20 Questions with Rebekkah Ford

Today we sit down with North Dakota author Rebekkah Ford. She is going to share a little bit about her work, herself and her inspiration. Please enjoy this installment of 20 Questions.

Q1) When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

When I was a child.

Q2) How long does it typically take you to write a book?

I have a job outside of home, so it usually takes me three months to write a book. However, my lastest novel, Ameerah, took me longer than the rest because of all the research that was involved in the story.

Q3) What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

I get up at 4:45 in the morning during the week and write before I go to the office and then in the evening I’ll write some more. On the weekends I’ll write as much as I can.

Q4) What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I eat strawberry licorice while I write.

Q5) How are your books published? (traditional, indie, etc.)

Indie. I could have gone traditional. I even had an agent interested in Beyond the Eyes (the first book in my YA Paranormal/Fantasy trilogy), but I had a confidence issue. I lacked it. I knew the only way to gain confidence was to take on the challenge of being my own publisher. If I could overcome those challenges on my own, I would earn the confidence I was never given as a child. So I turned the agent down and dove into the uncharted indie sea a virgin to the self-publishing world.

Q6) Where do you get your ideas for your books?

It’s a combination of things. First, the way I grew up. When my parents were married, they were the directors of the UFO Investigator’s League. They not only investigated extraterrestrial cases but also paranormal ones. My knowledge of the unknown and experiences has aided me in the creation of my stories. Second, ideas come to me out of nowhere. And third, I have a wild imagination and I’m always questioning things.

Q7) If you don’t mind sharing, when did you write your first book and how old were you?

I was fourteen when I started writing a book but never finished it. The first book I finished that will never be published was 9 years ago.

Q8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to read, watch my favorite TV shows, go out to eat, have a couple drinks, take walks, go to antique stores, and have a deep, thought provoking conversation.

Q9) What is your favorite book?

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Q10) What do your family and friends think of your writing?

They think it’s cool.

Q11) What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

The characters have a mind of their own and some characters show up out of nowhere. I love when those things happen. It’s fun.

Q12) What do you hate most about the writing process?

Writing the blurb.

Q13) How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I’ve written six books. Five are published. My favorite is the most recent one I published last Jan—Ameerah.

Q14) Do you have any suggestions to help us become better writers? If so, what are they?

A lot of writers say this, and it’s true. Read. Read. Read. Write. Write. Write. That’s how an author becomes a better writer.

Q15) Do you get feedback from your readers much? How and what kinds of things do they say?

Yes, they’ve told me they felt like they were there with the characters—heard the music, smelled the cigarette smoke and alcohol—which is thrilling to me, because I always worry about being too descriptive in some scenes. They also told me the characters were well developed and some they grew attached to. Of course, I’ve had a few readers who didn’t get into one of my books. Not everyone is going to like an author’s story.

Q16) What is your preferred reading audience?

Readers who are into paranormal/fantasy books.

Q17) What do you think makes a good story?

Three-dimensional characters the reader can relate to, suspense, emotion, and a good plot.

Q18) As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

A writer or an actress or an archaeologist. I love history.

Q19) Where can we find your books?

You can find them on Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, and Kobo.

Q20) Will you give us an excerpt from one of your favorite works?

Of course. This excerpt is from my latest new release, Ameerah, which is a gritty and poignant paranormal thriller.

We entered an uncarpeted, vacant hallway that branched out on both ends. Several metal doors with bolts lined the walls. The blue paper booties I wore crinkled against the bottoms of my feet sliding across the shiny white floor.

“What did they give me?” I asked when we stepped into the restroom straight across from the room I was in.

Ann led me to a stall with no door, only an off-white partition that separated it from the other johns. “It was a barbiturate used to sedate patients. Sleep therapy is what some doctors dubbed it.” She continued to talk while I emptied my bladder, keeping her word to give me as much privacy as she could.

Once I finished, I went to the sink and cringed at my reflection in the mirror. The right side of my face had a purple, yellowish bruise across my cheek, and the luster in my hazel eyes was gone. My complexion had a grayish cast. Whatever was injected into my body created a carbon copy of myself.

Ann handed me a washrag, and I realized there was no hot water when I went to dampened it. After I cleaned off my eyes and face, we headed down the north side of the hall. I listened to Ann tell me that most of the residents were in the common room, which explained the eerie silence.

“There you are,” a manly nurse with thick forearms and a broad forehead said when we rounded the corner from another corridor. She was heading our way and seemed quite annoyed.

Ann stiffened but held her head high. “Ameerah caught my attention. She needed to use the lavatory, and now I’m taking her to the dining room for lunch.”

“I realize you’re new here, Ann,” the other nurse said, “but we do not call patients by their first name in their presence. Each one has a number.” She pointed at me. “This one is number sixty-four.”

A laugh of disbelief escaped my lips. I couldn’t help it. What type of place was this, sedating people, tying them to a bed, and calling them by numbers instead of their names? I found being called Sixty-four another check in the box under the dehumanization category. “Excuse me,” I said when they looked at me, “I don’t know what type of facility I’m in, but regardless, I have a name. It’s Ameerah. To refer to me by a number is demonizing my identity, so I’d appreciate it if you would stick with my name instead.”

The coarse nurse scowled. “We will do no such thing.”

I made a face. “Why? What’s the purpose in such a demoralizing act? And what the hell is this place?”

Still scowling the nurse snapped, “Watch your mouth.”

“You’re in an insane asylum,” Ann said.

About Rebekkah Ford:

Rebekkah Ford grew up in a family that dealt with the paranormal world. Her parents Charlie and Geri Wilhelm were the directors of the UFO Investigator’s League in Fairfield, Ohio. They also investigated ghost hauntings and Bigfoot sightings in addition to extraterrestrial cases. Growing up in this type of environment and having the passion for writing stories is what drove Rebekkah at an early age to write tales dealing with the paranormal world. Her fascination with the unknown is what led her to write the Beyond the Eyes trilogy, its companion Tangled Roots, and Ameerah.

Rebekkah resides in rural North Dakota, in a farming community of about 1,800 people and loves where she lives. She has an irreverent sense of humor, loves coffee, and yummy food makes her happy. She also loves books, history, antiques, animals, connecting with her fans and other authors, as well as watching her favorite TV shows.

Connect with Rebekkah:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6180865.Rebekkah_Ford

Website: Author Rebekkah Ford: http://rebekkahford.com/

Blog: http://themusingwriter.blogspot.com

Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/RebekkahFord2012

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebekkahFord

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/rebekkahford/

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/102242636096208798568/posts

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http://rebekkahford.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=06bbb5773fe9e17e6ba0e860e&id=51f0af6e94

Ameerah: