WATCH OUT: Clare Dargin Interview

I want to welcome you all to another edition of Watch Out. This week I’m excited to bring you a great author by the name of Clare Dargin.
Welcome Clare, it is so great to have you here this week.

Thank you it is great to be here.

For the readers out there who might not know about you or your work, can you please tell them a little about yourself.

Sure. Well I live in the midwest and technically I’ve been writing for twenty years. My first novel was published in 2007 it was a Science Fiction Romance entitled ‘Cold Warriors.’ Presently I have a new work released with Red Rose Publishing called ‘Speculative Sky.’

I read on your bio that your journey to get published was not easy, like all authors you faced rejection. What pushed you to continue the battle and push forward to continue to write?

I felt the drive within me that said that I had to get this done. Not only had it been a dream since I was a child (torturing various members of my family both immediate and extended, along with friends with all of my stories, musings and dreams) but as a young adult I was fascinated by the ability of authors to craft a tale that made you not want to put the book down no matter what. I wanted to do just that, plus I believe I was a born to be an author. I just think it’s a call on my life.

Can you tell us a little about your book Speculative Sky?

Sure. Speculative Sky is about a woman who ventures far away from home for the first time with the opportunity viewing the stars as an astronomer of an alien planet. Of course she is very excited about the opportunity because she truly hopes to be the first to make contact with someone from another world… like those in S.E.T.I.

However when she gets there (to this new Earth outpost) the other scientists their including the other astronomers actually discourage her from searching extra-terrestrial intelligence. Not because they don’t believe, because they don’t want her to look. However when the signal of a lifetime comes her way, in spite of her boss’ warnings she pursues her dream– but is she ready for what she finds out?

Read and find out.

Where do you see yourself as an author in the next five years?

Hopefully with more books published in both scifi romance and fantasy or historical fantasy romance. As well as adding a couple of more books to the Cold Warriors series.

What is the one thing readers might be surprised to know about you?

I started out writing Vampire novels.

Is there anything you are currently working on that you can give us a taste of?

Sure. I am presently working on the sequel to Cold Warriors. It is set five years after the first novel and Caitlin Keegan and her husband Medoro Keegan are leading a seemingly perfect life in Montana when…. well you just have to wait and see.

What are you currently reading?

Transformers: Veiled Threat and a Star Wars Clone Wars novel.

Some authors when they write they need total quiet. Do you write with music or a TV on? If you do, does it help the creativity flow?

Well I can work with music but only certain types of music. And only when I can get total quiet at home, which is usually at night.

What do you do when you have writers block?

Throw everything out and start again. And again. And again. And again. Start something new. Come back to the work and start again. Check on the new work, turn off the computer, take my dog out. Watch a little tv… see a pattern here?

What is the one thing that surprised you in this industry?

They say they are always looking for the next great book but often they won’t publish you unless you’ve already been published. How can you be published without being published? Thank God for e-publishers.

If you were not an author what would your dream job be?

An astronomer!

What is the biggest misconception you think people have about authors?

They are making big money coming right out of the gate with all of their novels.

Is there one specific genre you would like to be well known for?

Hmm… I just want people to love what I write and to read more of it. No matter what the genre. Just a dream of mine.

What is the one pet peeve you have when it comes to publishing?

I can’t say right now for various reasons.

What advice do you have for new writers out there?

Give e-publishers a try and if you can avoid it don’t go the route of vanity publishers.

Where can readers find out more about you and your work?

They can visit me on the web: The Haven www.claredargin.host22.com
Clare’s Blog- The Haven www.claredargin.bravejournal.com
The Embraced: Scribal Love http://theembraced.blogspot.com