Natasha, the brains behind Sweet and Sassy Reviewz blog, is hosting an event and I have the privilege of leading it off. For a chance to win a signed paperback of Night of the Purple Moon, just go to http://facebook.com/authorscottcramer and leave a wall post. The winner will be chosen randomly and then contacted through Facebook.

Now for my interview with Natasha:

When did you start writing?

And when did you become an author?

I started writing poetry in college. Then I wrote short fiction pieces. Then I made a modest income as a magazine feature writer. Following that, I discovered screenwriting. I wrote several screenplays and optioned one of them. The option has since expired. Writing scripts, I learned a lot about story structure and dialog. I wrote two young adult novels that have not been published. Night of the Purple Moon is my first published novel.

 When was your first book released?

The Kindle version of Night of the Purple Moon was released in March 2012. The paperback was released one month later.

 Do you have more books that you have written?

Yes. Two young adult novels, mentioned above, are sitting in my drawer. For now they will remained confined to the darkness. Maybe one day I will revisit them. Right now I have more than enough to do. I am working on Book 2 of the ‘The Toucan Trilogy’. The title is ‘Colony East’

When you were younger did you like to write?

Yes, when I was really young, like six or seven. Then something happened. I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it was the ‘D’ in 8th grade English class. Maybe it was partly because I had boring English teachers (Mr. H, you could snuff out the inspiration in Andy Warhol). Well, one of my teachers was pretty cool (Ms. L). Everyone in class laid on the floor in a circle. I don’t remember what we did after that, but it was an excellent teaching strategy. In any event, I believe I am still learning how to write and I will probably always feel this way.

Is there a certain thing you do before writing your books?

I wake up. Seriously. My favorite time to write is 4:30 a.m. The cat wakes me up. I stumble out and have coffee. Then I stumble to my PC and sit down and begin.

How long did it take you to write a book?

It took me a year and a half to write Night of the Purple Moon. I wrote many drafts. I am not the world’s slowest writer, but I am not that fastest, either.

 How many books have you read?

I have read a lot of books. I lost count. What’s unusual is that I sometimes read the same book over and over again. I guess I love to look at the way some writers put down sentences. I have read ‘What is the What’ by Dave Eggers at least ten times. I also am re-reading (for umpteenth time) The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson. I don’t read it from beginning to end, but rather hop all over the place.

Do you write everyday?

In a year, I probably write 355 days.

Do you have another author or person or even place who gives you inspiration?