Pen Friends, I'm so excited to introduce you to debut YA Author, Joanna Hathaway who will talk about her YA Fantasy (with Historical aspects), Dark of the West, which comes out February tomorrow, the 5th!!! Let's hear what she has to say about books, publishing, marketing and more!
SP: Hi, Joanna! Thanks for joining us! Congrats on your debut coming out in February! I bet you're getting excited! But before we dive into all the book stuff, can you please tell us a bit of who are you and how long have you have been writing?
JH: Thanks so very much for having me! Yes, it's getting very exciting, and as you mentioned, Dark of the West is my debut. It's my first book to be published — but it's also the first book I've ever finished! I started working on it when I was in university, over a decade ago, and it was the only story that stuck with me through the years. I like to say that I "grew up" as a writer with this book. I've revised it so many times, and in so many different ways, that it's taught me most of what I know about craft at this point. I know many authors write a few different books before they reach The One, but for me it took agonizing over countless drafts to makeDark of the West become The One!
SP: Your debut, Dark of the West, will come out February 5th! From the first moment I read your description, I knew I would LOVE this book!
Pen Friends ~ As promised here comes another fantastic interview with Australian YA author and Writer's Edit Guru, Helen Scheuerer! DO NOT MISS her tips for marketing, promotion, social media, editing and more–they're useful to anyone in the industry that is traditionally or self-published. Check it out!
SP: Welcome Helen! First, can you please tell us a bit of who are you and how long have you have been writing?
Pen Friends ~ Get ready for a long string of author interviews this month! We just love learning from other authors and hearing their stories from dreams to publication. We hope you do too!
Today's interview is fantasy and fairytale-inspired author, Brittany Fichter! If you love fairytale spin-offs and heart throbbing arcs and characters, you have a list of books to choose from–See below for Brittany's book pics!
SP: Hi Brittany! Thanks for joining us. First, please tell us a bit of who are you and how long have you have been writing?
Pen Friends, Welcome YA Author Lorie Langdon as she talks about her new book, Olivia Twist, an historical retelling of a loved classic!
SP: Congrats on your latest release, Olivia Twist!
SP: Can you tell us how you got the idea?
Like all the best stories, this one began when I was a child. After my Grandma took me to see a rerelease of the movie musical Oliver!, I became obsessed with the story and would sit in my room and listen to the double album soundtrack for hours, making up new stories about the characters. In my favorite daydream, Oliver had been born a girl and was disguising her true gender as a safety measure. This way, I could imagine myself as the heroine of the story and the Artful Dodger as the hero. In my childhood fantasies, the two would have endless adventures and eventually fall in love and escape from poverty. I blame this train of thought on the actor Jack Wild, who played Dodger in the film and became my first celebrity crush!
As a teen, I devoured every bit of historical fiction I could get my hands on, including the classic Dickens' novel, Oliver Twist. I quickly realized two things: The Artful Dodger was not the hero I'd envisioned, and the film had missed a major character; Oliver's half-brother, the villainous Monks. When I began writing my own books, the dynamic duo of Jack and Olivia would not leave me alone, and a mash-up of the original novel and the film began to solidify in my mind.
SP: How long did it take you write Olivia Twist?
I began the first draft of Olivia Twist in 2011. I continued to work on it in-between writing the DOON Series and finally finished it in 2013. Sadly, the young adult publishing world wasn't ready for a historical novel without steampunk elements or vampires, so I received rejection after rejection. But I didn't give up hope. After four years of being on submission to publishers, it sold to Blink YA Books. Now, it is receiving strong reviews and is my first book to be sold in Target stores across the US!
SP: The ever popular DOON series (who's rights recently sold to a TV studio!) is also a retelling of Brigadoon. Do you think retellings are your thing?
I really do love writing retellings. I wrote a YA thriller, GILT HOLLOW, which is a contemporary mystery with all original characters. (Gilt Hollow just released on audiobook!) But I do enjoy reinventing classic stories and giving those characters fresh life for a new generation.
I'm currently working on a top secret spin-off of Olivia Twist that features the orphan leader Brit a few years in the future, and it is a retelling of sorts.
SP: Do you see any parts of yourself in Olivia?
Like Olivia, I've learned that perseverance is the key to accomplishing my goals. Despite the constraints that society puts on females of her time, Olivia finds ways to overcome obstacles in order to help others. Her selflessness actually inspires me to want to be a better person!
SP: When writing and crafting Jack- did you have a person we might know in mind?
I did have a physical character model for him…the actor Matt Lanter. You might know him from Timeless or the remake of 90210. The characters I've seen him play have that indefinable rakish quality that fits perfectly for The Artful Dodger. Not to mention he has the straight dark hair, ice blue eyes, dashing smile of Jack!
SP: If Olivia and Jack were living today, which cause do you think they would go after?
Child hunger and homelessness for sure! It isn't an epidemic in the U.S. as it was in Victorian England, but nevertheless, they would fight to eradicate it!
SP: Now, fun stuff — if you could be any character in Olivia Twist, which one would you be?
SP: You will also travel to Asia to do an International Writing Workshop — which part are you most excited about? Teaching? Exploring?
I have a heart for educating and encouraging aspiring authors, so the workshop is what drew me originally. But now, I can't wait to meet readers and writers at our various visits in China! The exploration is the icing on the cake!!
SP: In May, you will also help judge a Travel Writing Contest in which the winner can win a free trip to TIBET! And last year you were in Ireland– so, what is your DREAM adventure and where and if you could take one fictional character with you, who would it be?
Oh my, that's a tough question…so many possibilities! I think I would chose to visit Alloway, Scotland and the real Brig o' doon with Vee and Kenna. We'd stay at Aunt Gracie's cottage (which is based on an actual cottage you can rent there), visit Poet's Corner Coffee shop for cinnamon hot chocolate, and perhaps find our way to the mythical kingdom to meet a couple of kilt-wearing princes!
SP: That sounds soooo nice. Can I come?
Pen Friends ~ The Lovely Debut Author of American Panda is our guest today! Welcome, Gloria Chao! Her first book, American Panda will be out very very soon, and you can get the inside scoop!
SP: Hi Gloria! Thanks for joining us. First, can you please tell us a bit of who are you and how long have you have been writing?
Pen Friends~ It's my honor to welcome YA Author Caitlin Sangster to the Spinning Pen. This amazing lady shares something very special with me– a love for travel and Asia! Which kind of inspired her debut, Last Star Burning– a thrilling dystopian, fantasy, fairytale, blend of awesome. Today she will share all kinds of gems with us: her writing journey, world building tips, and more!
SP: Hi Caitlin! Thanks so much for joining us! First, can you please tell us a bit of who are you and how long have you have been writing?
Pen Friends ~ If you haven't heard of International Author, Kester 'Kit' Grant, you will soon. Her debut, A Court of Miracles, will come out in 2018 and has already received a lot of praise and anticipation! Kit's a gem to know (we met after we both won PitchWars 2016) and her words get under your skin within the first page. If you love supporting debut authors, be sure to add her book to your Goodreads!
SP: Hi Kit! Thanks for joining us. First, can you please tell us a bit of who are you and how long have you have been writing?
Pen Friends ~ Today's YA Author, Aminah Mae Safi, has got her hands full with all kinds of writerly projects and great advice across the board! She truly inspires as she talks about not giving up on your craft & dreams and how her first book, Not the Girls You're Looking For, came to be!
SP: Hi Aminah Mae! Thanks for joining us. First, can you please tell us a bit of who are you and how long have you have been writing?
Aminah Mae: Forever! But also– seven years. That's a big difference, no? I grew up writing and I come from a family of storytellers. The kind of people that everyday life becomes a big dinnertime epic. We're a fairly dramatic lot. I remember the time I read a Camelot comic in some after school program and I noticed that Guinevere didn't do anything. So I re-wrote it. I must have been about seven or eight. Please note: this involved not only re-writing, but type setting, photocopying, cutting and literally pasting new words over the old comics, then photocopying again to make the final product look legit.
Pen Friends ~ Welcome Jenny Park, YA Author of The Shadows We Know By Heart, to talk about her writing, agent, and publishing journey with us. If you are Tarzan fans, you'll want to check out her debut, The Shadows We Know By Heart.
SP: Hi Jenny! Thanks for joining us. First, can you please tell us a bit of who are you and how long have you have been writing?
Jenny: Thanks so much for having me! I've been writing for about six years now, and before that I was an art teacher for middle school students. Growing up, writing was never my thing, although I spent more time reading books than talking to people. It wasn't until I was getting my master's degree that I really kind of broke through the mental block/fear I had about writing since it was an online writing intensive program. But it was still years after that before I wrote my first draft.