Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Today's guest! Lisa Diane Kastner!

Please start by telling us a little about yourself, including things like education, jobs, spouse, children, pets, etc.
I grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA and spent the last few years fulfilling a dream to live in the Rittenhouse Square area, which is a hub for luxurious restaurants, hip shops, and lively entertainment with my feline partner in crime, Minka. This is the perfect place for a curious foodie and arts explorer to find new ways to get into trouble.
Recently, I married my true love and we moved to Los Angeles, California. We’ve enjoyed learning about the vastness that constitutes Los Angeles County and anticipate many more years of adventures before we truly grasp a smidge of all that LA has to offer.
I am teaching an intensive workshop on Author Branding at the Pennwriters Conference in Lancaster, PA in May as well as teaching seminars on editing and revision techniques.
Tell us about your latest book and what inspired you to write it.  
My latest book is entitled “Luscious” and is about a young woman, Lee, who is about to graduate with her MA in Comparative Literature and take off for a teaching gig in Hawaii when Xander, a man with sea green eyes, literally runs into her at a coffee shop and dubs her “luscious”.  Meanwhile her best friend, Bincy, returns home from college with quite a bit of news for her friends and family back. Both facing major life events, they lean on each other through addictions, love, and questions of sexual identity.
My latest nonfiction piece is an essay on author branding, which will be published in the Now What? The Creative Writer's Guide to Success After the MFA. This will be launched at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference on February, 28, 2014.
Do you belong to any critique groups and/or do you have other people read your work as you're writing it? Who's brutally honest and who's a cheerleader? Which do you prefer?
I have several trusted readers whom I beg to review pieces. I’ve met them through conferences, workshops, and various critique groups. I typically share the initial 20 pages or so to gain their thoughts on the concept and where they see the story going as well as if they identify any major flaws in the characterization and such. After that, I refocus on the overall story and dive into it. I share chapters along the way to find out if different writing techniques and storylines are working. 
I’ve been lucky in finding readers who are both honest and cheerleaders. The best reader is one that will tell you what you’re doing well and what’s not working for them. 
Which authors have been the greatest inspiration to your writing?
Everything I read acts as an inspiration in some capacity. The piece teaches me new ways to write, provides miraculous stories, or shows me how I may not want to write. Authors who have inspired me most recently include:
Toni Morrison
Jane Austen
CS Lewis
Paul Harding
Carolyn Turgeon
Erin Morgenstern
Do you outline before you write or just dive head-first into a manuscript? Do you maintain a schedule for writing, or is it more haphazard?
Typically an image, scene, or saying haunts me until I need to write it down. Then I free-write for twenty or so pages. By then I have a better understanding of the storyline so l develop a loose outline. As I continue writing, I change the outline as the story evolves.
Jamie Ford has a theory that most authors write the way they completed college assignments.  This definitely applies to me. In college I spent weeknights and days reading and studying. On weekends I knocked out papers, essays, and larger works that needed focused time.  This is how I write today.
Where do you do your best writing? (Ex: desk in your office, public library, under a tree in the park, in front of a Real Housewives TV marathon, etc.) Do you like music or some other background noise, or do you need quiet?
Anywhere I can find a laptop or writing implement and paper.  I’ve been known to curl up on a bathroom floor during early morning hours (so I wouldn’t disturb others) and pound out pages. I’ve even been spotted at a bar, coffee shop, or common area during a conference while writing to an impending deadline. 
One challenge I have is that if I’m having difficulty focusing then I cannot listen to music with lyrics otherwise I type the lyrics within the story resulting in a rather confusing and yet melodic piece.
What are the best and worst parts of writing a book?
Writing stories that engage readers is a gift. One that I cherish. I feel blessed that I can share my passions with others. 
When you're driving and you have a sudden, brilliant idea for the new manuscript you're working on, what do you do? (Ex: pull over and fire up the laptop, keep driving while scribbling on a McDonald's bag, tell Siri, etc.)
I usually let it go and see if it comes back again. Typically if the idea is THAT GOOD then it comes back over and over again until I write it down.
When you go to the zoo, which animals do you visit first?
I haven’t been to the zoo since my teens. This said, I’d prefer a mythological zoo that encompasses dragons, flying horses, unicorns, phoenixes, and the like.
What are the top 5 titles in your Netflix queue? (Be honest.) Or if you don't have a Netflix queue, which books are on your bedside table? (Again, be honest.)
Books I’m currently reading:
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orleans
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford
The Last Illusion by Porochista Khakpour
The Art of Falling by Kathryn Craft
Do you prefer to read ebooks or print?
I adore having the pages of a book in my hands. I love the feel of the pages as I anticipate the next words waiting for me on the subsequent page. This said, if a story is engaging then no matter if it is in print or ebook form, I will devour it.
What do you enjoy doing, apart from writing?
I’m a foodie so discovering new and eclectic places to dine is a treasure.  I love to travel and find any and every excuse I can to hop on a plane. My next journey involves Seattle, Washington. 
I am an arts nerd at heart so I love concerts, movies, plays, museums and the like. And of course, the key to these adventures is enjoying them with my soul mate.
Where is your favorite place in the world?
Paris, France. I never thought I would love Paris but after my initial visit I was hooked. My dream is to have homes in Paris, France, and Philadelphia, PA as well as our current residence.  Oh, and a seaside home would be lovely too. I also became enchanted with Barcelona, Spain for too many reasons to reasonably be listed here.
Do you have any advice for people who want to write a book?
Do it. Don’t ponder writing, don’t plan to write, don’t tell your friends about your dream of writing. Read authors you love and ones you don’t love. Then write, write, write.

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