Marsha Casper Cook is the author of six published books and 11 feature-length screenplays, a literary agent with 15 years of experience and the host of a radio talk show about the business of writing and entertainment, "A Good Story is a Good Story," on the Red River Radio network. She and her guests discuss writing and what's new in the entertainment field. This year, she also began hosting another talk show "The Whole Truth"; on this show she and her guests discuss day to day issues that effect family life. Marsha has also appeared as a guest on other network shows and will continue to make frequent visits to other shows.

Her published works include "Love Changes," a romantic novel about a family in crisis, and "Sala, More Than a Survivor," a non-fiction biography about surviving the Holocaust. She has also written three books for young children, including the short stories "Snack Attack" and "The Magical Leaping Lizard Potion" and the poetry collection "The Busy Bus." She has just completed the fourth book in her children's series. Marsha has also published a book version of her romantic-comedy screenplay, "It's Never Too Late."

Marsha's other screenplays range from romantic comedies to crime thrillers to family dramas. Her scripts "Grand Central Station" and "Romancing Gracie" were optioned by movie studios, and the latter was named a finalist at the ASA, Houston and Chicago Film Festivals.

Wanting to help new writers reach their goals, Marsha founded the literary agency Marcus Bryan & Associates in 1996, and achieved signatory status from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) within two years. In that capacity, she has represented more than 100 screenwriters and authors, and has also optioned books to movie production companies. Marsha has spoken about her work and the craft of writing to a wide range of audiences including bookstores, schools, museums and local cable and will continue to speak to the media.

What inspired you to write?
Living life and having stories I feel needed to be told. I like to do stories with several characters because I feel in our lives we are influenced by the people we meet good and bad. My hope, especially for children is to bring positive messages into their live in a subtle entertaining way.

Do you consider yourself a born writer?
Actually, I don't. I really love writing but I have taught myself how to do screenplays and books by reading books on how to be a good writer. But for me the best learning process was doing the actual writing. I think you get to be a better writer if you keep writing. Giving up is easy, staying in the game is hard, but in the end it's worth it.

Have you ever suffered from writer's block? If yes, how did you 'cure' it?
I haven't really had writers block but there are times when I think the project I am working on isn't as good of an idea and my next project. I think writers do this quite a bit. If you keep going you will finish your project and then you can go on to do your next idea. And probably you will do the same thing over and over again.

Can you share with us a little about the current book you are working on?
My new book NO SHOES NO CLUES is my favorite. I have written it in first person and the character EMELINA is a young girl who knows where she's going and likes to succeed.

Do you find it hard to balance your personal writing time with your other jobs as an agent and blog talk show host?
Sometimes I do. Writing is so very important to me I push myself to complete something every few months. If I don't write I am usually mad at myself and then I push myself and I'm happy I did.

Do you have any other works in progress? Can you share a little about them?
I am writing a screenplay at the moment and it always amazes me when the story comes out with a beginning, middle and end. Sometimes I feel that my story might be weak but if I make it to page 25 I know I know I have a story and I can continue on. A screenplay usually has no more than 120 pages.

Do you do first drafts on a computer or by hand?
I do both. Usually when I start a book I write by hand in a notebook and I write down descriptions of characters and their background. After that I write the story on the computer and I also write sections in a notebook to see if have developed the characters in a way to make the story work.

What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write?
Sometimes I jump right into the story and then I hold back until I develop the story a little more. Usually my stories come to me in pieces, but I have to begin or otherwise nothing happens. Once I begin, my stories have their own life and I follow with their lead.

What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person?
For children's books I like first person because I feel kids relate to the characters faster and they are easier to read out loud. For adults I like it either way.

What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.?
I am very disciplined in most areas but in writing I find that putting so much pressure to finish something doesn't add to the work. I like to have all the ends tied up in my books and scripts and sometimes that does take a little more time. I have learned to be patient and realize slower might be better.

What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate?
I like to work with some noise in the background. Usually I have coffee and keep writing until I decide to take a break. Sometimes I lose focus but if I finish with a few good pages I'm satisfied..

How do you see the future of book publishing, both traditional, electronic, and print on demand?
I think the writing world has changed so much and writers have a lot more ways to publish their work and also to promote it. I think there will be a huge market for electronic publishing but I also think that there will always be new people deciding they like to hold the book or paper in their hand.

What do you recommend I do with all the things I wrote, but have never been able to bring myself to show anyone?
That's the good news about self publishing. Take all your projects out and look them over. If the topic seems good try to self publish. Papers in drawers often make great books. Some of the greatest stories were self published.

Visit Marsha Casper Cook at:
Author Website: http://www.michiganavenuemedia.com
Blog Address: http://agoodstoryisagoodstory.blogspot.com/

Blog Talk Radio's RFK:Stories for Children with hosts VS Grenier, D.M. Cunningham and Tiffany Strelitz Haber on Monday, December 20th - chatted with author, agent and host of "A Good Story Is A Good Story" Marsha Casper Cook about her books "Snack Attack," "The Magical Leaping Lizard Potion," "The Busy Bus" and what it has been like doing the World of Ink Author/Book Virtual Tour. Marsha will also be sharing agent and self publishing tips; along with the trials and tribulations of the writer's life.