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Q&A with autor of In Need of Therapy - Tracie Banister

10/11/2012

5 Comments

 
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1) What was the inspiration for your novel?
I owe credit  to my mother for suggesting  that I write a "funny book about a female  psychologist." It was a great idea  because I've always been fascinated by  psychology. I took Psych courses in  school and even toyed with the idea of
becoming a therapist myself, so writing  for someone in that profession came
easily and I enjoyed playing up the comedic  aspect of it. 

2) When did you take up writing?
I've always been a writer,  going all the way back to  childhood. It was just something that was second  nature to me, and I loved to  share my work with others. I wrote plays that my  class performed in elementary school and continued on with essays, multi-part  stories, and literary analyses all through my adolescence. I tried to write my  first novel in my early twenties, but got distracted by work, social life, etc.  Years later, I got back into writing through genre fan fiction (Yes, I'm  admitting it! I wrote fan fic for shows like Smallville,
Roswell, and Angel. It  was great fun and all the positive feedback I received compelled me to return to  novel-writing.)


3) How important is setting/place in your writing?
Infusing a book with local color can bring it to life,  which is why picking a setting for my novels is one of the first things I do  when I sit down to plan out a story. I considered a lot of different locations  for In Need of Therapy. Once I'd  decided on Miami, it seemed  completely natural for me to make my heroine a Latina (a nod to the large Cuban  community in South Florida.) And now that I had my  beachfront setting, I could populate the book with characters who were swimsuit  designers, lifeguards, tapas restaurant owners, and attorneys specializing in  estate law (There are a lot of rich, elderly
people in Miami!) Finding the perfect setting  brought the whole book together for me and now I can't imagine
it ever having  taken place anywhere else!  

4) Do you have a favourite character(s) in your current  novel?
 Although there are several supporting characters I had a  blast writing for in In Need of Therapy, I'd have to say that my heroine, Pilar, still stands out as my favorite.  Since the book was written from a first-person POV, I spent 7+ months in Pilar's  head. So, I know her inside and out - her hopes, her fears, her struggles. She's  an incredibly warm and likable person I'd want to be friends with if she were  real!

5) What's the best piece of writing advice you were ever  given?
Believe in yourself and don't ever give up. It's simple  advice, but nonetheless important because there is SO much rejection you have to  deal with as a writer.

6) Do you have a schedule for writing?
I don't chain myself to my desk for X amount of hours a  day, but I'm a creature of habit and I know when my brain is at its sharpest  (that would be morning.) So, I work for  several hours after breakfast, take a break to exercise and eat lunch, then get  back on the computer for a good chunk of the afternoon. I never write in the  evenings because my brain is mush after about 5:00 in the afternoon!

7) Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing  it?
I'm a little bit of both.  I would sooner walk into traffic than write an outline; I loathe the  things. However, I have been known to use dry erase boards and copious amounts  of neon-colored post-its to help me figure out the chronology of a book and how  different plots/characters intersect. I always know the beginning and ending of  my books and I write very
detailed character bios before I ever start work on a  book. Then, I set the characters down on the page and let them play. They're  very good at leading me where they need to go and I find that my stories unfold  in a much more organic
way when I use this method rather than plotting out every  little detail in advance. I always say that the best bits in my books are the  surprises, not the things I planned.   

8) Can you name three or four of your current favourite  books?
I recently read On  the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves and have been gushing about it ever  since. It was a really
gripping, emotional, satisfying read. Earlier this year,  I read Entwined by Heather Dixon,  which was a YA novel that re-envisioned The Twelve Dancing Princess fairy tale.  That book had it all - magic, romance, shocking revelations, moments of heroism,  tearful reunions. I thought it was wonderful! And lastly, I'm addicted to the Grave series by Darynda Jones, which I  started reading thanks to a recommendation from another author friend. Those  books are funny, sexy, and scary as heck! 
 
9) Can you tell me a little bit about what you are  working on now?
My next project is a still-untitled Chick Lit novel about  two sisters who are polar opposites and live in San Francisco. I can't say anything more without getting spoilery, but I can promise plenty of comedy, romance, cute guys, and even
cuter dogs.

10) What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to  assist them on their journey?
Focus on being the best writer  you can be and don't rush to publish the first thing you write. Take the time to  learn and grow as a writer. You will know when you've written the book that's  "the one," then you can educate yourself on the different publishing avenues and  decide what's best for you. It's the dawn of a new age for writers, and anything  is
possible!
   

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 In  Need of Therapy
Lending a sympathetic ear and dispensing sage words of advice is all part of the job for psychologist Pilar Alvarez, and she’s everything a good therapist should be:  warm, compassionate, supportive. She listens, she cares, and she has all the answers, but how’s the woman everyone turns to in their hour of need supposed to  cope when her own life starts to fall apart? 

While working hard to make a success of her  recently-opened practice in trendy South Beach, Pilar must also find time to  cater to the demands of her boisterous Cuban family, which includes younger sister Izzy, an unemployed, navel-pierced wild child who can't stay out of  trouble, and their mother, a beauty queen turned drama queen who’s equally  obsessed with her fading looks and getting Pilar married before it’s “too late.” Although she’d like to oblige her mother and make a permanent love connection,  Pilar’s romantic prospects look grim. Her cheating ex, who swears that he’s  reformed, is stalking her. A hunky, but strictly off-limits, patient with  bad-boy  appeal and intimacy issues is making passes. And the sexy shrink in the suite across the hall has a gold band on his left ring finger.

When a series of personal and professional disasters  lead Pilar into the arms of one of her unsuitable suitors, she's left shaken,  confused, and full of  self-doubt.  With time running out, she must make sense of  her feelings and learn to trust
herself again so that she can save her business,  her family, and most importantly, her  heart.

Where you can find  Tracie Banister:
Tracie's blog:http://traciebanister.blogspot.com/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/traciebanister
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/tracie.banister

Purchase In Need of Therapy:
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/In-Need-of-Therapy-ebook/dp/B008N6Z36Y
Amazon UK:http://www.amazon.co.uk/In-Need-of-Therapy-ebook/dp/B008N6Z36Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342893151&sr=1-1
Barnes & Noble:  
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-need-of-therapy-tracie-banister/1112265620?ean=2940015006889


  



 


5 Comments
Brea link
10/11/2012 10:29:35 am

Great interview and nice insight into Tracie's process. This book is definitely going on my wish list.

Reply
Monique
10/11/2012 11:55:04 am

I know it looks like a fab book! I love reading about how other writers develop characters and keep motivated!

Reply
Rachel Kall link
10/12/2012 11:24:52 pm

Great interview. In Need of Therapy is a must read!

Reply
Susan Buchanan link
10/13/2012 11:21:04 pm

Great interview. Tracie, I didn't realise you loathed outlines. Just shows you how we are all different. Great advice also and thanks for the book recommendations!! Sooz

Reply
free emule download link
9/8/2013 06:46:47 am

I created a weebly blog after seeing how simple it looked.

Reply



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    Monique McDonell-Author

    I am a writer of light-hearted contemporary women's fiction.

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