I’d like to welcome author LeeAnn to the blog today. LeeAnn Jackson Rhoden is a wife, mom, and author. She lives with her family in their fixer-upper house they’ve been renovating for three years and hopes it will be finished before her six-year-old goes to college. She is the publisher and an editor for Pilcrow & Dagger, has six short stories published and is still reworking her first novel. Thank you, LeeAnn for visiting with us. Let’s get to it, shall we?

1. Let’s start with something fun. What’s your favorite hobby?

Knitting. I learned to knit about 5 years ago. I made two scarves using the garter stitch then made a striped sweater vest for my husband that actually turned out pretty good. He wears it, anyway. I’ve taught myself how to knit in the round, and how to do strand knitting and I’m about to tackle Aran knitting. I like the complex patterns and rhythms and to me, knitting is very restful. I can shut out the noise and the rest of the world and just knit.

 

2. If you had the opportunity—who would you like to spend an afternoon with and why?

Hmmm…. good question. Probably Benjamin Franklin. He was a printer and publisher, an accomplished author under several pseudonyms, a diplomat, a scientist, a historian, and an all-around fascinating person.

 

3. Coffee, tea, soda or something else?

Coffee. In the afternoon more coffee. If it’s hot, iced coffee. In the evening, bourbon. On the rocks.

 

4. What are you working on right now?

I publish a literary magazine, Pilcrow & Dagger, that takes up the bulk of my time. I finished the first draft of my first novel a couple of years ago. With the aid of a beta reader I discovered a GAPING hole in my plot. And so I set out to rewrite/revise it. And in the process, I discovered that my novel is actually three novels and, of course the sequel to those. I’ve taken too much time out from writing recently and to get back into the swing of things I’ve been entering short story contests. Don’t care if I win, it’s the writing that I need to do. But I’ve set a goal to complete the first novel in my series.

 

5. How would you describe your writing style?

I’m a pantser. Just like the way I talk (I have no censor. I just blurt). I write what comes into my head, typically disjointed scenes, and then I move them around until they are coherent. And then comes the editing to get rid of the yucky stuff.

 

6. Do you have any advice for a person just beginning their writing career?

Set a daily goal of words and stick to it. Set it at a reasonable amount like 500 words. If you go over that amount then fantastic! And it doesn’t have to be related to any particular work in progress either. Many times you may feel stumped or bored with your project. You may be too tired or overwhelmed with what the day brought. Look out your window and write 500 words on what you see. Play with sensory descriptions – sight, sound, smell, touch/feelings, taste. Play with words. Make up new words. Just write your daily amount.

 

7. Do you immerse yourself in new situations for writing ideas or do your ideas come to you through your normal, day-to-day life?

Both.

If I’m done with my soul-sucking life chores (meal preparations, laundry and housekeeping, errands, etc.) and I am able to carve a few peaceful moments to be by myself I can open my mind and imagination and “see” the characters and story in front of me and write freely.

But, many days the soul-sucking chores get in the way of writing time. Still, ideas and phrases will come at you from what you hear standing in line at the grocery store, or something you see driving down the street. I carry index cards and a pen, always, and write them down for later.

 

8. Where can we find you on the interwebs?

I have six short stories self-published on Amazon.com in the Kindle Store https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=LeeAnn+Rhoden&rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3ALeeAnn+Rhoden

I publish a literary magazine, Pilcrow & Dagger, with 8 issues per year. http://www.pilcrowdagger.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeeAnnRhoden

Facebook (Author page): https://www.facebook.com/LeeAnnJacksonRhoden

And coming soon, my website: http://www.LeeAnnRhoden.com

Thank you so much LeeAnn for visiting with us today. Dear readers, take the time to visit LeeAnn on her sites and find out what she’s up to recently.