Cindy Thomas : Author Interview

Please help me welcome the wonderful Victoria Hanley to my blog today! Victoria is the author of several YA novels, including INDIGO MAGIC, just released earlier this year (Corgi Publishing/Random House). She is here today to talk about her nonfiction publication: WILD INK: SUCCESS SECRETS TO WRITING AND PUBLISHING IN THE YOUNG ADULT MARKET.

I was given the chance to read this book, and to interview Victoria, and I'm thrilled that I did. As a YA writer myself, I found the information in this book to be informative and think it will be very useful to those writers who are just starting out and unsure of what the next and best steps are.

Broken up into eleven chapters, WILD INK gives you all the information a writer needs to help them write and publish the best novel possible. It tackles topics from the different YA genres to self doubt and other obstacles that promise to get in the way of any good writing. Victoria also gives authors a great look into the differences between traditional publishing and the increasingly popular avenue of self publishing. I especially loved the chapters with agent and author interviews. There is an immeasurable wealth of helpful information in this book. I definitely suggest WILD INK to any writer who is interested in writing YA.

***Interview***

How did this book come to fruition?

So many great Young Adult (YA) books are out there waiting to be written, and understanding the ins and outs of the YA genre can give writers a big advantage as they set forth on their own writing journeys. Personally, I’m in love with all things YA, and I was fortunate enough to find a great publisher for Wild Ink: Success Secrets to Writing and Publishing in the Young Adult Market.

What was the process of creating the book like?

Like planting an enormous garden under a sizzling sun while chasing butterflies during an earthquake. Put another way, this book was a process of gathering, organizing and sharing what I’ve learned about YA. I also found agents, editors, and other YA authors to give their knowledge and perspective. As often happens with writing, there was more depth, more difficulty, and more fulfillment than I expected at the outset.

What were your favorite parts of writing the book?

Well, I believe that finding your voice is the most important thing every writer must do, and Wild Ink allowed me a wonderful forum to work with my nonfiction writer’s voice. It was also fun reaching out to agents, editors, and other YA authors, many of whom agreed to answer interview questions. And I loved selecting short excerpts from various novels to illustrate the chapters on writing.

What were the hardest parts of writing the book?

As usual, just about everything took longer than I anticipated, from coordinating interviews to writing the chapters on novel structure to describing the subgenres of YA. But it’s all done now, and I’m so happy with the results.

Thank you so much for joining me today, Victoria! It was a pleasure.

You can find Victoria online:

Goodreads / Author Website / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

I'm super honored and excited to be posting my first author interview with you. Trisha Wolf is the YA author of The Crystal Pendulum, which will be released in 2012 from Omnific Publishing.

After reading this interview, you can learn more about Trisha, her writing and her review blog by checking out her website HERE.

You've recently signed a book deal. Congratulations! Name three emotions that went through your head when you first got the deal.

Thank you! Um, it was strange. I remember emailing my CP (Rachel) and telling her. And she was like, what is wrong with you? Why aren’t you calling me?! Then she called me, and I was eerily calm. So much that I think she may have thought I was joking lol. Then later that afternoon it hit, and I tweeted. My feed blew up and I became emotional and actually cried. I think it just took a while, after nearly three years of trying, to finally sink in that I was getting a book published. So I went through disbelief, shock, and finally elation. Now, I’m kind of going through panic as I’m thinking about writing the sequel. ha!

Describe your novel in two sentences.

Oh, wow. This is dreadful lol. No, I’m joking. This is one of the hardest things to do, though. I actually didn’t work a logline up for TCP. But I’ll try: When seventeen-year-old Dez Harkly develops powers beyond her control as the Narcolym invade her haven, she must join forces with the enemy to save those she’s loves. Shew. That kind of describes it.

What is your favorite thing about writing?

Finishing lol.

Do you have any writing quirks or must-haves when you sit down to write?

Yes. Coke and ReeseStix. I really don’t need music, or quiet even, but I do need carbonation and caffeine. As for quirks? I write hard and fast. I don’t stop to edit, I just sit down in the morning and write till I go to sleep. Then I wake up and do it again. My second novel I wrote in seven days. I drove my family nuts. THE CRYSTAL PENDULUM I wrote in under three weeks. The plot was a little trickier lol. I don’t like to stop writing until I reach the end. Then I start at the top and begin editing. I’m not easy to live with while I’m writing, and my house tends to clutter. Luckily I live with all guys and they don’t mind that part ;)

You're a member of a critique group. How has that impacted your writing for the better?

My CP’s are phenomenal! I love those girls to death. As I said, I wrote my second novel pretty quickly, but without a CP by my side. This time around, I had an awesome chick checking behind each chapter as I went. She was able to point out flaws in pacing and plot and characterization that I wouldn’t have found probably ever. Rachel rocks! And having Tori, Hope, Lori Ann, and Brenda read through TCP later was fantastic. They found typos, character issues and world building flaws and helped me fix them. I could never go back to being a lone writer. Those girls are like the sisters I never had. Also have to shout out to my awesome beta readers! Julie, Jen, Shelly, Brandi, and I know there’s more, but my mind is blanking. Don’t worry, I will include everyone in the acknowledgments, which will be the longest ever written lol.

Name three books that you simply can't get enough of.

Dragonfly by Julia Golding

Candide by Voltaire

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

List the next five books in your TBR pile.

Accused by Kate Kaynak

Eternity by Heather Terrell

Breathe by Abbi Glines

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Steaming by Vanessa Barger.

Tell us about your road to publication so far.

So far it’s been an amazing journey. I’ve written three books, shelved two, and one will actually see the light of day. That feels awesome. When I began writing my first novel, I didn’t even know what a query letter was. I’ve done a lot of things the hard way, but I don’t think I’d go back and change anything. I’ve learned so much from my mistakes. And as writers we have to continue to learn. It’s the process. I actually had an offer from an agent for TCP. I know. A lot of people think I’m crazy for turning down an offer of representation. But at the time she offered, I had already received an offer from Omnific to publish my book. I talked to her for three and a half hours on the phone lol. I think it may have been the longest “The Call” in history. And she was wonderful. But at the end of the day (or week) I felt at this time in my writing career, and with where the market is now, I just had to go with a sure contract of publication. She completely understood this, and she’s still interested in representing me. I’m currently working on a YA Dystopian, and plan to send it to her as soon as I write “The End” lol. I don’t know where I’ll be in three more years from now, but I plan on learning everything I can about the publishing industry and how it’s changing, and supporting as many authors as I can along the way.

Thank you SO much, Trisha for the fun interview!

You can find Trisha on FACEBOOK / TWITTER and add The Crystal Pendulum to your Goodreads HERE.