Sherry D. Ramsey is one of the co-editors at Third Person Press, but she can't escape the Flashpoint interrogation...er, interview. Her story in Flashpoint is an urban fantasy titled, "B.R.A.N.E., Inc."
Third Person Press: Where did you grow
up? Do you think your childhood influenced you to be a writer?
Sherry D. Ramsey: I grew up in Cape Breton,
and I do think my childhood influenced me as a writer. I grew up surrounded by
books, especially the big wall bookcase at my grandparents' home. That treasure
trove offered everything from manuals on animal husbandry and astronomy to
classic literature to mystery novels and Harlequin romances. Stories were also
a big part of family life, so I think the storytelling gene plays a part as
well.
TPP: Who were your three
favorite writers when you were young? Who are three favorites now?
SDR: When I was young,
I'd usually come home from the library with something by Edward Eager, Walter
Farley, or Carolyn Keene. It's difficult to choose favorites now, but I rarely
miss anything by Terry Pratchett, Connie Willis, or Janet Evanovich.
TPP: What are you most
likely to be doing when you're not writing?
SDR: I'm a bit of
creativity addict, so I have a lot of other creative pursuits. I make jewelry
and like to dabble in art, and spend summer days in the garden. I also sew,
edit projects with Third Person Press, and, of course, read. I don't understand
it when people say "I'm bored."
TPP: Do you have any
writing habits or rituals?
SDR: I like to clean up
my office before embarking on a new writing project—or maybe that's just
procrastination? I'm not sure, but it seems to help. I'm not much of an
outliner or planner, but I do like to think about a story for a good while
before I start writing it. I have a lot of unfinished projects that attest to
the fact that I used to start writing before I'd done enough thinking, so I try
not to do that any more.
TPP: What's your
favorite beverage while writing? While not writing?
SDR: Coffee for writing,
tea for relaxing, especially green tea or chai. Very occasionally a glass of
wine, but that's about it.
TPP: If you were a
superhero, what would your name and power/ability be? Or would you be a
supervillain instead?
SDR: If I were a
superhero, I'd be Chrono, with the ability to stretch time so that I could fit
in everything I'd like to do!
TPP: What are you
working on now? What's your next writing project?
SDR: I'm gearing up to
write a new novel first draft for NaNoWriMo in November, and trying to plan it
a little more than I usually do (not an outline, but a plan. There's a
difference, right?). Before that I'm hoping to finish off a few manuscripts
that suffered from that "not-enough-thinking" thing I mentioned
earlier.
TPP: Bonus: Is there a
question you've always wanted to answer as a writer? Pose it and then write
your answer. :)
SDR: I get asked a lot
of questions during school visits, so I don't think there's much that's been
missed. The question I most enjoy answering in that setting is "Do you
listen to music while you write?" It's funny to see the students'
reactions when I name all the video game soundtracks I like for writing music.
My "cool factor" gets an instant bump. ;)
Thanks, Sherry!
Remember to click over and read more about the campaign at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flashpoint-anthology/x/1156437
Inspirational answers, Sherry.
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