Talkshow Thursday: Meet Editor/Writer Tisha Martin
I'm sitting down today with writer and editor Tisha Martin. Grab your favorite beverage and join us!
LM: I read your
delightful short story Puddle of Remorse.
Where did you get your inspiration for the story?
Tisha: First off,
it’s great to be here, Linda! Thanks for letting me join the blog today! So
glad you read Puddle of Remorse
because I enjoyed writing it. Great question! In college, I was sharing a meal
with friends, and one of my friends told of her adopted deaf sister who got
into heaps of trouble. I don’t remember what the little girl got in trouble
for, but it inspired me to write the story. Plus, the Deaf culture is close to
my heart because I have a deaf twin sister. (Even though she didn’t act like
Bevy in my story, she was cantankerous. She chased me and my siblings with a
garden snake one summer. . .)
Linda: Ha! Siblings can be a challenge! You are both author and editor. How difficult
is it to turn off your internal editor when you are writing?
Tisha: Haha, great
question! Want to know the startling truth? I can’t. That’s why I do both!
However, when I’m writing a scene and I know there’s issues to fix, I make a
Comment in the page margin and I keep writing. It also helps that I think a lot
about my topic before I write, so that I’m able to write more when I actually
do sit down and write.
LM: What writers
influence you the most?
Tisha: Ha! That’s a
dangerous question . . . because you may get a huge list. If I had to choose,
I’d have to say Sarah Sundin, Judith Pella, Cindy McCormick Martinusen, and
Vian Smith, to name a small few. But really, following agent blogs, reading my
authors’ manuscripts, and learning about editing have helped my writing
tremendously. I love learning from others!
LM: Here are some
quickies:
Favorite Color: Every shade of
green (except grass and forest greens)
Favorite Place to vacation: Um…wow,
I don’t know! I’d love to vacation on Mackinac Island, Prince Edward Island, or
travel to all the national museums in the US.
Favorite Food: Mashed potatoes
LM: What are your
passions outside of writing?
Tisha: I love to
garden, sew, read, ride horses, and guest blogging. And edit (oh wait, that’s
my day job! Seriously, though, it’s an equal passion!).
LM: What advice
can you give to not-yet-published writers?
Tisha: I’m so happy
you asked! Love encouraging not-yet-published writers! If I could share two
pieces of advice: 1. Develop a teachable spirit because we don’t know
everything, and agents, editors, and publishers are there not to condemn us or
our writing but to help us and encourage us to be the best author we can be and
to write the best book that God has given us. 2. Start building your platform
now. It’s crucial to our writing career. Platform is a fancy way of saying
“relationships.” Think of it as a conversation with someone in the grocery
store or the library, only it’s on social media. People like to talk about food
and books. 😉 (By the way, I offer
beginning social media coaching for authors with little to no platform, and I
would love to talk with you should you have any questions or concerns at all!)
LM: It appears on
your website that you are working on three different books? How do you decide
which project to work on, is one closer to completion than the others?
Tisha: I’m laughing.
It’s a juggling act. My WWII book is in edits and some rewrite, but the rest
are in serious outline form, maybe a chapter or two completed. I’m a slow
writer because I like to mull over my ideas long before I write them, but on my
website, I wanted to show readers what ideas I have in the queue. Most writers
are always churning ideas and planning outlines and doing prewriting so that
when they finish writing one book, it’s easy to slip right into another. At
least that’s my plan.
Linda: Where can
folks connect with you?
Tisha: Ooh! I’d love
to connect with you and keep the conversation going! My main hub is my website,
but please connect on social media, too, so we can help grow each other’s
platform numbers and encourage each other!
Website: www.tishamartin.com
Thanks for hosting
me, Linda!
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