An Interview with Mary Shotwell, author of Weariland
Everyone has a ‘first novel’, even if many of them are a rough draft relegated to the bottom and back of your desk drawer (or your external harddrive!). Have you been able to reshape yours, or have you abandoned it for good?
My first novel lived in me for several years, and fortunately, I stuck with it to the finish line with Weariland as the result. I did, however, have an idea for a thriller. I outlined, mapped out my characters, and wrote the first couple of chapters. I stopped working on it when I realized how bored it made me. If I was bored, how bored will my readers be? I do have it saved, but am not convinced it needs completed. The story isn’t screaming to get out. Not even whispering at this point.
Some authors are able to pump out a novel a year and still be filled with inspiration. Is this the case for you, or do you like to let an idea percolate for a couple of years in order to get a beautiful novel?
I juggle with both. I am two-thirds through my second novel, based on a dream I had one night. It took me eleven days to write a detailed outline, and I mean detailed. The story was so clear in my head. Between the clarity and the impending arrival of my third child, I was able to write the first half in three weeks. The second half is taking longer due to said child’s arrival, but it is relatively fast, fun writing. On the other hand, I have a solid idea and rough outline for a YA historical fiction piece, but I know it will take time. It is a serious subject that requires intense research and planning. But it’s not just that—I feel it needs time to develop in my head to work out. It is sensitive subject matter that will be difficult to write and it will take time for me to feel I’ve succeeded in getting it right.
I have heard of writers that could only write in one place – then that cafe closed down and they could no longer write! Where do you find yourself writing most often, and on what medium (pen/paper or digital)?
I can outline and research just about anywhere, but when it comes to sitting down and writing, I’ve only written at my desk at home. My home switched 3 times in writing Weariland, along with the desk, but I need that private space away from the television and away from my day job. This summer I bought my dream desk and I am obsessed with it. Sometimes I write at unplanned times because I want to sit at my awesome desk. Every writer needs to experience such furniture power. I can attach a picture if desired. That is how much I love my desk.
I jot down my ideas, outlines, and research in notebooks, of which I have several in multiple rooms. Eventually I type them out on my computer to have them saved in case I lose a notebook. All of my manuscript writing is done on the computer. I need to see how long a sentence, paragraph, or chapter is typed out to help with pacing. I also type fast, and in doing so I can keep my mind flowing onto the next sentence. Writing on paper is too slow and I would stop too much to edit before getting everything out first.
Before going on to hire an editor, most authors use beta-readers. How do you recruit your beta-readers, and choose an editor? Are you lucky enough to have loving family members who can read and comment on your novel?
I wrote Weariland in part for my nieces, so I knew from word one I wanted them to read the manuscript for feedback. Of course, my mother reads my work, but as many authors before me have pointed out, the feedback received is 99% praise and 1% constructive criticism (if that). I hired a content editor to catch inconsistencies and comment on the flow and plot before submitting the manuscript to publishers. I researched editing services online, and picked a service in which two or three editors compete for your manuscript. They show you a sample of their work on your first chapter or two, and you can decide from there. I’d rate the service a five out of ten. I did get some useful feedback but it was too much money for what I received in the end. Upon signing with Merge Publishing, I was assigned an editor, Deb Coman, and I couldn’t have asked for a more professional, concise, and diligent editor. I was ecstatic with her work.
I walk past bookshops and am drawn in by the smell of the books – ebooks simply don’t have the same attraction for me. Does this happen to you, and do you have a favourite bookshop? Or perhaps you are an e-reader fan… where do you source most of your material from?
I feel the same way! No offense to those who prefer digital, but I still like holding a book and turning the pages. I like to see how much of the story I have read versus how much is left. You don’t get that concrete measure with e-books. Sadly, my favorite bookshop no longer exists. It was called Little Professor in Boardman, Ohio. When you walked in the front doors, a cozy fireplace greeted you alongside cushy reading chairs. There is also a hole-in-the-wall used bookstore in downtown Chicago that I seek out every time I visit. It makes me happy to see independent bookstores succeeding.
I used to find myself buying books in only one genre (fantasy) before I started writing this blog. What is your favourite genre, and do you have a favourite author who sticks in your mind from:
1. childhood? Judy Bloom; The first chapter book I read was Ramona Quimby, Age 8
2. adolescence? Michael Crichton (see below)
3. young adult? Anne Rice; I went through a phase of vampires and witches. I still say she wrote the real story of vampires.
4. adult? Ayn Rand, Ken Follett, Neal Stephenson; It’s as if I picked up the thickest books off the store shelves to prove I was an adult! I became interested in epic stories that tracked characters over long periods of time (perhaps a side effect of reading Anne Rice). These three writers fit the bill in different ways, and I enjoyed all three styles.
If I had to choose one genre to read for the rest of my life, it would be science fiction. I have a soft spot for the kind of science fiction that is abundant with research and facts, then takes a real concept to the next level. Michael Crichton did it well with many of his books. He had a profound impact on my adolescent years, which you can read about in my blog at maryshotwell.com.
Social media is a big thing, much to my disgust! I never have enough time myself to do what I feel is a good job. How do you manage it?
I manage my own profiles in Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The latter two I admittedly am horrible at and probably should have someone manage them. Facebook is my solid platform. I’ve had it for my personal use for many years, which made it easy in starting an author page. I do spend a good bit of time on Facebook, but it comes in waves. Events that I hold or help out with for other authors can take several hours over the course of a day or two.
I have no problem being candid about this topic because I do not think the average reader may realize the many hats authors have to wear. We are promoters, marketers, advertisers, and sales reps in addition to working on the actual product. Social media is merely one arm of that and can be overwhelming in and of itself. It is all too easy not to post regularly, and even more so for me on Twitter and Instagram. Is it okay if I post the same thing on all three, or come up with different material, and is it expected of me to post every few hours? Who wants to hear from me twenty times in one day? Currently, my opinion is to get good at one of them and branch out from there. I can’t be great at all three yet. I know my limitations.
I do want to say that the best part about Facebook for me is the interaction I can have with my fans and fellow authors. I’m not just throwing something out into the ethers. People respond and we have interaction. After participating in several events, I recognize fans from previous events. I get to know them over time and vice versa, and without Facebook I would be missing out on building those relationships.
Answering interview questions can often take a long time! Tell me, are you ever tempted to recycle your answers from one to the next?
So far I haven’t! If I’m telling a story I’ve told several times over, I try to write it out anew instead of copying and pasting. I may discover a better way to tell it.
I really liked the nifty symbols and I think the author had a lot of fun coming up with them. It likely took a bit of research on his behalf, and it shows nicely. I’m loving the Signmaker and I think lots of teenage readers are going to be able to get into this novel.
I’m not exactly certain what to say about this book. It looks quite unflinchingly at the conditions at some chicken and pig primary production farms, but also shows the positive side of eating meat! I felt like I was wandering around the English countryside with Louise the whole way, which was fascinating just in itself.
I found myself confused by the swaps in perspective between chapters, because I was most interested in Gwin’s story. As I continued reading, I realised why it was done this way, and it eventually all settled into place. If I hazard a guess, this seems to have been a plot driven story, but it was over too quickly even almost for me to form an opinion.
This is a nifty concept that takes advantage of social media’s continual encroachment into our lives. Why not take it one more step so it hangs around after your death? After all, you’ll be gone and not able to see the inevitable fallout! But how do you sustain money into the business when all your users die?
This is told in the style of a fairy tale, which I appreciated. The novel is bookended by short sections that tell us what happened when we aren’t looking from Feo’s perspective. There is a hint of Russian culture, although there could have been more of this. I honestly can say I’m interested in Russia and it has a unique environment that I like (maybe it’s the snow?).
My name is Andrew Joyce and I write books for a living. I would like to thank Rosemarie for allowing me to be here today to promote my latest, Yellow Hair, which documents the injustices done to the Sioux Nation from their first treaty with the United States in 1805 through Wounded Knee in 1890. Every death, murder, battle, and outrage I write about actually took place. The historical figures that play a role in my fact-based tale of fiction were real people and I use their real names. Yellow Hair is an epic tale of adventure, family, love, and hate that spans most of the 19th century.
I want to say that I learned the hard way how important proper research is. But it wasn’t really that hard of a lesson. In my first book, which takes place in the last half of the 19th century, I made two mistakes. I had the date of an event off by one year and I had my hero loading the wrong caliber cartridge into his Winchester rifle. I would have gone blissfully throughout life not knowing how I had erred if not for my astute fans. Both mistakes were quickly pointed out to me in reviews of the book. One guy said he would have given me five stars if not for the wrong caliber bullet mistake. I had to settle for only four stars. Lesson learned!
My second book was a western and the protagonist was a woman. The research took about three months. I had to know everything from women’s undergarments of the late 19th century to prison conditions for women in those days. (I sent my heroine to jail.) That kind of research was easy. Thank God for the internet. But then I had to do some real research. Molly (my protagonist) built up her cattle ranch to one of the largest in Montana, but she and her neighbors had nowhere to sell their beef. So Molly decided to drive her and her neighbors’ cattle to Abilene where she could get a good price. She put together the second largest herd on record (12,000 head) and took off for Abilene.
My next book took place in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Here new elements were added such as wolves and the extreme weather as adversaries. Dogsledding was also involved. I have seen snow only three times in my life and I have never dogsledded. I knew even less about wolves. I had to learn about those things. I had no idea what it was like to travel across a wilderness on a dogsled at seventy degrees below zero. I also had to acquire knowledge about the dogs themselves, especially the lead dog. I learned about all that by doing the same things I did for my second book. The old diaries were the most helpful. As to the gold rush, there was plenty of material in the form of self-published books by some of the participants. Some were never even published, but I found copies of them in the archives of universities and historical societies. Again, newspaper stories printed at the time were very useful. Concerning wolves . . . I read everything I could get my hands on about wolves—their habits, the pack hierarchy, the alpha male, and the different jobs or tasks the males and females have while hunting.
Now we come to Yellow Hair. As I mentioned above, the book is about the Sioux Nation from 1805 to 1890. I had to know both points of view, the white man’s and the Sioux’s. Getting to know the whites’ take on things was easy. There are many, many books (non-fiction) that were written at the time. I even found a book written by Custer detailing his strategy for wiping out the Sioux entirely. That was hard reading. And, again, there were universities and historical societies whose archives were a great help.
An Interview with Emily Murdoch, author of Captives: Kingdoms Rule Hearts
I liked Henry’s self-awareness and his relationships with his friends. His friends are always willing to pick him up (unless they are also lying down) and there is a happy dynamic that makes the plot feel more real. Sure, the ‘Australian’ bloke is bloody caricaturish, but that’s pretty typical.
This is a more gritty version of