AFTER RESONANCE with AUTHOR REBECCA HAMILTON

Author Bio: REBECCA HAMILTON (@InkMuse) writes Paranormal Fantasy, Horror, and Literary Fiction. She lives in Florida with her husband and three kids, along with multiple writing personalities that range from morbid to literary.

1.  How might you prepare an "empowered writing environment/atmosphere" to sit down and manifest your work?

R.H.:  I do a few things. First I select some songs that I think lyrically and musically influence the right atmosphere. I also gather photographs that provoke the right mood. Other than that, I like to have some "visuals" in my mind, which I type into the blank document before I start writing as a constant reminder of what I want to achieve. Also, I really love a blank document (fresh, unruined, and full of possibilities!), so I always start my editing/writing on a new, blank document.

2.  Do you recall a memorable "Eureka" moment, or "night that had to happen," where some indispensable revelation of the Sophia essence / "The Forever Girl" story-line, struck your imagination?

R.H.:  It wasn't so much as a "Eureka" moment as it was a smaller character saying "Surprise! I'm a bigger player in this story than you thought!" Yes, I remember that moment. It threw a wrench in my plans. It turned my standalone book into a trilogy (which later turned into a series!).

3.  As an author working out your novels, do you tend toward story-finding by instinct, are you a structural planner, or some hybrid of the two?

R.H.:  I guess a hybrid, leaning more toward story-finding my instinct. To be honest, while I admire structural planners, I don't know how they do it. How they plan a whole story before they begin. I usually have a few characters in mind and a starting point, and then also an idea where the story might go. Once I start writing though, the story takes on a life of it's own. One character's actions will provide another character with a choice, those choices will have consequences, and the character will then have to react to that. I simply couldn't guess before hand what they would do. It's not the same as being "in the moment" and them deciding. Also, I have to see if those events change the character, and if so, how would that impact future decisions? That seems like an impossible amount of things to know before I ever start writing! So, I have my loose ideas, I begin, and then I let the characters take me wherever they will go. In the end, an organic story-line knocks down whatever loose structure I had to begin with.

4.  Name a couple of your Indie Author peers whose work you admire, in your Genre or any others...and what do you find inspired or fascinating about what they do as writers?

R.H.:  My favorite indie author right now is RP Kraul. He hasn't published anything yet, but his writing is brilliant. He has this way of writing one line that can say 100 things about a setting, a character, another a character, the character's relationship with each other, the emotion, the foreshadowing of menace ... all in one sentence. It's breathtaking! Other others I have really enjoyed reading: SM Boyce, for being able to create such merchandizable story-ideas (yes, I made that word up). Christi Goddard, for her brilliant world-building, originality, and minimalistic/witty voice.Steven Katriel, because his writing is elegant and disturbing all at once. I love the Gothic flavor that permeates his stories, characters, and writing.

5.  Have you run into any strange new writing challenges or creative enjoyment with your second novel-in-progress, "Her Sweetest Downfall: Ophelia's Journey"...and what have you recently discovered about your creative process in overcoming such 'challenges?'

R.H.:  Her Sweetest Downfall is a challenge to me on so many levels. One, the story is much simpler, and I often worry what fans of The Forever Girl will think of that, since many seemed to enjoy my complexity and plot twists. It's also set in the 1800's, which is a new era for me write in. And it's third person, which I don't often write. Also, there is more romance in Her Sweetest Downfall, which I had been attempting to make a Paranormal Romance, but still ended up being more about a girl's personal journey than romance alone. Also, I've never written a short story before. In fact, my aim for Her Sweetest Downfall had been to write a 5-10k word short story. I wound up with nearly 30,000 words. So, yes, I've experienced some challenges. I am not sure I've overcome them, though!

Thank you so much for asking these fantastic questions and for having me on your blog!