Author L. Bachman

March 26, 2016

CTC – Welcome! Today I am pleased to present an interview with L. Bachman, author of Painted Mayham, Maxwell Demon, and Human Ouija.

                    

So, let’s get to it! What do you think makes a good story?

LB – Depth. Whether it’s a character’s depth, emotional depth, or a world’s depth. One of the best and biggest responses so far that I’ve gotten from readers and reviewers is the depth in emotion within the stories I’ve written. I take this as a high compliment because that is after all how I can connect to a reader, through the emotions. For me, depth is what makes a good story. I like pulling a reader in, wrapping them in a blanket, and taking them on a journey.

CTC – What does your family think of your writing?

LB – Overall, they are supportive. I’m surprised by this to say the least. I’ve had them buy my books, give me their reviews of the things I do, and I appreciate that they don’t just ask for free things, but support in a way that helps support the indie community, a way that’s supportive of the creative arts.

CTC – Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

LB – I usually start with asking myself a question, like what if or I wonder, from there I give myself some time to think it out further. If I don’t understand something fully or get curious about a possibility I will do some research to flush out my knowledge and ideas better, this usually helps me understand what I’m doing better. I also try and approach as a reader, since I am one, and while I work I ask myself, ‘Does this make sense?’ If it doesn’t, I will push myself to understand more or work it out until it makes sense to at least me.

CTC – When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

LB – I was reading one of my favorite books and realized that I could probably do ‘it’ too. I didn’t know if I was very good, but I wanted to at least try.

CTC – How long does it take you to write a book?

LB – It really boils down to things happening that may cause delays. Every story/book is different. With Human Ouija, the recent short I released, I came up with the idea for it in 2015, but every time I attempted to write I would run into an invisible wall in my progress and would stop. I decided to put it on my infamous back burner for projects and in January 2016, it was like lightning struck me and I finished it within a week then flushed it out, got it edited. With The Blasphemer Series: Maxwell Demon, I wrote it in a month and before I could release it I became ill and its original spring release date was postponed. At one point, I wasn’t sure if I’d even get it out because of how things had begun to fall, but in August 2015, I got it released. I wrote it’s follow-up Harvest within a month and half, but it’s still in the marathon run that is indie publishing process, it’s being edited and I gave it a rough estimation of what I hope to get it released, August 2015. The short that will appear in Painted Mayhem in March 2016, I wrote it within a couple weeks, the one I have in And the World Will Burn anthology took a few weeks as well, but short stories work out faster if I let the story come to me instead of trying to force a story out.

So, for a clearer answer, it varies.

CTC – What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

LB – Busy. I work best under pressure, which may sound odd, but it works for me. Too much free time or leeway and I’ll become lazy on a project, unless lightening hits me. When I start writing, I will write for hours and hours with minimal breaks. Breaks can be anything from a few minutes to up to two hours before I’ll close a document out for the day. Often times, when I’m writing I cannot stop and work on another writing project. I’ll become too muddled or my writings will start crossing over language or phrasing-wise, and that is not good for what I’m doing so it’s best for me to focus on one thing at a time.

CTC – What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

LB – I like reading, sometimes I get stressed out and play games, but mostly spend time with my family and friends to break all that up.

CTC – What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

LB – As an Indie, it was the entire business side of things that we have to deal with, but beyond that was not to be so hard on myself. I’ve never hidden how I’ve gotten close to finishing a project, within a chapter even, and just throw half of it away and start fresh. I’ve learned that this makes many cringe, but that is me, that is me being too hard on myself, but the end result is something I’m happy with and readers seem to like as well.

CTC – How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

LB – I’ve written several things, but published to date two, a short story and the first book of my series The Blasphemer Series. I don’t really have a favorite book/story I’ve written, but I do have favorite characters. I absolutely love GoodWitch Sophia, she is in Maxwell Demon and will re-appear in Harvest, the second book in the series. I’ve also fallen hard for my Dire Werewolf, who appears in Harvest, named Ghost. I also really like Billy, but I cannot say much about him because he’s part of a top-secret project I’m doing with Kindra Sowder of Burning Willow Press.

CTC – Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?

LB – Write what you love and the readers will find you, I’ve heard a few authors say this, but it was my favorite author Anne Rice that said something similar that really struck me. I felt a weight lift off me hearing her wisdom, I knew then that if I loved something enough a reader would see it, appreciate it, and my quality of the work will shine through.

CTC – You can find L. Bachman’s books here:
http://smile.amazon.com/L.-Bachman/e/B00MMCPCZW/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

And, you can follow her here:

http://lbachman.wix.com/lbachman

https://www.facebook.com/writerbachman/?fref=ts

 

     Human Ouija is part of a branch out project of The Blasphemer Series. It’s a collection of stories giving voice to characters mentioned in The Blasphemer Series.