Interview with Lisa Mason

Published 2013-11-24.
How did you get into writing?
Lisa Mason: My mom bought me lots of great books when I was a kid. I loved reading and knew I wanted to be a writer. Stories and fantasies would pop into my head and I wrote my first book at age five. I’ve got it on my desk right now. It is 1¼ inches by 2 inches, hand-sewn, two chapters, lavishly illustrated by the author, and entitled, “Millie the Caterpillar.”

Millie is despondent at being “a fat, green, hairy, little caterpillar.” Then spring comes, she breaks out of her cocoon, and “to her surprize, she found two beautiful red and black wings on her shoulders.” Happiness! The End. I’ve thought ever since “surprise” should be spelled with a z.

So you could say I got bit by the writing bug early on, but my life has taken some twists and turns and writing hasn’t been a straight shot for me.
For readers not already familiar with your work, tell us what kind of books you write and what readers should expect from your stories?
Lisa Mason: I mostly write character-driven science fiction, urban fantasy, and contemporary or historical fantasy (as opposed to epic fantasy), but I’ve also written more mainstream works, passionate historical romantic suspense, and a screenplay or two.

My latest release, Strange Ladies: 7 Stories, is a collection of science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories published in top magazines and anthologies worldwide. I’m gratified to see the response so far has been awesome since I cherry-picked the stories from among my published short fiction.
What do you like best (or least) about writing?
Lisa Mason: I love publishing something and having readers tell me they loved it, were entertained by it, moved by it, couldn’t put it down. I’ll shamelessly admit readers have told me Summer of Love, A Time Travel is their all-time favorite book. Readers’ responses make all the blood, sweat, tears, and long, lonely hours worthwhile. To feel like I’m understood is a great gift.

What I hate most is getting stuck, but that’s a blog in and of itself.
What is your writing process? Do you outline? Do you stick to a daily word or page count, write 7 days a week?
Lisa Mason: Oh, I’d love to write 5000 words a day, but that seldom happens. The main thing is to accomplish something on a project seven days a week, if only making notes or working out a plot point you’re not sure of.

I usually get a holistic concept of a book or story, sketch the general thrust of it, and break it open with the first scene. Often, I’ll have the first scene and the last, the story goal I want to accomplish. (You know the joke that every book has a beginning, an ending, and a muddle.)

I don’t like outlining but the process is so important for keeping your narrative on track. I’ll often micro-outline what I’m working on and the material immediately after. Once I get through that, the next plot twists often reveal themselves. Then I do the same process again, step by step.

When a book gathers momentum and the world-building is set down, I’ll write every day for two weeks at a time, take a one-day break, then start again the next day.
Who or what inspires your writing?
Lisa Mason: Life! Personal experience. Love, anger, vengeance. Joy. Beauty. A hummingbird landing on my feeder. A conversation overhead in a café. A magazine article piquing my interest in a topic. Historical people I admire, like the women Surrealist artists in The Sixty-third Anniversary of Hysteria, or Nikola Tesla, the great inventor and electrical engineer who reminded me of my inventor-electrical engineer dad and inspired me to write Tesla, A Worthy of His Time: A Screenplay. Stage magicians. Real Magic. Being invited to contribute to a themed anthology always kicks me in the butt to dream up something new.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Lisa Mason: Cultivate the habit of reading and writing every day. People used to keep diaries and write letters to each other by hand. For a writer, this provided a way to tap into the flow of words without the pressure of writing for publication, to let loose the emotions in an informal way, and was, I think, a useful exercise.

These days we don’t write diaries and letters anymore, so it’s imperative to constantly keep in touch with your flow of words, ideas, and emotions in other ways. Keep a notepad and pencil on the night table beside your bed, always carry these items with you (you don’t need an electronic device) even to the grocery store, maintain a blog, post on Facebook.

If you’re working on a story or book, naturally you’ll want to write that every day, but don’t worry overmuch if the flow isn’t happening today. Do keep taking notes, though, and reviewing your progress.

Read published fiction every day. Keep a book beside you always—at the office, when traveling, at your bedside. Maintaining interest in a novel can be a huge commitment, which is why I love short stories. In a day or two, you can whip through a story, watch a character arc unfold and resolve, witness a plot begin and end.

Ten million and one things compete for your attention these days. I believe it’s essential that you make daily reading and writing your obsession.

Also, never give up!

I heard a radio interview with Ann Rice, who sold millions of vampire novels decades before vampire novels were trendy. She perfunctorily answered the usual questions, but when the interviewer asked her what advice she’d give to an author struggling to break into the business, her voice became animated and she said with great passion, “Never give up! No matter how many people say no, never give up!”

Big Publishing has always been tough, though in the 1970s through the early 1990s, the business was much more open and willing to support authors building an audience. All that’s changed (for reasons too complex to set out here), and these days Big Publishing is brutal.

Independent publishing is giving Big Publishing a serious run for the money. The business is changing almost daily. You must read the free portions of Publisher’s Weekly website, Publisher’s Lunch free newsletter, and Smashwords Blogs to keep tabs on developments. Independent publishing is a gigantic opportunity that literally didn’t exist before.

Make no mistake, though, independent publishing is tough. too. You bear the burden of producing a professional-quality product, marketing and promoting it. That’s a full-time job in additional to the full-time job of writing new material.

So be it. As an author with rather unhappy experiences in Big Publishing, I love the opportunities of independent publishing through a great site like Smashwords.

Isn’t that what life is all about? Fulfill your dreams!
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.

Latest books by This Author

Chrome
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 95,120. Language: English. Published: July 3, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
On CHROME, an artificial planetoid orbiting Earth, genetically-engineered races of half-beast, half-human have built up a technologically sophisticated society. Luna Lightfoot, half woman, half puma, jewel thief, inadvertently witnesses a murder and uncovers a violent scheme to change the lives of Chromians. From Lisa Mason, author of Summer of Love, a Philip K.Dick Finalist.
One Day in the Life of Alexa
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 44,780. Language: English. Published: August 29, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias, Fiction » Literature » Literary
From Philip K. Dick Award Finalist Lisa Mason comes the tale of Alexa, a teenager chosen to test a longevity drug. But becoming a Tester has unforeseen consequences and the drug causes devastating side effects. Over the years of disasters and renewals, Alexa must deal with life, love, and death.
Cyberweb
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 78,090. Language: English. Published: January 29, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Cyberpunk, Fiction » Urban
Cyberweb, the sequel to Arachne, Lisa Mason’s classic cyberpunk, continues the story of Carly Quester, an ambitious young telelinker who must master the archetype haunting her telelink. From the author of Summer of Love and The Gilded Age.
Illyria, My Love
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 10,160. Language: English. Published: September 16, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
From the extinguished HomeWorld, the Settlers traveled across the stars to NewWorld with hopes of starting over again. In war-torn Illyria, Maya just wants to grow vegetables and live in peace. But she has a dark secret she can never reveal, especially to her beloved Yuri. From the author of Summer of Love.
Arachne
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 79,750. Language: English. Published: August 27, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Cyberpunk, Fiction » Science fiction » Cyberpunk
Lisa Mason’s classic cyberpunk about an ambitious young mediator who must confront a terrifying presence haunting her telelink. From the author of Summer of Love (a Philip K. Dick Award Finalist) and The Gilded Age (a New York Times Notable Book).
Eon's Kiss
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 60,450. Language: English. Published: March 21, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Fantasy, Fiction » Erotica » Paranormal
Erotic paranormal romance with sensuality, death, and environmentalism. Jenna Coltrane falls in love with Eon, the god of the Arbor, a magical world. She must save her love for Eon and the habitat his magic supports from industrialists who will stop at nothing to destroy the Arbor.
My Charlotte: Patty's Story
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 23,370. Language: English. Published: March 5, 2014 . Categories: Essay » Author profile, Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories
My Charlotte: Patty’s Story is a short, sweet memoir about a life in a garden and one writer’s first inspiration. Includes Lisa Mason’s first story, “Arachne,” published by Omni Magazine worldwide, by Hayakawa in Japan, and by Replik in Sweden.
U F uh-O
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 22,810. Language: English. Published: August 18, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Humor & comedy » General
Knocked Up meets E.T. A novella by Lisa Mason based on her screenplay for a producer looking for another Men in Black or Galaxy Quest. Two very different couples go to a sperm bank and wind up with babies who are similar, but in the strangest ways. How did that happen? Josh and Nikki, Mike and Gretchen need to find out. Five-star review.
Strange Ladies: 7 Stories
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 59,480. Language: English. Published: June 26, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories
Science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories by New York Times Notable Book author Lisa Mason published in top magazines and anthologies worldwide. "Fantastic collection!" Reader Review “A must-read collection.” San Francisco Review of Books
Celestial Girl: The Omnibus Edition (A Lily Modjeska Mystery)
Price: $7.99 USD. Words: 200,250. Language: English. Published: June 14, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » Victorian, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Historical
Passionate historical romantic suspense. In 1896, Lily Modjeska journeys to San Francisco to unravel a web of murder and corruption involving 1890s immigration policy. Her journey becomes one of the heart when she meets Dr. Jackson Tremaine and they begin a stormy affair. Celestial Girl, The Omnibus Edition (A Lily Modjeska Mystery) includes Books 1 through 4.
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