MY INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR TRACY A. BALL
What’s your name and what genre would you consider your books to be?
Hi, My name is Tracy A. Ball. My writing encompasses a lot of genres, Fantasy, History, Suspense, etc. The easy answer is Romance, as I favor strong love stories. But since love happens everywhere, I bounce around within all the sub-genres.
Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?
My most recent is a novella, Dragonfly Dreams. It is a fairytale of elvish mayhem. I wrote it purely for fun.
My latest novel is entitled, Civil Warriors. It is an interracial romance that takes place during the Civil War. The story is based on a local legend and a family diary. The ebook releases on June 19th, known as Juneteenth-the day slavery ended.
How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc.)?
My specialty is love, where, when, and why it happens. More often than not, I cross races or species in the case of fantasy or sci-fi. I’m a sucker for a great adventure with a larger than life love story.
What kind of research did you do for this book?
The research for Civil Warriors was crazy in-depth. For any historic novel, you have to be correct—to the best of your ability— with your details, otherwise you lose credibility. Because I was telling a provable but not often heard truth I had to have a mile of source material.
What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?
I write in the morning— the earlier the better. And then, every chance I get though out the day. I don’t set daily goals, I’m as happy with ten words as I am with two-thousand. The pace doesn’t matter, as long as I’m moving.
Do you have a new book in the making and if so, what’s the name of your upcoming book?
Lol. I have lots of books in the making. I contributed to five anthologies this year. Four remain on the release schedule. I just released an anthology, a novella and a novel (June 19th). Next up is a novel entitled, The Other Shore. It is a Castaway meets Hope Floats second chance romance. Following that is a fantasy entitled Honor’s choice. This one will be a three part series.
How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?
Names are very important. I usually let my characters name themselves, or rather, each other.
Some of my character names are for specific reasons. In KAYOS— Romantic Suspense— Lareina is the main character. Lareina means queen and she is the head of a dangerous clan. Baladassare, is my pirate. His name is a key element in his story—Death’s Desire. It means Ba’al protect the king. It also means Husband, Lord. Master. God. The MC’s in Civil Warriors are John Richard and Gerogia Anne. They were named for the people who’s story I am telling.
Haha. That was a long winded way of saying, yes, names matter.
Where do your ideas come from?
Mostly personal situations and everyday life. Sometimes dreams. When I get an idea, I try very hard to forget it. If it stays with me, I write out the scene. If, at that point, I want to know what happens next, or what got them to that point, I have a story.
Is there a genre that you’ve been wanting to experiment with?
I have a mystery brewing, but I’m not there yet. One day…
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Letting a story go. I can tweak forever.
What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?
So far I have five trailers.
You can see them here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtsv3hny9Tc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO8HZkHqdzs&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDirv7zeyhU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seGCYE2LTkU
What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
I have had the privilege of creating readers. On more than one occasion, people have shared with me their stories of having no interest in books until mine. It is a humbling experience.
What’s the best thing about being an author?
- Thanks to research, you become a jack of all trades.
- All the worlds you get to build and visit.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Siting on m deck, watching my grandson, and banging out a story. Not much different from today.
Have you always liked to write?
I’ve been a story teller since I was three.
What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?
- Write a story that is so good, they don’t notice the mistakes.
- Don’t get caught up in perfectionism. You won’t get anything done trying to do everything just right.
If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?
I would have been a lawyer or paralegal. I am very drawn to courtrooms and research.
Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?
I read every review. Good or bad I’m appreciative of the feedback. Negative reviews don’t bother me. Often they can be helpful. What annoys one person may be exactly what the next is looking for.
What is your least favourite part of the writing / publishing process?
Marketing. I absolutely hate marketing. I think most writers do. Some are gifted/motivated go-getters, but writing takes all my energy and I don’t give marketing the respect it deserves.
Can you give us a few tasty morsels from your work-in-progress?
The Other Shore
Nolan took the steps slow and steady. She was in his bedroom, in his bed. Waiting. His heart thundered and he struggled to take a breath. He was at the top of the stairwell when she surprised him by coming out of her room. His eyes filmed over. She was so damned beautiful. He wanted to take her. He wanted to have her right there in the hall and then he wanted to grab her and run.
“Nolan?” The intensity of his gaze melted her. Angela had never felt the kind of heat that was coming off of him. She sucked in her breath, heady with want of him.
“Mitch is alive. It’s on the news. They’ve been rescued.”
Angela’s legs shot out from beneath her. She landed on her bottom as if she had been struck by a forceful blow. She had been struck by a forceful blow. She stared at Nolan with wide horrified eyes. Mitchell was alive.
Nolan was there in a flash, helping her to her feet. Her entire body trembled, but he barely noticed as he was shaking too. He kissed her temple. “Get dressed. I’ll make us some coffee.”
Why did you choose to write in your genre? If you write in more than one, how do you balance them?
I was a romance reader for years. Larger that life love stories happen in every genre. This give me the flexibility to write what I like and explore different worlds.
Where did your love of books come from?
I didn’t grow up around book lovers so I guess I was born that way.
Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?
Roots by Alex Haley
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Harry Potter by J.K. Rawling
Royal Seduction by Jennifer Blake
Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?
That’s a hard question. I write my characters until I love them. That said, I do arrogant bad boys pretty well. I have two that tend to stick out in my mind. One is Baldassare, he’s a pirate who is the offspring of a Demi-god. He enjoys killing and causing trouble. The other is Silas, a soldier elite. He thinks he’s God and he also enjoys killing and causing trouble. Lol, I have a soft spot for trouble makers.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
In general, writing energizes me. It’s the rest of life that is exhausting. lol.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
No idea. I avoid things that give me issues.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
My writing has always been categorized as original. My stories make sense, but you wouldn’t necessarily expect the path they take.
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I write for several publishing houses which gives me a wide circle of writer-friends. Writing is a lonely place, but we understand each other, answer questions, share insights, promote each other and generally lift each other up.
I help almost everyone and they help me back.
If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
Through the Pride Lands. Imagine a cover of a girl walking down a city block, her shadow is a lioness walking though the wilderness. Lol. I’m working on a memoir.
What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
What is the most over the top, insane scene I’ve written?
Which, of course, I can’t answer. I try to add something realistic but insane to every story. lol.
Where can your fans find you and follow??
https://www.facebook.com/Tra3Ball/
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tracy-a-ball
Thank you for taking your time to do this interview ❤️
My Books-My World 