I would like to thank Tatum Whispers for taking the time for this interview!
BIO:
Writing has always been a hobby for me. However, it was not always something I thought I could make a living with. After winning a short story competition in 2020, I realized I had something valuable to share with the world and turned to writing full time.
Since turning my passion into a profession, I have written prolifically and am constantly exploring new themes, genres and ideas. It's incredibly hard work, but I have never been happier than when I sit down at my desk putting the opening words to a new book or story on paper.
When and how did you
know you wanted to be a writer?
From a very young age, I loved writing poetry. I also used to write my own lyrics for songs.
My dream was to one day publish my work, but after winning a short story contest, my focus changed to writing romance novels.
Did you have any influencing writers growing up?
I grew up with the poetry and novels of a South African local writer, Maretha Maartens. She inspired a lot of my poetry.
But it is the work of writers like Stephen King and Dan Brown that inspired me the most.
Are any of your
characters based on people in real life?
Yes, I am a female lead in two of my novels as well as my late boyfriend.
There is also a certain model that went through a life-changing experience on which I based one of my novels.
Where do you draw your book inspirations from?
Some of my own life events have inspired my books, but mostly I will get an image of a character in my head, and he will guide me in writing his story.
Sometimes I will get a title in my head and write a story from there.
Do you use have a
basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the
way?
Most of the time my characters lead the way. I try to stick to an outline, but they always seem to change a third of the way into my book.
When you are
picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for
inspiration?
I have a male and female model that I use for every book.
When I start writing a new book, I will spend hours looking for the perfect photos. I also constantly use them in my teasers. Though I use the male model more as I prefer writing from the male’s POV.
Some of my models/characters are even pinned up against my wall.
Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?
When I want peace and quiet and want to hear myself think, I will read. But I mostly watch reruns of old TV series and old classic movies.
Who are your favorite
current authors to read?
M. Robinson, Nikki J Summers, Breanne Bergie, L.J. Shen, Erin Mc Luckie Moya, Natasha Knight, Cora Reilly, Nicci Harris, Carly Phillips
What are your
favorite books by others?
The Soldiers of Anarchy Series by Nikki J Summers, Second Chance Series by M Robinson, Hell Hounds MC Series by Erin Mc Luckie Moya
Do the locations in
the stories have any meaning to you?
No, I generally use random locations.
Do you write in
single or multiple POV?
Multiple POV, mostly male POV
What do you find to
be your best research tool?
Google is my go-to for everything, and I will ask other author friends if I am not sure about something.
Do you write under a
pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?
I write under a pen name, Tatum Whispers. I share the same first and last name with my mother so it makes writing under my real name a bit difficult.
What genre do you write and why is this your preference?
I have written under several genres, Fantasy, mainly Vampire. A few Romantic Dramas, Soldier Romance, but mostly Mafia Romance.
I enjoy writing Mafia, I love a strong, take-no-nonsense male lead that is not scared to get his hands dirty.
Tell me something
about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky
trait...what led to you being you?
I am a qualified Accountant, and also a qualified Beauty Technician, though I always wanted to be a Veterinarian.
I am generally a very private person and spend a lot of time by myself. Coming from a very strict upbringing, I rebelled quite a lot. I have had to learn a lot of hard life lessons to get where I am today, though I would not change the journey I had to take to get here.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
If you believe in yourself, do not let anybody else tell you otherwise. You are going to stumble a few times, but do not ever give up.
Your dreams do not give up on you, don’t you give up on them.
How do you deal and process negative book reviews?
Generally, I do not do well with negative comments on my books. At first they will upset me a great deal with me sometimes being irrational by wanting to respond back in a negative way or even removing the book.
But I generally take a deep breath and speak to one of my closest friends, and normally thereafter I will see it for what it is…just someone that is entitled to their opinion. Not everybody is going to love what you have written.
What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
Keeping to my vision of the story and not writing what I think the reader would want to read.
What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you
focused?
Silence. The only noise I want to hear is my fingers tapping the keyboard.
What is your naughty indulgence as you are writing?
Does fantasizing about your male lead count?
If you could spend a day with another popular author,
whom would you choose? And why?
M. Robinson.
She has so much energy, she is always smiling and looks genuinely happy being a professional writer. And of course, she lives on a boat.
What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or
drink?
I prefer writing late afternoon, or in the evening. I would normally take my dog for a walk first to clear my head and get ideas about what I want to write next.
When I write, first I need to have a decent energy drink, then a slab of chocolate to snack on, and when I get hungry, I need apple pie.
Do you listen to music when you write – what kind of
music is your favorite?
No, I need to write in complete silence.
Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
My little dachshund is constantly on my keyboard in my face wanting to give me kisses.
What is your kryptonite as a writer? What totally puts you off your game?
Migraines. Because I put a lot of pressure on myself to get the best work that I can out, I tend to suffer from them a lot.
Have you ever killed off a character that your readers
loved?
Yes, I have but it was part of the story so it had to be done.
But I have on occasion killed a character off because I just wanted to, though I normally find a way to resurrect them.
How do you celebrate after typing THE END?
After I manage to stop crying, I would treat myself to a glass of red wine and a take-away from my favorite restaurant. Then I would start planning my next story.
https://readingbydeb.blogspot.com/2022/06/author-at-glance-tatum-whispers.html#more
Connect with Tatum:
Tatum whispers is a great author💕💕. I love her stories so much, I cannot express this to her as I am usually very shy. I am fan of hers. 💗💗
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DeleteThank you so so much Anonymous. It is supporters like you that keep me writing...
DeleteI love to support authors however I can
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