Interview with Victorine Lieske

Bio:
Victorine and her husband live in Nebraska where they manufacture rubber stamps for the craft industry. They own and operate Victorine Originals Rubber Stamps from their home, where they raise their four children. Victorine has a degree in Art from BYU Idaho, and designs many of the rubber stamps they sell. She has always loved to read, and in her spare time she writes.

When did you first decide to become a writer? What was that like?

Funny thing is, I never decided to become a writer. I wrote my novel to attain a goal I had set for myself. I have always loved to read. As a kid, I decided I wanted to write a novel, so I started writing and got about 10 notebook pages done before other things took my interest. As an adult, I found a renewed interest in this goal so I began another novel, but again I gave up after a few pages.

Then one day I was lifting my daughter from her car seat and my back seized up. I couldn't move. I decided that was the perfect time to try to finish a novel. So I typed on my laptop and finished the first draft of Not What She Seems in one week. Then after meeting that goal, I decided I would try to see if it was any good. I'm go glad I found some honest people. The book needed a lot of help. So I joined CritiqueCircle.com and submitted the novel through twice, and it has greatly improved.

Who were the writers who inspired you when you were younger?

I read anything I could get my hands on. I read Beverly Cleary, C.S. Lewis, George Orwell, Madeleine L'Engle, L.M. Montgomery, Edward Egar, and Ray Bradbury to name a few.

What kind of obstacles did you face when you first began writing? How did you overcome them?

The first obstacle I had to overcome was being afraid of criticism. I didn't want to hear anything bad about my work. But I soon overcame that through posting on CritiqueCircle.com. The next biggest obstacle would be finding the time to write. I'm still working on that one.

What kind of obstacles did you face when you first published? How did you overcome those?

Obscurity. I believe that is every authors largest obstacle. I had to let people know about my book. The best way to do this, IMHO, is to get active on the social networks that Kindle owners hang out on. (Because I published on the Kindle first.) It does take a lot of time, but it's not "hard" selling either. It's just getting to know people, and once they do, they'll naturally want to know more about your book. And they'll also want to tell more people about it if they liked it.

What are you working on currently? Can we see a bit of it?

I'm currently finishing up a novel titled "The Overtaking." It's a romantic sci-fi, with paranormal aspects. I posted the first chapter up on my website, if anyone wants a sneek peek at it. http://www.victorinelieske.com/ Just click Books and there's a link on that page.

What advice do you have for aspiring novelists?

My best advice is to join a critique group. Whether it's online like CritiqueCircle.com or in your area where you meet face to face, your work is going to improve through the critique process.

Where do you see yourself ultimately taking your career?

For me, it's about sharing my book with readers. If I can post my stories by myself to the Kindle and Nook, and earn a living doing it, that will make me the happiest person in the world.