Interview with Beth Wareham
Published 2014-08-16.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
I read on my iPhone. It's always with me.
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
Social media all the way.
Describe your desk
My desk is a pile of seemingly unconnected ideas all held down by a wooden elephant from India. Pictures of my family look on.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Texas. It's hot there so I made a book about really cold drinks.
When did you first start writing?
I have been writing since I can remember understanding I was a human being. The two are linked in my mind.
What's the story behind your latest book?
I started to drink green smoothies to lose the last 10 pounds left over from a sedentary job. I did it by drinking green smoothies - my face also cleared up for the first time in 44 years - but the smoothies tasted so similar to me. After spending so much of my career working on cookbooks and the Joy of Cooking, I decided to add some of what I know to the blender whirl.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
There is nothing else but Indie authors. Even if they know it or not.
Do you love Smashwords?
Yes.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Getting it right.
What do your fans mean to you?
Fans? That's a silly question for a woman like me. I have friends, not fans.
What are you working on next?
A novel of middle-aged female revenge. Sweet!
Who are your favorite authors?
Beryl Markum, Tolstoy, Joseph Conrad, MFK Fisher, James Salter
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
The sun. Really. Everyday is something interesting. Just get vertical and get going.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Eating. Boxing. Looking at stuff.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
I look to my friends. I look to interesting ideas in the air and find the book that best satisfies my curiosity. I google a lot too.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
It was about a chipmunk that lived under the back porch and I don't think I should talk about it here. People can be so cruel.
What is your writing process?
Sit down. Face the keyboard. Go. Look at it the next day. Proceed accordingly.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
Flannery O'Conner wrote a short story about a man who takes a boy to the river to baptize him. It doesn't go so well. That story still frightens me.
How do you approach cover design?
It's a feeling. Pay attention to that very first feeling you have when you look at it. You know what's right.
What are your five favorite books, and why?
West with the Night by Beryl Markum because it taught me that a woman could live a life that was adventurous and free.
Joy of Cooking by Rombauer Rombauer and Becker - I worked on several editions and it made me a woman who knows food.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - When the woman comes to edge of the river, raises her arms and screams, well, it's never fails to stop my heart.
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy - He was the God of Art and loved his characters with all his heart, the good and the bad.
Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin - I edited that book and working so closely with Temple was a blast.
What do you read for pleasure?
Everything. Everything. Everything.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
I don't know yet, just started.
What's your favorite cookbook?
Silver Palate Cookbook by Sheila Lukins and Julie Russo
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.
