I've been reflecting today on all that has happened in my writing career since one year ago. A year ago, I had just begun the process of editing The Six for re-release with TWCS. We'd not even begun marketing efforts yet on that book, and I was looking forward to months ahead of editing, marketing, and writing. I'd barely begun work on writing The Enchanted, and terms such as "blog tour" and "swag" were strange and unfamiliar to me. Over the course of the months that followed, I wrote The Enchanted, edited, re-released (or, in the case of book 4, released for the first time), and promoted all four books, including new cover designs for the first three, took part in an official PR tour, travelled to Texas for a writer's festival, and wrote and submitted book 5, The Scroll. 12 months, five books (two from scratch), one trip, over a thousand E-mails, and hours and hours of quality time with my keyboard. It was a productive year, to say the least.
Looking ahead, while I'm not one for New Year's resolutions per se, there are some goals I'd like to see realized by one year from today. First off, of course I'll continue editing The Scroll and will be completing all the marketing and promotion associated with that. I will also have completed my draft of book 6 by this time next year, and I hope to have started work on the next series of books I want to write. My sales and readership base have undoubtedly broadened since I signed with TWCS, and I'd like to see it broaden significantly more in the year to come. By this time next year, I'd like to have been listed on some bestseller list somewhere-whether it's through TWCS, Amazon, or the New York Times (hey, I'm not picky!), I just want to see it happen! I have a couple more writer's festivals to attend this year, and I'd also like to schedule some speaking engagements on top of those. By this time next year, I'd like to be a known author, and with enough word of mouth, it could happen!
Thanks so much to all of you who read my books and tell others about them. Your support means the world to me. Keep it up! And maybe we'll see a movie made of my books someday...
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Once Upon a Time...
Every now and then I am reminded that my adventure with TWCS Publishing House is still quite new, and once upon a time, not so long ago, I was laboring away as a self-pub author, begging, borrowing, and stealing help wherever I could get it. Many of you who purchased my books before I signed with TWCS know that I had three students working on cover design for me. What you may not know is that they finished the cover for book 4 before I signed with TWCS, which nullified my need for the cover they had created for me as we changed the covers entirely. I thought perhaps some of you might be interested to see the original cover for book 4, however, because the girls did an excellent job of bringing to life my description of an item from the book: Tellius's coronation crown. I believe I described it something like this when I explained it to them. "It's like, sorta, a cross between an Olympic victory crown with olive leaves and a medieval-type simple crown with a single point in the center. It should be gold, and the leaves should touch top and bottom. Simple, but rich-looking. No jewels." And from those scattered thoughts, they created something pretty much exactly like I pictured it in my brain:
It's a beautiful picture, and hopefully it fits what you imagined when you read the coronation scene. I'm glad, however, that I didn't decide to have the crown on the cover of the official version of book 4. As The Enchanted came together, it became a much darker story than I once envisioned it, and the coronation sequence figured in less prominently. Still, though, I love having this image saved on my computer, and I thought it was high time to share it with all of you!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
A Good Day to Finish Book 5
As I told several friends and family members just a couple weeks ago, I needed a Christmas miracle to finish my fifth manuscript. With final exams for my students upon me, three sick children, and planning for upcoming family visits over the Holidays, I didn't see where the time would come from to get the book finished. This was all exacerbated by the fact that with a new baby in the house, my already limited writing time over the fall had shrunk to virtually non-existent, leading me into Christmas break with just under 200 pages complete in the manuscript... My manuscripts usually clock in at around 385 pages in rough draft form. I was having virtual panic attacks trying to think about how, HOW, I was going to finish that book! Well, final exams came and went, my children got better, and family came in from all over the country. We celebrated Christmas (I don't remember much of it), and I picked away at the manuscript, a couple pages here, a couple pages there... fall asleep at laptop, wake up, rinse, repeat... Essentially I ended up in a situation where by the time everything calmed down after Christmas, I faced 5 days until my manuscript was due, and still around 175 (actually turned out to be more like 195) pages left to write. My manuscript was due on January 2nd. To make a long story short (ba dum ching!) I inverted my sleep schedule so I could catch snatches of sleep during the day while my kids were napping, and I stayed up all night, every night, writing. At about 3:30 on the afternoon of January 2nd, I finished! 410 pages, done! I almost cried . . . but I was sitting in Panera, so that would have been awkward. (A special thanks goes out to Maggie Rapier for HOURS of free babysitting!) Now, I could have turned it in then and been on time-as I tend to be a late person and I desperately wanted to be on time-but I just couldn't present it to my editing team full of typos, so I took the next twelve hours, from 3:30pm-3:30am to do a full proofread of the manuscript. So, technically, I finished on January 3rd. The rough draft of The Scroll is complete!
By way of reward that night, I went to see The Hobbit. With all the illness and busyness, it was something I had had to put off, which just killed me! You see, the book The Hobbit has a very special place in my life and heart. It is one of the first books that I can remember independently reading as a child, and one of the first I remember reading over and over again. I've become something of a collector of copies over the years, and that leads into kind of a fun story in and of itself. You see, fantasy literature has always been important to me, and in particular the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, so when I first met my future husband, Adam, in college, I knew that would have to be a love that we shared. Adam and I had just started getting to know each other, and there was undeniable mutual attraction, but he admitted to me early on that he had never really read a book "just for fun." He grew up on a farm, and the only books he'd ever read were those assigned for school. Well, that simply wasn't acceptable, so I thought a test was in order. The first Lord of the Rings movie had just hit theaters (and of course I'd already seen it), but I invited him to go and see it with me (an unofficial date, as we were still in the early friend stage). He agreed, and when the movie was starting, I remember thinking, "If he likes this movie, we're good to go. If he doesn't, I don't think I can consider dating him." Movie viewed, end credits rolled, and I turned to him and said, "So what did you think?" I can still remember the look on his face when he turned back to me and said, "I LOVED it!" Score! And then he said those sweet words, "I think I need to read that book now." *sigh* It was practically love then and there. But here's the thing, you can't read The Lord of The Rings without first reading The Hobbit, and I told him so. He could have walked away then and there thinking I was a total crazy person, but instead he said, "Okay," and he did it! And then he read The Lord of the Rings! By this time we were dating, of course, and we spent many a long car ride with me reading it aloud to him. Nine months later, he took me out to a WWII France-themed restaurant and gave me a collector's edition of The Hobbit as a gift. Written inside the front cover was a proposal of marriage. I said yes, and it's been a match made in literary heaven ever since. So as a first read, The Hobbit was important to both of us, and also important in starting our lives together. The sad part of this story is that we did NOT get to see The Hobbit together in theaters. Adam went with my brother-in-law and father over break while I was writing, but I fully intend not to let us miss out on going together to either of the next two installments. I may not have gotten to see it on opening night, or with my husband, but I did go with my sister, and it was on January 3rd-Tolkien's birthday. To say that I loved it would be an understatement. I'm one of those people who can appreciate that certain things have to be changed to make a book into a more successful movie, so adding scenes or tweaking things, as long as they don't mess with the essence of Tolkien's material, doesn't bother me in the slightest, especially when it's things we get passing mentions of in the books and never really get to see (such as the Necromancer, or Radagast the Brown). But I digress too much; if I'm not careful I'll write a complete movie review. It was the perfect reward for hours of hard writing, and for years of waiting. And I know it may have been the extreme sleep deprivation acting on me, but I spent most of the movie grinning like an idiot and restraining myself from cheering. *sigh* I love being a nerd.
All in all, I just felt that January 3rd was a good day to finish book 5. I achieved a significant literary accomplishment on Tolkien's birthday, then proceeded to go and see a movie based on a beloved book by same said author, and the movie struck to the core of everything I love about the story. All the day really needed was a pint at the Green Dragon at the end of the night and a few of Gandalf's fireworks.
By way of reward that night, I went to see The Hobbit. With all the illness and busyness, it was something I had had to put off, which just killed me! You see, the book The Hobbit has a very special place in my life and heart. It is one of the first books that I can remember independently reading as a child, and one of the first I remember reading over and over again. I've become something of a collector of copies over the years, and that leads into kind of a fun story in and of itself. You see, fantasy literature has always been important to me, and in particular the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, so when I first met my future husband, Adam, in college, I knew that would have to be a love that we shared. Adam and I had just started getting to know each other, and there was undeniable mutual attraction, but he admitted to me early on that he had never really read a book "just for fun." He grew up on a farm, and the only books he'd ever read were those assigned for school. Well, that simply wasn't acceptable, so I thought a test was in order. The first Lord of the Rings movie had just hit theaters (and of course I'd already seen it), but I invited him to go and see it with me (an unofficial date, as we were still in the early friend stage). He agreed, and when the movie was starting, I remember thinking, "If he likes this movie, we're good to go. If he doesn't, I don't think I can consider dating him." Movie viewed, end credits rolled, and I turned to him and said, "So what did you think?" I can still remember the look on his face when he turned back to me and said, "I LOVED it!" Score! And then he said those sweet words, "I think I need to read that book now." *sigh* It was practically love then and there. But here's the thing, you can't read The Lord of The Rings without first reading The Hobbit, and I told him so. He could have walked away then and there thinking I was a total crazy person, but instead he said, "Okay," and he did it! And then he read The Lord of the Rings! By this time we were dating, of course, and we spent many a long car ride with me reading it aloud to him. Nine months later, he took me out to a WWII France-themed restaurant and gave me a collector's edition of The Hobbit as a gift. Written inside the front cover was a proposal of marriage. I said yes, and it's been a match made in literary heaven ever since. So as a first read, The Hobbit was important to both of us, and also important in starting our lives together. The sad part of this story is that we did NOT get to see The Hobbit together in theaters. Adam went with my brother-in-law and father over break while I was writing, but I fully intend not to let us miss out on going together to either of the next two installments. I may not have gotten to see it on opening night, or with my husband, but I did go with my sister, and it was on January 3rd-Tolkien's birthday. To say that I loved it would be an understatement. I'm one of those people who can appreciate that certain things have to be changed to make a book into a more successful movie, so adding scenes or tweaking things, as long as they don't mess with the essence of Tolkien's material, doesn't bother me in the slightest, especially when it's things we get passing mentions of in the books and never really get to see (such as the Necromancer, or Radagast the Brown). But I digress too much; if I'm not careful I'll write a complete movie review. It was the perfect reward for hours of hard writing, and for years of waiting. And I know it may have been the extreme sleep deprivation acting on me, but I spent most of the movie grinning like an idiot and restraining myself from cheering. *sigh* I love being a nerd.
All in all, I just felt that January 3rd was a good day to finish book 5. I achieved a significant literary accomplishment on Tolkien's birthday, then proceeded to go and see a movie based on a beloved book by same said author, and the movie struck to the core of everything I love about the story. All the day really needed was a pint at the Green Dragon at the end of the night and a few of Gandalf's fireworks.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
7th Day of Christmas Sale!
On the 7th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . . $4.99 copies of The Gateway Chronicles! Woo Hoo! Today only, get my E-books on sale just in time for Christmas!
Friday, December 14, 2012
Author to Author Blog Hop, Day 10
We're featuring Angel Lawson today on Author to Author. She's the author of the Wraith series. I enjoyed reading her interview here and especially LOVE her answer to "the best thing about being a writer"! Funny, and very, very true!
And we have exciting news about the drawing! If we reach 2,000 entries, there will be a second prize package awarded! Enter the drawing at the bottom of the post...
Angel Lawson lives with her family in Atlanta and has a lifelong obsession with creating fiction from reality, either with paint or words. On a typical day you can find her writing, reading, plotting her escape from the zombie apocalypse and trying to get the glitter out from under her nails.
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1. Who's your favorite author, and why? Impossible to answer question.
And we have exciting news about the drawing! If we reach 2,000 entries, there will be a second prize package awarded! Enter the drawing at the bottom of the post...
Angel Lawson lives with her family in Atlanta and has a lifelong obsession with creating fiction from reality, either with paint or words. On a typical day you can find her writing, reading, plotting her escape from the zombie apocalypse and trying to get the glitter out from under her nails.
Website
Ten Questions
1. Who's your favorite author, and why? Impossible to answer question.
I've always been a fan of Stephen King and Barbara Kingsolver. I love Harry Potter and the world building and I'm currently rereading The Hunger Games for the third time and even though I know the outcome I'm still on the edge of my seat.
2. If you could have a conversation with one of the characters in your most-recently released novel, which one would it be and why?
2. If you could have a conversation with one of the characters in your most-recently released novel, which one would it be and why?
Ruby, because we could talk about zombies and going to Comic Con.
3. Where do you get the ideas and inspiration for your characters personalities?
3. Where do you get the ideas and inspiration for your characters personalities?
I try to think about what I know or what I want to learn about. This summer a trip to the beach my family has always visited (since my mother was a child) prompted a story I never realized was in my head. Right now I'm drawing on my past as a caseworker and some of the grittier details from that period of my life. But I also love researching new things. Airstream trailers, Parkour, palmistry.
4. What is the best thing (in your opinion) about being a writer?
4. What is the best thing (in your opinion) about being a writer?
Permission to get lost in your mind. I've always been a daydreamer. Now I have an excuse.
5. How did you find your agent/publisher?
5. How did you find your agent/publisher?
I queried for about 6 months and got either form letter rejections, a couple of requests and very little feedback. During that time I started looking more and more into Self-publishing and it really seemed like the best fit for me and my personality.
6. What's the best piece of writing advice you've been given?
6. What's the best piece of writing advice you've been given?
Always write. Keep writing. And then write some more.
7. Biggest mistake you've made as an author?
7. Biggest mistake you've made as an author?
I wish I'd done a bit better editing job on my first book. It had some mistakes that I've gone back and fixed. I hate reading reviews where it comments them. I was overwhelmed though and had read it so many times. At some point you have to trust those working with you. I think at this point I've set up a pretty good system to catch errors. I hope.
8. What would the lead character of your latest novel want for Christmas?
Probably the assurance of a ghost free Christmas. Oh, and to make out with Connor.
9. Favorite Christmas music?
9. Favorite Christmas music?
Feed the World-BandAid. I loved Duran Duran. My best friend and I had a whole dance to the song with hand movements. Very Napoleon Dynamite.
10. What was the best gift you ever received?
10. What was the best gift you ever received?
Ugh. I have no idea. I remember getting Barbie Townhouse one year. Oh and a doll that you could put in the bathtub. My mom told me it was too expensive and I couldn't have one. Santa to the rescue!
Thank you, Angel!
You can find her books at CreateSpace, and Amazon.
The Author to Author Blog Hop is hosting a giveaway for a prize package of eBooks from our contributing authors. Enter below, and the winner will be notified by e-mail. You have a chance to enter every day on any of the participating author's blogs - so keep checking back. (Note: eBooks labeled 18+ will not be awarded to a winner under the age of 18.)
The Author to Author Blog Hop Giveaway Prize Package includes:
Legacy of a Dreamer by Allie Jean (16+)
Lessons Learned by Sydney Logan (16+)
Ghostwriter by Lissa Bryan (16+)
Behind Closed Doors by Sherri Hayes (16+)
Fifty Shades of Jungle Fever by L.V. Lewis (18+)
Riverbend by Andrea Goodson
Serial Summer by Angel Lawson (18+)
MORE by T.M. Franklin
Valerie, Daughter of the Dragon by Robert S. Fuller, Jr.
Ghosts of our Pasts by N.K. Smith
My Only by N.K. Smith
The Six by K. B. Hoyle
Damaged Goods by Alexandra Allred
CLICK HERE to enter PRIZE PACK GIVEAWAYTuesday, December 11, 2012
Author to Author Blog Hop, Day 7
Today on Author to Author, we're featuring T. M. Franklin, author of the young adult MORE trilogy. T. M. is another fellow TWCS YA author and someone I enjoyed getting to know in Austin. I am really looking forward to reading her book . . . as soon as I finish my fifth manuscript!
1. Who's your favorite author, and why?
Oh, that’s a tough one. It depends on my mood, and honestly, I’m a bit fickle. My favorites change based on what I’m reading at the moment, I think. I love authors that evoke some kind of emotional response – those that make me laugh out loud or cry or just think for hours or days after I finish reading.
I’d say my favorite comedic writer is Janet Evanovich. She’s got such a talent for writing outrageous humor that’s pee-your-pants funny. (No, I haven’t done that, but it’s been close!) For historical fiction, I’d have to go with Diana Gabaldon, who wrote the Outlander series. She blends fantasy with real historical events in such a compelling way. And the last thing I read that really made me cry was actually a fan fiction contest entry. The contest is anonymous, so I can’t say much about the story, but hit me up after the winners are announced on December 15th and I’ll be glad to share the wealth.
2. If you could have a conversation with one of the characters in your most-recently released novel, which one would it be and why?
Probably Tiernan. Caleb and Ava are pretty much open books, but Tiernan is a man of mystery. It would be fun to try and get inside that big shaved head of his.
3. Where do you get the ideas and inspiration for your characters personalities?
Many places. Some are based on people I’ve known in real life. Others’ personalities simply develop from the part I want them to play in the plot. Generally, the characters I like get personality traits I like and admire, while villains get the opposite.
4. What is the best thing (in your opinion) about being a writer?
Telling stories and actually having people read them. We all like to say we write for ourselves, but the fact of the matter is, if there’s nobody to read the stories, what’s the point?
I’d say the best thing is when someone reads and gets what you’re trying to say. I recently got a review for MORE that said, “That is exactly what this book is: a fun read. This is the 'sit down on a cool fall day, cuddle under a blanket, and get lost in another world that might actually be our world' kinda book." – So You Think You Can Write.
This is exactly what I was trying to write – not a Pulitzer Prize winner or some great piece of literary art (not that I even could!) – just something fun to read. So this comment thrilled me!
5. How did you find your agent/publisher?
My publisher approached me after learning from one of their authors (Thank you, Sydney Logan!) that I was working on a manuscript they might be interested in. They asked for a synopsis and the first three chapters of MORE, and then the full manuscript. They offered me a contract for the trilogy and that was that.
6. What's the best piece of writing advice you've been given?
It’s not really writing advice per se, but more about dealing with negative reviews. It can be paralyzing when you’re trying to write and see a negative comment or review of your story. You get to second guessing every little thing and it can be very distracting, not to mention disheartening.
I read a blog post recently by Rachel Thompson, an author and social media expert. One of the things she said about negative reviews is so simple but so true – not everybody likes everything. It’s all subjective, to a certain extent.
Go check out the Amazon reviews for some of your favorite books. Even Divergent and The Hunger Games – huge commercial successes with broad fan bases – have one-star reviews. Now, this is not to say that negative reviews should be ignored, because the fact is, sometimes they’re right. I’ve had negative comments about my book that I’ve had to admit were spot on, and I hope they will help me grow as a writer and make the next book better. But I think the trick is to keep it all in perspective. Take what is constructive, and let the rest go.
7. Biggest mistake you've made as an author?
Oh, there have been many. The biggest one recently was using the word “cellular” in MORE when I meant “molecular.” My son was gracious enough to point it out. He’s also been recruited to pre-read the next book so I don’t make a similar mistake again.
8. What would the lead character of your latest novel want for Christmas?
Oh, Ava’s had a busy time of it – running for her life and learning there’s another Race living in secret among humans and all – so I think she’d just like to have a quiet Christmas at home with her family and maybe Caleb. Some time with nobody trying to kill or capture her, and no conspiracies she’s in the midst of. I have a feeling she might get that, too. Guess we’ll see in Book 2. J
9. Favorite Christmas music?
I love my Michael Bublé Christmas album from last year. Don’t judge me. It’s catchy.
10. What was the best gift you ever received?
Probably my laptop. I don’t know what I’d do without it!
Thank you, T. M.!
You can find T.M. Franklin's MORE at Amazon, Barnes & Noble TWCS Publishing House, iBooks and Kobo
T.M. Franklin started out her career writing non-fiction in a television newsroom. Graduating with a B.A. in Communications specializing in broadcast journalism and production, she worked for nine years as a major market television news producer, and garnered two regional Emmy Awards, before she resigned to be a full-time mom and part-time freelance writer. Her first published novel, MORE is now available. Book 2 in the MORETrilogy, The Guardians, will be released in 2013.
Ten Questions
1. Who's your favorite author, and why?
Oh, that’s a tough one. It depends on my mood, and honestly, I’m a bit fickle. My favorites change based on what I’m reading at the moment, I think. I love authors that evoke some kind of emotional response – those that make me laugh out loud or cry or just think for hours or days after I finish reading.
I’d say my favorite comedic writer is Janet Evanovich. She’s got such a talent for writing outrageous humor that’s pee-your-pants funny. (No, I haven’t done that, but it’s been close!) For historical fiction, I’d have to go with Diana Gabaldon, who wrote the Outlander series. She blends fantasy with real historical events in such a compelling way. And the last thing I read that really made me cry was actually a fan fiction contest entry. The contest is anonymous, so I can’t say much about the story, but hit me up after the winners are announced on December 15th and I’ll be glad to share the wealth.
2. If you could have a conversation with one of the characters in your most-recently released novel, which one would it be and why?
Probably Tiernan. Caleb and Ava are pretty much open books, but Tiernan is a man of mystery. It would be fun to try and get inside that big shaved head of his.
3. Where do you get the ideas and inspiration for your characters personalities?
Many places. Some are based on people I’ve known in real life. Others’ personalities simply develop from the part I want them to play in the plot. Generally, the characters I like get personality traits I like and admire, while villains get the opposite.
Telling stories and actually having people read them. We all like to say we write for ourselves, but the fact of the matter is, if there’s nobody to read the stories, what’s the point?
I’d say the best thing is when someone reads and gets what you’re trying to say. I recently got a review for MORE that said, “That is exactly what this book is: a fun read. This is the 'sit down on a cool fall day, cuddle under a blanket, and get lost in another world that might actually be our world' kinda book." – So You Think You Can Write.
This is exactly what I was trying to write – not a Pulitzer Prize winner or some great piece of literary art (not that I even could!) – just something fun to read. So this comment thrilled me!
5. How did you find your agent/publisher?
My publisher approached me after learning from one of their authors (Thank you, Sydney Logan!) that I was working on a manuscript they might be interested in. They asked for a synopsis and the first three chapters of MORE, and then the full manuscript. They offered me a contract for the trilogy and that was that.
It’s not really writing advice per se, but more about dealing with negative reviews. It can be paralyzing when you’re trying to write and see a negative comment or review of your story. You get to second guessing every little thing and it can be very distracting, not to mention disheartening.
I read a blog post recently by Rachel Thompson, an author and social media expert. One of the things she said about negative reviews is so simple but so true – not everybody likes everything. It’s all subjective, to a certain extent.
Go check out the Amazon reviews for some of your favorite books. Even Divergent and The Hunger Games – huge commercial successes with broad fan bases – have one-star reviews. Now, this is not to say that negative reviews should be ignored, because the fact is, sometimes they’re right. I’ve had negative comments about my book that I’ve had to admit were spot on, and I hope they will help me grow as a writer and make the next book better. But I think the trick is to keep it all in perspective. Take what is constructive, and let the rest go.
7. Biggest mistake you've made as an author?
8. What would the lead character of your latest novel want for Christmas?
Oh, Ava’s had a busy time of it – running for her life and learning there’s another Race living in secret among humans and all – so I think she’d just like to have a quiet Christmas at home with her family and maybe Caleb. Some time with nobody trying to kill or capture her, and no conspiracies she’s in the midst of. I have a feeling she might get that, too. Guess we’ll see in Book 2. J
9. Favorite Christmas music?
10. What was the best gift you ever received?
Probably my laptop. I don’t know what I’d do without it!
Thank you, T. M.!
You can find T.M. Franklin's MORE at Amazon, Barnes & Noble TWCS Publishing House, iBooks and Kobo
Monday, December 10, 2012
Author to Author Blog Hop, Day 6
Lissa Bryan is a fellow TWCS author, yay! I also met her while in Austin, TX for the book festival. Enjoy her interview!
Lissa Bryan is an astronaut, renowned Kabuki actress, Olympic pole vault gold medalist, Iron Chef champion, and scientist who recently discovered the cure for athlete's foot.... though only in her head.
Real life isn't so interesting, which is why she spends most of her time writing.
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1. Who's your favorite author, and why?
Asking an avid reader to name one favorite author is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. There are so many authors I love, and they all taught me something about writing. But the one that sticks out for me is Emily Brontë.Wuthering Heights is an amazing novel. Every word—even the names— she selected to convey the proper mood for the scenes, and Brontë made every line a poem. I’m not that skilled and I probably never will be, but I try to follow her example in choosing words that enhance the mood I want to convey.
2. If you could have a conversation with one of the characters in your most-recently released novel, which one would it be and why?
I would pick Seth Fortner fromGhostwriter. He was a man both haunted and haunting, terribly damaged by his experiences in WWI, but as Sara says in the novel, he had a sweet poet’s soul.
3. Where do you get the ideas and inspiration for your characters personalities?
They seem to grow organically. A story begins in my mind with the simple question, “What if…?” As the story develops, so do the characters who tell it. They start as faint outlines, but as I get to know them, they seem to become people with a mind of their own, who sometimes steer the story in a different direction than I intended. And most of the time, they’re right.
4. What is the best thing (in your opinion) about being a writer?
Sharing with others these characters who have lived in my mind for so many years. There’s no greater reward than seeing people love the characters I’ve created.
5. How did you find your agent/publisher?
They found me, actually. I was writing fanfiction, having made the startling discovery that other people re-write books and movies, too and there are massive online communities dedicated to it. One of my stories became popular and that brought me to the publisher’s attention. They contacted me and asked if I’d ever considered writing a novel.
I’d never thought being published was a possibility. I thought that only happened by sending out hundreds of manuscripts and facing the inevitable rejection. I’m not bold enough or thick-skinned enough for that, and I was content with just letting my stories out “into the wild.” And then that email came and everything changed for me.
6. What's the best piece of writing advice you've been given?
I used to correspond with a published author and she gave me the best advice I’ve been given. She told me that every scene, every line, every word must drive the plot forward, or reveal something important about the characters. If it can be cut without affecting the story line, you should delete it.
This is difficult, to say the least. Writers tend to be in love with their own words, which is great because that passion shines through to the reader. But we have to look at our own work with a critical eye. However beautifully written, a scene that doesn’t drive the plot forward is dead weight.
In Ghostwriter, I had a long scene about the anarchist bombings of 1919. I really liked it, but it didn’t survive the first round of edits. I tried to make excuses for it, saying it added historical detail necessary for the reader to understand the time period. I finally faced up to the fact that it didn’t really advance the plot; in fact, it slowed it down. I could convey the necessary information in just a couple of lines.
Stephen King calls it “killing your darlings.” And that’s what it feels like, sometimes, but it’s necessary.
7. Biggest mistake you've made as an author?
“Show, don’t tell.” It’s something that I’m working hard to learn. With every book, I find a new area where I need to improve. Harsh reviews may sting, but there’s often valuable insights into where your work can be improved.
8. What would the lead character of your latest novel want for Christmas?
Justin Thatcher is the lead character in my latest novel, The End of All Things, a romance set in a post-apocalyptic world. He’s very practical, so he’d probably ask for a gun or canned foods.
9. Favorite Christmas music?
Carol of the Bells is my favorite Christmas song and my favorite version of it is Christmas in Sarajevo by the Trans-Siberian orchestra. Every time I hear it, It gives me chills.
10. What was the best gift you ever received?
Gift cards for book stores. It’s like giving me the universe in one small package. It gives me travel to another time and place, new “friends” I’ll meet in the pages of a novel, new ideas or new perspectives, and maybe —just maybe— what I read will spark that question “What if…?” and my imagination will catch fire with a new idea for a story of my own.
You can find Lissa's books at TWCS, Amazon and iTunes.
Lissa Bryan is an astronaut, renowned Kabuki actress, Olympic pole vault gold medalist, Iron Chef champion, and scientist who recently discovered the cure for athlete's foot.... though only in her head.Real life isn't so interesting, which is why she spends most of her time writing.
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Ten Questions
1. Who's your favorite author, and why?
Asking an avid reader to name one favorite author is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. There are so many authors I love, and they all taught me something about writing. But the one that sticks out for me is Emily Brontë.Wuthering Heights is an amazing novel. Every word—even the names— she selected to convey the proper mood for the scenes, and Brontë made every line a poem. I’m not that skilled and I probably never will be, but I try to follow her example in choosing words that enhance the mood I want to convey.
2. If you could have a conversation with one of the characters in your most-recently released novel, which one would it be and why?
3. Where do you get the ideas and inspiration for your characters personalities?
They seem to grow organically. A story begins in my mind with the simple question, “What if…?” As the story develops, so do the characters who tell it. They start as faint outlines, but as I get to know them, they seem to become people with a mind of their own, who sometimes steer the story in a different direction than I intended. And most of the time, they’re right.
4. What is the best thing (in your opinion) about being a writer?
Sharing with others these characters who have lived in my mind for so many years. There’s no greater reward than seeing people love the characters I’ve created.
5. How did you find your agent/publisher?
They found me, actually. I was writing fanfiction, having made the startling discovery that other people re-write books and movies, too and there are massive online communities dedicated to it. One of my stories became popular and that brought me to the publisher’s attention. They contacted me and asked if I’d ever considered writing a novel.
I’d never thought being published was a possibility. I thought that only happened by sending out hundreds of manuscripts and facing the inevitable rejection. I’m not bold enough or thick-skinned enough for that, and I was content with just letting my stories out “into the wild.” And then that email came and everything changed for me.
6. What's the best piece of writing advice you've been given?
I used to correspond with a published author and she gave me the best advice I’ve been given. She told me that every scene, every line, every word must drive the plot forward, or reveal something important about the characters. If it can be cut without affecting the story line, you should delete it.
This is difficult, to say the least. Writers tend to be in love with their own words, which is great because that passion shines through to the reader. But we have to look at our own work with a critical eye. However beautifully written, a scene that doesn’t drive the plot forward is dead weight.
In Ghostwriter, I had a long scene about the anarchist bombings of 1919. I really liked it, but it didn’t survive the first round of edits. I tried to make excuses for it, saying it added historical detail necessary for the reader to understand the time period. I finally faced up to the fact that it didn’t really advance the plot; in fact, it slowed it down. I could convey the necessary information in just a couple of lines.
Stephen King calls it “killing your darlings.” And that’s what it feels like, sometimes, but it’s necessary.
7. Biggest mistake you've made as an author?
“Show, don’t tell.” It’s something that I’m working hard to learn. With every book, I find a new area where I need to improve. Harsh reviews may sting, but there’s often valuable insights into where your work can be improved.
8. What would the lead character of your latest novel want for Christmas?
Justin Thatcher is the lead character in my latest novel, The End of All Things, a romance set in a post-apocalyptic world. He’s very practical, so he’d probably ask for a gun or canned foods.
9. Favorite Christmas music?
Carol of the Bells is my favorite Christmas song and my favorite version of it is Christmas in Sarajevo by the Trans-Siberian orchestra. Every time I hear it, It gives me chills.
10. What was the best gift you ever received?
Gift cards for book stores. It’s like giving me the universe in one small package. It gives me travel to another time and place, new “friends” I’ll meet in the pages of a novel, new ideas or new perspectives, and maybe —just maybe— what I read will spark that question “What if…?” and my imagination will catch fire with a new idea for a story of my own.
You can find Lissa's books at TWCS, Amazon and iTunes.
The Author to Author Blog Hop is hosting a giveaway for a prize package of eBooks from our contributing authors. Enter below, and the winner will be notified by e-mail. You have a chance to enter every day on any of the participating author's blogs - so keep checking back. (Note: eBooks labeled 18+ will not be awarded to a winner under the age of 18.)
The Author to Author Blog Hop Giveaway Prize Package includes:
Legacy of a Dreamer by Allie Jean (16+)
Lessons Learned by Sydney Logan (16+)
Ghostwriter by Lissa Bryan (16+)
Behind Closed Doors by Sherri Hayes (16+)
Fifty Shades of Jungle Fever by L.V. Lewis (18+)
Riverbend by Andrea Goodson
Serial Summer by Angel Lawson (18+)
MORE by T.M. Franklin
Valerie, Daughter of the Dragon by Robert S. Fuller, Jr.
Ghosts of our Pasts by N.K. Smith
My Only by N.K. Smith
The Six by K. B. Hoyle
Damaged Goods by Alexandra Allred
CLICK HERE to enter PRIZE PACK GIVEAWAY
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