It is my absolute pleasure to share with you my interview with Author Christine Dougherty.
How would you
describe yourself and how does your description translate into the way you
work?
I am creative and I don’t put that out there as a good quality, necessarily.
Certainly it’s brought me a certain amount of trouble along with giving me two
careers (graphics and writing). Being creative, for me, means being able to
imagine a lot of things–not all of them nice. But I think it also brings some
uniqueness to the stories I write and also explains why I write in a few
different genres.
Did you always
want to be a writer?
My mom says that
I used to ‘tell stories’ all the time when I was little…it’s a kind way of
saying I was a liar. I wrote in high school, but a particularly mean teacher
put me off of it for a long time. I picked it up again in my forties because my
job as an Art Director at the time became more managerial and less creative. Creativity
will get out one way or another, I think. Holding it back is a bad idea. A very bad idea.
Faith Creation:
All Lies Revealed is such a wonderful and complex story, where did your
inspiration for this story come from?
This is a tough question. I think the overriding theme of the story is alienation
and the unsureness that comes from a lack of guidance. It’s one of the tough
questions in life: how do I fit in?
Will there be a
sequel to Faith Creation?
There is and it will be available some time in 2012. The sequel book is titled
“Faith, United” and will get more into the back-story of Faith and her sisters.
What process do
you go through to define your characters?
I let them define themselves gradually. I don’t have a lot of preconceived
notions about what they will think and do and say. It’s like life…people reveal
themselves over time. During the rewrite, I am able to go back and sharpen them
up throughout, because by the end of the story, I know them pretty damn well.
What do you hope
readers will experience while reading your books?
I hope they will recognize some of the characters either as aspects of
themselves or as someone they know. I hope they think about the characters even
after they stop reading. Mostly, I hope they are entertained.
Do book reviews
have an influence on your writing?
I think if the reviews were consistently pointing out a specific aspect of the
writing as problematic, then I might. For the most part, though, you have to
work on chasing all extraneous voices out of your head when you sit down to
write, especially the ones that say you’re silly/vain/stupid, etc. for wanting
to write at all. When the reviews are good, I usually get a little choked up. It’s incredibly
nice when someone enjoys one of the books. It satisfies me in some way I have
trouble articulating. It’s like receiving morphine when you’ve been in
tremendous pain for too long.
What advice
would you give to a first time author?
Write for yourself if you are writing only to make yourself happy, but if you
want to publish, do your research; learn the basics. The dreamy stuff is fun,
but it’s nuts and bolts that hold shit together. Hopefully you have at least one person who is very supportive. My husband
supports every aspect of my writing and it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if he
weren’t so involved.
What advice did
you receive that was most beneficial to you?
When I started this process, I was so rusty (thirty years of no writing!) that I
took a short story class at Gotham Writing School and was very lucky with the
instructor I got, Season. Everything I learned from her was beneficial although
I think I wore her out, sometimes. When I am interested in something, I tend to
be a little bit voracious. She was patient and encouraging; it was exactly what
I needed at the time.
Are you currently
working on another book?
I am, but am skittish about talking about whatever I am currently writing. My
husband knows and my proofreader, Pauline, has an idea, but mostly I keep it to
myself. I feel like it loses something if I am blabbing all over the place
about it.
This is your chance to speak directly to readers
who haven’t discovered your books. What would you like to say to them?
I hope you enjoy reading these books as much as I enjoy writing them. I hope
you are entertained.
Black Beast by R. S. Guthrie is a book that will send you on a journey of suspense, mystery and emotions that you will never expect. The main character "Bobby Mac" is multi-dimensional and someone that I felt great compassion for as the story progressed. He struggles with his own demons as he tries to grasp his family roots. 
