Teri M Brown interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

When did your love of books begin?

I've loved books since I was a small child. One of my earliest memories is my mother reading Over in the Meadow to me in a sing-song voice. I also remember wanting to learn to read. My mom told me that I would learn to read when I started first grade. I was four years old when she caught me under the covers with a flashlight reading a book. I started to cry because I thought I'd be in trouble for knowing how to read before I started school! I loved mysteries as a child and read all the Trixie Beldon books before graduating to Nancy Drew - and I was not above reading a few Hardy Boys mysteries as well! I loved a book called Mrs Piggle Wiggle's Farm and then Are You There God, It's Me Margaret. Then I hit the romance phase followed by the sci-fi phase. Now, I read just about anything I can get my hands on that isn't horror or erotica.



When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

When I was in elementary school, I wanted to be an author, an Olympic ice skater, and a brain surgeon. I used to write poems and stories about everything. My mom saved one that I wrote on the back of my grandma's bank deposit slip! For about thirty years, life got in the way, but I finally became an author!



How have you found the process for becoming an author?

For me, getting to be an author was a path strewn with stumbling blocks. I had four children that I homeschooled. I loved that and wouldn't change it, but it didn't lend itself to becoming an author. Later, I married an emotionally abusive man who had me believing that I couldn't do anything, let alone write. Finally, I am in a great relationship with great support. Now, the characters in my head won't shut up, so writing is a joy!



What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Do it! You don't have to have the perfect story idea outlined in your head. You don't have to have a following of people waiting to read your every word. You don't have to have a degree in writing. You just have to have the desire to write, and the more you write, the better you'll be. I also think writers should be readers. Read a lot and think about why you like certain stories and why others turn you off. Finally, when you are ready to start submitting your books, think about marketing. There are lots of authors out there. The only way to stand out among the crowd is to let the crowd know you exist!



Tell us about your book/books:

Sunflowers Beneath the Snow is a story about three generations of Ukrainian women. The story begins in Soviet Ukraine, moves through an independent Ukraine, and ends with an immigrant in the US. We see the tug of war between East and West and we see the tenacity of women - how they can experience all the good life has to offer even when times are tough.

(Here is more information on my book along with bios, photos, accolades, etc - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dUJA2yHC-u0Rdf-j2uA2QboEwngVjb4LpORy7Q6LZZ0/edit?usp=sharing)

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

Everyone is so welcoming. If you write a good story, everyone is happy to say so and to help you succeed. Plus, we all love the same thing - great stories that take us away, give us adventures, help us see a different perspective, and find new friends in the characters.



If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Thank you for your support! Without you, my stories would still be stuck in my head.