Giveaway and Author Interview: My Mother the Man Eater

               My guest today is author Tracy Krauss with her book My Mother the Man Eater.

                     Welcome to Writing for Christ, it is great to have you here! Do you have an interesting fact about yourself the average reader probably doesn’t know?

Let’s see … I’ve moved over thirty times in my life. My father was an adventurer – always buying and selling a new business or a different house, so I got to be an expert packer and mover. Good thing. My husband turned out to be an ‘adventurer’, too. But instead of moving across town, we moved all over the country – many of them in the far north. (I’m talking north of 60 degrees here, not some namby-pamby notion of north!) I’ve lived in the ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World’ (Churchill, MB), the Yukon and NWT (next door to Alaska) and experienced first hand 24 hour daylight in the summer and total darkness in the winter. I decided to homeschool early on after my eldest daughter was in her fifth school by the time she entered Grade Two. It has been lots of un, however, and has given me loads of ideas for writing.

What surprised you the most about being a published author?

I am most surprised by all the WORK involved afterwards in terms of marketing and publicity. I was so naïve. I thought once I signed a publishing contract, I could quit my job and let the experts do it all. Boy was I wrong!

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

I enjoy reading all kinds of books – classics, historical, mystery- (even some romance J ) but I really like something with a fantasy/sci-fi element. I’m a big Dekker and Peretti fan and I’ve also discovered Sigmund Brower’s adult novels to be right up my alley. My own writing tends to be more romantic suspense. I do love a good twist!

When you aren’t writing or interacting with fans, what do you enjoy doing?

I am also a visual artist. This has been my passion since childhood and I have a degree in Art Education. I mostly work in acrylics at the moment but I am also trained in Intaglio printmaking, which I still really enjoy. My other passion is the theater. I direct an amateur theater group for youth and we usually put on two full length productions every year. My de-stressing activity is playing the piano and singing. I lead worship at my church and I teach Art, Drama and English full time, so my days are pretty full.

Do you have a nugget of writing advice that has completely changed how you view writing?

I’ve been writing for about twenty five years, so I have had a lot of ‘‘aha!’ moments during that time. The most recent change for me in terms of my writing is to just relax. Let the words flow without worrying about every faux paus along the way. Editing and revision are a necessity, but don’t let it get in the way of the creative process. The other big change for me recently is to write creatively every day (if possible). I used to do most of my writing during large chunks of time – vacations or long weekends. It was such a span between ‘writes’ that it took hours to reacquaint myself with the characters etc. and I always ended up doing multiple revisions before getting back to the story. Writing daily is much more productive. I learned both of these things during this year’s NaNoWriMo event. It was the first time I’ve participated and I found it to be inspiring, productive and so rewarding that it actually has changed the way I approach a story idea.

What do you enjoy most about being a published author?

I’m not going to lie. There is a certain gratification in seeing one’s hard work in print. I’ve also enjoyed meeting and connecting with so many like-minded people who are pursuing the same dream.

What do you like readers to take away from your books?

Redemption is the bottom line – Christ is the answer no matter who you are, what you’ve done, or where you’re going. Obviously, I also want my readers to enjoy the story. I try to include enough plot twists and surprises that my writing isn’t predictable and hopefully it will cause some reflection afterwards. Stories that make me think – that I can’t get out of my head after I’ve read them – are the kinds of stories that I enjoy, and I want this to be the experience for my readers as well.

 Places for readers to learn more about you?

My primary blog is http://www.tracykraussexpressionexpress.blogspot.com/

I also have another blog at www.krauss.aegauthorblogs.com

Thank you for being with us today!

Please leave an email address. If I draw your name and there is no email, you will not win!

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And a NEW one:
~Follow Tracy's blog here

Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.

Thanks for coming by to enter! Contest ends on February 10th.

**NEWS FLASH**

Check out Tracy's book launch!

MY MOTHER THE MAN-EATER official book launch - February 24. Check the links for more details:

Website:  www.tracykrauss.com

Blog: www.tracykraussexpressionexpress.com

Amazon:  www.kraussamazon.com

***CONTEST NOW CLOSED***