Please help me give a big Hoosblog welcome to Debbie Manber Kupfer!
Debbie Manber Kupfer grew up in London. She has lived in Israel, New York and North Carolina and somehow ended up in St. Louis, where she works as a writer, editor, and a freelance puzzle constructor of word puzzles and logic problems. She lives with her husband, two children, and a very opinionated feline.
Okay, I don’t normally inject this soon in the interview, but I am VERY INTRIGUED by the freelance word puzzle constructor!
She is the author of the young adult fantasy series P.A.W.S., which features a secret institute of shapeshifters hidden deep beneath the Jewel Box in Forest Park, St. Louis. In addition, she has stories in several anthologies, including Fauxpocalypse, Stardust, Always, Winter Wishes, Sins of The Past and Sins of the Future, and is the editor of the Sins of Time anthology series. She has also published a book of puzzles, Paws 4 Logic, with her son Joey. She believes that with enough tea and dark chocolate you can achieve anything!
Tell us about your latest book.
COTULA, the fifth book of my P.A.W.S. Saga, is now on preorder and will release on August 6th. It’s a huge book – over 130K words – longer than anything I’ve written before.
Follow the Cotula. The stone will show you the way.
Rifka is lost, far away from home. Kidnapped by an insidious werewolf.
Far off in Manus Wu, a plan is set in place. An Old One sends colutae out into the world. These stones when brought together have the power to release Rifka. Yet does she truly want to go home?
Meet an empathic goat, a family of otters, a girl who loves to draw fairies, and a dragon in this new installment of the P.A.W.S. Saga.
Preorder Cotula!
Now for the fun stuff!
What’s your favorite genre? Do you read what you write?
Fantasy – and in particular fantasy that takes place in our world. I like to imagine that it’s all really out there if you know where to look. And yes I read what I write!
I love that idea. I don’t typically read fantasy, but of those I’ve read, I’ve most enjoyed the ones set in the real world.
What’s your favorite part about writing?
The “aha” moments when it all comes together. I’m a discovery writer. I rarely know exactly what’s going to happen in my books until my characters tell me. I love those moments when it comes clear.
I love that too! I’m an outliner through and through, but I still have those moments when everything magically clicks.
What’s the hardest part of writing for you?
Not getting distracted by the internet and in particular FB. In order to write I need to turn off my internet connection otherwise I would never getting any writing done.
I’ve been known to toss my phone across the room so I can’t see the notifications piling up…
What’s an activity unrelated to writing that you love?
Puzzles. When I’m not writing stories I write word and logic puzzles for magazines and my blog, Paws 4 Puzzles. I share this love with my son, Joey and we published a puzzle book (Paws 4 Logic) together.
That is so cool!!
Who’s your biggest cheerleader?
My good friend Larry. A writer too, he has been encouraging me for years and we beta read each other’s books. I doubt if I would have finished anything without Larry’s help and support.
I feel the same way about my writing friends. Having people who understand this writing thing cheering you on makes all the difference.
Now I’d like to play a fun little game called This or That. As a writer, I find that a lot of interviews ask the same questions, so I always appreciate sharing something new about myself. I’m super excited about these questions—and I hope you enjoy them!
Introvert or extrovert? Introvert (though I can pretend to be an extrovert at events, but then need a lot of downtime afterwards.)
Morning or night person? Used to be a night person, but as I get older I find it’s shifting and I do my best work in the morning before the kids get up!
Coffee or tea? TEA! I drink about a gallon of hot tea with milk every day. In fact I believe I need another cup now.
Sweet or salty? A little of both – I love dark chocolate but I also adore a good piece of sharp cheddar.
Eternal summer or four seasons? Can I just have two? Spring and Autumn would be nice. Not fond of extremes.
Mountains or beach? Honestly neither. I prefer on vacation to visit new cities. I like to people watch.
Dogs or cats? CATS!! I have two – Miri Billi Joe and Whiskey Boop – and cats figure in most of my stories.
Over 5’5” or under? Under.
Left or right-handed? Right.
Hoodie or yoga pants? Um – wouldn’t you wear those together?
Ooh, I could get behind the two season thing.
Anything else you’d like to add?
For anyone wanting to catch up on my P.A.W.S. Saga before Cotula comes out, the box set of books 1-3 will be on sale for just $4.99 throughout the month of July. Also all my P.A.W.S. Saga are free to subscribers of Kindle Unlimited. Order Now!
Debbie, thank you so much for spending this time with me and my readers. Readers, you can find Debbie at these links—and be sure to check out Cotula and the entire P.A.W.S series!
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter
If you missed the previous interviews, you can read them here.
