Welcome YA Contemporary author Danielle Weiler to the blog!

I am lucky to have a special guest with me today, and that is Danielle Weiler, author of the YA contemporary Friendship on Fire!

Let's talk to her, shall we?

Hi Danielle! When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?

I've always written, in some way or another. Whether it was diary entries, poetry, emotive articles, immature stories attempted at 13 and discarded shortly after...

The inspiration and writing bug really hit me in 2009 while I was living in Melbourne. I woke up one cold Sunday morning with Daisy's story on my fingertips. She didn't stop hassling me until I started writing it down. And once I started, I quickly developed RSI in my wrists from the onslaught of information. But it was when I handed it to a year twelve girl and asked her to be brutal that I started to believe in myself. She read it in about two days and pestered me for the rest of the year to send it off to publishers. So I felt brave enough to give it to others after that.

      

 What made you decide you wanted to publish with Sid Harta?

They gave me really positive feedback and believed in my story. They are small and fast-growing and they have a variety of options available for writers. They gave me the leg up I needed.  

      

 How long does it take you to write a book?

The first draft of Friendship on Fire was 135,000 words. I could easily have written about it forever. I mean, it does cover the entire school year of year 12. That took me about 3 months and I was teaching full time. I polished it for a while but it still could be pared down a bit I suppose. My second ms took me about 4 weeks for a first draft. Still working full time. I added a heap to it then cut a heap out of it and polished it. It's nearly half the size of FoF. The third ms took me about 2-3 weeks for a first draft and after that I was too scared to touch it in case I'd over-write and have to cut a heap out of it. So I got Sarah to appraise it before adding in meaningful sections to give it more depth. If I'm forced to write I can do it but it might not be good. If I have the right encouragement and inspiration I can be pretty efficient with what I do. 

      

 What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

Well my teaching always comes first so that's my day job. I have been known to get up really early before work and write something that's bugging me, or write a few lines here or there in class. I took to taking a journal around with me so I could record ideas that flew my way. I'd then get home from school, park myself on the couch, and write until hubby got home from work. It's generally every night until I purge the story from my system. I don't let it get past midnight, though. I write silly things after midnight. 

      

 What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I don't know how different it would be from other writers. My husband says I talk about the characters as if I actually know them. I'm pretty protective of them. I read him random parts of the story and assume he knows what happens in between. I constantly talk about the plot until I nut it out, while he nods and smiles. Now you've got me wondering if I'm quirky at all. I'm naughty and write ahead, not chronologically, OK? That's all I can think of. 

 Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

I've never researched for a book. I write contemp YA so I make it up from my history as a teenager or people I've come into contact with, or just from my brain. Something about researching seems clinical to me, but I found with my third ms in particular that I hadn't met anyone like the antagonist I created and I don't have a messed up head so I found it hard to convey those steps along the way. I think that's one way I need to grow. The ideas, however, just pop into my head. Generally the main character goes, 'Hello, I'm here. Tell my story.' (in a non-creepy way) and I groan and say, 'I'm busy. Must I? Really?' And it goes from there.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

Does it count if I never finished it? When I was about 6+ I would constantly fold up coloured paper and staple it and make stupid little books for my parents to read. That was part of the teacher ‘calling’ too. I got to about 50 pages for the above-mentioned immature book at 13 years old and then the storyline got a bit creepy so I just stopped. That and my mum didn’t like the fact that the MC’s mum was a smoker. It just dampened my spirit. I’m sensitive like that.

      

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Shopping. Going to the beach. I read when I get time but it’s an indulgence. At the moment hubby is trying to be my personal trainer (before summer, you know?). So it’s not that I actually like to do that stuff but I like hanging out with him. I also like my job, most days!

      

What do your family and friends think of your writing?

My Dad usually reads my first draft and tells me how amazing it is, unless it has really naughty characters in it. My Mum doesn’t like the bad language and raw scenes I put in my stories but she eventually loves the characters with all their flaws just like I tell her she will. I get my sisters-in-law who are my age to have a read too. Hubby is helpful but totally biased. My friends know nothing about the writing world so they are quite useless (sorry). It’s the students who prove most helpful. They tell me if the voice is authentic and they don’t hesitate to tell me if it’s crap.

      

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

That I could write about characters so unlike myself and so unlike how I would behave and talk and still love them as though they were friends of mine. That writing is addictive. That the yearning to be published never goes away. That it is a big responsibility to be in sole charge of something like a novel.

      

How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?

I’ve written 3 books in 3 years. If I don’t have inspiration, I don’t write in-between because it’d probably kill me to have a day job and be constantly writing. The last 2 are awaiting feedback from publishers. You can’t ask me which one is my favourite – it’s like choosing between children (not that I’d know). But they are all very different and I’ve developed my style across the 3 so I love them for who they were when I wrote them and how they helped me learn for the next one, if that makes any sense at all. Writing from a teenage male voice was very interesting and challenging, so I felt a real sense of accomplishment when I finished number 3.

      

 Do you have any suggestions to help budding authors write a good book? If so, what are they?

     Read, read, read. You don’t read because you want to copy, you read because it helps

 inspire you to write. It gives you hints as to how long a book is in that particular genre,

 what type of stories are getting published, what different authors’ voices sound like. Then

 try your hand at your own voice. I did it the opposite way in the beginning. I didn’t read

 anything or research any YA books before I wrote Friendship on Fire. I didn’t have any

 hang-ups or pressures. No one knew I was writing and it was blissful. It was only

 afterwards that I read and read and read and adjusted how I wrote the second two. It all

 depends on how much you’re willing to adjust and refine your craft.

      

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

   

  Yeah I do hear from them quite a bit and it helps sustain me. If I’ve had a bad day where I

feel like I’m a failure, I’ll get a little message saying, ‘Just finished reading _________ and

 wanted to let you know how much I loved it. It really spoke to me and I’ve given it to (insert

 name here) to read.’ Something like that. I love hearing what people thought about

 particular characters’ dynamics and how scenes shocked them etc. One girl emailed me

 and told me what she thought of the blurb for my second book that I was playing around

 with. She joined the two options I had there and it was really cool. Sometimes people who

 are unbiased can see a story differently to the writer. Feedback like that spurs me on and

 helps me believe that I can actually do it.

      

What do you think makes a good story?

     

Strong characters. Strong dialogue. The plot of course is integral but I love immersing

 myself in the characters and barely hanging on to find out what they’re going to do/say

 next. I’ve just read Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta and I haven’t been able to enjoy

 anything since. If you haven’t read it, get it now and it’ll ruin you forever.

      

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

     

A teacher. Always.

      

      

Tell me about your newest book.

See, that’s mean. How can I put it in a nutshell? I was playing around with blurbs while writing it and I did the boring ones and then I did this one just as a dare:

                

Your best friend has gone to Juvenile Detention,                 

Because of you.

Your other friends blame you.

You want a girl who’s not yours.

Your Mum’s pregnant to an abuser.

You’re in trouble at school again.

You have two strikes against you and you’re that close to  going to Juvi yourself.

Seventeen was never meant to be this hard.

 What would you do?

(Sarah's note: I've read this one, and it's good!)

Where can we find your books?

All good bookstores (the ones that are still left?) might have it or can at least order it in, or there’s Amazon of course. There are a few random online places that have it. Readings is a good one. Dennis Jones & Associates. Kobo Books. Planet Books. And lastly, I have a secret stash if anyone wants a special one from me.

Thanks so much for visiting Danielle! I have been lucky enough to read an early draft of her next one and I can tell you now it's going to do big things. Look out for it!

Friendship on Fire is available now.

Find Danielle here!

http://www.danielleweileronline.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10144641-friendship-on-fire

You Can Judge a Book by it’s Cover! Guest Post by Lynn Hubbard

Today I have special guest, romance author Lynn Hubbard on the blog talking about cover art. As you may know, I love book covers. If done right they can tell you so much about what you'll find inside, and hopefully make you think what you'll find inside will be AWESOME.

Take it away, Lynn!

 - Sairz

The Cover is the most important aspect of the book.  I don’t care how amazing your story is if you have a drab cover, it’s a hard sell. The cover is the first thing people see. You have maybe a second of their time for them to make a decision and click on your book.

It took me awhile to come to grips with that. For example my book Desperado. I originally had it published under a different name, “The Hand You’re Dealt” and a different cover. My sales were down so after consulting with family and friends I was told the title was depressing. The original cover which I LOVED had two people on horses staring into each other’s eyes. I saw a man and a woman. Others saw two men. Since it is a romance book I decided to put a hot guy on the cover. Where o where was I gonna find a hot guy? I turned to the internet. And so my quest began.

The vision of the new cover that popped into my head was of a handsome dark headed man with the queen of hearts tucked into his pocket.  So after searching through thousands of pictures of muscular men online I finally came across Julian Fantechi. He was perfect. Moreover, he was on facebook so I sent him a message. The next day I awoke to find several very hot pictures of Julian in my email box. Picking my favorite, I had my son design a card and tuck it into his pocket to keep the original poker theme going.

Below is the Original Cover and my Current Cover.

I also changed my Young Adult book. The original cover was perfect. I LOVED it, it  had a rustic feel with a bridge that perfectly expressed Joanie’s neighborhood and the feel of the book. And I loved the title. “Things Change.”  But apparently no one else did. So a little bit of my soul died and I changed the name, and I changed the cover. And people bought it. And people liked it. And I grew to like it as well.

My Third book was much easier. I again spent countless hours searching for the right guy for the cover. (Its hard work but someone has to do it!) Then there he was. Jeandre. This one was perfect from the start. I cropped him out and slapped him on a pic from my Vegas trip. Perfection. Now the cover is as hot as the inside!

 My current project Chase the Moon is a sequel to Run into the Wind.  I again went with Julian from my Desperado Cover. For my Chase the Moon Cover I wanted it monochromatic blue. I found a wonderful pic of Julian on the beach and matched it to a lake setting. An amazing graphic artist named Tamara made it come to life. Even though technically Chase is a western the cover does not scream Old West. But it does scream PICK ME UP! Which is what we are all aiming for!~Lynn Hubbard

Chase the Moon: Coming October 2011

You can pick up Lynn Hubbard’s books in Print or ebook at Amazon or Barnes and Noble

Desperado is .99 cents for a limited time on Nook, Kindle or Smashwords!

Karen Simpson-Nikakis - a fantasy author at a Romance Conference

Even though the Romance Writers of Australia conference isn't exactly aimed at fantasy authors, Karen Simpson-Nikakis knows that almost every book has an element of romance to them, and she decided if she's going to learn about writing romance, why not go straight to the source?
Karen recently attended the Romance Writers of Australia conference in Melbourne, Australia and was given the opportunity to pitch to an agent and editor while there.

Here is what she has to say about the experience.

It‘s hard to think of a writing genre that gets more scorn heaped upon it than Romance. Literary texts and writers fill the Arts pages of the major dailies and the big prizes are doled out to writers who are far less likely to make a living from their work than a Romance writer. I wonder sometimes if it’s because it’s women’s business; that because most Romance writers and readers are women, the whole thing is devalued. And while it might have an element of truth in it, it’s also a tad simplistic. My experience of raising the topic of Romance writing with students invariably gets a scornful response from both male and female students.  Then again, it might be because of the sometimes lurid covers and sometimes over the top titles. Go to a Romance writers’ conference, or Romance readers’ conference, both of which I’ve attended recently, and you’ll discover that most writers have no choice over either. It’s also generally true that marketers not authors decide on covers for other genres as well.

Romance titles and covers are sometimes greeted by both the writers and readers with a great deal of good natured hilarity, but it’s worth remembering that titles and covers brand books as being of a particular genre and are key to getting books off the shelf or website, and into the reader’s hands. On the topic of conferences, it is again indicative of the vibrancy of the genre, and of the writers and readers who practice their craft in this area, that they are able to run both a Romance readers’ conference (in Bondi last year) and a writers’ conference (in Melbourne this year), and that this year’s was the Romance Writers of Australia’s 20^th conference. This is no mean feat for any organisation.

So, why as a fantasy writer, do I attend these conferences? Well, for one thing, I’m probably not going to be in a room with so many New York Times best-selling authors at a fantasy convention! And Romance writers are incredibly friendly, supportive and generous with their advice. As well, fantasy, like most genres, has elements of romance in it and it’s worth looking at how practitioners in the actual genre write it. I also run NMIT’s Bachelor of Writing and Publishing, which is a vocationally oriented degree and I am keenly interested in areas of the writing and publishing industry where people can actually live off their craft.

In addition, the conference gave me the opportunity to attend a pitch workshop and to pitch to the Kristin Nelson Literary Agency and to Belinda Byrne of Penguin, the former more successfully than the latter. And of course, all conferences give you priceless titbits of information about all sorts of things relevant to the life of a writer. For instance, the Kristin Nelson Literary Agency receives around 650 queries a day. Yes, a day. They then request an ever diminishing number of partials and complete manuscripts, resulting in Kristin offering 3 authors representation last year—all of whom declined. Information like this can be incredibly depressing or liberating, but it certainly explains why writers are becoming increasing keen to bypass this whole process and launch their work directly onto Amazon or similar. The issue then of course is quality, which is a subject for another day and another blog.

Karen Simpson-Nikakis can be found at http://www.ksnikakis.com/ and her fantasy trilogy The Kira Chronicles is available now from Allen & Unwin.

Guest Post: Cheryl Shireman on Breaking Indie Author News! A Win-Win For All Concerned

Hello lovely readers.
Though these last couple of months I made the plunge and decided to test the indie author waters by releasing some of my work as ebooks, I haven't really talked about it all, what it means to be indie, the pros and cons.
It used to be that self publishing was the kiss of death, it meant that your work was crap. It simply wasn't good enough but you wanted to publish it anyway. Nowadays, that's not necessarily the case and there are a lot of talented authors choosing the independence and control of self publishing their own work to a willing and vast readership. Some are selling well, and the big publishing houses are taking notice. Self publishers, indie authors are being snapped up by publishing houses left, right and centre.

I have a special guest with me today, another indie author Chery Shireman who has much to say on the topic.
Read up and be informed. Here's Cheryl:

It was announced a couple of days ago. The headlines varied, but they were all a variation of the same theme – One more “Indie” writer signed a publishing contract. John Locke’s deal with Simon and Schuster made headlines and the writing and publishing community was all abuzz with excitement. Locke, who detailed his recent success in his aptly named ebook, How I Sold a Million Books in Five Months, not only signed a lucrative deal with S&S, he managed to do the seemingly impossible – he held on to his ebook rights.

Simon & Schuster’s Vice President of client publisher services, Stephen Black, said in a statement: “Not only does John Locke write terrific novels, he clearly knows his audience and has a deep understanding of how to reach them. We are very excited that we can now help to expand John’s readership to include those millions of readers who still savor the joys of sitting down for a few hours of entertainment with a traditional paperback book. It is a win-win for all concerned.”

Did you catch that? A “win-win” for all concerned. And, indeed, it is. Which is certainly a change in attitude from the beginning of this year when I first made my foray into self (or Indie) publishing. At the time, lines were drawn and sides were clearly marked. Name-calling flourished. Indies were a bunch of no-talent hacks who didn’t know how to take a rejection (many rejections) and move on with their life. On the other hand, the entire publishing industry was full of ignorant, short-sighted, crooked, money-grabbing lowlifes who reveled in crushing a writer’s sprit. And worse yet, they didn’t know how to do their jobs. The publishing industry was going down the tubes while readers hurried to buy Kindles and fill those Kindles up with eBooks. And, increasingly, the readers were buying the eBooks from those no-talent hack Indie writers. At an alarming rate!

As I dipped my toe into the angry pool, the water was chilly, to say the least.

Unaware or unconcerned about the Indie/Traditional distinction, the readers kept happily buying books. Amazon’s bestselling list for Kindle began filling with Indie writers. Writing forums, publishing forums, and various blogs were full of rants from both sides. Hatefulness and vitriol flourished. And just as a particularly vocal group of Indies started passing out pitchforks and torches to storm the Manhattan publishing houses, a funny thing happened. Those “ignorant” publishers started offering publishing contracts to the “no-talent” Indies. Amanda Hocking signed a two million dollar deal with Simon and Schuster. Amazon became an even bigger player in the publishing industry and signed Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler to their hot mystery/thriller imprint, Thomas & Mercer.

The ranters and haters ranted and hated – claiming that Hocking, Konrath, and Eilser were sell-outs, traitors, and puppy beaters. The water began to boil.

Not long after, the UK writing duo of Mark Edwards and Louise Voss (writing under Saffina Desforges) signed a six figure four-book deal with Harper Collins. A bit of a rumble was made, but not much. The story was beginning to become a familiar one. Edwards and Voss could not get their books published. After many rejections and much discouragement, they decided to self-publish their books, Killing Cupid and Catch Your Death. Within months those books held the number one and number two bestselling spots for Kindle in the UK and were selling thousands of copies per day.

Close on their heels, J. Carson Black (who is approaching 250,000 in sales) signed three-book contract with Thomas Mercer for her bestselling mystery thriller The Shop. Weeks later, Scott Nicholson signed a two-book deal with Thomas & Mercer for his book Liquid Fear and its sequel Chronic Fear. And then Michael Wallace signed a five-book deal including his The Righteous series. Wallace, perhaps, summed it up best of all on David Gaughran’s popular blog: In January of 2011, I gave up. After twenty years of fighting for a traditional publishing contract and suffering near miss after near miss, I abandoned the fight and started putting my books online for sale as self-published e-books. In spite of dogged persistence and the efforts of multiple literary agents to sell my novels, I had never overcome the final hurdle. Self-publishing was an act of desperation.

And, right before my eyes, the sun started shining and that chilly water started to warm. Instead of ranting (oh, I guess a few still muttered in the corners), Indies started offering congratulations to their fellow writers and some were even brave enough to utter, I hope I’m next. Virtual champagne corks were flying and the pitchforks and torches were abandoned for party hats and confetti.

Now Locke signs with Simon and Schuster. Just another Indie signing a publishing contract? Not quite. Simon and Schuster will distribute Locke’s print books, but Locke will retain the rights to his ebooks. This is an enormous coup for Locke and a ground-breaking move for Simon & Schuster.

The ability for an author to create and distribute a book directly into the hands of a reader through distributions outlets such as Amazon is nothing short of revolutionary. And like every revolution, there are liable to be a few casualties. There are those who will resist, those who will deny it, and those who will try to harm the rebels. But there are others, wise enough to see a revolution as “evolution,” that are forging ahead and pushing the boundaries, and this is a win/win for all concerned.

Writers no longer need to get permission to publish their books. For little or no money, they can write and distribute both ebooks and paperbacks and compete directly with “traditionally” published writers. The talented and hard-working will rise to the surface, sell a lot of books, and have even more clout if and when an agent or publisher comes to call. No more rejection slips.

Publishers can now sign writers who have a proven sales record instead of hoping that the next submission is worthy of a publishing contract. There is no longer any need for an underpaid English major to cull through the slush pile. Amazon is the new slush pile. And the slush falls to the bottom of the bestseller lists while the cream of the crop rises to the top, ready to be scooped up by a savvy publisher.

Agents have access to those same bestseller lists. While many writers might think they don’t need an agent, when it comes time to start talking about foreign rights or about a possible movie deal, they might want to think again. It is one thing to self-publish your book as an ebook, it is quite another to negotiate a contract for film rights.

Editors have more opportunity than ever before. Those who wish to freelance will have more work than they can possibly keep up with. The plethora of Indie books means a plethora of books that need editing. It is a rare writer who can edit their own books. And, quite frankly, a writer’s time is better spent writing.

Supporting players such as website designers, ebook formatters, and cover designers are also needed to support this sudden influx of writers into the publishing world.

Readers might be the ones who will benefit most of all. New writers, new genres, and new ways to experience books are all ahead. I have said it repeatedly – there has never been a better time to be a writer. But, it is also true that it has never been a better time to be a reader. Books have never been easier to access and the relatively low cost of most ebooks has made having a huge library an attainable fantasy – even if they are all stored on your Kindle instead of a custom mahogany library.

Now, the once chilly water I dipped my toe into is considerably warmer. And, look! Another new writer is on the diving board. Come on in, friend, the water is fine.

Cheryl Shireman is the author of Life is But a Dream, Broken Resolution, and You Don’t Need a Prince: A Message to My Daughter

Amazon links:

Life is But a Dream  http://www.amazon.com/Life-But-Dream-ebook/dp/B004JU21YU/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Broken Resolutions  http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Resolutions-ebook/dp/B004V9FPB0/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1314228871&sr=1-2

You Don’t Need a Prince  http://www.amazon.com/You-Dont-Need-Prince-ebook/dp/B004S2KLTG/ref=pd_sim_kinc_5?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Interesting stuff, huh guys? 

Ciao for now,

Sairz