Never Too Old For Y.A. & N.A. Books discussion
Author Interview of the Month
>
OCTOBER Interview by Leslie
date
newest »
newest »
- As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up I wanted to be a cowgirl, or to marry Kermit the Frog. As I got older, I wanted to be a middle or high school English teacher. I never became either, instead I’m a business consultant and a YA author.
- While working fulltime, how do you find time to do all the research for your books?
I use the internet for most of it but I’ve also taken some road trips. To really get the setting right in AMP, I needed to get a better feel for the town of Salem. I’d seen pictures online but I wanted to walk through the town, across the cobblestones, wander down by the docks, and really take in the place where Lyla lives. To make it happen, I took a long weekend off from my day job and drove up to Boston where I spent the weekend exploring with my sister. It was a great trip and really changed the way I wrote about Salem because after the trip, I was writing about memories, not just imagining what it might be like. It was worth the drive to see the difference on the book.
-For an aspiring writer what do you feel are certain do's and don’ts for getting their material published
Read the genre that you want to write, understand what makes the books in that genre successful. Research your topic, make sure you know as much or more than the audience you are writing for. I wrote a chapter in A Marked Past that takes place in an old barn in Massachusetts so I had to research barns. I needed to understand how farmers kept the barns cool in the summer so I read articles about old barns and cooling techniques. When you read Chapter 21 Opening day you’ll see what I discovered and how important little details came make a setting really come to life.
-How old were you when you decided to become a writer? If it was later in life what gave you the final push?
Two years ago, at age 32, a series of events happening in my life changed me. They made me look at what I wanted and find the courage to do it. First, I had just finished reading Twilight and I read Stephanie Meyer’s blog. In it she said she started writing, did some research online, and viola, success. It sounded so… possible, that I thought I should try it. Next my friend Justin pushed me, he said just do it, and then dragged an outline out of me over lunch. And then, my grandma’s health took a turn for the worse, and I started writing a letter to her each week. This last event may seem unrelated, but it wasn’t.
It was a set schedule each week when I sat down and started writing.
I described the change of the leaves, the crunch of gravel under my boot when I was hiking, and the ache that filled my chest when I thought about losing her. All those words moved around in my head, pushing my hands to write again, so when the ache of losing her came, I didn’t just sit and weep, I wrote. Losing her pushed me to make A Marked Past a novel and not just a project.
- What do you consider invaluable resources for an aspiring writer?
Readers! Find friends, coworkers, students, anyone who can read your drafts and give you feedback on the storyline, the dialogue, the plot line, any or all of it. As an author we like to think that we should do this alone, but you need readers to help you make the best possible product you can. Also, if you are self publishing hire a proofreader to catch all the typos, you will never be able to find them all yourself and really, let someone else do it for you…you’ve worked hard enough.
- How many books are you planning for your The Mercer Legacy series?
I’m working on the sequel and have some ideas for a third, but….you never know.
Thank you so much Leslie for giving out very detailed answers. I hope our members get to read this and be inspired to write their own novels.Personally, I think you've done a great job! Congratulations with your books. I, myself, would like to write my own books too, well, someday.
I hope all goes well with your series, Leslie!
Fantastic interview, really interesting and inspiring to those who would love to write.
Hi Leslie - GREAT Interview! I can relate to all your answers! I didn't tell my husband or friends that I was writing until my first book was finished for exactly the same reasons!
Leslie:
Thanks for asking me about this! I sent it on Sunday to the reply address it got lost in GR no reply land!! So glad you asked!!
Thanks for asking me to participate in this online interview. Please feel free to let me know if you would like any further info. I’m glad to share my writing and publishing experiences with other writers and readers out there, so here goes!
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
--I think I always wanted to be a writer even as a young kid, because I loved to read. I remember listening to my third grade teacher Mr. Dannis read Dear Mr. Henshaw to our class and thinking how cool it was that the author had made his book a series of letters. (Who analyzes the structure of a book at age 8?...me I guess.)
I can also remember keeping a notebook of poetry when I was about eight. I hid it under my bed from my parents for a long time. I guess looking back on that now, it makes me kid of a strange kid. But I loved to write and I didn’t know anybody else who did, so I hid it. By the time I was 11 I had 2 full binders of poetry under there, by the time I left for college I had 5, after college I had 8.
- How long does it take you to write a book?
I wrote the first draft of A Marked Past in three months (after work and on the weekends). Then I spent the better part of a year working with my sister Sarah, some friends, and an agent to revise the manuscript.
- What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I work full time (40+ hours per week) at my day job so I had to make time to write in the evenings and on the weekends. I would write 5 hours on week nights and upwards of 8-12 hours a day on the weekends. AMP was drafted from January-March. This was a sacrifice but I love it so I made time for it.
- What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I was writing on an old laptop so I was obsessive about backing up my files. It started with thumb drives (little usb memory sticks), and I had them all over the house. They were in my laptop bag, on the end table, in the dvd cabinet, in the silverware drawer, and in the junk drawer. No I’m not kidding I had 5, no wait, I had 6 memory sticks floating around my house; I even had one in my sock drawer. (It’s ok to laugh at me, I do, and I know I was crazy.) Finally my husband got so tired of all the usb sticks lying around that he bought me a new laptop and an external hard drive. (But I do still back up on usb when he’s not looking) J
- How do books get published?
I’m new to this, but I think there are two ways to get published…Traditional publication, write your book, revise your book, write a Query Letter, snag an agent, and then work with a publishing house to publish your book. Some tips on the Traditional publishing process: Write a great Query Letter (check out hints on Kristin Nelson’s blog http://www.nelsonagency.com/faq.html ) and then hit the Agent Query (http://www.agentquery.com) website to search for an agent. This can be a soul wrenching process, sending out query letters can be exhausting and the sting of rejection is a harsh reality of the business, but this is how the traditional publishing world works.
Option 2 (the one I chose) is Self Publishing, write your book, revise your book, write an amazing hook (blurb) then work with a self publishing house (https://www.createspace.com/Products/Ind...) to publish your book. Put up a blog, join a group like Goodreads and network with other writers. Read as much as you can about self publishing and just do it!
- Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
This question makes me laugh, because when I was 17 my band director said to me “If I didn’t know any better I’d swear you and your sister were witches.” I laughed at the comment but his words always stuck with me. It intrigued me to think that a pretty, young girl might have a dark secret and some hidden powers behind her otherwise innocent dark eyes. So 17 years later, I created Lyla Mercer and A Marked Past.
I wrote about things that I loved. I loved Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson, Wicked Lovely, Twilight, and so many more YA books, so I knew I wanted to write YA fantasy. Also, I’ve always been fascinated by the events of the Salem Witch Trials so wanted to write about that. I was intrigued by how normal people became consumed with the fear of magic and it changed them. Ironically, it made them the evil ones in town.
- When did you write your first book and how old were you?
A Marked Past is my first novel, drafted in 2009, published in 2011, and I am 34 years old.
- What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I love to read, watch TV, and movies, anything with a good storyline. I like to observe characters and consider why the writer made the choices they did for that scenario. I think it’s good to see what direction the author or screen writer took and see if I would have gone the same way.
- What does your family think of your writing?
Great question. As I mentioned earlier I hid my writing for a long time, from my family, friends, roommates, husband, everyone. I felt like it was too personal to share, maybe I was afraid to be judged, or just embarrassed to put myself out there, I’m not sure, so I hid. Two years ago I announced that I was writing a book and my family cheered. My sister was on the phone with me for hours at a time talking through storyline, my mom was always asking about my progress, my brother designed all of the AMP materials, my husband bought me a new laptop, and my dad became my biggest fan. If you meet him, he’ll give you a bookmark and tell you that his daughter wrote a book. My family is amazing and so very proud.
- What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Two things come to mind, first, I never realized it, but I am too safe. You have to take chances in good literature to create an interesting character. I didn’t know it, but even though I thought I was a bad ass for going off to college and moving to DC; those things make me average, not extraordinary. I am a safe person. I always have been. I always choose the well traveled path so I needed to ask advice on what choices my characters should make. They needed to be more adventurous than me, daring, defiant.
The next thing that surprised me was that people care that you are writing a book. I was afraid that I would write AMP and no one would care. I would publish a book and no one would buy it. But when I mentioned that I was writing a book people did care. They asked questions; they got excited, they’re asking me to sign their books. Me, really? They are amazingly supportive and keeping me positive when doubts are closing in on me. My friends, family, coworkers, and readers have become one of the most important parts of the journey because after all, a book is nothing without readers.
- How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
A Marked Past is the first book I have published but I’ve actually written 5 different books in various stages of completion over the past 3 years. The first book I ever wrote was a kid’s book called The Never Ending Adventures of Robert and Bink. It’s a series based on the adventures of a little boy and his blanket Bink, who teaches Robert how to endure things like weathering a thunderstorm. It was fun to write but I’m not sure you’ll ever see those in print.
Next I moved on to writing a middle grade story about a boy named Isaac who lives in inner city Washington DC. After his grandfather dies Isaac finds solace in walking around DC to the places he’d gone with his grandfather when he was alive, again most likely will never be published but a good exercise in writing.
A Marked Past was my third book and my first young adult novel and my favorite. The fourth book I’ve written is the sequel to AMP, it’s also a young adult novel, called A History Renewed and it will be released next year.
The fifth novel I’m working on is a Steam Punk fantasy novel that takes place in both current time and World War I London. It’s a way to clear my mind when I need a break from the Mercer adventures.
- Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Write often, send letters or postcards, volunteer to write for charity, create a blog, weigh in on some reading forums, just write. Talk about writing, join a writing group, lead a teen writing seminar, attend a writing conference, sign up for a local writing class, do whatever you can to polish your skills and use them!
- Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I’m a newly published author so I’m just gathering readers but when I do hear from them they are awesome. I’ve gotten emails from readers who are planning to buy the book telling me how excited they are to read the book. I’ve also gotten some encouraging emails from other authors and writers too telling me they like the hook for AMP and wishing me luck.
- Do you like to create books for adults?
My books are geared more for teens than adults. I think there’s a fine line between adult and young adult literature, but not just in the themes but also in the actions and behaviors of the characters. Because of that difference I’m more comfortable writing in the teen market. I read both types of novels but I often enjoy young adult and teen themed novels a bit more so I think I’ll keep writings for teens.
- What do you think makes a good story?
For me, a good story starts with a character that I can relate to, someone who reacts the way I might. I’m a realist so even in the midst of fantasy I always need a tie to reality. I mean I get it, Percy Jackson is Poseidon’s son so he can control the ocean, but I still like that he’s otherwise a normal kid. Same with Bella, when she’s not hanging with Vampires and werewolves she’s just a neurotic teenage girl. That same sense of humanity is present in every choice that Harry Potter makes. His back-story shapes the man he becomes. All of these characters have supernatural abilities, battle with dark elements, and still fundamentally are just normal people, just like the readers.