How do you get started on your characters? syndicated interview from @KitaraLemur
Aspire and Inspire
Meet Author Charity Parkerson
This week I have the pleasure of introducing you to Charity Parkerson, author of The Sinners Series, the Sexy Witches Series, and soon to be released A Splash of Hope. And that's just to name a few! She is also one of the stars of the podcast The Melissa Craig and Charity Parkerson Show.
How do you get started on your characters?
The majority of my characters are inspired by my dreams, but I have also based a few on some people that I know personally.
How do you feel about kilts?
I love them…yum!
What have been some of your inspirations for coming up with your story lines?
I’m a vivid dreamer so I write mostly from those, but one of my funniest storylines came from a running joke that I have with my best friend. We love to laugh about how the older you get the more realistic your standards become. When you’re young, you want a rich husband who is sexy as sin, and then one day you wake up wanting a man with good health insurance who can fix your car.
Cat 'o Nine Tails or Pink Fuzzy Handcuffs?
Pink Fuzzy Handcuffs
Do you ever see yourself expanding out of Erotica?
I’m fairly new to the Erotica genre. I started out writing Military Romance.
How long did it take to write your first novel?
A little over a year.
Do you really believe the myth about shoe size?
Oh yeahhh
Was there a time when you felt like throwing in the towel?
At least twice a week, if I’m working on promotions, but if I’m writing I feel like I could never give up.
What has been your favorite scene to write thus far?
In my book “A Secure Heart” I have a small series of flashbacks where my character Jacob is remembering some of the things that caused him to fall in love with Gracie. I still laugh, cry, and sigh when I remember those scenes.
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate!!
Do you have any special techniques to get you out of the dreaded Writer's Block or Blank Page Syndrome?
I like to go back and outline the main character’s life to see if there Is something that I am missing that could help jar me out of my slump. I’ve also shared several messages with my co-host and good friend Melissa Craig in which we toss ideas around.
If you could be any animal in the world what would you be and why?
A bear. They are very loving towards their children and get to sleep all winter after gorging themselves with tons of food.
What authors have provided inspiration for you?
I don’t want to offend anyone by forgetting anyone so I will say truthfully that I am inspired by all authors. It takes a lot of guts to pour your soul out onto paper and then watch as the world judges it. Authors are deep pools of emotion mixed with a steel spine and that is something to admire.
Which one of your characters is your favorite and why?
Lena Simmons. She is the character that appears in a majority of my books and she is the one that is the closest to being me.
Can you tie a cherry stem with your tongue?
Can you believe it? I have never tried. I might have to go get me some cherries this weekend and perform some cherry tricks.
How did you get started in the world of Podcasts?
Harold Leavitt asked me to come on his show FromPage2Screen and do an author spotlight. I was a nervous wreck because it was my first radio interview, but Harold was awesome and he managed to set my nerves at ease. Things went really well and about a week later he contacted me along with his co-host Stuart to inform me that my show was the highest rated show in the history of FromPage2Screen. They brought me back on for their one year anniversary show, this time live, and with Melissa Craig. Well, apparently the two of us together blew the ratings through the roof and they offered us our own show.
If you had only one piece of advice to give to an aspiring author, no matter the genre, what would it be?
Just write! If you have a story then you should write it and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it, because you can!!
To find out more about Charity's books and podcast visit her website
