KWL Director Mark Lefebvre speaks with former college professor Gilian Baker about her new novel Blogging is Murder. In the discussion, Gilian and Mark explore:
- The transition from teaching academic writing and literature for twenty years to the challenge of writing; first approached through blogging and ghost-writing
- Her original blogging experience, which was created for college students who were reluctant writers
- How her daughter managed to convince Gillian to join NaNoWriMo one year after long and enjoyable discussions about writing
- How long the idea of Jade and her world had sat in the back of Gillian’s mind before she sat down to write the book
- Elements that helped to make the characters in the story very real for readers; in particular the old woman character of Phyllis who is often called out by reviewers as a favorite character
- What the novel has to say about cybersecurity, identity-theft and online transactions and the tips available on Gillian’s Blog regarding that. (http://gilianbaker.com/2017/01/23/cyber-security-tips-hackers/)
- The differences and similarities between academic writing, ghost-writing and fiction writing
After the interview, Mark discusses the age-old advice of “Write What You Know” that is not only often shared with writers, but also debated among writing circles. He points out a few examples of authors who have drawn from their personal experience and passions, including a few of his own personal examples, including using “things he knew” in both novels as well as non-fiction titles.
Mark then asks listeners to share their own thoughts on the “write what you know” debate which people can answer either in the comments below or on the Kobo Writing Life Community Forum
Gilian Baker is a former writing and literature professor who finally threw in the towel and decided to just show ‘em how it’s done. She has gone on to forge a life outside of academia by adding blogger & ghostwriter to her CV. She currently uses her geeky superpowers only for good to entertain cozy mystery readers the world over. When she’s not plotting murder, you can find her puttering in her vegetable garden, knitting in front of the fire, snuggled up with her husband watching British mysteries or discussing literary theory with her daughter.
In her next life, she fervently hopes to come back as a cat, though she understands that would be going down the karmic ladder. She lives in Flagstaff, Arizona with her family and their three pampered felines.
Links of Interest
KWL Podcast featuring an inspirational talk with Julie Czerneda
KWL Podcast featuring a “Walking the writers life” talk from Joanna
Mark’s non-fiction paranormal books from Dundurn
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