Author Interview with Lisa Hodorovych

Meet writer, blogger, and small business owner Lisa Hodorovych!

What genre do you write?

I mainly like to write suspense/thriller with a mixture of action, comedy, and romance thrown in. However, when it comes to reading I don’t have a particular genre that I normally read. As a book reviewer, I like to read (and review) any and all genres. I haven’t read a genre I didn’t like yet.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Hm…that’s kind of tough for me because all of the books I have been reading recently (from “Things” by Francine Garson to “Whizzers” by Michael J. Sahno) have been fantastic and I can’t wait to continue reading their work. But I would have to say that some of my favorite authors for sometime have been Edgar Allan Poe (if my blog and business name don’t give that away), Carolyn Parkhurst, and Roald Dahl.

What started your passion for writing?

Oh, great question! I always love asking this question myself because everybody’s story is so different. With me, I always loved telling stories. I sometimes repeated the same story over and over again to my families dismay. They loved hearing it the first time, but after the fifth time they were pretty much done. As I started school, I got the chance to write stories often because my elementary school had it’s own “publishing company” that was ran by some parents. I honestly don’t remember how often I was sending in stories, but I know I had a collection of them. From there, I knew I was going to be a writer. Even in my fifth grade yearbook, under “Future Goal,” I put “Author.” It’s like even at that young age I knew what my destiny was.

Can you tell us about your blog and your goals and aspirations behind that?

Absolutely! So, my blog is called Quoth the Writer Book Reviews & More. It’s, as the title states, a blog which contains book, movie, and restaurant reviews, as well as author interviews and discussions on Godzilla because I am a huge Godzilla fan. What inspired me to do it was, honestly, the fact that I really wanted to start a blog, but I had no clue what my niche would be. At first, I was thinking health, but that is like one of the number one niches people write about for blogs and it’s not exactly my forte. For years, I debated with myself what to do. Then, one night my husband and I were talking and he said, “Why not book reviews?” It made complete and total sense! I’m a writer about to publish my first book, I have a publication production company, and I love putting others work out there for the world to see. I used to write reviews (except they were movies and restaurants) for my college’s newspaper, so I kind of know what I’m doing. I will admit that I’m a little rustic since it’s been awhile, but that was it. What made me really believe this was going to be my niche was when an author, B.F. Spath, asked me if I would write a review of his debut novel after I wrote to him about my business. It was fate!

My goals for my blog are to help promote fellow writers, actors, directors, producers, chefs, etc. by reviewing their work and letting the world see their masterpieces. I would also like to get discussions going on Godzilla and other giant monsters like Mothra, Rodan, and Gamera. See, Godzilla (and giant monster movies in general) has a very specific fan base, in my opinion, and not everyone understands the fascination with these giant creatures, but I do. I want people to know they’re not alone, so once a month I will lead a discussion on a different Godzilla movie. I will state my opinions on it and I would love to hear others’ opinions on it as well.

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You own a publication company! What it like being a business owner?

Thank you! Of course! Being a business owner is probably one of the most challenging but also the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. While I was attending college, I worked for its literary journal as an Office Assistant. I loved every second of it. Not only did I do “normal” tasks like filing and making copies, but I got to proofread the “Master Copy” of the next issue with my bosses (the editors) AND during my internship with them, I got to edit an interview on my own. Well, I had one of the editors with me, but when he saw I was doing well he decided to let me be. Upon graduation, all I wanted to do was work for a publishing company or a publication to continue doing what I was doing. However, I graduated in 2009 (yup, during the recession) and I couldn’t get a job anywhere, whether it was publishing or retail or anything else. I was jobless for a year. Once I finally got a job, I took whatever I could get to make ends meet.

Then back in 2015, one of my girls decided to go back to school to get her Master’s in Teaching, but she was extremely nervous about all of the papers she had to write. One night, as we talked, I reminded her that I went to school for writing and I love to edit and proofread. She asked if I would edit her papers and well, the rest is history. I am finally doing what I love! However, as I began working with my one client, I realized that I don’t just do editing and proofreading. I can help with writing, researching, marketing, etc. After talking to her, who has worked in publishing for years, she helped me figure out that I am a publication production company. I will help you live your dreams of publishing your work by assisting with editing, proofreading, writing, researching, marketing, and fundraising.

Are you working on any projects right now?

Oh gosh, what am I not working on right now! Haha! Like I mentioned earlier, I’m about to publish my first book. It’s with my publisher now, as we “speak,” so hopefully soon that’ll be out. I have several book ideas swirling around my mind, but I guess the two that I am constantly working on are two trilogies; one I have been working on since high school and one is more recently, like within the last three or four years. Be on the lookout!

How would you describe your writing style?

Hm…great question! I honestly don’t know how to respond to that, so I asked my good friend and fellow writer, Paul Russell Dickinson, who has read my work a plethora of times. He said, “I’d describe your writing as lived in writing…your characters see things as the reader would see, as if they were standing in the character’s position.”

What goals do you have for yourself, both short term and long term?

I would say my short term goal is to get my first book published by the end of the year. My long term goals are to continue being happy with my husband (we’re about to celebrate our two-year anniversary in October), for us to start a family, to find our forever home, to continue publishing my books, to continue finding clients for my business, and to continue finding books, movies, and restaurants for my blog. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for, right?

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