Kaylie Newell - Author Interview: Debut Novelist

What kinds of fiction did you read as a child and teenager, and did you have some favourites?

As a child, I read a lot of fiction about animals. Horses in particular. I was a horse nut! I read every book in The Black Stallion series, some of them twice. As I got older, I read a lot of romance. My mom always had Harlequins lying around, so I started early on those (earlier than my mom probably would have liked) and I fell in love.

Would you say your childhood and teenage reading has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?

I definitely do, because the more you read, the better you write. I’m sure that discovering books at a young age taught me, even if subconsciously at the time, how to write. Those books gave me my first glimpse into character development, plot and world building. They taught me what makes a reader pick up a book, and more importantly, finish it.

What did you do before you became a published novelist, and how did you come to write your first novel and get it published?

I worked for many years in the records section of a small police department. I’d been writing short stories for years, but one day I decided to shoot for the moon and write a romance novel. It had always been a dream of mine, so after six months of writing, another six months of editing and several months of rejection, I was ecstatic to hear that a publishing company wanted my book. Feeling that it was now or never to try and build a writing career, I made the decision to quit my job and write full time. I’d never be able to do this without my wonderful husband’s support and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

How would you describe your style of fiction or your approach to writing fiction?

I write romance, so I think I write with a pair of rose colored glasses on. I like my stories to be realistic. To a point. Then I like the fantasy to take over. I mean, we all know some men wear socks while naked. But in our stories, we can leave that part out :)

Is your first published novel standalone or part of a series, and what advantages or disadvantages does this present for you?

My first book, A Death That Lingers (releases on November 21st-woohoo!) is a standalone book. I think when I started writing it I really couldn’t wrap my mind around anything more than just the immediate story at hand. But now I can really see the wonderful aspects of having a series. Readers often say, “I wasn’t ready for the story to end!” With a series, you can delve deeper into the character’s lives and the lives of those around them. Also with a series, your reader base is established with the first book. If it’s good, those readers will keep coming back for more. I definitely think I’d like to try my hand at a series in the future.

Have you found writing your second novel easier or more challenging than writing your first novel and why?

Ugh. My second book was SO much harder to write. And that surprised me. I’m still not quite sure why it gave me so much trouble, but it did. I actually had to stop at the halfway point and go back to wipe out a big chunk of the story. It wasn’t going in the direction I wanted it to, even though I had the outline pretty much worked out. My characters were feisty and rebellious. I had to reign them in a little.
I guess each book is different. They’re like your kids. Each has a distinct personality. Some are easy to work with, others are difficult. But you love them all.

Who is another novelist whose fiction writing you admire and why?

I absolutely adore Stephen King. He’s my hero. I have an autographed copy of On Writing that I keep by my computer for inspiration. The guy is an amazing story teller, but even more than that, he’s a master of the English language. He can take just a few words and weave them into the most incredible sentence that you’ll find yourself going back to read again and again, just for the sheer enjoyment of it.

How would you summarise your debut novel in one paragraph?

A Death That Lingers is a romantic suspense with a supernatural twist. My favorite kind! It was written in the spirit of books by Karen Robards with a sprinkling of Alice Hoffman thrown in for good measure. Here’s the blurb:

Josie Collins’ story is just beginning when she finally summons the courage to leave her famous, abusive husband and return to her hometown among the winter wheat of Kansas. She thought she’d escaped him this time. But she was wrong. When he is killed in a fiery car accident on his way to find her, it’s clear he may have died, but he has no intention of letting her go. With his death, an unthinkable evil is born. His presence only seems to intensify when Josie develops a rapport with sexy young police Chief, Paul Stark. Their attraction is undeniable, and Josie immediately knows there’s something special about the tall, brooding officer with the long jagged scar down his face. He has a nightmarish past, and what Josie soon learns, is that Paul has lost someone too, and is haunted by love, even as she is haunted by obsession.

How would you summarise a chapter from your debut novel in one paragraph?

I love the first chapter, because it sets up the rest of the book. At the beginning of Chapter One, Josie is packing her bags to leave. Her husband is a world famous musician. Handsome and talented, but very cold and abusive. She heads back to Kansas, anticipating a brand new life running the family’s antique shop. All these thoughts are running through her head. When will he come after me? What will he do if he finds me? She’s terrified, but she’s been pushed to the absolute breaking point. And that’s where the story begins. At her breaking point.

How would you describe the contribution this chapter makes to the novel?

This chapter is where you learn how bad Josie had it. How rotten her marriage was. How horrible her husband treated her. It’s also when you see what kind of life is awaiting her. And how much she stands to lose if she can’t finally be free of him. It’s my hope that the first chapter introduces you to a frightened young woman who discovers strength she never knew she had. Until now.

Author website: www.kaylienewell.com



Alane Ferguson - Author Interview: Story

Pick one of your favorites among your published fiction stories or a story which is an interesting example of published fiction. What makes this story one of your favorites or an interesting example from your fiction?

My favorite story is Dragonfly Eyes, which, as I explained in my Characters interview, is being expanded into a trilogy of novels. I think as a story it’s an interesting example of my fiction because in it I ask the question of what constitutes a life well-lived, particularly if one doesn’t have time enough to live it. The title Dragonfly Eyes comes from an ‘Ask Marilyn’ column; a reader queried what animal had the best vision on the planet. Her answer was the rabbit, but she said the creature that had the best vision was the dragonfly because it had prismatic vision that allowed it to see virtually everywhere. I imagined an earthbound spirit might gain a similar perspective, so I incorporated the concept of that super-vision exemplified by the title Dragonfly Eyes. By the end of the story, Savannah sees into other people’s souls, particularly one courageous character named Claire. Life, Savannah discovers, wasn’t at all what it had seemed when she was contained in a human form. What was important only moments before her death suddenly became trivial in the afterlife. Perhaps all of us will be surprised when death’s veil is lifted!

What genre(s) do you consider this story primarily to be, or how would you describe this story?

I would classify Dragonfly Eyes as a paranormal mystery. Wow – did I just make up a new genre? Never mind, I just Googled it and that is already a genuine literary category. So ‘paranormal mystery’ it is!

What is a published fiction story by another author you would compare this story to and why are they similar?

The story that comes to mind is The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Her story and my Dragonfly Eyes are similar because they are both told from a ghost’s perspective, but they are quite different in that Savannah does more than just observe from the ‘other side.’ Savannah makes choices that affect the living as well as the dead, although the rules concerning earthbound spirits prohibit their interaction with humans. By breaking through, Savannah alters fate. Naturally, there is a consequence for that breach. So although they are similar, I choose to concentrate more on how these stories are different.

To what extent would you describe your story discussed here as typical or atypical of your fiction stories?

Dragonfly Eyes deals with death. Need I say more? (In other words, it’s typical of my subject matter!)

To what extent did you use any pre-existing story formula, template, paradigm, plot design, archetype, or theory or principles of story/plot structure in planning, writing, editing or rewriting this story?

What an interesting question! I answered this in the Characters interview, but will repeat it here in case readers are choosing to access one category only. Again, I must go back to my origins in order to fully explain how I approach the process of creating a storyline. When I was young, my sisters and I called ourselves the Estrogen Nation, because I was the fourth in a family of five daughters all born within six years to an aerospace engineer father and an author mother. All of my sisters went on to amazing careers (doctor, engineers, etc.) but I, sadly, never finished college. I actually learned to write in an unconventional way, which I can only describe as ‘author osmosis.’ I began to understand the intricacies of writing by critiquing my mother’s published work. (I had that kind of chutzpah at the tender age of twelve, if you can believe it. To her credit, my mother actually listened to my ideas. I’m not saying she took all of my advice, but she considered my opinion, which, in retrospect, is amazing. Here’s a shout out to my still-publishing mother, author Gloria Skurzynski – she rocks!).

I also had the privilege to eavesdrop on the writer’s group held in our house. (Important writing tip: choose your parents wisely!) My mother’s published friends read aloud, and that was followed by a gentle but straightforward manuscript critiquing. Character arcs and plotlines were discussed, work was polished, and I learned the most valuable lesson about writing anyone could learn, which is to embrace the revision process. As to creating my own world, well, for me it was a bit like learning to play an instrument by ear – I’d absorbed all kinds of information, so one day I just jumped into the deep end of the pool and wrote a picture book. Luckily for me, it was sold to the first publisher I sent it to. That unexpected success was followed by and Edgar Alan Poe Award for my first novel, Show Me The Evidence, and…I’ve been writing ever since. Which is my long-winded way of saying I’ve never heard of templates, paradigms, theories or archetypes. Embarrassing! For me, it boils down to the instinct of writing a strong story with a character I believe in, and then being ready to cut/expand/rethink anything that did not properly translate to my audience.

How would you describe the first chapter, scene or section of this story in one paragraph?

Answer: The first scene in “Dragonfly Eyes” is both terrifying and haunting. I believe that after completing such a jarring, life-to-death transition, a person would be above all confused, which is how I chose to portray Savannah’s initial response when she discovers she is no longer alive.

What makes this chapter, scene or section an effective opening for this story?

I believe it is effective because it is unique. Also, the question of what comes next is what I refer to as ‘a universal.’ Even if a person has come to the conclusion that this life is all there is, they have thought about what happens at the end. For Savannah, the end is only the beginning…

Major stages, twists or turns does the story conflict take in this story before the conflict is resolved (or not resolved)?

The major twist for Savannah is the realization that she never saw people correctly while she was alive. Her new paranormal vision makes her fearful to walk into The Light, because in death she is acutely aware of her own human inadequacies. This revelation about herself culminates in her decision to remain an earthbound spirit. It will be resolved by the completion of the trilogy, but I can’t tell you how I’m going to do it or it would ruin the surprise. I’ve already outlined books two and three, and trust me when I say there will be a major twist at the end!

How would you summarise the major sub-plot or sub-plots in this story? If this story has no sub-pots, how would you describe the main sub-plot or sub-plots from one of your favourite published fiction stories by another author?

The sub-plot for the novel Dragonfly Eyes concerns Savannah’s burgeoning feelings for Daniel, a young man she meets on the other side. Love while alive is complicated enough. When you’re dead, it’s close to impossible!

What does the story gain from the sub-plot or sub-plots?

The idea of consequences!

To what extent would you describe your story discussed here as typical or atypical of your fiction stories?

Again, I am turning the theme of death through my fingers like a worry stone. Which makes it typical of my fiction stories.

Author’s Website: www.alaneferguson.com



Matthew Sharpe - Author Interview: Characters

Pick one of your favourites among the characters from your published fiction stories or a character which is an interesting example from your published fiction. What makes this character one of your favourites or an interesting example of your fiction?

I don’t know how interesting she is to anyone else, but Pocahontas, one of the protagonists of my novel Jamestown, was interesting to me to write. The historical Pocahontas lived from about 1595 until 1617, and was the daughter of a powerful Algonquian Indian chief named Powhatan, who ruled over a confederation of tribes in a territory along the coastline of what is now the Commonwealth of Virginia, here in the USA. In 1607, Pocahontas and her father were among the locals who greeted three shiploads of foreign, bearded men who would soon establish the first viable English settlement in North America. She would play a crucial role in interactions between the two populations. Since Pocahontas did not write any account of her own life that we know of, we only know her through descriptions and quotations of her originally written by Englishmen. One of the men who described and quoted her was Captain John Smith, an early governor of the Jamestown settlement, as it was called, and the upstart son of a yeoman farmer. Smith and Pocahontas were evidently friends of sorts. Famously, in one of his three accounts of his two-and-a-half-year sojourn in Jamestown, Smith tells the story of how Chief Powhatan had tied him to a rock and was going to have his brains bashed in with a club when Pocahontas intervened by placing her head on top of his. Pocahontas later was kidnapped by the English settlers, was taught to speak English, converted to Christianity, and married an Englishman named John Rolfe. She traveled to England with her husband in 1617 and there she succumbed to English microbes her immune system probably did not have the antibodies to fight off. Meanwhile, said microbes were decimating her people back home. Pocahontas has become one of the most mythologized figures in U.S. history. I was interested in how to work with all the different ways she’s been perceived and described down through the years and incorporate those into my portrayal of her. I wanted to create a character who is a collage of mythologies and yet is strong enough to convey a vital sense of her own subjectivity.

What kind(s) of character do you consider this character primarily to be, or how would you describe this character?

She is my fantasia on a historical person of great interest to me.

What is a character from a published fiction story by another author you would compare this character to and why are they similar?

Joan of Arc, Jane Eyre, Abraham Lincoln, Marie Curie, Britney Spears, for their courage, impudence, adventurousness, inventiveness, and singing, respectively.

To what extent did you use any pre-existing character formula, template, paradigm, character design, archetype, or theory or principles of making or analysing character in planning, writing, and refining this character?

Writing fiction is pretty irrational and intuitive for me so it’s more like a whole bunch of things are swirling around in my head and I don’t quite know what I’m doing.

How would you describe the first chapter, scene or section of this story in one paragraph?

Pocahontas tells the reader a little bit about herself while skipping through the forest. She also explains that English, which is not her first language, is cumbersome and crude, and may not be the best method of conveying any information, let alone the truth.

Pick one of your published stories. How would you describe the introduction of the main character, or one of the main characters, in this story?

Pocahontas is writing a blog. Her first entry in her blog begins with the words, “To the excellent person I know is reading this.”

What makes this an effective character introduction for this story?

I don’t know if it’s effective. I do know I wanted her—my version of her—to have a strong voice in this story, and to speak directly to the reader.

What major changes does this character go through, or what major challenges does the character encounter and how does the character respond to them?

Oh, so many. The world is in a terrible state of trouble in this novel. She responds with great feistiness. She fights against violence and injustice. She craves love and connection. A lot of things happen to her and she makes a lot of things happen.

How would you describe the most important minor characters in this story and the changes in their character, or the challenges they encounter and how they respond to them?

Everyone in the world of this novel is intensely challenged by their environment, a post-apocalyptic mayhem. Many die, which is one of the most important changes any person goes through.

What does the story gain from the minor characters?

Diversity, sprawlingness.

To what extent would you describe the characters in this story as typical or atypical of characters in your fiction stories?

This was my first attempt at historical fiction and also my first attempt at post-apocalyptic fiction. So they are atypical in that way. I took a group of historical figures who are integral to the founding myths of my native country, and I jettisoned them into a dystopic future, where they repeat or at least rhyme the lives they lived 400 years in the past. I wanted them to be real people weighted down with mythological versions of themselves.

The painter Willem de Kooning said, “I’m not interested in ‘abstracting’ or taking things out or reducing painting to design, form, lines, and color. I keep painting this way because I can put more and more things in—drama, anger, pain, love, a figure, a horse, my ideas about space.”

Author website: www.matthew-sharpe.net.



Mary Carter - Author Interview: Setting

Pick one of your favourites among the settings from your published fiction stories or a setting which is an interesting example from your published fiction. What makes this setting one of your favourites or an interesting example from your fiction?

Setting is vital to a story. In my own works, my most memorable setting takes place in my recently released novel, THE PUB ACROSS THE POND. It takes place in a fictional village on the west coast of Ireland. It revolves around an Irishman who loses his family pub in a game of poker, and the American woman who wins it in a raffle. It is one of my favorite settings because I absolutely fell in love with Ireland when I went to research the book. I also love the culture and feel of an old fashioned Irish pub. Both the lush landscape outside and the dim lights, cozy wood and comfy stools inside, conjure of feeling of excitement, beauty, music, banter, and belonging.

What is a setting from a published fiction story by another author you would compare this setting to and why are they similar?

There are a lot of other authors who set books in Ireland. Romances and murder mysteries head the list. Although I’ve read several books set in Ireland in the past (James Joyce, Miriam Keyes, Tana French, Patrick McCabe, Paul Murray etc. etc.) while writing my own I made sure not to read them. I wanted my take and descriptions to be unfiltered and organic.

How would you describe the way you introduced this setting to readers of your story?

I introduced the setting through the regulars who live there, and the visitor—Carlene. Carlene sees Ireland for the first time very much the way I did. I saw the sights, went to pubs, drank in the scenery, and the history, and the Guinness, and talked to people on the streets. Carlene sees Ireland before she even arrives, through her own preconceived thoughts, the “dream” of what she thinks Ireland is like, one she has been carrying with ever since her grandmother sang her Irish songs and lavished her with stories of a homeland far away.

How would you describe the integration of characters and setting in this story?

Ensconced in setting are the characters who live and breathe there. When it comes to writing about a pub, and a small town, the “regulars” are very much a part of the setting, down to the stools they sit on. Irish people are extremely proud (as they should be) of being Irish. They love their country, even the ones who move elsewhere and say they would never move back, still hold a fierce love of it in their heart. It would be impossible to separate the Irish countryside from the people who live there. And there’s something about a lot of rain that produces not only green fields, but hearty souls as well.

How would you describe the interaction of story and setting in this story?

Story cannot be separated from this setting either. In my own novel, the plot revolves around Carlene exploring her new surroundings, and through it getting to know the people, and ultimately herself. I think a lot of Americans often feel adrift when it comes to their culture. We’re all here from somewhere else. There is a fascination with our ancestors and where they came from. Carlene’s journey throughout this story is deeply embedded in this search, and her attempt to belong to a place where she’s never lived but always felt at home. Generations later, a connection to a culture and a place can be so strong, even if it just simmers as a silent longing, a quiet devotion to a place you’ve never been, and people you’ve never even met. That’s the power of cultural identity. It’s remarkable. I don’t think people who grew up where generations of their family grew up understand this longing in Americans. We can come across as “wanna-bes” longing to belong somewhere we don’t. I think it goes much deeper. I think it speaks to the strength and passion of a people. Traces of it remain, no matter how many generations have passed.

How much research did you do for the setting of this story, and what did that involve?

I traveled around Ireland for a month. I visited pubs, tourist attractions, and talked with the locals. I also spent considerable time in the Irish pubs in Queens which has a whole cast of Irish regulars. I read books related to soutterrains in Ireland, hidden underground spaces which play a part in the novel as well.

To what extent would you describe the setting of this story typical or atypical of the settings in your fiction stories?

This is the first of my novels that is set outside the United States so I would definitely have to say that it is atypical of my other fiction.

How do you usually decide on or develop a setting for your fiction stories?

It depends upon the book, the character, and the plot. I try to pick a setting that enhances and adds intrigue or emotion to the life of the character.

To what extent do the settings of novels you read have an impact on why you read them, and why?

Whenever I read a novel, I want to feel as if I’ve entered its world. Setting is vital to creating this experience, even if it’s just a tiny room, as in Emma Donoghue’s best seller THE ROOM. As a reader, we need to feel grounded in a space. We need to smell, hear, and touch it. My next novel will take place in a lighthouse that the couple turns into a bed and breakfast. I love working with settings that excite me. It’s the foundation of a story, the cornerstone. It also helps inspire me as a writer, to explore and create a compelling backdrop for my characters to interact. Lastly, it can be a little bit of wish fulfillment, imaging yourself in a place you’d love to be, or trying to escape from a place you wish you weren’t.

Author website: http://www.marycarterbooks.com