An Interview with Eliot Treichel, author of A Series of Small Maneuvers

– So I’ve read A Series of Small Maneuvers. I guess I should ask you about it, but I’d rather have you give me a reason for why I read your other novels?

A Series of Small Maneuvers is my first novel. My first book was a collection of short stories called Close Is Fine. Those stories are all set in rural Northern Wisconsin, which is where I grew up, and the book received the Wisconsin Library Association Literary Award. Some have labeled the stories as Midwestern Gothic. They’re mostly about broken men who are trying to find redemption in one way or another. The men often fail, but they keep trying.

– You certainly don’t want your readers to be comfortable! What is going to make this novel different from all the others I have read in YA? River rats sound promising 😉

This is a novel about rivers, grief, and family. Part of what might separate it for other YA novels is the whitewater canoeing and kayaking aspects—the “river rats,” as you mentioned. But, more than that, what early readers have told me is that they find Emma a compelling and authentic character, and that they appreciate how the adults in the book are written as three-dimensional, real people. And while I didn’t first set out to write a book about grief, that’s what came out. This is not a romance-driven YA book, but instead an open and honest look at loss, and it offers no easy resolutions. It doesn’t talk down to teens.

– I both love and hate novels that don’t leave a discrete ending for the reader. Have you ever felt the need to write sequels for specific novels? 

I might write about Emma again, because I think she has more to say to the world, but I don’t know if it will be as a sequel to this book.

– There’s always another novel in the pipeline to write… Tell me about it! Does it have even a working title?

Right now, I’m working on another YA novel as well as some short stories. The novel doesn’t have a title yet, and it’s all still very nebulous. I recently told someone that it was going to be a YA stoner rom-com that will make you laugh so hard you cry and cry so hard you laugh. We’ll see. The book you think you are going to write and the book you actually end up writing are usually very different.

– Some advice other writers have given is that your first novel is best sitting in a drawer for a while, because then you feel stronger about chopping up ‘your baby’. Do you still have a copy of your first novel? Whether this was published or unpublished, I need to know!

All writing should sit in a drawer for as long as possible. I’ll just say that I wrote the first draft of the first story in Close is Fine fifteen years before it was published in the book. I doubt I still have that draft anywhere. A Series of Small Maneuvers took about four years, with lots of drawer time in between each draft.

– Once you have the idea for a story, how do you write it? Do you have any specific routines or rituals you go through?

I tend to write from beginning to end, a draft at a time. In general, I find revision much more enjoyable than first drafts. If I’m stuck, I will sometimes just write a scene that I find compelling in some way and then worry about whether it fits later. As far as rituals and routines go, unless it’s late at night, there’s usually a cup of coffee nearby.

– Do you have a dedicated writing space? Do you have colourful post-it notes on the walls? How does it meet your writing needs?

I have an office at home. Currently, there are three poster-sized Post-its on the wall with notes and ideas and a character list from the novel I’m working on. Other times, I’ll write at the kitchen table, or on the couch, or outside. I think it’s good to mix it up. Mostly what I need from a writing space is utter quiet. Right now, my neighbors on one side of my house are in a death metal band, so sometimes finding that quiet can be hard.

– How do you know when a novel or short story is finished? How do you know to step away and let the story speak for itself? 

It’s mostly intuition. You go through each draft and interrogate each line. When there’s nothing left to interrogate, you’re probably done.

– Do you have a preference for ebook or paperback format? This is for both your own reading and your novels.

I like paper books. I don’t even own any kind of e-reader. But to each their own. I’m happy to share my work in either format.

– Social media is becoming a big thing. How does managing media outlets come into marketing your brand and your books?

Right now, my social media presence is limited to Twitter (@eliottreichel). I also have my website: www.eliottreichel.com. I don’t foresee that changing much. I purposefully left Facebook more than a year ago. I reject the premise that an author has to have a big social media presence to be successful. And I reject the premise that you have to have a social media presence or you’ll be missing out from something. Life is way more interesting offline, whatever your brand.

– Finally, it looks like you are just getting into answering interview questions. Although I might not have the space here to ask you a lot more questions, is there something you wish I had asked? Or conversely, something you wish I hadn’t asked?

I’ll just use this space to say thank you for your interest in my book, and for giving me the opportunity to share some of my thoughts about writing. I hope your readers will enjoy the book, too. One cool question would’ve been, “Do you want a free plane ticket to Australia?” I definitely would’ve answered, “Yes!”

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An interview with Andrew C. Branham, author of ‘Anything for Amelia

I love first-hand accounts, and its what normally draws me to non-fiction. The fact that this is ‘feel-good’ doesn’t seem to fit with what the blurb says about your difficulties! Why did you decide to write the book?

I believe the ‘feel good’ was referring to the end result which was Amelia being adopted by DJ and I. I agree with you, however, that those
may not be the best choices of words. Our adoption process lasted 206 days. How do I know that exact number? Because every day was the most stressful day of my life. Because of the stress, I needed to find some way to vent. For me, writing at the end of each day was therapeutic and allowed the stress to escape my bo
dy. I never intended to write a book until, one day, I started reading through the journal and thought, “Wow, this is not only an interesting story, but we can help so many other people with their adoptions.”  The topics in the book are very touchy. The ‘dark side’ of adoption has honestly never been discussed. I wanted people to know the full truth behind adoption in the hopes they fewer people would be taken advantage of. Also, seeing how badly Sandi treated her own kids, we wanted to do something to help all the foster care children in the United States. To do that, I am donating 20% of my profits from the book to the U.S. foster care system. 

Andrew, you’re officially the author of this novel. How did DJ feel about the project?

DJ refuses to read the book because we both suffer from a form of PTSD as a result of our 206 day journey. For me, writing was an outlet but for DJ, he cannot bring himself to relive the events again. To him, reading the book would bring back memories that he does not want to relive in any way. He is proud of me for writing the book and is hopeful that it will help other adoptive couples to be more prepared. The other families that adopted from “Sandi” are also unable to bring themselves to read it.  

There’s always another novel in the pipeline to write if the author writes fiction… Do you have another novel waiting to come out?

Funny you should ask that.  My second book is done and it is actually a fiction novel. It is currently being edited for a release next summer. It is an apocalyptic story of a family’s struggle to survive in a world where the Earth has been exhausted of 95% of the fresh water. Many people have asked me to write a sequel to, Anything for Amelia. I will not rule that out, but thankfully we do not have much of a story to tell. Our life is pretty normal now and we are just happy being Dads. As it stands right now, a sequel would be very boring.

Do you have a dedicated writing space? How does it meet your writing needs?

During the adoption it was the hotel room every night. I would come back so stressed out and so angry that I would type for hours and not even realize how long I had been working. Now, I try to write outside. If I am out in nature, my writing is at its best. We own 40 acres of woods so it is very easy for me to get outside to write.

I can’t wait to get stuck in reading the book. I can’t imagine what the shenanigans that Sandi does might be, but I dread finding out. Should I be worried?

Honestly, even reading the book will not even bring you close to the intentional torture that Sandi put us through every single day for 206 days. The best writer in the world would struggle to put into words what she did to us. If anything the book is very understated. The only other people in the world that can relate to our experience are the other two families that adopted from her. She was just as bad to them as she was us (maybe worse).

As a gay woman, this book was one I never would have passed up. While my partner and I haven’t looked into adoption seriously, its something we might do eventually. Do you think anything about the system will improve?

It is our hope that this book will bring some of the issues to the forefront. 99% of the adoption laws are in place to protect the birth mother. While I agree that these laws are necessary, there are simply far too many loopholes. They need to be fixed and I hope our story gets enough attention so that the word gets out. Otherwise, nothing will change. Many have suggested that it should be a Lifetime movie. My agent is looking into that as we speak. If that were to happen, I think the laws would have to be fixed due to the publicity. If nothing else, there needs to be a dollar limit on how much money a birth mother could get (a cap).  I hope the system improves and I really hope you two adopt.  Having a child is the best gift you will ever receive. 

I feel like many of the questions I want to ask now will be answered when I read the book, when it finally gets to Australia. Do you think that it’s going to be relevant to me despite being in another country?

Absolutely. I have had so many adoptive parents email me from all over the world. While they did not have extreme experiences like we did, we have had many tell us about the abuse of the system. No matter where you live, there are always both good and bad people. 

Do you have a preference for ebook or paperback format? This is for both your own reading and your novels.

I have a Kindle but I much prefer paper books. I feel the reader connects much more with the book in the paper format but that is just an opinion. 

Social media is becoming a big thing. How does managing media outlets come into marketing your brand and your book?

Social media is pretty much paramount to the success of any book now. I find it difficult to keep up because writing is not my day job. To be successful, most authors will have to have a huge social media presence on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, blogs, and even Tumblr.  Social media allows you to really connect with your readers. I answer every email I receive and I always intend to that.

Finally, it looks like you are just getting into answering interview questions. Although I might not have the space here to ask you a lot more questions, is there something you wish I had asked? Or conversely, something you wish I hadn’t asked?

I wish more people would ask me how I feel about not being able to save Sandi’s three kids. I feel a tremendous amount of guilt for not being able to save them despite trying. As far as I know, they are still living in squalor, they are still being abused, and they are still not receiving an education. Even worse, they are still not being loved.  I promised myself and those children that I would help them and I failed. I tried many times to get CPS to get involved but Sandi found a way to even manipulate them. I still have nightmares and dreams about those three precious kids. I am not giving up on helping them but I feel my options are very limited. I also feel very bad for Doug and the life he has lived.

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                                     An Interview with Ryan R. Reilly, author of ‘A Deep Dark Pit of Despair’

I haven’t read your novel. But you’re going to be promoting a comic! Why would I want to read that instead? From your other published novels, are there some that I should absolutely read?

Actually, I’m making a fully animated cartoon! It’s based on the first chapter of the book, and was originally supposed to be part of my pre-release marketing. Sadly, I bit off a bit more than I can chew with this one! I’ve made some short cartoons in the past, but the Pirate in Theory cartoon is practically feature-length by comparison. If all goes according to plan (that can happen, right?), the animated short will be out by the end of November.

As far as other published novels go, A Deep Dark Pit of Despair is it. I’m hoping to follow my debut up quite soon with another finished book I have, as well as a sequel that I’m still working on.

I both love and hate novels that don’t leave a discrete ending for the reader. Have you ever felt the need to write sequels for specific novels?

I kind of agree with you. I used to have a “rule” that I would not read any book in a series that was not finished yet, because I didn’t want to have to wait for the next installment to come out. That code lasted until 2004 when I picked up the second book of Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory’s Obsidian Trilogy, and waiting quite impatiently for the third book to come out! Now I’m doing it again with Patrick Rothfuss’ series. I’m afraid I don’t ever learn!

As for myself, I committed to writing a standalone book several years ago, and I think I’ll try to give that one another go at getting it out into the world. Honestly, though, I love series, and hope to have my own sequel finished by the middle of next year.

There’s always another novel in the pipeline to write… Tell me about it! Does it have even a working title?

There are two, actually! I feel I have to finish the next PiT book while this one has any momentum. It’s called Out of the Pit, Into the Fire, and it builds on the events of Book 1 and takes our characters into foreign territory, as well as expands on the magic system that was introduced in the first book. In addition to that, I started a zombie/vampire story just before the bottom seemingly dropped out for both genres, but I still hold out hope for my tale. It’s called Afterdead and unlike my fantasy ventures, it focuses on real locations in Chicago and the surrounding area. Hopefully I’m not too late with this one!

Some advice other writers have given is that your first novel is best sitting in a drawer for a while, because then you feel stronger about chopping up ‘your baby’. Do you still have a copy of your first novel? Whether this was published or unpublished, I need to know!

I actually still have all the notebooks I wrote my first several stories in! So many unfinished works clutter various spots in my house, and I refuse to ever toss them out. Some might call me a pack rat, but I say I’m simply nostalgic.

My first finished novel was to be the first of a trilogy (here we go with another series!) called The One Warrior Saga. This first installment was titled the Warrior’s Heart, and I lost the first draft to a hard drive crash! I was devastated. Fortunately, the whole thing was printed, and I was blown away by the fact that my scanner could actually convert the pages into Word documents. This was 2002; I felt like I stumbled onto secret government tech for an episode of CSI! (The turn of the century was a simpler time)

Do you have a dedicated writing space? Do you have colourful post-it notes on the walls? How does it meet your writing needs?

I have a cluttered desk that can barely be seen beneath a pile of post-its, notecards, printed stacks, and CD-Rs! To anyone else, it’s an absolute mess; to me, it’s home.

What is your writing process? Have you ever thought about changing it? Other authors I have interviewed talk about having an outline – post-it notes in an office, or writing in paper journals. Is there something like that in your writing technique? Or is it all digital for you?

I used to always have a notebook handy to jot down whatever came to me, but now it’s either whatever scrap of paper I can get my hands on, or simply the memo app on my phone. My process when I sit down to write, however, hasn’t really changed for years. I sit at my computer, turn on a fairly mellow playlist, turn off all the lights except one small desk lamp, and then I spend the first twenty minutes or so just messing around on the internet (read: killing time on Facebook). My fingers are typing, my tea is steeping / coffee is cooling / beer is sadly getting a bit warm, and I slowly come to this relaxed place where I can start writing and simply lose myself for hours. This process used to always take place in the middle of the night when I could really get rid of all distractions, but now I have to be an adult and go to work in the morning, so the time I carve out to write has changed.

Do you have a preference for ebook or paperback format? This is for both your own reading and your novels.

I only joined the modern age two years ago when I got a Nook reader as a gift, and though I’ve got a few books on there, I just prefer having the real deal in my hands. Even with my own book, yes, it is available in digital format, but I had to make sure that it could be acquired in paperback as well. I’m that way with music, too; I’d rather have the physical CD with the booklet and artwork than just an album download. Old soul, perhaps.

Social media is becoming a big thing. How does managing media outlets come into marketing your brand and your books?

It means I better get serious about Twitter! I’ve had an account for years that I barely use, but that’s starting to change. I think social media makes it easier for independent artists—whether it be writers, musicians, filmmakers, you name it—to get their work in front of people. Do most of us even know how to use it? I don’t think so, but the interfaces are making it easier to bridge that gap. I ran a Facebook ad for a couple days just to test it out, and the data that you get back from that is incredible! I’ll definitely be ramping up my presence on social media.

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