Hi Todd, Welcome to my blog :)
Where were you born and where do you call home? I was born In Nebraska, grew up in South Dakota, and chose to live a large part of my adult life in California. Southern California is where I feel most at home.
How long have you been writing? I've been writing since I was a child in elementary school - probably about five years old.
And is writing your full time occupation? No, but it's my dream to make writing my one and only full-time gig.
What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say? "Blue Hill" - After surviving a motorcycle accident, 17 year old Asa Roth begins to realize that he's changed in unexplainable ways.
If you gave some of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say? I plan to let my main character, Asa Roth, write as a guest blogger on my blog sometime soon. I think he'd like to talk about how things that happened the summer before his senior year in high school changed him and how he's been dealing with that. I think he'd also mention his girlfriend, Shannon, and talk about how fall football practice has been going.
Do you have plans for a new book? As a matter of fact, I do.
Is this book part of a series? Yes, I've already started my next book and it will begin right where Blue Hill ended. My plan is for a three or four part series following the life of Asa Roth.
What or who inspired you to write? My parents read to me when I was little and they encouraged me in both reading and writing. And how long have you been writing? Since early elementary school - probably kindergarten.
Would you like to giveaway a copy of your book on this blog? Sure. Your blog readers are the best.
Patti Says: Why thank you sir.
How did you come up with the title and cover design? There are a lot of small towns in America that have names like Blue Hill and I just like the sound of it. The cover design was done by a brilliant graphic artist named Glendon Haddix at Streetlight Graphics. He is amazing and I highly recommend him.
Have you based any of your characters on someone you know, or real events in your own life? I think writers are influenced by people they've known and experiences they've had whether they realize it consciously or not. The challenge is to create something that's fresh and unique that will satisfy an audience and that's what I try to do.
What books have most influenced your writing most and why? I read Catcher in the Rye in high school and thought that if I could achieve that level of complexity and still be straightforward and interesting, I'd be a successful writer.
Is there an Author that you would really like to meet? Yes, I'd love to meet Stephen King.
Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks or hardcover? I love the feel of a paperback in my hands, I love the look and the sound of hardcovers, and I love the immediacy and versatility of ebooks. If I could pick only one, it would be ebooks.
Where do you prefer to buy your books? Amazon, regardless of the format. Amazon is a toy store for the literate mind.
Are you a self published (Indie) Author? Yes, I'm an indie author and I'm proud of it.
Have you ever read a book more than once? Yes, I've read many books more than once. Most of them were written by Stephen King and J.D. Salinger.
Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version? I'm not sure that that could ever happen.
What book are you currently reading and in what format (ebook/paperback/hardcover)? I just finished reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie in hardback from my local public library. I loved it. I'm not sure what's next.
What book do you know that you will never read? I understand that War and Peace is a pretty tough nut to crack. I don't want to say never, but it's looking unlikely.
Are there any new Authors that have grasped your interest and why? I think what Amanda Hocking has done for young female writers and for indie writers in general has been groundbreaking. She deserves to have all the readers she has and more. I really admire her.
Patti says: Yeah, me too – she has done so well.
Is there anything you would change in your last book and why? I think it would have been interesting to know more about my main character's girlfriend and his best friend. Fortunately, I'm already working on Book 2 and hope to do a third instalment and that will give me time to work more with those characters.
Who designed the cover of your book? Glendon Haddix at Streetlight Graphics. He's a genius.
Do you have a book trailer? No, but I'm not sure I want to. There's a risk in showing readers what you think characters and locations look like when really it should be the reader's choice to enjoy their own visualizations. That's part of the appeal of reading for me and I don't want to tamper with that for my readers.
Do you have any advice for other writers? Yes, keep writing. Even if you write only 250 words a day, keep writing. Also, outlining can be your best friend. Don't forget about your best friend.
What is the best advice that you have ever been given when it comes to writing? Exactly what I just offered as advice... keep writing. It's the only way to get better or develop material.
Do you write under a pen name? Nope. This has been my name all my life.
Do you ever write in your PJ’s? No, I don't. This may sound strange, but I don't want to get too comfortable when I'm writing. I actually want to go through the emotions that my characters are feeling when I'm writing. Plus, I don't own PJ's.
Patti says: Rudie
Cats or dogs? Dogs. My Chihuahua wouldn't have it any other way.
White wine or red? It used to be red exclusively, but I've come to know some great Rieslings and a Gewurtztramiener or two that have changed my mind.
Coffee or tea? Coffee every day and cold tea in the summer.
Favorite food? Pasta. And chicken. Preferably together and with an Italian name.
Vanilla or chocolate icecream? Vanilla, if that's all there is. But if there's cookies and cream icecream, I've got to have some of that.
What is a movie or TV show that you watched recently and really enjoyed? I'm currently in Season 2 of the HBO series, The Sopranos. I've seen every episode of the entire series already, but it's been so many years ago that I've forgotten what happened.
Where can your readers follow you?
My blog: http://toddrtystad.
My facebook page: Facebook.com/ToddRTystad
My Goodreads author page: GoodReads.com/
Twitter: Twitter.com/
Is your book in Print, ebook or both? Blue Hill is available exclusively as an ebook.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me and allowing us a glimpse into your writing word. I hope you share this interview with your friends so we can all get to know you a little better. Patti
You can enter to win a copy of Todd’s book during the September Bloggerthon - HERE
Christina Almond is the winner of this ebook. Please contact me to receive your gift.
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