An Interveiw with Helen Ellis, Author of THE TURNING: What Curiosity Kills

Many thanks to Helen Ellis for this great interview. Helen shows her humor in this great interview.

1.) Why did you write this book? What initiated this particular burst of creativity?

I had a dream that I looked into my medicine cabinet mirror and my face was not my own. It was inhuman. And fuzzy. And I could see in the dark.

2.) Does your story line develop organically or is it a gestalt before you begin?

Okay, Bill, I’ll admit that I just had to look up the definition of “gestalt,” which Webster’s defines as “a structure, configuration, or pattern of physical, biological, or psychological phenomena so integrated as to constitute a functional unit with properties not derivable by summation of its parts.”

So I’m still confused. But here’s how I work. I write a sentence. The first sentence of What Curiosity Kills is “I knew there was something wrong with me when I fell asleep at school.” And then I play the game that goes, “And then what happened? And THEN what happened?

The good news is you’ve given me a new video blog idea for my website, www.helenelliswrites.com, “Diary of a Luddite: How to use a dictionary.”

3.) Is your process to outline and then fill in the blanks or just sit down and start to tell a story or ?

90% sit. 10 % write .

4.) Do you have a favorite character in the book and if so why?

YOON! Yoon is a bad boy who lives life “on the fence.”

5.) Do you have cats?

Yes, two tuxedo brothers, Shoney and Big Boy (who lives up to his name). You can see their photos in the banner of my website. Tune in April 21, for the video: “Diary of a Luddite: How to teach your cat to answer the phone.”     Shoney & Big Boy -->

6.) What do you like the most about writing?
Solitude and flying time.

7.) Where do your new story ideas come from?

Just like our New York City subway security bulletins advise: I see something, I say (write) something.

8.) What advice has helped the most in your writing?

In Stephen King’s memoir, On Writing, he says to write as fast as you can so you can outrun the self doubt. I wrote The Turning in less than six months. I’m still sweating!

9.) Who is your favorite author and why?

I do love Stephen King. He’s prolific, creative, and I like a good scare.

10.) What advice would you give for the want to be writer?

WANT IT. WRITE IT. REWRITE IT. LET IT BE READ.

Helen, thank you so much for your candid remarks and terrific interview.  
Want to see or here more about Helen?
www.helenelliswrites.com
www.twitter.com/theturningbooks
www.facebook.com/theturningbooks