It is my pleasure to bring you Terri Osburn this week.
Born in the Ohio Valley, Terri relocated below the Mason
Dixon line in the early 1990s after experiencing three blizzards in eighteen
months. Seeking warmer climes and a career in the music business, she landed in
Nashville and learned fast that getting a job on Music Row is not as easy as it
sounds. Ironically, it wasn't until she left Nashville and moved to Arkansas that
she found her way into radio.
Never one to stay put for long, Terri eventually
moved to the East Coast, settled near the ocean, earned her bachelor’s degree
while raising a daughter, and joined cubicle land once again.
But a love of
romance novels soon found her writing her own. Five years and many pages later,
in 2012, she was named a finalist in the Romance Writers of America Golden
Heart contest. An agent and contract soon followed. Terri now resides in
Virginia with a teenager, a Yorkipoo, and two fat and happy tabbies.
Please join me in welcoming Terri to My Story ~ My Way.
LA: Tell us about your current series.
TO: The Anchor Island series is made up of three Contemporary
Romances set on a fictional island at the base of the Outer Banks in North
Carolina. In book 1, MEANT TO BE, my heroine travels to Anchor to visit her
future in-laws for the first time, but things get complicated when she finds
herself falling for her fiancé’s brother. There is a HEA, of course, but only
one brother can come out the winner in this situation. Book 2, UP TO THE
CHALLENGE, sees a HEA for the brother who doesn’t quite come out the victor,
and he’s paired with a spunky, boat mechanic who might be my most favorite
character I’ve ever written. I’m hoping readers will love her as much as I do.
Book 3, HOME TO STAY, pairs a lanky brunette import to the island with the boat
mechanic’s brother, a muscle-bound teddy bear of a man into Zen and healthy
living. This one involves secrets and a hint of suspense.
LA: What sort of promo do you do? Do you have help? Use a publicist?
TO: I am fortunate to be with Montlake Romance, the romance
imprint for Amazon, so I do have a publicist. She’s been great about letting me
know what she’s doing and what I can do on my end. I’m mainly focusing on
getting my name and the book in front of readers online, and giving away a few
Advance Reader Copies now and then. I’m also working with local independent
book stores to create book signing events. Details on all blog visits and
in-person events can be found on my website.
LA: What is your writing routine like?
TO: Since I have a day job, my routine is basically to write
in all my spare time. Which means avoiding the temptation of prime time
television, and giving up most every weekend. I don’t have steps like light the
same candle or listen to the same music. In fact, I can’t listen to anything
while I’m writing. I need total silence, which isn’t always easy to find with a
teenager, a needy pooch, and two cats around.
LA: Wow you are a busy woman. I need quiet as well, but total silence drives me crazy :)Describe for us, if you will, your writing style, as in
plotter vs. seat of the pants, and do you put more time into developing
characters or plot or are they equal?
TO: I’m definitely a plotter, but I plot as I go. I’m amazed
at authors who have the entire book plotted out before they write the first
sentence. But before I do anything, I get to know my characters. The characters
show up in my head, introduce themselves, and start sharing bits of the story.
From that point on, I’m just trying to pay attention and keep up. My plots are
very character driven, and I could not write a rough draft without my
storyboard. I should probably buy stock in Post-Its for how many I go through.
I must know at least the next 3-5 scenes in order to keep
moving forward, which means I’m always plotting. My usual question is “What do
I need to happen here to get to there?” Then I sift through all the crazy ideas
in my head (often brainstorming with writer friends) and come up with an
answer. The other question is always “What does this scene contribute to the
story?” If I don’t have a good answer for that one, then the scene gets tossed.
All of this actually makes the revision process a lot
easier once the rough is done.
LA: What is the
first thing you do when you begin a new book?
TO: Characters,
characters, characters. I’m constantly taking notes as scene ideas and bits and
pieces of back story show up in my head. Until I know where the characters have
been, the people and events that have shaped them, I can’t really know the
story. Some call it the Discovery phase and for me, it’s all about discovering
what I need to know to tell the characters’ story.
I also create a board on
Pinterest just for the book and start looking for inspiration wherever I can
find it. I prefer visual stand-ins who aren’t famous, but will pin whatever
resonates with me. Sometimes it’s their pets or the vehicle they drive. Then
there are images that inspire scenes. I found a picture of a table set out on a
covered deck that gave me the idea for a scene in book 2. You never know where
you’ll find inspiration, but for me, it almost always come when I’m not looking
for it. At those moments, you have to be able to capture it, which is what
makes Pinterest such a great resource.
LA: Key advice for other writers?
TO: Write. I know we hear this all the time and I’m not going
to say write every day because life happens and we don’t need one more thing to
make us feel guilty about not putting words on the page. But I can promise the
more you write, the better you’ll get. And when you start to see real
improvement, there’s just no better feeling. Pair the dedication with belief.
Believe you can do this. I’m positive that the moment I changed my thinking and
said aloud “I will be published”, the deal was done. I didn’t know if it would
take five months or five years, but I believed with my whole heart it would
happen. Never doubt the power of faith and positivity. I’m living proof that
both of these elements can take you as far as you want to go.
LA: Tell us something about yourself we might not expect!
TO: I think it’s sort of expected that writers are natural
introverts, but I’m one of those odd duck extroverted writers. I was a disc
jockey in country radio for eight years, MC’d everything from talent shows to
large festival concerts, and even have a degree in the music business. (I also
have a BA in regular Business. *g*) I’m not a natural performer, as I prefer to
stay behind the scenes, but I don’t shy away from public speaking.
LA: Do you have a day job, too?
TO: I do. I’m a single income household so the steady pay and
benefits are a must-have. But I would love for the day to come when I sell
enough books to make writing my day/only job.
LA: What does your writing space look like?
TO: I write at a tiny desk in my bedroom. Hoping this summer
to create a space downstairs, but this is it for now. I have my storyboard
front and center at all times, plenty of Post-Its on hand, and something to
drink. I considered cleaning up before taking the picture, but then that felt
dishonest. Might as well show it mess and all. (Though most of the mess is on
the floor and darn but that wouldn’t fit in the picture.)
LA: Societal pet peeve … sound off.
TO: Bad/rude/idiot drivers. I have the worst road rage, but
keep it to language only. I live in a military town and the traffic is
horrible. I can’t count how many times I’ve looked in my mirror on the
interstate and braced for impact, only to have the idiot swerve at the last
second and miss me by an inch at most. It’s so bad that I’ve found a back way
home every day that allows me to skip the interstate and drive along the
Chesapeake Bay. The view and relaxed drive has completely saved my sanity.
Blurb for Meant To Be:
Sometimes the next best thing is what you’ve been
looking for all along…
Beth Chandler has spent her whole life pleasing others.
She went to law school to make her grandparents happy. She agreed to marry her
workaholic boyfriend, Lucas, to make him happy. And, despite her fear of boats,
she took a ferry to see Lucas’s parents just to make them happy.
While suffering through a panic attack on the ferry, Beth
meets a tall, sexy stranger who talks her down from her fear—and makes her
heart flutter in the process. Soon, she has a new reason to panic: her
gorgeous, blue-eyed rescuer is Lucas’s brother, Joe.
But could she ever leave her fiancé for his own
brother…even if Lucas is more focused on making partner than on making their
relationship work…and even if Joe turns out to be everything she never knew she
wanted?
Buy Links:
- Website http://www.terriosburn.com
- Twitter @TerriOsburn
Don't Forget Terri's Excerpt on Saturday.
I love how your writing area is a mess, but it looks like a poster child of how to write for the new writer. *LOL*
ReplyDeleteAlso like the Say aloud: "I will be published" and basically the universe will make it happen. You know, provided you write the book and all and do your part.
Welcome MsHellion,
ReplyDeleteI'm a firm believer in affirmations, at least for my writing!
Glad you stopped by to visit My Story ~ My Way.
Ciao
LA
Great interview ladies!
ReplyDeleteI just finished this book and can tell you it was fantastic! Can't wait for the next one. ;0)
Now that I look at this picture, I realize it's sparkling clean compared to what my desk looks like right now.
ReplyDeleteThank you, ladies! So happy you enjoyed it, Tammy. And that's a definitely MsHellion. I know the day I sat up and said, "I will be published" put all this truly into motion.
Another stellar interview, Leslie Ann!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Terri, on being named a finalist in RWA's Golden Heart contest. That's huge!!! Your novel series sounds greatly entertaining, and I'm looking forward to reading your excerpt for "Meant to Be" on Saturday. And I'm definitely adding "Meant to Be" to my "to-read" shelf on Goodreads for all to see.
I wish you the very best of luck in your writing journey!
BTW, your writing space is adorable and it looks organized to me--thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Lisa! Needless to say, I was STUNNED when I got the Golden Heart call. After I hung up, my coworker across the hall said, "Congratulations?" Yeah. I might have made some happy noises.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy the excerpt and thanks for giving the book a shot. I've had such a great response over on Goodreads. Lovely readers over there.