Exclusive Interview with
M. K. Theodoratus
When did you start writing?
When in the sixth grade. The teacher gave the class a short story assignment, Everyone else wrote 2-5 pages. I wrote 29 and was no where near finished. I remember I got a "C", and the winner was a girl who copied a Russian fairy tale.--Whatever, I finished the book the next summer and still have it.
What makes writing your passion?
It's not so much a passion as an itch. If I'm not writing I feel uncomfortable. I spent yet doing free-lance non-fiction when small publications existed as a side gig. After retirement and heart surgery, I started writing fantasy with an image of Mariah, a character in my newest release, standing on a cliff.
How long have you been writing?
70 years? mostly on and off.
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
Annoyance mostly because so many things went wrong, which is a little silly in retrospect. With my latest release, guess what? So many thing went wrong.
[I self-publish because I'm so old that I'd be dead before my book got through the traditional publication process.
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
I have two series set in two alternative fantasy worlds--one contemporary and one medieval. Actually, people just pop into my head, and I write about incidents in their life.
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
Marketing.
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
I don't know if I've even experienced "writer's block". I find naps are a greater deterrent...and bad eyes.
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
As I said before, writing for me's an itch.
Advice for beginning writers is to write a complete story with a ending. Don"t care what it looks like. Just get all the first ideas down. The real work begins with turning a draft into a publication which takes many rewrites as you explore the implications of your story and get advice of critique partners and beta readers.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
You would have had more fun if you had spent more time writing.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
Yeah. I read my book reviews mainly to get quote to put on little ads.
Bad reviews? I don't get many: most my short reads aren't full-length noels and people who completely miss what my stuff is about.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
Pleasant.
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
Incidents, both from my own and others. Example: in The Pig Wars, Renna is talking to Waltarson about feeding pigs special food. Renna tells my husband's story about putting syrup on a dog's pancakes. The dog insisted on syrup the rest of its life.
In Renna's comments, she says it's too expensive.
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
I'm sort of grumpy like 400 turn-year-old Renna in Vengeance [a free-in-USA quick read]. But no, I didn't base her on me. She just appeared in the funeral scene.
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
Yes, it is...especially when generic or completely out of touch with the story line.
Problem is that covers are expensive.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
I'm most available on Facebook. People can comment on my page, and I answer when I go on [a couple times a weeks].
I'm trying to collect names on my website, but I haven't quite figured out how yet. I do have a widget that delivers a short story, told by Renna, for signing up. But, I have gotten how to to my review/blog to them first. So, I' in the process of getting someone to help me.
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
Has never happened. As for my friends, they read literary genres.
Who is your favorite author? Why?
The numbers are many. I don't have "favorite" authors. What I read depends on my mood.
Who I reread: Ilona Adams, Patty Briggs, Mary Balogh, Bailey Cates, Barbara Hambly, Kay Hooper, Sharyn McCrumb, Tamara Pierce, Nora Roberts, Louise Penny, Jane Haddam, and Sarah Moss , among others. And, yeah, I do real male writers like Lee Child and Jim Butcher...
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
None. I just like to share what I write.
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
No. I've got too much new stuff in my computer that hasn't gone through the publication process. Like, I have over 500,000 written about the Half-Elven of the Far Isles starting with Teemon's misadventures in landing in what became the Marches and shacking up with the wrong sister.
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
No one. I'm me.
What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
There're trolls in all aspects of life, and they can really hurt some people. You just have to armor yourself and not let their opinions overwhelm you. Fortunately, I grew up before social media [as did my kids].
What would you say to your readers?
I hope you enjoy reading them. I enjoyed writing them.
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
I live in Colorado. At this stage, I live in independent senior living--no housework plus great for naps and editing.
What is your day job if you have one?
I was everything to a freelance writer for a weekly local paper to a credit manager for a regional long-distance telephone company when saving for my kids college. At the same time, I've always written something.
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
Nap and read books.
Did you have a happy childhood?
Yeah.
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
My teacher's assignment.
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
They range from children's fantasies [3] to lots of Half-Elven stuff.
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
Critical thinking and good nutrition. Good pre-school wouldn't hurt either.
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
People would pull their heads out of their arses.
People weren't so greedy and self-interested.
People were more co-operative.
What is your favorite music?
It varies from classical to folk to hard rock to corridas. Depends on my mood.
Think of Linda Ronstat's career.
Share a secret with us 🙂
Don't have an answer.