An Interview with TRINITY STONES author, L. G. O'Connor!

I've had the distinct pleasure of getting to know Liz over the last few years through our online contacts. So I'm so excited to introduce you to her, and her debut novel!

L.G. O’Connor is a member of the Romance Writers of America. A corporate strategy and marketing executive for a Fortune 250 company, she writes adult urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. Her debut novel, Trinity Stones, the first book in her Angelorum Twelve Chronicles urban fantasy / paranormal romance series published by She Writes Press will launch on April 22 and be available wherever books are sold. She is currently preparing the second book in the Angelorum Twelve Chronicles, The Wanderer’s Children, for publication at the end of 2014. In addition, her adult contemporary romance will launch later this year. A native New Jersey girl, she lives a life of adventure, navigating her way through dog toys and soccer balls and loaning herself out for the occasional decorating project. When she’s feeling particularly brave, she enters the kitchen . . .

Find and connect with Liz in any of these places:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Thanks for stopping by, Liz! Your debut novel TRINITY STONES is releasing today and I'm so excited for you! I was lucky enough to get an early copy to review, but for those who haven't had the chance to pick it up yet, what is it about?  


Thanks, Aimee! It's great to be here. Your blog was one of the first blogs I followed when I started on my road to publication, so it's truly special to be a guest here today. TRINITY STONES is an adult paranormal romance / urban fantasy novel. It's the first of four books in The Angelorum Twelve Chronicles, which is really one story told in four parts.  

TRINITY STONES starts the story with Cara Collins, a single investment banker with an anxiety disorder, who mysteriously inherits $50 million on her 27th birthday. Up until that point, she’d between dealing with an awful work situation and the fact she can’t seem to get over her close friend and first love, Dr. Kai Solomon, a married man she can never have.

The first thing she finds out when she inherits the money is that she must keep it secret or those close to her could die. As Cara unravels the truth surrounding her inheritance, she makes a startling discovery: angels walk among the living, and they’re getting ready to engage in a battle that will determine the future of the human race.

In the midst of these revelations, she meets mysterious and sophisticated Simon Young, who offers her the promise of romance for the first time since Kai. But when Kai and his daughter are kidnapped by dark forces, Cara must choose: accept her place in a 2,000-year-old prophecy foretold in the Trinity Stones as the First of the Twelve who will lead the final battle between good and evil . . . or risk losing everything she holds dear. In doing so, she realizes it’s not just her heart, but rather her destiny, that is entwined with the two men in her life.

What inspired that story for you?

The seed of the story started with Cara and Kai’s relationship. There are a handful of people in my life with whom I have strong ties, and feel like they’ve been placed there for a reason. I love the concept of attraction and love binding us to someone even when, intellectually, it doesn’t make sense. I’m not a believer in coincidence, so I have to wonder: Is it destiny? Is it something beyond our own consciousness driving it? What bigger, better thing is going to be the outcome of that relationship? Do we sometimes play the role of an angel for someone else?  

You're a member of the popular She Writes group. Can you tell us more about that - how did you connect with them, and what made you decide to go with She Writes Press?

Yes! I found SheWrites.com, a writing community with over 20,000 members, through a writing course I took at New York University in 2012. My professor was a member, and she suggested that I join. The community consists of both published and unpublished members. It’s an excellent and supportive resource for writers at every level. I highly recommend it!

She Writes Press (SWP), which is affiliated with SheWrites.com, started a little over two years ago, and is run by Brooke Warner formerly of Seal Press. What’s awesome about SWP is that it really offers writers a ‘third way’ to publish. It’s a hybrid/partnership publishing model falling somewhere between traditional and indie publishing. Just to clear up any confusion, there are other publishers claiming to be partnership publishers who are really just glorified vanity presses. She Writes is not one of those.

As an author, what publishing with SWP means to me:

·         I’m part of a community of SWP authors—also releasing this spring—who I can lean on for support and learn from. That has been the BEST part.

·         I keep my copyright and rights to my work with no obligations to SWP for future work

·         I keep 100% of movie and audio rights with no obligation to pay a royalty to SWP (Audible here I come!)

·         My work is vetted to traditional publishing standards

·         My work is available through the traditional distribution channels via Ingram Publishing Services (Distributor for Big 5), appears in their online catalog (Edelweiss), and is sold by their sales team to bookstores, libraries, etc.

·         My royalty rates are higher than traditional publishers (and Createspace!)

·         I’m eligible for reviews by both traditional and self-publishing review outlets

The downside? There’s an upfront cost attached to publishing with SWP vs. traditional publishing, but it covers your cover design, interior layouts, proofreading, and all your distribution set-up and metadata management.

Aimee, your readers are welcome to shoot me an email directly at lgoconnorbooks (at) gmail (dot) com to learn more.

What's the best part of your writing life right now? And the most difficult?

By far, the best part is connecting with readers during pre-launch! Also, the unbridled enthusiasm of my beta team, friends, and family leading up to the launch has been fantastic and so uplifting. I’m hoping for almost 100 attendees at my Barnes & Noble event on May 3^rd where I live in NJ. If anyone out there is from the Garden State, please stop by! My website Press & News page has all the details.

The most difficult thing lately has been juggle everything else while editing the second book in the Angelorum Twelve series. As you can imagine, I’m on a deadline to launch this fall/winter. In the meantime, I’m writing a prequel novella to Trinity Stones, called Hope’s Prelude, that I want to release on digital before the second book comes out.


Did I mention I also work full-time? *laughs* I just take it one day at a time, attacking my ‘top 3’ things for that day and hoping my husband still remembers me when I crawl into bed every night.

Do you have any advice for authors considering this route to publication? Anything you wish you'd known before you started? 

I loved this route for my first book, since I wanted that extra hand holding and someone else to do the grunt work involved in production. My advice: Don’t be afraid. I won’t say it’s been easy, but overall, I feel like I had more creative control, and got to market faster than if I went 100% traditional. That said, I’m all for multiple paths to publication. I’m considering a traditional path for my adult contemporary romance series with a May-December theme. The full manuscript is currently in the hands of an agent that I really want to work with…

There’s not much I wouldn’t done differently… 

And finally, what's your next project? And when can we expect to see it?


I have a lot of irons in the fire at the moment, maybe too many!

For the Angelorum Twelve Chronicles, I’m barreling toward production with the second book, The Wanderer’s Children for launch later this year. I also mentioned Hope’s Prelude, if all goes well, that should hit the digital shelves late this summer. While a good 25% of the draft for book three is complete, that will be a 2015 release for sure.  

My adult contemporary is a May-December romance between an older woman and a younger man set right here in New Jersey. I finished it during National Novel Writing Month this past November. I’m super excited about it! Trying a new genre was a nice break. There are two novelettes that follow it, which I’m also writing as we speak. I’ve also identified a second novel based on one of the characters in the book. Release date is TBD.

I’ll be posting progress on all my projects on my website www.lgoconnor.com

Oh, and one more thing that I’m really excited about: I have a digital only YA-approved version of TRINITY STONES that I originally wrote for my teenage nieces. It’s for those who want an adult read without hot love scenes (just sayin’). It’s available exclusively through me. Requests can be sent via email to lgoconnorbooks (at) gmail (dot) com.   

Aimee, thank you so much for having me! I really appreciate all your support!

My pleasure. Thanks for stopping by, Liz!

Your Turn: Any questions for Liz? Ask them in the comments! Otherwise, if you want to pick up TRINITY STONES you can take your pick:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Apple iTunes / or grab an author signed copy here: www.TrinityStones.com

Release Blog Tour: SLEEPER by S. M. Johnston

I am so blessed to have awesome online besties like Sharon laying around. Sharon answered a call I made years ago to find readers for Breakable when it was still Listen to Me. Through that we've ended up reading for each other, blogging together, and generally having a riotous good time on Twitter. (Yes, I do riot on occasion. It's been known to happen. Don't judge).

Anyway, when I heard her debut, Sleeper, was finally coming out, I jumped at the chance to interview Sharon about the book so you can know more about it too! This is a truly unique concept, expertly delivered, and despite it's Sci-Fi roots, it's compelling to a die-hard romance fan like me.

Read on - especially if you like speculative fiction!

Okay, Sharon, welcome to Living the Write Life! To kick this off, give us some idea what Sleeper is about, and who you think will most enjoy it?

Sleeper is about a girl, Mishca, who meets two boys, one she genuinely likes (Ryder) and one that she loves the moment she sees him and doesn't know why (Colin). But it also has cool speculative fiction twists with a heart transplant triggers super powers that Mishca tries to keep secret as she's worried about being a science experiment freak. It's her journey to finding out the truth behind her powers and her love for Colin. 

I think anyone who enjoys trying to solve an intricate mystery will love this as well as people that love romance. Even though it's got a Science Fiction/Paranormal bent, it's more Fi than Sci.


What was the inspiration for SLEEPER? How has the protagonist, Mischa, developed since your initial idea?

Originally, it was meant to be Mishca and Colin's love story, but I quickly realised that they had a doomed love that would never work, so along came Ryder. Originally Mishca struggled with her situation a lot more, but my mentor, Angela Slater, showed me I need a MC who wasn't a sad-sack-syndrome sufferer. She became a lot stronger and it really improved the story and Mishca's character ARC.


Do you have a favorite scene, or theme in the book?

My favourite scene is "caught in my bra in my boyfriend's car" where Mishca decides to play show'n'tell to explain her heart transplant to her boyfriend Ryder. Unfortunately her dad sees this and thinks something else is going on. It was actually inspired by something that happened to me. I had a boyfriend giving me a kiss goodbye and my dad yelled out "Get your tongue out of my daughter's mouth!" My boyfriend crapped himself and made a quick exit. Unlike Mishca's dad, I found my dad crying with laughter at the outcome. 


You’ve had a long road to publication. Tell us a little about your journey and your publisher. How much control did you / do you have over the final product?

When I first wrote SLEEPER, I had never heard of New Adult. I put some of it on a site called Inkpop, which was like a crowd-sourcing site run by HarperCollins. I called the story Mishca then and it quickly rose through the ranks and was the most successful Australian story on the site. I've  a talent scout represent me and an agent, but neither of those situations worked out. I've had other agents interested, which included a request for a rewrite to make it YA. I did that and it ended up with Entranced on the basis of that version. When I let them know there was a NA version as well they asked to see it and wanted to publish that one as they felt it was more inspired. Entranced are fantastic to work with. I had so much editorial control.


Do you have any advice for writers considering independent press?

Independent press are more willing to publish the left-of-centre stories. So if you've been having trouble landing an agent, you could try small press. With Entranced I got a lot of support with publicity and my cover is amazing. I realised that I wasn't confident with self publishing at this point in my career as I wanted to work with a publishing team, and that's what I got with Entranced. Every step of the way is covered. SLEEPER and the TOY SOLDIER SERIES won't be the only novels I will publish with small press. 


Is there anything you wish you’d known before you got published? Anything you’d do differently or tell others to consider?

I did a lot of research, so I knew what I was getting myself in to. What I've learnt the most along the way was finding the balance between listening to others and staying true to my vision. You need input from others as often they will find things in your story that you can't see because you're just too close to it. Work on your story, have multiple eyes look at it, and make sure they're not just friends and family. You need people in publishing - editors or authors - to be reading your work. I'm blessed to have beta readers who are industry professionals, but I still paid to have a professional edit.

Although I found a home for me first novel, I know many authors who didn't. Be prepared to let a project go if you need to and move on. 


What has been your favorite moment in your journey so far?

Finding a home for Sleeper, knowing that someone saw the merit in publishing my work. I actually got the offer for SLEEPER quite quickly after I sent through the full. It was a matter of days, which I know is rare. But for me it was a great validation of the belief I had in myself - someone else shared it too. I jumped around like a crazy woman when I got the offer. 

Intrigued? You should be. But if you need more, take a look at the blurb and cover below:

A new heart should mean new life, not a living nightmare.

Mishca Richardson’s life is at an all-time high after her heart transplant. With new boyfriend, Ryder, the two of them have the perfect summer romance. Even the nightmares that have been plaguing her sleep since her operation can’t dull the high she’s on.

Things start to unravel as Mishca develops superhuman abilities. She does her best to hide them so as not to end up a science experiment in a lab. But she can’t ignore the instant attraction she experiences when she meets her university professor, Colin Reed.

Torn between the blossoming love and the obsession, Mishca must decide if she wants Ryder or Colin. But the organization responsible for her changes and her connection to Colin, is moving to secure Mishca for himself so that she can be the weapon he always intended her to be. If Mishca can’t resist her programming she’ll have a lot more to worry about than romance.

Buy it now on Amazon, or check out the reviews on Goodreads!

5 Questions with My 5 Favorite Authors FEAT. Julie Anne Long (Historical Romance)

Okay, so I had this inspired idea of asking my favorite authors questions about themselves and their writing, and so far they're all saying YES. *Dances* (Though one will have to wait for the post-Christmas push to be over).

Anywho, I'm kicking off this roaring good fun with one of the wittiest and pure-darn-sexiest writers I know. And by that I mean, her male characters are sexy. Not Julie Anne herself...though she may be. I wouldn't know... except that to write like that she's got to have some kind of insight, right? But... well, this is heading into dangerous territory...

*Cough*

Well, it's no surprise to me that Julie Anne is a USA Today bestselling author. If you enjoy funny, emotional, historical romance with depth and genuine wit, you can't go wrong with her Penny Royal Green series. Seriously, I have yet to hate on one. And they are all on my "re-read" shelf which, let me tell you, is very sparse.

In fact, even if you aren't normally an historical fan, I'd encourage you to pick up Like No Other Lover if for no other reason that the scene Julie has mentioned below. (Or, my favorite, How the Marquess was Won. Seriously. Inspired).

I'm going to stop fangirling now and let Julie talk. Except I'm formatting it so it looks like we had an actual conversation, because to me, that would be awesomesauce.

Let me live the dream...

ALS: Which of your books was the most fun to write, and why?

 

JAL: Interesting question! They all have their moments, truthfully, and writing in general is “fun” for me, even when it's torture, if that makes sense. :) I remember in particular having a WONDERFUL time writing a certain scene in LIKE NO OTHER LOVER—a shooting scene, to be precise. But I probably had the most fun writing my first one, THE RUNAWAY DUKE. I knew absolutely nothing about publishing, was unfettered by expectations of ay kind, and blithely went about writing whatever the heck I wanted, unconstrained by perceived genre rules or jargon or constructs.  It was a delightful surprise when it was a big success (after a bit of whittling down to fit into genre constraints.)

ALS: Which of your characters do you like best, and why?

 

JAL: You know this is an impossible question for authors to answer, right??

 

[ALS Sidenote: No one said this was all going to be fun and games, Julie].

 

JAL: LOL. It's like choosing a favorite child! I like all of them, but I do tend to favor the ones I'm currently writing, because creating them is delicious.. Truthfully, however, I still have a crush on Adam Sylvaine from A Notorious Countess Confesses, however. He was such a different hero—a hot vicar, with tremendous moral and spiritual strength, but who was funny, human, honest, very no BS, and kept a volcanic passion in check—until, of course, the right woman came long. The book was emotionally challenging to write and I think Adam is husband material. ;)

 

 

ALS: Did you choose your genre (and if so, why?), or did your genre choose you?

 

JAL: A bit of both, actually. I've always been a pretty voracious and egalitarian reader, and I read and loved quite a bit of historical romance. I set out to write a book with no genre in mind—I truthfully didn't know books were so specifically marketed by genre—and what I ended up writing was a big, big historical love story. Its original 500 pages were whittled down in the editing/revision process to a more orthodox historical romance length. And the momentum of the success of my first book sort of carried me forward in the genre. The rest is history!

ALS: Which part of being a published author do you find most difficult?

JAL: I'm not crazy about the word “difficult”, because I kind of feel like labeling something “difficult” is a self-fulfilling prophesy. :). Every bit of my career challenges my creativity and emotional maturity in many ways. Since I love learning and I'm always on a quest for self improvement, it's all valuable, and even the disappointments become sort of interesting when viewed in that light. That said, I think the uncertainty inherent in a writing career challenged me the most. You never, ever know what might happen, and it could be spectacularly wonderful or it could be disappointing. Getting comfortable with ambiguity is a process. :)

 

ALS: And thusly, you've reached the BONUS ROUND [In the vein of "Boxers or Briefs"]: E-book or paperback?

 

JAL: It depends! If I can only get it in paperback, then I'm delighted to read it in that format. I read a lot on my Kindle because of the instant gratification factor. ;) (Kindles are dangerous little inventions.)

 

ALS: *Nods sagely* I concur, Julie. I concur....
 

 Julie Anne Long is the USA Today bestselling author of the popular Pennyroyal Green series, To Love a Thief, and The Runaway Duke. She's funny, inspiring, downright talented and one of my five favorite authors of all time. If you have any kind of interest in historical romance, you do not want to miss these books! The next installment of the PRG series, Between the Devil and Ian Eversea is out April 2014. Go ahead and buy the others now. You won't regret it!

 

Wherein I Interview Katja Millay (aka: the Author I Wish I Was)

So, if you’d met me anytime before about two months ago and we’d talked about “people who make us star struck” I would have smiled and nodded and thought smugly to myself “I’m just not that kind of person”. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there are people on earth I’d be excited to meet. But back then I really believed there wasn’t anyone who’d make me, you know, stop breathing.

Then, a couple months back, I read the amazing book THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY. In a subsequent conversation with my agent about reading and current YA Cool Books, I told Brittany that TSoT was now officially my favorite book ever. Brittany then just casually mentioned that she just happened to know Katja, and that actually, Katja was really cool and deserved to be in the Cool Books category.

In a burst of juvenile fervor, I wrote Brittany an email that discussed, amongst other things, how if me and Brittany were ever in the same room as Katja, I would FORCE her (through violence, if necessary) to introduce me. But then, Brittany would need to talk through me like a sock puppet because, frankly, I’d lose all coherent speech. Cue amused, self-indulgent email conversation, followed by segue back into, you know, real business.

I didn’t think about it again.

Until I woke up the next day to a tweet from Katja, telling me “Josh says hi”.

And I hyperventilated.

I tell you this because I’m about to enter a conversation with aforementioned AMAZING author and even my fingers are struggling to breathe at this point. So if it devolves into a gushing, tear-soaked rant about how AMAZING Katja and her book are, please forgive me.

(For my readers who haven’t partaken of The Awesome that is TSoT yet, you can read the blurb - AND BUY THE BOOK - here).

*Ahem* Okay. Here we go…

Katja, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk today. And because The Sea of Tranquility  is such a long title, and because I’m going to talk about it a lot, from here on out I’m just going to refer to it as The Book I Love With a Passion that Rivals My Husband. (TBILWAPTRMH for short) Okay?

Of course, I’m just kidding about TBILWAPTRMH. That’s clearly waaaaaay too long. I’ll just call it My Passion.

Moving on.

Q. Where did the TSoT story start for you? What inspired it?

TSoT started with the image of Nastya and her hand and what had happened to it.  The first part I wrote was the flashback scene detailing what had happened to her.   I was very intrigued with the idea of who this girl was before that day and what she became after it and exploring all of the whys that that entailed.  That was the starting point for me.

Q. One of the things that drew me into The Sea of Tranquility right from the beginning was the uniqueness of your characters. Josh, in particular, strikes me as such a realistic dichotomy of earned maturity (through trauma) and screwed up adolescent defense mechanism. Did he spring into your head fully-formed, or did he evolve over time? (And, can I meet him?!)

I don’t think any of the characters came to me fully formed.  I had definite ideas of who I wanted them to be and the relationships that I wanted to form between them but as the writing progressed, the characters evolved as well.  I believe when characters are developed well enough, they begin to breathe on their own.  They get to a point where they make decisions and turn in directions you may not have anticipated and you often have to allow that whether you like it or not.  Sometimes that means you end up incredibly pissed off at them because they do things that you may not personally agree with - which happened to me with both Josh and Nastya as their characters evolved.  I would have loved to stop them from doing some of the things they did but it wouldn’t have been right.  They needed to make those mistakes.  I don’t think we always have to agree with the choices a character makes as long as those choices are true to the character.  For me, that was the most important thing.

I saw Josh and Nastya both as possessing a level of immaturity and selfishness that is part and parcel to being a teenager and yet at the same time they had a level of maturity that surpassed their age earned through life experience.  Josh starts off as somewhat abrasive.  He, like Nastya, has developed his own methods of keeping himself distanced from others.  When we meet him, it’s unclear if Josh would have willingly distanced himself from everyone from the start or if he’s convinced himself that that’s what he wants because people made that decision for him.  Either way, he’s far from friendly or approachable.  That attitude is put on in much the same way as Nastya’s own “adolescent defense mechanism.”  People started avoiding him so he’s convinced himself that he doesn’t want them around as a form of self-preservation.  But underneath that, in a part of himself that he doesn’t want to acknowledge because he doesn’t want to be in the position of ever experiencing that kind of loss again, he wants someone to care about; he craves the human interaction/intimacy that defines family and that’s the part I wanted to see emerge over the course of the book.

 

Q. Another unique twist in TSoT is Drew’s character arc – from Man-Whore to Best Friend to Big Brother. (I love Drew. Can I meet him?) Did you see his hidden maturity from the beginning? Was that always inside him? Or is there a magic formula you use that I can steal so my characters have similar depth?

I can’t lie; I have an affinity for Drew.   It was fun to write such an unabashedly arrogant and unfiltered character.  He screws up but he owns it.  He’s conceited but he owns it.  He’ll choose the wrong thing over and over again but he is fiercely loyal to those he loves even though he often tries to hide that part of himself.  From the beginning I knew there was more to Drew than the persona he had created and I wanted to offer him the chance to prove that.  Drew was sheltered and immature; he was irreverent and pampered and he hadn’t been world hardened like Josh and Nastya.  Things were easy for him and he never really saw the ugly side of people or of the world, though he did recognize what he perceived as ugliness in himself.  He accepted who he was but he also wanted to be a better person and I wanted to give him the opportunity to do that.

I’m not sure if there’s a magic formula for creating characters.  If there is, I’d love to get my hands on it.  One thing that was necessary for me was to understand my characters’ backstories even knowing that most of that information would never actually make it onto the page.   Developing those backstories was vital for me in determining their way of thinking, their decisions and their actions.  The characters, even the secondary ones, have lived lives before the stories start and I believe that, as a writer, it’s important to understand those lives and how they impact who a character is and how he/she behaves.

Q. Can you tell me a little about how Nastya came to be? I’m (again) impressed by the layering of her character. One of the aspects of this that I enjoyed and really connected with, was her “rebellion” against disappointing her family. That their love was just too great a burden for her to deal with in the midst of everything else. Was that a motivation you were aware of from the beginning of writing her? Where did she come from? (And can I meet her?)

The book basically grew around Nastya and while it’s told in alternating perspective and balanced out with Josh, in the end, I believe it’s her story. Her arc is more defined than his because her character has more changing to do.   As far as where she came from, I had a vivid picture of this driven, determined girl and she was so certain of herself and of life and she has all of these plans and then in one afternoon all of that changes and she’s left unsure of everything.  She’s forced to try to figure out who she is without the piano, which is how she had defined herself for so long.  Her entire identity was wrapped around this talent and then it’s lost.  And really it isn’t even the talent that’s lost – it’s the ability to express it.  I imagined how that level of frustration would affect a fifteen year old girl without the maturity and the life skills to deal with such a loss.

Nastya’s love for her family was a significant part of who her character was from the beginning.  She was brought up in a very close-knit family and no one in that family is the same after that singular afternoon.  She knows how much they love her and she feels responsible for the fact that she can’t give them what she feels they want from her.   Her need to focus solely on her own survival is at odds with her desire to make her family happy.  She can’t handle that pressure on top of everything else so that becomes a huge influence behind many of the decisions she makes.

One of the most difficult things for me in writing her character was being aware of who Nastya was before that horrible afternoon and what she still was underneath all of the false bravado and then having to wait for her to be ready to reveal those parts of herself.   I learned quite a bit in researching teenage victims of violence and their varying reactions to that trauma and I tried to write Nastya from a place of empathy.  Her decisions were skewed by the perspective of a traumatized young girl whose self-preservation tactics are formed by what is often flawed logic; they are born out of the weight of her experiences coupled with her youth.

I knew she’d make mistakes and questionable choices and I knew I’d have to let her.  Are her decisions mature?  Of course not.  And they shouldn’t be.  But they make sense to her.  Her logic and perspective are products of the trauma she’s experienced in conjunction with her immaturity and the self-centric view of the world which often defines adolescence.  I loved her.  Like her family and those who cared about her, it broke my heart to watch this girl self-destruct but I also respected her unapologetic survival instincts.  She was desperately clinging to some semblance of control and she handled her situation the best way that she could. 

Q. As a writer I’m in awe of the careful way you chose to reveal Nastya’s story and her experience – slowly peeling back her emotional layers, and her experiences. It’s clear that she’s a fractured soul and you really did justice to that in your plotting. How did you developing the pacing and structure of the reveals? Was it organic as you drafted? Or was there some kind of system you used that I could steal (please, pretty please?)

I wish I could say that I had some sort of painstakingly-developed system, but I honestly didn’t.  I knew there were specific pieces of information that couldn’t come out too soon and I had to do some cutting and rearranging because of that.  I cut one of my favorite parts of the book because it would have meant having certain details being revealed before their time.  But otherwise, I didn’t really overthink it.  I simply allowed the details to emerge organically in a way that mirrored the pace at which the relationship between Nastya and Josh developed.

****SPOILER ALERT**** My absolute FAVORITE moment in the book is when she enters the room after everyone’s been looking for her, and they’re all there, each calling her by the name that represents her to them. But she falls into Josh and it’s like he wins and… *sigh* I ACHE for that scene every time I think about it.

That isn’t really a question.... So, I do wonder how you feel about that scene – and do you have a favorite scene or conversation in the book? Something your mind goes back to when you think about Josh and Nastya?

That scene was a culmination of so many things.  Everything that Nastya had so carefully but precariously constructed was falling apart and she had to face that.  It was a convergence of all of these girls she’s been.  They are all in the same place at the same moment and it’s too much at once.  The weight of all of that comes down and she can’t run anymore.  It was also an acknowledgement, in front of everyone, of the place Josh had in her life and how necessary he was for her.   At the same time, for Josh, he’s finally getting what he wants - her, emotionally open to him - and it should be this hero moment but really he’s just a teenage kid and here he is trying to hold this girl together and all he wants to do is run.  It’s almost too much for him.  So there was a lot going on for me in that scene.

To answer the second part of your question, there are a lot of moments between Josh and Nastya that resonate with me for various reasons – the chair, the ice cream parlor, the pennies, the boots, etc.  But above all of those, the one that I think was the most meaningful for me was the scene where he tells her to sit on the bench with him in the courtyard.  There was such significance behind that gesture.  It was a simple, quiet moment and yet it was so huge in what it represented to both of them.

Q. So, it’s pretty obvious I think The Sea of Tranquility (AKA: My Passion. AKA: TBILWAPTRMH) is an incredible book. Which means, in my mind, you’re an incredible author. Do you have any advice for writers like myself who are still working towards publication? Anything you wish you’d known before you started on this journey?

I’d need a book longer than TSoT to list the things I wish I had known before I started all of this.  But if I had known all of those things, I may not have been naive enough to just sit down and write it and I definitely think this book was born out of clueless naïveté.

I don’t know that I have any profound advice for other writers.  Although it may seem overly simplistic or trite, I think the most important thing is to write the story you want to write. 

Q. Okay, even though I could literally talk to you about this book and these characters for weeks, I’ll wind this up. Final question:

WHAT ARE YOU WRITING NOW AND CAN YOU PLEASE SEND IT TO ME AS SOON AS IT’S IN DRAFT FORM SO I CAN MAKE IT MY PRECIOUS???????? *Ahem* I mean, Are you working on a new project at the moment? Do you have plans / timeframes for publication? (Or do you need a critique partner? *Cough, ME, Cough*)

The only thing I can really say is that I am writing and I’m past halfway there.  I write by hand, out of order, so it takes a little longer than it would if I were a sane writer.  Add that to the fact that I’m notoriously insecure so I don’t feel comfortable talking about what I’m writing until it’s done and I know that I’m happy with it and basically you have me being cryptic and vague and offering you an excessively long sentence with no real information whatsoever. J I promise that I’ll say something soon.  I just feel more at ease having the book in hand first and knowing that it’s the book I want it to be.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Katja. You've made my year!

Your Turn: Have you read TSoT? Do you have any questions for Katja? Or do you want to fangirl with me? Finish this sentence: Josh Bennett is...

If you haven't yet read The Sea of Tranquility and you're a YA fan, my advice is to go find it now. It's on bookshelves from today, and all the good digital outlets too! Just in case you don't know how to use your car, or your search engine, you're welcome to find it here:

Amazon Paperback

Kindle Edition

B & N Paperback

Nook

Kobo






 

On Writing YA, Blogging and WHY This Book Got Me an Agent

I have been interviewed by YA fantasy author, E.M. Castellan! She asked me about everything from critiquing for writers, blogging, the book that landed me an agent, and more.

You can find her blog and my interview here.

Go there! Now!

INTERVIEW: Elizabeth Briggs - Intern for Superagent Jill Corcoran

Elizabeth Briggs calls herself "...a nerd who writes YA sci-fi, goes to Comic Con every year, and volunteers with dog rescues." (I just call her a lovely online-friend and source of insightful publishing advice). She's represented by Kate Schafer Testerman of KT Literary, and interns for Jill Corcoran of the Herman Agency.

Liz, thanks for taking the time to drop by today. Let's start with your position as Intern at the Herman agency. How did you procure that position, and what's involved?

Thanks for interviewing me! I got the position by sending Jill an email after she posted that she was looking for interns. I told her I didn't have any experience in publishing, but that I was an active member of SCBWI and an avid reader of YA and MG. I wrote that I was hoping to transition to a job in publishing, and tried to describe how my work experience gave me skills that would help me as an intern. I honestly didn't think I would get the position because I assumed most people would be better qualified than me, but I wanted to try anyway.

Jill ended up hiring someone else as her assistant, and I figured that was that. But few months later Jill needed another intern to help with the growing query pile and contacted me. She interviewed me over the phone, and I started working for her in June. Now I help her go through queries, both to reject the ones that are obviously wrong for her and to make sure she pays attention to the amazing ones. I also sometimes read full manuscripts and give my opinion on them.

That sounds really interesting! Had you had much experience reading other writer's manuscripts before you started? What are the most common flaws you see?

Nope! The only experience I had was reading published books and doing critiques for beta readers. But I think one reason Jill "hired" me was that I've read over 90 books a year for the past few years, and most of them were YA and MG.

The most common flaws I see in manuscripts are: too much backstory early on, passive main characters, and a plot that moves too slowly.

That's interesting that you mention passive main characters as a common flaw. The word "passive" gets bandied around a lot in writing circles, but I think sometimes as writers it's hard to see your main character in that way when you know everything that's happening inside their head. Can you offer some examples of the kinds of things that make a protagonist passive, in your opinion?

A passive character is one that isn't driving the plot forward. Often this is because the protagonist doesn't have a clear goal they are working toward, or sometimes other characters are making the decisions and taking action instead of the protagonist. To fix this, I'd suggest making sure your main character has an overall goal they are working toward, plus a smaller goal or desire in every scene (although they should often fail at reaching these goals - it's the trying to achieve them that matters). You can also look at your side characters and see if one of them is making all the decisions, rescuing the protagonist a lot, and so forth (in YA, I often see this with the love interest).

Since you're reading a lot of different books now, from different authors, do you find yourself drawn to any genres in particular? Or seeing any trends coming through that you're excited about?

I'm not really drawn to any genres in particular, I just look for a unique concept plus excellent writing. And I wish I knew what the upcoming trends were! Right now I'm seeing a lot of interest in YA mystery/thrillers, funny contemporary, and magical realism. Also, anything MG is in demand right now, but it's hard to find writers who can do a great MG voice.

Great insight! Excuse me while I scurry off to finish my YA thriller! *Cough* Now that you're settling in with Jill, have you found that reading all those queries and books has helped you as a writer?

It's definitely made me a better writer, probably because it's easier to see what works and what doesn't in other people's writing than in your own. It's also helped me be more aware of overused cliches in writing (starting with waking up, for example).

Is there any advice you'd offer to writer's heading into the query / submission fray?

My advice to writers is to do your research before you query, not just about submission guidelines and things like that, but also about the agent him/herself. Look at their sales, and not just how many there are, but also where they've sold to, and what types of books they've sold. For example, if an agent only sells adult mysteries, or only sells to small presses, does that work for your book and your goals? If the agent is newer, where did they previously intern or work, and do they work for a reputable agency now? If they have Twitter or a blog, do you like what they have to say? Do you like their clients' books? I think writers sometimes become desperate to get an agent and don't stop to think, "Is this person a good agent for me?" You want to make sure that the agent you sign with both has the right experience for your writing goals, and is someone you want to work with for many years.

That's all great stuff, Liz. Thanks so much! Now, as our final farewell, tell us about your book! Where are you in the process of finding a publisher? And where can readers find you if they want to message or tweet, or hear about your upcoming success?

I'm represented by Kate Testerman of KT Literary, and my novel ALTERNATE is about a teen hacker who is thrust into a war between parallel universes when she meets an alternate version of herself from another dimension. You can find me at http://elizabethbriggs.blogspot.com and on Twitter at @lizwrites.

Thanks for the interview, Aimee!

Your Turn: Do you have any questions for Liz?

Author Interview: Caroline Overington

Have you met Caroline Overington? If not, I'm feeling smug: Ms. Overington is an award winning journalist and novelist.  She's also a very nice lady.  She recently agreed to answer my questions while I stifled a *SQUEE* and tried to pretend I possessed a modicum of professionalism...

Q. First of all, it’s so great to have you here, Caroline! For readers who aren’t already fans like me, can you tell us about your books?

I have published three novels, each dealing with a different social problem. The first was about a child murdered by his parents, and the impact on his siblings; the second about mental illness; the third about custody and divorce.

It's bleak territory but in every case, people have come up to me after publication and said: your stories are real.

I am published by Random House, Australia.

[NB: You can grab a copy of Caroline's book Matilda is Missing in the US here].


Q. Your books demonstrate a distinct social awareness – and a particularly strong focus on children at risk. What inspired this theme in your writing, and what do you hope readers will take from it?

I spent a long time working as a reporter for the national daily, The Australian. I saw many things that troubled me. People who need help often don't get it. Children are uniquely vulnerable, as are the mentally ill. I wanted to tell some of these stories in a more complete way than I could manage in the newspaper.


Q. The first book of yours I read was Ghost Child. I admire your ability to tell a tragic story from so many different (and at times, conflicting) points of view.  Do you have any tips for writers who’d liketo develop a similarly deft ability to characterize?

I guess I've been lucky in that so many people have sat and told me their stories over the years, and I've been able to absorb their voices as well as their tales.

Listening is always good when you have to write something.


Q. What is your plot development process? (Do you outline? Do you know the ending of the book before you write it?)

From start to finish, yes. But getting there is often a problem!


Q. You’ve been writing in one form or another for a very long time. Does that translate into impeccable first drafts? How long will you workon a book after the first draft is complete? (Any self-editing tips for novices will be repaid in chocolate and kudos).

Oh no! Every novel has gone through several drafts. I try not to be precious. You can't fight for every word and every scene. The editor is often right. But it's taken a long time to be so sanguine.


Q. You’ve just released your third novel .  Has your experience as an author in the publishing machine changed at all between Ghost Child and Matilda is Missing?

Promotion is different: blogs, Twitter! Facebook. Getting used to talking about yourself and your work is hard.


Q. What is one thing you wish someone had told you before you got your first publishing contract?

"This is not the end. The hard work starts now."


Q. Are there any trade secrets you can share with those of us still on the path towards publication?

You need an agent. But of course everybody knows that.

You need luck. But you also need a story - what is your story about? You need to be able to answer that question confidently.


Q. And finally, if I was to get the chance to sit down with you IRL, would it be over coffee, tea, or something stronger? And what's the one subject I could bring up that would keep you talking all evening?

Any or all. I love a good chat. But I'm afraid I'm a Dylan tragic and it bores my friends stupid. ;)


Thanks so much for your time, Caroline. It’s a real treat for me that you’ve agreed to do this, and I’m sure some of my readers will take the plunge and find out why I enjoyed your writing so much.  I wish you the very best of success with Matilda is Missing and all the new books I’m sure you’ll write in the years to come.

Bless you - and good luck.
-C

A Real Honest-to-God Publishing Story

I "met" Lamar last year when I put the call out on Twitter for copies of successful query letters.  He was kind enough to contact me and let me put his letter and details up on Seeking the Write Life.  At that time, he had an agent, but no contract and we were all crossing fingers and toes and other appendages for him.

Well...  The Publishing Machine has finally ground its way to Lamar's door!  When I found out, I asked him to give us the Real Deal.  How did it all come together?  What did this writer's story really look like?  When he looked back, what did he see?

Lamar has been incredibly generous and written a really insightful timeline of his journey from Writer to Author.  Trust me, it's worth the read.  So without further ado, I give you the soon-to-be-bestselling author:

Lamar Giles
Website / Facebook Fan Page / Twitter
Email: lrgileswriter@gmail.com

There’s a saying that goes “Man plans, God Laughs”. In my experience, the publishing industry probably gets a chuckle or two in as well. When I was 20 my plan was to have a book in bookstores by the age of 26 (because Stephen King did it…there’s something to be said about the correlation between youth and arrogance).  Today I’m 31, and the ink is barely dry on my publishing contract. I just sold my debut young adult thriller Whispertown to HarperCollins for publication during Summer 2013. I’ll be 33 then, only seven years past my original deadline (for the record, I intend to be more punctual when turning in drafts to my editor).

For those who are curious, here’s how I spent the last 11 years:

2000 – Though a casual scribbler since the age of 8, I officially decide that I want to be a professional writer, and begin to study the habits of professional writers. I enroll in creative writing courses at my university and write every day. I will sell a book by the time I’m 26. Then buy an island with my riches.

2001 – More classes. Getting instruction is helpful, but feedback from peers is hard…it stings a bit when people say things like, “You write like you need a date.”  I’m not even sure what that means. Is that constructive? I learn to take rough criticism. At some point, apparently, I stop writing like I need a date because feedback from my peers becomes increasingly positive. Time to take this show on the road. I submit my very first story…and SELL IT (let the jealousy commence…trust me, your envy won’t last long).

An online magazine called Alternate Realities (now defunct) buys my short story “Obsession” for five whole dollars. It’s the first deposit in my Writer’s Island fund. I won’t make another deposit for two years.

2002 – Rejections, Rejections, Rejections. Okay, so maybe that whole sell-the-first-story-you-ever-submit thing was a fluke. BUT, all the great writers talk about wallpapering a room with rejections and I’m well on my way to accomplishing that. They’re badges of honor—depressing, sometimes rage-inducing badges—but, you know, honor and stuff. I save the stories no one wants, and keep writing new ones. Maybe they’ll come in handy one day.

2003 – Author Brandon Massey puts out the word that he’s looking for horror and suspense stories by African-American writers for a new anthology called Dark Dreams. I dig through the stories I was saving and realize they were not wasted…should my power go out and I need to keep warm, they’d make great kindling. Beyond that…meh. I write something new for Brandon. It’s a trippy idea I got from my mom, who’s obsessive about getting in laps at my old high school’s track whenever she can. It’s aptly titled “The Track” and Brandon loves it. I get my second professional credit, a little extra dough for the Island Fund, and a little more fuel (that doesn’t consist of my old stories) for the fire.

2004 – Big year. The first time I see a printed copy of Dark Dreams is in my local bookstore. My words (along with the words of many other incredible contributors) are available for sale. It’s an amazing rush that diminishes quickly. Why? Oh, right. ‘Cause I’m broke and can’t afford a copy. Payday’s Friday. I wait three days then come back and buy the words that I wrote. As happy as that makes me, I’m still getting this nagging feeling, a sense of unease. Could my idea of buying an island be a little too ambitious? Is God laughing at me RIGHT NOW?

Anyhow, things start looking up rather quickly. Dark Dreams is a ground breaking anthology that garners a lot of attention. I do real-deal book signings with some of the other contributors, I get interviewed by my local radio station, and attend book club meetings as the Honest-to-God AUTHOR. I feel legit. Time to get the real book deal. With all this new inspiration I feel compelled to finish writing the 600 page monstrosity I started when I was 17.

At age 24 I complete my masterpiece.

2005 – Another big year. I get married. And I discover my cinderblock of a book isn’t a masterpiece, just ‘a piece’. Of something. Not only do I get rejections. I get BRUTAL rejections. Some important lessons here:

1)  It’s probably not a good idea to spend seven years on any single writing project (unless you’re George R.R. Martin).

2)  Some people in publishing are soul crushing ORCS; it’s best not to submit to them again.

3)  My new wife is a sweet, understanding lady who lets me spend two hours a night pursuing my (possibly misguided) dream…asking her to marry me was the best decision I ever made.

Thanks to her support and encouragement I write two books that year: a horror novella called NecRomance and a novel length supernatural thriller called The Cablon Connection. On top of that, I sell Brandon Massey a story called “Wilson’s Pawn & Loan” for the sequel to Dark Dreams. All that’s well and good, but I’m 25, and perilously close to my self-imposed deadline.*

*If I knew then what I know now I’d have realized I already missed the deadline. Publishing queues can have waits as long as two years. Even if I sold a book at 25, I’d most likely be 27 by the time it was published. But I wasn’t THAT lucky…

2006 – I haven’t sold a story to anyone but Brandon in three years. He’s a friend now, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s just tossing me a bone. I get antsy and go on a submission frenzy with every decent story I have. They all get rejected…

Not only are the stories getting rejected, but the two books as well. There’s no real market for novellas, so NecRomance is useless to me. The Cablon Connection gets some of those “good” rejections—the kind where you get invited to submit again, with something better—but, ultimately, it’s a no go.

My 26^th birthday arrives. My wife throws me a surprise party. Though I eat cake and smile for the camera, I’m secretly sick inside. I missed my deadline, and I wonder if I should hang up my spurs…or pens…or whatever. People are saying real estate’s hot right now…

A week after my birthday I get a letter from the Virginia Commission of the Arts. I remember that in my submission frenzy I sent some stories to the commission because they offer a prestigious and selective fellowship for fiction writers once every four years. Apparently rejecting me hadn’t been a huge priority because I submitted almost eight months prior and they were just sending me my letter. I opened the envelope, feeling cynical and mean, wondering if I could pin this particular “badge of honor” on someone’s forehead.

It’s not a rejection.

This scholarly board of people who aren’t my friends and who definitely aren’t tossing me a bone say that they love my work and they want me to keep representing our state with my writing. To help in the effort, they give me FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!

Maybe I’ll hang in there a little longer…

2007 – I start on a collaboration with my good friend Becky Rodgers Boyette, an epic fantasy novel called The Serpent and the Stallion. I also sell another story, “Power and Purpose”, to Brandon for the third and final installment of the Dark Dreams series. It’s the last time I’ll be paid for my writing for another 4 years.

2008 – Rejections. No bites on any stories, novels, or haikus (okay, I didn’t try to sell haikus…but I considered it). Not only that, it’s getting harder to find things I actually like reading. Someone suggests a few young adult books to me. I check them out…and I LOVE THEM.

I’m totally shocked by the range in YA fiction, and I devour as much as I can manage. The creativity is off the charts. Every single genre is present under a single umbrella. Who knew?

At the same time I play with the idea of a woman in witness protection who has to solve a friend’s murder, but it just isn’t coming together.

What if she isn’t a woman, but a teen? A teen boy?

Hmmmm….

2009 – I complete 2 drafts of a YA thriller I call Whispertown. It feels solid. I spend all of my Christmas vacation writing and re-writing a query letter. 14 drafts. The ball drops in Times Square, and I have no resolutions. Just a plan.

2010 – On the first Monday in January I send my query letter to ten select agents. By the first Monday in February seven of them ask to read my manuscript. By the first Monday in April all seven say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

This does not depress me. I’ve never gotten farther, and those rejections came with feedback. I write a 3^rd draft of Whispertown. By the end of June I’m ready for another go. I send out five queries this time. Within a week I have my first offer for representation. Two more quickly follow. By Mid-July I have an agent (a super fantastic agent… Hi, Jamie Weiss Chilton of Andrea Brown Literary).

We spend the next month tweaking Whispertown. Shortly after Labor Day my little book is making the rounds at all the major publishing houses in New York. Also, somewhere in the world, children are being conceived (you’ll understand my point momentarily).

2011 – I hear stories of people who go on submission and sell their books in three days flat. I’m not one of them. There’s a ton of interest in my book, which is amazing, but offers are slow coming for a number of reasons (vacations, in-house debates, editors leaving one company for another, etc). I focus on writing a new book, and a little endeavor called Independent Publishing.

Remember NecRomance and The Cablon Connection? I revise and rename them Live Again and The Darkness Kept respectively. Also, I take another look at those stories I’d considered burning and realize they clean up nice with a little polish. I bundle them together in a collection called The Shadows Gallery. Then I design some covers with Photoshop, and test the digital publishing waters. A great move. I’m making money again and Whispertown falls off my radar.

It’s May, and the children who were conceived around the time my book went on submission are now making their way into the world. Also, Live Again is a book of the month selection for a huge interstate book club called Go on Girl!. GoG! invites me to their annual conference in Washington, DC.

I take the train up, and as we pull into Union Station I get a phone call from my Super Agent. HarperCollins wants Whispertown. The thing is, I can’t really talk because I’m about to miss my stop and the conductor’s giving me the stinkeye for being Frozen in the Aisle Cell Phone Guy when I should be Getting the BLEEP! Off the Train Guy.

Despite the angry conductor it’s a good day. The best, really. In a way, my baby is being born, too.

I sell my book, and even though I missed my age 26 deadline by quite a bit, the moment is just as sweet (maybe moreso). As for the next part, well, I don’t know yet. It’s still happening. As I type this.

This publishing journey may never lead to my own private island (particularly since my wife believes shoes are a more stable investment), but I’ll go wherever the tide takes me. I’ve learned not to put too much effort into charting a course through this mad, mad world. That way, when the twists and turns come to upset the plan (and they will come), maybe I can get a laugh in, too.

2012 - ??????? J ????????