Friday, June 29, 2012

Author Interview: Sherry D. Ramsey


Sherry D. Ramsey
Q: What sparked the idea for your story in Unearthed? Can you remember?

A: I think this was my third attempt at a story that would fit the theme for Unearthed! My story involves two characters who go geocaching, an activity which my family really enjoys. And geocaching is all about unearthing hidden things, so it all seemed to fit together nicely. Of course, we've never found quite what these characters find...

Q: What's the title of your story in Unearthed? In general, do you get the title first, or do you write the story first? Do you remember what prompted this particular title?

A: The title of my story is pretty simple: “The Cache.” I usually have a title pretty early on in the writing process, and sometimes I've had a whole story grow out of a title. This one just came attached to the story idea from the outset.

Q: Please tell us: one book you've read recently, one book you're reading now, and one book on your to-read list.

A: I recently read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, which actually lived up to the hype that seemed to surround it (I listened to the audiobook version, read by Wil Wheaton, and it was very entertaining). Currently I'm reading (among other things) The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell, and I'd definitely recommend it for fellow writers. I have a HUGE to-read pile, but near the top is Stephen King's 11/22/63. I've always been fascinated by this piece of history, so combining it with time travel makes it irresistible to me.

Q: What are you working on now, or what's your next planned writing project?

A: I'm usually juggling a number of projects, but once Unearthed is launched I hope to turn my attention to some final edits on a novel manuscript and finishing a few stories that are cluttering up my hard drive in various states of disarray.

Q: Have you ever read something and thought, “I wish I'd written that!”? What was it?

A: Yes! One was a science fiction short story in a book I had borrowed from the library (possibly one of the Nebula Award collections), with a title something like “The Girl With the Green Earrings”--except that wasn't it, because I've never been able to find it again. So maybe that wasn't the title, but there was definitely a girl in it, and her earrings were important. It haunts me, because I'd really love to re-read it and try to figure out exactly what I thought was so perfect about it. If you think you might know what story I mean...please email me!

You can visit Sherry's blog and website at www.sherrydramsey.com. Her collection of short stories, To Unimagined Shores, came out in 2011 from Third Person Press. Find out more at http://thirdpersonpress.com/.

Thanks, Sherry!