Welcome to the 5 Minutes Series. Each week, I’ll ask five questions of some of my favorite authors, editors, publishers, and other industry professionals. This week, I got to talk to multiple award-winning romance author (and cool person) Georgia Beers.
You are so super busy. How do you manage writing time along with everything else in your life?
It’s funny that you ask this question, particularly now, because I’ve been struggling a bit. My niece/more like my kid just gave birth to triplets. All boys. They join her 20-month-old daughter, so yeah, four grandbabies under the age of two. I moved last week to the same street so I can be closer and help out. I also lost my father in May and my sister and I have been dealing with handling his estate, emptying and selling his house, all that complicated emotional stuff that comes with losing a parent. I’ve been dealing directly or indirectly with three of the five major stressors in life, AND I’m trying to write a book! It has been a lot, and when I get stressed, my creativity takes a hiatus. So, I’ve had to force myself to sit down, try to clear my head of everything else, and just focus on the work. I think, for me, it comes down to: this is how I make my living. This is my job. The bills need to be paid, and if I plan on paying them, I need to sit my ass in the chair and write. Doesn’t hurt that it’s a job I love. Doesn’t hurt that I know how lucky I am to make a living from my writing. Sometimes, I need to take a moment and remember how much I adore this career, and that usually kicks things into gear.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I always think it would be invisibility, but then my self-esteem issues kick in and I think, “What if I heard somebody say something mean about me? It would break my heart.” So, I think maybe not that. Super strength would be cool, but I think I would go with the ability to talk to animals. I think we’d have some terrific conversations!
What advice would you offer to newer writers just starting out?
I would tell them to keep writing, not to worry so much, and to reach out to authors they admire. More often than not, an established writer will be happy to offer advice or guidance. They won’t necessarily have the time to actually read your work, but they’re usually very glad to offer advice to somebody new to the field. Believe in yourself. That can be a tough one but try. And just. Keep. Writing.
How important is LGBTQ representation for you in your books? Could you ever see yourself writing a book without any queer characters?
It’s THE most important thing in my books. It’s why I started writing in the first place, and it’s why I gravitated toward romance. When I was just coming out, I had no idea there were stories about people like me. Not a clue. When I found out there were, I couldn’t get enough! As a writer, I want to make sure no other queer person has trouble finding books where the main character in books, specifically love stories, are like them. I would never write a book with no queer characters because that would be a terribly unrealistic world to write about. Queer people are everywhere and it’s about time the world understood that. If I can help even a little, I’m very happy to pitch in. (Ed. Note. Georgia has often donated time to the GCLS Writing Academy as a mentor for emerging LGBTQ writers and we love her there!)
What are you working on now and when can we expect your next book?
I’m currently working on a new book that’s a bit of a twist on the fake relationship trope. It takes place on St. Kitts, so that research has been fun.
My next book is called Playing with Matches, which is a more traditional take on the fake relationship trope (don’t worry, there’s a book in between the two that has nothing to do with fake relationships!) and takes place in the Adirondacks, one of my favorite settings to write. It will be released in December.
Bonus question:
Have you ever taken a picture of a weird bird?
I have not, but it’s interesting that you ask because birds are a thing for me. I love them. I always have, and I come by that honestly, as I used to sit with my grandmother when I was young and look up birds in her bird book with her. I said earlier that I just moved, and I actually went from a townhouse to a regular house in the city. Well, the townhouse had an HOA and the HOA said “no bird feeders.” Boo to that, I say! So the first thing I did in my new house was put up a shepherd’s hook right outside my office window in my backyard, and as soon as I have a second to breathe, I am running to the Bird House to get seed and a couple feeders. I will do my best to take a picture of a weird bird then!
Georgia Beers can be found on the web here and her latest release, Playing with Matches can be found here.
Finnian Burnett 