M. GARNET
M. GARNET
Books
M. GARNET
Muriel G. Yantiss writes under the pen name M. Garnet.
Her time owning an International Business gave her a hard view of life, but her farm family in Kentucky left her with a great humor to enjoy everything, bad and good.
Writing has allowed her to put these observations down and share with others, lacing each story with facts.
Living now in Florida with her daughter- and son-in-law, a dog, two cats and a Quaker Parrot she still ends most letters with – life is good.
She has many books published, so look for her other titles.
Q. DO YOU VIEW YOUR WRITING AS A KIND OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE?
A. Yes, as I find I must write all of the time. My stories are a part of me and it is important for me to share.
Q. WHEN YOU READ YOUR BOOK REVIEWS HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE BAD ONES?
A. I have a learned a lot from the bad ones. None of them have been terrible or insulting, but some have said my stories are too short, LOL. Others say they wished I had let a second character do more. So, I learned from the bad ones.
Q. HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDER WRITING UNDER A PSEUDONYM?
A. That is what I do as my full name is Muriel Garnet Yantiss. I use the M. Garnet in respect and honor for my mother and that is a long story.
Q. ARE YOU TRYING TO HAVE EACH BOOK STAND ON ITS OWN OR ARE YOU TRYING TO BUILD A BODY OF WORK WITH CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EACH BOOK?
A. I hate to pick up a book and then find out it is part of a series and I need to go back and read the first books to understand what is happening. What I do in my series is have each book as a stand-alone story. I do have a couple of series and am please that they help readers go back to others in the same sequence.
Q. DO YOU WRITE EVERY DAY? HOW MANY HOURS A DAY DO YOU WRITE?
A. I write on almost every day. When I am working on a novel, I will aim at getting over one thousand words done each day.
Q. HOW MUCH OF YOUR PERSONAL LIFE DO YOU INCORPORATE INTO YOUR WRITING OR DO YOU MAKE UP EVERYTHING?
A. I have been blessed with an unusual life, so I do incorporate pieces of actual events into some of my stories.
Q. HOW DO YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR READERS? DO YOU OFFER THEM A FREE BOOK? DO YOU OFFER THEM A NEWSLETTER?
A. I go to lectures and book signings and anyone that contacts me, I always respond and send back a free book. I love hearing from people and answer everyone.
Q. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE AUTHOR? CAN YOU TELL US WHY? EVERYTHING?
A. My favorite author is J. W. Ward. She has built a world using characters that have been written about a lot, but she has made the whole scenario completely different. Her mind is amazing.
Q. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. ARE YOU MARRIED? HAVE CHILDREN/GRANDCHILDREN? IS THERE A SPECIAL DOG/CAT/BIRD IN YOUR LIFE?
A. I am a retired Grandmother and am fortunate enough to live with my brilliant daughter in a very large comfortable home. I have a wing of the house to myself with a bedroom, bathroom and office. We take most evening meals together and share the cats. I am a divorced widow with a couple of interesting male friends and tons of unusual memories.
Q. ANY HOBBIES? DO THEY HELP YOU IN YOUR WRITING?
A. I also paint, watercolors and was had the honor of being award FIRST prize by the National League of America Pen Women for one of my paintings.
A. DID YOU JUST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER OR DID YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE THAT MADE YOU WANT TO START WRITING?
A. No, I always wanted to write and hid stories on the back of my computer until my family urged me to try to get one published.
Q. WHAT IS CURRENTLY LACKING IN OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION TODAY IN YOUR COUNTRY?
A. Reading – even reading on a computer would be a big help.
Q. HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THE TITLES FOR YOUR BOOKS?
A. They seem to just grow, but I have changed them a time or two, partway through writing a novel.
Q. WHAT DOES YOUR FAMILY THINK ABOUT YOUR WRITING?
A. I get great support from my family. My son-in-law will bring me in a meal when I am typing and when I go out to them with a word, I am stuck on it becomes a whole funny farm. I love my kids.
Q. IF YOU COULD PICK ONE OF YOUR BOOKS TO BECOME A MOVIE BLOCKBUSTER, WHICH BOOK WOULD THAT BE AND WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY THE CHARACTERS?
A. Killing with Love is a mystery that would make a good movie, but I’m not sure who I could pick to play the lead detective.
Q. WHEN WRITING DO YOU TRY TO GIVE YOUR READERS WHAT THEY WANT OR DO YOU GO FOR ORIGINALITY?
A. This is a terrible thing to say, but I write what I want. It is always a surprise to me and a reward when someone buys one of my books.
Q. HOW LONG, ON AVERAGE, DOES IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE A BOOK?
A. It takes me two to three months to write a novel, then another month to go back and edit it. Some are longer depending on how many words end up in the story.
Q. DO YOU OUTLINE YOUR BOOK BEFORE WRITING IT OR DO YOU JUST PLOT ALONG AND HOPE FOR THE BEST?
A. I am a pantser. I keep lots of notes as I go along and my note sheet will become as interesting as the story. I have a new 24” IMac with the latest programs and it all helps.
Q. HAVE YOU EVER GOOGLE YOURSELF? IF SO, WHAT DID YOU FIND THAT SURPRISED YOU?
A. How many times my name comes up, both as M. Garnet and as Muriel Garnet Yantiss, LOL.
Q. AN AUTHOR'S PATH IS NEVER EASY. WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?
A. I have to write or I would walk around talking to myself and they would lock me up. LOL
Q. HAVE YOU PUBLISHED IN A TRADIONAL WAY, OR SELF-PUBLISHED OR BOTH? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS METHOD?
A. I have been lucky and had publishers for my works without an agent.
Q. 47. WHAT IS YOUR WRITING KRYPTONITE?
A. I am terrible and edit very little out of my story when I go back through it. I always have a lot of corrections and some sentences to change or delete.
