Interview with Rebecca Long
Published 2014-10-16.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I'm not trying to rock any boats, I just don't put a whole lot of stock or effort into doing what everyone tells you that you are supposed to do.
The thought of attempting to please a traditional publisher just made me tired. I have known some amazing writers who couldn't get the time of day from agents or publishers because they didn't fit whatever the current popularity mold is.
I never fit any mold. Why try?
What motivated me to become an indie author?
It never occurred to me to be any other kind of author.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
When you hit something on the head. When you know that you have spoken a truth and especially if you have done it in a way that other people will be able to understand.
Who are your favorite authors?
As I am working on non-fiction at the moment then I must list some non-fiction authors. Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robins, authors of "Your Money or Your Life," come to mind. Peter and Barbara Jenkins: Walk Across America. Laura Ingalls Wilder: Little House on the Prairie series.
What are you working on next?
A book about working low wage jobs.
How do you approach cover design?
Less is more.
What do you read for pleasure?
Plays, how-to books, anything about self-sufficiency, anything by Tracy Chevalier, Jack Finney.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I don't think where I grew up was as influential as how I grew up. I am one of six children. My parents were never smart about their money. We never went hungry, but you learned early not to ask for things. While I don't need to be rich, I do want security. I am a good worker, but I prefer not to be at the mercy of an employer or anyone for that matter. As a result, I can do without most things other people can't seem to.
When did you first start writing?
6th grade.
What's the story behind your latest book?
The book I just published about how to live without a car was primarily an exercise to just get over the hurdle of publishing. I tried to write something that would appeal to me if I were on the other side of the transportation fence, wondering. I wanted to include information that would be helpful.
The next one I am writing is about working at minimum wage jobs. It is an opportunity to exercise my frustration at the rhetoric of how people who work low-wage jobs are just lazy. I have worked many low wage jobs and have rarely found that to be the case.
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