Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the Peace River district of northern British Columbia. Because winter was usually six months of snow and two months poor sledding, I started reading books as soon as I could hold one. I’ve traveled and worked in many places, which may explain why I can’t stick to one genre as an author. When I discovered the temperate rainforest stretching along 1200 miles of the Pacific Coast, from Oregon to Alaska, I settled in for good. My books include humor (about cats), romantic suspense, mainstream and lately, speculative fiction. Aside from writing and reading, I like to play bridge, pet cats, and do water-fit exercises in the local swimming pool.
I have written seventeen books, though the first three ended up in the waste basket and a couple are out of print. When I publish Deception Bay, the book I’m working on now, that will make an even dozen of my books available online.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Deception Bay. It was inspired by my love of villages and the many stories which I heard when I lived in such places.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’d love to say yes, but I can’t think of a single thing. It would be pretty boring watching me write!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Ursula LeGuin
Sheri S. Tepper
Mary Stewart
Marion Zimmer Bradley
J.R.R. Tolkien
David Eddings
What are you working on now?
A science fiction epic tentatively titled The Centuries. It will be at least three books, perhaps four. It’s really all one story, since the same main character continues throughout, but it’s much too long for a single book. Fortunately, it can be broken up into chunks which are complete stories in themselves.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve never liked promoting, so I’ve done very little until lately. I do now have a web site and I post to my blog twice a week. And I’m also exploring other options.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read a lot, so you know how other people do it. Write a lot, because that’s the only way to learn the craft.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you love to read, not what you think might sell.
What are you reading now?
Fish Tails by Sheri S. Tepper, The Spark by Kristine Barnett, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Yes, a book in every room!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing the science fiction epic. I’m also developing an idea for fantasy and will probably write another mainstream about village life, perhaps with cats, perhaps not.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I can’t claim credit for this idea, because somebody else said it first, but the first book would be instructions on how to build a boat! I would add The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien (all in one volume, of course!), Waiting for the Galactic Bus by Parke Godwin, and one of Sheri S. Tepper’s fantasies.
Author Websites and Profiles
Lea Tassie Website
Lea Tassie Amazon Profile
Lea Tassie Author Profile on Smashwords