Spotlight Interview with Author Mandy Steinfeldt Crane

Q1: Thanks for participating in our Authors.com Spotlight Interview series Mandy! Please introduce yourself and your book to help our readers get to know you.

A: Hello. My name is Mandy Steinfeldt Crane. I am from Eldora Iowa. I currently have two books that are published, At a Glance was published in March and On The bedroom Wall in September. The first is a simple love story that orginally was a high school English assignment that went above and beyond a short story. On The bedrroom Wall is a more complicated love story that is a three book series in order to tell the whole story. Some parts were taken right from my life.

Q2: Please explain how you came to be a writer, what inspired you to write your book(s) and how long it took.

A: If you would have asked back in high school if I wanted to be a writer I would have answered no lol. That would haven been the least of my choice of professions. It wasn't until I went to college to become a Registered Nurse. At out school, the Nursing program goes on a point system and while I was taking classes to increase my scores I had a little free time on my hands. It was in my English class that the idea of publishing came up. Just like in highschool we again had to write a short story. Well I thought why  not just dust the one I used back then. I did and my professor was so impressed with it She encouraged me to think about having it published. When I didnt get into the nursing program a third time I began to think really hard on her suggestion. I let a few friends and dad read my manuscript. And they all said the same thing as my teacher. So I thought I really dont have anything to lose. I  rewrote some parts, added new scenes, edited and revised it. Brought it up into todays world and when I was happy with the final copy. I sent it off. At a Glance was finally published in March. After that I fell in love with writing, editing, and illustrating. I love telling stories, creating new characters and taking  my readers on a journey. I  knew then that being an author was what I wanted to do. I then moved on to On the Bedroom Wall series. which is the one that I am most proud of.

Q3: What did you enjoy most about creating this book?

A.Creating new charaters, and taking my readers on a journey because some of what goes on in the book I took right from my own life. My father was also my co-author so working with him was an exciting and wonderful time. We work so great bouncing ideas off one another.

Q4: What facets of your life, both personal and professional, are  woven into your book, if any? 

A. I have OCD and through out my life I suffered from an anxiety and panic disorder as well as PTSD. So in a way I guess you can say that the main character could be me.

Q5. How did you get published?

A.I went online for publishing houses and found one.

Q6: Did you have any surprises or hiccups along the way during the  book writing and/or publishing process? 

A.Yes, you dont realize just how much money it costs to get published and when your on a fixed income getting a book published might seem like an impossible task. But dont give up. There is always ways of making it happen.

Q7: What one thing did you wish you'd known before you started this project?

A.How much time and energy and lack of sleep goes into writing.

Q8: You're a fly on the wall when readers are discussing your book.   What would you hope to hear them say about it?

A.I would hope that I would hear them say that they loved it. That it was worth reading and would recommend it to all their friends. That it made an impact.

Q9: Tell us one thing about you that most people don't know or  would surprise them.

A.That I also draw and did all the illustrations in both my books.

Q10: What single piece of advice would you give new authors?

A. That writing can be a difficult  career but rewarding if you have the patience, energy, focus and drive. You have to love what you do or it becomes a chore. and  lets not forget money it costs alot to get people to notice your books.

Q11: Share a short summary of a typical day in your life with us please.

A. My day consists of taking care of my husband who is right now recovering from foot surgery. When he's finished I turn my computer on and pull up my file. I will write for a couple hours. By that time it's dinner time and I take a break, cook, maybe clean, do laundry. in the afternoon I go back online checking messages, my social feeds, then its back to writing for another couple hours. After supper I might watch tv for a while but usually I'm back to my writing. I spend about half my day writing. I might sketch a picture to maybe use later in one of my books. But I'm constantly wiritng or revising or in deep conversations with my co-author.

Q12:  Describe where you do most of your writing. What would I see if I was sitting beside you? A.I have a desk in my dining room that I sit at. It is my makeshift office. You would see a big desk, my laptop, a book shelf and a turtle tank and headphones. On the wall, a poster of my book and two of my illustrations in frames.

Q13: What's your motto or favorite quote you like to live by?

A. Never give up on your dreams. Keep reaching for what you want and through hard work anything is possible. Never settle for anything less then your dreams.

Q14: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us in closing such as your website, an imminent book launch or what you're working on presently?

A.I am currently working on the second book in my Bedroom Wall series, That book is titled New Beginnings and the story just keeps getting bigger, I have gotten several 5 stars reviews for On the Bedroom Wall and I hope that I can make these next two books just as exciting and mind blowing.

Authors.com profile: http://www.authors.com/profile/MandySteinfeldtCrane

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