Author Interview: Iris Blobel

I'm so excited to have another author willing to sit down and answer some questions. Iris Blobel already has two published books, but her third was recently released in September of this year. She's blog-hopping and was gracious enough to stop in to discuss her new book, her writing process, and give away two free (PDF) copies of Innocent Tears. So if you're interested in one of those, let me know in the comments. Meanwhile: 

Iris Blobel was born and raised in Germany and only immigrated to Australia in the late 1990's. Having had the travel bug most of her life, Iris spent quite some time living in Scotland, London, as well as Canada, where she actually met her future husband. Her love for putting her stories onto paper has only recently emerged, but now her laptop is a constant companion. Iris resides west of Melbourne with her husband and her beautiful two daughters as well as her dog. Next to her job at a private school she also presents a German Program at the local Community Radio.

1. Have you always wanted to be a writer? 

Funny enough, I have to admit not really. In fact until only recently I never even thought about writing til one night, bored and not tired, I started to jot down a couple of paragraphs I had in my head. It kind of snowballed from then on. A friend of mine helped me with a couple of hints how and what to write, and another friend liked what she read – the rest is history so they say. With English being my second language I would have never thought to be writing stories – but now I love it!

2. What made you sit down that first day and begin to write your book?
I dream vividly and I’m also a believer in dreams. So when I looked through the notes I had made about my dreams, I came up with my first story. Since then, I write down ideas wherever I am – with my desk sometimes covered with “Post-it” notes. It’s quite a sight.

3. What challenges did you have in the beginning, and how did you push past them to continue? 

Time. Definitely time. Then as well as now. But I think I’ve found a healthy balance. I was like “on a roll” after my first book was published and my family was somewhat neglected. Nowadays family comes first no matter what – second the pile of little notes on my desk ;-) 

4. How do you balance writing and being a very busy person? 

Tricky question! I think after the initial humble success of my first book I wanted to write like all the time. Nowadays I feel more content with what I have achieved and I know if I don’t write today, there’ll still be a tomorrow. Family comes first and should I have some spare time at the end of the day and I feel like writing, then so be it. It’s the old saying, it’s not about quantity but quality. Yet, having said that, as already mentioned above, I have lots of little post-it stickers all over my desk with ideas and small paragraphs for one of the WIP's. 

5. When did you know your writing was good enough? 

I still have doubts. But it’s wonderful when readers tell me how much they have enjoyed reading the story. It’s worth more than any money in the world! I once wrote a blog post about the difference between a storyteller and a writer. I’d consider myself as a storyteller, needing lots of help from an editor to polish my book. 

6. What gave you the courage to make your writing public? 

My husband! He’s been supportive from the very first moment suggesting the idea of having my first story professionally critiqued. And I’ve been very lucky that my readers have been very kind and encouraging as well. It’s always a big step for me to submit a story to a publisher (which sounds exaggerated since I’ve ‘only’ published three books – LOL), and for others to judge “my” words, but I’ve learned to accept that everyone has different tastes. It helps! 

7. How did you manage rejection? 

I’ve been extremely lucky to not have had many. Can I say I receive them, read them and move on. If they include advice, I try to take them to heart. 

8. Who do you write for primarily; yourself or your readers, and are there some pieces you work on that are for your eyes only? 

I mainly write for myself. It’s like a TV set up in my head and since it was turned on a few years back it just won’t stop.

9. What would the top three pieces of advice be for those who are working towards getting published? 

A – DO NOT GIVE UP!

B – Enjoy the ride, don’t ever let it turn into stress.

C – Stay true to your voice – but take on valid advice or critique.

Many thanks to Iris Blobel for her great insights as well as her time in answering some of our questions. Don't forget to let me know if you're interested in winning one of the copies of her new book. If you'd like to contact Blobel, here are her links:

FB: www.facebook.com/irisblobel

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/_iris_b

BLOG: www.iris-b.blogspot.com