June 05, 2015

Blogger Interview with Sarah Foster


BLOG TOUR:

Confessions of a Watery Tart - Lines of Dialogue - Fill in the Blank

Tim Brannan - Liberty Sawyer Character Stats
Friday Night Videos


BLOG UPDATE: I made the background gray so it's not so harsh and softened the white font. I didn't make it too dark, though, because I have a hard time reading gray on black. Anyway...I hope the overall appearance is better. I think it is. :)

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Today I am featuring Sarah Foster for a blogger interview. On her blog, A Faux Fountain Pen, she shares her trials and tribulations in writing and life. She is sarcastic, fun, and honest. I enjoy her posts a lot. For the A to Z Challenge, she offered awesome advice on how to name characters. Check out her interview below and then hop on over to her blog. :)


1. Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging in 2011. I was going through a whole bunch of transitions at once. I had just graduated college and was trying to find a job and a new place to live. On top of that, I was figuring out what I wanted to do with my writing, because I had always known that I wanted to be a writer and it was what I went to college for. Blogging just seemed like the next step. I knew it would be a good idea to create an author presence online even if I didn’t have anything published yet, and hopefully it would motivate me to keep writing.

2. I also started my blog when I didn't have anything published. How did you come up with The Faux Fountain Pen as your blog title?

It was a phrase I used in my first blog post because I was writing with one of those disposable fountain pens, and faux just sounded better. It also felt right in a symbolic way for what I thought my blog was going to be. It was like, I have no idea what I’m doing but I’m just going to fake it and keep writing.

The Faux Fountain Pen! :D
3. I love the story behind your blog's title! What was your very first blog post?

My first blog post was called “Full Circle.” I had written fiction since I pretty much knew how to write up through my first year of college, but then I gave it up and wrote only poetry until my last semester. But I took one last fiction course and wrote a short story that just would not leave me alone. I decided I had to turn it into a novel. So it felt like my journey into fiction writing had come full circle, but a brand new journey was just beginning.

4. I know Jordan, your muse and MC, likes to take over your blog every now and then. Can you tell us about him and what he likes to talk about?

Jordan took on a life of his own pretty much the second I started writing his story. I used to joke that he was trying to break out of my brain because it would physically bother me not to be writing. As a character, he’s actually very manipulative, but as a muse, he’s pretty much all sass all the time. For the most part he talks about muse-related things, like finding inspiration, character development, and other types of writing advice. Or he’ll just talk about himself. Actually, the latter probably happens more often.

5. You recently hosted a blog hop: The Muse Party Blogfest. (Which was a load of fun, by the way.) What possessed you to do a blog hop just after A to Z? And how did you get the idea?

Because I’m a crazy person! The idea had actually been floating around in my head for a while, and since my fourth blogging anniversary was coming up at the end of May, I thought it was the perfect time. A milestone is a great time to throw a party, right? I know I’m not the only writer who has a personal connection with their muse, so I thought it would be fun to invite everyone to a virtual party and get all of these crazy characters together. It turned out to be a lot of fun!



6. Happy Blogiversary! This is the perfect time to ask...What do you love most about blogging?

I really love connecting with other bloggers. It’s great to read what other people have to say and get a lot of great writing advice. And I just love putting my own thoughts out there and getting feedback. If I’m struggling with something, they can offer advice, or if I write something silly they’ll tell me that they enjoyed it. It’s just a great feeling to put a piece of writing out there and get a response to it. And getting to know all of the awesome bloggers, too!

7. What are the top 5 most-viewed posts on your blog?
1. Making Sure Readers Get I 
2. How Do We Deal with Fear?
3. The Muse Party Blogfest! 
4. Grabbing a red pen in the dark… 
5. How Accurate Do You Need to Be? 
8. Share your number one tip to bloggers just starting out.

Don’t get discouraged if it takes a long time for anyone to actually look at your blog, and definitely don’t give up. The best thing you can do is visit as many other blogs as you can. Most of the people out there are kind enough to return the visit. Eventually you’ll start building connections and getting more traffic on your own blog.


Hyper Round:

1. Favorite time to post blogs? Morning, by 9 AM usually
2. Blogger or Wordpress? Blogger!
3. Do you host guests? Mostly blog tours, but yes!
4. Where are you when you’re blogging? Sitting on my bed



BIO:

I’ve been writing since I was 8, letting my writing grow up with me from children’s books to YA to Adult. As of now, I’m still unpublished. I’ve been working on my novel Uneven Lines since 2011, and hopefully someday you’ll get to read it. Sometimes I write poetry, if the muse isn’t hogging my attention. I’m 27 and live in a studio apartment with my stand-up comedian fiancĂ© and my cat Gizmo. If you browse through my blog, you’ll definitely come across Jordan—he’s the 15-year-old narrator of my novel and my muse/the annoying voice in my head/the third love of my life. Mostly I write about…well, writing!

Blogger Links:


Thank you for chatting with me, Sarah! I’d love to have you back.

Please leave a comment for Sarah! :)


54 comments:

  1. Thanks for interviewing me, Chrys!!!

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    1. You're welcome!! And thank you for agreeing to be interviewed! :D

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  2. Great interview! I had wondered about Sarah's blog title. It's a fun story. And definitely great advice to get the blog set up in advance of releasing any books.

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    1. I figured I wasn't the only one curious about her blog title. :)

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    2. It's actually been so long since I came up with it that I hadn't thought about its origin in a long time!

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  3. Fun interview...Sarah's blog is great, and I LOVE those faux fountain pens—especially the purple ones!

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    1. Her blog is great. :) I've never owned a faux fountain pen before. Not even a purple one! :\

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    2. Thanks, M.J.! I have been known to make a lot of impulsive colored pen purchases...

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  4. Jordan is all sass.
    Sarah is very real and honest on her blog, which is cool.
    And had fun with her blogfest even though I don't have a muse.

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    1. Thanks, Alex!
      I occasionally call him sassafras and he's not very fond of it...

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  5. I enjoyed hearing how your blog got its name. And I like for my posts to go up in the morning, too.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and leaving Sarah a comment, Madeline! :)

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    2. It's nice to get it out of the way in the morning, otherwise I would procrastinate all day! :)

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  6. Great blog name story! It's a lot of fun hearing where blogs originate from.

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    1. I usually have a hard time coming up with titles so it was nice to have the blog name come so easily to me.

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  7. Nothing wrong with being crazy lol very true, it does take time to build a following indeed

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  8. I like how Sarah named her blog. I sit in my recliner usually to blog rather than my office. Happy blogging birthday.

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    1. I wish I had an office. Actually, I wish I had two rooms (studio apartments are lame!).

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  9. Sarah, this was a great insight into your background and style. I like your blog story; I've always been a fan of biographical posts.

    Thanks, Chyrs!

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    1. I'm glad you liked Sarah's interview, Cherdo. :)

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  10. Great interview. I missed the Muse blogfest, but it looked like a lot of fun.

    Chrys - your blog is a lot easier on my eyes now. It never occurred to me to mention it, but I like it a lot better now :-)

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  11. Wonderful interview! I loved learning about your writing journey, the start of your blog, and your blog name. Very cool! :)

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  12. Fun interview. Like the story behind Sarah's blog name.

    Chrys, the color changes on the font is MUCH better. I can read it much easier. My eyes thank you.

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    1. YAY! I am super glad. I apologize to everyone whose eyes I hurt.

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  13. Terrific interview! That's great advice to give new bloggers. It does take a while but it's well worth it. Have a lovely weekend, Sarah and Chrys! :)

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  14. Oh, this is where that muse thing came from!

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  15. Thanks for a great interview, ladies. So nice to meet you, Sarah. One day we'll be reading your stories. Have a nice weekend.

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    1. Thanks for leaving Sarah a lovely comment, Beverly! :)

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  16. Hi Chrys and Sarah,

    That was a lot of fun, informative interview. Always fascinates to see how people, even bloggers, formulate their blogs and why they do a blog in the first place.

    It's a delight to meet Sarah. Of course, when it comes to blog hippety hoppety stuff, I just go argggghhh!, make them STOP! Sorry about that, but I feel better! :)

    Sarah, I've never got discouraged about my blog. It's over eight years old and remains a well-kept secret, I state, ever so modestly.

    Chrys, your blog background looks like one of those shades of grey I keep hearing about....

    Thanks for highlighting Sarah. All the best.

    Gary :)

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  17. Great blog title. I created my current blog during a time of transition. We do have that urge to connect with others and blogging is a great way to do that.

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  18. Good interview, Chrys and I do like the name of Sarah's blog, "The Faux Fountain Pen"

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  19. Nice to meet you , Sarah! I love that you have a 15 YO Male as your muse and second voice :) So much fun. I will check out your blog. It sounds fantastic. Writing a novel is quite the undertaking. I have 2 that I've shelved but won't give up on. Thanks Chrys, for sharing this lovely writer with us. The site looks great with the grey color.

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    1. I'm glad you like the grey background, Lisa, and enjoyed getting to know Sarah. :D

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  20. I always have the hardest time naming characters. I need to go back and read her posts on that!

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  21. Hi, Chrys! Hi, Sarah! My fourth blogging anniversary was in May, too. :)

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    1. Congratulations and happy blogiversary to you, Carrie! :D

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  22. I've always liked finding out the reasons behind a blogger's blog name.

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  23. It's nice to get to know bloggers, why they started, and how they got from point A to where they are now. Interesting to know the reason behind the name. Jordan cracks me up.

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    1. I'm glad you like my blogger interviews, TB! :D

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  24. Nice to meet you Sarah Foster. I think I'm a similar writer, never published, but love to write no matter what. I even have my own unpublished series.

    Chrys, another great interview. I found myself going over my blog and answering the same questions you asked to myself. That means the interview was engaging and I wondered how I'd answer. Keep up the good work, and I like the look of your blog. But I always have, even before the changes.

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    1. That's awesome, Jeffrey! No one ever said that before. One day I just might interview you about your blog. :D

      And thank you!

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    2. I'll wait patiently at the back of the line. LOL

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    3. Oh no, not the back of the line, but definitely early next year. I have ideas for who I want to interview for the upcoming months. If they let me, of course.

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