I had the pleasure of interviewing horror author Lenore Butcher for my first author spotlight post. I will be featuring more authors in the months to come, many in the suspense/thriller/horror/mystery genres, but I plan to include other genres as well. Stay tuned…

Name/Pen Name: Lenore Butcher

Location: Woodstock Ontario (Canada)

Genres: My preferred genre can best be explained by the sentence, What is WRONG with you?”

Do you have a particular writing ritual when you sit down to work? If so, describe it.

I definitely still follow the ritual that I developed while involved with the Writers’ Flow group. I light a candle. I often have tea in a favourite mug nearby. I cannot listen to music that I am familiar with when I write because my writing session will quickly devolve into a one woman musical performance, featuring choreography, props and our cat as my unwilling co-star. If I listen to anything while I write, it’s either instrumental music or quite often I have podcasts going in the background as filler. I like to do something creative that’s not writing for the first few minutes of a session – colouring or doodling or sometimes I knit. It helps my brain transition into creative mode.

Do you write a) by hand, b) on a computer, or c) using dictation software or a combination of all 3? Do you use the same method for drafting and revision?

I write primarily on my computer and use it for revision as well. I do often scribble in notebooks at my writing groups and then type the result into my computer.

Do you write for what you think readers want or do you tend to be original and write what you enjoy, confident your ideal readers will find you?

I did try writing for market and found it very awkward and the result felt stilted and trite. I write what I’m moved to write and hope that my tribe finds me.

Do you belong to any writers’ groups? Any writing organizations? Or do you prefer to go it alone?

I am a member of the Writers Flow Alumni – we write virtually several times a week. I also belong to our local writers’ group here in Woodstock. We meet at the library monthly. I also belong to another monthly writing group that gets together one Saturday a month to write together and spend time discussing current writing trends. I’ve also gone on writing retreats with a number of different leaders and always appreciate the chance to meet other writers and share my work with a new audience.

Name your 3 favorite authors or your 3 favorite books. How did they influence you as a writer?

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourites. I’ve been lucky enough to be in a writing group with her and attend workshops that she’s developed. Her process is very much similar to my own.

Stephen King has always historically been a favourite as well.

From studying both Kelley and Stephen I developed the ability to write my first draft very fast.

Tobin Elliott is an emerging Canadian writer who is also a friend. His work is dark and visceral and you can’t look away. I admire his witty and disturbing prose. My husband uses the threat of telling Tobin I’m not working when I slack off my writing sessions.

If you could tell your younger writer self anything, what would it be?

I would tell myself to keep writing and to start submitting my work earlier in my career.

What does author success look like for you?

The best is when someone compliments my writing. I don’t think I’m seeking fame or fortune (although money is nice of course), but I do like hearing “You can really write”, “Your book is nasty fun,” or “No, seriously, what IS wrong with you?” (all feedback I have received on my work)

Do you write every day? If not, how many sessions do you aim for weekly? How long is your ideal writing session?

At the top of my weekly planner every week I write in capital letters “FIND A WAY TO WRITE EVERY DAY” as my reminder. I do like having a daily writing routine. My ideal session is probably ninety minutes to two hours long. Although my morning writing session before work is 45 minutes and it does seem to be enough time for me to get a significant amount of work done.

How do you balance writing, revising, editing, marketing and social media? Any tips you’d like to share?

I’m not great at balancing yet. This year I’m trying to alternate writing and revising – spending one month writing a book and the next month working on revisions. If I can get it working, by the end of the year I should have six books fully revised and ready to publish.

I have been working on developing my marketing and social media strategies but it’s a work in progress.

I’m far more efficient at writing than everything else. As I’ve already said, I’m a fan of that messy first draft. My mottoes are “Don’t get it right, just get it written” and “You can’t edit a blank page”. The best way to write is… to write. Sit down and start. When I’m drafting, if I find something I need to develop further or research, I mark it in red and keep going. I also sometimes use asterisks or square brackets to mark the spot so I can use the search function to find it more easily in revision.

Have you ever hidden something true inside a work of fiction? Why, or why not?

I think the best writers hide kernels of truth in everything they write.

Several years ago I worked as a ghost writer for a smallish Toronto press. They have long since folded their doors. I hid the phrase “axe murderer” in every work I turned in. I’m not sure if any of their books are still in circulation, but that’s a fun little scavenger hunt for you.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

The current plan is to be retired and traveling, but I will still be writing and hopefully publishing!

Lenore can be found online at:
https://www.lenorewrites.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/LenoreWrites
Her books can be found on her website and on Amazon.ca