From the Mind of Omegia: Author Spotlight Lisa Rusczyk

Author Bio:

Lisa Rusczyk lives in North Alabama with her husband, stepson, and seven beautiful kitties. Her first novel, The Message, was written in 1999 and published in 2011 by Passionate Writer Publishing. Chasing the Dark was also published by Passionate Writer Publishing in 2010. The Blue Pen took five years to write and was originally published by Club Lighthouse Publishing. Now Lisa has self-published The Blue Pen. Her favorite things in life are cats, every one; spending time with her family and friends; watching movies; and drinking tea. She studied English with a concentration in Creative Writing, and Audio at The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. She freelances as an editor for independent writers.

What inspires you as a writer?

I love reading books, all kinds! Whenever I enjoy something, I have a desire to create it. I adore music, so I learned to play keys and guitar and sing. I wrote songs. I loved live shows, so I learned live sound. All my life, I’ve had my nose in a book, so I had to write. Now, I’m very interested in collecting gemstone rings, and last week ordered a bunch of materials to make them. I guess I just have a strong desire to create things I love in life.

When did you have that ah ha moment when you knew you were a writer?

I think it was writing my second book Sam the Night Person, an urban fantasy novel. I wrote my first two books, Sam and The Message (scifi time travel) by hand in journals and I’ll tell ya, they were a mess. When I typed them into a word processor, I cleaned them up a ton. But with Sam I didn’t have an ending. When I typed all I’d written, I took a shower and the end came to me somewhere between shaving my legs and rinsing out the conditioner. I think that’s when I felt the thrill of making these supernatural characters behave like real people might. I knew I would write the rest of my life.

What is your writing process?

It comes and goes. I’ve gone 5 years between novels, I’ve taken 5 years to write a book, like The Blue Pen, and it took a week to write Chasing the Dark. I won’t write on my novels unless I’m enjoying myself because if it’s not fun to write, who’s going to have fun reading these books? I usually read way back into the story before continuing on with one, even if I wrote in it the day before. I edit constantly while writing, too, and go back and make things consistent.

Tell us about your favorite character and why you chose to write about them?

My favorite character is Cleo from The Blue Pen. I love her story and how dramatic and word-driven she is. She has a spark of individuality and a way of loving life I admire.

What are you currently working on?

I have several partly written books. Do Not Go Quietly is a thriller about a sound guy who gets a death threat saying he’ll be dead in six days. From there, he is tormented by this mystery person. He had something mysterious happen to him as a kid and he can’t stand the feel of skin touching him, but he’s in love with Desi, a gorgeous musician who shares his affections. He’s been trying to keep the gloves off and hopes to touch her soon, but with the stalker after him, his old ways are coming back. He’s not just fighting to figure out who wants to kill him and why, but he’s struggling with a tormented past.

I’m about halfway through with that one. The Other World is about people living in a digital world while their bodies are taken care of in “tents” all over the globe. Orion, a boy of 8, gets epilepsy and cannot live in Allara, the digital world, and gets sent out to live in the “other world,” planet Earth, in a colonial-type place with other epileptics. Meanwhile, Marcus, in Allara, is a rebel and a mastermind programmer trying to, as he thinks of it, “free the minds of Allara” by unhooking everybody, and Orion is the key to doing it.

I also have a few others I’ve gotten some chapters written in, but haven’t revisited them in a while.

Any upcoming events?

I have some interviews scheduled over the next few months. I’m in the process of making a new Web site and I’ll post everything coming up there.

If you could be anyone you like, who would you be?

I would be Omegia Keeys! J/k I think it’d be cool to live as a hippie in the late 60s when things changed so much in the US. I’m also drawn to the Renaissance and Ancient Greece. I’d like to live in a time of great social, scientific and philosophical changes, and I think I live in one now with the Internet making global communication between individuals possible. It’s so fascinating to me to watch and be a part of.

Omegia: Very funny Lisa. lol

Do you have any advice for new writers and something that a seasoned vet can learn?

For new writers, just get it down on paper or in your word processor and don’t worry about what it looks or sounds like. ALWAYS keep in mind you can change any single little letter at any time. Just write.

Seasoned vets? I guess I’d tell them to always keep in mind their younger days, those times when your ideas were all over the place, but incorporate those crazy ideas with your advanced writing skills.

Where can your followers find you?

I’m on twitter under LRusczyk, Facebook under Lisa Rusczyk, I have an indie editing site, http://www.hazardediting.blogspot.com, and a wordpress I’m setting up now, http://www.lisarusczyk.wordpress.com.

Any last words?

Believe in and love your work. Read tons of books. Generate ideas. Never feel bad about your writing if it’s not going the way you initially envisioned it. Let your book write itself sometimes. Allow your characters to breathe and live, and never give up. Dream big, and start small.

Thank you for stopping by Lisa. Some of Lisa Rusczyk's novels are listed below. Click the picture for more information.