In this article we have an exclusive interview with Horror Author Theresa Braun, Author of Dead over Heels. Let’s get this interview started.
Jonuel: What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
Theresa: A couple of years ago I went to Transylvania for a writers’ conference. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I was able to network with other writers while fulfilling a dream of mine to get up close and personal with vampire lore. Going to Bran Castle which inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula and retracing Vlad the Impaler’s steps was a thrill. One of my stories “Dying for an Invitation” was inspired by that trip.
Jonuel: Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Theresa: My stories are extremely varied. I go by what idea comes to me, and I follow it down the rabbit hole until I’m done. Depending on the story, I will go with my instinct regarding point of view. That includes whether the protagonist will be male or female and what age that person should be. Sometimes I’ll write from different vantage points to see what works best. One thing that I have noticed is that my characters tend to share certain characteristics. For example, there is usually a tragedy in his or her past, something that affects an emotional state or motivation. That’s one of the things that I like to do—look for something that drives a character or gives him or her depth.
Jonuel: What’s the most difficult thing about Writing characters from the opposite sex?
Theresa: I’d like to think I’m getting better at writing from the male perspective. Early on, my editors have thought a protagonist or two sounded gay. There’s nothing wrong with that if you are writing about a gay character; however, when you are trying to pull off a heterosexual man, it ends up being a major fail. Since I’ve written a few stories now with that in mind and have had male friends read them through, I feel like there are only a few moments here and there where I occasionally need to tweak a thought or line of dialogue. It still gets me out of my comfort zone, but I enjoy it. It’s also fun learning more and more from the writing process.
Jonuel: How do you select the names of your characters?
Theresa: A lot of times I use names I like. Frequently, I’ll use an online naming dictionary to search the meanings. That is pretty important to me. Readers might not analyze the names I choose, but I like to put some thought into it. Other times I’ll use names of people in my life. It doesn’t always mean that the character is like that person at all, but I like the name. In the end, there is some kind of significance to what I’m doing.
Jonuel: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Theresa: Most of the time I’m doing research as needed while I’m writing a story. I’ll open the Google page on my laptop and search up something on the spot. It makes me laugh sometimes to think about someone looking at the history on my computer. Just the other day I was looking up chloroform and other “knock out” drugs for a scene that I’m working on. Obviously I’m not planning on using it in real life, but it could appear rather incriminating to someone who doesn’t know that. What’s really scary is that I found out you can order some of this stuff on Amazon. And there are YouTube videos on how to concoct these substances. Pretty horrific just to know that—so beware, people. Beware. Real life is often frightening, providing me with lots of material when writing horror.
You can find out more about Theresa Braun here;
Author Official webpage;theresabraun.com
Follow on Social Media: Twitter:@tbraun_authorFacebook:www.facebook.com/groomanddoom
Buy authors bookHere
HARVEST HAS ENDED. THE BATTLE FOR POWER HAS BEGUN.
THE HUNTERS ARE NOW THE HUNTED.
