Theresa Ragan: Meet Tori Scott!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Meet Tori Scott!

I've been a voracious romance reader since I read my first Nancy Drew at the age of ten. (Yes, I consider them romance!) I've been writing forever, but seriously, with the goal of publication, for about 10 years. I'm a Golden Heart finalist, had a short story published in Woman's World magazine in 2005, have one book published through Red Sage Publishing and at this moment I have 6 independently published books available. I write whatever strikes my fancy at the moment, so I have an eclectic collection of romantic suspense, sensual romance, romantic comedy, and contemporary romance.

Did you ever want to quit writing? Why or why not?

I've never really wanted to quit, but life and work forced me to give it up for about five years. I still fiddled with old manuscripts during that time, and even sold one to Red Sage in 2008, but it was an earlier book that only needed rewrites, not actual new writing.

What are your writing career goals? (i.e. to write 2 books a year? To hit the NY Bestsellers List? To sell 100 books a month?)

I want to be inducted into the Kindle Million Club! Yes, a very lofty goal. Until then, my goal is to write 3-4 books a year.

Have you truly mastered grammar and sentence structure? Do you feel 100% confident about every comma in your book?

I have a Bachelor's degree in English and taught high school English for 8 years. I'm pretty confident in my abilities in that area. Yes, things do slip past even the best editors, but not often.

How many pages do you think you could write in one day if you had zero interruptions from 8 AM to 8 PM?

I typically write about 4 pages an hour, so if the story is flowing and the muse is cooperating, about 40 pages. That's allowing time out to get up and move around, eat, etc. The most I ever wrote in one day was 50 pages in an 18 hour sprint. The writing tends to slow down after several hours.

How do you think (take a guess) writers like Nora Roberts write so many books in a year?

Like Trish Milburn said, by treating writing like a full-time job. They write whether they "feel like it" or not. They write through the hard times, and they write through the good times. They don't make excuses like writer's block or a muse on vacation.

What would be easier for you to write, a sex scene or a murder scene?

A murder scene, definitely. I'm a huge fan of NCIS, Criminal Minds, CSI NY, and Without a Trace. I love mystery and mayhem. I'd be more comfortable writing sex scenes if I didn't have to worry about my mom, daughters, daughter-in-law, nieces, and granddaughters reading them.

If you were allowed to have only ONE book (of yours) for sale on Amazon and B&N, which book would you select? Why do you think readers might enjoy it?

Oh, that's a hard one. I'm in love with all my heroes and every book I write feels like the best one yet. If I had to choose just one, I'd have to go with Lean on Me. It was my Golden Heart finalist, won a couple of contests, and came very close to selling to Harlequin. It's a small town romance with a troubled teenager, a returning military hero, and an independent single mother with an adorable 4 year old daughter. I've cried every time I've read through it for edits.

Any advice for new writers just getting started?

Yes. Read. Read everything you can get your hands on, and not just in the genre you write. You absorb form and structure as you read. Read once for content, then read it again to analyze it. What worked in the book? What didn't? What would you have written differently? If you don't read, your chances of success as a writer are greatly diminished.

Thank you!