What advice would you give an aspiring author?  

Work hard.  Stay focused.  Be committed.  Don’t think that you’re going to hit it rich, and don’t write for the money.  Write because you love to write, not because you think you’re going to get rich.  Give each book you write all that you’ve got in you and more.  Put out a quality product.  There’s too much competition out there. If you don’t put out a good quality novel, if your novel is just marginal, you’re not going to make it.  You may have to take some writing classes or workshops to fine tune your skills or pick up some new ones, but if you’re serious you’ll do it.  Don’t get discouraged.  It’s not easy.  There are a lot of rejections and a lot of challenges of being an author, more so if you’re an indie author.  So, give it your best, keep working hard, dedicate yourself to it, but have a back-up plan so you don’t end up a starving artist.  And most importantly, don’t give up.  It may take a while to get established, so keep working at it, stay dedicated, and don’t give up.

This Lady Writes

How can readers connect with you? 

 I’ve got a pretty extensive online and social media presence.  Readers can follow me on Twitter at @MysteryDigger or on Facebook.  They can keep up with me on my website, DiggerCartwright.com, and on my blog,MysteryDigger.com.  I’m also on Pinterest.  Readers can keep up with where I’ve been, some of my favorite restaurants or wine or recipes, what I’m reading, and what I find interesting.  Join me on LinkedIn too.  And I’ve also got a daily news briefing that readers can subscribe to at MysteryWriterNews.com.  It’s a daily paper with articles on topics that I find of interest and about things I care about.  We’ve tried to set up a diversified range of articles on everything from indie authors, golf, economics, animal welfare and care, charities, the WWE, a bit of sports, recipes and fashion, and of course some articles that I’ve written.

This Lady Writes 

Are there any authors out there that inspire you? 

 I don’t do nearly as much reading as I’d like these days, so I can’t speak about today’s authors too much.  I do like the work of Anne Perry, particularly her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries.  They’re period pieces, and she weaves good stories.  I can’t say that her work inspires me.  I just enjoy what she writes when I do have time to read someone else’s work.  I’ve always been a fan of Agatha Christie, and I suppose her work really inspired me.  I read all of her novels at an early age, and I’d probably credit her work with inspiring me to write mysteries.  I’d also put Ngaio Marsh and Erle Stanley Gardner in that category too.

This Lady Writes

What is the take-away you want readers to get at the end of the book?  

WithConversations on the Bench, I really want the readers to take away something from the lessons that Sebastian shared.  I don’t think any of them were earth-shattering or ground breaking, but I think they have a lot of insight particularly in the world we live in today.  He shared a lot of wisdom with a lot of people over the years and in doing so impacted their lives.  Learn something from what Sebastian had to say in recounting his own life experiences.  They’re simple and clear lessons but they’re told in a way that only Sebastian could tell them, and they speak to everyone.  I didn’t know Sebastian as well as many people, but I know he was an inspirational guy for many.

Aside from the lessons, I think it’s important for the reader to take away something from Sebastian’s own life story.  Here was a guy of mixed descent.  His father was Filipino and his mother was of French, Spanish, and American Indian ancestry.  He grew up in Charleston, South Carolina during segregation and desegregation, and it was a tough childhood.  He was outcast from the blacks and the whites.  His family wasn’t dirt poor but wasn’t well off.  His father died at an early age.  He went away to college, fell in love with the woman of his dreams, and got a good education then went to work and worked one or two jobs most of his life.  He was a tax auditor for the State of South Carolina, went through a tough break up with his longtime girlfriend, and became morbidly overweight.  He didn’t have a lot, and he was forced to retire early because of his health.  But he didn’t let it get him down.  He didn’t let his weight or his health stop him from enjoying life and trying to make a difference for other people, and he was a selfless guy.  He was always there for his friends and willing to help.  He believed in paying it forward.  Our society is pretty self consumed these days.  If anything, I hope the readers are inspired to be better people and to make themselves better.

This Lady Writes