Corner Booth Contests

Certifiably Delicious #2 (Grand Prize)

Now that you've seen our three #NomNomNoms, we have our Certifiably Delicious story, OFFERING by Leila_Adams

OFFERING is a wonderful story with impeccably imagery. the scenes are painted beautifully with the words Leila has crafted to tell a smooth and undeniably captivating story, one that will keep readers up into the wee hours of the night so they can find out what happens next.

And now onto Leila Adams and her interview questions.

First let me say how truly honored I am to have Offering selected as the winner in the second Corner Booth contest. I've been a fan of the program since its inception. Every week it's a treat to see who's on the discussion panel and what the focus of the conversation will be.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the judges who participated in the selection process, natsaninja, StoryofAshlyn, Michelle007, 5ifthproject and KellyAnneBlount. Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated. And last, but not least, I'd like to say a special thank you to my good friend @RKClose  for nominating me. Had it not been for her thoughtful recommendation my story would not have been considered.

How did you start writing? I've always had a creative spirit. Over the years I've found different ways to express this side of myself. About seven years ago, I decided to try my hand at writing when an idea for a book struck me. I purchased a small library of "How To" books, attended the San Francisco Writers' Conference a couple of times, and started typing scenes in no particular order.

From where do you draw inspiration? Just living life and watching the world around you can generate ideas. The lovely thing about inspiration is that it can strike at any time. For example, I recently wrote a short story called "Monster-Bear" that appears in rskovach's 13 Days of Halloween after watching a news clip on Facebook. And I added a second story to my Halloween book, a #13DaysHalloweenFlash challenge started by , after finding an unexpected occupant in my sink when I returned from vacation. One never knows where the next idea will come from.

Are you a pantser or planner? Neither. I'm more of a percolator. I know many "planners" create extensive outlines before they begin writing. That's too daunting for me. Instead, I prefer to write the story as it unfolds in my imagination. It's wonderfully exhilarating to see ideas come to life on a page. That sounds like I'm a pantser, but I'm not. I spend days thinking about the story before I start to write. I need time for the details to swirl around and blend in my mind. Once I have a plan and understand how the puzzle pieces fit together, I sit down at the computer. That's when I add the color to the black and white story. I'm in the middle of writing a trilogy and while I haven't outlined it, I do know what happens, why and how. The extent of my planning was to write the beginning and ending chapters of all three books. They serve as my goal posts.

How do you form your characters? I had a difficult time fleshing out the characters in Offering. I had no idea how to create multilayered personalities with different thought processes, ways of doing things, and speech patterns. It took a couple of years for me to develop a feel for them. Now, I think the stories I have rolling around percolating in my head are more character-driven, so they start out with well-defined personalities. I do keep The Writer's Guide of Character Traits by Linda N. Edelstein, Ph.D., on my desk as a handy reference for psychological insight. I think it's important to portray characters' personalities accurately and consistently with their life experiences.

What kind of stories do you enjoy reading? Are they the same or different from what you like to write? I read a variety of genres and have very eclectic tastes. I love action, suspense, mystery, crime drama, horror, YA, NA, romance, urban fantasy, and paranormal. The Offering Trilogy is a NA, urban fantasy, vampire story that includes many of these genres.

How much time do you spend in a day or week writing? I don't write every day. I'm in awe of the authors participating in NaNoWriMo who have taken up the challenge to produce 50K words during the month of November. You have my utmost respect. My goals are much smaller: to produce a chapter a week for my current WIP, Sacrifice. That can take me two to four days of keyboard time. I love to write, but it's important to get out in the world and enjoy it, so I try to balance my writing time with my home life.

What do you do while writing? (i.e. listen to music, snack, etc.) To hear the words in my mind, I need quiet. I close the door and shut the world out. I get into the zone and become part of the story. I'm every character, and trying to channel their thoughts and emotions.

Noise is distracting, but I like visual stimulation. My office has a large cork wall filled with Pinterest pictures, souvenirs, clothing designs, and magazine pages that serve as my storyboard.

What's your favorite story or author? Outside the plethora of wonderful Wattpad writers, I love Harlan Coben, Dan Brown, Bella Andre, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, J.R. Ward, and Cassandra Clare to name a few. I couldn't pick just one.

What do you have planned for the future? (can be for yourself, your writing, or both) By the end of 2015, I'd like to finish my WIP, revamp the cover and my blurb for Offering (Prologue) a novella that begins the trilogy, and build my website. In 2016, I'd like to self-publish my finished books and start the last book in the series, Redemption.

How do you feel about there being water on Mars? It certainly is a significant find. It's good to know if we need a "Plan B" because the Earth is suffering from catastrophic collapse. With the lack of oxygen, freezing winter temperatures, and month-long dust storms, we would really have to be in meltdown mode to consider colonizing it.

But ask me how I feel about the new self-driving cars and you'll hear me cheer about that! Imagine how our lives will change. And this is something we'll see in our generation. Business Insider estimates there'll be about 10 million cars on the road by 2020 with self-driving features. Think about it. You can sleep during your commute, read a book, watch TV, play a video game, catch up on work, or have a nice meal. It brings a whole new meaning to, "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?"

Congratulations to Leila Adams for being selected as our Certifiably Delicious #2 and to all those who were nominated, and a huge thank you to everyone who nominated someone. Without you, these contests wouldn't be possible.