Interview With Lisa Shearin!

Lisa Shearin is the very first author I featured here at Fantasy Debut, with the incredibly fun Magic Lost, Trouble Found. The Trouble with Demons is her third novel, so she's technically not a debut novelist anymore but it was always my intention to follow the careers of authors whose books I particularly enjoyed.

Lisa has taken time out of her furious writing and release schedule to answer a handful of questions.

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Tell us a bit about the direction of the Raine Beneres series. Personally, I think it has high potential to morph into an open-ended series, like an urban fantasy. Do you know how many books we can expect in the Saghred storyline? Do you see it extending beyond the Saghred storyline? 


Since I’ll be pitching some of those books to my publisher in the next few months, I can’t say how many books there will be to wrap up the Saghred storyline. And yes, I do see it extending beyond the Saghred storyline. Again, since I haven’t pitched the idea yet, I can’t go into any details, except to say it will produce a huge and collective “SQUEEE!” from my fans. Other than that, my lips have to be sealed.

Which would you rather be, an elf or a goblin? (Your goblins, of course.) 

I can see myself being both—I just love my goblins. But my husband says that I am Raine. Only personality wise, of course. I’ve never taken on evil mages, psychotic goblins, and the Queen of Demons. And Raine’s snark comes quicker than mine. I’m one of those who thinks of the perfect snappy comeback after the chance to deliver it is gone.

As a reader, which fantasy world has most engaged you (such as Tolkein's Middle Earth)? By that I mean, whose world will you always return to, no matter how many books the author produces in the series? 

I adore David Eddings’s Belgarian, Malloreon, and Elenium series. And I adore Raymond Feist’s Riftwar Saga. I absolutely devoured those books.

I think it's safe to say that you've established yourself as an author. Where would you like to see yourself five years from now? 

I’d like to be able to look back and see that I’ve continually raised the bar for my writing, and that I’ve continued to grow and learn as a writer. I want each book to be better than the previous one. I want to be able to feel that I’ve taken chances and gone beyond what I felt comfortable writing. If a project excites me, scares the crap out of me, and I’m not sure if I’m good enough to write it—that’s an idea worth writing.

And wow! You have yourself a new writing gig as a columnist for The Writer! Please share all the juicy details. 

I’d written about The Writer being my favorite writing magazine because it had articles that a writer could use at any point in their career—pre-published, newly published, and established author. And I felt the articles did more than scratch the surface; they dug down into a topic and gave me information that I could actually use. Well, apparently Sarah Lange, the associate editor, had Google Alerts set up for mentions of her magazine online. She commented on my blog that day, which was a huge thrill. And she apparently became a regular reader of my blog. About a month ago, she emailed me and said that she liked my blog and wanted to offer me my own column. And yes, when I read that email there was some serious squeeing involved. I’d always dreamed of having my own column in The Writer magazine. We haven’t come up with a name for my column yet, but it’ll be toward the front of the magazine in the “Take Note” section. My first article will appear in the August 2009 issue, which will be out in July. I can’t wait to see it!

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For more information about Lisa Shearin and for information on how to purchase her books, visit her website.

An Interview with Elizabeth C. Bunce!

I announced A Curse as Dark as Gold several months ago, and it's one of those books that have stayed on my to-read list, only to be crowded out by books sent by various authors and publishers. I went ahead and asked Elizabeth C. Bunce for an interview anyway, because a number of you seemed really interested in her novel. She kindly consented to answer any follow-up questions that I may have after I do read her novel. 



In the meantime, she's given us all some wonderful teasers below!



Please tell us a little bit about A CURSE DARK AS GOLD and about your inspiration for this novel.

My inspiration for this novel was, of course, the fairy tale "Rumpelstiltskin," particularly the miller's daughter and the concept of spinning straw into gold. As a fairy tale enthusiast, I was fascinated that a story about the power of names has an anonymous heroine. And as a needlewoman, I was instinctively drawn to gold thread. My interest in history led me to the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, and those three ideas, somehow, were a natural fit.

Tell us about your favorite scene in A CURSE DARK AS GOLD.

I'm not sure I have a favorite scene, but there are some moments I'm particularly fond of: Charlotte and Randall at the tenterfields, Harte falling from the ladder, the big reveal at the crossroads, Uncle Wheeler's last scene. I think the reasons these spring to mind for me is because they came out almost exactly as I'd envisioned them, in the first draft, and that's always satisfying--to see a key moment almost write itself.



What about any scene that may have given you trouble?

The scene that gave me the most trouble actually didn't make it into the final book. I originally had Charlotte and Randall meet at a very ill-fated dinner party, where everyone was on their absolute worst behavior. I must have written six or seven different versions of the scene, and something about it just never worked. It was a fun scene--lots of awkward conversation, outrageous snobbery from Uncle Wheeler, and scandalous commentary from Rosie--but it involved several characters who were cut from the final story, and it just became cumbersome. So when I finally decided to axe it, it was actually with relief (although my mother did wonder what had become of it when she read the published book!).



Have you completed any other novels besides A CURSE DARK AS GOLD? If so, can we expect to see any of them in print?

CURSE was actually the second novel I finished. The first is another retelling that may or may not ever see the light of day. I've just sold two more books to Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, and the first of those, currently called STARCROSSED, will be published in the fall of 2010.



Please share with us the story of how A CURSE DARK AS GOLD came to be published.

I belong to a wonderful critique group called Juvenile Writers of Kansas City. In 2004, we held our first big conference, where I met my agent, Erin Murphy. Inspired by the conference scene, I started looking for other such opportunities, and learned of an event near my parents' new home in Arizona. When I researched the faculty, I found a wonderful interview with Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books editor Cheryl Klein, talking about a book she'd edited, Kate Constable's wonderful THE SINGER OF ALL SONGS. I had really enjoyed that novel, so I read a little more closely... and when Cheryl said SINGER reminded her of her favorite childhood novel--MY favorite childhood novel!--I thought there was a really good chance she'd connect with my work (and even if she didn't, Arizona's a lovely place to be in November). As it happened, I was right! It took me several more months to finish the novel and get it to Cheryl, and the rest you know.



Please tell us about when you first realized that you are a storyteller, and about any authors who may have inspired you.

I've always told myself stories about imaginary people--when I was in third or fourth grade I drew a series of goofy picture books about best friends (both girls) named Stanley and Pickle Relish (I don't know). When I was about twelve, though, I started wondering why I still had so many odd companions populating my thoughts--hadn't most kids grown out of their imaginary friends long ago? But I couldn't shake them, and I finally put the pieces together when I was a sophomore in high school, and realized that the books that I loved were written by real people, as a job, and that I could do that, too. That was the moment I got really serious about my writing, and started studying my favorite authors for craft, particularly authors who wrote really lush fantasy with an incredible voice, like Peter S. Beagle and Robin McKinley.



Do you have anything else you would like to add?



Thank you so much for this opportunity! I hope your readers enjoyed it.

An Interview with Lisa Shearin!

I have mentioned Lisa Shearin often on this blog. Back in June of last year, when I first started this blog, I interviewed Lisa after I had featured her first novel, MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND. Here is a follow-up interview.

What is the best thing that has changed in your life since the release of MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND?

My fans. There is absolutely nothing better than getting fan emails when I’m having a tough day at the keyboard. I love hearing how much they love my characters, whether they’re “Team Mychael” or “Team Tam”, that they “devoured” the books, read the books multiple times, can’t wait for the next one, and urge me to write faster. One of the main reasons why I stuck it out for over 20 years and was so determined to get published was that I had these stories to share and I just knew if I could get them out there that readers would love them and my characters just as much as I do.

Please tell us—if you can—about any unexpected drawbacks you have encountered about being a published novelist?

Before being published, it’s all about the writing, the joy of creating, the dream of being published and sharing your work with the world. After being published, it’s still about those things, but now it’s also about the books (which are now products), increasing your sales, promotion, having your work out there to be embraced & adored, or kicked to the curb. I’ve found out that my skin isn’t as thick as I thought it was, but I’m working on growing a couple of armored layers. ; ) You have to. Otherwise all of these things can distract you from what’s really important—your writing and creating something that you and your fans will love.

Admit it—you like torturing readers, don't you? Please tell us how you craft your twisty plots.

Actually I like torturing my characters. ; ) Sometimes I forget that you all haven’t read a certain plotline yet—you’ve only read two books, I’ve written three and am starting on the fourth—and I’m thinking about Books Five and Six. Occasionally I’ll let something slip that I probably shouldn’t have. Ooops. ; ) I’d love for my readers to be able to know things as I write them, but of course books aren’t printed that quickly. Okay, okay, I like teasing you all by alluding to things that are going to happen because I know you’re gonna love it when you finally get to read it.

Please tell us about when you first realized that you are a storyteller, and about any authors who may have inspired you.

When I read Mary Stewart’s Merlin Trilogy (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment) I was blown away. I said to myself: “I have got to do this.” I haven’t read them since then, and I definitely should. I loved David Eddings’s The Belgariad and Malloreon series of books, and Raymond Feist’s Riftwar Saga (Magician, Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon).

You hinted recently on your blog about other novels outside the Raine Benares world. Can you give us a teaser about them?
(grins) Okay, one tiny teaser. . . Have you ever tried running up a ladder in stilettos and a little black dress being chased by armed and highly annoyed museum guards? Me either. I don’t recommend it.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

A word of advice for all of you pre-published authors—When (not if, but when) you’re at a conference and fans want you to sign their t-shirts or tote bags, use a light touch with your Sharpie. If you press down like you’re signing a book, the Sharpie gets bogged down in the material and your signature can look like crap. A light touch gives you a more even ink distribution. It makes for a happy fan, and an author who doesn’t feel like a complete doofus. ; )

Thanks, Lisa!

Links!
Magic List, Trouble Found Revisited Post
Armed and Magical Post
First Interview with Lisa
All things Lisa on this blog (lots of posts!)
Lisa Shearin's Website

An Interview with Traci L. Slatton

Traci L. Slatton, author of IMMORTAL

I wanted to interview Traci because I adore historical fiction (even non-fantasy!) and I wanted to learn more about her book. When I first checked out her website, I saw that she had sold the film option rights to her novel. Since her novel has only been out a short while (since the end of January) I became even more curious, and I thought you might be too. Traci took some time to provide some very thoughtful answers, and here they are.

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Please tell us a little bit about IMMORTAL and about your inspiration for this novel.

In September 2004, I was pregnant with my 3rd daughter. Every pregnancy is different, and this one was waking me at 4:00 am. At the time, I was working on my non-fiction book PIERCING TIME & SPACE (published by the ARE Press in October, 2005), for which I was researching hard science. I loved that, but I also longed to write fiction. One pre-dawn morning I got up and sat down and give in to that longing.

Luca, the main character, sprang partly out of my love for Renaissance art, which was always present but which my husband sculptor Sabin Howard has carefully nurtured. Luca also arose out of my experiences as a hands-on healer, and my questions about the nature of the Divine, of loss and of suffering, and of love. How do we affirm hope, love, faith, and communion with the Divine in the face of the terrible things we all face every day?

So IMMORTAL is a journey of faith, an education of the heart, and a mystery of our deepest origins, both spiritual and physical.

Full cover image for IMMORTAL
IMMORTAL's film option rights have been purchased by TwinStar Entertainment. Can you explain what that means and how it came about? And how thrilled are you?

I can't begin to say how thrilled I am!
This came about in an interesting way. I used to put the kids on the school bus and then walk the dog with another dad from the bus stop. He's a good guy, smart and interesting, and we would chat. Naturally I told him about the novel I was working on. Turns out he's an entertainment lawyer named Steven Beer who handles matters relating to film, music, publishing, etc. After IMMORTAL was published, Steven read it, and he fell in love with the story. Steven took the book to Lane Bishop at TwinStar, who fell in love with it, also. The great thing about Steven is that he has a broad vision for projects and a keen sense for commercial possibilities. I am very lucky to work with him.

I met with Lane in Los Angeles and she was amazing. She knew my novel inside-out, upside-down, and backwards. It had spoken to her and she was passionate about it. She is another of these visionary people who can see possibilities, and I feel very, very lucky that she is handling the novel.

The film option means that TwinStar has the right to make a film from IMMORTAL. What they will do is set up a package for the film, which includes a partnership with other producers, a director, screenwriter, cast, etc. This is my understanding now, though it may change!

Hermes, by Sabin Howard

Your husband's sculpure adorns your site. (http://www.sabinhoward.com/) Does it get chaotic to have two creative types in one household?

My husband Sabin Howard is a classical figurative sculptor (like Michelangelo). I think, as do a growing number of art critics, that he is the finest figurative sculptor working today. He recently finished an APHRODITE piece, a life-size nude female, and she's absolutely, breathtakingly gorgeous. You could put together a sculpture show with pieces from Michelangelo, Bernini, and Canova and include Sabin's Aphrodite, and she would hold her own!

You can tell I am very proud of my husband's artistic talent. I also admire his artistic integrity: Sabin has a ruthless dedication to the perfection of the piece, even if that means taking a power saw to the arm, cutting it off, rewelding the steel armature, and redoing 6 months of work because the gesture isn't right. He doesn't grumble, he doesn't complain--he's that committed to his vision.

There tends to be a lot of creative ferment around the home because he's an artist and I'm a writer. Art, the history of art and ideas, the importance and value of art and story, tend to be things that get discussed. It's the stew we all boil in. So my two older daughters write poems, stories, and songs; the little one is constantly at her easel, coloring; my step-daughter will be interning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the summer.

Your bio states that you have a hands-on healing practice. How does that work? Do you have any other day job, besides raising three daughters (which would keep anyone busy)?

IMMORTAL'S Russian cover
My practice is mostly defunct right now. I had a small but active practice for ten years, working with people who were ill or who just wanted spiritual unfoldment. Then, at a certain point, the Universe said, "It's time to write now." And my clients vanished, almost all of them in the same month. A few months later I had my first book contract for my non-fiction book PIERCING TIME & SPACE.

Now I do healings for friends, family, and other healers.

At this point, writing and mothering are my day jobs!

You have two daughters and a stepdaughter who are teenagers at home. How thrilled are they to have an author mom? Do they brag about you at school?

My kids. I guess they're proud of me. The joke I tell is that I returned from meeting with TwinStar in LA and my family welcomed me back with their usual aplomb: "A movie of Immortal? Great! Can you raise my allowance? Can you iron my dress for the party this weekend? Are there any snacks in the house?"

Mothers are so often not people to their children, they're NGO's: Needs Gratifying Objects.
My oldest daughter and my step-daughter are going off to college, so that will be a transition around here. It will give me more time to write, but I will miss them, even if they have been evil teenagers!

Which are your favorite scenes in IMMORTAL

My favorite scenes in IMMORTAL are the ones with the young Leonardo and the final scene.

Which scenes gave you the most trouble?

The scenes that gave me the most trouble were the early ones at the brothel with Marco. I had a vision for those scenes but it wasn't working for my editor, who is brilliant. So we went back and forth many times over them. In the end, I went with what she wanted, because she has the experience.

Please tell us how you researched IMMORTAL. Did you have a lot of background knowledge beforehand, or did you research as necessary while you wrote?

I did have plenty of background knowledge before I started the novel, primarily because I live with a man for whom the Renaissance is alive and well. Sabin and I had made a number of trips to Italy, both with and without the kids, and we always spent a lot of time in museums and churches looking at the art. He has every book imaginable on Renaissance art, which helped immensely. I also used the internet. I bought books, borrowed books from neighbors and from the library, and examined books at bookstores. When I wrote, there would often be two books on my lap, two on my desk by my computer, and books open atop stacks on the floor.

IMMORTAL'S Polish cover

Please share with us the story of how IMMORTAL came to be published.

My editor bought IMMORTAL on two chapters and an outline. She just had to know what happened to Luca!

It was my oldest daughter who inspired me to send in the chapters. After I'd written the two chapters, I gave them to her to read. She gave them back to me raving about them. Then, a week later, she came home from school one day and grabbed me. "Mom, I've been thinking about your story all day. I can't get Luca out of my mind. Have you written any more? I have to know what happens to Luca!" She was so insistent that I knew there was something there.

Have you completed any other novels besides IMMORTAL? If so, can we expect to see any of them in print?

IMMORTAL was the 5th or 6th novel I wrote...though only the first one was really bad. I am hoping that some of those old ones can finally see the light of publication!

* * *

Thank you, Traci! Here is my original debut showcase from January, which has all the usual info.

Interview with Rosemary Jones!

I was interested in interviewing Rosemary Jones because she writes for a shared world, the Forgotten Realms. As an occasional reader of Forgotten Realms (and occasional player of AD&D--not D&D; we never upgraded), I was curious about how the process worked. Plus I had a few other questions.

Please tell us a bit about your inspiration for THE CRYPT OF THE MOANING DIAMOND. Does Wiggles the small white dog have a real-world counterpart?

A friend once owned a Maltese that used to climb on the top of her sofa and bark into the phone whenever she was talking to me. That's where the earsplitting yip came from!

I knew it! -TN

This novel appeared to leave room for a sequel. Do you have anything else in mind for these characters in future books? If not, what else are you working on?

Like any author, the minute I finished this story, I thought “oh they could do this now.” But my editor at Wizards has no plans for a sequel (and she's the one who gets to make that decision, not me!). At the moment, I'm finishing up a big nonfiction project for Collector Books and doodling around with some other ideas.

I loved how you incorporated the unglamorous job of the sapper into your story. Are you a student of history?

I love reading histories and historical fiction. The sapper aspect came from reading a magazine article about how the “sappers” might have brought down the walls of Jericho. Which got me intrigued with the role of sappers throughout history and then thinking about how that would work in the Forgotten Realms.

What's your favorite historical period?

In my college, the majority of my history classes were Asian history, particularly dynastic China. Right now, most of the historical fiction that I'm picking up is either Tudor England or Roman Empire. But really, any period is interesting if the author has a good story to tell. I love the books of Pip Granger, who sets her mysteries in post-WWII Britain, and the fiction of Judith Merkle Riley, which ranges from middle ages to the period of the Sun King in France. Laurie King's Mary Russell series mixes historical and famous fictional characters from early 20th-century Europe and America. Gillian Linscott's Nell Bray series uses the fight for the vote in the England as a springboard for the mysteries. And since this is a blog devoted to fantasy, I'd also recommend Judith Tarr's Throne of Isis and, even older, the works of Mary Renault such as The King Must Die.

I also loved how you twisted stereotypes in your novel. Yes, there's a big, strong warrior, but she's a gentle-hearted half-orc with a big voice. Yes, there's a mage, but she's more worried about her appearance than amassing power. Yes, there's a dwarf, but he's more of a thief than a warrior, with an assortment of yipping dogs. Can you discuss how you develop your characters?

This is toughest question for me to answer because the characters tend to develop subconsciously. I know exactly where the plot idea of sappers started but my characters grow more organically in writing. The “halfs” in D&D character classes, like half-orc and half-genasi, inspired some ideas. I kept thinking, what if all the “halfs” in my story came from one family where the father was human and kept marrying different types? So that led to these two sisters who are very different physically but have a definite big sister and little sister relationship.

Mostly though, I wanted to write about a group that were really good friends, liked working together, and got dumped into this crazy adventure! And their personalities developed from there, because they had to be the type of people that I would want to hang out with for a year or more (which is about how long it took to write the novel, rewrite, and edit).

You work as a writer for an opera company. Did you write your scenes with any particular music in mind?

I wrote a lot of scenes where somebody isn't able to sing but has to sing to get out of a situation. I was hired for my ability to write about opera in press releases and websites, not for my musical talent (which is basically zilch). But, of course, I'm surrounded by people who can break into amazing harmonies at the drop of a hat.

At home, I play a mix of stuff when I'm writing which ranges from classical to crazy groups like Red Elvises. So some scenes should be read to the sound of Russian immigrants playing surf music and others are more Puccini or Bach.

What was your favorite scene to write?

Oh, any of the fights, but probably that big finale where everybody gets to rush around and hit something! And some pretty weird magic happens.

Which part gave you the most trouble?

Saying good-bye to everyone. The conclusion kept getting longer and longer, and more and more minor characters kept crowding in to have one last speech. I actually went back and trimmed a lot in editing. Perhaps some of that will resurface some day in another story.

Crypt of the Moaning Diamond takes place in the Forgotten Realms shared world. How does one break into writing for Wizards of the Coast? Is there a selection process or did you get noticed with your short stories?

Basically, I followed the guidelines on the Wizards' website. Actually I wrote to them first and asked “how do I write for you?” They wrote back and said very politely “check our website for submission guidelines.” Which is what I should have done first.

That year, there was an open call for a Forgotten Realms novel called “The Maiden of Pain.” My submission for that was rejected but the editor liked my writing style and asked if I'd be interested in doing something else for the Realms series.

After that, I was rejected several times until they bought the idea that became Crypt. During that period, they also bought a short story from me called “The Woman Who Drew Dragons” which appeared in Realms of Dragons II.

Anticipating the reader of this interview's next question, I went and checked the website. Wizards will open submissions in September for the new Discoveries line. (http://ww2.wizards.com/Books/Discoveries/Submissions.aspx).

Without discussing contracts or anything else that might not be our business, can you tell us what happens to your characters once they go off into the great Forgotten Realms mythos?

I like to think that the two bugbear brothers finally get girlfriends.

What authors have you admired?

The list is huge. I live in a small apartment with more than a thousand books in all genres and from all periods. For example, I own more than a dozen “automobile romances” published between 1900 and 1919. There's a sub-genre most people don't know! I post what I'm currently reading at Good Reads or on the My Space blog (www.myspace.com/jonesbooks). If I like an author, I always want to hunt down everything that she has written. Right now, I'm busy reading my way through P.N. Elrod's Vampire Files and Cherie Priest's wonderful series that begins with Four and Twenty Blackbirds.

But the author who has had the biggest influence on my professional life is my mother, Diane M. Jones. She's my first reader on all projects and the consummate professional who has sold more than a dozen novels and numerous nonfiction projects. We co-wrote one nonfiction series together and we talk about writing all the time. When I e-mail her a chapter, she's also the one who says “you need to beat up your hero a little more! Don't be soft on your characters!”

Thank you, Rosemary!

An Interview with Sandra McDonald!

Sandra Mc Donald has had a great start to her career. Her first novel, The Outback Stars, came out last spring and was very well received. It was one of two debuts to make it to the Nebula Preliminary Ballot, and now it has been nominated for another prize, this one for debut novelists. (She has told me which prize it is, but has not authorized me to repeat it. Since she has not made it public on her blog, I'll be mysterious and keep quiet as well.) Her second novel, The Stars Down Under, comes out in hardcover in March and she's slated to have a third novel published in 2009. Her short fiction has been published over twenty times.

Here she answers questions on her novels and on writing.

FD: I loved the little twists in THE OUTBACK STARS. Instead of having some glamorous position on the bridge, Jodenny is a supply weasel, stuck in the bowels of the ship, far from any potential action. Rather than having some cute space jock as a romantic love interest, Terry is one of her subordinates. Please tells us about your inspiration for THE OUTBACK STARS.

While I was serving in the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer, many of my friends were Star Trek fans. And many were officers in the Supply Corps. And some were both! When I sat down to write my tales of adventure in deep space, I knew I wanted military characters -- but I wanted the men and women who did the behind-the-scene jobs that no one ever noticed until things went wrong. I wanted to tell the story of people doing the tedious, unrecognized work that keeps the military going day to day.

FD: Tell us a bit about your military background. Were you a supply officer or something similar? Did you serve on a ship? Did you have any malingering subordinates to deal with (loved that!)

When I graduated from Ithaca Collge after studying television and radio, I had a lot of dreams but also a lot of student loans. My dad and brother and both been in the Navy, and I had uncles who served in the Marines and Army, so I joined, too. Because of my speciality, I served overseas instead of on ships. Though I did spent some time on an exchange program with a Canadian destroyer, and their customs of dressing for dinner and allowing beer on the ship eventually made it into THE OUTBACK STARS. As for malingers, every supervisor has them -- in the military and outside it!

FD: Rather than an American-centric future, THE OUTBACK STARS features a future based on the Australian Navy. No seamen (or worse, "spacemen"). Instead we get "regular technicians" and "able technicians". What made you decide to focus on Australia as the cultural basis for your novel?

I love Australia! I find the whole history fascinating -- transported convicts thrown into a wild new land without the resources or skills to survive, and still they survived anyway. I admire the Australian national spirit and their long-term opposition regarding nuclear power. And, okay, my favorite character in Space: 1999 was the Australian, Alan Carter. (The "able technician" comes from Canada -- their "able seaman" and "leading seaman" etc.)

FD: You managed to steep your novel in Australian culture without resorting to the use of cliched dialect. Nary a "g'day mate!" to be found! Have you been to Australia? Do you know any Aussies? Or was this all just the result of great research?

It's mostly research. And wishful thinking. I've been to Sydney and the Blue Mountains, and hope to get back soon to the Barrier Reef and Melbourne.
All the Australians I know are in the blogsphere, but I would love to attend a sf convention down under or teach at Clarion South in Brisbane.

FD: What was your favorite scene in THE OUTBACK STARS?

I love all my scenes :-) But when Jodenny and Myell are trapped in the cargo tower facing certain doom, I had a lot of fun.
FD: Which scene gave you the most trouble?

There's one scene I really hate, really really hate, but I could never get it to work properly and finally had to just move on. Wild dingoes couldn't make me tell you what it is, though!

FD: Can you give us a teaser about the sequel, *The Stars Down Under*, and any future Jodenny novels?

THE STARS DOWN UNDER is more adventure, more romance, and more space travel. It's got crocodiles and epic treks across the Outback and aliens, which I had a lot of fun creating. There's a scene where someone gets to climb naked up a tree full of spiders; that was fun to write! Though I refrained from trying it myself for research purposes. In book 3, THE STARS BLUE YONDER, I get to use some of that great Australian history in a time-travel plot. That's been a blast to write.
FD: You have spent some time attending writers' workshops and retreats. Which ones have you attended? Can you tell us a bit about what they are like?

My favorite workshop was Viable Paradise, which is held every autumn for one week on Martha's Vineyard. There I met my fabulous mentor, James Patrick Kelly, and my now-editors, Patrick Nielsen Hayden and James Macdonald. The workshops, symposiums and general chit-chat convinced me that to be a professionally published writer I had to really up my commitment level -- no more writing when I "felt inspired," no more letting fear of rejection get in the way. After VP, I ended up enrolling in a writing graduate program at the University of Southern Maine, where I got to study with best-selling author Dennis Lehane and other amazing writers.

The best thing about any workshop is getting and giving feedback -- no workshop or program can make you a better writer, after all. Only you can do that. But an effective workshop teaches you to become a better reader -- to approach the text, whether its your own or someone else's, with a critical yet helpful eye.

FD: How helpful do you think these workshops were to your growth as a writer?

Enormously. Plus, for several years I was part of a writer's group in Boston and I have one now in Florida; these monthly commitments keep me on track and focused, and I love helping other writers the same way they help me.
FD: You have quite an extensive short story publication list. Most of the authors I've interviewed have very scanty bios. Please tell us how you broke into short story markets and how (if) that led to a novel publication.

Short fiction is a lot of fun for me to write and read. I think it's horrible how short fiction has declined as a national reading experience. When you look at post-WWII America, and the magazines that were publishing back then vs. now, it's a huge letdown to be a short story afficionado in our era. Still, there's a lot of great work being down in short fiction, and as a writer you have more freedom to experiment with ideas, themes and characters without having to commit to a an 80,000 word novel.

I broke into short fiction the way most do -- writing, sending stuff out, experiencing the sting of rejection, send out again, repeat, repeat, repeat. I've had twenty-something short fiction sales and two hundred or so rejections to get there. Writing and publishing shorts didn't lead me to novel sales per se, but definitely improved my writing skills. I know I'll still be learning as a writer fifty years from now; that's what keeps it all interesting.

An Interview With Jeffrey Overstreet

Jeffrey Overstreet had a respite in his writing schedule and agreed to answer a few questions. While preparing this post, I made the shocking discovery that I never did a proper announcement on AURALIA'S COLORS! Therefore, I'll include a few links at the end of this post. First, the interview!

* * *

FD: Please tell us about your inspiration for AURALIA'S COLORS.

JO: Beauty can be dangerous. I was on a hike at Flathead Lake in Montana, exploring that glorious scenery with a woman named Anne. We were talking about fairy tales and imagination, and she said, "Isn't it strange how most people reach a certain age where they fold up their imaginations and put them in a closet?"

That question landed like a fish hook in my head. A story took hold and started reeling me in. I began to imagine a society in which people were burying all of their creative expression, all of the mysteries that inspired them to imagine, all of the colorful parts of their experience. Naturally, they became a culture starved for beauty. And while I imagined this, walking through that beautiful Montana landscape, I realized that I was looking over the shoulder of a character who was an artist. This character's heart was broken because of what she saw happening in that society (which is called House Abascar). So she gathered up all of the colors in the world, and even more than that, and carried them into that society to remind the people of all they were losing.

That was the beginning of ten years of work. I blame Anne, who I eventually married. I blame Montana. And I blame God, who created both Anne and Montana.

FD: Can you give us a teaser about the next novel in The Auralia Thread, Cyndere's Midnight?

JO: Well, the series is called The Auralia Thread, and in the second, third, and fourth book we will get glimpses of life within the other cultures of the Expanse. And we'll see how Auralia's imaginative art continues to influence those who discover it.

The second book, Cyndere's Midnight, is about a creature called a "beastman" who discovers Auralia's colors. When he finds himself "stuck," so to speak, in the company of a grieving widow named Cyndere, a very unstable friendship develops. Meanwhile, the people of House Abascar are in trouble once again, and their survival depends on what happens between Cyndere and the beastman.

Oh, and in case anybody asks, "Cyndere" is pronounced like the word "cinder." And "Auralia" is pronounced "o-RAY-lee-uh."

FD: As I read AURALIA'S COLORS, I could not help but notice that all color is vividly described and emphasized. Are you an artist as well as a writer?

JO:I wish! No, alas, I am not a visual artist. But there are few things I enjoy more than great visual art. I'm a huge fan of Georgia O'Keeffe, and my wife and I spend a lot of each year visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico, and soaking up the natural beauty of the places where O'Keeffe worked. I love filmmakers who create poetic imagery, like Terrence Malick and Krzysztof Kieslowski. I try to paint "word pictures" that are vivid, and that put readers' imaginations to work. But God is the greatest visual artist. All artists are trying to capture some measure of the beauty and design he's made, whether they know it or not.

FD: Did you have any historical sources for AURALIA'S COLORS, or did you invent it all?

JO: Oh, I'm sure there are chapters of history that influenced me. But I didn't do any historical research to give detail to House Abascar.

But the questions explored in Auralia's Colors come from my own personal history. They come from my own struggles in various cultural conflicts. In all kinds of contexts, imagination and beauty are fractured by fear, oppression, ignorance, and greed. I see it happening in the context of world events, in relationships between governments and their people, the relationship between artists and their audiences, in the way schools and churches and families respond to beauty and truth.

Those are the conflicts that gave me a passion to explore them through storytelling.

FD: What is your favorite scene in AURALIA'S COLORS?

JO: That's almost impossible to answer. If I didn't love a scene, it didn't make it into the final draft of Auralia's Colors. There is a scene in the chapter called "Promontory" in which Auralia has to make a crucial decision. She climbs out onto a rocky outcropping and looks out at House Abascar. It's the moment that I first imagined, and it's the moment that the artist, Kristopher Orr, chose for the cover of the book (much to my surprise and delight). I'm rather fond of that moment.

But I loved sharing the experience of the two old thieves who found Auralia lying in a monster's footprint. I loved the experience of floating across Deep Lake on a raft with the ale boy, knowing something mysterious was swimming beneath the surface of the water. And I especially love what Auralia does when she is imprisoned, while that grotesque jailer called Maugam is punishing another prisoner. I become passionate about a scene when I see a glimmer of light in the darkness.

FD: What scene gave you the most trouble?

JO: Finding the right place to end the book -- that was a challenge. After the climactic moments, there's much more to tell people about Prince Cal-raven and the people of Abascar, and about Auralia's unfinished work. What was a very long epilogue was trimmed down quite a bit, and some of that material will appear in the sequel, Cyndere's Midnight.

It's always hard to lose a character too... even the villains. And people die in this story. Maybe not who you'd expect.

FD: Please share the story of how AURALIA'S COLORS came to be published.

JO: Well that's a long story, and it's more bizarre than any story I could invent.

Here's the short version: I'd written Auralia's Colors, and I was discouraged by everything I'd read about the process of finding an agent and getting published. Anne and I prayed together one day, and I remember saying, "Lord, if you want this story to be published, you may have to drop somebody out of the sky with a golden ticket."

A few days later, I received an email from a flight attendant in Atlanta. She had liked one of my movie reviews, and noticed that my bio mentioned some novels-in-progress. She was coming to Seattle for, of all things, a dentist's appointment, and wondered if we could meet for lunch, because she was curious about my novels. I thought this was highly unusual, but I was curious. We met for lunch, and she read a few pages of Auralia's Colors and another novel, one I've written for younger readers. She made a couple of phone calls to people she knew, and then told me that I would receive an important phone call the next day. I wasn't sure what to believe.

The next morning, I got a phone call from the head of Random House's WaterBrook Press. We had a great conversation. One thing led --or rather, leapt -- to another, and Auralia's Colors was published by WaterBrook.

In short: Somebody dropped out of the sky and gave me a golden ticket. And I live in a state of gratitude and near-disbelief. Now, ask me... do I believe in prayer?

FD: Have you finished any other novels previous to AURALIA'S COLORS? If so, can we expect to see them in print?

JO: I have a complete novel for young readers, a story I can't wait to share. I suppose if I were pitching it, I'd say, "It's Finding Nemo meets The Rescuers meets Raiders of the Lost Ark ." But it's also something new, I think. I wrote it because I hadn't read a story quite like it. I wrote it with a wild hope that it might someday become a Pixar animated film. Friends in my writers' group thought it was more likely to be published than Auralia's Colors, so we've been surprised by what's happened. Now I'm so busy with The Auralia Thread that I haven't had any time to pass it around. The main character, Max, is my favorite of all of my characters, so I'll find him a home someday. Or a nest. He's a bird, you see.

FD: It's rather daunting to be interviewing a movie reviewer who has interviewed movie producers, directors and stars such as Liv Tyler and Orlando Bloom. Do you have any interviewing tips for my fellow bloggers out there (and me)?

JO: I'm still learning about how to host a good interview. But I've learned a few things. I've learned to figure out what your subject wants to talk about, rather than what I want to talk about. Get them talking about something they're passionate about. I loved interviewing actor Michael Caine and director Danny Boyle because they're so passionate. I always have great conversations with the singers and songwriters from Over the Rhine -- Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist -- because they're such passionate and thoughtful artists. Also, be informed. Study up on the person before you ask questions. Read other interviews and learn what questions they've already answered a hundred times, and find the thing that will make your interview something that nobody can find anyplace else.

FD: I was surprised to find that you have a day job as an editor. After all, you write novels and movie reviews, and you keep several very active blogs. Have you mastered the secrets of time travel? Please tell us about your typical working day.

JO: For years, I wrote on the bus ride to work, and then again on the bus ride home. Now, I have to drive because the bus routes are too long. So I write on my lunch break. I write on 15-minute coffee breaks. When I get home from work at 7pm, I eat dinner, and then my wife and I go to a coffee shop that's open late. And we write. On the weekends, we write. I get some of my best ideas while I'm listening to my pastor, Michael Kelly at Seattle's Crosspoint Presbyterian Church, preach. He's very inspiring. And then, when I go on vacation... I write some more! When Anne and I were dating, our typical outing was a trip on one of Seattle's ferry boats, and we would write, read each other's work, and offer critiques. Not your typical love story, really. But we're grateful. Most of the stories I share about my life begin with, "You're not going to believe this, but...."

* * *

Thank you so much, Jeff! Jeff is all over the place online. He has a blog plus his movie review site, LookingCloser.org. He also does movie reviews for Christianity Today. My posts on Auralia's colors are here, plus you can check out reviews by Fantasy Book Critic and Front Street Reviews. The Amazon links are USA, UK, Canada.

Interview With Janet Lorimer!

I featured Janet Lorimer's MASTER OF SHADOWS last month. I first announced her novel in November (along with some others), and then she did a guest post. Then in December, I blogged on it several times as I read it.

I wanted to interview Janet because she has been a published author of children's books since the 80s, and I don't often get the chance to interview experienced authors. Also, I found her background as a freelance writer interesting. She truly makes her living with the written word, in areas both glamorous and distinctly not!

FD: Please tell us about your inspiration for MASTER OF SHADOWS.

JL: Without giving too much of the story away, I actually wanted to write a novel using a werewolf as the protagonist. This was back in the late ‘80s and the idea of vampires as sympathetic characters was just barely taking hold. I thought a werewolf hero would be interesting. I always do copious amounts of research – much more than I ever need – before I start writing anything, so I began reading everything I could get my hands on regarding werewolves. That led me down another path and that branched into something else and so on. The story grew from there.

FD: MASTER OF SHADOWS is very much a fairy tale for adults, inspired by both Beauty and the Beast and The Elephant's Child by Rudyard Kipling. Do you have any plans to run with the idea and write other stories based on other fairy tales? Or did I just give you the idea?

JL: I must confess that Beauty and the Beast was always my favorite fairy tale. And if you notice, the Beast – not the handsome prince – was very, very popular when the Disney version was released. But no, I don’t have plans to write anything else inspired by fairy tales. However, having said that, I don’t rule out the likelihood of referring to other children’s classics when I write. One of my horror stories – Last Echoes – appeared in Women of Darkness II, an anthology edited by Kathryn Ptacek in 1990. Throughout the story I referenced nursery rhymes. (By the way, Kathryn edits a wonderful marketing guide – The Gila Queen’s Guide to Markets.) I love referencing favorite stories I’ve enjoyed, especially the children’s classics.

FD: MASTER OF SHADOWS is also a stand-alone novel. Can you tell us about any other adult novels that you have in the works?

JL: The novel I finished in 2007 and am currently trying to market – The Visitant -- is a romance with a paranormal element. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fit what Juno is currently looking for, so that’s why it’s being shopped around.

The book I’m working on right now –Deadly Illusions – is a mystery with an element of the paranormal.

After that I’m very tempted to delve back into a juvenile novel again. I have four children’s books coming out in 2008. James A. Rock & Co., Publishers is publishing them. They include the reprints of three children’s books that were originally published by Scholastic. Two are juvenile novels for readers ages 9 – 12; they are The Mystery of the Missing Treasure and The Mystery of the Haunted Trail. The third one is an early chapter book for readers 6-8 entitled The Trouble With Buster. The 4th book that’s being published is a new juvenile novel entitled The Ghost That Wasn’t Dead.

FD: Unlike most of the debut authors I've featured here, your bio is quite extensive. Please tell us a bit about your writing career.

JL: I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was about 5 years old, and had just learned to read. When I found out that people actually wrote the stories I was reading, I knew that was what I wanted to do. Of course I wrote and wrote as I grew up, but I didn’t actually start writing with the intent of getting published until I was in my 30s. By then I also had two small children. I began with a novel, probably the hardest thing for a beginning writer to write and yet I think many of us do begin with novels. I did finish it and believe it or not, in due course I found an agent who even found a publisher. I was beginning to think that this writing and publishing thing was going to be a slam-dunk, but Fate stepped in and the publisher went bankrupt. The manuscript – for a gothic novel – didn’t find another home. It’s still in a box! And when I read bits and pieces of it, I wince. I had a lot to learn about writing back then.

After that I decided to try writing shorter pieces – articles and short stories. Eventually I got an article published in a local magazine, and then after a period of time I sold my first children’s story to Highlights For Children. I actually sold four stories to Highlights, but they have only published two. They buy all rights, so I can’t try to market the ones that never saw the light of day. A good lesson about the rights we sell, but as a beginning writer I was so hungry for those publishing credits, I didn’t mind.

One type of writing that fascinated me was high/low writing. High/low stands for high or adult interest/low reading level materials. These are designed for reluctant readers in middle school and high school, for adults in ESL (English As A Second Language) classes, and adults in literacy classes. The stories are usually genre stories (such as science fiction or mystery), and the characters are young adults or adults. You use a lot of dialogue; there is no sex of any kind – explicit or otherwise – and no gratuitous violence. Sentences are kept either simple or compound, but almost never complex. Believe it or not, you use no more than 20 words in a sentence, and, yes, I have been known to count the words in sentences when I wasn’t sure. The vocabulary is somewhat simple; you generally stay away from three syllable words. For example, you would chose “enough” over “sufficient.” The story needs to start with a bang and you have to tell a good story. They are a fantastic challenge, and I think they are a lot of fun to write.

I finally got my first opportunity to do some high/low writing when I read in a writer’s magazine that Fearon Education was looking for high/low fiction. I wrote to Fearon for their guidelines and submitted a story entitled Tomb of Horror. I was stunned when they bought it. After that I began to write regularly for them. When Fearon sold out to Lake Publishing, I continued to write high/lows, and when one of the editors I worked with at Lake began working with Saddleback Publishing, I dutifully followed along. It’s been wonderful fun, and will always be a favorite kind of writing.

Once I learned how to write high/lows, I was able to market this skill in other ways. For example, the local community college needed someone to revise materials used to teach non-credit classes. I was able to revise materials on different jobs in the hotel industry, on golf course maintenance, and also the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) manual. I co-wrote a state tour guide manual, and revised a report on violence against women.

In the meantime I sold a few short stories for adults, and an abundance of articles. I also began teaching writing classes in the non-credit program at the community college. Then, for a period of time, I burned out. It felt like I was always hustling for the next job. So I took a job with a regular paycheck, working for a non-profit company – an active railroad museum. I also took over the writing and editing of their newsletter since no one else wanted to do it. Today, 15 years later, I’m still writing their newsletter, although I left the company when we moved to Arizona.

FD: What made you decide to strike into adult fiction after spending years writing for children?

JL: I never did devote myself to just one or the other. But I seemed to be able to write more successfully for children. I’m not sure why except that I was reading a lot to my own children, so I really knew what was going on in the wonderful world of ‘kiddie lit’ as we used to call it.

I wrote MASTER OF SHADOWS over 15 years ago, in the early ‘90s. I wrote it when I was revising that CDL manual. By day I wrote about driving a truck, but to keep myself sane, I began writing the novel at night. I really wrote it for myself, but once I was done with it I realized I had a good story. My agent couldn’t sell it, however, because it was a cross-genre story. It had elements of mystery and romance with a little fantasy and horror thrown in. One editor wrote in her rejection letter that the story moved like the wind, but…. They really didn’t think their women readers would like the hero, Louvel, because he was not a typical handsome prince type of guy.

So into a box the story finally went. A few years ago I found another publisher online. They, too, loved the story, but guess what? Before the story could be published, the publisher went bankrupt. Hmm, shades of déjà vu!

Then I read about Juno Books in The Gila Queen’s Guide to Markets. When I read Juno’s guidelines, I remember thinking, “Do I really want to try this market? Do I really want to go through this again?” I finally decided that the worst thing that could happen would be another rejection, so why not give it a try? I did! And when Paula Guran e-mailed me to say that she liked the submission package and wanted to buy the manuscript, I almost fell off my chair! I don’t think I really, truly believed it would happen until the day I actually held a copy of MASTER OF SHADOWS in my hand!

FD: What is the most positive change you have seen in the publishing industry since you started your career?

JL: I think the most positive change is the advent of computers and the Internet. I began writing (boy, here I go dating myself) on a typewriter. That meant we used a lot of whiteout and you learned pretty quickly to be a very good typist and make few mistakes. But it was so time-consuming. Also, if you wanted to do research, you had to go to the library, which I actually adore doing, but again, it’s very time consuming. Now, thanks to the Internet, I can do research on line, I can find publishers’ guidelines on line, I can e-mail materials to publishers and they to me. That saves a lot of money in postage fees. But I will also confess that I am still very new to the wonderful world of the Internet, still learning to use this magnificent tool.

FD: How about the most negative change?

JL: I think the most negative change is that the big, big publishing companies are so impersonal. They won’t look at unagented submissions. And many agents are just not taking on new writers as clients.

Hey, I don’t have an agent now either! My wonderful agent was Laurie Harper of The Sebastian Agency who is still a dear friend and who does great work with contracts, but she finally decided not to pursue the selling of fiction. Her area of expertise is business writing and she’s had great success in marketing business books. But that left me agentless, and when I tried to find an agent, my experience didn’t count for a darned thing.

I think the sad thing about this state of affairs is that there are many exciting writers coming along who can’t get an agent because they don’t have a lot of publishing credits, and most of the big publishers won’t look at their work unless they have an agent. It’s a catch-22.

However, the good news is that there are still an impressive number of good publishers who are still looking for good writers and you don’t need an agent to submit to them.

FD: Do you write full-time or do you have a day job?

JL: I have a part-time day job that is a ton of fun! I work for a small plumbing company and my job is mainly answering phones and scheduling the plumbers. In the summer, it gets mighty quiet in this town with most people going to cooler climates, so my employers let me write at work when things get slow. Oh, yes, I do know how lucky I am. They think it’s quite amusing that they have a published author advising people about leaky toilets.

FD: You also work as a freelance writer. What sort of work do you do and how does it differ from regular nonfiction, such as magazine article sales?

JL: To me, a freelance writer is one who does not have an employer but one who is self-employed. So, as I mentioned earlier, as a freelancer, you are always hustling, always trying to sell. When you finally get some regular clients, things are a bit easier.

I have gotten regular work from Saddleback Publishing, for example. The editor would call me when they needed writers for one series or another. For example, a couple of years ago, another of their regular writers and I wrote five non-fiction books in Saddleback’s Strange-But-True series. The stories were such incredible fun to research and write. I wrote about everything from the Jersey Devil and Extraterrestrials to Cancer Sniffing Dogs and the Mutter Museum.

And, as I mentioned earlier, I also write and edit a bi-monthly newsletter for the non-profit company I used to work for, the Hawaiian Railway Society.

Every now and then I’ll find a market that sounds interesting, and I’ll either send them a manuscript that hasn’t found a home or I’ll be inspired to write something new.

FD: Are you planning any additional publicity for MASTER OF SHADOWS? Conventions? Websites? Or even a blog?

JL: Here’s where I get to confess how technically impaired I am. In fact, if it weren’t for Carole Mc Donnell, author of Wind Follower, I wouldn’t even know how to blog. But thanks to Carole’s patience and persistence, I finally figured out how to post a blog (hey, six months ago I wasn’t even sure what a blog was).

My youngest daughter, Marnie, has been helping me find ways to promote MASTER OF SHADOWS. Thanks to her efforts, I now have a quarter-page full color ad and a review of the novel scheduled to come out in either the March or April issue of Romantic Times Book Reviews. And in April, I plan to be at the RTBR convention in Pittsburgh. They are offering a lot of workshops on e-publishing and e-publicizing, and I plan to take advantage of as many of those workshops as I can.

Marnie has also decided I need a Website, so that’s in the offing, and she’s trying to find new places for the book to be reviewed. She’s promised to set up book signings in northern Virginia where she lives. Locally, I have a book-signings coming up where I live.

And then, of course, the whole thing starts again when the children’s novels are published this year. But that’s another story!

Thank you!!

A Second Interview With Jennifer Estep!

Way back in August, Jennifer Estep offered to do another interview when her second book, HOT MAMA was released. I was delighted to take her up on her offer, so here she is!

So, how is Karma Girl doing?

The book is doing well. Sales are good, and I’ve gotten lots of great reviews. But most important (at least to me) are the comments I’ve gotten from readers. I love getting positive feedback from readers. Knowing someone else has enjoyed the book really makes my day.

I found the change of character a great idea in Hot Mama (although I missed Carmen). Same world, very different character. Personally, I think is such a brilliant concept that it could safely be called a Master Plan. What gave you the idea to write each book about a different character?

Actually, it wasn’t my idea -- at first. I was pitching Karma Girl to an editor at a conference a couple of years ago. She asked me about the potential to develop the book into a series. I told her that I envisioned the series as a trilogy, with each book about Carmen and her coming to grips with her superpowers. That was my brilliant idea.

To which the editor responds: “Or each book could be about a different superhero, too, right?”

Well, duh. I wanted to smack my forehead for not coming up with that myself! So, I started thinking about what the editor said about making each book about a different character, and I realized I really wanted to write a book from Fiona aka Fiera’s point of view.

I loved writing her story, and I realized how writing about a different heroine every time really let me expand the world and keep the stories interesting and fresh. I hope readers will agree.

I think it's safe to say that Bigtime is going to be quite a successful franchise. Other writers -- especially in the mystery genre -- have kept their franchises going through dozens of books. Since each of your books feature a different character, you have the potential to keep yours alive endlessly. How many Bigtime books do you have in mind now?

I recently turned in Bigtime 4 -- aka NIGHTINGALE. I’m hoping my publisher will want to buy that book and continue the series. I’ve also done some preliminary work on Bigtime 5 -- aka FANGIRL. Right now, I have characters and stories in mind for books 6 and 7 as well, and the series could go well beyond that.

But, like everything else, it all comes down to sales. If the Bigtime books do well, there will probably be more of them. So, fingers crossed!

Recently on your blog, you announced a delay in the third book, Jinx. However, you more than made up for that bad news by announcing that your first two books would be re-released with new art just ahead of Jinx, with each book published back-to-back. How did this decision come about? How excited were you? Is the cover art going to be the same sort of theme as the first two books, or are they completely different? When can we expect a boxed set?

It was a good news-bad news situation. The bad news is that readers have to wait a few more months to read JINX, the third book. I really hate the delay for people who love the series.

But I’m also really excited about the mass market re-release for KARMA GIRL and HOT MAMA. I think re-releasing the first two books and then JINX (which will debut in mass market) in three consecutive month (July-August-September 2008) will really create some buzz for the series. Hopefully, people who didn’t try the books in trade paperback will pick up the mass market versions, and people who read the series the first time around will re-read the books and get hooked all over again.

The cover art for the re-releases of KARMA GIRL and HOT MAMA is going to be different. How different, I don’t know yet. I’m also getting a new cover for JINX. So far my covers have been excellent, and I’m excited to see what my publisher will come up with.

A box set would be awesome! But unless I become the next J.K. Rowling, unfortunately, I don’t think there will be a Bigtime box set anytime soon. But a girl can dream. :grin:

We want movies! Is there any interest in any Bigtime movies, yet? What about graphic novels?

So, do I. :wink: There’s no news on the movie or graphic novel front yet, but my fingers are always crossed!

And wow; you've written an urban fantasy! With a Druid! And magical terrorists! Can we expect to see that in print soon?

That book is an urban fantasy called LIVE & LET SPY. It’s about Abby Tome, a Druid who owns a bookstore who is forced to become a spy to help stop a group of magical terrorists. Abby doesn’t have a lot of magic, and she doesn’t think she’s a very good spy, but she’s stronger than she thinks she is. Think Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden suddenly thrown into the spy world.

I’m a huge James Bond fangirl, and I’ve always wanted to write a spy book. So, this was my chance. As for seeing it in print, I’ve turned the book into my agent, and have my fingers crossed about selling it. In the meantime, I’ve started work on the sequel, YOU ONLY SPY TWICE.

I’m also working on a third separate series about an assassin named Gin. Right now, that book has a working title of A SONG OF ICE & STONE. That one is also an urban fantasy, and it’s set in the South. It’s quite a bit darker than my other books and has a gritty, Southern gothic feel to it.

Do you have anything else that you'd like to add?

I just want to say thanks for having me back on the blog. Thanks to all the readers out there for letting me know how much they enjoyed KARMA GIRL. I hope that everyone likes HOT MAMA even more. Happy reading!

Interview With Paula Guran, Juno Books Editor

Paula Guran of Juno Books was kind enough to answer a few questions for Fantasy Debut. Juno Books has impressed me over the past few weeks, and my fellow bloggers and I have been all over their books, including WIND FOLLOWER, BLOOD MAGIC and DANCING WITH WEREWOLVES. Just from the outside looking in, it appears that this is a good time to be an author right now, because there are more options at quality presses like Juno Books.

I know you've answered this question elsewhere, but please tells us about Juno Books and what makes it different.

We publish fantasy with strong female protagonists. I guess that is what makes us different: that requirement for a leading character who is a woman. We have just started publishing our books in mass market paperback format. That also makes us a little different as not many small presses do mass market.

I understand you've recently ventured into mass-market paperbacks. Please explain why this is important for a new publisher.

I can't say it is important to any new publisher at all. It is important to us because we feel our books will sell best in this format and that it will also get our books into many more stores -- "market penetration."


I was impressed by the quality of WIND FOLLOWER as compared to some other small press books that I've covered.

Thanks!

From my emails with Carole McDonnell and my readings of your weblog, it appears that you wear many hats at Juno, at least editor and publicist. Please tell us about your work at Juno.

I'm Juno's entire editorial staff (with the exception of a copyeditor), so that means I read submissions and decide what to acquire and when to publish what is acquired. I edit the books and work with the authors to polish their novels. I'm also responsible
for the copy generated for a title -- the book's descriptions for various uses and, although I don't do it alone, the cover copy. I work with the cover artist to come up with the art. Editors are also involved with determining if a book is viable in a business sense. I go to meetings and conventions occasionally to represent Juno. I'm
the in-house editor for BEST NEW ROMANTIC FANTASY, our annual anthology, and once in a while something like WARRIOR WOMEN. That is all pretty typical for any editor.

Unlike most editors I also do the compositing for most Juno Book titles. That's designing and "setting" the book's interior -- what was once called "typesetting" but now involves no type as it is all done digitally. I designed and maintain the Web site (and blog there) and do an email newsletter. Right now we don't have anyone else doing
publicity, so I do that, too. And I handle the front-end of Juno's contracts. (But I have nothing to do with paying advances or royalties.)

I probably do some other things, too. I guess I do what needs to be done.

I was also impressed by your release schedule. According to your interview at Dee and dee (a link to this interview is at the end of this post), I gather that you've been busier than expected getting all these books out on time?

I think we overestimated our super-powers. Plus, although I know I'm busy, so are the other two members of the Juno team. Sean Wallace does production and deals with distribution and the like; Stephen Segal designs the covers and also does things like catalogs and ads. But Juno is not either one's main job. Sean is the publisher/editor of Prime Books and Fantasy Magazine and works on many other projects for the mother company, Wildside Press. Stephen is the managing editor for Weird Tales and other Wildside periodicals. He does everything from laying out magazines to drumming up advertising to making subscribers happy.

Ultimately, we've done a decent job of it. We've had to issue a few titles a little later than anticipated, but we are now caught up and getting the mass markets out on schedule. Going into 2008, primarily due to the change from trade paperback and learning what we could best market, we've dropped some titles and rearranged the schedule. Originally we had 24 trades scheduled for 2007. That became 18 books, four of which are mass markets. Four originally slated for 2007 were bumped into 2008 and we are re-printing one trade in mmp, so we are doing a total of 15 titles for 2008. I anticipate that number dropping to 12-14 for 2009. That's a good level. Maybe I can relax in nine or ten months!

Your cover art definitely appears to have a house style. Can you tell us about your artists and designers?

Timothy Lantz is the genius behind most of the art. We also have used two of Jennifer Reagles's pieces (for A Mortal Glamour and Dark Maiden). We also use stock photos or art once in awhile. The covers themselves are designed by Stephen Segal. Since he was hired to do magazines, not design book covers, I don't think even he knew how talented he was. That may also be somewhat responsible for the fresh "look" of the design -- perhaps he had fewer preconceptions.

Steve likes to say the cover designs are a group effort -- me working with Tim, Steve coming up with the basic ideas for a cover design (sometimes with suggestions from Sean), then Sean, Steve, and me bashing it around together. But I think most of the credit should go to Stephen and the artists.

In your newsletter, you mentioned that Blood Magic and Dancing With Werewolves will have special promotional displays at Borders or Barnes & Noble. How does a publisher make this happen?

The simple answer is: money. The chains do have to find the books to be acceptable-looking and since these are our first mmps, I think they wanted to be sure we could pull it off. But publishers do pay for these things. In our case it is a cooperative promotion done with out distributor, Diamond.

You've recently added some red ink to your submission guidelines specifying your desire for a strong female protagonist in your manuscript submissions. How often do you encounter submissions that completely ignore the guidelines?

Far too often. I really don't get it. I can't imagine submitting to any publisher without first looking them up online and seeing if they have guidelines. Then, if they do, *reading* them. Carefully. That's why they call 'em "guide" -lines. They are meant to help direct you. Even if you find some form of the guidelines elsewhere,
they may be outdated.

I've even had agents send submissions with male protagonists!

Got anything that you are burning to say on the subject?

I used to do a weekly e-newsletter -- one of the (maybe *the*) first weekly email newsletters -- that featured horror markets. Like any other market maven, I consistently told writers to read the guidelines and follow them. That is repeated in any advice for writers anywhere. If you haven't run across it, then you probably
need to learn more about publishing before you try to get published.

I understand, though, honest mistakes. Maybe it just wasn't clear enough before. That's why it is now "un-missable."

Perhaps what really bothers me is that so many people are so determined to become published authors -- yet they do absolutely no research. There's a tremendous amount of free information online and in books in your library (and, of course, in books that you can buy), yet it evidently never occurs to them to look for it.

Not reading guidelines is really the least of it. Over the years, I've seen abject ignorance about any aspect of writing and being published. There's nothing wrong with being ignorant! But there is something wrong with remaining ignorant when you can so easily become relatively knowledgeable.

Maybe I rant about this because 13 years ago I knew absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, nada about publishing or any genre. Totally ignorant. I learned. I read and asked dumb questions and kind people answered them. I made stupid mistakes and learned from them.

I guess I just can't imagine anyone NOT doing the simplest research.

End of rant.

This last year has been a huge learning experience for everyone involved with Juno Books. I imagine if we'd known how much we didn't know, we would never have started. But if we weren't open to admitting we needed to know more -- and learning it and adjusting -- we would never have gotten this far. I suspect we still have a great
deal to learn, but I also know we have the capacity to continue to acquire knowledge and apply it.

Read more of Paula Guran's interviews at Dee and dee Dish About Books and League of Reluctant Adults, and I found another one at Speculative Romance Online.

An Interview With Carole McDonnell

Carole was kind enough to answer some questions for Fantasy Debut. As you will surmise, Carole and I have been swapping lots of emails and it has been a lot of fun, at least for me and hopefully for her!

Please tell us what inspired you to write WIND FOLLOWER.

So many things. Books come from so many parts of a writer. The spiritual part, the social-racial part, the psycho-emotional part, the intellectual-creative part, etc. I can say that creatively I wanted to challenge myself to write a book which contained high fantasy, honored folklore, and primeval Christianity and that was a kind of emotionally-healing romance.

You call WIND FOLLOWER a Christian fantasy, yet the writer's guidelines at Juno Books specifies that they don't publish Christian fantasy. Was it difficult to find a home for WIND FOLLOWER?

The Christian publishing world is pretty rigid and I knew Wind Follower wouldn't fall easily into their world. I wanted to deal with sexuality, racial issues, interracial-intercultural romances, imperialism, and "pagan" cultures. And I knew they wouldn't want to touch any of those things because the CBA publishers didn't consider those issues "safe" for their audience. I got rejected by CBA gatekeepers with interesting lines like: "I like this book but I would be fired if I published it." Or "It was going along well but then you delved into certain areas..." Or "this is the best speculative christian book I have ever read but our readers would not like it."

On the other hand, I wanted the book to be Biblical in some places and I figured that would be a problem with secular publishers. It turned out not to be. Juno really doesn't publish Christian fantasy but my friend, Nick Woods, a white South African writer, says I "walk the borderlands." And that is true. I'm black and I can easily talk to white folks about race. I'm Christian and I have close friends who are non-religious or who belong to many different religions. I'm staunchly myself, yet I seem to have a kind of ambassadorial quality and ease with talking to folks who would not like any of my "labels." Black, Christian, whatever. In a conversation with a white gay writer friend the topic came up in which we wondered who our audiences would be. She figured her readers would probably be straight. Well, I tend to think my primary audience will be non-Christians. I'll have black readers and Christian fans, of course. So it wasn't hard for Juno to accept me. I'm not preachy, and the story's world is like any other fantasy world...except it comes from a Black American pentecostal worldview. But my readers will probably be pretty much anyone who likes speculative fiction.

During our correspondence, you specified that your novel should appear in the Fantasy section, not the African-American section. Recently, I featured David Anthony Durham's Acacia, and he had the same sort of battle. How difficult is it for a Black author to avoid being pigeonholed in the African-American sections of American bookstores?

I don't know much about the publishing world, really. I know that many Black folks have bookstore sections they tend to visit. But white folks also do that. My black online writing groups tend to question: "Do blacks read speculative fiction? How do we get more black folks to read black speculative fiction?" Honestly, I don't know the answer to those questions. Many of my black friends only go to the religious sections of bookstores. Many only go to the romance sections. Many read anything. One can't really judge what the black reading audience is going to do. The thing is to make the black and minority audience know that there are books out there that speak to their experience.

For instance, I really do not read much fantasy or science fiction. I don't read Christian novels. I don't read romances. Yet I love all these genres...and will waste a couple of hours watching genre movies. But films are different from books. A book is a large commitment of time and I groan whenever I have to deal with high fantasy, or Christian romance, or any kind of literature that doesn't connect to me. There's a high fantasy book I'm supposed to be reviewing. I still can't get past the first seven pages. As a black person who loves speculative literature, there are just so many high-born lords and ladies one can endure....no matter how magical the world. As a black Christian, one can endure just so many white pioneer or country types taming the frontier. For me, European-based high fantasy literature is often as offensive as Anglo-based Christian romance. I want to shout, "There are other ethnic groups in the world and why should I always have to be awashed with Euro-culture?" Christianity, for instance, is not a white religion. Most of the world's Christians are non-white. Yet, most of the world's Christian religious books are written by white people.

If a black person wants to read any kind of book -- religious, romance, speculative fiction -- he/she has to accept the fact that the white culture is the one he/she will be immersed in. Some black readers are tired of that and they know that if they go to the African-American section of the bookstore, they won't have to deal with the stories of the larger culture. The same can be said of the Christian population. Christians don't want to deal with books in which their faith is slammed, or which there is something they consider offensive or "unsafe." (Unfortunately, in this country, the definition of unsafe has gotten a bit out of hand...as I mentioned before.) But, clearly, the white culture doesn't have to deal with the minority cultures' stories. They have a choice. The non-religious segment of the population doesn't have to deal with the literature of the religious segment. They have a choice. The result is that there is all this segmentation and segregation. Unfortunately, I've never really been able to be solidly one thing or primarily one aspect of myself. There is no solid Christian minority culture in this country. The Christian culture in the United States is primarily a white one. I hope to be a multicultural Christian writer...and I hope to be "found" by those who would be interested in reading my books.

Did you have any historical sources for WIND FOLLOWER or did you make up this fantastically detailed world on your own?

Totally made up. When I first thought of it, I wanted to create an alternate Africa that had been invaded by Native Americans or by folks from Asia. There would also be a sojourning peoples who would be a third tribe. But I knew zip about African history, nada about Asian history, zilch about Native American history. Not really zip, nada, or zilch, but you know what I mean. Not enough to actually create a full-fledged respectable alternate Africa. So I decided to just make it some unknown continent on some unspecifiec planet in some unnamed universe. Most reviewers have been assuming Wind Follower's setting is in Africa. It seems that my original thought -- and my lack of specific description regarding the setting-- worked its way into the zeitgeist of the novel anyway.

What is your favorite scene in WIND FOLLOWER?

As a writer, I'm pretty proud of the fall into Gebelda. I like descriptions of hell in novels. It's part of the oldest high fantasy tradition --Parzival, Gawain and the Green Knicht-- to have the hero get into a spiritual eye-opening experiences. Hell or some semblance of the dark place of the soul. And it's part of folklore to have some descent into hell. Plus hell is such an important part of Christian doctrine. Actually, most religions and folklore have some kind of hell, even Tibetan Buddhism...but Christianity focuses on it.

As a person of faith, I like the scene where Loic wakes from sleep and aims his shuwa into the sky....and later Satha's response to the shuwa. Faith is such an odd little thing. One does a thing because one feels it is the right thing to do, and one doesn't question an impression placed in one's soul by the Creator. The fact that Loic would wake from a dream and do something simply because in a dream he was told to do it! And to not question the Creator about the action he is called to do! That's an act of faith. And Satha's reaction to the shuwa is also an act of interpretation of that faith.

As a woman, I liked the scene when Loic first meets Satha. To have someone want me like that. I've been married for 23 years. My husband loves me dearly and I adore him. But we're laid-back folks. Even when we first met there wasn't that passionate overwhelming desire. We're not ultra-passionate folks. But hey, it's the stuff of romance...and I like romance.

I also like certain chapters where "scenes" per se don't happen but where Satha tells about her heart and the existential grief she endures. My soul is in those scenes. I wrote those sections from the depth of my heart.

What scene gave you the most trouble?

The rape scene. Technically it had to be done in such a way that Satha didn't seem stupid. It had to be foreshadowed to the cynical readers who know enough not to trust anyone. But it also had to come as a surprise to the innocent readers who believed in the goodness of people. So it had to be predictable to those who are thinkers and unpredictable to those readers who feel.

In addition, I had to figure out what kind of person the rapist was. This was one of the few times where Paula almost lost her patience with me. (Okay, she really did lose her patience!) She kept telling me: stop being in love with your villain. He's a villain for heaven's sake! So I had to really find evil in him...really really really stop excusing his behavior. That was hard 'cause I was kinda in love with him. I suspect that I will only see how evil he is in about twenty years when I re-read the book from a distance. Paula kept telling me that the character I thought I had written was not the one I had actually written. So I had to trust her on that.

Emotionally, it was a tough scene also because when I was in college about twenty seven years ago, a white guy -- a friend who was very troubled-- attacked me and beat me up because he wanted to sleep with me and I didn't want to sleep with him. He was very handsome, very troubled, and had issues up the wazoo. So it was hard to hate him although he had left me beaten up on the floor with a face and ribs that ached for a whole month. I tend to be one of those people who belittles her own pain because she understands those who are wounding her. Not a sane way to be in life. So it was hard to fully hate the villain.

Did you finish any other novels before you wrote WIND FOLLOWER, or is this your first novel? If so, can we expect to see them in print?

I finished Daughters of Men. That was the one I sent to Paula at fist, cause it was finished. She said, very kindly, "It needs a lot of work." It does. I'm revising it now. And I really mean revising. Not just rewriting. It was originally third person narration, now it's first person. I've also changed the main character. And, best thing of all, I've finally learned how to write a novel. So I am busily cutting off tentacles from this 20-legged octopi and cutting off episodic suction cups that threaten to suck me into some stupid sub-plot that doesn't matter to the greater, larger story.

Can you give us a teaser about your next novel?

I have yet to know if it'll be a religious novel. My faith is in everything I write but some stories aren't so blatantly about religion. It's been said (I forgot by who) that a novel is a conversation between the soul and the spirit. The question in Wind Follower was: Which would you choose faith or family? Faith-committment versus Race-commitment. The question in Daughters of Men is What would you do to become a queen? Friendship versus Personal Expedience.

The main character is the Chimeran Queen. Her name is Medusa. She is a mutant...biologically created like all the human chimeras....worms coming from all her orifices and through her skin. She is a telepath and a mind-reader. She is being raised by an Overseer Prince. The Overseers are also biological creations but they are the height of perfection and beauty. They are also telepaths and mindreaders. She hasn't told them that she is a telepath, however. Instinctively, she knows not to do this. When the story begins she is living in a house on the prince's compound and she gets news of the outside world through conversations with the Overseers. She also sees what they aren't telling her. While they don't lie to her, they do avoid telling her a few important things...like the fact that the other Chimeric people who have been exiled to the terraformed asteroid Otaura, don't want her to reign over them. She also sees their love troubles....specifically the triangle between the prince, a scarred woman whom the prince loves, and the prince's best friend a rebel who helps the standard-issue humans (although he, like all the other Overseers, doesn't really like human men.) She's in love with the prince but she has a special bond with the prince's best friend and so she helps to "cover his mind" and protect the guilty lovers in their love affair.... Well, until....
Right now it begins like this:

I don't quite remember when I fully understood that I could hide my mind from the probing of the Young Men. Nor do I remember when I first understood the extent of my loneliness. But these –memory, comprehension, the passing from youth to adulthood– are small matters and should not make you doubt my narrative. I am the Chimeran Queen, after all, your queen, one of the daughters of men...and I would not lie to you.

Many of my readers are writers. Do you have any advice for them?

Be honest. You never know who might accept your honesty. And what is the use of writing -- of getting published and expecting folks to spend their hard-earned $12.95 on your book-- if you aren't going to tell them about the world as you see it? Editors can be brave and accept some odd stuff. At least, in my case, I found an editor who didn't mind the religious stuff in Wind Follower. Write from your pain and write from your joy. Join critique circles. Learn to take criticism. Even if it's from someone who doesn't seem too bright or too kind. Don't be arrogant, but don't be too hard on yourself either. Try to write everyday. Keep healthy.

And finally, is there anything else you'd like to share?

Just how grateful and happy I am that you chose to read Wind Follower. And that I'm happy to be a published author. Just how happy I am to be loved by God and Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Hey, I had to put that in. I owe God more than I can ever say or describe.

Further email conversations led to another question: I understand that your husband is an artist. What's it like having an artist and writer together in the same house?

Yes, the beloved is an artist. Luke McDonnell www.lukemcdonnell.com He's a graphic artist, cartoonist, illustrator, and comic book artist. His paintings and drawings hang all over the house. He works for Yoe studios www.yoe.com He also used to work for DC and Marvel. He did Iron Man, Spiderman, Suicide Squad, a whole bunch of stuff. If you do a google search for him, you'll see he's pretty respected. And it's quite good being married to an artist. Artists understand each other. He doesn't expect me to be a perfect housewife for instance. If I totally forget to cook dinner for a week or so because I'm in the throes of creativity, the world won't end. And if we starve for a couple of years, that's okay by me also. As I said, we understand each other. If I had married a regular person who expected a typical wife, I'd have been in super-trouble, i think. We've been pretty happy together. However, when we first married he was an atheist, a son of Irish Roman-Catholic atheists. It was tough being married to an "unbeliever" for fifteen years. But he finally came on over to the side of light.