Twin Opinions: Author Interview: Alicia Kobishop

Name and/or pin name: Alicia Kobishop

Books written: The Fine Line

Home country or state: Wisconsin, USA

Bio: Alicia Kobishop, who was born, raised, and currently resides in the greater Milwaukee, WI area, is a happily married mother of 2 young children. Her formal employment history lies in administrative health care, and medical billing. She is the author of The Fine Line, a new adult contemporary romance.

Questions & Answers

1. Who inspired you to become an author? All the amazing indie authors out there, who have paved the way for new writers like me. Other than that, my husband has always been my biggest inspiration and supporter. About a year and a half ago, I started reading like crazy, and often pondered the idea of writing. When I mentioned to him one day that I wanted to write a novel, he instantly became my greatest source of encouragement. He believed I could do it before I did!

2. What is the first book you remember reading? "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls sticks out in my mind from my childhood. I had to read it for class, and loved it so much that I bought my own copy and re-read it several times.

3. Do you have a favorite character that you have written so far or one you relate to most? and Why? (I know its a hard one) I would say my favorite character is Liv from The Fine Line because she is a girl who has experienced loss, but doesn't mope around, and still knows how to have fun. She's stubborn, but also cares about people. She learns a lot about life and love in the book and it was interesting for me to watch per personality unfold as I wrote the story.

4. What authors or genres inspire you most? Jamie McGuire, Colleen Hoover, Abbi Glines. I love reading their books, and they are all incredible, successful writers. I love contemporary romance.

5. Do you have any future books for us to look forward to or big news you want to share with us? I am currently writing, but have no set release dates yet. I'm working on a few different projects and hope to have something out by the end of the year.

6. Any advice for those of us who want to take the leap into writing or publishing ourselves? In my opinion, it's important to take it step by step, focusing primarily on the task at hand. First, complete your manuscript. Next, polish it, so that it's the very best it can be. Then, utilize beta readers (only use friends/family for this if they can give you honest constructive criticism), and have it professionally edited. It's so sad to see great stories being criticized for bad grammar or punctuation. From there, decide if you'd prefer to query an agent, or self publish. There are a vast amount of online articles on writing and publishing. My best advice would be to Google (and research) every question you may have, so that you can make an educated decision on what the best way to move forward is--for you personally.

7. How old were you when you started writing? I started writing fictional stories about a year ago. Before that, my writing consisted of professional letters and emails. However, if you speak to my mother, she will tell you I've always been drawn to creative writing, and when I think about it, she is absolutely right.

Ok now for the silly stuff

1. What are some of your hobbies out side of writing and reading? I love spending time with my kids and husband. It doesn't really matter where we are, or what we're doing, they always have a way of making me smile. I also love traveling.

2. Favorite Movie: Titanic and The Notebook are tied for my favorite (What can I say? I'm a sucker for love stories.)

Favorite Book: Beautiful Disaster

Favorite Author: Jamie McGuire

Favorite Song: It changes frequently. At the moment I'm loving XO by Beyonce.

Favorite Actor/actress: This also changes frequently. I'll say Michael C. Hall because I recently watched the entire Dexter series on Netflix and was madly addicted to it!

Dream Car: You'd think it would be a '69 mustang. But that would be Logan Tanner's answer. :) Hmmm, maybe a Lexus?

3. Do you have a current book boy friend? If so who is He? I don't think I've ever gotten over Kellan Kyle from the Thoughtless series. Now that I'm writing, I don't read as much as I used to, and he was my last big, major, gushing crush.

4. Most embarrassing moment (that you are willing to share)?

First, let me tell you my thought process on this question. As I visualized all the embarrassing moments I've had--and there have been many--my brain said this: "Haha--nope can't say that! LOL--darn, that one's too inappropriate! Teeheehee--shoot, can't use that one either! Yikes--that one's too sad." Like I said--there have been many. :)

Here's a good one: While attending a bachelorette party, three other girls and I decided to ride the "bucking red pepper" at the Mexican restaurant we started our night at. I was the last girl--on the tail end of the pepper. Someone popped the quarter in before I was ready, and the pepper started bucking. I flew upward, then crashed down on it, immediately understanding how men must feel when they get kicked--you know where. The pepper bucked some more and I fell on the floor. The other girls came to my rescue, and helped me up. I laughed it off and ignored the giggles & stares from the other restaurant-goers, but it took a while for the pain to go away!

5. Favorite place to travel? It's a tie between Nashville and Vegas.

6. What book are you currently reading or just read? I'm in the middle of Twilight. Better late than never, right?!