The Writing Life of: R P Channing
R P Channing
This week on ‘The Writing Life of:‘ I am thrilled to be interviewing author R P Channing, who will be sharing with us detail of her writing life, telling us all about her latest book ‘Thirst: Blood of my Blood‘, which was released on 26th November 2015, and answering a few fun questions too. Post contains affiliate links.
R P Channing started writing three years ago, but never published anything even after churning out over a million words of fiction. Thirst: Blood of my Blood is the first book he dared to publish. When asked why, he said, “Because it’s the first thing I wrote that my wife actually enjoyed reading.”
When not hammering away (most literally) at his keyboard, he can be found buried in a book, reading anything from romance to horror to young adult to non-fiction to comedy. If it has words in it, I’ll take it.
1) Do you remember the moment you decided that you would like to become a writer?
I remember the moment I started writing, but not when I wanted to tell stories. I do recall that one of my uncles once made us do a skit of our own choosing “for the adults” and as a reward we’d get some chocolate or candy. I must have been five or six years old. I fell in love with storytelling.
2) How did you go about following your dream?
Well, I wrote a bunch of terrible stories, and then I wrote some more terrible stories, and then I got a little better and the stories were not so terrible anymore. Finally, someone actually liked what I wrote, which is when I decided to publish.
3) Is there a particular author that inspires you?
I’m a big Stephen King fan. I don’t always like the stories he tells (I prefer happy endings) but his writing style engrosses me completely.
4) What is your average writing day like? Do you have any strange writing habits?
I tell myself I’m going to write and then I do it, even if I’m “not in the mood” that day.
I try and take a professional attitude to it and not get side-tracked at all. I’m not aware of any particular writing habits, unless the constant cup of coffee could be called one.
5) Do you write Longhand, Type writer, Computer?
Computer
6) From all your books, do you have a favourite character?
I loved Brenda in Thirst. She’s eccentric and caring and friendly. Quon was also interesting. I always tend to add a “geek” character in my stories.
7) Do you plot your books completely before hand or do you let your imagination flow whilst in the writing process?
I do a bit of both. It really depends on the story. I don’t have any particular control over it. Sometimes the plot comes to me beforehand, sometimes I have to work harder at it.
Concerning your latest book:
Author – R P Channing
Pages – 243
Release Date – 26th November 2015
Format – ebook
After a near fatal accident (and getting cheated on by her ‘boyfriend’), and beating up the lead cheerleader (with whom the boyfriend cheated…), and being labeled as having ‘issues’ in her school because she, uhm, sees ghosts, Kira is left with two choices:
1. Continue her ‘therapy’ (where she’s told the ghost is a hallucination and also gets her legs ogled too often…)
Or
2. Go to Starkfield Academy, a boarding school for “Crazies and Convicts” (as the social media sites call them.)
She chooses the latter…
Cory Rand has not had an easy life. His mother died in a car accident when he was twelve, and so did his mother’s best friend…sort of. You see, Janice made a promise to take care of Cory just before she died, and so she lingers. Undead. A ghost that watches out for him.
Brought up in an abusive home, Cory quickly falls into a life of disreputable behavior. After his third offense (which was prompted by a girl, as usual – he has a weakness) he’s left with two choices:
1. Be tried as an adult and share a cell with a guy named Bubba (he thinks…)
Or
2. Go to Starkfield Academy, which Cory is pretty sure is run by vampires. But, hey, at least he’ll get an education.
He chooses the latter…
It’s at Starkfield that Kira meets Cory Rand, a boy with an insatiable Rage who sees ghosts, too. As well as other things, other things from his past, things that confuse him, things like fire and witches and demons.
Things he’s always ignored. Until now.
8) How long did it take to get from the ideas stage, to the date of publication?
I think this book was in the making “in my head” for over two years. But the actual production of it was quite fast.
9) Did you suffer from writer’s block at any stage? How did you overcome it?
I don’t believe there is such a thing as “Writer’s Block.” If I can’t write, I make myself write and push through. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s not.
But I set myself a target and I make it. Nothing handles writer’s “block” like writing itself.
10) How did you come up with the name(s)for your lead character(s)?
I test a few names out in my head and see if I like the ring of them.
11) If your book was made in to a film, who would you love to play the lead character(s)?
Haha, you assume I know much about film and actors. I don’t. LOL.
12) Did you get anyone in particular to read your work before sending it to the publisher i.e family member, friend etc?
Yes, my wife is First Reader. Her input was invaluable. She must be the biggest YA fan in the universe.
