I'd like to welcome DeEtte Beckstead. I'd love for you to get to know her and her great writing.
Hi DeEtte,
What is the ideal recipe for a good
novel?
A good
novel needs equal parts: strong characters, a good plot, and good dialogue that
moves the story forward. Carefully mixed with love and poured out into the
hands of the readers in such a manner as to not overwhelm them, but to entice
them to beg for more.
A good plot should be realistic even if it is a total fantasy. It should
fit the overall story and characters. Good dialogue can be used to “fill in the
blanks” of the plot or background story. A good novel shouldn't have a lot of
extras that don't contribute to the story. And it should be written from the
heart.
You’ve been contacted by the
Association of Libraries from the Alien Planet of Zaolia. They want to know the
five most important novels in all of Earth’s history. Which five novels do you give
them?
This is
also a difficult question! There are so many to choose from! The five novels I
would choose are (not in any particular order): 1) Moby Dick by Herman Melville, 2) Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen, 3) Chronicles of
Narnia books by CS Lewis, 4) Homer's Iliad and Odyssey (yes, I know they are
two different books!), and 5) Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.
Other works that aren't considered novels that I would give them would
include all of Shakespeare's works, Canterbury Tales by
Geoffrey Chaucer, Beowulf. If I could squeak one more novel in, I would
also give them The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
What was the
turning point in your life when you decided to start writing?
For a couple years,
my sons had told me about NaNoWriMo and tried to get me to joing them for the
November event. Finally, in 2007, I decided I would give it a try. Thus was the
birth of Victory, and of my serious writing. My
short story, The Christmas Visitors, came from my 2008 NaNo project!
What is or are the
genres of your book or books?
Both are Christian
fiction, paranormal. There are no ghosts, werewolves, or zombies, but there are
demons and angels.
What made you
decide to write in your particular genre?
It just sort of
happened that way. Once I started writing, the story wrote itself. I am a
Christian with strong faith, and it came from that.
When you write do you take notes,
organize your characters and plot, or you write freely as you go?
I rarely make notes or organize
before writing. If I do, it is a very brief note. I am happiest with my writing
that I do freely, letting the story emerge as I write. I have been surprised
many times with what happens!
Where does your inspiration come
from?
My inspiration comes from observing
life. I am a dedicated people watcher. Since I tend to be a quiet, private
person, it's easy to watch people at the mall, in the park, on the bus. I write
stories of faith and freedom, whether it is political freedom, or spiritual
freedom. I write stories that I imagine has brought someone to the place where
he or she is now.
One of my WIPs, however, is the
story of my first puppy mill rescue, a 12 year old Maltese whom we named
BelleKyra Joy. She obviously is the inspiration for that story.
Do you write about your personal
life experiences in your stories?
Some of my personal
experiences are in my stories, but usually I write about what I imagine
could/would have happened in the situation if...
What is your favorite scene in your
story?
I think my favorite scene is the one
in the first chapter of Victory when the white pigeon
dies and Brown Eyes buries it. That scene came from a real-life experience I
had when I started writing Victory. I saw a pigeon at my apartment
complex fly into the building and fall to the ground right in front of me. It
died a moment later. I buried the bird in a shoebox. I like that scene because I could write what
I really felt in that moment. And yes, I did cry over that little bird.
Thank you so much
for sharing with us, DeEtte! Please share your bio and links where others can
connect with you and your books!
Author and blogger, DeEtte Beckstead started writing in 2007
when her son challenged her to get involved in the National Novel Writing
Month, known by the acronym, NaNoWriMo. The manuscript sat untouched with
several others until January of 2012 when a good friend encouraged her to seek
publication. The Christmas Visitors is her first
published short story, and her current novel, Victory is also her first.
DeEtte spent
much of her childhood playing the piano, clarinet, and guitar, reading, and
making up stories. She was active in Girl Scouts, which gave her a variety of experiences. While in college, she
was on the University of Utah Synchronized Swim team, and taught winter camping
and survival skills for Girl Scouts. She has spent many years working with
people with disabilities.
Originally
from the state of Utah, currently DeEtte lives in New England where she writes
full time and works on the editing team of Master Koda Select Publishing. Her
other interests include swimming, crocheting, reading, traveling, history, and
her grandchildren. In addition, this devoted mother of six and grandmother of
twelve has been a concerned participant in dog rescue services for many
years.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DeEtteBecksteadAuthor
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/DeEtte-Beckstead/e/B00ADDW94Y/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
AuthorsdB page: http://www.authorsdb.com/authors-directory/66-deette-beckstead
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DBAnderton
Nicely done you two!
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