Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I help catch naughty folk for the Government, hunted pirates in the Persian Gulf,
and sailed through the Suez Cana twice. I’ve successfully run in the Walt Disney
World Marathon as a woman, climbed to the top of Mount Fuji and been kicked
off Mount Rainier taught English Conversation in Japan and can analyze anyone’s
handwriting.
And I’ve written three books, 1) The award-winning Naughty or Nice – Whose
List Are You On? I hand out at lectures on red flag behaviors in relationships; 2)
The bestseller, The Happiness Code, I co-authored with Ray Brehm and other
authors and we share the happiness hacks we use, you can use too, and 3) the
award-winning epic, fantasy adventure, The Devil Pulls the Strings, set to launch
on September 15, 2021.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I wrote The Devil Pulls the Strings to honor the hero’s journey and infuse Slavic
mythology and the many faces of Baba Yaga, the mother of all witches. Because I
grew up reading grand tales and epic fantasy adventures and listening to my
Grandma Yetta and other relatives share all sorts of bedtime stories which fueled
my imagination and fed my soul.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I routinely work 14-16+ days, so I squeeze in writing whenever opportunities open,
before anyone stirs or wakes in the house, on the two-hour train ride to and from
work, meal breaks, and after everyone in the house falls asleep.
When I write, I love to listen to music and surround myself with art, so I find songs
perfect for scenes and chapters, and search online to find images that resemble
characters, objects, and locations in the story to inspire and motivate me as I write.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King, George R. Martin, Edger Allen Poe, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain,
and J.R. R. Tolkien, to name a few.
What are you working on now?
Marketing and logistics to put everything in place for The Devil Pulls the Strings
novel, audiobook, and graphic novel. And once that’s finished, work on the
podcast series of the book can start. And after that, I can work on the next book in the
series.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My website is http://jwzarek.com/.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Identify who your audience is, create your logline, synopsis, beat sheet, and
outline, then write your draft first, then edit after your draft is finished.
1) Identify who your audience is.
Do you write for yourself, a targeted audience, or a specific genre?
If you write for yourself, write what you want, because who cares what anyone
else thinks but you. However, if you write for a targeted audience, remember to
tailor the material accordingly. And when you write for a specific genre, read, know
and understand the genre.
What genres are you drawn to most? Read the top twenty-five bestselling books in
the genre.
Next, ask yourself the question, what stories would you like or love to see in the
genre you haven’t seen before? Now go forth and write these stories in the genres
you’re most drawn to.
2) Create your story’s logline, synopsis, beat sheet, outline, and back of the book
blurb.
Logline
A logline is how you describe your story in 30-words or less.
– Ideally, your logline should be one sentence long. However, when your story is
complicated, a couple of sentences may be required.
When you think of loglines, you can also think of what’s said to describe a film or
movie. Here’s the logline for Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis:
”New York City cop travels to Los Angeles to reconcile with his wife but learns she’s been taken hostage by terrorist in a skyscraper — and he struggles
alone to save her.”
After you have your story’s logline, create your story’s synopsis, beat sheet,
outline, and back of book blurb.
What Is a novel synopsis?
A brief summary of your story’s main plot, subplots, and ending, a few
character descriptions, and an overview of your major themes.
What is a beat sheet?
A beat sheet is a precursor to a screenplay outline: it identifies the important
moments in the story and lays out what needs to happen in each act of the story.
What is a novel’s outline?
A document that includes important planning information about your novel’s
structure, plot, characters, scenes, and more. It is the skeleton of your novel.
What is the back of the book blurb?
This is what’s written on the back of the book cover that gets the reader to want to
open and read the first page. The blurb is a short, yet descriptive account of the
book shown on the back cover of your book, often 100 – 200 words, but can be
longer, between 500 – 800 words. And the blurb should include any information
that represents the book best and intrigues the readers.
3) Write your draft first, then edit your finished draft after.
You can write your draft or edit, but you can’t do both simultaneously. So instead,
focus on writing your first draft. Because when you finish, you have the knowledge
and accomplishment you’ve written the first draft.
Stephen King, says everyone’s first draft is manure. And it’s during your revision
process the best parts of your book shall happen.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read, write and always learn and strive to improve your writing, because everyone
has a story inside of them that needs to be told, so write and share your story with
the world.
What are you reading now?
I’m re-reading Stephen King’s book On Writing a Memoir of the Craft.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a personal goal to write one hundred books. I’ve written three books, so
ninety-seven more to go.
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?
1) Ulysses by James Joyce.
It’s a long, dense book perfect to read on a deserted island.
2) The Complete Works of William Shakespeare in a single volume.
What’s not to love, romance, tragedy, comedy, and more.
3) The U.S. Navy SEAL Survival Handbook.
– It has too many useful tidbits and nuggets.
4) The Complete Works of Stephen King.
– on my nuclear-powered Kindle Paperwhite (Hey, it could happen).
Author Websites and Profiles
Lindsey Blick Website
Lindsey Blick Amazon Profile
Lindsey Blick Author Profile on Smashwords
Lindsey Blick’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Pinterest Account