Thursday 30 September 2010

Interview: Edie Ramer, and Cattitude Contest (open to all)

Today I have Edie Ramer, over, the author of Cattitude.

At the end of the interview there is a contest for the book. And it's open to everyone one the planet.

And as always don't be shy to ask Edie questions.

Hi Edie, and welcome to my blog :)

Since I only know you recently from Lori Brighton’s blog, could you tell me something about yourself?

I live in southeastern Wisconsin with my husband, two dogs, and one important cat, where I write paranormal romance and women's fiction.  My short stories have been published in national print magazines.  I'm also published in non-fiction articles and greeting card verses. Because of the latter, I possess a drawer filled with cards for any occasion.

I’m also a huge reader, but you probably guessed that. I volunteer too much and need to say no more often.  I’m the co-founder of an inspirational site for writers, WriteAttitude.net, and of a group blog, Magical Musings (magicalmusing.com).  We recently added bloggers and changed our focus from writers to readers.  We often have giveaways.


Your newest book is called Cattitude; can you tell me what it is about?

It’s all in the Cattitude . . .

After Belle the cat switches bodies with a psychic on the run from a murderer, she wants her perfect cat body back instead of this furless human one. But she doesn’t count on falling in love with her former owner. Or that a CEO and a beauty queen want to use up her nine lives. Now is her chance to prove anything a human can do, a cat can do better.

If you could change body with an animal, which one would you choose? 
A bird.  I’d love to fly.

How come you chose the road of self-publishing? 
My dream was always to sell my books in print.  I seemed to be on the right road.  My short stories were published in numerous print magazines in the 90s.  I’ve won RWA (Romance Writers of America) contests with my books.  I was an American Title V finalist, and I’ve come close to selling many times.  But my books don’t fit well into slots, and when I try to write for the market, it doesn’t work. 

My option is to make my own slots.  A friend, Zoe Winters, is doing better with her digital novellas than some NY published friends do with their print books.  When J.A. Konrath blogged about Karen McQuestion (who wasn’t published before she put her e-books on Amazon) outselling him on Amazon, I knew it was time for me to put my books on Amazon and other digital markets.

Since I’ve published, I’ve felt empowered.  It’s an exciting time for me and for many writers.


You have an upcoming book called Dead People, could you tell about that? 
When Cassie Taylor talks, ghosts listen. She wants to heal their souls so they can leave earth. Brooding songwriter Luke Rivers wants to give his recently found daughter a normal home, but he discovers his new house in small town Wisconsin is haunted by a ghost with an attitude. His ghost whisperer has an attitude too — even before someone tries to kill her. So why does he have the hots for her? And why does she lust after him?

He wants conventional; she wants acceptance. No wonder she thinks men are hard and dead people are easy.

Thanks for asking! Dead People should be online in a few weeks.

I am sensing a cat theme when I looked at your blog. Aren’t cats just the best? ;) 
Yes!  It’s because I love my cat so much that I wrote a book about a cat who changes bodies with a woman. She’s the queen of the house, yet she’s a cuddler and a sweetheart.  When she wants to be sweet, of course.  Belle the cat in Cattitude has a lot of the character of the cat in my house.

I already mentioned my two dogs.  I plan on putting the 17-year-old beagle we inherited early this year in a future book.  She has arthritis, she’s flatulent, and she snores.  Yet she has the best personality, and she takes joy in life and any attention we give her.  Her character will be the loveable comic relief.


What kinds of books do you read? Any fav authors? 
I read across the genres and non-fiction, too.   Karin Tabke, aka Karin Harlow, Cynthia Eden, Lori Brighton, P.J. Alderman, Liz Kreger, Zoe Winters and Loretta Chase are some of my favorite writers.  And a new author: Michelle Diener.  She’s my critique partner.  Her debut book, Illuminations, a historical, will be out late spring 2011, published by Gallery (a Pocket Books imprint).  It’s brilliant, and so is she!  She’s going to be huge.   


Any advice for aspiring writers?
Trust your voice.  Put your energy in your writing; it shines through.  You’ll make mistakes, and that’s why it’s important to find a great critique partner.  Look for one who’s on the same level as you or higher.  You want to grow as a writer.  Write, write, write, and then write some more.

It’s not an easy road, but if it’s your passion and you believe in yourself and you aren’t a quitter, you can make it.  Everyone says it’s the worst time for publishing, but it can be the best time for authors.  We have more opportunities than ever before.


(B: Since I like to mix it up, here are some shorter ones).

Fav ice-cream flavor?
Mint chocolate chip.

(Blodeuedd: I love that, even had it yesterday ;)

Fav tv-show? 
Memphis Beat.  I love the main cop character Dwight.  He wants to fix everyone, even his mother, his lieutenant, his ex-wife.  Every episode ends at a blues club with him singing with the band.  It makes me want to swoon.

Name 3 things you would take to a desert island.  
Hugh Jackman.  A knife for cutting fish and slicing open coconuts.  KY jelly. 

Are there aliens out there? 
Absolutely.  To think we’re the only intelligent beings in this world is the height of arrogance.  And maybe our dogs and cats are aliens sent to see how we treat them.  That’s a scary thought, isn’t it? 

(B: Looks around, you mean my beloved cutie is an alien, scary, I must look him in the eye and ask him)

Thanks!

Thank you for inviting me to be your guest.  The questions were fun, and I love being here.

(B: And I enjoyed reading your answers.)

Like I said, if there is anything you want to ask Edie then go ahead :)


GIVEAWAY:

2 winners, 2 e-copies of Cattitude 

1. Open to all, hey, even aliens.
2. Ends October 7th
3. Please leave an email if it's not in your profile, if you do not want to leave it then email it to me.

4. Not a must, but it's always more fun if you write something about the book, author, interview or ask a question.

THE CONTEST PART IS NOW CLOSED


57 comments:

  1. It is interesting to read that many new authors are achieving more by self publishing than well known authors. Something to consider for the future.

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  2. Fun interview. I don't really get the whole cat thing. I'm a dog lover.

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  3. Vivienne, it's great that writers have this opportunity now. It's not the first time. Mark Twain self-published much of his own work. So did Edgar Rice Burroughs with his Tarzan series, after he couldn't sell them to publishers or magazines. It's just been since the last half of the 20th century that self-publishing was looked down upon. I'm happy that's changed.

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  4. I have to agree with Cleverly, I like doggies a little better!!! lol

    sarahcoulsey03 at gmail dot com

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  5. Ahhhhhh I love the sound of Cattitude! I've seen this around, and I'm a little cat freak (though I have both cats and dogs), so this totally appeals to me. I definitely think the idea of self-publishing is enticing, too, by the way. I've been considering it for a while now - colour me trigger-shy.

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  6. Cleverly Inked, I was a dog lover first. We adopted our cat because I worked out of the home at the time and I didn't want to leave our dog alone too long.

    It turned out they mostly ignored each other, but I wasn't sorry because the cat is such a sweetheart. It would've been impossible to not love her.

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  7. Thanks for coming by Vivienne :)

    Inked,
    A doglover! The horror, lol, just kidding, I would not mind a cute dog, like Lassie

    Hi sarah :)

    Melissa
    I didn't know you wrote. That's nice, do consider it some more and perhaps I will see your name soon somewhere.

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  8. Thanks for stopping by today Edie :=)
    I sure didn't know that about the Tarzan books, and it's so sad that it's looked down upon today

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  9. Cats ARE the best. What a fun interview and the book looks fun, too.

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  10. I'm not entering, but I'll definitely mention it tomorrow!

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  11. Cats. Ahhhchoooo. :) Fun interview!

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  12. Great interview! The story seems quirky, but in a good way. I'm a cat lover, so it seems cool. And, the author's fave ice-cream flavour corresponds to mine, yay!:)

    I'm entering and my e-mail's on my profile, under the "Contact" button.,)

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  13. Sarah, dogs are great, too. Mine love their walks, and I feel guilty when I miss a day.

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  14. Melissa, a lot of writers are doing it. For me, it's been win-win. I'm loving this whole experience.

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  15. Blodeuedd, thanks for interviewing me! I didn't know that about Tarzan either. Dean Wesley Smith wrote a great post about self-publishing:
    http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=2013

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  16. Marie, I had more fun writing Cattitude than any other book. Of all the characters I've written, Belle is my favorite.

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  17. Chris, thanks for mentioning it!

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  18. Fiction Vixen, thanks! Love your gravatar.

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  19. Irena, I would love some mint chocolate ice cream right now. lol

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  20. Hey Edie and Linda!

    Edie, I didn't realize you write cards! How fun! Do you still, or was that something you've moved away from?

    And I'm reading Cattitude and love it!

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  21. I'm odd, but not quite alien, but I guess that's okay and I'll be able to enter. :) sounds like a cute book!

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  22. Lori, I don't do cards anymore. It's like play to me, but I'd rather write a book. It's more satisfying.

    I'm so glad you're loving Cattitude!

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  23. Melissa, aliens would be all right to me. And I think most of us are odd, so maybe that means you're normal.

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  24. marie
    *nods* they really are the best

    Thanks Chris!

    Vixen
    Lol, beware the cats

    Irena
    I just love that ice-cream too, so yummy

    Melissa
    Lol, odd is good :)

    Hi Lori
    *waves*

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  25. I am heading to bed here. It was fun having you over today Edie :)

    I am opening up the comments, so hopefully no spam

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  26. This sounds like a really cute, funny book.

    a(dot)long(at)tcu(dot)edu

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  27. I love those three things you want to bring to a deserted island! I totally agree on all three.
    Teawench at gmail dot come

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  28. Yey, a fellow cat person here! Cattitude sounds amazing, congrats! A new idea, just when I thought I'd seen it all...

    anto_90_5 AT hotmail DOT com

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  29. Blodeuedd, it was fun for me, too.:)

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  30. Teawench, we would make Hugh use the knife for the cleaning. While he's shirtless, of course.

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  31. Annie, it's always good to meet a fellow cat person.

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  32. Oh no need to enter me in, I am just stopping in to see two of my fave girls!!! Edie, if I make it to bed in time, I intend to start the book tonight! If not tomorrow!! I am so excited! Blodeuedd, your questions were awesome... you are making me sweat as to what to ask her at my place... but she did leave some "waggles eyebrows" information that I plan on honing in on!!
    I hope you all have a great Friday and good luck!
    and my veri word.. catosp...

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  33. Cecile,
    Lol, I always ask such weird questions, well not weird but hopefully fun :D

    Thanks all for stopping by

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  34. This book would be perfect for me. Love the title and cover!

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  35. Hi Cecile. Thanks for stopping in! Blodeuedd did ask awesome questions, and I'm sure you will, too.

    And thanks for the good luck. You have a fabulous Friday and weekend, too!

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  36. Yvonne, a friend did my cover, and she's doing to next one for me, too. I love what she did!

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  37. I've always adored cats and I think this book is a great idea, the only problem is that I imagine Belle would be a bit hard to handle. After all, cats are the masters of the universe, aren't they?

    Your other book sounds great too - I love books where people talk and interact with ghosts.

    Thanks for the giveaway.
    jen at delux dot com

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  38. Great interview! Cattitude sounds interesting as does the book Dead People.
    I'd take Hugh Jackman to a deserted island also...lol.

    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

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  39. Jen, Belle thinks she's the queen of the house, whether she's human or cat. She was the most fun character I've written.

    I'm hoping Dead People will be up in a few weeks. I'm revising now, and I'm pretty happy with it.

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  40. Naida, it's too bad Hugh Jackman hasn't cloned himself. I think a lot of us would want to take him.

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  41. Cattitude - what a great title AND description.

    I look forward in reading it.

    Thanks,
    Tracey D
    booklover0226 at gmail dot com

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  42. Tracey, I'm very pleased with my cover. As for the book, I had the blurb on my old website, and people would email me and ask when it would be published, so I'm glad I finally did.

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  43. I love the story idea behing Cattitude. I love cats and I think it would be hilarious to read about one in a human body.

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  44. this sounds hilarious! can't wait to read it - and i'll be looking forward to your next release as well! where do you get your ideas?

    k_sunshine1977 at yahoo dot com

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  45. Oh, so glad I'm not too late! I first saw about Cattitude at Sabrina's (About Happy Books) blog and instantly knew I wanted to read this book! It sounds so funny and original,a nd the cover looks so cute! So I'm crossing very hard my fingers and toes and hope for my cat-luck ;-)

    Thanks for the great giveaway Edie! :-)

    stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com

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  46. How could I not want to read a book with such an adorable cover?

    littlebearries@yahoo.com

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  47. It's when good ebooks like this comes out that I lament my lack of an ereader!

    Re-posted your contest at: http://contests-freebies.blogspot.com/2010/10/win-catittude-at-book-girl-of-mur-y.html

    Cherry Mischievous
    (not an entry)

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  48. SusiSunshine, I'm so glad you like the idea!

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  49. k sunshine, I'd previously written a book about my dog changing into a man, and that didn't work too well. My dog was an English springer spaniel and too beta to be a hero. (She was a great dog, though, and I still miss her.) But I thought Belle would make a great heroine, and she did.

    The dead people one? At one time in my life, I was fascinated with life after life. I still am, but not as much.

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  50. Stella, I remember you! The best of cat-luck to you!

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  51. Aw, Heather, thanks. I like your teddy bear gravatar.

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  52. Cherry, thanks! I didn't know about that place. I'll check it out. I have a lot of giveaways coming up.

    I think the ereader prices will continue to go down. I wouldn't be surprised if they're $50 next Christmas.

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  53. Hi!


    my question would be

    have you ever tought of turning it into a movie? Who would you cast as Belle?

    regards,

    maidenhealer@hotmail.com

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  54. This is very cool!


    goddessbloom@hotmail.com

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  55. Png, I blogged about that a few weeks ago. I thought of Maggie Gyllenhaal. Someone else suggested Eva Longoria Parker. She's not my favorite actress, but she would be great for Belle.

    It's fun playing with ideas like that.

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