Yesterday…I spent the day on the road…visiting good friends…from days gone by…so…I thought I’d spend a quiet day today…catching up…wrong…seems…Bertha…had so much fun visiting…that she invited company over to our blog today…
So…here I am…rushing around…vacuuming and dusting…just in time…before 
my friend…Natalie Star…author of…The Keeper…arrives…although…she has two kids…so she might be more comfortable…if I threw around a few soccer balls…or half eaten PB&Js…just saying…
Anyway…she’s here…all the way from Virginia…where she enjoys being a wife…soccer mom…photographer…camper…hiker…and…occasionally…couch potato watching Netflix and perusing Facebook…
I think she also has a cat named…Lucky…but…we all know how…Bertha…feels about…cats…so we won’t mention it…
Okay…she’s here now…so let’s get to know her better…
Natalie…first of all…Bertha…loves your name…Natalie Star…she says with a name like that…you are destined to…shine…
LOL…Bertha…I hope you are right! It is really my maiden name but I’ve always loved it myself.
Well…I don’t blame you a bit…I have to agree…it sounds glamorous. I hear you are a great cook…do you have a recipe for a good novel?
In a nutshell, a catchy beginning, relatable characters, and an ending that resonates with you for days.
That does sound tasty…now…let’s say that you’ve been contacted by the Association of Libraries from the Alien Planet of Zaolia…they want a copy of the four most important novels in Earth’s history…which ones would you give them…
Romeo and Juliet (for love and tragedy)
Wuthering Heights (for a tale of love and revenge)
Call of the Wild (for action, danger and fantasy)
The Keeper (my novel, because I’m always looking to market to new audiences)
Interesting marketing idea…I wonder how I can send them…Bertha…I could use a break…but…I digress…was there a turning point in your life when you decided to start writing?
The starting point was my turning point! It was the end of 2010 and it was just something that I tried to see if I could.
When you write…do you take notes…organize your characters and plot…or do you write freely as you go…
I’m a pantster so I write as I go. On a rare occasion I will write notes. If I do, they are minimal. When I do waste time and go into depths with the note taking, I never end up using what I’ve written. I could have used that time for actual writing instead.
I certainly understand that…I tend to write by the seat of my pants as well…where do you find inspiration for your writing…
Everywhere and everyone around me. It doesn’t take much—a photo, someone’s voice, or mannerisms, or maybe the color of your blouse.
Oh…FYI…Bertha…is wearing a flamingo pink tube top this morning in honor of your visit…I hope you feel inspired…but…seriously…do you write about your personal life experiences in your stories…
First, Bertha’s tube top does inspire me to write about…what not to wear. Sorry, Bertha. But to answer your question. Never!
Well…Natalie…Bertha…has gone to change…so let’s get in a couple of questions before she returns…who is your favorite character in…The Keeper…and why…
Adrik he is my antagonist. I LOVE a bad boy with charm.
Moving right along…before we get into…stories about…charming bad boys…I may have known a few…what is your favorite scene in…The Keeper…
The last couple of chapters, but I can’t tell you why. I would ruin it.
Oh…I hear…Bertha…coming back…so I’ll ask one last question…before she starts the fashion show…is there any part in writing that you don’t like…
I hate editing and revising! I wish I was so good that I didn’t need either and the first draft was always perfect, but that will never be. I’m only human LOL!
I know what you mean…and I agree totally about the editing…although…Bertha…thinks it’s a fun makeover…can’t say as I relish it myself…oh…but…one
last thing…please tell us…a bit about…The Keeper…
The morning of her sixteenth birthday, Billie feels blessed despite the reoccurring nightmare that wakes her. Loving parents, a caring boyfriend, and great friends surround her until an heirloom necklace throws her into a world she never imagined.
“Gifted” with supernatural powers and an unexpected destiny as the Keeper, Billie and a mysterious boy from her past must work together to find answers. But, as they begin to discover feelings for one another, he disappears leaving her to fight evil alone. Her life spirals out of control. She breaks up with her boyfriend, Tony, and alienates her best friends Arianna and Jocelyn to protect them from the truth.
As dark forces pursue her, Billie longs to run away from it all, yet a need to do what’s right compels her to face the future as the keeper of more than her own fortune.
Natalie…The Keeper…is a great book…and I understand it’s on sale for a few more days…so it’s a great time for everyone to grab a copy…
You have been an awesome guest…thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to visit with us…
Jane
PS…here are some fun places you can connect with Natalie…
Loved my visit! This was entirely too much fun! (((hugs))) thanks for having me! 🙂
I enjoyed it so much Natalie…Bertha’s still changing clothes trying to find something that will inspire you…I told her you’d already left…but…you know Bertha! 😉
Thanks for sharing your visit with us readers… will buy your book The Keeper soon.
Have a great day!
Hella 🙂
Thanks, Hella…I know Natalie will appreciate that…she’s a great writer!
Thank you! I do appreciate it! =)