Guestopia! Vacen Taylor

Today, I'm super excited to welcome my friend and fellow Australian author Vacen Taylor to Guestopia! She is one of the kindest, most enthusiastic and fun people I've met since moving to Australia, and she's also not a bad writer! Here's a little bit about Vacen.

 

Vacen Taylor is a published author, emerging screenwriter and playwright, an occasional artist, amateur photographer, wannabe poet and amongst other things a support service provider. Writing works when there’s passion behind it and her stories always touch something in common or speak to the emotions in all human beings. Creating stories with richness and meaning is paramount in her storytelling. Expressing the uniqueness of self in her work using poetry and song is as much a requirement as world building with art and sculpture. All of which you will find somewhere in the Starchild Series.

 

 

Hi Vacen! Thank you so so much for offering up your time to be interviewed today. With further delay, let's kick off with the questions...

 

Is this your first published book?

No, I have three published books with a fourth set for release in March 2016.

What’s it called?

Starchild Book four: Fire and the Falcon.

Which genre?

Fantasy Adventure.

Which age group?

Middle grade readers 8-12. 

Is it a series or standalone?

It’s a series of seven.

Are you an agented author?

No.

Which publisher snapped up your book?

Odyssey Books.

How involved have you been in the whole publishing process of your book?

Very involved. Right through from the editing to my thoughts on the covers.

Do you have another job?

Yes, two. I’m a contracted recharge zone coordinator for Schoolies and a support service provider on a safe drinking program in the nightclub precinct.

Did you receive many, if any, rejections prior?

Yes, one rejection prior.
 

What created/what were you doing or watching when the first idea for this book sneaked up on you?

Reading about chakras and healing.

How long did you plot/plan until you started writing it?

About two months of thinking and plotting before I started.

Once you started, did the story flow naturally or did you have to step in and wrestle it into submission?

I always allow the story to flow by itself. I never force any part of my stories. If they stop flowing, which doesn’t happen often, I put them aside for a few days.

How many drafts did you write before you let someone read it? Who was that someone?

I can’t remember exactly. Maybe, three or four. My editor, Candice Lemon-Scott.

Did you employ an editor/proofreader or did you have a critique partner/beta readers before you started querying?

Yes, I always employ and editor. I don’t like editing at all. I’ll happily rewrite but I don’t enjoy editing, therefore, I contract that work out. This also allows me to move on with other projects.

Roughly how many drafts did it take before you sent the manuscript off into the real world?

For my first maybe five or six (before and after editing) altogether.

How many drafts until it was published?

Once with the publisher only one further draft.

Has the book changed dramatically since the first draft?

Yes, to some degree.

Are there any parts you’d like to change even now?

Yes, in the first book there is.

What part of writing do you find the easiest?

The creative concept is what I love. That is followed closely by placing down that first draft. Both of these I find the easiest part of the process.

What part do you find hardest?

Research, not because it’s hard but because it so time consuming. I would love to have an assistant to do all the research for me.

Do you push through writing barriers or walk away?

I rarely hit writing barriers but perhaps that is because I’m often working on a two projects at a time. Perhaps the dual writing work structure I have in place works to my advantage. Splitting up the work during the day or weeks allows for breaks from one manuscript to work on something else.  However I often do purge a first draft and that may mean working purely on that manuscript until it’s all down. Currently, I have four purged manuscript ready to work on somewhere in the future. 

How many projects do you have on the go at the same time?

Usually two, however, this year I’ve worked on two short stories, a one-act play, a short film script and a collaborative feature film while also finalising an Australian YA fiction manuscript, all currently in submission, and now I’m finalising the fourth Starchild manuscript, while working two casual jobs to pay the bills.

Do you think you’re born with the talent to write or do you think it can be learned?

I think everyone is different. Some people are natural writers just like some people are natural singers. Other people, like me, have to learn the craft and keep learning the craft until the day we die. Either way if you like to tell stories then have a go.  Don’t sit back and wish for it to happen. Nothing happens by wishing. Only learning, hard work and belief in yourself will get you there.

How many future novels do you have planned?

I have many stories but what format they will manifest into I can’t say. I enjoy writing scripts and novels but I also enjoyed writing the one-act play this year.  It was challenging and I like a challenge.

Do you write other things, such as short stories, articles, blogs, etc?

Yes, I adore short stories but articles and blogs not so much. I do blog but I’m not as consistent as other authors. If I was to blog fulltime it would be more about travel or adventure. I write a lot every week and I find blogging about writing to be draining. This is just me being truthful.

What’s the highlight of being published so far?

The highlight for me has been a little girl emailing me to tell me how much she loves my series. She said her favourite book in the Starchild Series was The City of Souls. She’s read it 8 times!  #BlessHer

Give me one writing tip that work for you.

I write the first draft of a book from start to finish.

And one that doesn't.

Rewriting or editing as I go doesn’t work for me. It’s disruptive to the creative flow so I avoid it at all costs.

Can you give us a clue or secret about the next book?

Starchild Book Four: The Fire and the Falcon is yet another instalment filled with challenge, teamwork and bravery. There is always a song and culture woven in through my stories. I do hope the readers are beginning to see the children change. A journey like this requires challenge, growth and determination.  The children are vastly different from book one to book three and book four challenges them in a different way.

What question have you always wanted to be asked but never have? What would the answer be?

If you were assured of one writing success what genre would you choose? Horror.  Horror was the genre I started writing in and my first ever published story was a science fiction horror story. 

 

Fabulous! Thank you for stopping by, Vacen.

If you'd like to follow Vacen and her writing and books, here are a few links to help!

 

Website                   Twitter                      Facebook

 

 

 

 

Opportunities take flight

I'm excited to announce that I'm going to be presenting at The Whitsunday Voices Youth Festival this year - "Words Take Flight". It's a rather exciting prospect for me to see myself on the program along side some of Australia's best YA and Children's writers. Cath Crowley (Graffiti Moon), Steph Bowe (Girl Saves Boy), Andy Griffith (too many awesome books to pick just one to highlight!) and Kate Forsyth, with many others.

It's a bit out-of-the-box thinking to have an emerging author on the program. I've got an anthology under my belt and short story competition success, but that's not why I'm presenting. I'll be talking about effective use of social media for aspiring authors and passionate readers.

This will be the first year that there will be a session like this included in the festival. Of course I'm not at ALL nervous about being a presenter at a festival which has about 5,000 students attending it! But I am excited at the recognition that the virtual world is getting for it's role in publishing.

I'll be talking about have to engage authors, agents and editors in the various social media platforms (which will include when not to engage them as well), the opportunities available to aspiring writers on social media, navigating online writing communities and blogging. I'm sure I can squish all that into 45 minutes.

The most important thing I've gotten out of this is to take opportunities when they present themselves. Self promotion is an important part of being a writer in the current climate. Being part of a Youth Festival will show potential agents and editors that I'm not afraid to put myself out there for public speaking events (note I didn't say I wasn't afraid of public speaking itself) and that I look for unique opportunities.

So if you could present at a literary/writers festival what would you talk about? And if you've been to any festivals or conferences, what's been your favourite topic/speaker from that event?

April is Aussie Author Month

Don't make me use the Force on you. Go buy an Aussie book.

Aussie Aussie Aussie! *puts hand to ear* Oi Oi Oi!

It's a war cry that nearly ever Australian knows, and will join in on. And today I call it out proud, not just to my fellow Aussies, but to everyone involved in the literary industry - writers, readers, bloggers, agents, publishers, to join in on the April activities.

Australians produce some great writers with amazing stories that are just waiting for you to read or to be discovered by the publishing industry. My hopes for April are that:

• Bookshops have an Australian display, making Aussie authors easy to find in April.
• Readers will buy or borrow at least one Aussie book.
• Bloggers will review at least one Aussie book, interview an Aussie author or have a competition with an Aussie book as the prize.
• I hear about an agent offering rep to an Aussie author.
• I hear about a new Aussie book deal.
• I see Tweeters and bloggers involved in the Aussie Author Month events.
• People give to the Aussie Author Month fundraiser: Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

 We have a small industry, but have produced some amazing writers. We should support them all year round, but let's all make an extra special effort this month to get behind Aussie authors.

So what do you think you can do to support and promote Aussie authors?

Book launch-a-rama

I recently had my first ever book launch. Woo hoo! The Australian Literary Review called for submissions for an anthology called THE BASICS OF LIFE and I decided to submit the story about my dad be diagnosed with terminal cancer. When I read that GROWTH had been chosen, I jumped around like a crazy woman. Then that week I walked into my local Collins Booksellers in Mackay and asked if they would be interested in stocking it.

Well, they said yes! And when I told the Steve Rossiter, the editor of The Australian Literary Review, he said he'd come up for it. I was thrilled, surprised and extremely happy. I live 1,000 kilometres away from the nearest metropolitan centre, so for him to travel up it was a big commitment. Then he informed me that it would be the national launch! Needless to say my excitement increased exponentially.

The Australian Literary Review is new to publishing, with THE BASICS OF LIFE being their second publication. So the advice I'm giving below is more relevant for smaller publishers and people who are trying to market their own self publishing.

1. Wear comfortable shoes! (check out Leigh's BEA post on her personal blog if you need further convincing). My feet were in so much pain by the end of the launch - darn RMK for making such beautiful shoes!
2. Practice your signature. Okay I was seriously embarrassed about signing the books, but I also had to remember that the people who came to the book launch and bought a book wanted my scribble. It's the least I could do for them coming to support me.
3. Work out what you are going to say, especially who you want to thank. I got a bit choked up about it.
4. Time it well, not just for you, but for what else is on. Unfortunately regional parliament in town so there was a lot of competing news items. We got good coverage in the lead up to the launch, but none for the day - however, see the next point for how to get around this.
5. Know your media. Get coverage before hand with interesting angles. I put out two media releases in the lead-up to the launch - one for the fact that the Australian Literary Review editor would be in town for the event and meeting with authors. Don't be afraid to follow up with a phone call - that resulted in a radio interview for Steve and I. If the media can't make it to the event, follow up with photos for the print media with another media release.
6. Take a camera, for media, blogs and future promotional purposes. Um - and make sure the person taking the photo is handy with the camera.
7. Get a invitation list out early and invite EVERYONE you can think of. Don;t be afraid to invite local identities, including politicians, and local people in the literary scene.
8. Go and talk to the local writers' groups (if you're not already a member). The local writers' group meeting clashes with other commitments for me, but I made an effort to go to the Mackay Writers Group meeting prior to the launch and they had good numbers at the launch.
9. And above all - have fun!

Now for the plug (never miss the chance to plug). THE BASICS OF LIFE will be coming to Amazon soon, but for those in Australia you can currently place orders through Collins Booksellers in Mackay (Ian and Karen you rock!) or by contacting The Australian Literary Review.

One small step

Let's replace "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" with "One small step for a publisher, one giant leap for Sharon."

Okay, I'm still buzzed, even though my news is not as giant as some of my other YAtopia pals. My novel Mishca is still waiting to be snapped up, but my short story Growth has been selected to appear in the Australian Literary Review's anthology The Basics of Life.

What does it mean for me? 4% of the profits - um that's not what got me excited. But having something of mine deemed to be worthy of publication, that kinda got me going. In fact, if got me jumping around the house exclaiming "I'm going to be a published author, I'm going to be a published author!"

Gave my family a bit of a fright when I came tearing out of the bedroom. Yes, you guessed it, I am an easily excitable and optimistic person. I believe from little things big things grow.

I also know that the news helped me get over my writer's block that I was having since my dad died last year. The irony - the story is about him.

If you look at one of my previous YAtopia posts you can read The First Night Without You Here, which is accounts how it felt for me coming to my parents house after finding out Dad had died and coping with looking after my mum, who had just lost her best friend of 40 years. Writing helps me deal and Growth helped me deal with the news that he had terminal cancer.

Since the news I have finished Karma, another short story that I plan on expanded into a novel, and my head is buzzing with ideas for my WIP. The fact that my husband just got me a new battery for my laptop means beach writing sessions are back, and I'm so jazzed about that!

So don't forget, if you're writing there are many ways to get your work out there. It doesn't always start with a book deal from a major publisher. That may happen after you establish yourself in other ways.

Have fun writing!