Author Interview: Behind The Scenes with Lori L. MacLaughlin

Everyone’s journey to publication is different and unique. In Behind The Scenes, I interview writers who tell us how they started and got to where they are today. With the knowledge that comes from experience, they share their words of wisdom with us. If you’re a writer, I’d love to hear about your journey! Please contact me here if you’re interested in being interviewed. New interviews featured every second and last Monday of the month.

With me today is Lori L. MacLaughlin. Her debut novel,  Lady, Thy Name Is Trouble, is an epic fantasy story of swords-for-hire sisters Tara and Laraina Triannon, and is now available at your favorite retailers.

 

1. Tell us a bit about your writing journey. How did you get started, and how did you get to where you are now?

Thank you so much for having me here! My writing odyssey began way back in the 1980s when I was working on my parents’ dairy farm. Some of the chores, like mucking out stalls, spreading sawdust for bedding, and throwing down hay for the animals, didn’t require a lot of thought, so my mind would wander, and I’d make up stories to pass the time. One day my Mom suggested I write down the stories in my head. I tried it and discovered a whole new realm of joy.

I’d always considered writing a hobby until the last year or so. At that point I made the conscious choice to start treating my writing as a business with the ultimate goal of self-publishing my work. I made a list of all the things I’d need to learn about and do, and step by step, reached my goal.

 

2. Anything you would’ve done differently if you could do it all over again?

I wish I’d gotten serious about my writing a lot sooner. But then life has a way of shifting priorities…

 

3. What advice would you give to new and aspiring writers?

Start building your social media/marketing platform long before you’re ready to publish. Revise your work until it’s as good as you can make it, then hire an editor and revise some more. Invest in a good cover designer. I think those are the most important things.

 

4. Is there any book you’ve written that is particularly special to you? Which one and why?

I’ve written two and a half novels, the first of which has just been released. This first book, Lady, Thy Name Is Trouble, will always be most special to me. The main character, Tara, is my alter ego. If I lived in a world such as hers, I would be her.

 

5. Who would you say is your favorite character(s) from your books, and why? What is it about this character that makes him/her tick?

That is a tough question. My first inclination is to say Tara, because she’s such a part of me. She’s an adventurer, vulnerable on the inside but hard and cold as the steel of her blade on the outside. She’s been hurt too many times to let anyone inside her guard.

However, I’m teetering toward choosing Captain Natiere, the wolf-like executioner known as the Butcher. He claims the wolves as his kin, though he’s not a shapeshifter. He’s also been shaped by a traumatic past, but there is so much more to him than anyone realizes. He holds many secrets in the unfathomed depths of his soul.

 

6. Tell us about your new book. What can we expect from it?

Lady, Thy Name Is Trouble is a fantasy adventure, sword and sorcery with a side of romance. It’s about two sword-for-hire sisters who get into a heap of trouble by being in the wrong place at the right time. Here is the really short blurb:

A brutal invasion. A terrifying assassin empowered by wolves. A swordswoman, gifted with magic and cursed by nightmares that are all too real. With the help of her sword-wielding sister, an aging adventurer, a secretive soldier of fortune, and a sorceress whose spells often go askew, Tara Triannon must stop an army led by a madman and fend off an evil being caught in a centuries-old trap who seeks to escape through her dreams — all while keeping one step ahead of the Butcher.

 

7. Are you self-pubbed or traditionally published? What made you go for this model? What advice/tips can you share with writers working towards the same goal?

I am self-published. I originally started down the road to traditional publishing, but the long wait times between hearing back from submissions and the shrinking market sent me down the self-publishing path. I also much prefer having sole control over every aspect of the publishing process.

My advice would be to research both models and choose which one is right for you. The Internet is full of resources, and countless bloggers generously share their publishing experiences. Take advantage of all that’s out there. If you decide to self-pub, invest the time and money to put forward your best product.

 

Author Bio:

Lori L. MacLaughlin traces her love of fantasy adventure to Tolkien and Terry Brooks, finding The Lord of the Rings and The Sword of Shannara particularly inspirational. She’s been writing stories in her head since she was old enough to run wild through the forests on the farm on which she grew up.

She has been many things over the years – tree climber, dairy farmer, clothing salesperson, kids’ shoe fitter, retail manager, medical transcriptionist, journalist, private pilot, traveler, wife and mother, Red Sox and New York Giants fan, muscle car enthusiast and NASCAR fan, and a lover of all things Scottish and Irish.

When she’s not writing (or working), she can be found curled up somewhere dreaming up more story ideas, taking long walks in the countryside, or spending time with her kids. She lives with her family in northern Vermont.

Where to find Lori:    Website      Goodreads      Twitter

 

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Author Interview: Behind The Scenes with Dianne K. Salerni

Everyone’s journey to publication is different and unique. In Behind The Scenes, I interview writers who tell us how they started and got to where they are today. With the knowledge that comes from experience, they share their words of wisdom with us. If you’re a writer, I’d love to hear about your journey! Please contact me here if you’re interested in being interviewed. New interviews featured every second and last Monday of the month.

Joining me today is Dianne K. Salerni. She writes MG and YA Fantasy and her latest novel, The Inquisitor’s Mark, comes out on January 27.

 

1. Tell us a bit about your writing journey. How did you get started, and how did you get to where you are now?

First of all, thank you for having me here on your blog! I’ve been writing all my life, but I was always very shy about submitting my work anywhere. It was my husband who encouraged me to try self-publishing a YA historical novel I’d written about the Fox sisters which I called High Spirits. To my surprise, I was contacted by an independent Hollywood producer for film rights and an editor at Sourcebooks who wanted to put the book under contract, revise it, and republish it with a new title. This became my first traditionally published book, We Hear the Dead, and eventually a 6-minute short film called The Spirit Game was produced, too. (It’s currently being pitched in Hollywood as a TV series idea.)

 

2. Anything you would’ve done differently if you could do it all over again?

I would have looked for an agent sooner. I didn’t start to query agents until after We Hear the Dead came out. I didn’t realize how necessary it was to have an agent for negotiating contracts and looking out for your interests with publishers.

 

3. What advice would you give to new and aspiring writers?

Do your research on the publication process! Read up on agents and publishers and what’s expected for books in your genre/target audience. I wandered into the whole process backward and really didn’t know what I was doing. First I published a book. Then I got a book contract. Then I queried agents and found one. At that point, it felt like I started over again and only really learned the process when my agent sold my next book, The Caged Graves.

 

4. Is there any book you’ve written that is particularly special to you? Which one and why?

My first middle grade book, The Eighth Day, is special to me. I wrote my YA historicals – including two that have not yet found a home with a publisher – while working full time as a fifth grade teacher. When I started working on The Eighth Day, my students said, “It’s about time you wrote something for us!”

And writing for middle grade turned out to be so rewarding! There’s a lot more fun and humor in these books than in any of my others, even though it’s an action adventure. Plus, I moved out of my established genre (historical) into urban fantasy, which I wasn’t sure I could do. The Eighth Day taught me to take risks with my writing.

 

5. Who would you say is your favorite character(s) from your books, and why? What is it about this character that makes him/her tick?

My favorite character is Riley from The Eighth Day. First of all, he’s a YA character in a MG book, so he links my two target audiences. At the beginning of the book, my main character Jax, hates Riley, his 18-year-old guardian, believing him to be a no-good slacker. But when Jax learns more about Riley’s past, finds out who he is and how far he’ll go to keep the people under his protection safe, everything changes. Developing their brotherly relationship was one of my favorite parts of writing the series.

Furthermore, Riley invented himself. When I started the first draft of The Eighth Day, I had entirely different plans for this character. But he took control of himself from page one. This is who I am, he told me. Oh, and I need tattoos and a motorcycle, thanks.

Based on reader feedback, I have found that while everybody likes my main character Jax, MG readers aspire to be Riley and YA readers swoon over him.

 

6. Tell us about your new book. What can we expect from it?

My newest book is The Inquisitor’s Mark, the second in the Eighth Day series. This one was a lot easier to write than the first one, since I already knew the characters so well. I also had the fun of putting Jax in an impossible situation. What does an orphan want more than family, right? In The Inquisitor’s Mark, Jax finds out that he has an uncle, cousins, and grandparents who want to give him a home. Too bad they’re members of a corrupt clan Jax’s father fled long ago – and they would really like to see Riley dead and Jax’s other friend, Evangeline, as their prisoner.

The scenes where Jax meets his nefarious relatives were really fun to write – plus there’s betrayals, chase scenes, magical vermin, and oh yes, a monster, all set in a luxury apartment building in Manhattan alongside Central Park.

 

7. Are you self-pubbed or traditionally published? What made you go for this model? What advice/tips can you share with writers working towards the same goal?

As you can see, I self-published first, then got one of those offers everyone says never happens: a traditional publisher approached me. Over all, I like working with traditional publishers because they have such a far reach in terms of getting your book into stores. You also have more street cred with librarians. However, traditional publishers are very cautious about acquisitions and if they don’t think your book fits the market, no matter how good it is, they won’t buy it. I might self-publish again in the future, but I would always try the traditional route first, because it gets more respect in the publishing field.

My advice for any writer, before choosing a path, is to thoroughly research all the pros and cons – and believe me, no matter which path you take, there are plenty of both.

 

Author Bio: DIANNE K. SALERNI is the author of The Eighth Day fantasy series (HarperCollins) and YA historical novels, The Caged Graves (Clarion/HMH) and We Hear the Dead (Sourcebooks). Dianne was a public school teacher for 25 years before leaving the profession to spend more time hanging around creepy cemeteries and climbing 2000 year-old pyramids in the name of book research.

Where to find Dianne:    Website        Twitter

 

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Author Interview: Behind The Scenes with Terri Rochenski

Joining us today for this edition of Behind The Scenes is Terri Rochenski. Secret of the Souls, Book 2 of her adult fantasy series Pool of Souls, was released on October 6 and she’s celebrating it with a giveaway!

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1. Tell us a bit about your writing journey. How did you get started, and how did you get to where you are now?

I met and became friends with Anne Tyler. She encouraged me to write the story I had brewing in my mind, so I took the plunge. I was blessed to have her mentor me through the entire manuscript, but it would take almost twelve years of critique forums and cyber-bud be-friending before I got published.

 

2. Anything you would’ve done differently if you could do it all over again?

I wouldn’t say that Donald Maass didn’t know what he was talking about when he critiqued my first chapter of Love’s Sorrow. Yeah. That was before I knew WHO the man is! The memory always brings about a giggle nowadays.

 

3. What advice would you give to new and aspiring writers?

I’ve said it countless times in interviews – keep writing, and don’t give up.

 

4. Is there any book you’ve written that is particularly special to you? Which one and why?

Although fantasy, the Pool of Souls series was inspired by real-life events – mine and other friends and family members.

 

5. Who would you say is your favorite character(s) from your books, and why? What is it about this character that makes him/her tick?

I love all my characters, but in the Pool of Souls series, Jadon’s charm swayed my focus more often than not.

 

6. Tell us about your new book. What can we expect from it?

I’m hoping the twisted ending will surprise yet satisfy my readers. It’s one of those ‘for the greater good’ ethical questions. fingers crossed!

 

Secret of the Souls Blurb:

Thrust out of their homes by a human High Priest on a vengeful mission, the Natives of Derlund no longer have a place to call their own. One escaped capture, however, and now she, Hyla, is the only one who can save her people.

For, Hyla, though, saving her nation isn’t her ultimate goal—returning to the Pool of Souls is. Becoming its Guardian and preserving their faith is her heart’s desire. The perils of her current journey, though, could leave her unable to fulfill that dream.

To find her way back to the Pool, Hyla must live among dangerous, powerful humans willing to defend the Natives, and must submit herself—her Talents—to them. While her protection is paramount, plots to end Hyla’s life will push her to her physical and emotional limits.

On the edge of sanity, her courage tested, and convictions nearly broken, Hyla’s final test of loyalty to her faith comes with the death of one she could have loved.

 

7. Are you self-pubbed or traditionally published? What made you go for this model? What advice/tips can you share with writers working towards the same goal?

I have six publications with indie pubs, and I’ll probably continue on in the same way. The thought of self-pubbing scares the you-know-what out of me.

My advice to other writers, is keep subbing. Keep honing your skills. There’s a market for just about everything out there, and your voice is as unique as you are.

 

It’s a great pleasure to have you over in my blog. Thank you!

 

Author Bio: Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with storytelling. Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her three young children allow. When not playing toys, picking them back up, or kissing boo-boos, she can be found sprawled on the couch with a book or pencil in hand, and toothpicks propping her eyelids open.

Where to find Terri:    Website     Blog     Facebook     Twitter     Goodreads

 

 

If you’re interested in being featured in Behind The Scenes, I’d love to hear from you! New interviews every second and last Monday of the month.

You can also find me on Twitter: Follow @CaffeMaggieato

Author Interview: Behind The Scenes with Tara Tyler

I’m thrilled to have Tara Tyler with me today, for this edition of Behind The Scenes. Her latest release, Broken Branch Falls, is an MG Fantasy-Adventure filled with teenage goblins, vampires, ogres, dragons, and more, as they embark on a quest to find the Book of Ages before it’s too late.

 

1. Tell us a bit about your writing journey. How did you get started, and how did you get to where you are now?

I wrote my first real story in my twenties. I never intended to be a writer (I’m a math teacher!), but I wanted to remember the awesome fun and friends I had at that time so I encapsulated it into a one night story. I put it aside when work and family got serious, but came back to it when kids got a little older and thought why not publish? After researching, more writing and editing, and blogging, here I am!

 

2. Anything you would’ve done differently if you could do it all over again?

Nope! I needed all my experiences to be here enjoying what I have.

 

3. What advice would you give to new and aspiring writers?

Perseverance is key. Research, learn, watch, listen. Don’t be afraid of rejection or putting yourself out there. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.

 

4. Is there any book you’ve written that is particularly special to you? Which one and why?

They’re all special – I love developing my characters and seeing where they go. POP TRAVEL – futuristic detective action adventure in the age of teleportation. BROKEN BRANCH FALLS – teenage fantasy creatures break the rules in high school and have to go on a quest to fix things.

 

5. Who would you say is your favorite character(s) from your books, and why? What is it about this character that makes him/her tick?

My favorite character to write was Gabe the goblin, from BBF. He’s a scrawny nerd who doesn’t like conforming to his allotted stereotype. He doesn’t realize what a leader he is as he stands up for himself and others.

 

6. Tell us about your new book. What can we expect from it?

BROKEN BRANCH FALLS is full of high school antics – pranks, bullying, sports, crushes, and awkwardness! Gabe and his friends end up going on a quest where they meet more kids of different species. These brave teenagers discover that they are tough and can do anything they set their minds to. Lots of good lessons and positive thoughts!

 

7. Are you self-pubbed or traditionally published? What made you go for this model? What advice/tips can you share with writers working towards the same goal?

I’m happy to be with my small publisher, Curiosity Quills. My books incorporate a mix of genres, mainly sci fi and fantasy, so we are a perfect fit. My advice is to research who to query – when you read bios, hear their voice and pay attention to their favorite things to read. And don’t get discouraged, keep on!

 

It’s a great pleasure to have you over in my blog. Thank you!

It was wonderful to be here! I’m so glad you invited me!

 

Author Bio: Tara Tyler has had a hand at everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After living up and down the Eastern US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently, she has two series, The Cooper Chronicles (techno-thriller detective capers) and Beast World (MG fantasy) She’s an adventure writer who believes every good story should have action, a moral, and a few laughs!

 

 

Want to be a part of Behind The Scenes? I’d love to hear from you! New interviews every second and last Monday of the month.

You can also find me on Twitter: Follow @CaffeMaggieato