My writing style, I've been told, has been described as "real and raw." My gift is to create true-to-life characters made of flesh and bone that grab you and take you on a wild ride throughout their story. I write what I know and feel ...
Question: Sandra, when did you write your first book? How did you get it published? How long did it take?
Sandra Lopez: I wrote my first book right after high school. I couldn't even imagine getting it published, but I thought, "what the hey? why not see if you spark an interest?" So I queried like 20 or 30 publishers. Most of them came back rejected, some didn't come back at all; then I got a call from the editor at Floricanto Press, who wanted to see the whole manuscript. I emailed it to him, and then three months later, I was offered a contract. It took about 2 1/2 years to go from manuscript to completed paperback. I became a published author before I graduated college.
Q: Which do you find leads you to your best writing: your triumphs or your tragedies? Do you write from joy or pain?
SL: I say a little of both. My writing style, I've been told, has been described as "real and raw." My gift is to create true-to-life characters made of flesh and bone that grab you and take you on a wild ride throughout their story. I write what I know and feel.
Q: Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
SL: A mixture of writers, really. Ever since I was a kid, I've always thought writers were so cool....I still think that. To this day, I become star-struck whenever I meet a new writer. I enjoy the works of my fellow Latino writers like Sandra Cisneros, Luis Rodriguez, and Gary Soto along with some newer faces in the industry like Sarah Rafael Garcia, author of 'Las Ninas: A Collection of Childhood Memories' and founder of Barrio Writers. But I also enjoy reading other stories like mysteries and horror--anything that sparks an interest in me. I'd like to say that I'm not a prejudiced reader. I read anything by anyone (Black, Asian, alien, whatever). If you have a good story made of characters that you can touch, then sign me up! And if it makes me laugh, all the better.
Q: What has been the most significant book you've read in your life?
SL: There hasn't been one significant book. I'd say that I've learned a little from every book I've read (the ones I thought were good, anyways.) What I've learned most of all is that there are no right or wrong answers in writing. The art of writing is like art in general. There are many different styles in art like, Realism, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Art, etc. There are many, many styles. And each masterpiece has a personal touch from the individual artist. Writing is just like that. A good work of fiction will not only have a well-developed plot and likable characters, but it will also have the writer's voice and personality. We need to be able to see the artist's heart and soul in the work; then it will be a masterpiece.
(C) Erin O'Riordan, http://www.erinoriordan.blogspot.com
Sandra Lopez: I wrote my first book right after high school. I couldn't even imagine getting it published, but I thought, "what the hey? why not see if you spark an interest?" So I queried like 20 or 30 publishers. Most of them came back rejected, some didn't come back at all; then I got a call from the editor at Floricanto Press, who wanted to see the whole manuscript. I emailed it to him, and then three months later, I was offered a contract. It took about 2 1/2 years to go from manuscript to completed paperback. I became a published author before I graduated college.
Q: Which do you find leads you to your best writing: your triumphs or your tragedies? Do you write from joy or pain?
SL: I say a little of both. My writing style, I've been told, has been described as "real and raw." My gift is to create true-to-life characters made of flesh and bone that grab you and take you on a wild ride throughout their story. I write what I know and feel.
Q: Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?
SL: A mixture of writers, really. Ever since I was a kid, I've always thought writers were so cool....I still think that. To this day, I become star-struck whenever I meet a new writer. I enjoy the works of my fellow Latino writers like Sandra Cisneros, Luis Rodriguez, and Gary Soto along with some newer faces in the industry like Sarah Rafael Garcia, author of 'Las Ninas: A Collection of Childhood Memories' and founder of Barrio Writers. But I also enjoy reading other stories like mysteries and horror--anything that sparks an interest in me. I'd like to say that I'm not a prejudiced reader. I read anything by anyone (Black, Asian, alien, whatever). If you have a good story made of characters that you can touch, then sign me up! And if it makes me laugh, all the better.
Q: What has been the most significant book you've read in your life?
SL: There hasn't been one significant book. I'd say that I've learned a little from every book I've read (the ones I thought were good, anyways.) What I've learned most of all is that there are no right or wrong answers in writing. The art of writing is like art in general. There are many different styles in art like, Realism, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Art, etc. There are many, many styles. And each masterpiece has a personal touch from the individual artist. Writing is just like that. A good work of fiction will not only have a well-developed plot and likable characters, but it will also have the writer's voice and personality. We need to be able to see the artist's heart and soul in the work; then it will be a masterpiece.
(C) Erin O'Riordan, http://www.erinoriordan.blogspot.com
