Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh
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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Tia Fielding here today sharing her thoughts on writing, characters and her latest novel, Like Breathing. Welcome, Tia.
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Hi, I’m Tia Fielding, and I’m here to answer a few interview questions for you guys!
If I want to use an example, I’ll use one from my July 10th release, Like Breathing, so in case you’re picking it up, you will see what I mean in my answers here.
How much of yourself goes into a character?
I guess there will always be some similarities between my characters and I. In Like Breathing, Dev is a gamer like I am. Seth is oblivious to certain things, much like me. He likes his routines, and even though I’m not quite as anal as Seth can be, I’ve my routines too. Leaf… well, Leaf’s love for dogs and his loyalty to the people he loves is something I identify with. Also when I’m writing about Dev and Seth’s anxiety issues, I know that’s something I have too much experience with.
Do you feel there’s a tight line between Mary Sue or should I say Gary Stu and using your own experiences to create a character?
I think some things are universal. Some characteristics are common between people from similar life situations and backgrounds. Not every character can be unique, because we all share experiences as people. I will say, however, that I hope my characters come across much more interesting than me as a person!
Does research play a role into choosing which genre you write? Do you enjoy research or prefer making up your worlds and cultures?
I tend to like things I can research, mostly because I’m Finnish and I’ve lived in Finland my whole life. My stories are mostly set in the States, so the geographical location alone makes me have to research quite a bit, just to make it all sound plausible, if not 100% accurate! I’d love to write something sci-fi one day, or maybe something futuristic in a different way, but it does sound quite daunting for someone with my anxiety issues!
Has your choice of childhood or teenage reading genres carried into your own choices for writing?
No, not really. Well… I did read a lot of contemporary stories then, but my love was fantasy, and I don’t really like to write fantasy at all.
Have you ever had to put an ‘in progress’ story aside because of the emotional ties with it? You were hurting with the characters or didn’t know how to proceed?
I have, if it has become too heavy for me to write at that moment. Or if I feel like I don’t have the right words to use about something heavy. I tend to write angsty stories, but they never get to the point of angst I think they will, mostly because while I love to read angst, I’m afraid of not pulling it off as a writer. Conflicts in my stories, whatever they might be, are always resolved pretty quickly.
Do you read romances, as a teenager and as an adult?
I read a lot of gay romance, yes. I grew up reading fantasy, but Catherine Cookson was one of my favorites even in my teens, and she wrote (mostly historical) romances. There’s just certain type of escape that comes from reading romance, back then and now, too.
Who do you think is your major influence as a writer? Now and growing up?
I don’t think I’ve taken any direct influence, at least not on purpose, from anyone, but some of my favorite authors I’ve admired for different reasons growing up and now are David and Leigh Eddings, Neil Gaiman, Catherine Cookson, Donna Tartt, Karin Slaughter, Astrid Lindgren, Tove Jansson, and a handful of Finnish authors, just to mention a few!
If you could imagine the best possible place for you to write, where would that be and why?
Somewhere calm. I love to write here at home at my own desk, on my big computer screen. I have ADHD, so it’s easy for me to have those “ooh, squirrel!” moments, and I’ve figured out a way that helps me write despite those. What I do, is that I have my manuscript on half my screen, and the other half is for, say a Netflix show. Then, whenever my mind tries to wander off somewhere, I click play on the show and let it run until my concentration gets back to me. Sometimes it’s ten seconds (honestly) and sometimes twenty minutes or something in between, but it works. It literally makes me able to write on the days when my ADHD is trying to kick my brain’s butt!
With so much going on in the world today, do you write to explain? To get away? To move past? To wide our knowledge? Why do you write?
I write because I have to. It’s a part of me. I write to tell stories I want feel like telling at any given time, and I can just hope someone will enjoy them one they’re out there for everyone to read. If my stories give even a temporary escape from the madness that’s going on in the world or someone’s personal life, it’s the greatest gift I can get as a writer.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m starting a new series! It’s going to be set in Brighton, England, and well, let’s hope I can get it out of my head and to you guys, eventually!
Thanks so much for having me, and hope you enjoy your summer reading, whatever it might be!
Blurb:
A love as easy as breathing.
Life started out rocky for Devin Rice, but it’s turned out pretty well. He has adoptive parents and a brother who love him, and he works as a coder for his dad’s video game company. Romance is scarce, but a chance encounter leads to more than he ever expected.
While dropping off an assignment for his sick brother, Dev meets his mentor. Art history professor Seth Kent is brilliant and gorgeous, just what Dev has been looking for. Except that he’s in a long-term committed relationship.
Seth’s partner, Leaf, is older and sees the world differently due to his unusual upbringing. To him, the clear attraction between Seth and Dev isn’t a problem, it’s an unexpected gift. After all, Leaf is often on the road, going wherever rescue dogs need rehabilitation.
When Leaf meets Dev, all the missing pieces fall into place, and three men from different worlds and at different points in life fill each other’s empty spaces. For them, building a future together is the most natural thing in the world. But their unconventional love causes waves in their careers and family dynamics, and each man has his own doubts and fears to overcome.
About the Author
Tia Fielding is a thirtysomething Scandinavian who is a lover of witty people, words, cats, sarcasm, autumn, and the tiny beautiful things in life. Tia struggles with stubborn muses and depression, but both are things she has learned to live with. Tia identifies as genderqueer, but isn’t strict about pronouns. Why? Because luckily, in her native language there aren’t gender-specific pronouns. Being a reclusive author living with her fur-babies is another fact of life for Tia, among the need to write that seems to be a part of her psyche by now. In 2013 one of Tia’s novels was recognized by the industry’s Rainbow Awards in the Best LGBT Erotic Romance (Bobby Michaels Award) category.
Social media information:
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/authortiafielding
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tiaf/
Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/tiafielding
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