves and put them in situations that one might fancy for them, or even a situation that you might like to find yourself in. It’s an interesting process, and one I greatly enjoy.
AMP: Who should buy this book?
R.B. I believe anyone who likes a good love story, as well as a story that is told in a way that will draw the reader into the world the writer is creating, also a person who honestly loves emotional roller-coaster rides during the reading of a book, and one who can honestly say at the end of the story that they have enjoyed the experience.
AMP: Where can people buy your book?
R.B. When it becomes available, I hope to have part 1 & 2 of Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary in my bookstore on my website at https://rusty-blackwood.com. Existing titles are also available online at my website bookstore, as well as at http://www.createspace.com, and http://www.amazon.com. People in my area may find selected titles at CHAPTERS, 285 Geneva Street, Catharines, Ontario, Canada. https://www.facebook.com/ChaptersSt.Catharines?fref=t
The Author’s Marketing Powerhouse would like to thank Rusty for taking time to answer these questions, and we would like to invite you to check out The Author’s Marketing Powerhouse at: http://www.theauthorsmarketingpowerhouse.com/
Tags: Canadian Indie author Rusty Blackwood, interviews, Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary, romantic fiction author Rusty Blackwood, The Author's Marketing Powerhouse
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