Author Interview: Christina Farley

I (Sarah) am a featured blogger for Coastal Magic Convention, so today I'm featuring one of the CMC authors for an interview spotlight! If you're interested in paranormal bookish con in Florida in February, make sure to read more about the Con at the bottom of this post!

Also, stay tuned to the end of this post for a super cool giveaway!

Christina Farley is the author of the Gilded series and was born and raised in upstate New York. As a child, she loved to explore, which later inspired her to jump on a plane and travel the world. She taught at international schools in Asia for ten years, eight of which were in the mysterious and beautiful city of Seoul, Korea that became the setting of Gilded and Silvern. Currently she lives in Clermont, FL with her husband and two sons—that is until the travel itch whisks her off to a new unknown. For more details, check out her website at www.christinafarley.com. Christina holds a master’s degree in education and has taught for eighteen years. She is represented by Jeff Ourvan of Jennifer Lyons Literary.


Sarah: What is your favorite thing about going to events like Coastal Magic Convention?

CF: I love attending events like Coastal Magic because they're my chance to connect with my readers. I also have a blast meeting other authors and hearing out their books and worlds that they have created. Coastal Magic is a smaller convention so it has a great friendly atmosphere for attendees to learn and connect with the books that they love.

Sarah: Do you have any weird writing habits?

CF: Other than eating lots of chocolate and coffee? Not really. But last year I was working two jobs plus writing so I had to write whenever I had a free moment. I was always writing in the car either during my kids’ soccer practice or on our way to an event or vacation. I also have been known to write in my closet when I am in need a quiet place to write.

Sarah: Which one of your characters has the most of you in him/her?

CF: I would say I’m most like my main character Jae Hwa Lee. She’s got a lot of spunk and has a strong personality. But there are also aspects about her that I wish I had. Like to speak out about what I think as she does. To not be afraid to take risks, even if they are the wrong choice. And of course, I definitely wish I was as good in tae kwon do as she is.

Sarah: If you could only give aspiring writers one piece of advice, what would it be?

CF: I believe that in some capacity we are all writers with a story to tell and characters to share with others. The crux of being a successful writer is to never lose sight of the love for the story.

For me, it’s so rewarding to put the story from my imagination onto paper and then sharing it with others. I recommend for those writers who wish to get published is to learn the craft, read as much as possible, and listen to advice you are given from those established in the field.

But the most important advice would be to write because you love it.

Sarah: What's next for you? What are you working on now?

CF: I have a couple of projects underway, but nothing set in stone. Book #3 of the Gilded Series is now with my agent as well as another proposal. And I’ve started writing another YA series that fans of the Gilded series would enjoy. So lots of exciting possibilities along with crossing fingers and toes!


About Gilded

A Korean god. An ancient curse. Can she escape becoming GILDED?

A girl with a black belt and a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows discovers an ancient Korean god has been kidnapping the first-born daughters of her family for generations. And she’s next.

Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BAM | Indiebound | Book Depository

Check out the sequel, Silvern, due out September 23: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BAM | Indiebound | Book Depository


About Coastal Magic Convention

 
Coastal Magic is a super casual, urban fantasy and paranormal romance focused convention in Daytona Beach, FL. With panels designed to start interesting discussion, and meet & greets with fun themes, we’ve got something for every fan. Join us for reader, blogger, and author shenanigans, and lots of “supernatural” inspired activities. Saturday’s charity book sale and signing is open to convention attendees, and FREE to the public. Come take a bite out of the beach with us!! Feb 5-8, 2015

Website | Facebook Page | Facebook Event | Twitter | Pinterest


Giveaway

US Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Editopia: Katie Teller with Curiosity Quills

Today we're pleased to welcome Curiosity Quills editor Katie Teller to Editopia. Here's a little more about her and read on to see how you can submit to her:

Born and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of day dreaming in the “bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing. After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog. She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She is currently at school studying English and Creative Writing. Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

Find Katie Online:

Website  | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

Hi Katie and welcome. First off: how did you get your start in the industry? Did you always want to be in publishing?

It kind of just happened. I'd signed with Curiosity Quills as an author, when they asked if anyone knew of people interested in becoming an acquisitions editor. So, I said I'd be interested, and after some supervised reading and reviewing, I slipped into my position. I've been doing it for about a year now and just love it.

That's great! Most authors are surprised to find out that editors’ days aren’t spent kicking back at their desks with mugs of tea and piles of manuscripts and that, in fact, most work reading happens outside of work. Describe what your “typical” day actually is.

I don't have a typical day. Each is different. But there's preschool, house work, the gym, author things like promotion and writing, and my biggest time consumer is my kid. I don't keep a tight schedule, but I do try to keep things within certain time frames. I do my reading during the kid's "quiet time" and once she's in bed.

I would guess a lot of our readers are familiar with that particular balancing act. What does your to-read pile look like? How many manuscripts are in your inbox at any one time?

I have a full and two partials in my inbox, and a decent size slush pile I'm determined to help shrink! I also have books by other writer friends I like to squeeze in wherever possible too. So my to-read pile is never ending.

What trends are you seeing in kidlit these days? Are there any subjects or genres you don’t want to see in your inbox? Any you want to see more of?

I see a lot of zombies, transferring to other dimensions, or straight contemporary girl meets boy, boy helps with *insert issue here*. I'm not a fan of zombies, vampires, or angels, and especially things that slam god. That's one way for me to slam you book shut. What I really want to see though, is a story for the sake of telling a story. No agendas, no soap boxes, just a raw story where I can get lost within the pages. Old school story telling. I feel like all the stories I've contracted have a firm grasp on that. Give me Narnia, Jane Austin, anything that will take me away from the real world and immerse me in the joy of escapism.

You address this above but I'll ask anyway. What are some things that would make a manuscript stand out to you?

Clean, crisp writing, a character who is smart and has a real heart. Someone I can look at and say, yeah, if I met you in real life, I'd enjoy hanging out with you. Again, a story that's a story I can get lost in and forget about day-to-day life.

Can you describe what the acquisition process is like at your house? What happens next once you’ve found a book you love?

So yes. There's the slush pile, which gets divided between our team, then we do our thing. Once I find one I love, I write out a proposal to our "higher ups" saying why the manuscript would fit well in our catalogue. Then, they give me a yes or no, because they can see all the manuscripts coming up and can see the grand scheme of things. Anyway, once I get the approval, I send through a contract to the author. The author then goes through the contract, and can say yes or no. If they say yes, they send through the signed copy, I arrange counter signature, then send it through to production to get it in the pipeline. Although I've handed them over, I love keeping tabs and helping out the authors wherever I can.

Without implicating anyone, can you tell us one of or some of the weirder submissions you’ve received?

Ahh… let me think. Usually I forget subs right away if they don't take my fancy. I've had some stuff that I read and think, Why would anyone write that, ever? But usually, I see people who aren't quite ready for publication yet.  Telling, information dumps, poor dialogue, all things that come in time with study and practice. That's what rejections are for, to help us get better. At least they should be. I usually try to give a reason why I've rejected.

As an author, that feedback from editors is sooo appreciated, even when it's not "hey I need your book on my list ASAP"! Okay, were reaching the end, where you get the chance to plug a few books on your list you’re excited about…

Well… Destruction by Sharon Bayliss is the first of a great series you won't want to miss, then The Undead by Elsie Elmore is coming out soon which is a fun and slightly gory read. I have two more in the pipeline as well, but they're a long way off so I'll leave them for now. But they will be GREAT!

Curiosity Quills will soon be closing to unsolicited submissions, but if you act fast, you can still submit to Katie following these guidelines:

Fill out the online submission form here: http://curiosityquills.com/submission-guidelines/ 

Include Attn: Katie/YAtopia interview.

The Power of 140 Words

The Power of 140 Words

I was once again going to make the argument that Game of Thrones could be considered a Young Adult series, but something more incredible happened. It reminded me why I am an author and write in the first place and just how powerful you the reader and fans are.

Thanks to Jaym Gates I ended up participating in GISHWHES and only for the last few days of it. Not as a person participating in the scavenging hunt, but as an author willing to write a short story for those participating in it. I know Misha Collins, yes that Misha Collins who plays Castiel, was/is the/a sponsor of this crazy event. I am not really sure how this all works, (https://www.gishwhes.com/g_blog/what-is-gishwhes/).

A handful of authors came out against it, because one of the items on the list was to get a published sci-fi author to right a 140 word short story about Misha, the Queen of England, and an Elopus. I read it as Misha being the Queen of England, which made my stories all that much more strange. I ended up writing 18 of these little stories, which I ended up putting my own little spin on with turning them into a serialized story so all 18 parts become part of a bigger story around 2700 words. I had a blast doing this.

I have to thank all the teams again who used me. I would totally be willing to do this again. But something started happening I wasn’t prepared for…

I started to get fan mail and thank you letters.

I wasn’t expecting anything to the effect, but it really hit me in that good way. That taking 10 minutes out of my day to write a 140 word short story would/could create so much good will… I am not sure “good will” are the words I am looking for… but I hope you see or get what I am say here.

Let me share with you what I was sent.

Thank you somuch for the story, it was awesome. Sorry I didn't email sooner, last minute submissions and all.

***

Thank you so much!!

***

I just wanted to really thank you for what you submitted to me.. It was funny too... I admire people who write and it is on my bucket list to be a published writer, so you are living my dream.

Thanks again! 

***

thank you very much! Team Free-Pizza is forever in your debt. :)

***

Hey!

So, I know my team has already sent you a thank you note and the likes, but I wanted to thank you personally (which is already delayed, my apologies.)(Though I guess it's better late than never).

So thank you for writing this perfect story. And it's not just my words here, this is what the team said when they read the story for the first time. I mean Misha as the Queen? Genius.

Hmm, I don't really know what else to write besides praising you more and more. I'm also not that good with words, as I bet you noticed.

So I'm gonna say thank you and let you know that your work brings a smile on to my face every time I read it. Which is a lot.

Forever in your debt and holding you to the highest regards,

***

I know that not every author could do this, or was willing to, and that is okay. Everyone is entitled to say no. But GISHWHES and this short story was so much fun for me to do. I know I am not a huge name when it comes to writing, I am not even sure I qualify even as a small name; but I am a published sci-fi/fantasy author. But these teams, and their thank yous made me feel incredible and I would without a second thought participate again if there is a writing segment the next time GISHWHES occurs.

I think what I am saying those 140 words effected those I wrote them for; but what they sent back to me made me feel all that much more special. So what I am trying to say if you like something an author wrote or it affected you on some level; let the author know. You might give them that note or a message on a day they really need to hear that thank you for writing you wrote. 

Writing Hacks During the Revision Process

You've heard of life hacks--simple tricks that make your life easier, more fun, and interesting.

While every book is different and you have no doubt found your own bag of editing swag, some tools are just indispensable.

I'm in the middle of revision right now. And starting another novel. This may or may not be ill-advised, but I'll see how it went after I'm done.

Here are some writing hacks that you may or may not have heard of.

1. Paragraph Hacking

You don't have to read the following. Just look at each section and tell me which looks more inviting to the eyes.

Example 1

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Example 2

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Both examples are an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, penned by Thomas Jefferson. But only one is structured in a welcoming way.

The second example is the winner. The reader doesn't go, "Oh, great let me slog through this."

Don't be afraid to break up your paragraphs.

Even if they are only a sentence long, a single sentence paragraph is a great technique to get a particularly important message to the reader.

(See what I did there?)

2. Reading Aloud

Yeah, yeah. You've heard this before.

But it works.

While going through your manuscript during edits, read aloud. If you stumble on a word or sentence or it just seems weird to you, investigate the conundrum and see if it needs to be added to, cut, or changed to make it all flow better.


3. Get Feedback but Wait on Using it.

Run through your manuscript by yourself the first time and then consult your beta readers' notes. You may fix something they point out any way.

You want constructive critique but you don't want any notes that could adversely shift the structure of your story.

Remember, YOU are the architect. The CPs are the guys who make sure your building is up to code and not a fire hazard.

You want to have the deepest sense of your story FIRST, then look at the notes and see how it fits in the large scheme.


Revision is different for everybody and no one has all the answers. At the end of the day, it's your book and your call. Do what works for you.

But at least DO revise. First drafts are toothpick houses built by the tide. They have to be moved, fortified, and made to last.

And you're the one with the plan.

Crafting Concepts

Hi everyone!  Nice to see you!

Today I wanted to talk about concepts and how to craft one.  Sounds simple right?

Well, maybe not so much.

Every writer has story ideas - they come to us in all forms.  Sometimes we get a flash in the pan idea, at other times a whole storyline, and sometimes it's just snippets of scenes and dialogues.  Some writers even overhear or see something and that sets their mind to whizzing.

But my question is this - should we write the first story that pops into our mind, and is this the best way to create a story that will gain you a strong readership.

I'm all for a passionate writer (you have to write the story you want to write, after all), but I'm an even bigger advocate for sitting down with your initial concept and crafting it into being something stronger than it originally started as.

And how do you do that?

If you look at how your concept compares to other books, you'll soon see there will be room to craft it into something stronger.  When you study it, you'll need to ask some questions -is it the same as every other book in your genre?  Is there something unique about your story and how it's told?  Really think about this.  A lot of our first ideas are similar to other people's as we have the influence of everyone's ideas all day long (media, conversations, books, movies, etc).  Our minds are a huge storage place for everything we've seen and heard, so it's only natural our brains will kick out ideas that resonate most quickly with our experiences.

Of course, some people do have sudden concepts come that aren't in need of crafting, but I can bet sure money that a majority of concepts need crafting.

Once you have your idea and have identified what makes your book unique, you need to hone in on your character's desires, conflict and stakes.  Sometimes this is clear, sometimes it's not.  But you have to craft this into your concept too, because if you do it now, you'll have a clearer view of where your book should go when you write it.

Crafting concepts is one of my favorite aspects of the writing process.  Let me know how you craft yours!

Agentopia: Whitley Abell

Welcome to the August edition of Agentopia! For more information and to see other Agentopia posts, click here.

This month Whitley Abell from the Inklings Literary Agency is in the spotlight.

Whitley Abell joined Inklings Literary Agency in 2013. Before joining Inklings, she completed successful internships with Carol Mann Agency and P.S. Literary Agency. She is based in St. Louis, MO, where she daylights as a production manager for several medical and S & T journals. She graduated in 2011 BA in English and Creative Writing, and again in 2012 with a MAT in Secondary English Education, which basically means she can tell you anything there is to know about feminist literary theory and the Common Core Standards.

Whitley is primarily interested in Young Adult, Middle Grade, and select Upmarket Women's fiction. She likes characters who are relatable yet flawed, hooks that offer new points of view and exciting adventures, vibrant settings that become active characters in their own right, and a story that sticks with the reader long after turning the last page, be it contemporary or historical, realistic or supernatural, tragic or quirky.

She loves mythology and literary re-imaginings, heartbreaking contemporary novels, historical suspense, and craves cute romantic comedies for YA through adult (ex: Sophie Kinsella, Lauren Morrill, Stephanie Perkins).

She is not interested in vampires, werewolves, angels, zombies, dystopian societies, steampunk, or epic fantasy. Please no paranormal / fantasy for adults.

To query Whitley, please follow these submission guidelines.

Whitley was kind enough to answer a few questions for YAtopia's readers...


What are you looking for in YA submissions right now? 

I'm especially drawn to contemporary novels with an interesting hook and a really strong, authentic voice (think Jenny Han, Stephanie Perkins, Nova Ren Suma). And I'm always looking for a great historical, either realistic or with fantasy/ magical realism elements, preferably regency era through recent decades (I'm not big on medieval times).

What's an immediate turn-off in a query, something guaranteed to get the author rejected?

Not following submission guidelines. Telling me your book doesn't have vampires, werewolves, kids with cancer, etc. Telling me how your book is targeted towards a specific "unexplored" niche, or telling me why you wrote the book... especially if it's to "teach a lesson". That's a huge red flag for me, because it indicates that you aren't really connected to the teen experience. I also hate when authors say that they're hoping to make millions off this one book. I mean, that's great that you're now able to write full-time, but you're in for a rude awakening.

What's the story got to have to make you want to represent it?

VOICE! I can help work out the kinks in terms of anything else (plot, world building, etc.), but voice is intrinsic; it can't be taught. 

Double Standard for Flashbacks?

This post is brought to you courtesy of Netflix and binge-watching. Specifically, the first season of Once Upon a Time.

With one of the most engaging, movie-like pilots I’ve seen in a long time, it took me until episode two to come to the realization that the storytelling device OUAT uses is that of flashbacks. Just like another of my all-time favorite TV shows: Lost.

When I noted the similarity, my husband gave me a nonverbal “duh.” My husband may be the biggest Lost fan on the planet. He will challenge you to a lightsaber duel if you dare criticize the show — yes, even the final season. So of course he knew that two of the writers from Lost are at the helm of Once Upon a Time. Hence the flashback structure is not mere coincidence nor the work of a copycat. It is a purposeful, and I think, masterfully done storytelling device.

Putting aside the other merits of both TV shows . . . wait, I actually don’t think you can put aside the other merits. Great casting, terrific acting, smart writing, clever spins, unique twists, they all contribute to making each show well executed. However, I contend without the flashback storytelling structure, none of those other merits would be delivered in such a way that would glue my bum to my couch night after night.

While there are many reasons why this structure works, for me, one soars above the rest. It is what I care most about in a TV show, movie, and book: character.

As a storytelling device in these television shows, flashbacks allow the characters to materialize slowly. Instead of being presented with stock, one-dimensional stereotypes, we get a snippet of each character at the beginning of each series. Then, if we are patient, we are rewarded with a full character profile in one episode. We viewers get an “origin story” for each character that populates the series. And at least in the case of Lost, that profile is expanded and built upon in subsequent episodes. Over time, we see a fully formed, complicated, multidimensional character. And we love these characters because of this, specifically because we understand them, their motivations, their wounds, and their wants. All things essential to understanding and caring about characters in the novels we write and read.

But this learning about a character’s past sounds eerily like an element of novel writing we writers are told to treat like the plague: backstory. And backstory told through flashbacks? I think all the writing teachers in all the land just fainted at the same time.

Am I living in my own fairy tale to believe this might be a double standard? Is there a reason why flashbacks and backstory make for great TV but mediocre books? Or is that assumption itself incorrect? What do you think?

Disclaimer: The fact that I recently vacationed with one of the stars of Once Upon a Time — who coincidentally was also on Lost — has no bearing on my love of either show. Right, and by vacationed “with” I mean “was at the same resort at the same time.” Hey, we had the same fruit plate for breakfast.

Lori Goldstein is the author of Becoming Jinn (now available for preorder; Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, May 12, 2015, sequel, Spring 2016). With a degree in journalism and more than 10 years of experience, Lori is a freelance copyeditor and manuscript consultant for all genres. She focuses on the nitty-gritty, letting writers focus on the writing.

Twitter

Author Web site

Goodreads

Facebook

Tumblr

Book To Movie--The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry is probably one of my mostest favoritest booksies EVAR. Simple and short, but profound and moving, Lowry's dystopian world left an impression on me that I've not forgotten, even years after reading it.

When I saw the movie trailer, I almost SQUEED out loud in the theater. To say I'm excited would be an understatement.

Yet I'm also hesitant. The main character seems older than I remember (bringing back some trepidation I felt for the Ender's Game film), and while the cast is impressive, I'm not sure they fit the images I had in my mind. Some of the scenery doesn't really match what I remember either. (Guess I have a crappy memory, LOL!)

The whole thing has got me kind of nervous about seeing the movie version. I try not to compare the book to the movie (I find it leads to disappointment more than anything), so I hope I can keep an open mind when I roll up into the theater in a couple weeks.

So what say you? Do you like film adaptations of books, particularly your favorites? Do you tend to avoid those flicks, keeping the memory of the book pristine and untarnished, or do you seek out the movie as a bit of entertainment, a perusal of someone else's imagination bringing it to life?

For more info, check out the IMDb page for The Giver, and Lois Lowry's interview with The New York Times on her book becoming a film.

Happy reading and happy watching!

* * * *

Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist and author of all things young adult paranormal, dystopian, and horror. She’s a lucid dreamer, meaning she can direct her dreams while they’re happening. When she’s awake, she pens stories from her dreams and shares them with her readers. Laura has many published titles including the Pride Series (New Pride, Shifting Pride, and Tsavo Pride), the Endure Series (Endure and Evoke), The Zodiac Collector, a novella Sunset Moon in the Lore anthology, and several shorts stories. When she’s not writing, she is working at the hospital, blogging at Author Laura Diamond--Lucid Dreamer, and renovating her 225+ year old fixer-upper mansion.

If you’re interested in reading more about me, or interacting with me on the web check out the following links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DiamondLB

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLauraDiamond

Author Laura Diamond: www.authorlauradiamond.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5815639.Laura_Diamond

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Diamond/e/B009Y7L432/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1377733776&sr=8-1

Blog: http://lbdiamond.wordpress.com/