…over here, talking about Authors and the social media.

I continue to try taming my dragon, but it’s a stubborn animal sometimes. Last night it came up with “Pay low all tow” instead of Palo Alto. Can’t say I blame it, really. Names are difficult. But why, after training, does it still decide the name of my hero is “Seiko” instead of “Saker”?  The power of Japanese watchmakers? Sigh.

Anyway, in the meantime hop over my friend Rowena Daniell’s blog for an interview with me and a chance to win a book with a neat answer…

Rowena has just had another trilogy published. I bought all three, and read them, one after the other.  The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin, yet more evidence that women write great — yet intimate — epic fantasy. And Rowena is yet another Australian. We rock!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Over at Bibliobibuli (and what a great site this is for book related comments and links!) I was led to a link that discussed the Oprah interview of Cormac McCarthy, where she asked inane questions like the Where did you get the idea for this book from? and Do you have a writing routine? and How do you feel about millions of people reading your books?

She had a chance for an in depth interview, and she asks about his writing routine? I can’t believe it.

Every writer gets asked about the origin of their ideas. They get sick of being asked. There is only one true answer: from life. And anyway a book has not one idea but thousands, and to insinuate that a single idea inspired a writer is a bit insulting. A single idea is just a tiny beginning in a huge thought process that builds up the book in an author’s mind before he ever puts pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

So what should a journalist ask a writer? Questions that delve deep into the book, its characters, its purpose, how it reflects the writer and his life experience, what he hopes to achieve or change (if anything), why he wrote this particular book when he did, how he views the public’s reaction to it…

So does anyone have a question they want to ask me?