Writing is a passion. Publishing is a business.

CATHRYN CONSTABLE


Interview with CATHRYN CONSTABLE
 
Cathryn Constable is a journalist whose articles have appeared in Tatler and the London Sunday Times among other publications. THE WOLF PRINCESS is her first novel. She is married with three children and lives in London, England. 
 
What are you reading right now?
 
TIME REBORN by Lee Smolin. Smolin is a physicist and is arguing (I think) for the laws which govern the universe to operate within time. I’m also reading a biography of Sir Isaac Newton. Physics is on my mind.
 
What first sparked your interest in writing?
 
Reading.
 
What do you love the most about writing? The least?
 
When I’m alone and in my study and writing, even if I’m not particularly pleased at what I’m writing, I feel content. I think I’ve always had a ‘Rapunzel’ complex...a tower, solitude, no interruptions.
 
The thing I like least is when I can’t get to my desk. I’m really happiest in my own world.
 
Tell us a little bit about your writing process.
 
I have a pinboard at home and I find images in magazines or on tumblrs that I find interesting. I can’t say why they attract me, and I don’t ask. I print them out and put them up and somehow, even though they might start off being quite disparate, a pattern starts to emerge. For example, on my pinboard at the moment are images of a velvet manicure, a carved angel, a girl in school uniform standing in an open window, and a sheet of alchemical symbols. When I start writing, I don’t necessarily know how these things fit together, but after spending some time thinking about them, a pattern emerges.
 
I aim to write every day (of course); the minute the house is empty, I make a cup of coffee and sit down at my desk. At the moment, the day goes very quickly because I am writing a first draft of my second novel, THE WHITE TOWER. There are times during the day when things are light and easy and the work seems to shape itself; other times it is like doing Geography homework (with apologies to any Geographers). I’ve learned not to get panicked when things get a bit sticky: usually it means I’m not paying attention properly and need to slow down and listen and watch.
 
What are your passions?
 
My family. It’s odd because having children really does scupper you when it comes to writing. However, becoming a mother is an extraordinarily creative process, too. You have to pay attention really closely, which I think is good preparation for writing.
 
I read pretty much constantly...I would feel quite agitated without a book. But there are so many things I’m interested in. Basically, if you pay attention to anything it becomes fascinating.
 
What inspires you?
 
I’m not sure what inspires me. I know that I feel a sort of shiver of excitement whenever I encounter something wonderful...That might be a sentence someone has written or a piece of music. But I can become quite excited over a cup of coffee in the sunshine on a winter’s morning.
 
Why middle reader?
 
When you remember your own ten- or eleven-year old self, I think you probably have the purest expression of yourself. It’s that extraordinary transition from childhood to more than childhood and what happens to your mind and imagination in that time is quite remarkable. Also, I’m not sure I could write about diamonds, white wolves, and orphans in a way that would be appealing to an adult and if that was what I wanted to write about, it seemed writing for middle grade readers was a safer option.
 
How was THE WOLF PRINCESS born?
 
I read to my children a lot when they were younger. I found copies of the books I had enjoyed and it was a really lovely way to rediscover those stories. But we read a lot of current writers, too. Also, in my own reading, I had given up on almost everyone other than the Russians. I can’t say why, but nothing else appealed to me. So without realising it, I started writing a children’s story set in Russia.
 
Did THE WOLF PRINCESS require a lot of research?
 
I did spend some time looking at photographs of forgotten Russian palaces, but I think that was probably the only specific research I did. The rest of it came from years of reading that was not done as research.
 
The WOLF PRINCESS feels magical even though it’s not fantasy. Is that deliberate?
 
I didn’t make a conscious decision to make the novel feel magical. I wrote what I would have loved to have happened to me at that age. I think one of the disappointments of being a grown up is that there are no diamonds in the chandelier.
 
Did any specific fairy tales or folklore influence THE WOLF PRINCESS?
 
I collect old books of fairy tales, often because the illustrations are so beautiful. There is one Russian tale, Snegourochka, the Snow Maiden, which I think is one of the saddest stories ever... I used a quote from it in the book... but really, there was no one tale in particular.
 
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
 
Read.

KALEENA FRAGA


Interview with KALEENA FRAGA

Kaleena Fraga is from Bainbridge Island, Washington. She graduated from Oberlin College in 2013 with a double major in History and French. Currently, she is spending a year in France teaching English in the small Normandy town of Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët.
 
What are you reading right now?

I just finished MADDADDAM by Margaret Atwood. It was the third in a series and really fantastic! I'm about to get started on THE LUMINARIES by Eleanor Catton. I’m also rereading HARRY POTTER in French, because I’m in France now and trying to immerse myself in the language.

What first sparked your interest in writing?

I don't remember a time in my life when I didn't write. Even before I knew how to hold a pencil, I loved telling stories. I was the kid who had dolls with detailed backstories and, of course, an imaginary pet dog/sidekick.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?

I love it when one idea leads to another, and another, and another, and I look down and I've been writing for an hour without realizing it. It's the feeling you get when the ideas come so quickly you can barely type fast enough. Basically, I love to be immersed in a story. I do and don't like starting things. On the one hand it's exciting and new and that can be a great feeling - but to find the right inspiration, the right way to approach the story, to think about the characters and their journey takes time (sometimes a lot of time) and I'd rather just start writing than over-think things.

Tell us a little about your writing process.

I take an idea and run with it. I read about how some authors have detailed outlines of what will happen in their novels/stories...I’m not organized enough for that. I've always just written and written and surprised myself with what appeared on the paper.

What are your passions?

Writing and reading, of course. I'm passionate about history, especially presidential history, and I have a budding passion for long runs.

What inspires you?

The people around me, things I see on the news or online, and questions I have about the world that I try to understand by asking my characters to struggle and figure it out for me. Writing, for me, is a way to understand the world. If I don't get something, maybe I'll understand it better through the eyes of one of my characters.

Why speculative fiction?

I really like the blurry line between fact and fiction. With speculative fiction you can either stay close to that line or go much, much further. I prefer to write stories where, among the characters living normal lives, one thing is slightly off. I love how much freedom speculative fiction gives to the writer to explore that one, strange thing.

As both a writer and reader, do you prefer either science fiction or fantasy over the other?

I prefer science fiction because the "science" part can be discreet - normal people, normal lives, one odd occurrence. That being said, I am waiting along with the rest of the world for George R.R. Martin to finish up with the next GAME OF THRONES novel!

How was “Island of Dreams, Island of Fears” born?

I think I was fifteen or sixteen when I wrote "Island of Dreams, Island of Fears." I was travelling with my family when I first saw the news coverage of the tsunami in Sri Lanka and it really stuck with me: the incredible tragedy of the event, the sheer destructive power of nature, and all the stories that the people who survived started to tell. It made me think about how sudden death can be. So I took that idea and tried to explore it through my story.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Just to write, write, write. And read!

LAURIE GRAFF


Interview with LAURIE GRAFF

Laurie Graff, author of the bestselling YOU HAVE TO KISS A LOT OF FROGS, has also written the novels LOOKING FOR MR. GOODFROG and THE SHIKSA SYNDROME. She’s also a contributor to NO KIDDING, COMPLAINT BOX NY TIMES, LIVE ALONE AND LIKE IT, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIE, and SCENES FROM A HOLIDAY.

What are you reading right now?
 
I just last night finished reading Ellen Burstyn’s autobiography, LESSONS IN BECOMING MYSELF. It is amazing how you think you know someone’s background and how blindsided you are by their persona. She really overcame huge familial obstacles alongside having a spirit that created a lucky streak. Of course no one’s life is linear, and the story of what she did to heal herself is compelling. She said something so astute that the moment we accept it (whatever it is) is the moment transformation begins.

What first sparked your interest in writing?

Nora Ephron, Carrie Fisher, and Tama Janowitz. I was reading all of those women in the 80s’ and just got into the whole “look inside the urban single girl’s head” and started to write down the stories I was telling to my friends. And they came out with a “voice” that was me, but not. It was a writer’s voice. Since I had been working up till then as a professional actress it was a pretty cool surprise.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?

I love when I get lost in it and hours go by and I had no idea how that even happened. And when that is not happening… well, I like that the least.

Tell us a little about your writing process.

I think about it as I’m walking, at the gym, running, on the subway, and then I go. It’s a movie in my head and I just let it spill. I don’t like to outline or make notes. I like to know what happens next and organically let it come out. There are points when I must write and organize but mainly I like to let it spill.

What are your passions?

Outdoor cafes, having wine anywhere near or on water, affection, great humor, food, beautiful environments, themed parties, fashion, the tradition of Judaism, New York City, theater, romance, and the great magic that can surprise us in life.

What inspires you?

Feelings I get from 70’s music. All the passions I just mentioned above. And people who manage to overcome their fears.
 
Did you know without a doubt what you would write about in your NO KIDDING essay or did you have a few topics from which you narrowed it down?

I did not know what I would be writing until I was writing it. But that first image of being up in the country at sixteen years old with my friend outside her bungalow hanging the laundry popped into my head when I sat down to write. And I kept from there.

Was if difficult writing about something so personal?

It was clarifying to discover I really felt that way. I love the personal essay. You don’t worry about plot twists; it is just making a point for what has already happened in life and how you already feel. My brother asked why anyone would want to share that, but to me it is encased in a literary package and so I don’t feel exposed. But I do feel I help share a point of view that is helpful and interesting to others.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Write. Write what you want and do it just for you. And then worry about whether or not it’s “something.” Just self-express.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

I wrote in my essay the best is yet to come and I really want that to be true!

KATHERINE LONGSHORE

Interview with KATHERINE LONGSHORE

I've always been a writer. I've been writing stories since I learned how to hold a pencil, asking my dad how to spell words while I worked under the bar stools at our kitchen counter. In the course of my life, I've worked as a dishwasher, lingerie seller, coffee barista, cake decorator, ship's steward, video rental clerk, freelance journalist, travel agent, waitress, contracts manager, bookseller, and Montessori preschool teacher. But in writing for teens, I've finally found my calling. And through writing, I am able to encompass all my loves. Becoming a character made of words. Exploring new worlds. And living history.

What are you reading right now?

ALL THE TRUTH THAT’S IN ME by Julie Berry and THE OLD WAYS by Robert MacFarlane.

What first sparked your interest in writing?

Learning how to write! I can remember pestering my dad to spell words for me when I was in the first grade so I could write stories.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?

I love the surprises. The scenes where suddenly the character takes a right-hand turn when I was thinking I’d make her go left. The unexpected kisses and dialogue that seems to come from somewhere real and not from inside my head. And I absolutely love playing with words. What I like the least are the days my evil inner editor takes over and squelches all creativity. Those are the days I clean the bathroom. 

Tell us a little about your writing process.

My process is different for every book.  My first book I just wrote, sitting down every day and asking myself, “What happens next?” For three books, I’ve tried to outline, getting a sketchy synopsis together and mapping some stuff out on my story board. And then I ignore all of that and sit down to write every day and asking myself, “What happens next?” - usually coming up with something vastly different than what I outlined.  For four out of the five books I’ve written, I’ve had to throw out the first fifty pages - it’s like I have to start with the backstory in order to start the story. And with MANOR OF SECRETS, I had a general outline and every day sketched the next scene on an index card so I could just get up and write it the next day. I tend to do a lot of plot work in revision - sometimes throwing out over half of the book in the process. It’s like I don’t know what the book is about until I’ve already written a draft. But I get there in the end.

What are your passions?

History, feminism, justice, love, honor, costumes, travel…

What inspires you?

The world around me.  Real people.  History.  Love, honor, justice…

Why young adult?

A librarian friend once told me that when people come in wanting to know about life, she sends them to the YA section. All of human life is here: good and evil, friendship and betrayal, love and joy and hopelessness and despair. It’s heady stuff. But what I love most is the thrill of all those firsts - first kiss, first love, first adventure, first grief. There’s something tangible about it. Visceral. And I love that most YA forever looks forward instead of back. There is always - even in the darkest moments - a little bit of hope. 

Why historical fiction?

When I decided to start writing fiction, my husband recited the old adage: write what you know. I know a lot about Henry VIII. My kids used to play a game with me where they would ask, “Who was Henry’s mother’s sister’s husband’s daughter?” To which I can answer, “Mary Howard.” (Not Henry’s niece, but Thomas Howard’s daughter from a second marriage and the narrator of BRAZEN, actually.)

But more than that, I write historical fiction because I feel that a good story is timeless. It wouldn’t matter if a story like Anne Boleyn’s rise and eventual fall was set in 16th Century England or modern China or a futuristic, post-Apocalyptic dystopia. It would still be an incredible journey of a girl who started with little and became queen (literally or figuratively) through the strength of her own personality. Great stuff.

How were GILT and TARNISH born?

GILT began with the question, “Why would a teenage girl marry a bitter, decrepit old man?” After some research, I added the big What if? As in: “What if Catherine Howard wasn’t the ignorant, promiscuous airhead the historians make her out to be?” 

TARNISH began with similar questions: “What kind of teenager would become the Anne Boleyn we all know and love?” and: “What if her flaws and actions were misinterpreted by her contemporaries - and historians?”

What about your upcoming book MANOR OF SECRETS?

I was asked if I could write a “YA Downton Abbey” and became immediately obsessed with the two characters - one who lived upstairs, comfortably and restrained, and the other working downstairs,

Did the books require a lot of research? How much did you alter history for the story or fill-in-the-blanks?

All of my books have required a lot of research. I enjoy it - reading recently-published histories and visiting locations and digging into old manuscripts to find just a hint of something that could give me a clue to character, setting or story. For my Tudor books, I have been determined to be as historically accurate as possible. Because history is so rich, however, and because not all historical details help move the story forward, I have had to trim here and there (like the character of Henry Mannox, who had an affair with Catherine Howard before the action begins in GILT) and downplay certain elements (such as politics and religion, which were very important to the Tudors, but aren’t what my stories are about). 

There are a lot of Tudor novels in historical fiction. Why did you decide to write some more? 

Because there are so few written from a teenager’s perspective. By the age of sixteen (and sometimes earlier), Tudors were considered adults and treated as such. But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t go through the same things teenagers do today - self-doubt and the desire to rebel and all the emotions stirred up by hormones. So many historical novels set in Tudor times are about how adults navigated the court. Imagine how much more difficult - and how much more fraught - it would be if you were a teenager? Like high school, only with the added threat of decapitation.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Keep writing and write what you love.  Stories don’t get told if you don’t sit down to tell them, and books that suck people in are written by people who pour themselves into the story.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

I read everything I can get my hands on. Contemporary, historical, paranormal, science fiction, fantasy. Anything that inspires someone to tell me, “This book is really good. You’ll like it.” I don’t want my own writing to be limited by the label of the historical fiction genre, so I try to break out of it with my reading as much as I can. As I said before, a good story surpasses genre, and good writing transcends it.

That said, I’m always looking for recommendations!

LISA ROGAK

Interview with LISA ROGAK

Lisa Rogak is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 40 books. Her works have been mentioned in The Wall Street Journal, Parade Magazine, USA Today, Family Circle, and hundreds of other publications. She has also appeared on Oprah. Her latest biography, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTHINESS: THE RISE (AND FURTHER RISE) OF STEPHEN COLBERT, was published by St. Martin’s Press in the fall of 2011. THE DOGS OF WAR: THE COURAGE, LOVE, & LOYALTY OF MILITARY WORKING DOGS followed shortly after.

What are you reading right now?

I usually have 10 books going at once. I am reading lots of books on farming and raising sheep, though I have no desire to do so…in my stack: THE DIRTY LIFE, SHEEPISH, THE WORLD’S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN, STRINGS ATTACHED.

What first sparked your interest in writing?

I read voraciously as a kid, but I didn't think of being a writer as an adult. I like to say I became a writer when I learned I could get paid for indulging my curiosity and getting to ask total strangers nosy questions.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?

I love the research part the most.

The least: waiting to get paid.

Tell us a little about your writing process.

I spend very little of my time writing, only about 10%. I'm not sure if that is the case for most writers, but the research takes up the bulk - after I start a book, I research various stories, figure out who to contact, and then how to contact them, and then communicate with them - along with the business end of things. Research is the polar opposite of writing, so I can't do both at once. The writing goes very quickly once the research is done.

What are your passions?

I love to bake and cook. I used to love to travel and spent a few years as a nomad, but now I'm settled back in New Hampshire quite happily. And I have to get outside and move - walk or bike - every day or else I'm cranky at day's end.

What inspires you?

Getting up every day. Each day is a gift.

Why write about dogs?

A lot of the books I write are based on ideas from editors, publishers, and my agent. I've never owned a dog, but am surrogate aunt to several dogs here in New Hampshire. After researching DOGS OF WAR and DOGS OF COURAGE, I really understood dogs a lot better; in a past life I was a crazy cat lady. Today I have no animals.
Why biographies?

Again, because of market conditions: who's popular, who doesn't have a current biography available, etc. That's the kind of writer I am. That said, once I dig into the subject of my book, I'm intrigued and energized by the topic for the length of the research.

How was THE DOGS OF WAR born?

After the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, word got out there was a military working dog on the mission. All of a sudden, people wanted to know more about these dogs. My publisher asked if I wanted to do a book, and we were off and running.

Which do you enjoy more: research or writing?

Research.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Read everything and just start writing. Create your own reality and ignore the rules.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

If the photos in my new book ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY: HEARTWARMING STORIES OF ANIMALS CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER don't make you go “awwwwww,” then you should check for a pulse.

SUZY SORO

Interview with SUZY SORO

Suzy Soro is a comedian, actor, and writer. On Seinfeld she got the last chocolate babka, and on Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry David called her a very bad name. Her first memoir, CELEBRITY sTALKER, was published in 2012. She lives in Los Angeles, waiting for the next earthquake to destroy her enemies.

What are you reading right now?

IS EVERYONE HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME? by Mindy Kaling, BOBBED HAIR AND BATHTUB GIN by Marion Meade, and ALL MY FRIENDS ARE GOING TO BE STRANGERS by Larry McMurtry.

No, I don't have ADD.

What first sparked your interest in writing?

When I was sixteen, I told my Dad a story and he said I should write it down on his old upright Underwood, which weighed about a hundred pounds because it was surely made out of Civil War cannonballs. He was an intimidating Army Colonel and I was scared of him so I did. I still have his typewriter. It's in a closet because I can't lift it.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?
 
The thing I love the most about writing is when I finish a chapter and consider it perfect.

The thing I love the least about writing is discovering that my perfect chapter really isn't so perfect after all.

Moral of the story: Reread at your own peril.

Tell us a little about your writing process.

First I make sure there's nothing good on TV or Netflix. Since there's always something good on one or the other, I persuade myself that the sale of what I'm writing will pay my rent. Obviously I'm delusional.

What are your passions?

Acting, traveling, reading, staging people's homes for resale, feng-shui.

What inspires you?

Sometimes I reread Sedaris or Burroughs and they inspire me to try harder.

Did you know without a doubt what you would write about in your NO KIDDING essay or did you have a few topics from which you narrowed it down?

While others struggled with their innermost thoughts on the subject and came up with insightful responses, I didn't even have to think about it. My goal in writing is the same as my goal in being a comedian. If I can't be funny, I should choose another profession. So How Can I Make This Funny trumped Why I Never Had Children.

Was if difficult writing about something so personal?

I'm not Jon Stewart. I don't talk about politics. I'm not Jerry Seinfeld. I don't talk about lost socks in the dryer. I'm a blabbermouth who talks about everything personal.
If my therapist ever publishes the notes on my sessions, my point will be proved.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Marry for money. Then you won't have to write.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

Yes, but this is a PG site.

HENRIETTE MANTEL

Interview with HENRIETTE MANTEL

In NO KIDDING, comedy writer Henriette Mantel tackles the topic of actually not having kids. This fascinating collection features a star-studded group of contributors—including Margaret Cho, Wendy Liebman, Laurie Graff, and other accomplished, funny women—writing about why they opted out of motherhood. Whether their reasons have to do with courage, apathy, monetary considerations, health issues, or something else entirely, the essays featured in the pages of NO KIDDING honestly (and humorously) delve into the minds of women who have chosen what they would call a more sane path.

What are you reading right now?

THE ABOUNDING RIVER.

What first sparked your interest in writing?

I couldn't draw what I was thinking so I decided to write it. I liked to tell people what I was thinking about.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?

I can't remember who said it but "The best part of writing is having written."

The least? Starting up.

Tell us a little about your writing process.

I have to have a deadline, even if it's with myself or else I procrastinate too much. I write best from 6am-11am. I only write after 4pm if I am forced to do so.

I just start. Then I edit all the garbage I wrote before my consciousness kicked in.

What are your passions?

Oh boy. I love the land I grew up on in Vermont. I like to paint walls. If I could I would do yoga 5 times a day.

What inspires you?

Inequity, inequality, underdogs being shit on. My cats. My depression.

How was NO KIDDING born?

I had a boyfriend with a kid that I was attached to and that is what my essay was about. She made me think about how I never wanted a kid and what having a kid would entail. Then I was watching some of my comic friends read from a book of essays about having kids and all their experiences and I said to my friend Lew, "Yea well what about ME?" and he said, "Well, write one." so I did.

You edited the collection as well as contributed your own essay. Was either role - editor or writer - more fun than the other?

I'm not going to say editing wasn't fun but...dealing with 35 personalities, mostly women comics was interesting to say the least. I'm proud of my essay, but when I wrote it I wanted to write something "not funny.” Then after it got published, I thought…wow, that was a definite odd choice for me.

How did you decide who else would contribute?

I called some friends and it snowballed. I basically asked anyone I spoke to for 3 months straight.

Did you know without a doubt what you would write about in your own essay or did you have a few topics from which you narrowed it down?

I wrote my essay before I sold the book.

Was it difficult writing about something so personal?

Being a (former) stand-up I'm used to spilling my heart out. But yes, it's a little different on paper. It's all so real.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Just write with wild abandon and don't stop. Don't give up. Keep writing. And rewriting. And rewriting....

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

When I was in 7th grade I won the Vermont Forestry Essay. The topic was "What Vermont Forests Mean to Me"... I will never forget how many times I wrote it over and over so it was perfect.

PAULA STOKES

Interview with PAULA STOKES

Paula Stokes writes under the pseudonym Fiona Paul and lives in St. Louis, MO where she's managed to persuade fancy universities to award her degrees in psychology and nursing. Between her studies, she traveled around five continents and spent time living in Thailand and South Korea (which is probably why she finds the idea of wearing shoes in the house a little weird). In addition to writing, Paula is somewhat obsessive about coffee, music, and adventure sports. Her future goals include swimming with great white sharks and writing a whole slew of novels, not necessarily in that order.

What are you reading right now?
 
WITHER by Lauren de Stefano

What first sparked your interest in writing?

I've always loved to write, ever since I was a kid. I guess reading sparked my interest since I remember being twelve years old and thinking that writing a Sweet Valley High book would be the coolest thing ever.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?

Most: I was always the kid with my head in the clouds. I used to walk down the street daydreaming about stuff. When I listened to music, my brain was always concocting music videos. Writing is indulging my fantasies, being able to embrace them as meaningful work and turn them into stories worthy of being shared with others, instead of chiding myself for wasting time. Also, I really like interacting with readers and bloggers.

Least: Before I got a deal, all I wanted was a deal. It didn't matter how or with whom or for how much. I just wanted my books on shelves. If I could do that, then I had "made it." But after I had that, I realized books on shelves means nothing as far as job security or a future in writing. Even awards and reviews don't matter. The only thing that really paves a way for a long-term writing career is sales numbers, something that often feels out of an author's control. It is motivating, but terrifying, to always have in the back of my head "This might be the last book I ever sell."
 
Tell us a little about your writing process.

My process is flexible depending on what I'm writing, but generally I start with at least a rough outline and I always work on multiple projects simultaneously. That way if one book isn't flowing, I can still be productive by working on something else. I draft fairly quickly but revise slowly. I probably revise 3 or 4 times before a manuscript is even ready for beta reading. I generally write every day because my writer-brain never shuts off, and if I don't let it write then it just gets revenge by coming up with new story ideas.

What inspires you?

Everything inspires me - music, books, weird internet stories, snippets of conversations overheard on the train, people who surprise me in a good way, snails on the sidewalk, the way waves hit rocks. I am very big into nature.

Why young adult?

Just like setting, POV, etc., I think the age range of your book is dictated by the story. If you try and force an adult storyline into a YA book or vice versa, the results won't be optimal. Most of my ideas are YA ideas, probably because I think the problems encountered by teens are more interesting than adult problems. Also, in YA it seems a lot more acceptable to hop genres. After writing the historicals, I wrote a contemporary romance - THE ART OF LAINEY - and then a noir murder mystery - LIARS, INC. - (writing as Paula Stokes). What I just finished is another completely different type of story. Writing is hard work and I want to write the books I'm really passionate about. Right now, those seem to be falling into several different categories.

How was VENOM born?

VENOM was a collaborative project with the book development company, Paper Lantern Lit. I was invited to submit to them after working with one of the co-founders in an online class. When I was selected, the idea for a historical murder mystery was already in place. We developed the outline for each book together, pitching ideas back and forth until all parties were satisfied.

Did VENOM require a lot of research?

VENOM required an insane amount of research. In addition to myself, I had help from a Paper Lantern Lit intern and a Renaissance expert. I am sure that combined we spent at least three times as much time researching as I did writing. And yet we still missed a few things! Certain liberties were taken for the sake of story, but a few anachronistic words slipped through, and I'm sorry if those detract from anyone's reading experience.

I talk in more detail about research here if anyone wants to read more.
 
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Read. Read more. Write a little something every day. Channel envy to make you work harder. Cry when you need to. Vent when you need to (but not online!). Write the book you want to read, trends be damned. Don't be in a hurry. Don't give up. Don't take reviews personally. Don't get sucked into internet drama. Don't judge yourself against other writers. Don't forget to live.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

The name Fiona Paul is a pen name owned by Paper Lantern Lit. I have my own stories coming out through HarperTeen starting in 2014 under my name, Paula Stokes. The first book, THE ART OF LAINEY, comes out a couple of months after STARLING. Whereas the Venom books are historical, third person, past-tense, description-heavy stories, my first two Paula Stokes books are first person, present-tense, faster on pace and lighter on description books. If you liked VENOM, give them a try. If you didn't like VENOM, maybe also give them a try. The books really could not be more different.

NANCY CANYON

Interview with Nancy Canyon

Ms. Canyon began writing and painting as a child. In 1997, she studied with Natalie Goldberg in Taos, New Mexico. She holds a Certificate in Fiction Writing from University of Washington and an MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University. She is a member of Allied Arts of Whatcom County and RWA. She has completed three novels,CELIA’S HEAVEN, STEALING TIME, and WHISPERING, IDAHO. Ms. Canyon lives in Bellingham, Washington with her Tuxedo Cat, Sid.

What are you reading right now?

I’ve had a resurgence of reading my astrology books, because I’m an astrologer. I’ve been reading about Dark Moon Lilith, a gravitational point that keeps the moon in the orbit. I’m also reading a book called LONGING FOR DARKNESS: TARA AND THE BLACK MADONNA by China Galland. It’s about this woman who goes on an adventure looking for the tara and it starts with her in Nepal climbing this mountain and she falls and breaks her leg. I like the adventure and the search for something, especially for meaning in life. In all my books that’s what I’m doing - searching for meaning.

What first sparked your interest in writing?

When I was a kid, I would go to the library, which was just down the block from where I lived and I would just fill my basket with mysteries. And I liked getting out of the kids section into the adult section and smuggling books home so my mom didn’t know I was reading more adult material.

I also started two novels in grade school and they were both mysteries. One was THE MYSTERY OF THE TIN BOX, but I never got much farther than the opening.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?

I like it when things just happen that are unexpected. Suddenly I have a story unraveling so that I’m surprised, too.

I don’t like the length of things going on and on with editing and the feeling like this will never ever be finished.

Tell us a little about your writing process.

I write with other people and I - we - use start lines. I write with a syntax so I vary the types of sentences I’m writing from short to run-on. I know what my topic is, but I don’t know what’s going to come out. It’s pretty stream-of-consciousness. Writing with other people is good, because I can connect with their minds as well as my own mind and I can learn from them. I don’t outline anything either.

What are your passions?

Writing definitely! Painting is one. I like meeting with other people in the studio and doing art together. I like getting out and hiking and camping. I really like shamanism and journeying. I love photography, too. That’s another thing I’ve been doing since I was a kid.

What inspires you?

I think nature is my main inspiration. And dreams. I wrote a poem this morning from a dream I had last night and I think the dream was inspired by the full moon.

Why speculative fiction?

Because there’s that magic involved that is like the journey or the dream. Things happen that are surreal or out of the ordinary and I really like that. It’s fun for me.

As both a writer and reader, do you prefer either science fiction or fantasy over the other?

I’ve read more fantasy than science fiction. Science fiction seems harder and fantasy softer. Fantasy is more fairy tale-ish. Science fiction feels closer to reality in some ways.

How was “Ghost Rocks” born?

In my writing practice, Tony the shaman came about and then he went on this vision quest up to the ghost rocks. I had actually been working with a shaman who had been taking people on vision quests to the mountain. He was an interesting man and I was learning a lot from him about the Native American medicine wheel and the animal totems. I really desire to go on a vision quest myself, but it felt far too frightening to go out there by myself without food for three days. I really aspire to it and I still aspire to it, but I think I might probably die! I guess that whole story came out of the aspiration. The closest I come to doing a vision quest is when I go camping and it really does scare the bejesus out of me, but I still do it. I don’t go without food, though.

The text says “Ghosts Rocks” is an excerpt from the novel STEALING TIME. Was it challenging adapting a portion of a larger work for a shorter format?

Yes, it was slightly challenging. It became more standalone and also a much tighter story than the rest of the book was at the time. It became a standout part of that book, to make it work as a piece in itself. Then I had to rewrite the rest of the book to bring it up to that level!

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

The main thing that I like to encourage people to do - because I teach writing - is to let themselves be free and let the story go will it will go and don’t try to control it. When authors say this story came alive and wrote itself, that’s truly a gift. The story becomes a gift to the writer. I think it’s better writing that way and it’s more fun that way!

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

I sometimes think maybe I will meet Tony or another one of my characters in real life.

I really love adventures. I think writing about people having adventures makes me feel like I’m having that adventure.