Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

My writing life began in 2000, when I decided to leave physical therapy due to a back injury. I needed to do something else, but I didn’t know what. I looked through Dartmouth College’s employment page. There were plenty of offices that needed help. I hesitated. Maybe I could run for school board. I loved politics. When a friend suggested I try writing, I jumped. I was completely naïve. I was a mom with two young children. I thought, ‘How hard can it be?’

I joined a writing group and found out — writing IS hard. I stepped back and began reading, reading, reading. I attended SCBWI events. I took an online course in writing for kids and submitted manuscripts that now would make me cringe. Later, I earned an MFA from Vermont College. Now I teach a class on writers.com. I speak at some of those conferences. But I’m still learning. I no longer ask how hard can it be!

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

THE SCARLET LETTER and THE PEARL left big impressions on me. I wanted to be Harriet the Spy. The bathroom scene in BLUBBER still makes me cringe. And I had nightmares about Nancy from OLIVER TWIST.

The book that made me want to write children’s books is Robert Cormier’s THE RAG AND BONE SHOP. That ending haunts me.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

HEAD CASE is my version of THE SCARLET LETTER. Frank commits the crime his society cannot forgive. Like Hester Prynne, he must find a way to forgive himself. I wrote the first draft in free verse poetry! Luckily, I had good friends who advised me to revise.

After many drafts, I found the ending. (No spoilers here.) Let’s just say: I need to see story on the page before I can begin to re-imagine it.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

The old-fashioned way.

I thought about what I wanted and needed in an agent. Then I did my research. I asked trusted friends. When I could, I listened to agents at conferences. When I met Sarah, we clicked. I am very grateful that she could see the possibilities in my writing.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I am a big believer in balance. Work out first. Then breakfast, email, and assorted procrastination. Then I write until lunch.

If I’m teaching, I will spend the afternoon reading manuscripts. If not, I may return to writing, but only if I’m on a serious roll. Usually, I take the afternoon to walk or relax or read. I would say I clean the house, but my husband has evidence to the contrary.

Can you tell us about your next book?

My upcoming novel, BEYOND LUCKY, is about luck and pride, boys and their fathers, the nature of heroism, one sassy girl, and soccer. When I first started this book, I wanted to write about a small, quirky town full of quirky people. I wanted to be John Irving. But around draft five, the character of Ari Fish started talking up. Essentially he said, ‘This is my story, and you are not John Irving.  So pay attention.’

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

1 - Say it out loud: I am a writer.

The world needs stories. You are one of the very brave people who is willing to share yours with others. The trick is: finding the best way to tell your story. This process takes time and patience. It takes hard work. By recognizing out loud that you are a writer, you give yourself validation that you are doing important, honorable work.

2 - Read!  Read a lot!

Read in your genre. Read outside your genre. Read for kids and grown-ups. Read the newspaper. Read plays. Read poetry. Every time you read something you love, study it. Figure out what makes it work. Analyze the power of the right word in the right place. Keep an annotated bibliography. Understand what makes a book work for the kinds of readers you want to write for. 

3 - Banish Self Doubt!

Ask questions of the text, the characters, and their motivation, but do not question your intent or abilities. Sit down in the chair and write. Good or bad — this is the job of the writer. It is a skill and a gift and a process. Your goal is to get a little bit done each day.

4 - Keep a writing journal.

Although each book offers its own ups and downs, by keeping a journal you will become aware of your own needs as you learn to write. For example: I know that I get my best ideas walking first thing in the morning. . . without my ipod. And that I always have a ‘crisis of story’ at about page 70. I have learned that I need to keep a notebook of interesting observations — or else I forget what they are! 

Looking back through my journals, I can see that I have grown as a writer. I still try everything, but I no longer obsess over a new beginning. And I like revising a whole lot more than I used to.

4 - Join the conversation.

Share your work with friends. Read and critique their manuscripts. Discuss books!

Trust your writing friends. They are people who will tell you when your story works and when it doesn’t. They are the friends who will help you when you are lost or struggling. My writing friends read everything I write, provide support, and make me laugh just when I need to most. 

Discuss the process of writing with these trusted friends. They will give you the courage to be daring, to make mistakes, and to show and not tell. They will call you back when all you want to know is whether you should change the POV or the tense or if you have this nagging feeling that the character is a boy and not a girl. They will understand why those questions are important.

Are you looking for a great class? Check out writers.com. Or are you ready to take the next step and get an MFA? Check out my discussion: Are you ready for the MFA on my website.

6 - Seek your own truths in story. 

It doesn’t matter whether you are the kind of writer who imagines plot or character first. At some point, you need to decide why you want to tell this story. Why does it matter to you?  Keep searching. What is it about the story or character or plot that comes from your emotional core? In other words: you must know who are you in this book.

Be brave. Do not stop digging until you uncover the truth.

When you write about your fears and pains and wants — when you reveal your truest self in story — your character will be more authentic; your plot points will feel inevitable and surprising. 

7 - Celebrate! 

Write a first chapter? Celebrate! Get to 100 pages? Celebrate! Send out your work? Receive a nice rejection? Receive a form letter rejection? Reward yourself every time you take a chance, and every time you meet your goals. This business is about making mistakes. It is all about ‘do-overs’. You need to write the wrong thing to figure out what the right thing is. So don’t save your big celebration for a launch party. When you learn something new, pat yourself on the back! You are on the journey. You are writing. You are a writer!

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

White space. I need it as a reader. I use it as a writer.

Thinking about writing from a director’s point of view. When I hold the camera, I am in control. I can better see the world I am creating. Pages 110-111 in John Gardner’s THE ART OF FICTION are pasted on my wall. The notion of psychic distance — the craft of understanding how to move the authorial camera — changed my entire approach to narrative.

Try anything! I never discard advice. I always try. 

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

I would like to make my spicy seafood soup for Robert Cormier, Thomas Hardy, Nancy Werlin, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Tolstoy, Michael Chabon, and Tanya Lee Stone - not just because she is a great writer, but she is also my dearest friend and would have my head if I didn’t include her.

A more comforting bowl of ribbolita for E B White, Charles Dickens, Judy Blume, Emily Bronte. . . and Tanya.

I wish I had invented Heathcliff. Or maybe I’m glad I didn’t. If I had, he might have ended up with some sort of physical disability.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I can’t remember a time when my head wasn’t full of stories. I was always escaping into other worlds, reading and making them up myself, and later wrote freelance for newspapers. But it wasn’t until my first year as a young teacher that I got around to writing a book. The school was in a deprived urban area and it was hard to get the children - mostly lovable young tykes - to read.

I began to write THE SPARK GAP for those kids and, to their delight, put some of them in the story, never believing that one day it would be a published book. Last week, via facebook, one of my ‘characters’ - now grown up - got in touch! 

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

When I was four my dad took me on my first visit to our local library, a grand old pillared building that seemed like a palace to me. I was outraged when I found my beloved book, HEIDI, there. I’d thought HEIDI was mine alone and had no idea there was another copy in the world. I remember being amazed when dad said I could choose books to take home. But I only wanted one: HEIDI. I sat down on the floor to check if this really was the very same book and realised with a great thrill that I could read the words underneath the first picture all by myself: ‘they came to the little village of Dörfli...’

I was ill a lot with chest complaints and lived in my head. Books became magic carpets that took me on endless adventures: to Narnia, to Austria with the CHALET SCHOOL girls, on quests like THE SILVER SWORD and into the mystical worlds of Alan Garner and Ursula Le Guin. Like Anne of Green Gables, I dreamed of becoming a writer one day…

Can you talk us through your career so far? What were the key moments?

To my amazement Judy Blume’s agent, Herta Ryder, the first one I tried, took me on right away. I never met her because I was furiously re-drafting my book before I had a baby and she had just found out she had cancer. Despite being so ill, she placed my book with a publisher just three weeks before she died. Judy Blume wrote her obituary in The Guardian, saying the young writer who was Herta’s ‘last mission’ in life would never know how lucky she was. But I did know.

Everything else that’s happened since - writing other books, working with fantastic people, winning awards, meeting readers and new friends and some of my writing heroes, and all the ups and downs and setbacks along the way - rests on that moment. When things feel difficult, I always remember that great act of faith and it spurs me on.

Another key moment was working with Sarah Davies on EXODUS. A fantastic editor, Sarah went out on a limb and put her faith in me. Together, we turned it into a book that has won readers all around the world. It feels like another key moment to be working with her again!

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organise your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

My writing day begins when my husband and daughter leave for work and school, and ends when they come home and want fed! I often work in the evenings.

When Natalie was little I’d scrabble for time to write, so I’d take her to play in a park and when she fell asleep in her buggy I’d sprint for a cafe and write at top speed until she woke. Now I mostly write at home in a lovely bright room that looks out onto a little city oasis of trees and wildlife - and in winter when it’s miserable outside I tuck myself away in a tiny study that’s actually an 1860s wine cellar. But I still head out with my laptop to a local cafe, or if it’s sunny there’s a beautiful spot in the Botanic Gardens overlooking the city - writing amidst the buzz of the world, in different places and atmospheres, brings inspiration.

Key scenes in my books were written in that way - beside a Scottish loch that was so still and silent it felt primeval, on a boat on a starlit Greek sea, in a glacier in the Swiss alps, or by candlelight in my garden with the midnight sky still twilight overhead. It mentally separates me from ‘normal’ life - and the always-looming housework! - and catapults me into the world of my story. A good workout in the gym with the ipod blasting also unblocks my head!

Can you tell us about what’s coming next from you?

Writing the EXODUS trilogy brought me back to the great love of my teenage years - big stories of love and tragedy that took me right out of myself into other worlds and times. Now that I’ve written an epic about the end of the world as we know it, I thought I’d go a step further, beyond this planet… into the not-too-distant future on an over-populated Earth, where a girl in the throes of a devastating loss has the chance to leave her world far behind. And in a faraway universe there’s a boy whose world is about to crack apart… It’s an epic love story across universes that turns our world on its head. The ideas are very much in flux so that’s all I’m saying for now.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Be your own fiercest critic but hold onto your own vision and self-belief (not easy). Find people who can help you become the best writer you can be - listen hard to them but also to your own instincts. Use your heroes as inspiration when the going gets tough or things are not working out as you’d hoped - the journeys of other writers, sports people, etc. can help you find your own true grit. Always go that extra mile and never settle for ‘good’ - aim for ‘great’.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

A lifetime of reading and absorbing how great writers make a story work. Self-discipline: putting in the necessary effort and hours. Having the nerve to go off at an unusual tangent while sculpting an idea and honing the words to find a way of telling a story that feels uniquely my own.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

I’d have a rowdy rabble. I’d resurrect Shakespeare, also Edith Wharton and Henry James - two great friends who would analyse the world with blade-sharp wit. I’d have Philip Pullman and Anne Fine for that same reason. Jo Rowling and fellow Edinburgher Debi Gliori would fit in nicely on that score too, so the more the merrier. And I’d have actor/writer Rupert Everett as wine waiter, just to stir things up even more.

I wish I’d invented the one and only Cassandra Mortmain in Dodie Smith’s I CAPTURE THE CASTLE - and Dr Who. 

SOAR, ELINOR!:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

Unlike many writers, I didn’t grow up with any ambition to write a book. I’d never met an author and I figured books were only written by dead people. I can’t really explain it, but I was a successful trial lawyer and woke up one morning realizing I wanted to write children’s books. Within a year I’d quit my job at the law firm and enrolled in Vermont College’s MFA in Writing for Children.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

GO DOG. GO! by P. D. Eastman was the first book I read completely by myself. Suddenly, I held the power of story and imagination right in my own hands. Giving that power to children - who generally have very little control over anything in their lives - is one of the big reasons I love writing for a young audience.

My absolute favorite all-time author is Roald Dahl, but not for his ability to create wacky characters or fantastic worlds. Dahl knew how to drill deep into a story’s emotional core and uncover human truth with a sense of humor. When my second-grade teacher read about Charlie Bucket’s four grandparents sleeping together in one bed and eating nothing but weak cabbage soup, I was undone.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

I began working on THE MAP OF ME while I was a student at Vermont College. After graduation, I entered the first twenty pages for an SCBWI Work In Progress grant and was shocked when the judges, including Linda Sue Park, selected it as the winner. I’d been working with Farrar Straus & Giroux on my picture book, SOAR, ELINOR! so I was thrilled when they agreed to publish THE MAP OF ME, too.

Was it hard to get an agent ? Can you talk us through the process?

My process of getting an agent was fairly unorthodox. Through Vermont College and SCBWI, I’d had the opportunity to meet quite a few agents, and although I liked many of them, I didn’t feel my writing or my career were ready for that step. At about the time I completed THE MAP OF ME I met Sarah Davies and we hit it off. I knew she’d be a fabulous agent for me, and (luckily) she liked my writing too. So Sarah is the only agent I’ve ever approached about representation. I suppose that makes it sound easy, but a lot of thought, background work, and great good luck, obviously, went into it.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

In the past, I’ve fit writing around my studies and working as a writer in residence/librarian at an elementary school, but now I write full time. My routine varies according to my writing goals, and the stage of my work in progress, but I generally ‘arrive’ at work, in a small office at the top of my house, every morning as soon as my son is off to school. I usually finish my day by reading something I find inspiring - maybe a novel by Katherine Paterson, or a story by Eudora Welty, or even something written by one of the other Greenhouse authors - and taking notes about writing elements I like, just before I go to sleep.

Can you tell us about your next book?

My next book is still a bit of a secret. I don’t like to say too much before a final draft is done. I can say it’s a mystery, it’s set in a place I know very well, and it’s a little bit creepy, but with lots of heart.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Don’t jump the gun trying to be published too soon. Learn your craft first by reading lots of current books, studying writing technique, and practicing by writing thousands and thousands of pages.

When you are ready as a writer, publishing opportunities will present themselves.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

I blog about writing craft at Through The Tollbooth with eight other accomplished children’s writers, and we’ve talked about every craft topic under the sun, but for me it comes down to Voice, Voice, and Voice. It’s that allusive element that sets a wonderful manuscript apart from an ordinary one.

As I’ve matured as a writer I’ve developed my own authorial voice, which extends across everything I write, as well as the specific voice of a particular novel or story. My voice is that combination of the way I look at the world, the way I express myself on the page, and whatever else it is that makes me – me.

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Planning my guest list I’d start out with M. T. Anderson, Kathi Appelt, Deborah Wiles, and Katherine Paterson. They’re friends of mine, I love their books, and we’d have a great time talking about their latest projects, or maybe just gossiping. But if it’s a dream dinner party, let’s add F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eudora Welty and Roald Dahl. And Faulkner. I’d love to meet Anne Frank, too, although obviously that would be bittersweet.

I wish I’d invented Harriet Welsch, the heroine of HARRIET, THE SPY. Harriet is seriously wacky, a bit mean, but lovable all the same. Her story (and her character) were utterly groundbreaking when the book was published in 1964, and she’s still just as fresh and sassy today.

Meet The Author:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I started writing in the early eighties. I was totally into Dungeons and Dragons and we’d recently fallen out with our current games-master. If you haven’t played it sounds a bit strange, but each person creates a character and the games-master creates the setting and the adventure. Traditionally it’s a dungeon populated by monsters that the characters must explore.

I took over the role of games-master so set about creating weekly adventures. The early ones were all pastiches of Tolkien and Conan. I moved onto writing horror, a sort of modern-day gothic and that’s evolved into my chosen genre.

The role-playing helped me immensely as a storyteller. You had direct contact with your audience, i.e. the other players. You could tell if they got confused or their attention was wandering, or if they were on the edge of their seats, listening to every word.

Then in 2004 a friend suggested I try my hand at writing a proper story. That night Billi SanGreal was born. A version of that chapter eventually became my entry into SCBWI UK’s Undiscovered Voices competition, back in 2007.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

I loved THE HOBBIT. I still do. It was read to me at primary school and I was converted. I ploughed through Greek mythology, then Norse, then Celtic, The Arabian Nights and more recently Hindu myths.

I read the Willard Price adventure series and moved, as you do, into fantasy as a teen. The Conan books were probably the biggest influence as they were light on myth, deep on scene setting, and blood raw on action. Then Moorcock and the entire ETERNAL CHAMPION series. I have a thing for melancholy, brooding heroes. Then somewhat belatedly I turned back to Tolkien with LORD OF THE RINGS.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

I wrote my first draft of DEVIL’S KISS filled with enthusiasm and no knowledge. The key moment was finishing it - 100,000 words, most of them rubbish.

I had my first book. It was then that I realized I could become a writer. It’s fulfilling the commitment to write and produce a book that’s so important - writing THE END to something. Then I was roundly, and rightly, rejected. Not a problem. I wrote another. Then another. I took classes and entered competitions. I’d decided not to submit to agents until I had won a few, seeing that as my best way of keeping off the slush-pile.

I entered the Cornerstones WOW Factor competition and then, almost by chance, the SCBWI Undiscovered Voices competition.

I was shortlisted on the WOW Factor and one of the winners with SCBWI. It was this that proved to be the turning point, though I didn’t know it at the time.

Meeting Sarah was the next key moment, but the one I knew was going to change my life was when Devil’s Kiss went to auction. That was the moment I knew I could quit my day job and become a full-time writer.

Now, a year later, I can honestly say that it’s exceeded my expectations big time.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

I was roundly rejected with my first attempts of writing, and quite rightly so. They were pretty bad. But I made a very conscious decision then to avoid agents and not submit. Agents say that if you write well and have a great story, THEY WILL FIND YOU. That is true. And one way they find you is via competitions.

I wrote for two years solidly, 10pm till midnight, on draft after draft after draft of DEVIL’S KISS. Not rewrites or polishes, but chuck it all in the bin and start again.

So when Sarah called to meet me, I was very anxious, especially as the story she’d read I had subsequently dumped in the bin. I warned her that the new version was pretty extreme and (though I didn’t tell her this at the time) had been violently rejected by a couple of agents as being (and I quote) ‘poisonous and no bookseller, parent or librarian would let a child touch it’.

So thank god Sarah liked it! Still, she wanted it rewritten (keeping the poisonous and vile bits) and that’s what I did.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I drop the kids off at school and then go straight into the writing. I try and do all the first draft and rewriting in the morning, whilst I’m fresh, and leave the paperwork and correspondence to the afternoon. That’s not rigid but gives me a structure to work with. I try and not write over the weekends, but will do some work Sunday evening (for example this interview), usually stuff I’ve promised to others like interviews or articles.

I’ve taken to writing at my local cafe. Firstly, they don’t have WiFi, so I’m not distracted by idle websurfing or YouTube. I like the background activity. I have a study, but can’t be in it all day - it’s just too dull. I’ve spent most of my life in open-plan offices so can tune out pretty easily.

Inspiration usually comes from places and history. Mythology and religion play a big part in my stories. They are the fundamental blocks on which our world’s cultures have been built.

And real life, of course. Billi wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for my daughters and my role as a parent. DEVIL’S KISS wouldn’t exist if not for my visit to an intensive care unit for babies. All these things tumble around in my brain, and my work is tying them into something that has structure, some sort of meaning.

Can you tell us about your next book?

DARK GODDESS is set in Russia. I’ve just been to Moscow and it’s an awesome city, ideal for Templars and all sorts of supernatural goings on.

Baba Yaga is an ancient Russian fairy-tale witch, but her mythic roots as a goddess figure are ancient, deep and powerful. I wanted to bring her divinity back and cast her as an avatar, an incarnation of the Earth Mother. She’s seen the damage mankind has done to the Earth and intends to wipe him out, returning the planet to a natural status quo. The story climaxes in Chernobyl, parts of which have now become a wildlife reserve. Weird, but perfectly fitting the theme.

I like the idea that she is right. Eliminate man and nature is saved. She represents those that have not prospered under man’s dominion - basically every other species on the planet.

I love Angela Carter and her dark fairy-tales. DEVIL’S KISS was very male dominated, DARK GODDESS is focused on the female. Baba Yaga’s agents are a pack of female werewolves, descended from the Polenitsy, a tribe of Amazons said to have lived around the Black Sea coast during the late Iron Age. That’s what I build my stories on: myths, monsters, history and the modern world. And sword fights.

The book is savage, wild and barbaric. The laws of civilization don’t matter and Billi wonders whether compassion has any place in the battle for survival. She knew there were monsters out there; now she discovers there are monsters inside. The Beast Within.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Write and write and write. Chuck it away and start again. But finish whatever you start.

Accept rejection and learn the craft. It does not come naturally and putting sentences on a page does not equal writing. The harder you are on yourself, the easier agents and publishers will be.

Avoid autobiographical works! Ultimately all characters reflect the writer, but don’t do it in a way that’s obvious, and it usually will be.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Rewrites. Be prepared for them. Some are very big and you’ll wonder if you can incorporate changes and ideas that have come from your editors. Remember you wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t do it. Have confidence in your abilities.

Don’t get over-confident, and take advice!

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

It’s a dinner party so you’d have to invite Oscar Wilde. THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY is one of my favourites.

Mikhail Bulgakov. I’ve only just discovered him but OMG. Insane. He comes across as a very cool cat.

Phillip Pullman. I entered the world of children’s fiction through HIS DARK MATERIALS. He’s probably the main reason I became a writer. 

I wish I’d invented Bilbo Baggins. THE HOBBIT is the most perfectly formed children’s book ever.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

I started writing BOYS FOR BEGINNERS when I was 10 years old. It wasn’t a school project, or anything anyone asked me to do, but I spent hours and hours of my free time writing it. My best friend Kate would be dumbfounded when I told her that I didn’t want to come round to play, and instead I was going to stay home and write. I was a weird kid. My tenth birthday present was a typewriter. (I’m that old.)

There wasn’t one particular author who I obsessed over as a child (although I did like the Mallory Towers books). But can I include my mum’s friend Charlotte? Even though her stories were about what happened to her at Tesco that day, and her words were lost in her own snorts of laughter, I was totally mesmerised from beginning to end.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you?

My sister was used to read to me when I was little. I’m sure it was more for her benefit than mine as I was ordered to ‘sit quiet’ and ‘just listen’. Many of the themes in SUPERFUDGE went right over my head, but I loved stories of this brat of a toddler as told by his older brother. I never quite got over the awesomeness of the title. At that age I didn’t know you were allowed to have the title character not being the focus of the book and the idea intrigued me. 

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

BOYS FOR BEGINNERS started life when I was 10 as a handwritten book called Gwynnie Goes Girlie. It was unfinished.

As an adult, I thought about writing for children and this idea instantly popped back into my head – a tomboy who “goes girlie” to impress a boy she likes. I dug around in my parents’ attic for hours and found it: that first draft, kept safe in a colourful Velcro file. The manuscript was raw, and a professional code breaker would have difficulty deciphering the spelling, but all the elements that are in it today were in that first draft.

Was it hard to get an agent? 

The short answer is, no.

The long answer is, yes. The Greenhouse is based in the office where I work. Julia and I laughed together a lot and one day she asked me if I would like to write a children’s book. At the time I was working on my magnum opus – a thoroughly depressing adult novel that I was taking ages to write because it made me sad. But I told her about Gwynnie, she said it was worth a go, and I sent her the finished manuscript a few months later.

She liked it but wasn’t sure, so I reworked it from her comments. I sent her the edited manuscript a few months later. She liked it but wasn’t sure, so I reworked it from her comments… It went on like that for a while.

I did everything she said and now it’s being published! Julia is a very wise woman.

Describe your writing day.  Where do you write?  How do you organize your time? 

Like most writers I work full time. And like most humans I also have a life, with friends and family and a boyfriend who I’d like to see occasionally. So I have a rule: if I am home at 9pm then I have to go to my computer and write, and I turn off the computer at 11pm. I use one day of the weekend for writing too. Time off is essential.

Where do you look for inspiration? 

I eavesdrop. I never wear headphones so that I can take in everything people say. The skill is trying to do it subtly so you don’t get shouted at.
A less dangerous source of inspiration comes from newspapers and magazines. The freesheets always have bizarre stories that I find useful. And a lot of material comes from the old diaries that I’ve been keeping off and on since I was little. Just reading it to myself makes me cringe, but it’s worth it to be reminded how it feels to be young. 

Can you tell us about your next book?

I’m working on an idea involving a different character, Mia. Like Gwynnie, she’s a fish out of water as she’s a geeky girl starting in a new school. It’s got a slightly different tone – some comedy, but with lots of heart, and a bit darker than BOYS FOR BEGINNERS.

Are there any tips you can give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Write something with commercial appeal and a brilliant title and you’re bound to get noticed. Ask yourself what you would do with your idea if you were the team of people trying to sell it. If the idea’s too complicated it might be overlooked.

But make sure it’s something you enjoy writing too. You are going to spend a lot of time writing, rewriting, and then writing about this one novel. It will make your life torturous if you hated the subject in the first place.

And don’t give up. My motto has always been: get published or die trying. That way, it might have taken fifty years or more but I knew I’d get there eventually. 

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

1. Write first, edit later. Apparently it’s something to do with the left brain/right brain functions. Get some words down, any words. Fixing something that’s badly written is much less scary than a blank screen. Once you think it’s finished leave the manuscript for as long as possible - I’d suggest a month (a month!) – before you go back to it. You’ll be amazed what fresh eyes will pick up.

2. Do the maths. Second draft = first draft – 10%. This came up in Stephen King’s book ON WRITING and it’s a rule I live by. To force myself to lose 6,000 words of a 60,000 word manuscript seemed impossible. But when it was done the book was 1,000,000 times better.

3. Listen to criticism. Annoyingly, it’s always right. The critic has picked up on something that jarred for them in the reading. It’s got to go. Sorry.

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party?

I bet Jane Austin was a laugh a minute. And she’d have good gossip too. Dr Seuss was a funny guy and his characters have a dark edge. Also, he owned a brewery! He can definitely come.  Stephen Fry would have anecdotes to make you laugh, make you cry, and make you more interested in the world. Never a dull moment. 

What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Marmalade Atkins. The nasty characters are always so fun to write.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

My parents, an uncle, and an aunt were all writers and I started writing in high school. It seemed to be the family business. Then I got sidetracked (or chickened out) and didn’t finish my first novel until I was thirty.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

Rudyard Kipling’s THE JUNGLE BOOK made a huge impression on me. The wonderful original Mowgli stories, not the horrible thing that Disney did with it. I desperately wanted to be raised by wolves. I loved my parents, mind you, but wolves are so cool.

I also loved Kipling’s Just-So Stories. ‘Them that takes cakes what the Parsee-man bakes makes dreadful mistakes’ and ‘very warm and greatly astonished’ (for someone who has just got a comeuppance) were, and still are, family catchphrases.

Can you talk us through the writing of WHAT WE KEEP IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT WILL STAY? What were the key moments?

This is why you never throw anything away: The germ of the plot was my college senior thesis, which was a historical play in verse, heavily under the influence of Christopher Fry. It concerned a girl who has been praying to the statue of a saint, which suddenly comes alive, claiming that God has de-sainted him for not being holy enough. I don’t write blank verse nearly as well as Christopher Fry did, and there is not a lot of market these days for historical plays in blank verse.

But years later I thought the premise still had possibilities, and the war had been on my mind, and I thought the saint probably had some old battle scars of his own.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

I have had three agents at various times. The first was my mother’s agent, who took me on out of kindness and did actually sell my first book, and then promptly retired.

Several years later, when I had written a book that my screenwriter father thought had cinematic possibilities, he sent it to a Hollywood agent who was an old friend of his. This one handled screenplays, not novels, but he sent it to the only book editor he knew, who, by a stroke of luck, bought it. Then he handed it over to a guy in the book end of his huge mega-agency who promptly made it clear to me that I was a very small fish in his ocean, he hated my next book, and would I please go away. Sarah is the third, and the third time has definitely been the charm.

I knew Sarah because she had given a talk at Hollins, and I liked her approach, so I emailed her and said that I had finally finished a YA novel and would she be willing to take a look.
She would.
I sent it to her.
Hmmm, she said. It had possibilities but needed work. She gave me some guidance as to what kind of changes would make it stronger.
I did a really awful revision.
She turned it down.
Agony.  Rethinking.  Light dawns.  Reluctance to tackle the tough stuff had done me in.
Timid plea for another shot at it.
Gracious assent.
Five months of taking the entire middle apart and reassembling with new parts.

Nerve-racking but well worth the agony and I learned something crucial about revision from it.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I try to write first thing in the morning, in the office, before anything else falls out of the sky on me. I am the director of a graduate program in children’s literature at Hollins University, and I have a lovely office full of other people’s terrific books for inspiration. There is just too much to sidetrack me at home, and I am bad about deciding that I really need to bathe the dog or turn the compost pile so I won’t have to buckle down and write.

Can you tell us about your next book?

I’m still working on what it’s going to be, trying to get my focus on the teenage protagonist and not on the adults surrounding her.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Pay attention.  In her wonderful book on writing, TELLING TIME, Nancy Willard quotes Gabriel García Márquez on the absolute necessity of the small detail to the believability of the story:

‘When I was very small there was an electrician who came to the house...My grandmother used to say that every time this man came around, he would leave the house full of butterflies. But when I was writing this, I discovered that if I didn’t say the butterflies were yellow, people would not believe it.’

The other thing I have learned, which goes hand in hand with that, is that anything you write, and put your best effort into, will improve your craft. My heart’s blood is in the work that has been published under my own name. But I have also done my share of pot-boiling. I have written pseudonymous historical fiction and fantasy series and other works-for-hire, and been a newspaper reporter and a copywriter for a rock radio station. All of those projects too have made me a better writer. Every single piece of pot boiling has taught me something that I still use.

When I was at that newspaper early on, I knew a reporter who was always saving his best stuff for the novel he was going to write eventually. If he thought of a great metaphor, he didn’t put it in his story, he jotted it down in a notebook instead. I believe he thought there was some finite amount of good stuff that we are given, and that if we use it up on trivial works, we won’t have it when it comes time to write the Great Novel.

The opposite is actually true. The more you write, the better your writing grows. There is economy to be learned from fitting your message into thirty seconds. The power of a fresh turn of phrase or an interesting word choice is made clear when you write your thirtieth wedding announcement of the week. It takes some skill to make a reader believe in a giant squid, and love a Viking hero whose job requires him to steal other people’s silver.

I have published occasional magazine pieces, and pitched more that nobody bought. I write poetry that I mostly haven’t had the nerve to send out yet, but I am screwing up my courage. I make collages and sculpture out of things I find at Goodwill. Every single bit of creative activity does something for my writing, even if I don’t know what it is at the time.

You simply salt all this stuff away in a sort of mental attic. Every once in a while you pull something out and think, ‘Aha, that’s just what I need’. But you can’t know ahead of time what you’ll need. So you save everything. The journal that can’t be published because your mother would have a fit. That poem with the two good lines in it. The plot from your college senior thesis. Oh yes, the writing is awful, you know that now, but the plot is still serviceable. Turn its hem and take out the sleeves, and it will be a whole new literary device.

And this includes things you haven’t written about, because you never know when you might. Stuff it all in there… Funny-looking people on the beach; deadly inter-office memos that could put a rhinoceros to sleep; a bug on a flower; the way that light hits a stained glass window; your drunk neighbor shouting at his wife in the street; the man holding a stuffed monkey on the airplane and the way his lower lip trembles when he looks out the window.

Watch. Observe. Pay attention.

All of this will have something to say to you later.

In the bug and the toad who eats him is the universe in microcosm.

In the drunken voice in the street is all the agony of loving someone who doesn’t love you.

In a restored mission church, bright with gilded angels and haloed saints, where an entire people were enslaved, in the lesson that beauty is dangerous.

The couple on the beach...have just murdered their eighty-year-old mother.

The man on the airplane...is a priest’s secret lover.

That inter-office memo...should have been shredded, and it’s too late now.

It’s all grist for your mill. The devil is in the details but so is the prose. So take a good look. There will be something you can use.

Remember the butterflies. And don’t throw anything out.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Paying attention to detail, the believability of the butterflies, is probably the first.

Followed by being willing to revise. To embrace revision.

Followed by going after the hard things to write about. Not dodging because something makes you uncomfy.

Or you could stack those three in reverse. Or sideways. They’ve all been equally important.

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Rudyard Kipling, Barbara Kingsolver, Francesca Lia Block, Terry Pratchett, and Thorne Smith are all in the stack on my bedside table just now. They ought to make a lively guest list.

I wish I had thought of the dragons in Jo Walton’s TOOTH AND CLAW. Think Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer, if only society was composed of dragons.

Meet The Author:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I started writing from a very young age – long letters, sometimes 20 pages, when I lived abroad (way before e-mail.) My parents used to say reading them was like having me in the room chatting and I think that’s the ‘voice’ I’ve ended up with. About five years ago I started writing short comedy sketches for the children’s theatre company I run and somehow that grew into the idea to write a much longer story.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

The first book that really made an impact on me was about a group of children taking part (unwittingly) in a secret experiment to modify their behaviour. I don’t remember what it was called, but on the last page they have managed to escape and are walking down the street and you think they’re fine but then the traffic light turns red and they are all compelled to start dancing (they had been conditioned to dance every time they saw a red light). It was very creepy! Apart from that, the MALLORY TOWERS books by Enid Blyton were my absolute favourites, and I read them over and over again. My eight year old is reading them now!

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

I was hooked almost from the moment I wrote the first word. I did have time to write during the day as I work part-time, but that wasn’t enough. I wrote nearly every night, stopped watching TV completely and became the worst kind of book-bore to my poor nearest and dearest. (I can just imagine the therapy sessions in the future when one of my children asks, ‘Why was Mum’s book more important than me???’).  I was also hugely naive thinking it would be easy to write and easy to get published. That was quite good in a way because it meant I was able to enjoy the process.

However, I soon wised up when I started to send the manuscript out and received one rejection after another. At that point I sent it to Cornerstones - a British literary consultancy - for a general report and basically, on their advice, scrapped half the book and more or less started again. When I was almost through that rewrite I entered The Times/Chicken House Writing Competition and was shortlisted down to the final five. This was the first real endorsement of my writing and it was SO exciting. I didn’t win the competition but it really spurred me on (not that I was ever thinking of giving up, to be honest). Once I’d been shortlisted I sent my book off to agents again and received quite a lot of interest, but Sarah was the agent I’d set my heart on.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

It was very difficult to get an agent before I was shortlisted in the competition. After that it was easier to get people to look at my work. To be honest, it was a rollercoaster. You receive some positive feedback and then three more rejections and then some more positive feedback and so on.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I write in my office at the top of the house, listening to the radio. I’m very, very lucky because I only work two days a week (plus Saturdays running my theatre club) so I have three free days to write. I do most of my writing in the morning when I’ve dropped my two boys at school, stop for lunch and then read through what I’ve done. I then waste loads of time reading blogs and other material online, which often results in me feeling like everyone else’s work is brilliant and mine is rubbish so I really have to stop doing that! I get ideas ALL the time – whole paragraphs sometimes - and have to write them down immediately as however vivid they seem at the time I always forget them! I don’t have to look very far for inspiration – I’m writing about real, everyday people; mums, dads, children, neighbours, teachers etc, so my inspiration is all around me.

Can you tell us about your next book?

My next book is the second in the STARMAKERS series, POLLY PLAYS HER PART. Polly is struggling to accept the fact that her dad has had a baby with his new girlfriend and then she discovers her Mum is going to live in Spain for a year. Rejected and dejected she finds herself sucked into a computer game until the game becomes more important and more real than anything else in her life.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

I’d say the very best advice is to hold off on sending your work out until it really is the best it can be. Of course it can always be improved even as it goes to press, but I was very impulsive and found it so difficult to contain myself. As a result, I kept sending out work that wasn’t ready. You often get just the one chance and you really should be doing everything you can to maximize that chance 110%.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

My main character, Phoebe, was so fully formed in my mind that I found it difficult to bring the supporting characters to life. I had to invent stories for them and flesh them out and this didn’t come as naturally to me as writing my main character. I’ve also had to learn not to hang on to stuff, however precious it might feel. Once it’s gone and the chapter/section reads better you soon get over the loss. Apart from that, it’s as I said above - rewriting and rewriting until it’s the best you feel it can be.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

There are many authors of adult literature I would love to meet, but as far as children’s authors go, my favourites at the moment are Laurie Halse Anderson and Michael Morpurgo. As for inventing a character…I love Mr Gum [created by Andy Stanton] - writing him must be so much fun.

YOU WILL CALL ME DROG:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

My sister wrote poems starting from age six and got praise for them, so that seemed like a fun and natural thing to for me to do, too.  Playing with words and making up stories became my favorite rainy-day activity in grade school.  In fact, I was a little too good at it, because many of the stories I invented to make life more interesting (or to provide myself with great excuses) were called lies.

Some of my childhood storytelling heroes were anonymous.  I was fascinated by Greek myths, especially the stories of Hercules, Midas, Persephone, and the Amazons.  I also loved Hans Christian Anderson, and the Grimms and, later, Poe.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you?

Mom read to my sister and me at bedtime, and I was glued to any story with a magic object in it, a lamp or a ring or a mirror.  She would read Aesop’s fables and have us guess the morals.  And classic tales like East of the Sun, West of the Moon, The Nightingale, and especially The Snow Queen, were unforgettable.

But the first book I remember as mine to own and read was Holling C. Holling’s PADDLE TO THE SEA, given to me for my eighth birthday.  I identified both with the little canoe figure and with the Canadian Indian boy who carved him and set him in a melting snow bank. It was a kind of quest story that read like non-fiction, and I followed the canoe’s progress through the Great Lakes, down the St. Lawrence River, and out to sea.  I simply loved that book and am not surprised it is still in print.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

I doubt if many authors’ first published books are the first books they wrote.  I have a drawer full of manuscripts.  Some never quite breathed, some will probably always be short stories, but some may yet be books.  Way back in 2002 I thought YOU WILL CALL ME DROG was a short story and brought it to my writing group to get some help tightening and polishing it.  So I groaned when a trusted writer friend said, ‘Sorry, Sue.  I think this needs to be a novel.’ I saw she was right, and that meant I was facing at least a couple of years of hard work.  Not knowing even where to begin, I took out a kids’ book on papier maché from the library and made Drog, the puppet character from my story, so that I could hear his voice.  I had always been clumsy at papier maché in grade school, but this time I had more patience (because of course I was busy stalling), and he turned out exactly as I had pictured him! 

In the original story, Parker could actually take the puppet off but couldn’t resist for long the puppet’s demands to be put on again.  Then Donna Jo Napoli said to me at a workshop, ‘Wouldn’t it be a lot scarier if he couldn’t get the puppet off at all?’ That led to more drafts that introduced the Aikido element and brought the dad more into the story.  Then another writer friend read my ‘final’ draft and said, ‘Should you have even more about the Dad?  Isn’t this mostly about him and Parker?’ Another three drafts.  By the time I submitted the story to my ‘particularly editorial’ agent Sarah Davies, I’d finally become smart enough to welcome and consider any question or suggestion that might make this a better and more publishable book. 

Was it hard to get an agent?  Can you talk us through the process?

It was way too easy. One day Drog, the puppet character in YOU WILL CALL ME DROG, looked down from the shelf (yes, I can take him off) and said to me, ‘Sooooo.  Planning to spend the rest of your life submitting and waiting around to be accepted?  Get me an agent!’

I went prospecting on the internet and struck gold that first day.  I loved the name Greenhouse Literary and the atmosphere of the website.  Here we were in the middle of an economic downturn with veteran children’s editors being let go every week, yet Sarah was saying she’s looking for exciting new novels and if you have written one don’t worry, you are too going to the ball!

She made the process of submitting queries and manuscripts sound so simple and straightforward that I drafted a short query letter, pasted in five pages of the story, and pressed ‘send’. Sarah replied within twenty-four hours asking to see the whole manuscript.  I could get used to this!

Fortunately Sarah loved Drog, though he’s SO not her type. She read the whole story and said the kinds of things about it that an author longs to hear. She thought the manuscript could be submitted as is, but she wondered if I’d be willing to hear her questions and consider some small changes. Of course I said yes and of course the changes weren’t that small, but somewhere along the way we signed a contract and after a couple of revisions I was able to send Sarah a book that she sold in a month.

Describe your writing day.  Where do you write?  How do you organize your time?  Where do you look for inspiration? 

At 4:30 every morning, seven days a week, I go into the study at one end of my L-shaped house and write.  I’m not rigid about this and never set the alarm, but I discovered a few years ago that this is a kind of secret time, a way of adding two free hours or so to the day.  At 4:30 AM, no one contacts me or interrupts my thoughts, and no one (including me) expects me to do anything else.  The only sound I hear is the thunk of the newspaper hitting the driveway. I guess you could have the same kind of pure time after midnight, but I’m not a night owl. 

I often start out with a little journal writing or read a poem or two to get me going (my current favorite is Ted Kooser). I’ll work until about 6:30 then fix breakfast, get some exercise, read email, and get on with the cacophony of chores and amusements and demands for attention the world throws at us all each day. None of that can make me feel scattered, because I have already done the most important thing first.

On Wednesdays those two hours become eight or ten, because Wednesday is my Hermit Day. On Wednesdays I don’t speak or read email or answer the phone or the doorbell between 8AM and 4PM.  I’ve persuaded my family and friends to simply pretend I’m not home on that day and not to turn on the radio or TV in the house before four. Being able to let the rudder go for hours on end helps me get more deeply into things.  If someone asks me what I got done on a Wednesday, I just smile.  So I have a minimum of twenty hours a week to write, but that’s just the scheduled time.  I’m writing or think about writing much of the time. 

Here’s an observation for anyone who would like to try having a day like that.  Chances are that the very first week, something will come up on that day that you feel you just have to do, and you’ll be tempted to switch days that once.  It’s a little test from the universe.

Can you tell us about your next book?

I’m not sure what that will be yet, but things I’ve learned while revising YOU WILL CALL ME DROG for publication have led me to reread a couple of other manuscripts I have and see new possibilities for them. 

The most likely one is called, for the moment, LIFE WITH BRAVO.  It’s about Zach, a somewhat too comfortable, daydreaming eleven year old whose brilliant and funny dog Bravo and hard-bitten friend Gilbert show him the painful paths friendship and sharing can take - and no, the dog doesn’t die.  NO MORE DEAD DOGS!

Are there any tips you can give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

As far as I know, the best way to get published is to have a completed manuscript in hand that you’re passionate about.  If you’re not at that point yet, set aside your research on agents and publishers and work on your book.  Write the book only you can write.  Before you submit, identify the absolute and unchangeable heart of the story without which it would not work or be yours, and then make up your mind that you will at least consider changing anything else.  Get lucky by being prepared.

Oh, and join The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.  These are your people.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Voice, of course. Learning to set aside adult perceptions and listen instead for the way a child would say things. And not just a child, but that child who is your particular character, in contrast with the other characters.  I’m constantly working to build that contrast as a way of developing characters.

I love to write (and read) stories that blur the line between fantasy and reality, that contain a touch of something fantastic made to seem real, or possibly real (is it? isn’t it?) by placing it in an everyday setting. That’s a fine and tricky balance, but when it succeeds, there’s a wonderful kind of tension and leap to belief.  When it fails, of course, the rotten tomatoes fly.  I’m always trying to figure out how to achieve that balance. 

Some of the manuscripts gathering dust in my drawer take themselves too seriously and read like pre-teen soap operas.  The one thing I’ve noticed about soap operas is that nobody in them has a sense of humor.  Stories with humor in them are a lot more fun to write, and I especially like a vein of saving humor running through stories with serious themes.  Christopher Paul Curtis’s THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM is a perfect example of this.  Someday I would like to do it all and write a humorous, character-driven, historical mystery with a thought-provoking theme.  Whew!

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party?  What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Of course it’s always risky to invite people you haven’t met, but I would take a chance on Phillip Pullman and Katherine Paterson, and even seat them together!  Also Paul Fleischman and Brian Selznik and Douglas Florian.  Of those I have met, I’d include Kate DiCamillo; the ever elegant, dramatic, and mysterious Richard Peck; Kathleen Duey; and Karen Hesse.

I’d be in heaven if I could invent a character like Thomas, the boy from Guus Kuijer’s THE BOOK OF EVERYTHING, who ‘saw things no one else could see.’

Author Interview:

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

STRUWELPETER.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

I find the process of writing difficult.  The story - the concept - is what gives me enthusiasm.  And then I struggle.  I have to see it and get it down whilst keeping the lightness and the play of it.  I like editing.  I like cutting.  But it’s painting a big picture where you can only see the square inch you are working on at any one time.  There’s a memory trick to it.

The key moments in AFTER THE SNOW were finding the voice and writing a last sentence that answered all the questions I had been fighting into an order throughout the story.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

I was lucky in only approaching Julia Churchill and that has worked out very well.  I did do my research first.  Everything is out there.  And you won’t read anything bad about Greenhouse who are fresh, enthusiastic and on both sides of the Big Water.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

Time is a golden commodity as I have two children.  I light a fire if it’s cold, drink coffee and write at a desk in my room, usually in the mornings.  If I don’t start something before ten o/clock I tend to prevaricate for the rest of the day. 

Inspiration comes from really seeing something in my head.  Getting it down is the hard bit.  But it’s good when it does and things just flow for a few minutes. 

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

To be deeply self-critical and to trust my instincts at the same time.

To have a solid idea embedded into every page.

Remembering to have a light and playful attitude.

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Hilary Mantel for her take on this ‘historic occasion’, Anne Bronte (or the whole bunch) for my personal interest, George Elliot and Trollope for writing tips, Marlowe to get it a bit rowdy, (obviously Shakespeare too - so Hilary Mantel could write the definitive biography), Hemingway to get us the best window seats in town and George Macdonald Fraser for laughs.  (Maybe JK to foot the enormous bill…)

Character?  Harry Flashman: bully, coward, womanizer and hero.  He would have been jolly good fun.

Author Interview:

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you?

I think it’s impossible not to be changed by good literature, for life not to be transformed by it, and that happens time and again for me. I suppose it began when I was around twelve and I read Paul Zindel’s THE PIGMAN: this was the first book which made me cry and kept me up at night worrying for the characters. After THE PIGMAN I found myself relentlessly impacted by literature.

At seventeen my reading changed a little though: I read ORLANDO by Virginia Woolf, a novel that came at me with some force. I loved characters and stories until I read ORLANDO, but after that, I loved language too, the melody of it, and the taste words can have in your mouth.

Many other books impacted me, but I’m a little secretive about my reading habits; what we read reveals a lot about who we are and I’m not sure what my bookshelves say about me!

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

I started THE WEIGHT OF WATER when I was quite sad, but I found a way to channel this energy into a story, which though not autobiographical, is truthful in terms of how painful life can be but how important it is to put up a fight.

A key moment in the writing of this book was when I wrote the first chapter and realized the protagonist was Polish and wanted to speak in verse. It was a daunting moment, but it was made easier when I relaxed and let Kasienka do the talking. I was an Irish immigrant in England myself as a child, and I had to be careful not to impose my experiences onto a character very different to myself – this is her story, not mine.

And BREATHE?

I vacationed in the Olympic National Park in Washington State last summer and was devastated to see all the logging going on. It is such a beautiful place and yet many of the mountainsides have been completely stripped bare.

I genuinely worry about the environment, and after seeing logging with my own eyes I began to visualize a dying planet in more detail; within a few weeks of returning from Washington I had an outline for BREATHE on paper.

Having said all this, what began as a book about the environment quickly turned into a novel about characters. BREATHE is about trees, of course, but really it’s about Alina, Quinn, and Bea and how they manage in a world that is desolate and unjust.

Can you tell us about your next book?

It’s really exciting to make notes for a new novel because anything is possible. I am in the process of working on two different projects now – a book to follow THE WEIGHT OF WATER (which will be stand-alone) and another to follow BREATHE (an extension of this story). At the moment I’m carrying two tiny notebooks everywhere I go and each time I have an idea it gets jotted down into one of the books.

Maybe I should be tap-tap-tapping away on my keyboard instead of pondering so much, but I want to have a strong sense of where I’m going before I begin otherwise most of what I write will end up on the cutting room floor. In any case, once I begin, I write relatively quickly.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

Although I had been writing seriously for years, it wasn’t until I decided to attend a writer’s colony in Montauk, NY, that I found the courage to send my work out to agents. I made a friend there who encouraged me to do just that, so I took a deep breath and sent out my manuscript to three agents.

With what was an indication of how responsive and hard working Julia is, she was the first agent to contact me. Having done my research beforehand and loving what The Greenhouse had to offer, I did not think twice and signed with them straight away. I am so very glad I did!

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organise your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I write at home with a supply of green tea and biscuits. I need absolute quiet, so I usually write when I’m alone, although I love libraries too (and usually sit in the children’s section unless they kick me out).

I know lots of writers work in coffee shops, but I can’t bear it when I’m in a public place and there’s someone next to me gabbling on his or her phone – I’m not good at ignoring noise. I try to be disciplined and write everyday; when I treat it like a job, it’s harder to make excuses.

I’m inspired by thousands of things everyday, but at the moment I’m listening a lot to young people.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Trying to plan a dinner party for some of my favourite authors might be a challenge, and not just because I can’t cook! How could I keep the conversation light with Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath sitting side by side? I’m thinking a dash of Nick Hornby would do the trick. I’d also love to chat at length with Philip Pullman. I did meet him briefly, once, at a book reading where he made fun of my pointy shoes, so I would ask him to show up early and then he could talk through my fashion choices for the evening! Head of the table though, would be Shakespeare – of course.

Every time I read a great novel or see a wonderful play, I’m filled with envy. I’m addicted to the classic characters: Miss Haversham, Lady Macbeth, Heathcliff, Mr Darcy (could I invite Darcy to dinner too?!).

Meet The Author:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I was always making up stories and fantasies in my head as a young child, usually with the pretense of ‘I wish this would happen to me’. I was about nine when I started writing my first ‘book’ — a remake of THE PARENT TRAP but with triplets instead. It was at age nine that I had my first publication in a small nature magazine. I continued writing short stories/novellas into my teens, always knowing that being a writer was the only job I really wanted.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

Our first grade teacher read us CHARLOTTE’S WEB by E.B. White and I was really excited when my mom bought me a copy, though it was a few years before I read it on my own. One of the first books I remember reading over and over again was PANKY AND WILLIAM by Nancy Saxon. As my reading ability improved, A LITTLE PRINCESS by Frances Hodgson Burnett became my favorite.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

I wrote my novel as part of the MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. It started from the statement, ‘Brent Staple is such a banjo.’ The original idea was to have a ‘school’ where the three girls would teach boys how to become good boyfriends. That was quickly dropped as the girls took control of their own story. That’s when it turned from a good idea to a real idea.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

I did try several agents; a few didn’t bother replying, a couple said thanks but no thanks, and others sent a form letter addressed to ‘Dear Contributor’ or ‘Submitter’ which made me wonder if they had even read it. I asked people in the writing/publishing business for recommendations or suggestions. I came across an agent who liked the book, but didn’t think she could sell it. Fortunately, she suggested I try sending it to Sarah at Greenhouse. Very pleased I did.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I write whenever I can, which isn’t always as often as I’d like. In addition to writing, I have a regular job and an occasional job, both which have varied hours. Life in general tends to get in the way so I don’t bother with a set timeframe but manage to fit writing in where I can. I definitely do the classic scribbling on scrap paper when I should be doing something else, though I prefer a computer for serious writing.

For inspiration, I watch people, listen to what goes on, pay attention to circumstances, or merely think ‘what if’. If there’s something interesting, I’ll make note of it and develop the idea from there.

Can you tell us about your next book?

A fish-out-of-water story, Becky Sloane is forced to move from NYC to Wyoming by her crazy mum. Knowing only how to communicate with fists, Becky quickly locks horns with the local community. When her angst results in burning down a barn, she has no choice but to face the consequences.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Getting published is very much like applying for a job: you see the ideal post in the paper, have all the credentials, put a lot of time in getting your CV ready, send it in…and you don’t even get an interview. Often you have to apply for many jobs before something comes up. Trying to get published is the same thing. Without becoming too obsessive, you have to keep at it and not be afraid to put the time into your writing that it deserves.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Workshopping is crucial. Things always make sense in my mind, but don’t always translate on to the page. It’s very helpful to have fresh pairs of eyes making me aware of things I can’t see, pointing out what works, and bouncing off suggestions to improve the things that don’t work.

If I don’t have anyone to workshop, or just need to sort out a problem on my own, I find writing out my thoughts/concerns helps me resolve it. I can go over and over things in my head and not get anywhere, but if I actually start writing ‘I don’t know what to do about this character. She’s funny but not necessary. Maybe if I…’ I can usually figure out what needs to be done.

In a way it’s like thinking out loud, and that’s why it’s so useful to read my work out loud. I usually think I don’t have time or don’t feel like it, but if I actually read my work out loud to myself, I can hear the conflicts better.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

I would love to have Judy Blume, Jaclyn Moriarty, Mildred D. Taylor, Maurice Sendak and, if they were alive, Wilo Davis Roberts and Roald Dahl. They would be welcome to bring along any of their characters, but I would also like Luna Lovegood from HARRY POTTER and Emily of New Moon from the novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery, just for some extra variety.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write. Even as a young child, I used to head off to my room to write stories. The first time I attempted to write ‘the novel’ I was a student at university. Since then, I’ve always had a project on the go.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

As a young child, I was a huge Enid Blyton fan. I loved THE FARAWAY TREE and all the magical lands at the top of the tree. And the MALLORY TOWERS books made me long to go to boarding school. There weren’t many books for teens back then, so at about twelve I moved on to accessible ‘grown-up’ writers such as Daphne Du Maurier and John Wyndham. As an older teen, the books that made the strongest impression on me were Sylvia Plath’s THE BELL JAR, LESS THAN ZERO by Bret Easton Ellis and BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY by Jay McInerney.

Can you talk us through your career so far? What were the key moments?

I collected several rejection slips in my twenties. One agent told me that she loved my characterization and style, but ‘in a work of this length, readers usually expect a plot’. Fair comment: there was no plot. So I went on to read everything I could about plotting. The second effort was a murder mystery with a lot of plot, but far too many words. For me it was third time lucky.

The idea for EDEN came to me suddenly and I knew I had to write this story. Another key moment was finishing the first draft. It took three months and although I knew it needed a lot of work, I felt I’d written something I really liked. Signing with Julia was a very exciting milestone, especially since The Greenhouse was my first choice of literary agency.

Getting my first offer was probably the most exciting moment of all. I was on the M5 with a coach full of teenagers heading back to Cornwall after a theatre trip to London. I missed a call from Julia telling me I had an offer and that she had emailed me the details. I had no email access and the battery on my mobile was very low, so I had to wait several agonizing hours to get the details. And signing with Bloomsbury of course, because that was when I knew that EDEN would one day be read by more than family and friends.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organise your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I’m definitely a morning person. A writing day begins at 5am. I write from then until 6:30 which is when the rest of the household wakes up. I need absolute silence, so I write in my tiny office with the door shut. I’d love to be able to write to music, but I can’t, though I often listen to a track before writing a scene. Inspiration never comes when I’m looking for it; it’s always unexpected. It might be a line in a book I’m reading. Something someone says on the radio. An image. A lyric in a song. The way the light falls over a landscape.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Live a full and interesting life. Finish a draft before you start rewriting or you’ll probably end up with a very polished first chapter, but no book. Read a lot. Write a book you’d love to read. Oh – stick to ‘said’ for speech tags.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

1.  Outlining. In the past, I loved the voyage of discovery that you get when you start with an image or a character and you just write and see where it takes you. But that’s why my earlier efforts had unwieldy word counts and scenes that didn’t go anywhere. Outlining really does help with pace and plot.

2.  Cutting. It’s painful cutting away thousands of words and hours of work. But if you suspect a scene is a bit boring or not one of the most exciting parts of the book, you’re probably right!

3.  Getting the first draft written quickly. Earlier novels took me two or three years to complete and I lost my enthusiasm for them. I think the reason I enjoyed writing EDEN so much was because it only took a few months and the story and characters remained fresh.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party?

Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. Lord Byron. Shakespeare. Jon Krakauer. Enid Blyton. Suzanne Collins. And Jay McInerney because he’d probably bring a fantastic bottle of wine.

What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Bunny from THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt. He’s such an entertaining, clever and obnoxious character. And Mrs. Danvers from REBECCA by Daphne DuMaurier because she’s super scary.

THE POISONED HOUSE:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I started writing (badly) when I was about seventeen. Awful poetry, sentimental short stories. I accidentally emailed a load of them to someone, and that earth-swallowing embarrassment was enough to put me off for some time to come.

I only began writing ‘properly’ once I started working in publishing – I’d always wanted to be a writer in a nebulous way, and lived with a guy who said to me that it was hard to be one without actually putting pen to paper. Fairly obvious, one would have thought.

Anyway, I started out by getting freelance writing jobs through my various employers – first non-fiction, later fiction. These were just short projects that I could easily fit in around my day-job. Embarking on a full-length novel was always a long way off. Eventually I realised that the skills needed for longer works aren’t so different – it’s just a case of planning and patience.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

I remember the hypnotic qualities of being read to, but little about actual books, from my very early childhood. Later, I went crazy for Roald Dahl, and Willard Price’s boys’ own adventure stories. Both have a sense of pure escapism and, for me, Dahl’s creative imagnation is unrivalled. I went through a phase in my teens of reading buckets of poetry. I found a copy of Ted Hughes’ Crow in our school library and reread it dozens of time. I’m not sure I really understood what it was about then - come to think of it, I still don’t now - but it moved me a great deal.

A book I read just before going to university, and which made a impact on me in terms of realising the emotional potential of fiction, was Kazuo Ishiguro’s THE REMAINS OF THE DAY. It wears its huge themes and clever structure very lightly and packs a tremendous punch at the end. Oddly, I’ve probably read more children’s literature in my adult years. I love Neil Gaiman - he captures the same magic I remember from Roald Dahl.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

The first full length novel I wrote was called THE FIRE OF ARES, and it was about a Helot (a slave) in ancient Sparta (a city-state in Greece) who discovers he has a warrior heritage.

I wrote it for a children’s book packager, who had basically created the storyline in a lot of detail. Working in this way was a great training ground – it took away the pressure of plotting, and let me focus on getting into the characters’ heads and doing the research needed to give a convincing portrayal of ancient Greece.

I found the research particularly interesting – so much is not known about the Spartans, and what is mostly comes from sources outside that society. The other benefit of working to a brief was that I was supported through the process by a really talented editor. I ended up writing three books in a trilogy, and by the end I think I’d grown as a writer. The editor may disagree…

Was it hard to get an agent ? Can you talk us through the process?

Not especially. I had an existing relationship with the publisher (Bloomsbury) through the Spartan trilogy, and they bought my new novel based on a sample. I wanted to have an agent to take away the pressures of dealing with the financial side of things, so I could focus on editorial matters. It’s also great to have someone to bounce ideas off, and to support you when things aren’t going so well - otherwise being a writer can be quite a solitary experience.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I organize my freelance writing around my day-job as an editor of adult fiction. When I do freelance writing work, I mostly write in the library, because I’m really distractible in other environments. The Guildhall in London has a quiet reading room where I can work. I often have more than one project going at a time, so tend to flit between them in bursts of energy and creativity.

Inspiration’s a tricky one. More often than not I’ll read something in a non-fiction context and see potential for a story. I’m drawn to historical subjects, possibly because it’s easier to see the pressure points and conflicts in retrospect. I envy people who can write contemporary, issues-driven fiction: it takes a level of perception that I haven’t got.

Sometimes it’s just a phrase or a brief scenario that will jump into my head. Often people say that being a writer is being able to see the world around you, and I think that’s probably true. Too often I find myself looking into my head for stories, and that’s the worst place!

Can you tell us about your next book?

I’m currently writing a Victorian ghost story/murder mystery about a servant girl who discovers her mother was murdered by someone in the house where she works. It’s sort of a cross between the film Ghost and the play Hamlet, for younger readers. It’s great, because the Victorians were such a weird, morally confused and myopic bunch, yet possessed the most remarkable spirit of human endeavour.

In almost all of their own stories, the problems are those we would recognise as affecting the ‘middle’ and ‘upper’ classes - sometimes it’s as though life ‘below’ stairs never existed. Yet the machinery of the servant classes completely sustained the Victorian system (in much the same way as the slave classes of ancient Sparta allowed Spartan male citizens to belong to a warrior caste). Now we’re more interested in social history than the majority of Victorians ever were.

Research has been fun, as there are plenty of places where one can look right back into the Victorian past – houses, paintings, books. Our lives are still steeped in received Victorian thinking, and the evidence of their accomplishments is all around us.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

There are hundreds of books purporting to answer this question, so I won’t say I have all the answers. Publishing is like an ever-finer sieve. There are perhaps three or four hoops to jump through, and it’s important to tailor your projects to line up those hoops as well as possible. If it’s your first book, and increasingly with any title for the children’s market, you can’t afford to neglect the commercial appeal. Read other books that are out there, and know how yours fits in.

The marketing and sales departments have growing influence over what gets commissioned in most major publishing houses - a catchy tagline, which immediately conveys what your book ‘is’, can help a great deal. Many publishers no longer accept unsolicited submissions, so getting an agent (the first sieve) is going to increase your chances enormously. I’m sure that luck plays a part too.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

It’s an old one, but ‘Don’t get it right, get it written’ is an invaluable piece of advice. It’s much easy to amend something later. Two, be brutal with your own work and assume the criticism of those close to you is correct, not misguided. Three, ‘show’ don’t ‘tell’. Again, it’s spouted left, right and centre, but it’s a terribly important way of lifting writing from being pedestrian.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

There are lots of people I think would be great conversation, but it might not be a good dinner party, because they wouldn’t get on:  Evelyn Waugh, Martin Amis, Gore Vidal… I suspect they’d be very opinionated, and plates would be thrown.

So, for sheer admiration of their books, I’d invite Roald Dahl, David Almond and Neil Gaiman.

I wish I’d invented Flashman – I can’t get enough of him. He’s a bewhiskered bounder who’s cornered the market in cowardly, debauched adventures, and George MacDonald Fraser’s series of novels is a fantastic interpretation of Victorian history.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I started writing in direct response to a dream I had one night about a boy falling through the surface of the Earth into a ghostly Underworld. I remembered the dream in the morning, scribbled the gist of it down and began writing tiny amounts every day (my fourth child was only a couple of weeks old at the time and I had my hands full!).

I wrote in secret, keeping it even from my husband; I was so busy and sleep-starved that I knew the magic of my new passion would wane if I spoke about it. The precious moments I spent writing were true ‘me-time’.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

It was a book bought for me by some American friends of my parents called THE LITTLE RED LIGHTHOUSE AND THE GREAT GRAY BRIDGE by Hildegarde Swift and Lynd Ward. It was about a proud little lighthouse that guarded the ships coming down the Hudson River and grew jealous of the great bridge built above it. I still have the book now and read it to my children. Strange bits have been added by my three - or four - year-old self in red biro. One of these words very clearly reads PINEAPPLE. I think it best not to ask. . .

Later on, I loved everything by Roald Dahl, Frances Hodgson-Burnett, Enid Blyton, Laura Ingalls-Wilder, Arthur Ransome. . . Anything I could lay my hands on, really.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

As I said earlier, I wrote the first draft of THE BOY WHO FELL DOWN EXIT 43 in short bursts - and totally in secret. I wrote in longhand in seven large notebooks, all of which I still have. Once I had finished it I told my husband and family and a few close friends about it. At that point I sent the manuscript off to Cornerstones - a British literary consultancy - for an in-depth report.  I had absolutely no idea whether what I had written was any good or not. Cornerstones asked me over the phone for the title of the book, and I replied that it didn’t have one yet.  ‘Could you come up with a working title then, please?’ was the response. I remember staring out of the kitchen window and replying, ‘Oh – just call it THE BOY WHO FELL DOWN EXIT 43.’ And the title stuck!

After the report came back, I laid aside the manuscript for a few weeks, as Cornerstones suggested. It was a hard thing to do though; I was desperate to get my teeth back into it. When I did get going, I set about ‘showing’ the story more, rather than telling it, and strengthening the characters.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

No, it was ridiculously easy. But it should have been hard. I am also a professionally trained singer, and I know all too well how hard that particular journey was.

This is what happened. . .

I had finished the second draft, and was considering whether or not to send the manuscript back to Cornerstones for a second report, when I heard about the inaugural SCBWI UK Undiscovered Voices competition. I decided to stick my neck out and risk letting my story loose in the big wide world – so I mailed my submission and forgot all about it.

About six weeks later, the phone rang and I was informed that I had been chosen as one of the twelve winners. Sarah Davies was on the panel of judges; she contacted me and asked me to meet her in London, and a week or so later I signed with her.  It was all quite incredible - a time I will never, EVER forget.

There followed a period of exhaustive revision. Exhaustive and exhausting!  Never have I climbed such a steep learning curve in my life!

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

There’s no set pattern, since I have four boisterous children. My youngest has just started school, so at least now I have school hours in which to work.  Once they are back from school the computer is firmly switched off until after bedtime.

Right now, with THE BOY WHO FELL DOWN EXIT 43 just published, the second book in the initial throes of the editorial process, and masses of other ideas lining up inside my brain just begging to be listened to, things are a little more hectic than usual (this is a polite way of saying I am finding it hard to stay sane). There are launches to prepare for, school visits to arrange, newspaper and radio interviews to give. . . And now the Borders Book of the Month news has sparked a torrent of heart-warming phone calls, texts and emails too. I wouldn’t have it any other way! 

Whatever happens, though, I always make time to write something every day. Sometimes it’s only a few hundred words, but that feels fine. So long as I do a little, then I am able to retain the thread of the story and keep the characters alive and the action strong. Other times I have a marathon session and splurge out lots all in one go.

More and more I find that I visualize the scene as I write. And even though it sometimes takes a while to get back into the story at the start of a writing session, I always find myself getting sucked in eventually.

Usually I work in my writing shed at the top of the garden, from which there is a great view of our cottage.  But I also write in the local coffee shop and the library, and have been known to compose chapters on car journeys too. I do a lot of book plotting when swimming, which is what I do to keep fit.

I refuse to do things which don’t, in my eyes, matter.  I do no ironing (you can buy white school shirts that don’t need ironing – and the rest of the kids’ stuff gets messy in three seconds flat anyway!) and watch almost no TV. The children do their fair share around the house. Even the little ones can do tiny jobs, especially clearing up the bombshells that are their rooms - and this mummy is not a slave! We live a rural life surrounded by fields and fresh air – and without wanting to give the impression that my children wander around the countryside in bare feet, they do lead a very rural and independent existence.  It is what I had, and within reason I don’t see why it should be any different for them.

I obviously have to be very organized with all this going on – and usually it all just about hangs together. But sometimes my brain goes all soggy and I know I need a rest. I picked up the phone the other day and asked to speak to Glenridding (one of the central ghost characters in THE BOY WHO FELL DOWN EXIT 43). . . At that point I knew it was time for a hot bath, a long sleep and a day off!

As for inspiration, I do not seek it. It comes when least expected. I recently had a wonderful idea for a third book whilst standing under a light bulb in the bathroom!

Can you tell us about your next book?

The next book is an adventure story and a ghost story rolled into one. It is darker than THE BOY WHO FELL DOWN EXIT 43 and is called THE EXTRAORDINARY LEGACY OF ELVIRA PHOENIX (or at least that is its title for now).

It’s about a boy called Phoenix who is handed a letter from his long-dead mother, instructing him to return to her childhood home and dig into the peculiar mound across the river. But Gravenhunger Manor is a dark and mysterious place, poisoned by its own terrible history – and Phoenix cannot know that he is on the brink of re-triggering an ancient and malevolent curse. What secrets are locked inside the little attic bedroom – and why has every visitor to the house left in such a hurry? Together with Rose, the daughter of his father’s new girlfriend, Phoenix embarks upon an extraordinary adventure, uncovering a stash of fabulous treasure inside the earth…and a whole lot more besides.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Write your own story; don’t try to copy someone else’s ideas or style.

Write every day.

Know that nothing is impossible.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

First and foremost, learning to show not tell. Understanding that was a great eye-opener. It makes your writing come alive.

Knowing the backstory so well you don’t have to explain it.

Slashing as many adverbs from your work as you can manage. They weaken writing rather than strengthen it.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

I hate dinner parties. In my experience no one ever says what they mean and everyone gets tediously sloshed.  Having four children is an excellent excuse not to go to any.

But I’d share a chocolate brownie or two with Meg Cabot of PRINCESS DIARIES fame any day. I am a recent convert and reckon she would be superb company.

I also love Dickens. Of course I’d have to drag him up through an Underworld Exit and cut short his Inbetween Time by a good few years, but I’m sure he would solidify very nicely and not complain. Yes, I think coffee and brownies with Meg Cabot and Charles Dickens would be excellent fun.

As for a fictional character I wish I had created myself, it would have to be David Almond’s Skellig. Just the thought of Skellig makes me shiver and smile and think and cry. What more could you ask for?

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I first started writing a lot in middle school, though sadly none of it was very good. In fact, what I was writing was a mish-mash of what I was reading at the time. So, imagine the Baby-Sitter’s Club members attending Sweet Valley High with the Sleepover Friends. 

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

We read BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA and ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY in elementary school. These books, aside from being beautifully written, were the first books that I can remember evoking an emotional response in me. Reading them marked the first time I connected to fictional characters in such a way that their pain became mine. These were the first books that made me cry, and I remember marveling at the power books could have, a power I hadn’t known existed before.

For this reason, Katherine Paterson and Mildred Taylor were — and still are — my childhood storytelling heroes. I also loved Judy Blume and R.L. Stine. No one could make me laugh like Peter and Fudge, and only Stine could make me sleep with the lights on. 

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

I began writing my first middle-grade novel while a student at Vermont College of Fine Arts. I started it so many times. So, so many times, but I never got tired of it, because I loved my characters and I really wanted to tell their story the best way I could. By the time I finished Vermont College, I’d written 110 pages. Then, I was on my own. I had to develop my own writing schedule, with no college advisor to hold me accountable. That was scary, but I took it one day at a time, two pages a day, until at last I finished. Selling that novel a few months later was the best day of my life.

Was it hard to get an agent ? Can you talk us through the process?

I queried one agent right after I finished my novel. To this day, I have not heard from her. Acceptance, rejection, nothing. I like to think my novel excerpt stunned her speechless, but that’s probably not the case. I queried Sarah after I met her at a Vermont College alumni retreat. I liked her immediately, and queried her with the first three chapters of my novel when I got home. Sarah asked to see the rest, I sent it, and prepared myself for a long wait. But the long wait never came. Sarah called me two weeks later and told me she was interested in representing me. The rest, as they say, is history.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

Organization has never been my strong point, so I just tell myself that I am going to write every day. Sometimes I start writing in the afternoon; sometimes I don’t do so until midnight. As long as I write, that’s all that matters.

Sometimes, if I’m feeling stuck, I’ll pluck a book off of my shelf for inspiration. If I’m having trouble with humor, I may reach for those good old Fudge books. For trouble with description, I may reach for a book by Katherine Paterson or Nancy Farmer, because they both do it so well. Of course, after reading their work, I’m immediately humbled, but also inspired enough to go and try to create my own great scenes.

Can you tell us about your next book?

I think it’s best to know one’s limitations in writing — and in life. Mine are sports that require hand-eye coordination, reading maps, and outlining my novels. Therefore, I can say only this about what I’m working on now: one is a fantasy novel set during the Harlem Renaissance and the other is a tween first-love story with a hint of magic. I’m not trying to be secretive. I just never really know what my novels are truly about until I write my way through them.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Focus on your writing, not the sale. Always work on improving your writing as much as possible and the sale will come. Also, don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day of writing, or write something that you hate. We’re not surgeons; no one dies if we slip up.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Finding my middle-grade voice was a huge triumph for me. Working with my editor has taught me a lot about tightening plot. It’s tempting to use everything in a novel — every plot line you’ve ever thought of since you started writing in middle school — but you can’t. You really can’t. There will be other books. Go ahead and save some plot for them. And, lastly, it sounds so Writing 101, but I’ve learned it’s really important to keep asking yourself, ‘What does my character want?’ Forgetting for a moment can leave you completely lost within your own novel, and novel no man’s land is not a fun place to be.

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

I would invite Rita Williams-Garcia and Jacqueline Woodson because I think they’re brilliant; Neal Shusterman because he’s hilarious; and Nancy Farmer because she’s so creative. I just want to pick her brain over free-range chicken and a side of mashed potatoes.

I wish I’d invented Gilly Hopkins (created by Katherine Paterson). That little girl is tops in my book.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

In high school, much like Rollins in SLIDE, I produced a zine. It was called Salza and featured reviews of local bands, poetry, and my own artwork.

It wasn’t until 2007 that I attempted a real novel. Since then, I’ve written a few books. SLIDE is my first novel to be published.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

I could lie and say my favorite book was TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, but only in my adulthood did I come to truly understand the complexity and beauty of that novel.

Truthfully, the books I remember from my childhood are BUNNICULA AND THE DOLLHOUSE MURDERS. In middle school, I read SWEET VALLEY HIGH and FEAR STREET and THE SECRET CIRCLE (the first time they came out). In high school, I moved on to Stephen King and Clive Barker.

Can you talk us through the writing of your latest book? What were the key moments?

SLIDE was conceived when a co-worker and I were trying to think of concepts for a really cool novel. I remember thinking it would be so crazy if you found yourself in the head of a killer. From there, it was all about figuring out how to make that happen. I didn’t have an outline, so it was kind of exhilarating to find out what happened next. It was like discovering a really great story, only I was the one telling it.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

It was hard in the sense that I didn’t get an agent with my first novel. So, from the time I started writing seriously, it took me three years to come up with the right story to snag an agent. SLIDE attracted a lot of interest from agents, and I signed with Sarah about a month after sending out queries.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

It depends on the season. I teach during the school year, so I have to find time for writing at night and on weekends.

During the summer, I usually go to a coffee shop in the morning and write for a few hours while my husband cares for our young daughter.

When I’m drafting a novel, I try to write about 2,000 words per day. The momentum is enough to keep me going. My greatest inspiration is music. I’ve come up with countless plotlines listening to Pearl Jam or A Perfect Circle during my commute.

Can you tell us about your next book?

UNFATHOMABLE is another paranormal thriller. When Seth, whose sister disappeared ten years ago, meets a girl with the ability to see the dead, together they unravel the unsettling, bloody secret about Spirit Lake. What really happened so long ago, and why do girls keep disappearing?

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Keep writing, keep reading, and keep going — no matter what.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

1. Revision
2.  Revision
3.  Revision

I find brainstorming and drafting (except the dreaded middle) fairly easy. I’ve only recently discovered how important the revision process is. For SLIDE, Sarah gave me a 10-page, single-spaced editorial letter. I completely tore the manuscript apart and put it back together again. It took months, but now it is so much better.

When I started writing, I thought all I had to do to revise was print out my manuscript, omit a few adverbs, and check my spelling. What I’ve learned, though, is that every manuscript has its own challenges. You have to learn to identify the problems unique to your manuscript and then find a way to make it work (love that Tim Gunn).

Also, during revision you get to do all sorts of cool things like develop theme and character, things you might have been too rushed to do in the rough draft because you were so focused on getting the story out of your head and onto the page. Stories really come alive during revision.

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

I’d invite Donna Tartt, Wally Lamb, Courtney Summers, and Suzanne Collins. They’ve all created such compelling characters. That said, I wish I’d invented Katniss Everdeen. She’s so strong and independent; yet, she has weaknesses that make her real.

THE LIPSTICK LAWS:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

As a little girl, I always dreamed of being an author.  I started writing humorous poetry when I was six years old after falling in love with Shel Silverstein’s writing.  After that, I was never far away from paper and a pencil to jot down the many stories in my head. 

My poetry quickly led to fiction writing in second grade, and my first chapter book in third grade.  My middle school years were filled with journaling about all of my tween trials and tribulations, followed by spouting teen angst into melodramatic poetry during high school.

Writing has always been an important part of my life, but it wasn’t until after college that I really started thinking about pursuing it professionally.  I studied psychology in college and once I was out in the real world working in the field, I realized I wouldn’t feel completely fulfilled unless I was able to do something I truly adore.  Writing is that something … and I feel very lucky to have accomplished my childhood dream.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

My parents read to me every night as a child.  Their animated renditions of Dr. Seuss books cemented my love of storytelling forever. However, the first book I remember reading on my own that really made a huge impact on me was A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC by Shel Silverstein.  My copy became totally worn and dog-eared from reading it over and over again.  His fun poetry sparked my love of writing and reading at a very early age. 

Shel Silverstein was definitely one of my childhood storytelling heroes, along with Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Katherine Paterson and Madeleine L’Engle, just to name some.  My early years would not have been the same without their amazing stories and imaginations.  They still inspire me to this day. 

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

My writing day varies depending on what I’m working on and the stage it’s at, if I have a deadline, if I’m promoting a book, and if I have a decent supply of chocolate on hand. 

Most days I’m glued to my computer in my office - writing, revising, brainstorming, catching up on emails, connecting with other writers, working on promotional things, or cyber stalking…er…I mean social networking. 

As far as organizing my time, I’ve tried to write down schedules to set aside times in the day to get specific things done, but I usually end up using these well-intended schedules as scrap paper for something or another.  I’m better at spontaneous scheduling, which is a complete oxymoron, I know.  I’m also a master at to-do lists ... I love to cross things off – it’s liberating and keeps me on track.

I can find inspiration from anywhere or nowhere at all.  I’ve always had a very vivid imagination, so sometimes idea sparks will come to me out of thin air … some may call that insanity.

Creative inspiration can also be triggered by memories, something I hear or see, a song, a smell, a quirky word, an interaction, something that makes me laugh, a dream, etc.  Writing can be a full sensory experience (aka insanity)!

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

My tips are to practice your writing craft daily, read the genre you want to write, study the publishing market, never give up, and network your tail off (the more people you know in the industry, the better).  I also think it’s important to be careful not to stifle your own writing by comparing it to other writers’ successes or failures.  Always avoid a creative comparison coma by celebrating the uniqueness of your individual writing style and journey. 

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

1) I’ve learned it’s really important to write what I love, not necessarily what’s popular.  Loving the project I’m working on guarantees that I’ll be able to write authentically while having fun with it. 

2) Voice is also very important to me.  I like to make sure the voice of my narrator/main character is unique and interesting enough to be in the driver’s seat of my story. 

3) It’s key for me to focus on keeping the pace active, eventful and engaging.  My goal is to entertain readers from the beginning through the end without boredom … and I usually like to add in some quirky humor to keep my writing moving in a fun direction. 

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

I’d love to have a fun, laugh-fest, girl-power dinner party with Sophie Kinsella (Madeleine Wickham), J.K.Rowling, Louise Rennison, Meg Cabot and Judy Blume. 

Of course, if someone like Henry Cavill wanted to stop by, I’d gladly make an exception to the girl-only author rule.  After all, it’s important to remain flexible and open-minded. 

I wish I had created Harry Potter and his whole wizarding world.  I adore the magic and endless creativity that J.K. Rowling put into bringing his epic series to life. 

I also wish I had created Ebenezer Scrooge from A CHRISTMAS CAROL because he’s such an awesomely vile character who goes through an incredible transformation.  Hmmm… maybe I can mash-up the two with a twist to create my own character: Scrooge Potter, a greedy, hallucinating boy wizard with a penchant for making pottery.  Now that’s an idea! Excuse me while I get to work writing…

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid — my first novel attempt, when I was about nine, involved a girl who wanted a horse. Go figure.  By the time I was in junior high school, I was writing much more sophisticated…um…angsty rhyming poetry.  Which of course I had abandoned by high school as I adopted a more experimental style — mostly written in tiny handwriting on graph paper while I was supposed to be doing calculus.

In college I took my first writing fiction course, where my (amazing) professor gave my first ‘literary’ short story a B! and I was so appalled and angry I completely revised it and got an A to spite him.  That was also the semester I got my first rejection, from the campus literary magazine.  I wrote more shorts in the years to come and racked up a nice collection of rejections, but I always struggled with the brevity of the form.  To this day, my revisions are often akin to hacking at a jungle with a machete!

I started my first novel in 2000, and except for a few periods of time when I had newborns and such, I’ve been writing them ever since.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

As a kid (and, well, now) I would read anything that you put in front of my face.  I loved Anne Shirley and Laura Ingalls Wilder and Jo March and Mary Lennox and Harriet M. Welsch, but I also pored over old biology and astronomy textbooks that my dad would pick up for me at garage sales and heavy Dickens tomes I found in the basement and raggedy stacks of silly paperbacks from the school book orders.

At some point in my childhood I ran out of books and sneaked my way into my dad’s old books, where I discovered a lot of interesting things at the hands of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., John Irving, and Tom Robbins.  I admit that I stole most of those books.  How else was I going to reread the sexy bits?

Can you talk us through the writing of your latest book? What were the key moments?

KISS THE MORNING STAR can be traced back to a little character sketch in my journal years ago about the daughter of a minister who tries to sneak books about Buddhism out of the library of her small town without her dad finding out.  Which is sort of funny because nothing of that story remains in the current novel except the dad’s name — Pastor Jake Marshal l — and the appearance of a little bit of Kerouac material.

I guess I’d have to say that the key moments in this book were:

a) When my first beta readers told me that the story began like fifteen thousand words after I started it,

b) When two agents told me that the story really needed to be told in first person, and

c) When I realized that the ending I had written (which involved a bunch of unlikely events including a creepy, creepy guy named Owen who still freaks me out) was not actually what I wanted to have happen to my dharma girls.

I love this book, partially because so much of the actual geography of their trip is based on an amazing summer that my husband and I spent road tripping and backpacking (yes, with Kerouac in our packs), but mostly because Anna and Kat have become so close to my heart.  I don’t know that I’ve ever liked my own characters more.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

It was hard in that I got a lot of rejections, and it took me querying three novels before I found Sarah, but along the way, each time I was ready to give up, I would get just enough forward progress to keep it up.  Form rejections became one shiny personalized rejection.  The second novel got a partial request and at last a full request (never mind that the agent seemed to disappear off the face of the planet after that…)

When my phone rang three days before Christmas, the last thing on my mind was my novel, but there was Sarah, calling me from London (at midnight her time!), telling me that she had enjoyed my book so much that she had to call.  When I later had to make a choice between agent offers, that call swayed me — her enthusiasm for my book was so impressive, even as she very honestly told me that it needed a lot of work.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

Being a mom and a teacher and such, I have to be pretty flexible about when and where I write.  I write on the couch, mainly, though a painful bout with a pinched nerve in my neck is forcing me to rethink that now.  I write to the sound of specially chosen music (KISS THE MORNING STAR’s playlist includes a lot of Ani diFranco and the Kerouac tribute CD, Kicks Joy Darkness) and the sound of small children fighting.  I write in the front seat of the car on road trips and perched on the edge of the sandbox.  Mostly, though, I write at night, after everyone else is in bed, with a cup of cold coffee beside me.  I think I’ll plead the fifth about that whole time organization thing, though…

Can you tell us about your next book?

In between KtMS and the book I’m working on now, I wrote my first fantasy novel, a retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with talking seagulls.  It was a great change for me to write something light after the seriousness of Anna and Kat’s journey, but my current WIP is another contemporary realistic book about a teenage girl — Cassandra Randall, eye-rolling atheist in a family of fundamentals — who starts an anonymous Tarot-card reading blog that not only causes trouble with her conservative church community but also raises huge cyber-bullying concerns at her school.  It’s different from KtMS, but it shares some themes about friendship, belief, sexuality, and personal identity.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Flock to other writers, but screen them for drama.  Writers can be the only people who understand what you’re going through, but they can also be needy or competitive, so choose with care.  I couldn’t do anything that I’ve done without the support, camaraderie, encouragement, and occasional kicks in the pants from my writing friends.  They celebrate my good moments and help me brainstorm my way through the walls.  Ask questions, read their books, learn from them.  Find beta readers who will tell you the truth when they read your work — not only the good parts, but all of it with kindness and a sincere wish for your success.  Be wary of people who give hard and fast rules about writing, but don’t be afraid to give some of their methods a chance.

And mostly, keep writing, even when you fail.  Even when you succeed.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

I guess probably the biggest thing I’ve learned about writing books is the value of the revision process.  Sometimes big, scary revisions.  Sometimes revisions that, initially, I don’t like.  Sometimes revisions seem overwhelming, and sometimes they seem like a lot of work, and sometimes I wonder why the hell I’m so slow that it takes me this many tries to get it right, but every revision that I’ve done carefully and thoughtfully has improved my book. 

I wish I could say that I have finally mastered plotting or (ack!) outlining or writing query letters or dynamic characterization or pitch-perfect dialogue or schmoozing with publishing people, but alas.  I’ll just have to take comfort in the idea that all things can be fixed in revisions.  (Well, except the schmoozing part.  That may require a cocktail.)

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

I’m so bad at this question.  As much as I love reading books, I’m sort of struck dumb at the thought of gathering my favorite authors together in a room.  Would Thoreau mingle well?  Would the English poets get too cliquey or insist that everyone speak in iambic pentameter?  Would I need to seat them according to genre, or time period?  Maybe I could develop a lovely epistolary relationship with some of my favorite authors instead?  I know I’d love to exchange bashful letters with Kerouac and Burroughs, though I’ve already written a poem for Ferlinghetti and sent it to him, so I’m not sure where we’d go from there. 

I think I wish I could have written Ponyboy Curtis.  Also Salamanca Tree Hiddle, but she would make me cry so much.

An excerpt from Mist :

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

When I was very young, at Junior School, I remember writing lots of ‘books’.  They were probably a few pages long – those were the days!  Then in my twenties I wrote a novel and had a flicker of interest, but it didn’t go anywhere.  After which I started scriptwriting for a video production company.  At the same time I was plugging away writing half a book here, a few pages of another idea there, until eventually I got my act together and produced a whole novel! 

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

The first book I remember reading with my mum was a children’s version of HEIDI, which I loved and reread for ages.  Otherwise it was pony books from a very early age.  If it had a pony in it, I read it.  Other faves were the usual suspects: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, THE FAMOUS FIVE, THE FARAWAY TREE, THE JUNGLE BOOK, THE RAILWAY CHILDREN …

Can you talk us through the writing of MIST? What were the key moments?

I wanted to write a fantasy that was based in this world, but had access to other realms.  I wanted it to seem possible that there could be other dimensions so close to us that we could reach them – just by walking through a patch of mist. 

I imagined a race of elemental beings that at one time lived amongst us, but were now pushed out and considered myths.  I called them the Elven, and made them similar to us in lots of ways, but with an otherness that could be seen as dangerous – because people who have been pushed out and live on the fringes are always seen as slightly threatening.  I didn’t want them to be like Tolkien’s elves.  I wanted them to have the same sort of problems that we might have – like not fitting in, being driven out of their home, being accused of things and misunderstood. 

I quickly got my main character, Nell, and her sister Gwen.  I got the main Elven character, Evan.  I got the abduction scenario in the woods.  This came easily.  Then it took quite a while to write the rest of the story around these elements. 

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

I bought THE WRITERS’ AND ARTISTS’ YEARBOOK.  Then I got a small box of file cards and wrote the agents down who dealt with kids books, alphabetically.  Then I started working my way through them!

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I write at my PC, in the front room of our house.  It is our study and it has two other PCs, all linked.  We are a very computerised family and spend more time in here than anywhere else. 

I write in the mornings, but sometimes spend too much time looking out of the window at what’s going on in the street.  I like to be able to see life happening around me, people talking, the TV on.  Pure silence puts me off.  I start listening for things. 

Inspiration often strikes me as I’m dropping off to sleep or just waking – it’s when your mind is floating free - so I have a notebook by the bed.  Having a shower also sets off ideas.  I think it’s the white noise of the water. 

I’m a great surfer of the net.  I find myself setting off on one topic and hours later I’m somewhere completely different.  I get ideas from these sessions. I also find inspiration from my teenage son and his friends, listening to them talking and joking around. 

Can you tell us about your next book?

It will be the second MIST book.  It’s called FROST and I can’t wait to get started on it.  I’m also working on one called FEVVER, which is about a girl of the same name who is convinced she was hatched from an egg and can fly.  She’s stalking this boy at a music festival because she thinks only he can help her find the rest of her ‘colony’.  But he’s got a secret, too.  It’s a horror romance. 

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Keep writing.  Keep reading.  Keep looking at how others have made their books exciting.  And then use that knowledge to do it your own way. 

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

1. Writing a really detailed synopsis first.  A blow by blow account of what happens all the way through.  Maybe twenty odd pages long.  I never realised how much easier that made the writing of the actual novel until I did it.  Everything is planned out.  I came to this idea quite late, as before I was rather free range.  I would get the idea and then go for it and see what happened – rather like life.  I would write a chapter then maybe change it as another idea came to me.  Now I’m hooked on the detailed plan beforehand. 

2. Exciting first lines that hook the reader. 

3. Cliffhanger ending to chapters - to keep them reading. 

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Authors at my dinner party?  Crikey.  Erm.  None.  I just like their books.  Meeting them might be a disappointment.  THE CATCHER IN THE RYE is a great book, but Salinger sounds like he was a right nightmare of a man. 

I’m sure there are lots of great characters that I can’t remember at the moment, but Artemis Fowl springs to mind – in the first book I thought he was brilliantly odd.  I love the Adrian Mole character as well. 

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

My mum brought home a typewriter to type up scripts for the amateur dramatic society.  I was about ten years old at the time.  I remember standing by her shoulder and asking her if she would type my stories and made up some there and then.  I had a feeling that I cannot describe, a word that doesn’t exist in the dictionary.  It’s related to shiver, excitement, surprise, possibility, dawn, home, and love. I wrote stories now and then, hid them, sometimes showed Mum. 

Eight years ago I decided to attend University to study English because I wanted to be a teacher.  At the first session for creative writing our tutor asked us why we wanted to write.  I said, ‘Because my junior school headmaster said he hoped to see me in print one day’.  I suppose it was always there, I’d just forgotten. 

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

I read Andersen’s Fairy Stories – I still have the book; it’s very old and beautifully illustrated.  Enid Blyton, especially THE FARAWAY TREE. 

There’s an old fable that stands out to me, about a king with three daughters who couldn’t decide which one to pass his kingdom to.  He asked them to bring him a gift to show how much they loved him, to help him choose.  The youngest daughter brought salt, and he banished her until he realised its importance.  I have no idea why that stands out.

Can you talk us through your career so far? What were the key moments?

After studying English I stayed at University for another year to start an MA before teaching for two years.  It was hard, and I couldn’t forget that I still had one module and a dissertation to finish. So I went back.  Then, a character burst into life, singing and shouting that she wanted to be heard. 

A chance comment from a tutor at University.  A lucky meeting at Winchester Writer’s Conference. I wonder about coincidences and devotion. 

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organise your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

Haphazard!  I need to be more disciplined and organised. 

I write at the dining room table, because the window looks out on the garden.  It needs to be quiet, preferably with nobody else in the house, except the dog.  He often sleeps on the chair beside me (Harry’s a border terrier cross, if you’re wondering). 

If it’s warm, I’ll write in the garden because I love being outdoors. When walking or traveling I rehearse things again and again in my mind and can usually remember what I want to write about.

I often leave the house without my notebook and have to write notes on receipts and scraps of paper, questions about the characters and plot, phrases, speech that stands out.  It often surprises me when I come across the notes again, or when the dog has found them and chewed them.  I could definitely be more organised.

Inspiration is everywhere, just like stories.  For me, the key is to just look, just listen, wherever I am.  I watch people.  I listen to their vocabulary, try to understand what it tells me about them. 

Can you tell us about what’s coming next from you?

ANGEL’S FARM.  It’s still brewing.  I’m looking forward to having some time to really get cracking on it and inevitably it will change once it’s down.  Essentially the story is about what it means to be good. 

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Don’t listen to that voice in your head which is convincing you that you’re not in the right mood to write, that other things are more pressing, that you’re not ready, the weather needs to be better.  Just keep going. 

Expect to get it wrong, again and again.  Practice is paramount, expect to learn, love learning. 

Don’t worry about where you are going.  It’s what you are doing right now that matters.  Trust your guts. 

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Alvarez wrote, be ‘…alert to the false notes’.

Egri wrote, know the ‘…tri-dimensional character bone structure’.

Julia Churchill said, ‘Focus’.  Point that arrow and tuck in the sides (that’s my own translation, it makes sense to me). 

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

David Almond, so I could be in awe (no line has ever moved me more than one from HEAVEN EYES: ‘She must have come across the waste land above the river…’).  Somerset Maugham, so I could listen to him talk about a different era of society (I know some of these people are dead). 

How many am I allowed? 

Rachel Trezise (I love the Welsh accent – assuming she has one), Maya Angelou, Shakespeare (Let’s clear this up once and for all – you did write them, didn’t you?), Ted Hughes, Tolkein (we share a birthday), Harper Lee (Did you write anything else?  Did you just not let us see it?).  I’d probably be horribly gushy, so could I be a fly on the wall instead? 

I wish I’d invented either Gollum or Skellig; no, both.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

Like most writers, I really enjoyed writing as a kid and have a whole collection of journals and stories. But when I hit high school, I let doubt get in the way, figuring I wasn’t as good as the authors I read (yeah, I knew nothing about revision then). Also, I submitted something to the school literary journal and it got rejected because it was too ‘fun’ and not very ‘deep’. It was a short story, not a swimming pool, but whatever. I let it get to me so much that I didn’t sign up for the creative-writing classes I eyed every semester in college.

I always felt a pull, though, and so when my oldest daughter was born and turned out to be a champion napper, I took a huge leap and started writing again. I wrote all sorts of stuff at first — picturebooks, short stories, poetry, until I found my niche and voice in tween and teen novels. Once I got into that, I joined SCBWI and a critique group and read, read, read. It’s an old formula, but a proven one. Sometimes, when my desire to be published overshadowed my focus on craft, I would send stuff out too soon. But actually, it helped me finally face rejection and push through it. Now I get paid money to write ‘fun’ stuff. Take that, lit mag.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8. She was me. Or I was her. Or whatever. I was blown away that there was a book about a REAL girl, who got mad and felt insecure and laughed at random things and fought with/loved her family.

Roald Dahl was my literary hero because he broke the rules. He talked about burping and nasty parents, and the kids in his books actually defied adults. But at the same time, there were good, tenacious, resilient characters. Sometimes, when I was reading his books, I would look around to make sure I wasn’t going to get in trouble for reading fiction so true and delicious.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

Well, my very first book was for practice and that nonsense has been burned. I don’t usually support book burnings, but trust me, this was for the best.

My first passable book, SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD (which actually will be my second published book), taught me that a story must have a plot. And characters. And scenes. All these revolutionary elements I somehow missed the first time around.

I wrote this book during a pregnancy, the baby haze, and during a major move. The more emotional scenes are mirrors of some of the emotions I went through during that time, and the humor was a welcome respite. I wrote one of my favorite scenes while sitting at a picnic table at the Highlights Foundation Chautauqua conference. It was the first time I’d left my two year old, and the first time I’d taken my writing seriously enough to dedicate a week to it. Taking that step allowed me to cut myself open and bleed on to the page, and from that week on I treated my writing as a career, even if I still hadn’t made any money from it.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

I got my agent the old-fashioned way — cold query. And serendipitously enough, my agent wasn’t even agenting when I started querying, so I’m grateful for the process that led me to her. It took me six months from my very first query to my first offer, though I took some time off in between to nurse my wounds.

I queried in smaller batches — three or four carefully selected agents. Within those six months, I had some great feedback that led me to make some changes. I learned everything I could about the market climate. I had some close calls that had me raiding my children’s Halloween/Christmas/Easter candy stash. But the most important thing I did was work on another novel. Not only did it help me maintain my sanity level (however low that was at the time), but I also believe having some range made me more appealing as a client.

When I did receive offers, the agents were interested not just in my first novel, but in my WIP (which I mentioned in a one-line pitch at the end of the query). I was very lucky to sign with Sarah, who really got both strands of my writing.

Hard? Yes, but worth it.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

Oh wow. Every day is different. I have young kids, so I squeeze in as much as I can during pre-school. Otherwise, I’m writing during the nights or on weekends, or on the floor of the playroom, or in the hallway during dance classes. Organization doesn’t happen much around here, it’s more of a calculated chaos.

Inspiration: I read like crazy in my genres. I also work with young teens in my church. But mostly, I go back to my own childhood and adolescence and really try to hone in on my joys and struggles (except I’ll, you know, throw in a traveling bubble or something).

Can you tell us about your next book?

I just turned in the first draft of the second book in the PRINCESS FOR HIRE series. It was such a different experience writing a sequel. I already had my main character and some familiar settings, but the challenge was maintaining all the magic of the first book AND upping the conflict. I dare say it was harder than the first.

As far as content, I can’t say much! My main character, Desi, starts to suspect there is more to her magical job than she imagined, and finds herself in some pretty sweet gigs. There is also some bad Shakespeare, a teen beauty pageant, yachting royals and a bit of scandal. Hey, it’s about royalty. Scandal is a given.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Write your heart out. Write your face off. Write like whatever you wrote will win you a lifetime’s supply of candy.

Because…

I know the idea of being published is a sweet seductress and I know that ache of wanting your words out THERE is fierce but…

If you can’t write, it’s not going to happen. Close the submission files and finish the best book you possibly can, revise that book a million times (and I don’t mean spell check), THEN focus on the publishing side. Don’t let all the business stuff overtake the writing, especially that first book, which is such a raw and exhilarating experience.

Just write.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

1. Be authentic
2. Show don’t tell
3. Get to conflict ASAP

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Roald Dahl, again because I would like to see his manners, or lack thereof. Kurt Vonnegut, especially because Roald will be there and I suspect they’d hit it off. And Judy Blume, because maybe she would let me touch the hem of her garment.

Mortlock Video:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I’ve always written. I can remember the feeling of excitement when the teacher used to give us a free-writing lesson. The blank page rarely threatened me. As a teenager, I used to write terrible pastiches of Sword and Sorcery stories: barbarians and wizards in mythical lands, all the usual stuff. I was also a keen role-playing gamer and developed stories through that.

As teaching took more and more of my time, my writing became instructional - I’d develop schemes of work, write exemplar openings, that kind of thing. Now and then I would start a story but never finish it. Then in March 2006 I had my ‘lucky break’. While training for the London Marathon, half way through a ten-mile run in deep snow, I broke my ankle. Badly. I found myself sitting down for six weeks with a laptop in front of me. I wrote 95,000 words of utter tripe, but it was a start!

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you?

I remember my father reading me Kipling’s Just So Stories but otherwise I didn’t read much as a young child. The class reading scheme had a negative impact on me. Then at the age of about 11, I had this awakening in which I read anything and everything - Ray Bradbury, Andre Norton, Michael Moorcock, Dickens, Brian Aldiss, Tolkein, Richard Adams. I can sympathize with young lads who aren’t excited by books, but something clicked with me and reading at that age.

Tove Jansson and the MOOMIN books especially grabbed me. I read MOOMINLAND WINTERLAND at night by reflecting the light from the landing off a biscuit tin lid and on to my pillow. I loved the strange creatures Jansson drew, and the satisfying contrasts between peril and domesticity. Cute woodland creatures that talked to me of loneliness and isolation. They are strange books indeed and not served well by the TV representation.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

My broken ankle was the point at which I realized that bum on seat equals first rule of writing. In November 2007 Alfie Mortlock became a real character in my head while watching my son perform in a school production of Oliver, and I started writing. This coincided with my reading the brilliant NECROPOLIS RAILWAY by Andrew Martin, which is a mystery about the railway line that used to take corpses out to the new municipal graveyards of London.

Cut to May 2007. Deep depression. I found it impossible to generate interest in MORTLOCK and it hit slush piles everywhere. Then I broke my ankle again, running down a Welsh mountain. Lin, my wife, took pity on me and bought me a weekend writing course with Cornerstones [a British literary consultancy]. That weekend the manuscript was basically ripped apart. I scuttled off into a corner, and then came back with a plan to revise it completely.

The next key moment was listening to Sarah’s critique of MORTLOCK and seeing again how it might be taken to another level. She taught me to think beyond the main events of the novel and about where the ‘camera’s eye’ was focused. She also gave me confidence in my ability to improve my writing and to learn.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

I had kept in touch with Helen Corner of Cornerstones. She always said I would get an agent given time and that gothic stories were selling well. I’d had a couple of near misses with publishers so I jumped at the chance when she offered to submit to agents for me.

Again there were plenty of rejections - one agent said that MORTLOCK ‘left her cold’. But then, in the space of 24 hours, I had the luxury of choosing between two. In the end there was no competition. I met the first agent face to face and she was lovely, but Sarah’s experience and knowledge of children’s literature just shone through. The first agent hadn’t read HOLES (my favourite book). Sarah had bid for it when she was Publisher at Macmillan.

I didn’t actually meet Sarah for several months, but she was always on the end of the line and e-mails flickered back and forth across the Atlantic!

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organise your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I’m a bit of a guerilla writer! With four children and a day job, I write when I can, where I can. Sometimes I’ll hide in the playhouse at the bottom of the garden. I’ve written on trains, in pubs and coffee houses, in the greenhouse (funnily enough) and in the car. I do have a room with a desk, but sometimes it’s too accessible. Usually I write for a few hours in the evening between eight and twelve, and then at the weekend I’ll take a large chunk of the day if I can. Thanks to the Bloomsbury deal, I’ve been able to reduce my working week, so Friday has become a writing day.

Inspiration comes from music - orchestral stuff, film themes, but music from my teens seems to inspire me. I wonder if it awakes the neural pathways of my youth! I also find running gives me chance to think and imagine.

Can you tell us about your next book?

It’s called THE DEMON COLLECTOR and again, it’s a dark, gothic, Victorian supernatural adventure. It’s set in London at the same time as MORTLOCK and there are crossover characters. A boy called Edgy Taylor meets a professor from the Royal Society of Daemonologie and his life is never the same again.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

I’m wary of giving advice as I’m a relative newcomer myself, but I think to succeed you must be able to accept criticism.

Being flexible, reasonable and willing to adapt makes you a good prospect, which is music to an editor’s or agent’s ears.

Again, like many things in life, you improve with persistence and practice. Keep writing, keep trying, but don’t bang your head on a brick wall. If it’s not working, try to find out why.

Critique groups are invaluable, especially if they are honest about your work (as long as you can take the flak).

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Learning that the story is not just a series of joined-up events, but that the characters’ development flows through those events and everything that happens must do so for a reason.

Making each sentence as active as possible, avoiding passive and flat phrasing.

Realizing that chapters should be short and end with a cruel, barbed hook!

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Eoin Colfer - I saw his ‘one author show’ and really enjoyed it. A funny man who writes great books. Philip Ardagh because I suspect he might read this and would definitely be offended at not being invited to an imaginary dinner party. My fellow Greenhouse author Sarwat Chadda because he’s my evil twin (only a bit younger and better looking). I’d also invite Charles Dickens just so he could read A CHRISTMAS CAROL to us.

Fictional character? It’s got to be Elric of Melnibone, an albino with a magic sword that drinks enemy souls. I was hooked on Michael Moorcock’s ETERNAL CHAMPION series as a teenager and Elric is the man.

FRACTURE:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I never thought of myself as a writer. But in 1996 when I started writing stories in Russian for Safet Keso, my professor in Sarajevo, Bosnia, he recommended that I get them published. I quickly realized that it would be much easier to get published in my native language and started writing in English. When I returned to the United States in 1998, I took writing courses at UC Berkeley and Stanford where I now teach, and then enrolled in the MFA Writing for Children and Young Adults program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2006. My writing career officially took off when I graduated in 2009.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

The first book that had a true impact on me was an adult book called FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand. It showed me that I should follow my heart in whatever I do. My favorite picture book was HARRY THE DIRTY DOG by Gene Zion. My favorite childhood heroes were Lassie, Lady and the Tramp, Kimba and all of the dogs in 101 DALMATIANS. With all these animal characters, it’s no wonder I’ve written a book about a borzoi dog named Zar.

Can you talk us through your career so far? What were the key moments?

Ten years ago I got a tour of Knopf. As I gazed around the room at all the wonderful books Knopf publishes, I said to my friend, ‘It’s my dream to one day get published by Knopf’. She laughed at me and said, ‘Yeah, you and everyone else.’ I knew she was right, but I didn’t give up. I worked on my craft, got a MFA in writing for children and young adults, and along the way my manuscript, DANCE WITH BORZOI, won the 2009 Houghton Mifflin Clarion Award for best manuscript and was a finalist for the 2010 Katherine Paterson Writing Prize. I now teach writing for children courses at UC Berkeley and Stanford and edit books for children for Room to Read. The biggest moment in my writing career was when Erin Clarke, editor at Knopf, offered me a contract for DANCE WITH BORZOI.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organise your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I am always thinking about my craft and can write anywhere. I don’t get big blocks of time to indulge in my writing and have to steal moments throughout the day to work on some aspect of my craft. I am forced to be efficient with my time and rarely ever have writer’s block. My inspiration comes from within. I want to write books for kids that I wanted to read.

Can you tell us about what’s coming next from you?

There are three book ideas that I’m working on. One is set in Thailand about a girl sold to a brothel by her uncle and how she uses her weaving skills to buy back her freedom. The second is a YA love story inspired by my own experience of losing my first boyfriend to a car accident. The third is a companion book to DANCE WITH BORZOI that is set during the Gorbachev period and mirrors my own experience when I lived there and got my first borzoi.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Persistence. Don’t give up. Take writing courses. Join SCBWI. Form a writing group and think about getting a MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Read. Read. Read.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

This is a tough question. Through VCFA, I am fortunate to know many good authors and have had the pleasure of dining with them. Depending on what I was working on in my own writing, the answer could vary widely from Markus Zusak, MT Anderson, Mal Peet to Pushkin, Tolstoy or Chekhov. The characters I wish I had created include Harry Potter, James Bond, Lassie, Yuri Zhivago, Howard Roark and the Little Prince.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I first started writing poems and short stories in grade school.  My fourth-grade teacher was Miss Lona O’Kelley.  I wrote and put together a soft-cover book of limericks for her after she taught us the form.  Miss O’Kelley was the type of teacher who continued to correspond with students long after she taught them.  She has since passed away and she probably never knew the influence she had on my writing. 

I continued to write poems and short stories in high school and college, but I didn’t write a novel until after I turned 30.  Yikes.  I’ve since completed an MFA in Writing for Children.

Can you remember the first book that had an impact on you?  What were the key moments?

The first book that really affected me was The Golden Treasury of Poetry, edited by Untermeyer.  I loved the sound of words and the use of imagery.  Many of the poems were beyond my comprehension at that age, but the music of poetry read aloud stayed with me. 

Once I learned to read, I devoured novels as well as poetry.  I loved classics such as LITTLE WOMEN.  Like millions of girls, I saw myself as Jo scribbling away in the garret.  TO KILL A MOCKINGIRD is probably my favorite book.  I felt like I was Scout.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book?  What were the key moments?

By first book, I assume you mean the first one published (not the first one written)?  I have a tendency to start writing when I have a character and voice in my head and maybe a scene — either early in the story or at the end — but I don’t have a clear vision of the overarching plot.  As a result, I tend to meander and lose my way through the brambles of the middle part of the novel.  I write to find out what happens so, in many ways, I’m not an efficient writer.

In THE OTHER SIDE OF BLUE the key moments for me included the scene in the boathouse on the anniversary of Cyan’s father’s death.  The sense of grief and disconnectedness between Cyan and her mother loomed large in that scene and became a pivot point.  The controversial and difficult scene with Mayur in the cave came unbidden; in fact, I at first rejected where the characters seemed to be headed.  I finally gave in, though, and wrote that part of the story as it came. Sustaining Cyan’s voice — with its edge of anger — was a challenge. 

Was it hard to get an agent?  Can you talk us through the process?

Before Sarah, I had queried only two agents — one more than ten years ago after I’d written my first two novels (both still in drawers) and one more recently for an historical novel.  For that one I received a boomerang rejection — and I’m actually grateful because I don’t think the agent would have been right for me. 

I was fortunate to have someone recommend me to Sarah, and Sarah saw potential in my writing, particularly in what became THE OTHER SIDE OF BLUE.  When she read the first excerpt, the novel was unfinished, and Sarah challenged me to complete it.  I did, and she took me on as a client.  Revision ensued, and Sarah’s instincts were spot on.  I am grateful to have her guidance.

Describe your writing day.  Where do you write?  How do you organize your time?  Where do you look for inspiration?

I continue to have a full-time job outside of writing, so I write when I can and wherever I am.  My best writing seems to be done at my home computer with no distractions (except for a cat that will sit on my lap).  But I’ve written scenes in longhand on airplanes as well.  I fail to write every day, and I know that my writing is better when I write as close to every day as possible.  That daily act of writing — even for ten minutes — helps keep me close to the story and, almost more importantly, the voice of the character.  It’s amazing what can happen by writing short bursts every day.

Inspiration for me comes out of memory and sense of place.  Settings usually are integral to my stories.

Can you tell us about your next book?

My next book is in the chaos of revision.  My main character, Jessica, is finding her way toward becoming an adult, and I’m finding my way in discovering how best to shape her story.  This book — entitled in draft SUMMER OF THE CARIBOU — will honor those intense adolescent friendships that often substitute for family relations.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Maybe because I’ve taken a long time to develop as a writer (I’m still developing), I believe the writing process takes time.  Some wonderful writers publish their first novels at a young age, but not everyone can — or should — do that.  For some of us, we need the practice of writing more than one novel before we’re ready to seek publication. 

Sometimes I think writers are too quick to send work out.  I’d recommend that writers let their work get cold before they try to revise it.  Then I’d suggest finding a critique group or trusted reader who can give helpful, honest feedback.  Many writers rely on their spouses to be their first readers; I don’t — I rely on mine for emotional support and on others for the constructive feedback I need to hear. 

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Understanding and developing voice.  Trying to explain voice is like the Supreme Court Justice who tried to define pornography — you know it when you see it.  But knowing it when you see it and being able to develop your own voice in any piece of writing is a leap of faith.  It’s digging deeper into the soul.  It can be a frightening thing, to take that journey.  I think that’s why some people only skim the surface of their writing and never get deeper. 

Plot.  OK, I am cheating on this one because I am still learning how plot works.  Finding the way to bring the character and the problem together and ratcheting up the tension is crucial — yet I find it eludes me at times. 

Character.  Often I’ll think I understand my character and then critique group partners will ask me about what the character would do in a particular situation or why the character reacts a certain way, and I’ll look at them blankly, feeling a panic come over me.  I don’t know the character like I should after all.  My friend Ellen reminds me that Diane Chamberlain says we want characters who are so real, we’ll be tempted to take them as tax deductions. 

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party?  What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

The list would be long, but I know I’d invite Laurie Halse Anderson, Richard Peck, Barbara O’Connor, and Sherman Alexie. 

I first met Laurie when we were roommates at the beginning of our year abroad as foreign-exchange students with American Field Service in Denmark.  Laurie, from New York, was outgoing and endearing.  A shy strawberry blond from Florida, I had never been away from home.  Laurie nicknamed me ‘Sunshine’.  A few years ago I saw her speak in public, and only then did I realize that I knew her.  Her writing is amazing — I admire her range and depth.  I read WINTERGIRLS in one sitting and couldn’t put it down.  Her ability to write so compellingly and beautifully about such a difficult subject is incredible. 

Richard Peck — need I say more?  He is an icon.  Whenever I hear him speak, I am awed and find myself trying to write down every bit of wisdom he imparts (which is basically everything he says!).  I admire his command of story, his humor, and his passion for literacy.

I’ve never met Barbara O’Connor but I have all of her books.  As a Southerner, I admire her writing voice and her characters.  She also blends in humor seamlessly, a skill I wish I could emulate.

I had read and admired Sherman Alexie’s work before I saw him at a conference.  He mesmerized me by his ability to speak with all the drama and passion of his writing. 

With such illuminating writers at the dinner party, I’d find myself hovering at the edges of the conversation, soaking it all in. 

Of all the memorable characters in fiction, Scout Finch is the one I wish I had invented.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I started writing when I was thirteen, at boarding school. After the school day ended we had prep (homework) lessons, and after I finished my prep I’d write stories in the back of my exercise books.

Later writing became a way of making friends: I discovered that other girls at school liked reading my stories, so I built whole friendships around writing stories for them. So I’ve always written for an audience, in a way.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

There were three: THE BLUE BALLOON by Mick Inkpen – the size and blueness of that wonderful balloon! THE LORD OF THE RINGS - I just sank into it and when I stopped reading at the end of the first book it was like surfacing after centuries under the sea. Total immersive reading; I believed in it utterly.  ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST - my mum recommended this to me when I was at boarding school. I remember being blown away by the writing, thinking: I didn’t know you could write a book like this. It was just perfect for me at boarding school: a story about a dehumanizing institution run on dictatorial lines, where keeping your head down was the only way to survive…

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

Time organization… yeah. I have heard of that stuff. I’m working on it!

I write in cafes a lot. This is no good for my waistline.

I am inspired and encouraged by other writers. It helps so much just to be able to talk to other people who know what rejection is like, for example.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Dear Aspiring Authors: I know you hear this all the time, but really, just don’t give up. So much is down to determination. I know many good writers who were not published because they gave up. But do listen to every piece of feedback you get, even if you don’t act on it, and do be prepared to change what you do. Remember that trying to get published is a learning process. And take criticism on board when you know it’s true, even if it hurts. The truest criticism will hurt.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Learning to finish a book.

Learning to delete things.

I am slowly learning to look out for great ideas for books, not just good ideas for books.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I wrote my first novel when I was thirteen. It was pretty much a compilation of everything I’d seen on television that season.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith. I read it as a teenager and it’s probably the one book I never grow tired of reading again.

As a child I was really into THE THREE INVESTIGATORS, THE HARDY BOYS, and pretty much anything by Judy Blume.

Can you talk us through the writing of your latest book? What were the key moments?

The key moment was when I finally decided to start writing it. I’d had the idea in my head for years but I wanted to wait till I felt I could do it justice.

Creating my characters was a wonderful time for me because they really came together. None of them felt like strangers - it was as if I’d known them all for a long time.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

I was very lucky finding The Greenhouse. They were the first on my list. In fact, they’d turned me down a year ago with an earlier novel but I was impressed with their professionalism. When it came to trying a second time, I went right back!

I had sent my novel to Julia and was shocked when I found a strange number on my phone the next morning. She’d tried calling me several times. I was in Korea at the time so our hours were far apart. When I got back to my desk, I found an email from her, saying she’d tried calling me and would call again before she left for Bologna the next morning. I was horrified when I realized my phone batteries were about to die! I had to sneak home during my break. I could barely walk my legs were shaking so much! Julia ended up calling me at four in the morning her time, trying to get a quick conversation in before the taxi showed up to take her to the airport. It was such a whirlwind day! I’ll never forget it!

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I’m a coffee shop writer. I do my best work when I have my iPod blasting and I’m surrounded by strangers with a hot beverage. I’m quite the night owl so I tend to write in the evenings, often until I get kicked out because the poor staff want to go home! When I’m stuck on inspiration I like to go for long walks and try to work things out in my head. It really works for me.

Can you tell us about your next book?

I’ll be working on the sequel to THE DARK INSIDE. I’m very excited about it. I’m also doing some editing on another novel and I’ve got some great new ideas flying around. I’m always at my best when I have about twenty different thoughts attacking me at once. 

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Every single writer starts at the beginning and there is a first time for everyone. Be open to criticism. When we write, we get so involved with our own characters and stories sometimes we are blind to any faults we might make. It really helps if others are willing to lend a hand and offer suggestions. 

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

I really miss being in school. My professors and fellow classmates were wonderful at giving support and criticism. I’ve also learned to look at my own work with a critical eye and that’s really important with being a writer. It also helps to have a good muse (also called a friend) who is willing to put up with me when I get too obsessive over what my character happens to be doing at any given moment. I can think of two friends who are way too patient with me! 

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Only three? That’s not fair! I guess Stephen King, Ernest Hemmingway, and Douglas Coupland. As for a fictional character? Harry Potter, hands down!

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I always wrote. I always, always wrote. And I was nothing but cocksure bravado as young writer. I would tell people that I would be published by 17. And then 19. And then 25. And then I stopped saying that.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you?

At some point, around 17, I got my hands on Hubert Selby Jr.’s LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN and I just couldn’t believe what he was doing. It was spare and poetic, but also brutal. His language was so raw. I’m not even sure I could read it today, but at the time it seemed to open up all sorts of possibilities.

Can you talk us through your career so far? What were the key moments?

I attended Naropa University in the late 1980s where I met all these big writers, from all over the place and the thing I was struck by was their single-mindedness. All of these wildly different artists had that in common.

Later, I was fortunate to study with some really generous writers, like Lynn Freed, Lucy Corin, Rick Moody, and Pam Houston in particular. These teachers were each, in their own way, intolerant of laziness. But if you worked hard, they responded in kind; Pam must have read half a dozen early drafts of USES FOR BOYS.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organise your time?

I like to write in the early morning, when I first wake up, drinking coffee, until I’m so hungry that I have to get up and make breakfast. I sometimes have a hard time getting my focus back after I’m up and about. The afternoons are great, because my girlfriend comes home with her daughter and the house just fills up with kids and cooking and we dance around a lot.

Can you tell us about what’s coming next from you?

I’m working on a new novel about a 16 year old girl that tries on and discards identities like some girls try on clothes. It’s a künstlerroman, but her art is her identity.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Finish. Finish your story or book or poem, or whatever. Just finish it. I keep revising and revising until the story gets under my skin.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party?

Oh! Amy Hempel and Rick Moody. Absolutely. They’re friends, amazing writers and they’re both just tremendously smart and cool.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I began writing around the same time I began reading - the two have always twined together for me.  I shamelessly imitated my favorite writers for many years.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

I loved Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking and Mary Poppins, and I had an edition of Hans Christian Anderson with illustrations that made my hair stand on end.  But the first book that made me truly swoon was A GIRL OF THE LIMBERLOST by Gene Stratton Porter.  It was so romantic and heart wrenching and exotic, not to mention Elinor’s struggles with her mother were even worse than my own.  I both identified and was swept off to a totally new world.

Can you tell us about your writing career so far?

I published over a dozen books for children and young adults, all of them without an agent, and then for years focused on writing for adults, and working as a librarian.  My first novel, GIVE AND TAKE, grew out of a short story that an editor urged me to expand. It’s about friendship, family, identity, first love, how much of ourselves we keep and what we give away, and there’s a lot about nature and gardens - all themes I continue to return to.  A key moment came when my editor helped me see that it didn’t have to have a happy, tidy ending - that, in fact, an ending like that would cheat my readers.

When I started to send out work for children again, I realized how much the publishing world had changed, and that I really, really needed an agent. I’m so glad to have landed at Greenhouse, and hope WHAT HAPPENED ON FOX STREET is the beginning of the second half of my career as a children’s writer.

Tell us about FOX STREET.

I wrote FOX STREET at least three times.  Originally it had far more sub-plots and a cast of thousands.  A number of people who looked at it praised the writing but said there was way too much going on. I put the book away for a while, but never stopped thinking about Mo and Merce and the Wild Child.  A key moment was realizing that what really moved and interested me was Mo’s relationship with her father — her coming to understand he isn’t perfect, and can’t protect her from everything.  All the book’s other themes — the things we have to let go, the new things that replace them — flow from that.

I rewrote the book from scratch and this time it worked!  I had to learn to let go of things myself, in order to find the heart of the story.

What comes next from you? 

FOX STREET ends with Mo’s realization that a part of her life is coming to an end.  I hope to follow wherever she goes next.

Was it hard to get an agent ? Can you talk us through the process?

When I began to look for an agent, I sent out eight queries.  I got a couple of nibbles, but Sarah was the one who called me up on a Sunday night and said, ‘I love this’.  I’ve been grateful many times over for that passion of hers.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I make my coffee, read my e-mails, and then I write for as long as my brain holds out, or, if it’s a work day, till I have to leave for the library where I work in the children’s room.  I’m very strict about all this! I have a desk by a window that looks out on the street, so I can watch people go by.  I write fiction in the morning and work on book reviews in the afternoon, if I can.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

I’ve gotten plenty of rejections, but somehow been too unimaginative to give up writing.  I think persistence is key, and trying new things.  Don’t get stuck in one setting or voice or genre. 

And be sure to have writing friends, who will reassure you you’re not alone and not a lunatic.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Plot is something I always struggle with, but I think I’m getting better at it.  Character and voice go together for me, and once I find either of the two, I’m off and running.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

I’d love to have dinner with Virginia and Leonard Woolf.  I think my husband and I would really get along with them!

No one but Harper Lee could have invented him, but I love Boo Radley.

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I ‘wrote’ even before I could read, acting out stories with my stuffed animals and little people when I was four or five. 

The first story I recall writing with a pencil and paper became a puppet show involving a news broadcast where everything goes wrong.  I wrote it in the third grade, and performed it for all the classes in my elementary school.  I wrote a play in college that was produced as part of an undergraduate script writing program, and worked for a time as a freelance scriptwriter for human resources training films. 

Despite a lifelong desire to write a novel, I didn’t sit down to write one until the summer of 2008.  I can’t explain why I finally decided to stop talking about it and start doing it, it was just time.  That book became SILVER, which will be published by Flux in 2012.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

There were so many books that impacted me, but as an early reader, I loved GO DOG GO and anything by Richard Scarry.  CHARLOTTE’S WEB is the first book that made me cry.  I saw the movie first, and then started reading the book even though it was probably too advanced for me.  I had a dog-eared copy of that book for years and years. 

Can you talk us through the writing of your latest book? What were the key moments?

SILVER started out as a fictional account of my love affair with my husband, who I met when I was sixteen.  It soon became clear that the truth was too strange to make believable fiction, so I changed the characters quite a bit. 

Still, Brianna is probably the most like me of any of my characters.  I love paranormal books, and I knew I wanted magic and mythology to play a big role in the story. 

I decided to focus on Ireland because of its rich supernatural history.  I was particularly interested in what happened to all that magic once Christianity took root, and that became the jumping off point for the supernatural aspects of the story. 

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

Yes and no. 

It was hard in the sense that there was rejection, and rejection is always hard. 

I found my agent the old-fashioned way.  I sent queries and sample pages if allowed to do so.  I received everything from no responses, to form rejections, to requests for the manuscript.  The process took 4-5 months, with revisions to the manuscript along the way.  In the end, things seemed to happen all at once. 

I was lucky enough to get multiple offers of representation, and I felt like the Greenhouse was the right home for me, even though it meant a complete rewrite of a significant part of the manuscript.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I have another career that takes most of my time during the week, so I write at night and on the weekends.

I write on my favorite corner of the couch with a laptop and cup of coffee.  My inspiration usually comes when I’m driving to and from work.  That’s when I can really start to visualize scenes and stories.  A lot of the details don’t come until I actually sit down and write, but I always have a general idea of the characters and story beforehand.

Can you tell us about the book you are working on at the moment?

I am currently working on SPIES AND PREJUDICE, pitched as Veronica Mars meets PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, which will be published by Egmont in 2012. 

It’s the story of Berry Fields, a teenage private investigator, who gets in over her head as she investigates her “dead” mother’s past and has to rely on the one boy she is determined to hate.  I love writing Berry.  She’s smart and kick ass, but vulnerable in ways she doesn’t realize. 

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Write.  Don’t just think about it, sit down and do it. 

Get feedback on your writing from people who are involved in publishing, not just family and friends.  And then rewrite. 

Read widely, both inside and outside your genre. 

Analyze what works and doesn’t work for you in the books you read and try to figure out why. 

Then write some more.  Not writing is the only thing that is guaranteed to keep you from getting published.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Dialogue, emotion and plot. 

Since my background is in writing scripts, I feel like dialogue came the most naturally to me as a writer, but I had to learn to incorporate emotion and internalization to really flesh out a scene.  And plotting is hard.  Critical, but hard. 

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

Simone Elkeles, Sarah Rees Brennan, Stephen King and Lauren Oliver, so long as they like take out.  And I wish I’d invented Lizzy Bennet.  She’s lovely, smart, flawed, and always has the perfect retort.  And she gets the guy. 

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I wrote unintelligible scribbles as an infant. Then I wrote dismal poetry and a couple of short stories. But I had never considered writing a novel before April of 2007. Even then, I was just telling myself a story. I had no intention of writing a novel. I had no outline. I just couldn’t find anything to read that day.

I am not one of those authors who knew that writing was what they wanted to do. I was happy reading other people’s books. I’m still happy reading other people’s books.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

THE MAGIC BOAT by Lula E. Wright. I was six years old. I wrote about it on my blog…

http://blythewoolston.blogspot.com/2009/11/magic-boat-lula-e-wright-1927-ginn-and.html

It isn’t a classic, but it is a loyal friend.

I had a fairy tale book and a copy of Edith Hamilton’s MYTHOLOGY. Someone gave me a horror comic where a scaly, green arm snaked out of the sewers and crushed people into little round balls. You could tell who they were by the remnants of exposed clothing.

I really loved Rosemary Sutcliff’s books about ancient Britain. I found them when I was obsessed with history. Ray Bradbury introduced me to science fiction, which is one of the best things that ever happened to me. There is no end to the wonders of science fiction.

Poe, Hawthorne, Vonnegut, Rilke…it was pretty much the usual suspects after a point.

Can you talk us through the writing of your latest book? What were the key moments?

It is a difficult book about a difficult subject. There is no redemption for my protagonist. The best I could hope for was to make her behavior comprehensible. The key moments were when I hated it and just wanted it to stop. There were a lot of key moments.

Was it hard to get an agent? Can you talk us through the process?

I can’t write a query letter or a synopsis to save my life. No joke. I very nearly didn’t get to go to the dance because I couldn’t tie my shoes. I’m certain my first book would never have been published if Andrew Karre hadn’t read the whole thing on an airplane. I signed with an agent after I’d sent my second book to Andrew. Unfortunately, I hadn’t thought everything through. I wasn’t sure what my own objectives were. I severed my ties with that agent and gave myself six months to think things over.

So how does a person who can’t write a decent query find an agent? I met Sarah Davies at a SCBWI conference in Montana. She liked the chapter I had brought for the workshop session and invited me to keep in touch. When I had the book finished, I sent it to her. So I got my agent by writing the best book I could. When she talked about the book, the things she said made sense to me. She named weaknesses that were true. I quickly came to the conclusion that working with Sarah would make better books possible.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I write at home. I live with other people who have a very impromptu approach to life’s adventure, so a hard-and-fast schedule isn’t something that would work. I like to write in the early mornings or the late evenings when there are fewer distractions. The best possible thing is to be able to walk for an hour before I sit down to write. I actually do quite a bit of oral composing while I walk. Sometimes I talk my way through a scene five or six times before I ever actually type a word.

I don’t look for inspiration; it just shows up. I’m a magpie, constantly collecting shiny ideas. When I’m not inspired, I look through the drift of sticky notes, photographs, and scribbled envelope backs that make a nest around my computer. “My life has gone awry—I didn’t learn to play the bass lute in high school.” That’s on a green, star-shaped scrap. I think my eldest son might have said it; it’s the sort of thing he says.

Can you tell us about the book you are working on at the moment?

I’m working on several things: I’ve got a halieutic novel ready for copyedits; my version of a thriller is about to stumble shaky-legged out to meet editors; and I’ve started a new project that I think is very funny. That last worries me. It may never amount to anything, but I like it.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Writing is like cooking; fresh ingredients matter.

Read outside your comfort zone. The worst thing you can possibly do is to limit yourself to books you know you will enjoy. Read difficult books and dull books. Read picture books and academic nonfiction.

If you aren’t focused on the present moment of writing, stop it.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

1) I taught technical writing for a gazillion years. That experience helped me focus on writing as a tool to transfer information from one brain to another. I tend to approach writing/reading this way, to understand it as a cognitive operation. I also learned to appreciate the power of confusion. 

2) Dialogue is key. Incredible things happen emotionally between the parties in a conversation, even when—maybe especially when—they are talking about mundane things. Even silence is conversation.

3) I benefited from the study of grammar, rhetoric, and poetics. I value punctuation. I value words. I value imagination.

Which favorite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

The dead have lost their appetite, so only the living are invited: Wolf Erlbruch, A.S. King, Guus Kuijer, Koji Kumeta, Margo Lanagan, Ursula LeGuin, Michael Alan Nelson, and Sjon. I’d be a much better writer after that dinner party.

John Gardner’s GRENDEL is an extraordinary accomplishment: a brute poet, the perfect antihero.

THE REPLACEMENT:

THE SPACE BETWEEN:

Author Interview:

When and how did you start writing?

I started writing regularly when I was about eleven.  Admittedly, it wasn’t very good, but I had a massive collection of spiral-bound notebooks, and as my little sister can testify, I was very protective of them.  As I got older, I learned about the miracle of document files, which made editing and revision much easier and improved my productivity tremendously.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? Who were your childhood storytelling heroes?

The first book that really made an impression on me was Roald Dahl’s THE TWITS.  It was the first book I ever picked out myself and the first one I bought with my own money.  Looking back, it was a pretty strange choice, considering I was four years old and the cover was a very unenticing brown.  I think I originally picked it because I was fascinated by Quentin Blake’s illustrations, but the story was so enthralling and weird that I had to read it over and over.

Can you talk us through the writing of your first book? What were the key moments?

The first key moment was when I got the idea for THE REPLACEMENT.  I started thinking about what it would be like if someone were a changeling in a town where that kind of thing was an open secret, and what life would be like, and the character of Mackie Doyle grew out of that.  The story has undergone some pretty significant changes since I started, and one of the key moments was when Sarah called me after I’d submitted to her and basically said that the world needed to be fleshed out and the ending made no sense, so would I please do something about that, which changed the book entirely, and very much for the better.

Was it hard to get an agent ? Can you talk us through the process?

Well, I was a slush-pile girl, so I can testify that it really does happen. I did expect finding an agent to be difficult, so I wanted to be prepared. I did a lot of research in preparation. I looked at websites and read interviews, then sent queries to agents who seemed likely to be a good fit, not only for what I had written, but for what I knew I wanted to write in the future.  Once I started querying, the actual process went pretty quickly, but I did spend a long time beforehand doing research and going over my letter.

Describe your writing day. Where do you write? How do you organize your time? Where do you look for inspiration?

I’m a morning writer by necessity. I used to be a nighttime person, but I’ve finally accepted that if I don’t work in the morning, I never get to see my family or my friends.  I find that in order to organize my time well, I have to be very strict with myself and set specific blocks of time or word-count goals - otherwise I don’t get as much done as I would like.  I love writing in coffee shops, because I’m one of those people who always needs a little bit of background noise in order to concentrate.

Can you tell us about your next book?

My next book hasn’t been decided on yet, but I can say that whatever comes next, it will probably be strange, and definitely have elements of the fantastical.  I’d love to do a big, panoramic book that has a broad scope and a lot of world-building.

Are there any tips you could give aspiring writers who are looking to get published?

Read.  That’s the biggest piece of advice I have, and I think it’s something most aspiring writers are very good about.  After all, a lot of people are drawn to writing because they really, really like books.  However, I’d go even further and say, read outside your chosen genre, outside your areas of interest.  Read things you don’t expect to like, or that you’ve never heard of.  Also, this probably goes without saying, but write.  A lot.

Can you describe three aspects of writing craft that have been most important as you’ve developed as an author?

Plotting, plotting, and plotting.  Just kidding (but not really).  There are so many elements of craft that are crucial to telling a good story, but plotting is the one that’s given me the most grief and the one I absolutely had to get a handle on before I was ever going to be successful at telling a story.  You can always get better at craft, and I continue to refine my skills every time I sit down to write, but plotting has been so important - it’s the foundation that all the other elements rest on.

Which favourite authors would you invite to a dinner party? What fictional character do you wish you’d invented?

I’d love to have Neil Gaiman over. He seems like he’d be soft-spoken and charming, with lots of interesting anecdotes.  As far as characters go, I absolutely covet Donna Tartt’s - especially Charles and Camilla from THE SECRET HISTORY, and the entire cast of the THE LITTLE FRIEND.