Thanks so much for reading about these great authors. In case you're wondering who I am, I write books for teens. I'm the author of the Latina YA novel, GRAFFITI GIRL (MTV Books, May 2007) a Double RITA 2008 finalist, and the Contemporary Paranormal YA, INVISIBLE TOUCH (MTV Books, September 2008). Please scroll down for more information, and I hope you enjoy the interviews.
Words of an Author with Abiola Abrams
Hello Abiola, thank you for chatting with me! Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first sale?
Abiola: Sure Kelly! My parents are both writers so I have been a writer all of my life. Writing was also a part of my undergrad concentration at Sarah Lawrence College. The first public writing that I did was stage and screenplays as a filmmaker. Dare is my first published novel and it was published by the wonderful team at Simon and Schuster / Pocket Books including my great editor Abby Zidle.
My approach was a bit unorthodox. I wrote a screenplay named Dare that was ultimately not produced. I wrote several chapters of Dare and my agent went to market with the screenplay and the first few chapters of the book as well as a proposal and synopsis.
My agent is the incredibly supportive and hard-working Alexis Hurley at Inkwell Management. Alexis shopped the package and then when one publisher expressed interest, there was a mini bidding war and the book was ultimately purchased by Pocket Books.
Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.
The first thing that I do on a writing day is prep the space. I usually have a caramel candle burning or sandalwood incense. I make sure that my cat Anabelle has enough food, water and love so that I won’t be interrupted. Then my space needs to be either totally quiet or maybe Alicia Keys of Deepak Chopra’s Gift of Love is playing in the background. If I have appointments or anything else to do I tend to lose focus so on days when the outside world demands that I participate I get up really early and just write. Otherwise, I like to stay up until about 3AM writing while everyone else is asleep and just ignore the phone and email as I am easily distracted.
Please tell us about your novel Dare and what we can expect from your characters.
Abiola: Dare is the story of Maya Hope and her best friend Athena as they journey from Faustus, Ohio to New York City to make it in the entertainment industry. Maya is a sociologist whose loves are jazz, poetry and the science of people. Athena is the complete opposite. She’s a professional cheerleader / waitress who aspires to be a rapper. When they set off on their journey Maya thinks that she is trying to get revenge on her ex and find her one true love. She learns that all along she was really just trying to find herself. Dare was published by Simon and Schuster. The book has been compared to Thelma and Louise or Bridget Jones Diary. It was mislabeled as Urban Fiction because it takes place in the world of hip hop but luckily several reviewers have pointed out Dare is contemporary fiction or chick lit and it has found its devoted audience.
Sounds terrific! What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.
Abiola: I am still in book tour mode. I’ve created character profiles, games, videos for readers and more at www.daretogetalife.com. It has been fantastic meeting readers of all races, backgrounds, genders and ages. They are so passionate about these characters! I have been to several superstores like Barnes and Noble stores, WalMart, Borders, and then also to smaller community stores like Hue Man Bookstore and Bluestockings. It has also been great to go to college events at New York University and Howard.
One of the coolest moments was getting to test work for my upcoming young adult novel on students at the Bronx Academy of Letters and the Henry Street School for International Studies. Phenomenal young people in both schools! I am also doing tour dates with Ellen Sussman for her anthology Dirty Words: A Literary Anthology of Sex that features my essay “SLUT.” And this summer I will be touring the country with Dare and four other writers on the Divas of Literature Tour: Renee Daniel Flagler, Jackie Christie, Assuanta Collins and Dwan Abrams, no relation. You can find the tour dates at www.divasofliterature.com.
I am currently writing a novel that is a follow up to Dare, but not a sequel as well as a young adult novel. These are going to be fun! With the young adult novel I am picking up the mantle of Octavia Butler or at least attempting to. People can also find my general writing about fun, inspiration and what I call “scandalosity” on my blog at www.thegoddessfactory.blogspot.com. Oh--and I host and produce an online show called Planet Abiola for blackplanet.com.
What wonderful stories, Abiola, and I love all the promotion you are doing for your novel! Thank you for sharing! I wish you the best with your writing career. Would you like to close with a writing tip?
Abiola:Thanks Kelly, I would! There is no such thing as writer’s block. If you are feeling stuck it means that you need to develop your character more, then he or she will tell you exactly what they are going to do next. If you are just getting started or aspiring to write then do free-writing every morning as soon as you wake up. For ten minutes just write without editing or thought of telling a story. See you on your book tour!
***
ABIOLA ABRAMS is a TV personality, filmmaker and author. Abiola's debut novel Dare (Simon & Schuster) is the wild adventure of two women learning to live by their own gutsy rules. For the past two years 28 million viewers have tuned in to watch Abiola on BETJ. As a director Abiola Abrams’ artistic short films and docs investigate themes of gender, race and empowerment. Her online show Planet Abiola can be found on Blackplanet.com. Abiola has BA from Sarah Lawrence and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Visit Abiola Abrams’ Official Site: www.thegoddessfactory.com.
Words of an Author with Jenny O'Connell
Hello Jenny, great to chat with you again! Please tell us about your latest novels.
Jenny: LOCAL GIRLS and RICH BOYS are the first books in my new Island Summer series, published by MTV Books. They come out June 24 and take place on Martha's Vineyard, one of my most favorite places in the world. Even though the stories share an island, each book has a different main character and story line.
What was the most difficult part of writing this novel?
Jenny: Making sure I got it right! I talked with some girls I know who live on the island, did a ton of research when I was there last summer, was even callinga bait shop last fall to get information on the best fishing spots so it all made sense. Even though the stories are fiction I wanted to be as accurate as possible about life on the island.
Could you share what type of promotion you or your publisher are doing for your novel?
Jenny: Right now there's a contest going on to win an Island Summer t-shirt - it's totally cute and perfect for the beach. Best of all, winning is so easy! There's already been one winner and I plan on giving away a shirt a week through July. Go to http://jennyoconnell.blogspot.com to enter.
Please list one similarity and one difference between yourself and your main character.
Jenny: Like Kendra in LOCAL GIRLS, my best friends mean the world to me. I couldn't survive without them. Like Winnie in RICH BOYS, I always feel like it's my responsibility to fix what's wrong - even if some times that's just not possible - because I hate it when people I care about are unhappy.
Thank you again for sharing, could you please tell us one of your favorite lines from the book?
Jenny: That is SO hard!! And not just because it's been so long since I wrote them. Actually, I love the descriptions of the Vineyard, the streets and homes, the way the sunlight creates shadows in the trees. I had so much fun trying to describe what I love so much about the island.
Honestly, I can't choose just one line. I love Kendra and Winnie and Henry and Jay so much, and they're all different. Readers will just have to pick a favorite line for themselves.
***
Jennifer’s debut novel, Bachelorette #1, was called a "poolside page turner" by Cosmopolitan magazine, declared "Chick Lit at its most fun," by the Denver Post, and selected as a "Hot Book pick" by US Weekly. Since then, Jennifer has written three more novels, including Dress Rehearsal, Off The Record, and Insider Dating. In addition to conceiving and editing the collection of essays for Everything I Needed to Know About Being A Girl I Learned From Judy Blume, Jennifer’s first non-fiction book, The Divorced Girls' Society, co-written with Smith alum Vicki King, came out in October 2007.
Jennifer also writes for teens as Jenny O’Connell for MTV books. Her novels include Plan B and The Book Of Luke. The first two books in her new Martha’s Vineyard Summer Series will be published in Summer 2008. She received her B.A. from Smith College and her M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. Visit her website, www.jennyoconnell.com.
Words of an Author with Jacqueline Carey
Hello Jacqueline, it’s great to chat with you! Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first sale?
Jacqueline: I began writing out of boredom in high school, keeping a novel in the back of my notebook. I kept it up all through college without realizing it was a vocation, not a hobby. It wasn’t until after graduating that I began writing in earnest. At that point, I spent ten years as a struggling writer, supporting myself with a day job and working on the side. Like many others, I wrote a couple of ‘practice novels’ that made the rounds and were rejected. In hindsight, I’m glad, because it forced me to become a better writer.
My break came in 1998 when I wrote the book that became my debut novel, “Kushiel’s Dart.” I submitted it to a target list of a dozen literary agents, and was signed by what’s now the Dystel & Goderich Agency. He sent it out and had enough interest to call an auction. “Kushiel’s Dart” and two additional planned but yet-unwritten volumes in the original trilogy were acquired by Tor Books in a pre-emptive bid.
Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.
Jacqueline: I do a lot of my best creative work in my head. At least three days a week, I go for a long walk/jog in the morning and work through upcoming scenes. Late mornings and early afternoons are for catching up on correspondence, paying bills, running errands. I close the door to my cluttered little office behind me and sit down to write for 2-4 hours in the late afternoon to early evening.
Please tell us about your latest novel Kushiel’s Mercy and what we can expect from your characters.
Jacqueline: “Kushiel’s Mercy” will be released by Grand Central Publishing on June 12th, although I’m getting reports of early sightings. It’s the final volume in the Kushiel’s Legacy series, concluding the trilogy featuring Imriel de la Courcel, my ill-starred D’Angeline prince. All he wants in life is to marry his beloved, the royal heir Sidonie, but the Queen has decreed that she’ll only give the union her blessing if Imriel finds his infamous mother, Melisande, and brings her back to Terre d’Ange to be executed for treason. But a looming threat from an unexpected quarter alters all their plans and changes the very nature of Imriel’s quest.
I've heard wonderful things about the series, Jacqueline! What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.
Jacqueline: I’m working on the first book in a new trilogy set in the Terre d’Ange milieu, with the working title “Naamah’s Gift.” It’s set a few generations after the end of the Kushiel’s Legacy series. My heroine Moirin is half-D’Angeline, but she’s born to the Maghuin Dhonn, the infamous bear-witches of Alba. She’s raised in relative isolation in the wilderness before being forced to set out in pursuit of a mysterious destiny. It gives me a chance to view the world through a very fresh set of eyes!
Thank you so much for chatting with me, Jacqueline! I wish you the best on your latest novel. Would you like to close with a writing tip?
Jacqueline: Dialogue is an important part of characterization, so pay attention to the way real people talk and interact with one another – the pacing, the cadence, the tone, the body language. I like to watch skilled actors, too, because the choices they make imbue the spoken words with greater force. To my mind, dialogue isn’t just the words your characters speak; it’s the way they speak them, too. Descriptions of the non-verbal elements can do a lot to convey the emotion of any given exchange, and sometimes a whisper can speak volumes more than a shout. It’s a balancing act, because to write dialogue that reads as realistic without being torturous, you have to streamline it and cut out most of the “ums,” “ers,” “likes,” and “y’knows,” meandering starts and false stops that afflict our everyday conversations. But a bit of keen observation can help bring your characters to life.
***
Jacqueline Carey is the bestselling author of the “Kushiel’s Legacy” series and “The Sundering” duology. Although often asked by inquiring fans, she does not, in fact, have any tattoos. Further information is available at www.jacquelinecarey.com.
The Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit
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