Today, please join us in welcoming the very lovely...
Pia Fenton
Pia Fenton writes historical
romance and time slip as Christina Courtenay (published by Choc
Lit), and self-publishes YA under her real
name. She is half Swedish and during her teens she moved to Japan where
she had the opportunity to travel extensively in the Far East. She's
a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association. Her
novels Highland Storms and The Gilded Fan both won the RoNA
for Best Historical Romantic Novel of the Year (in 2012/2014
respectively). Her latest novels are The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight (time
slip) and New England Dreams (YA contemporary romance).
Is this your
first published book?
No, I’ve had ten historical/timeslip novels
and five Regency novellas (all for adults) published under the name Christina
Courtenay, and self-published three other YA novels.
What’s it
called?
New England Dreams
Which genre?
t’s a
contemporary YA romance with a US high school setting, but with British
heroines
Which age
group?
The books are suitable for teens from age 13 up
Is it a
series or standalone?
It’s the fourth book in a series (the
Northbrooke High series), but they can all be read as standalones
Are you an
agented author?
No, I don’t have an agent – I don’t think it’s really necessary when
you’re with a small independent publisher and/or self-publish
Which
publisher snapped up your book?
This one was
self-published. The first book in the
series was published by Choc Lit (an independent UK publisher), but they
subsequently decided not to continue with their YA imprint and as I’d already
written the sequels I decided to publish them myself
How involved
have you been in the whole publishing process of your book?
Very
– I’ve done it all apart from the editing and cover design (although I had a
lot of input in that too). I like having
control over all aspects of the publishing process
Do you have
another job?
Yes, my husband and I run a holiday cottage lettings business which takes
up some of my time but luckily also leaves lots of time for writing
Did you
receive many, if any, rejections prior?
Prior to having my first
adult book published in 2010 I had received countless rejections, but I was
always told never to give up if I really wanted to be an author and although
it’s annoying to hear that when you’re feeling down, it is good advice. I found myself a couple of writing buddies who
were at the same stage as me and we supported each other until we got there
What
created/what were you doing or watching when the first idea for this book
sneaked up on you?
I was
thinking back to some of the stupid/crazy things I did as a teenager and the
first scene in this book is based on something I did myself so that is what
triggered the idea for the book (kissing a stranger on an airplane)
How long did
you plot/plan until you started writing it?
For
this book, not very long. Because it’s the
fourth book in a series, I already had the setting and most of the secondary
characters, so it was just a question of figuring out what was going to happen
and when, and getting to know the hero and heroine
Once you
started, did the story flow naturally or did you have to step in and wrestle it
into submission?
Thankfully, it was one of those stories that just sort of came pouring
out of me and I wrote the first draft very quickly. After that, of course, I had to do a lot of
polishing and editing, but that’s just part of the process. It’s so nice when you don’t have to wrestle
with it though, isn’t it?
How many
drafts did you write before you let someone read it? Who was that someone?
I
think I did two drafts before sending it to some of my writing buddies. I started on my self-publishing venture
together with three other YA authors (Gill-Marie Stewart, Katy Haye and Claire
Watts) because we were all a bit unsure about the whole thing and needed each
others’ support. We formed a group and
called ourselves Paisley Piranhas (website/blog at https://paisleypiranha.wordpress.com/ )
and have gone on this journey together ever since. That means we help out by critiquing and
proof-reading each others’ stories and we also do promo together, which is
great. I’m very untechie so I’m not sure
I would have tried self-publishing without the encouragement of the others.
Did you
employ an editor/proofreader or did you have a critique partner/beta readers
before you started querying?
Both. As I said, the Piranhas do the critique and
later the proof-reading, but I always employ a proper editor for a structural
edit to make sure the story is working and there aren’t any major holes in the
plot
Roughly how
many drafts did it take before you sent the manuscript off into the real world?
Not sure, five or six maybe?
How many
drafts until it was published?
Same
Has the book
changed dramatically since the first draft?
No, this one stayed more
or less intact with just a few minor tweaks
Are there any
parts you’d like to change even now?
I try never to read my
books once I’ve published them because I know there will always be things I’ll want to tinker with or change.
What part of
writing do you find the easiest?
The writing itself
What part do you find hardest?
Self-promotion
is extremely difficult, which is why I love doing it together with my friends
Do you push through
writing barriers or walk away?
If I’m having a hard time
with a story I usually leave it alone for a while. Then if I read it through again later, I
might come up with a solution. Or if I
get stuck in the middle of a manuscript, I go back and make an outline in
bullet points so it’s easier to see what may be missing. But I don’t walk away
from a book completely, they just get put on hold until I can see a way forward
How many
projects do you have on the go at the same time?
Usually
at least two, one historical or time slip story (adult), and one YA. That way, if I’m stuck on one of them I can
work on the other.
Do you think you’re born with the talent to write or do you think it can be learned?
I think the craft of writing can be learned – the basic rules
like no head-hopping etc – but you probably need to be born with a good
imagination and like to tell/make up stories.
I never wanted to be a writer when I was younger, but I did a lot of
day-dreaming and making up stories in my head, so perhaps that helped?
How many
future novels do you have planned?
I have lots of ideas for future stories (and
have made a start on a couple), but they’re not fully formed yet
Do you write
other things, such as short stories, articles, blogs, etc?
I
write blog posts whenever I’m asked to be a guest (and if I have something to
say that might be of interest), but I don’t write very many short stories. Only if I have to – I don’t like to stop
after a thousand words, that’s too short for me!
What’s the
highlight of being published so far?
Holding a new book with
my name on it in my hand is great, but the best thing is when readers say
they’ve enjoyed something I’ve written.
That’s a wonderful feeling! Being
shortlisted for, and occasionally winning, an award is also fantastic.
Give
me one writing tip that work for you.
Having a writing/critique
buddy, someone I trust completely and who will tell me the truth, but never be mean. This is invaluable as it’s sometimes really
difficult to see where you are going wrong in a story.
And one that
doesn't.
Writing a detailed synopsis and outline before starting to write – I
can’t do that as I’m a “pantser”, I just have to sit down and write.
Can you give
us a clue or secret about the next book?
It’s a fantasy YA novel loosely
based on the old Norse gods and sagas, Odin in particular.
What question
have you always wanted to be asked but never have? What would the answer be?
“Please can we make your book into a film/TV adaptation starring your favourite
actor?” – “Yes, absolutely, as long as I can go on set and meet the cast!"
Thank you so much for joining us today, Pia! We've loved having you on the blog and wish you tremendous luck with New England Dreams as well as all your past and future novels!
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