Please welcome Neil Plakcy to our blog!
CTBB: First tell us a little bit about you-the-author such as a title that came out in 2011, your publisher’s site and/or your own, and where you can be reached on the social networks that seem to be “where it’s at” these days.
NP: 2011 was a lucky/busy year for me. I published the sixth mystery in my Mahu series, Mahu Blood, with MLR; the third in my Have Body, Will Guard series of M/M romantic suspense novels, Teach Me Tonight, with Loose Id, and the second in my golden retriever mystery series, The Kingdom of Dog, with Amazon.com. I’m on Facebook and Twitter under my own name, though I don’t keep up with those sites as well as I should!
CTBB: Do you favor resolutions, goals or just say phooey on it all??
NP: I tend to make resolutions and then not keep them. I know, most people do that, don’t they? I always seem to want the same things””to lose weight, to waste less time playing online games, and to devote more time to writing.
CCBB: What’s your rationale for this choice?
NP: When I was a college student taking creative writing courses, I used to force myself to do all my other homework first, then write””because that was like a reward for me. I had a revelation when I realized that the writing was most important, so I needed to put my best effort into that. Unfortunately it took 25 years after college graduation before my first book was published! But since then, I try and put my writing first, though it’s always a struggle to ignore all the other pressing demands.
CCBB: Will you share with us something that your choice helped you accomplish, one that went down in flames, or the top one on your list this year?
NP: By writing every day before work, I managed to complete a lot of first drafts and a lot of revisions. The thing I can’t seem to manage is spending enough time on promotion to ensure that all my hard work writing actually reaches readers. So tops on my list for 2012 is to believe in my own work enough to spend the time I need getting it out there.
CCBB: What’s the weather like where you are today? If you could wrinkle your nose or wave a magic wand would you still be there or somewhere else in this amazing world?
NP: I am incredibly lucky to live in South Florida, where the weather is often terrific””especially during the winter, when we have no fear of snow. Every now and then I look up at the gorgeous sky, the sparkling ocean and the lush landscaping and remind myself how fortunate I am.
CCBB: Are you a chronic packrat, a travel-light-in-life devotee or in between?
NP: I’m a packrat. Inherited that trait from both my parents. My townhouse is a jumble of books, stuffed animals, heirloom china and every other kind of knicknack.
CCBB: Thanks for taking part in our fun chat today and may the force be with you, your pen, keyboard and/or personal New Year’s plan!
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