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86 responses to “*Author Interview* featuring T.S. Krupa {author of “Safe & Sound”} Starting at 5:30pEST this post will be a LIVE Author Q&A!

    • To all my subscribers, readers, and followers, as well as all the lovely newcomers who arrived on Jorie Loves A Story for the *very!* first time today, THANK YOU! You have warmed my heart by your gracious response to my very first *live!* Author Q&A event! This gives me positive hope about hosting these events in the future!

      I want to thank Ms. Krupa & Ms. Bauer for their wonderful lovely conversations which are knitted together in the comment threads & for giving us such a wonderful evening!

      I will be in touch with Ms. Krupa about new comments coming in, so please do not worry if you were late or couldn’t make it today! Read all the comments, respond where your lead to add a note, & she will be back to answer you!

      Thank you and goodnight!

    • I’ll plug you further… ;) TS is SUPER active on social media, so make sure to connect with her on these sites:

      Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TSKrupaAuthor
      Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TS_Krupa
      Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/TSKrupa

      Thanks again for hosting this, Jorie. So much fun and such an honor to be a part of your inaugural LIVE Blog Chat! Can’t wait for your review and hopefully we’ll be able to come back for future events!

      xoxo
      Cait

    • Hey Chrissy!
      I think this book has helped me grow as a person because it pushes my boundaries. I once read you should do something everyday that scares you. This book did that for me. It forces me out of my comfort zone – meeting new people, talking about myself and the book and sharing my ideas and stories. Every story line I have I think can people relate or will they think I’m crazy.

      I am hoping the next project will be out by the end of the year but we will see how life goes!!

    • Ms. Huffman,

      Thank you for dropping by my first-ever *LIVE!* Author Q&A! I am thankful that you arrived whilst Ms. Krupa was still here responding to reader Questions! I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised by Krupa’s response and I encourage you read through all of the comments in this thread as you will gain more insight into not only her writing style but more delicious future book news!! :) Blessings & Happy Reading!

    • Hallo Ms. Krupa!

      I am thrilled to bits to be hosting your *LIVE* Author Q&A! As you can see a lot of lovely bookish souls dropped by early to post a Question! I am quite thrilled to see early arrivals & look forward to seeing where the conversations organically go from here! Thank you for coming & I’m quite excited in return!

      • Ms. Krupa,

        You’re doing divinely well! :) You’ve been responding back to everyone’s Questions, and a few returned to ask a bit more past what you initially said in reply! I’ve been allowing them to come back & then, took up a bit of time to reply myself as I didn’t want to miss out on all the fun either! :) I think you & I are passing each other up/down the comment threads!

        I am overjoyed in pure happiness for you right now!!

    • Ms. Bauer & Ms. Krupa,

      You’re quite welcome, but I’ve been giving you both the credit today for envisioning how to pull this event together! :) Somewhere in our planning conversations everything connected, so this was definitely a collaborative blog event where I know Ms. Krupa & her readers have benefited! And, yes, outside the scope of tweeting *blogs!* have the lovely ability to be a flowing conversation w/o word counts! And, quite a bit easier to locate after the event, as everything is *archived!* right here on the post! Especially in case readers will drop by after it concludes & want to add a note or reply! :)

  1. Amy Hypnarowski

    Whenever I’m writing, I feel like there’s always that one line, or that one paragraph that just doesn’t read as I see it in my head. I feel like I change and edit it a dozen times before I finally get what I want written in front of me. Can you remember a line, paragraph, or chapter that you found yourself in the same situation? How did you overcome that “mind to paper” block?

    • Thank you for dropping by Ms. Hypnarowski,

      I love interacting with writers, and I am so happy to see you’ve found this wicked event with Ms. Krupa today! A keen observation of how ‘writer’s block’ first evolves and can grab a hold of you to where overcoming it is a bit dicey! I look forward to Krupa’s response! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • Amy! It’s a great question and it happens all the time. I find sometimes it’s best to move on to another section and come back to it once you have slept on it. But yes, chapter 25 in the book was not there when I first read the manuscript but I felt like there was this gap and I was missing something and it wasn’t conveying the message I wanted so after re-reading the sections over and over I decided to add a chapter and it turned out to be my favorite. Another piece of advice I got was to read it outloud to yourself and sometimes that helps you work through the wording. Sounds simple but I would have never thought of it!

    • Ms. Hypnarowski,

      I completely agree with Ms. Krupa, because I have experienced this myself and taking a step back is sometimes the best ‘medicine’ for your stories & characters! I try to read aloud, but oft times find if another pair of eyes look over the section I struggle with the most, they might see what I’ve turnt blind to see for myself!?

    • Thank you for dropping by Ms. O’Brient,

      I am tickled to peaches seeing readers & appreciators of Ms. Krupa’s debut novel arriving in time to participate in her JLAS Live Author Q&A! Thank you for being a part of this special event! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • Marie that is so sweet!! I actually just drafted my next book and I am looking to start writing it mid-May and my hope would be to have it out late fall/end of the year but will all depend on editing/publishing etc. Writing is fluid so I hope it goes as planned!!

    • Oh, my goodness!

      Ms. Krupa this means your going to *release!* potentially *two books!* in 2014! Now, that is what I call *Author Newsflash!* for her readers!! :)

  2. Laryssa

    Hi TS! You pursued your dream of releasing this book, which I am loving by the way. A lot of people, including myself, know following your dreams takes tons of courage. What inspired you to take the leap and keeps you inspired to keep writing?

    Wish you all the best!
    Laryssa

    • Thank you for dropping by Ms. Laryssa,

      Such a happy delight in finding readers of “Safe & Sound” dropping by for Ms. Krupa’s live blog event! A most happy day indeed for the author! I love your Question as it goes to the heart of what drives all of us to create & to be bold enough in our beliefs of pursuing our dreams! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • Laryssa,

      Great question!! It was and is SO scary!! I’m not gonna lie I did debate about not releasing it but my family encouraged me otherwise. What finally did it for me was I saw all these other people doing what I wanted to be doing and I finally said to myself ‘why not me?’ I mean really? Why can’t I be doing that? That really set me on my path and I would encourage you to take that leap!

    • Ms. Krupa,

      I think that is one issue a lot of writers face: taking that bold leap into the unknown and being brave enough to give their stories & novels the wings to fly! Readers are more accepting than I think some fear they might not be, and especially for emerging writers, I am finding the market is quite open to new voices! :)

  3. Sam

    First of all, congratulation Ms Krupa! Then, I’d like to know if you can recommend any good text on creative writing or literary writing in general. Thanks a lot!

    • Thank you for dropping by Sam,

      I love how many writers are dropping by today! I was especially hopeful writers on the path towards publication &/or writers aspiring to publish once their stories were ready for an audience might alight & ask Questions of Ms. Krupa! You picked a solid topic to broach! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • Sam,

      Before I do my question would be what are you looking to get out of it? Sometimes if you try to be too technical or follow the rules it gets in the way of being creative. My advice would be to sit down and just write with abandon and then go back and see if you need to edit/revise to fit a genre or type you are looking for. Good luck!!

    • Thank you for dropping by Ms. Meyer,

      I am enjoying the Questions concerning the craft of writing, as I oft find this adds a special dimension to the story we’ve recently read. To step inside the writer’s world & see the story created through their eyes! Brilliant! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • Renne,

      Thank you, that is so kind of you!! So my timeline was very quick and I recognize that it is not typical by ANY means. So I finished writing around the first of September and Safe & Sound was published on January 1st of this year. It’s really a crazy timeline and I don’t expect the next one to be as quick.

    • Holy Speed, Batman!!! That is insanely fast. I’m impressed.

      When did you actually start the process of writing this story? Curious as to what the entire timeline looked like from start to finish.

    • I started thinking about the idea of the story late in 2012. The idea resurfaced in June 2013. I started writing in July and was done with the first draft by the first of September. **Disclaimer** I know this is SO unusual and that it can take years to write a book. For me this book came together quickly. It probably won’t always be that way. I have had writer’s block before when writing school papers/projects and it an really set you back days, weeks if not months so this was a very special project for me!

    • Ms. Meyer,

      I was quite impressed myself on two counts: the dexterity of speed for writing “Safe & Sound” and how quickly her next release has the potential of hitting the bookshelves! Whoa! Ms. Krupa is surely in the ‘writing flow & the muse is on her side!’ :) I am celebrating alongside her as she shares all this wonderful news with her readers today!

    • Gosh I wish!! Right now I work full time so I need to be realistic but I would love to be able to put out more (sooner rather than later) so that people can enjoy them. Thank you so much for liking Jill’s story and being part of this crazy journey for me which is Safe & Sound!

    • You all give me too much credit. I have been in school a very long time just having finished my doctorate degree. I have been writing academically for years with papers and my dissertation. Writing novels and stories is like dessert for me and comes very naturally. If there are people who continue to enjoy my stories, I will continue to share my crazy ideas!!

    • Ms. Krupa,

      I think we simply recognise that you are found a beautiful niche of where you can balance your studies, your personal life, & your creative muse. Its not always easy to find the tranquility to create & write whilst you are juggling such a lot on your plate; but for whichever reason, your writings spilt out of the ink well without an obstacle to forestall them & I think that proves your arriving in your season for story-telling! All those stories you appreciated creating as a child & the stories you loved to read were bubbling in the background awaiting to release your own written voice! And, that is something worth celebrating!

    • Thank you for dropping by Ms. Erin,

      Another excellent Question to enquiry about Ms. Krupa’s writing life & craft of story-telling! I am thinking we have writers alighting on JLAS today! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • Erin,

      Great question! I’m not really big into drafting (my English teachers are cringing right now) I like to sit down and write and see where the story takes me. For this story, I had developed Jill and Jay in my mind before I sat down. Also I had originally thought there would be just one friend to support Jill. But when I started writing I saw a need for two friends. All the other characters came as the story developed and there showed a need for it. As I develop my next story I see the same pattern occurring. So to answer your question, the main characters come first, the supporting characters come with the story.

    • Ms. Erin & Ms. Krupa,

      I must confess, I’m a writer who writes the same way,.. I’m an organic writer who loves to see where the story is going to knit together out of where the characters are leading me to go next! I never outline, but sometimes I do a bit of ‘character sketching’ to get a semblance of an idea of whom I’m going to be sitting down with and listening to their story! I love the discovery of seeing where the pattern emerges, which Krupa spoke about!

    • Thank you for dropping by Ms. Krystyna,

      I am happily delighted to have you today for this wicked sweet event! Ah, alas, you are anxious for her next release! Ms. Krupa will be most thrilled! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • Hi! Thanks for the great question. My next book is story about a mother and daughter relationship through struggles of being a single parent and the daughter pursuing her own dreams. It takes them on a journey together with some unexpected (as always) obstacles.

    • Yes! I think there will always be a romantic aspect/relationship in my stories because at heart I am a romantic and that is what I love to read. I do caution that I don’t know if every story will have a happy ending.

    • Ms. Krupa,

      I am most delighted to hear your going to spotlight a single Mum! In fact, this news warms my heart over tenfold!! Especially if you saw my little notation about ‘adoption’ in my lower right sidebar!? I look forward to adopting & as I plan to adopt ahead of marriage, I’ll be a single Mum! :) Hmm,… the depth you can give your character is going to be amazing to see develop! :)

      I concur with Ms. Bauer, a happy ending per se doesn’t have to be the fulfillment of a tangible and plausible love; remember how “Under the Tuscan Sun” ended!? She received all of her life’s dreams & blessings, but not in the ways in which she dreamt!?

    • Jorie,

      That is amazing! My goal in writing to be able to tell realistic stories but never to tell the same story twice. I don’t want to fall into a mold that is predictable and I found many people tell me at the end of this novel…I didn’t see XYZ happening. I liked that. I didn’t want people to read ten pages and know how it was going to end!

    • I think that’s the thing I love most about your work, TS. I said it in my review, and I’ll say it again: It was refreshingly and surprisingly realistic, as well as romantic without being overly sappy. You tackled an extremely tough subject without alienating the reader. I was genuinely surprised (pleasantly) at how unpredictable your story was. I kept saying to husband: “Oh, this is gonna happen. I totally know how this goes.” Then it didn’t. It was SO refreshing. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good predictable romantic read, like the rest of us do. BUT it was so exciting to be kept on the edge of my seat with your story. I know I’ll never get the same thing twice from you, which definitely makes me want more. :)

    • Ms. Krupa,

      I think you’ve broken the mould for publishing simply by stepping outside of the traditional box to become published! I still remember when I spoke to you ahead of this Interview & Author Q&A about the publisher you choose to align with and in that story you shared, I saw that you are a rebel with a cause! You like to push outside the known envelope and give people something to think about. Your carving out your own path & that is something I will always rally behind because it shows your heart leading you! And, in writing, if we are writing by heart we are empowering our own creativity in return!

    • Jorie

      I have never been called a rebel…LOL…but you are right in the fact that I don’t like to wait for the traditional methods. I have always done things differently but get to the same result as others. I think people should do it more often.

      • Wells, Ms. Krupa,

        I wasn’t using the word ‘rebel’ in the traditional sense, but as a mark of a measure of someone taking the reins of their dreams by the horns & finding their own true path rather than settle for conventional methods &/or waiting periods! :) I think that takes a rock steady charisma of character & a determined spirit of saying, “Here I am world: I am a Writer!” :) And, your debut I believe has made quite the landing in the book world!

    • Hallo, Hallo Ms. Bauer,

      OOh, a most excellent Question, indeed! I love gaining little insights into where a writer feels most encouraged to compose their stories! Happy to have you here today! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • Thanks Caitlin!! Ideally, it would be the beach. Realistically, it’s my office at home! I like to work in the evening in a darkly lit room. If it’s too bright, I start to think about what I could be doing in the house or outside…I need to avoid distractions!

    • Ms. Krupa & Ms. Bauer,

      My own heart murmurs an echo longing to be near the rugged coast & ocean! There is something quite convincing of settling near the sea, hearing the foghorns & listening to the choppy waves crashing onto the shores! I love the aching passion of seafaring life & the way in which the oceans used to bring our trade and livelihoods to our townes! There is an enriched history with the ocean & part of that I think can be felt in our own hearts. Those of us connected to the seasons & to the cycles of Earth will always become drawn to the sea, I think! :)

      A lovely spot to create,… the inspirational well would never cease!

    • I truly believe there is something magical about the ocean. To be cliche there are endless possibilities and each wave brings something different…sorry I can get cheesy (something I have to work to avoid in my writing)!!

    • Thank you for dropping by Ms. Teresa! :)

      Welcome to my first *live* reader & author blog event! Oh, now that is an interesting Question to propose for Ms. Krupa! Eager to see how she responds! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • I will be honest I wrote that at the request of my publisher. I was happy with the way it ended but they wanted a little more. I’m glad I did it because I get a lot of requests for sequels and that extra bit helps readers find closure!

    • Huh… interesting! Would never have guessed. YES–as an avid series reader, it definitely was nice to get a little extra treat. Although, I absolutely adored the way you finished the story. That last page felt like the neat little bow on a present.

    • Ms. Krupa,

      Do you think in the second printing (or which is next in line) the ‘extra’ chapter might appeal in subsequent editions of “Safe & Sound” as to work as a proper Epilogue!? I know I am generally the reader who can feel a bit let down if certain aspects of story threads are left too auspicious and vague! Not always, but there are moments you get so caught up in the characters’ lives you are on absolute pins with worry about how certain aspects of their lives knitted together OR were left a bit unresolved!? Depending on the story?!

    • Jorie,

      Yes I think if there is a second printing it will probably be included. I should also point out that the e-book version and printed version have one difference. The e-book does not have the full poem that is in the book. We couldn’t secure the copy-right in time for the e-book. I hope to eventually update that as well.

  4. Jen

    Question for t.s krupa… Are you always in writer mode? Ex. Like at the airport, out to eat, or while on facebook and such; when you see a real life ‘scene unfold’ do you automatically start a mini novel in your head and contemplate its potential? Or does an idea just pop out of the sky for inspiration?

    • Thank you for dropping by Ms. Jen! :)

      I am thrilled to bits you’ve arrived early today to ask your Question for Ms. Krupa! I know she’s going to be delighted when she sees you’ve enquired about her writer’s life! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • Wow! Great question. I am not always in writer mode. I find inspiration in random places and usually at 3 o’clock in the morning when I can’t sleep. I find clarity for my ideas when I am running or daydreaming (happens more than I care to admit). I’m glad I’m not always ‘on’ otherwise I couldn’t enjoy everything around me.

      That being said, I do write it all down so I don’t forget about the idea when I need it.

    • Ms. Krupa,

      Night owls like us will always find ourselves wide-eyed and bushy tailed in the wee hours of the morn, fervently attempting to jot down this or that and then, whilst in our ‘regular’ waking hours or the next early morning we sort out where everything ‘fits’ and carry-on the story! :) Oh, how I can relate! I always wonder, why does my inspirational clock tick into being ‘after midnight’!? What was wrong with the late afternoon!? Laughs.

    • I was about to add that I typically am ‘always’ with my characters & stories, as I’m a ‘think-writer’ to where my thoughts align back into my fictional world a bit more than most, as its simply how my method of craft works. There are times though where I too, like those ‘off-moments’ where you can be left alone with your own thoughts and not always have to work out a struggle of a character OR a piece of the story which doesn’t quite as fit into where you wanted to take it!

    • Thank you for dropping by Ms. Victoria! :)

      I am excited to have you here today in celebration of my first *LIVE* Author Q&A! :) You were the first to alight and post a question for Ms. Krupa! I do hope you’ll be able to duck back & enjoy the conversation once it gets underway! Blessings & Reading blissitudes!

    • Victoria,

      Yes this time I did write about the perfect life or the idea of the perfect life. It plays into our stereotype of being the ‘American Family’ with two children, big house, white picket fence etc. This was Jill’s idea of a perfect life and some of it didn’t turn out the way she wanted. Does that help?

    • Ms. Krupa,

      I like how you tackled a seemingly ‘typical’ story arc, but added a bit of intrigue and unexpected drama to unfold for your main character! You gave it a dimension that takes it out of the regular fold of romance & gives it a bit of a heartier edge! :) A bit more real than a pre-conceived idea of how a happy ending can be stitched from the on-set premise! :) Love that!

    • Jorie.

      That is kind! I think you and Caitlin have said it better than I could ever have. I love to read fiction like Harry Potter for example but I could never come up with a magical land and made up words. For me writing is something that could possibly happen…maybe happen to someone right?

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