Success!!

You guys! We have a bit of a treat for y'all today--an interview with IlIma Todd!

IllIma was a finalist in the last contest we hosted and afterward, contacted us. She's landed an agent, y'all! And some of that comes from entering our contest! :) So here's a bit from her.

Tell us a little about yourself?

I'm a mom to four kids and wife to one hot babe. I homeschool during the day and write late at night to alternative music thanks to a lot of Diet Coke. I love to read anything YA, especially if there's kissing involved and am hopelessly dependent on my amazing critique group for keeping me sane. They are my best friends in the whole world. I'm a Firefly/Battle Star Galactica fan nerd who loves to eat avocados.

How long have you been writing?

I made a new years resolution in January 2010 to write a novel, just something I've always wanted to do--a bucket list item. Once I started, I realized I could never stop. It was just too much fun! So that would make just over 2 1/2 years of living this wild and crazy life as a writer.

What genres do you focus on?

I'm sticking with YA sci-fi and fantasy for now. I've written an MG and a YA contemporary, but my heart lives in speculative fiction for teens.

How many manuscripts have you written?

REMAKE is number 4. And I've started a 5th, but it's kind of on the back burner while I'm refocusing on REMAKE again.

How long have you been querying?

I queried my first book in January for a few months with a handful of requests but no offers. I queried REMAKE for about 2 1/2  months this summer before getting an offer

 What agent did you accept an offer from?

Jennifer Skutelsky of Veritas Literary.

Tell us how you found this agent:

I'm super proud to say it was from a cold query, so for all you writers in the query trenches, it really does work! Also, I received an offer from another agent as a result of an online contest, eerily similar to the ones here on Writerly Rejects. Hint. Hint. ;) So those work too. I know the search for an agent is super stressful, but don't give up!

 Our two standard questions:  What piece of advice do you wish you were given when you started writing?

Learn how to write. After a year and a half of writing what I though was brilliant literature, I attended my first writers conference and realized I had no idea what I was doing. After that, I found some critique partners, read a ton of writing craft books, stalked the internet for writerly blogs, and continued to write write write. And that would be my advice to everyone now no matter what stage you're at, don't stop writing!

 Favorite desert:

Anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter. And ice-cream. Chocolate and peanut butter ice-cream...mmm.

 Where on the web (blog, facebook, twitter) can you be found?

I tweet at @ilimaktodd. My blog is ilimawrites.blogspot.com

Author Interview: James Funfer

Today we have the oppurtunity to interview James Funfer, author of Crystal Promise (reviewed here). James, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

It's odd how this was the most difficult question for me to answer. Let's see...I was writing since I was old enough to read, and I knew from a very young age that it was something I always wanted to do. I find that some people express themselves more easily through the written word than they do in conversation, and I'm certainly no exception. I'm also a little bit of a nerd (aren't most writers?) and my main nerdy passion is role-playing games. I do a lot of hiking and barefoot-style running, and I love to cook. I'm a bartender at a local pub, where I make a mean whiskey sour. Ok, I lied before. I'm very nerdy.

Where did your inspiration for Crystal Promise come from?

My primary source of inspiration was early 20th-century European history, primarily the rise of socialism and fascism and their influence on the political climate. The Great Depression became a part of my research, too. My biggest source of material was William L. Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, but I was also interested in the story of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (and the later pretenders to her title), as well as the Roman culture (particularly Roman Catholicism). A bit of inspiration came from a video game called Valkyria Chronicles. Finally, I wanted to write about passionate, angst-ridden, hormonal adolescent relationships, but I wanted to make the stakes higher and add some class struggle, and, knowing that young adults might eventually read the book, I didn't want to present young love as something 'pure' or 'simple', but frame it in a more realistic fashion.

You chose a small press for your debut--what led to that?

It was certainly a conscious decision for me to start small. Instead of seeking an agent or sending the manuscript to bigger publishers, I wanted to get my feet wet in the industry and get a feel for how my writing would be received. Originally Crystal Promise was the winner of a writing contest and was supposed to be published through a group called 'Vicious Writers' (also known as 'Key Publications') but when that on-line community folded I was left with a manuscript I really liked and I didn't want to rest on my laurels. Fortunately I'd made a lot of good contacts through Vicious Writers, and two former members, Genie Rayner and Jim Vires, had started up a small press called Branch Hill Publications. The rest was the usual query process, then editing and so on.

What was your favorite part of Crystal Promise? What scene did you struggle to write?

It's tough for me to choose a favourite part of the story, mainly because I don't really have a favourite character either...I love them all. However, my favourite scene in Crystal Promise is probably the 'big reveal', which is also somewhat of a love scene. The best part of almost any novel, to me, is the twist - the crossroads of choice upon which the story rests.

Writing is often a struggle, I think, even for the dedicated and successful among us, but for me the toughest chapters to write were Julio's. The love letters were easy, but writing about a war is challenging when you've lived a life of peace in a first-world country that doesn't involve itself much in foreign conflicts, except in a peacekeeping capacity. Even with help from personal and literary sources, living through a conflict such World War I or II and serving in the military are experiences that change your very outlook on life.

Did publishing with a small press live up to your expectations, why and why not?

Absolutely. It's a compromise between self-publishing, where you do all the work, spend all the money and take all the risks, and working with the big publishers, who take a bigger cut and allow you less creative control. My expectation is to get my name out there, and through consignment and internet sales I should be able to do just that. The great part about working with a small press is that the editing process is still very professional, and the relationship with the publishers becomes one of trust. There aren't any hard-line negotiations. One of the best parts about publishing Crystal Promise was being able to choose my own cover artist.

Tell us a little bit about your writing process?

Well, I wrote most of Crystal Promise in a basement suite in my old brown housecoat. Nowadays I mostly do the stereotypical thing and take my laptop to a café. I like the white noise. Honestly, my writing process is fairly linear. I start at the beginning and work my way to the end. I don't write outlines because I like things to be mutable and have a sense of fluidity. I let my characters take control of the story. They do unexpected things if you let them express themselves as you've imagined them, rather than forcing them to make pre-determined choices. I find that my writing becomes more organic, and I know that if I'm enjoying it because I don't know what's going to happen next, a reader will be even more thrilled.

I try to write two thousand words a day. Usually I work a little bit on something else first just to loosen up, like a blog post, poem or short story.

What's next for you in your career?

Well, the publication of Crystal Promise means a lot of pavement-pounding on my part, keeping up with social media and trying to do as many book signings and readings as possible. I'm currently working on the sequel, Crystal Empire, and once that manuscript is finished I'm planning on seeking out an agent.

Favorite dessert ever?

You know, I don't often eat dessert. My sweet tooth went away some time ago and left me with a deep-seated hunger for salty foods. Sometimes I enjoy a plate of sweet fruit, without whipped cream. I've never liked cake that much, but ice cream cake doesn't count as real cake, and I could never say 'no' to a piece of that.

Last question (everyone gets this one): One piece of advice you wished you had been given when you started writing?

Network. I always knew that you have to be dedicated to be successful, but nobody ever expressed to me the importance of knowing people in the industry. I'm only just catching up now. Things have changed with the rise of big social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, but there's a value in having industry contacts that you can count on to answer difficult questions or help you with your career. Go to events like conventions and writing festivals, book signings by other authors, or volunteer to be a slush-pile reader for a publishing company. Make contacts and make friends. There is a false perception that, as a writer, you're a glamorous soloist, but in this industry nobody is an island.

Thanks so much, James, for answering our questions. And if you'd like to read Crystal Promise, it is available tomorrow from Amazon and Barnes and Noble! 

Author Interview: Michelle Zink

Now that the excitement of yesterday's contest is beginning to die down (entries will be announced tomorrow!) we have the lovely and crazy-talented Michelle Zink for an interview. Michelle is someone I've admired for a long time, both her writing ability (seriously, if you haven't, read her work.) and her genuine caring for her fans. She's super sweet and I'm very excited to have her here today. So without further ado:

1. Tell us a little about where you get your inspirations--music, life, what have you?

New stories can be inspired by anything from movies (I'm a huge movie fanatic, so that's a big one) to news stories to a conversation overheard between two people. A lot of the time, I'll see or hear something that will spark an idea, and then I'll work it for a awhile in my mind, trying to tweak it into something original. 

2. What are you working on now? (Read: is there a sequel in the works?)

I have two Temptation companion novels plotted out, one from Raum's point-of-view and one about Darius and Anna. I don't know yet whether Penguin will publish them, but I'm pretty determined to get them to readers SOMEHOW because I'm constantly begged for more books in the Temptation world -- and more books with the Temptation guys; Griffin, Raum, and Darius.  

3. Can you share a little about your journey to publication?

It was tedious? Lol! Prophecy was my fifth finished book. I almost sold my second book, but it wasn't revised enough on the front end, which is what I get for taking the easy way out. I wrote 6-8 hours a day for 2 and 1/2 years (and with four young children) because I was just determined to get published. Also, nothing made me a better writer faster than finishing books, and that really excited me, that process of learning and getting better. 

4. Would you classify 'Temptation of Angels' a historical? If so, how do you account for the advance technology they have?

I don't classify it as historical at all! If anything, it leans to Steampunk. Mostly, it's a fantasy that happens to be set in the late 1890s (and this is the same answer I always gave for the Prophecy trilogy, minus the Steampunk part!). 

5. One piece of advice for aspiring writers out there?

Read and write as much as you can. And not just in the genre you want to write in. Newspaper articles, non-fiction, poetry, even marketing and sales letters all make you a better writer. I look back on my days in marketing as such a blessing. I was always the one to volunteer to write letters to clients and potential clients, and I credit that with helping me learn to write consice sentences that get the point across with rambling on and on. It all helps! After that,my adivce would be to FINISH SOMETHING. We wrters like to start shiny new things, but you will learn more through the process of finishing a whole book than through anything else you can do on your own.

6. Last question: favorite dessert?

It would be a tie between homemade cookies and cakes! Rebekah makes a mean red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and I'd do just about anything for one of our oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!

Meet Nazarea!

I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date. What date you may ask? It’s for an interview that I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time. Today we get to know Nazarea Andrews (or N~). Both Liz and I consider her the Mama of the Rejects, and just a wonderful all around writer.

A: Now let’s get started with an easy one. If you’d died and gone to heaven, and had the option to spend it with one person for all eternity, who would it be?

N: Oh, jeez. One person forever? I’m gonna go the cheesey route and say my husband or kids.

A: I don’t think that’s cheesy at all. So when you’re not creating wordy works of art, what do you do for fun?

N: Read. I ADORE reading, almost as much as I like writing, and it’s relaxing to me, plus I can get away with calling it ‘research’. (K, not really, Mike quit buying that excuse a long time ago.) I also love cooking new food, and playing with my kids.

A: What do you like the most about writing?

N: Going somewhere else. I love that in my writing, anything is possible, a social outcast can find love in the unlikelies of places, twins can be separated and go on these crazy adventures that completely change who they are. I love creating these characters, and then letting them do what they want, and seeing where they take me.

A: And what was the first story you ever wrote?

N: Oh, man. Your TRYING to embarrass me, aren’t you? Okay, first thing I wrote was this hugely dramatic (not in a good way) soap-opera-y drama about a teen who grows up on a horse farm and inherits it when her grandfather dies and runs away because she hates being surrounded by the pressure of being this perfect daughter. Very ‘poor-little-rich-girl’.

A: What author, either alive or dead, has influenced you the most over the years?

N: I’m gonna pick a living and dead. Dead would be David Eddings. His work was my first real experience with high fantasy, which is still a HUGE love of mine. And I loved his characters, and how effortlessly they jumped off the page. Silk is still a particular favorite of mine.

And living—Anne Bishop. She’s another fantasy writer, but her worlds are so delightfully dark, while still being utterly human. She was also one of the first authors I read who blended fantasy with modern conviences, which opened my eyes to a whole world of possibilities. And her boys are amazingly sexy. *grin*

A: Can tell us a little about your current work in progress.

N: It’s a new venue for me! I’m working on a space opera, in which two alien twins are stolen from their planet and sold into slavery. One is very much a pacifist and one is very aggressive, and the way that they grow and change because of their slavery (which is VERY different) has been really interesting to watch. I’m about 60% done with the first draft and I’m really excited about it.

A: Okay, so if you were Queen of the world, is there anything about the publishing industry you would like to change?

N: Not really. It’s changing so much that I’d probably just sit back and wait for it to show what it was gonna do.

A: Then what about the process for getting published? Anything you’d like to change, and why?

N: Yes and no. I get that this is the process, and I almost feel like waiting around for a response is a rite of passage. And I know there isn’t really a way to change that. But at the same time, I HATE waiting, so if it were possible, that’s probably what I’d change.

A: Name one piece of advice you wish you were given when you first started to seriously write for possible publication.

N: Patience. Not just with the road to publication (querying, ect) but also with yourself.  ‘Finished’ doesn’t mean typing the end, and rushing into querying is only shooting yourself in the foot. It’s okay to take time to make it perfect—it’s more than okay, actually.

And because this is just as important—community. Writing doesn’t HAVE to be solitary. Find a community to be a part of, they are SOOO important in this industry of small successes mixed with so much rejection.

A: and finally, what is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

N: Hmm. I’m not a terribly crazy person. Probably my tattoos. Or riding a roller coaster while five months pregnant. (My daughter is just fine, but I wouldn’t recommend it.) OH!! Or, climbing a mountain with five kids under the age of five. Yeah, I’d say that one is way up there on my list of crazy things.

A: You road a coaster while being preggers? Lol, how I would have loved to see everyone face when you did that.

Well that’s about it for now. Thanks a lot for your time, Nazarea.

Meet Auzy!

Hey ya'll so Auzy is our resident dude, giving our audience a unique take.

1. L: To start off, what genres do you write?

My main focus is with YA, but I like to mix up a lot of the genre’s within it. I would say I’m most comfortable with fantasy because almost anything goes with that genre. You’ll need solid rules to make it believable, but with fantasy, you’re only limited by your own imagination. I love to add mystery, horror, and some romance within the fantasy too. That being said, I would never limit myself to just YA.

2. L: How many books have you written and/or are working on?

So far I’ve written two books, Beyond and Violet Luck, and only Beyond is fully edited. Currently I’m working on my third book called Isle of Exiles.

3. L: How old were you when you first started writing?

Seriously writing? That was just a few years ago, like around 28 or 29, I think. If we’re counting writing in general, that was when I was around 15 or 16. I mostly dabbled in poems and song lyrics, but I had always wanted to write a novel.

4. L: What's your stance on self publishing vs. the traditional route?

My stance is simply—whatever floats your boat. For me, I want the traditional route. That’s not saying anything bad about self-publication. I think that if the novel is great and you know how to self-promote like it’s nobody’s freakin business, then go for it. No matter which direction you take, it can still be a long grueling road to success. In the end, it all comes down to which way makes you happy.


5. L: What's your favorite author and favorite book? You can only choose one for each!

My favorite book is Wizards First Rule by Terry Goodkind. My favorite author is J.K.Rowling. However I must say that one of her books was number one before I read Wizards First Rule.

6. L: Alright, let's leave readers with a final piece of advice. What's something you wish you'd known before starting the writer's journey?

That writing well is really hard work. When I first started to write, it took me only a month and a half to write the first draft of my novel, which was roughly around 130k. I knew I had to edit, and dumb ass me increased that word count to 150k in another month. Then I queried, and surprised I was rejected and they were all formed rejections. I actually even had an agent send me what was obviously a slivered cut out paper that printed nothing but the same formed rejection over and over on the paper. Ouch!
Luckily, I had to foresight after that to look for other writers who could help me see what I was doing wrong. lol, two things I learned right away were that most novels run around 70 to 90k (a far cry away from my 150k) and when we write, we need to ‘show, don’t tell’. It took me a while to get it down, but with their help, I learned how to improve my craft.
Writing isn’t easy. It can be fun at times, and it can be a frustrating ball of putrid hate at others. It’s really difficult a lot of the times. I’m constantly thinking of how to make it better. I’m editing, cutting, slashing, and hacking at the story, hoping to turn a bloated and ugly wart-hag into a sexy supermodel wearing a teeny weeny polka-dot bikini. Then having to do it all over again when I have the constructive feedback from beta readers.
Still, I can’t see myself doing anything else.

7. L: Cookies or cake?

Now I know you think this is an easy question, but to me it’s a bit of a trick one. See I can see it a taste in food, in which nothing compares to a fresh out of the oven, gooey chocolate chip cookie. You know the ones that smears chocolate all over your front teeth like you’re a tooth fairy gone crazy. On the other hand, cookies and cake remind me of Cookie Monster or Animal. If I went that direction, the Animal will always win out. Just imagine Animal attacking his birthday cake head on, and not even bothering to put out the candles.
Sorry, didn’t really answer that did I? Guess we may never really know.




L: Total cop out Auzy... ;)

Meet Liz!

Today I’m interviewing Liz!! She’s super fun, always busy and our resident publicity specialist. And here’s a bit more about her:

What kind of things do you like to write?
Well, I tend to lean toward YA and MG especially in the realm of romance and fantasy of all kinds. Although I do have a contemporary story or two up my sleeve. 

What is the most difficult thing, in your opinion, about being an aspiring author?

Um, the waiting. Yes, the waiting. When you finally get your book out, the rejection an aspiring author must face can crush you, but I will say this: Those of us who keep getting up, who move on and write another book are the ones that WILL make it.

Tell us a bit about your non-writing self?

 My non-writing self is an Advertising/Public Relations and Creative Writing major at the University of Central Florida. Go Knights! I'm also working as the personal publicist to HarperCollins author, Gilbert King, and his new book "Devil in the Grove." Not YA or MG, instead it is historical nonfiction. I can also paint and know some graphic design. Yeah, our site banner? That's my work :) Oh and I have an amazingly awesome boyfriend. He'll just be referred to as "Boyfriend" on here.

What is the best book you've read recently?

Best book I've read recently. Oh hands down Obsidian. You want a sexy, YA book about the oh-so-scrumptious alien next door who is a total tease, I might add, then please do pick it up and support Jennifer Armentrout. It's actually a book from Entangled, a new publisher I've been keeping my eye on.

What's one thing you can't write without?

Oh that's a tough one. When I have my laptop I NEED background music to drown everything out. If I write outside somewhere without the laptop I LOVE having a gorgeous notebook. Yeah, I have a thing for pretty notebooks. They tend to make me giddy inside.

Best piece of advice you weren't given when you started writing?

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. No one explained to me that yeah, your first book may not get publish or that you should have already been writing a new one. Still, almost three books later, I got it down.

One last thing: tell us something that would surprise me :)

 Oh, something that would surprise you? Hmm, one time when I was about 13 or 14, maybe older, the fire alarm went off in this hotel in Colorado. I had no contacts in, still had shampoo in my hair, and had to run outside in the cold with a robe that wouldn't close. Um, yeah. Talk about a fun, family vacation, huh? Oh and I always hit my elbows when passing through door frames. It ALWAYS happens. 

Thanks so much, Liz, for answering my questions!! If you have anything you want to know, feel free to ask in the comments. Or follow her @DormRoomDreamer on Twitter!