Interview With Elizabeth Varadan

Today’s guest is Elizabeth Varadan, author of ‘The Fourth Wish’.

Q. Tell us a little about your juvenile fantasy novel The Fourth Wish.

A. The Fourth Wish takes place in Sacramento, where I live. Sacramento usually shows up in historical fiction for children, due to the Gold Rush history, but it was fun writing a contemporary story in the city I love.


Q. I have read the book and liked your style and the characters who are extremely life like. Did you do any research for them? Are they based on any real life children you have met?

A. Characters in The Fourth Wish are entirely fictitious, but they are probably a conglomeration culled from numerous sixth grade students I taught for many years. It’s such an interesting age to teach, because students are very individual by eleven or twelve. I’ve always loved to write though, and even during lessons, part of my brain would be noticing little gestures, facial expressions, etc., or paying attention to comments on the playground. A writer is always soaking up things on the periphery.

Q. Is there a sequel to The Fourth Wish in the pipeline?

A. I actually have three sequels in mind, and I’ve gone so far as to “rough outline” them and write few scenes. But, this was a self-published book, and I’m heeding Agent Nathan Bransford’s advice: Wait until a book is commercially published before pursuing sequels to a self-published book.

Q. Where does inspiration for your characters come from?

A. The inspiration actually comes from the story itself. An idea occurs to me, sort of a “what if ” idea, and then the characters start evolving from the story problem. For instance, I’ve never met or known “Arthur” from the story, but he just appeared and then evolved, and in some ways he did a lot of scene stealing, too. It’s weird; I didn’t even know he was going to be in it, but once he showed up, I just knew what he would say.

Q. Are you working on another novel?

A. Yes, I’m finishing up a re-write of a historical novel. Also set in Sacramento. This story occurs in 1919, at the tail-end of the influenza epidemic. Every book is different, and this one called for a lot of research, but I’ve loved doing it. In a writing class I took, the teacher, Sands Hall, talked about “research rapture”. There really is such a thing.

Q. You do a lot of book reviews. Does it get in the way of your writing?

A. Well, yes and no. Yes, in the sense that it takes time away from writing my own stuff. On the other hand, as I review books and analyze what makes them work, it’s very instructive for me, trying to articulate what grabs me, what turns me off, what feels believable, what doesn’t. Part of my brain is saying, “Pay attention to this….”

Q. Do you have a favourite writing time?

A. Mostly after lunch. In the mornings I’m “clearing the slate,” so to speak. I write best when I’ve gone through my mail and email and attended to nagging chores. Otherwise, they really are a distraction for me. Once I get going, though, sometimes I come back to the writing after dinner, too, in the evening. It really depends on where I am in the work. Usually the afternoon is enough, and then I read in the evening. Meanwhile, I scribble down notes in the car on a trip, and read in line at the post office, dental office, etc. Reading and writing are so interconnected for me.


Q. What’s on your current reading list?

A. Oh, gosh; what isn’t? I just finished Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes, a Newbery Honor Book, just a beautiful book, published in 2003; and the Ruby in the Smoke, a YA Victorian mystery by Philip Pullman, published in 1985, also excellent. At the same time, I can hardly wait for the next three books Sacramento Book Review is going to send me to review. They will all be current books just about to come out in the next month or two.

Q. You are an avid blogger, you conduct art classes, you write as well as do regular book reviews. Any tips you would like to share with us on effective time management?

A. Hmmm. I’m not sure my tips would be very helpful. My after school art club one day a week is for 8-12 year-olds, which is the age range for my target readership. It’s a mutually enriching experience, as we all love art, and we all love to read. I get great reading recommendations from my students while we do art. Outside of that regularity in my schedule, I pretty much follow the above, very loose schedule of taking care of chores in the morning, writing in the afternoons, reading in the evenings. It works for me; but another writer might do it all differently.

Elizabeth Varadan's Blog  - http://elizabethvaradansfourthwish.blogspot.com/

How do you all  ( my writer friends and blogging buddies) balance everything: writing, reading, blogging, social networking, managing family and keeping in touch with friends, and sundry other jobs that  we writers do? Do you all have time management tips that we can learn from. Please share them with us.

Today's Guest is Peter Canova

Today’s guest blogger is Peter Canova, award winning author of Pope Annalisa: book one of a fictional trilogy called The First Souls, a saga about the first spirits to fall into material experience. The trilogy traces their incarnations over different epochs of history.

Pope Annalisa has won two Silver Medal Nautilus Book Awards for Visionary Fiction and Spirituality. It has also bagged the coveted Gold Medal for Adult Fiction/Visionary Fiction.

Here is Peter to tell you about his journey to publishing.

SEVEN THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT WRITING AND SELF-PUBLISHING

I went from being a hotshot in the hotel development and finance field to being a lowly newbie of an author trawling around writers’ conferences, trying to figure out what the heck writing a good book was about. Here’s my modest wisdom from past years for new authors:

1. Writing is a lonely profession—yep, just like the cliché says. No one stands over your shoulder saying, “this is good, this is bad; leave it, cut it.” A new writer has few parameters and yardsticks to measure his or her writing. Sure, you can go to writers’ conferences and workshop your material for critiques. It does help, but remember, everyone has their own biases, limitations, and agendas in those forums so take it with a grain of salt. I started with an online writers’ group. The best thing I did was find an elderly retired novelist in my area who mentored me. The next best thing was running my work through a cross section of good editors, though expect to pay for that.

2. Why we write-- It helps to realize that we write for two reasons, because you may never be published in the traditional manner. First we write for ourselves, secondly to communicate with others. Good writers have a burning passion to say something, so writing is a cathartic experience that expresses some core aspect of our personality. But we also want to share, so we must produce an interesting and clear literary vehicle to convey our story to others. Keep these things in mind.

3. Agents-- Agents review tons of material besides yours. Like rejected writers, they can get jaded. The worst ones get arrogant, cynical, and come to believe that their subjective feelings determine the marketability of a book. Not always so. When you run into one of these, don’t take it personally. Research the right agent with the right angle of approach for your work to improve your chances.

4. What helps—Whether its agents, publishers, PR companies, or, the media, I found the following factors matter in this order—who you know, the quality of the book, the uniqueness of the book, your ability to convey the book (very different to talk about it than to write it), your ability to talk fluently and persuasively to people, your personal appearance.

5. When nothing works— Ah, now we enter into why people self-publish. I was always told that the cream will rise to the top. Not so in the book world. The sad fact is, maybe it will, maybe it won’t, so here’s my personal disclosure on this issue. I wrote a good book called POPE ANNALISA (popeannalisa.com). That’s not just my opinion. It won the first two national book awards contests it entered. It’s about a miraculous African nun who becomes the first female pope. No one can figure out if she’s the savior or destroyer of the world; terrorists and her own church are out for her blood; she’s in the middle of a nuclear confrontation between Iran and America; and the story reveals a genuine, near- lost spiritual tradition that may have been a secret teaching of Jesus. Original? Yes. Page turner? Yes. Life changing? For many, it has been. Publishable? No, at least not according to the gazillion agents I went through. The problem is that the book market is a shrinking industry now slid into a HORRIBLE economy. No one will risk publishing such an epic, unusual work from a first time author. It’s an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” industry that sticks with the tried and true. A creatively original book like mine just falls through the cracks. Give the traditional approach your best shot. If not successful, read the next point.

6. Self publishing 101 -- People self-publish for many different reasons. The industry has come a long way, but it’s still partially occluded by a fair amount of junk that in an earlier era would have been the domain of Vanity Presses. If you’re not in that category, you really have to make sure you have a good book to go anywhere. You need to have a clear idea of your market and how your book can resonate with it because the literary world is not constructed around paying attention to individual authors. If you’re the peanut in the coconut pile, better be a standout peanut. All authors, published or self-published, are ultimately responsible for marketing their own book unless they’re a celebrity with a sex scandal or a big name with huge publisher backing behind you. If you’re serious about selling your book, marketing becomes a full time job. Speaking, book signings, and seeking media outlets is a real pavement-pounding exercise. And it can get expensive too, depending on how fast you want the book to sell. A good primer book to read is John Kremer’s 1,001 Ways to Market Your Book.

7. Don’t ever, ever, give up-- I do believe that if the book is good and if you work at it, eventually you’ll find some level of success, though each of us may define that differently.

Peter’s website - http://www.popeannalisa.com/

Book Details - ISBN # 978-0-9821813-0-0.

Peter's Journey has been truly inspirational! Would you all like to share  a little of your inspirational journey?

Interview with Australian Author Sheryl Gwyther

Interview with Australian author Sheryl Gwyther, author of several short stories, a novel for 10-13 year olds titled Secrets of Eromanga, a chapter book for 7-8 year olds, Princess Clown, released in May, and another chapter book, Charlie & the Red Hot Chilli Pepper out in August.

She was awarded a May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust Residential Fellowship, as well as an Arts Queensland Individual Professional Development Grant. She is also a recipient of two Australian Society of Authors Mentorships.

Thank you, Sheryl, for coming over to chat on my blog. Congratulations on the launch of your new book Princess Clown.

Q: Tell us a little about the Secrets of Eromanga? 

A: Secrets of Eromanga is a novel set on a dinosaur fossil dig in western Queensland, my home state in Australia. It’s an adventure. Twelve-year-old Ellie is caught up in a dangerous fossil smuggling ring. Another story weaves through Ellie’s story – that of a young ornithopod dinosaur who lived beside the inland Eromanga Sea in Australia, 95 million years ago.

  

Q: Princess Clown is an unusual title. What is the concept behind it?

A: I wanted to write a story using two opposing words and asking ‘What if?’ It worked. Click on this link to read a blog I wrote about the experience. http://sherylgwyther4kids.wordpress.com/.

Q: Do you have a favourite writing ritual?

A: No, not really. But I do sometimes write my first drafts in a leather-bound, blue-lined, smooth paper journal occasionally. It seems to coax the words out.

Q: You write short stories as well as novels. Which form do you enjoy more?

A: Both present challenges! But I do like writing something that I can ‘get my teeth into’, with research etc.

Q: How do you tackle your writer’s block?

A: I’ve never had writer’s block (touch wood! That’s an Aussie expression meaning to keep away bad luck). I always have several stories going on at the same time – so if I am stuck on one story, I put it away for a little while and work on something else. Seems to work.

Q: Any daily writing goals you follow?

A: This depends on whether I have set a deadline for a particular work-in-progress. I am about to enter the first 50 pages and synopsis of one of my junior fiction novels into a Manuscript Development Program, run by an Australian publisher. They will only choose ten people, so the writing has to be perfect! Then next week, I’m flying out to the Australian bush to run writing workshops for a group of writers in a small bush town. That should be lots of fun!

Sheryl’s webpage: http://www.sherylgwyther.net/
 
Sheryl’s blogs: http://sherylgwyther.wordpress.com/

                       http://sherylgwyther4kids.wordpress.com/

Secrets of Eromanga – Lothian/Hachette Books Australian ISBN 0 734409125

Princess Clown – Blake Publishers Australian ISBN 9781741 646481