Welcome to Bambi Harris, a prolific author who gave me some of the most unusual answers I’ve gotten since starting to interview authors. I enjoyed corresponding with someone who has a fun sense of humor, and apparently loves coffee and carbs as much as I do. Keep reading to find out more…
Q (Infamous Scribbler): Tell me a bit about your path to writing. What got you into it? How long have you been doing it? What are your genres/stories that you are particularly passionate about?
A (Bambi Harris): One day when I was 29, for no particular reason, I thought to myself, I think I will write a book. So that day I 
started writing one. I had no idea what I was doing but I thought, no time like the present! What got me into it? Delusion perhaps haha. No particular motivating factor other than thinking I could! I started dabbling in writing about 2006/2007 so just over 9 years. I am most passionate about mystery, supernatural genre’s and history, however I always ensure I have relatable characters, intriguing storylines and happy endings, those are a must.
Q: Can you share with me some of the story of your journey? What first interested you in writing? What were some challenges along the way?
A: I did not necessarily have an interest in writing to begin with. For whatever reason I thought I could do it and decided to try. Challenges were with my first book especially, trying to work out formatting and grammar and how to do things, ‘right’. My biggest obstacle was believing that other people’s ‘right ways’ had to be my own. I started writing my second book without any preconceived notion of how it ‘must’ be done. The biggest hindrance to my accomplishments was the idea that there was only one color paint to use for my canvas. I found my own voice, my own way, my own format, my own presentation and then I got on with the show.
Q: What in particular do you find most satisfying about your work?
A: Hearing people say that they read one of my books in one night. Having people tell me my book made them smile, or think, or that it gave them a different perspective.
Q: What do you find most challenging?
A: Reviews, without question! Leading the reading horses to water and getting them to write a review (even a word or sentence) is the most challenging. It’s disheartening at times. Most people don’t realize how imperative a review is to the lifeline of your work or the morale of its creator.
Q: What piece of advice would you offer someone interested in this field? What piece of advice do you find yourself giving over and over to people who are hoping to learn from you?
A: If you want to be a writer, write. Don’t ponder how, don’t say ‘one day’, don’t imagine what it might be like if you started, just 
start. You can’t accomplish something that isn’t ventured. Write a sentence and then you can say you are actively writing something and then add to it, one sentence at a time if need be.
So often people say to me they are thinking of writing a book ‘one day’. I always say the same thing; there is no instigating factor to you doing it. If you want to do something, the only thing in your way is the idea that you have to wait for that special day to come. There is no waiting, you might die tomorrow, get on with it!
Q: What work are you most proud of, and why?
A: Oh, I don’t know really. I have written quite a few and I have a true love for each of them. It’s like asking to pick your favorite child haha. I will say, The Porcelain Bones might be the most universal book I’ve written, as in most people, no matter their tastes, should get something out of it.
The Afterlife Series (starting with Death and Other Inconveniences) has been one of my most enduring and I enjoy how it is still loved by new readers now.
I’m proud in general that I wrote and published a book (and 32 of them now), I can pat myself on the back for that, for having an idea and following it through.
Q: On your website, you write that “other than that, she is a complete mystery.” Can you share one aspect of that mystery?
A: There is a lot to be said about that haha. I am multi faceted and then some, but I will say as a curiosity perhaps, as a writer, I am not a reader. This is apparently a contradiction in many minds, but rules are a foundation, not a necessity. Most artwork wouldn’t exist now if half the painters didn’t try something new. And as a person I suppose I’m a contradiction; I’m unconventionally bright, an engaging introvert, alternating between elegant and goofy.
Q: Anything to add?
A: I love coffee, dogs and most regrettably, carbs. If I can make someone laugh then my work here is done.
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You can find Bambi Harris online at her Website: www.bambiharris.com; Facebook: facebook.com/bambiharris.author; and Amazon: amazon.com/author/bambiharris
