Kari's Queries, part 15

Here we are, with the very last of the queries. Yes, I know it's not Friday, but with all the snow days everybody's been having, I have no idea what day it is anyway.

I've had a lot of fun with these this semester, questions ranging from serious to silly and everything in between. I hope the kids have had as much fun with it.

Starting with their next semester, we'll be changing things up a bit and I'll be taking a look at some of their writing. I'm so excited about this! (I can't tell you how stoked it makes me to see kids writing.)

~*!*~

Are there any books that you wish you could have published?

Anything that made over a million bucks.

I kid. A little.

I'm gonna interpret this question to actually say "Are there any books that you wish you could have written?" And the answer is, TONS!

Sometimes, it's a book that so sucks me into its world that I just can't help but want to stay and play myself. Stacia Kane's Downside series is one such. (And Stacia's my friend, she knows I'm a raving fangirl when it comes to Chess and Terrible) I'd kill to be able to take what she's created and fiddle around with it. And I don't even mean the characters. Just the world itself is so rich and so full of potential. I can't wait to see what else she does with it in her future novels. (P.S. If anyone's interested in a free story download, at the bottom of that page I just linked there's a free Downside short story that's really good!)

Sometimes, it's a book where I say, oh wow, the idea was awesome, but I would have gone a totally different way with it. And that doesn't even mean that the other book was badly written. It just means that something in it sparked a glimmer in my admittedly warped brain, and it would have been amazing to have had that idea first. I remember thinking this about Neil Gaiman's American Gods. A wonderful book in and of itself, but after reading it I kept thinking of all the things I could do with the idea of gods walking the streets of the modern world. Some of those urges went into Muse, now that I think about it, though Muse is far from modern.

And, I will say it, I even wish I could have written something like Twilight. Now, whether you're a fan or not, regardless of what you think about the characters, or the plot, or the writing quality, the Twilight series has undeniably left its mark on the world. A zillion raving fans waited on pins and needles just to find out what happened next. They suffered with the characters, they fought, they came out victorious (or not, depending on who you were cheering for). I can only hope to someday create characters that touch so many people so deeply.

When you write a book, do you write it chapter by chapter or do you just start writing until you hit a block?

My current process is to write chapter by chapter, following an outline that I've prepared ahead of time. I find it very helpful, when I hit that block, to refer back to the outline and remind myself of all the things I need to hit in any given chapter.

Though, in all fairness, I have been known to write "Stuff happens here" on my outline, and just leave my brain to fill in the giant hole later.

I have tried writing out of order in the past, and I find that it makes things much more disjointed for me. With the outline-chapter method, I can make notes of things I need to fix in later passes, and just keep going.

Don't take this to mean that this is THE way to write. You could ask a hundred writers how they write, and get a hundred different methods. I know people who break out in hives at the mere thought of an outline, and others who would hyperventilate if you told them they had to write without one.

You have to find what works for you.

~*!*~

And we'll call that a wrap! Like I said, my fun with the high school kids will continue soon, in a slightly different form. And hopefully, I'll figure out when Friday is so I can get stuff posted on time.

For those keeping track, I turned in my revisions on A SHOT IN THE DARK about a week ago, and I'm pretty darned pleased with them. Which probably means I've screwed it up somehow. I'm intending to get back to writing Book 3 this week, and I'm always on the lookout for title ideas if anyone happens to think of one. (hint hint)

Kari's Queries, part 14

Happy New Year!

What do you mean that was like a week ago?

Okay, yes, I know I'm a bit behind with the celebrating of the new year and all. Sorry. But I've been hard at work on my revisions for A SHOT IN THE DARK. In fact, I'm hoping to deliver them to The Editor on Monday, so I've taken a bit of time off from the Real Job(tm) to accomplish this. (So far, so good. Very pleased with the work I've done to this point)

I keep thinking I need to do some kind of "goals for 2011" post, or something to wrap up 2010. And I might, still. But for right now, I give you one more installment of the queries, short but sweet.

If you never started writing, what would you see yourself doing?

Oh wow... It's really hard to imagine me not writing. Hm.

Well, we'll assume that me having a Real Job(tm)is a given, since I still have one of those anyway.

But creatively... At one time in my life, I was a decent artist. I suppose, if I hadn't been pulled toward writing, I might have developed that more. Of course, in my own opinion, I was never more than a mediocre artist. I mean, put something in front of me and I can put an exact copy on paper. But to me, that's not art. They have machines that do the same thing.

To me, artists are the ones who can see something in their mind's eye, and put that on paper. I don't have that ability, and I envy it. I can't tell you how often I'd love to be able to draw my own characters, to put the scenes in my head on paper for others to see.

I settle for doing it in words.

How have your daughter and husband influenced your writing?

Well, I think I've mentioned before that my hubby was responsible for the original idea that became the JJD series. He's my biggest supporter, and my best brainstorming buddy. Just a few days ago, we spent forty-five minutes hashing out some issues I'd been having with my Book 2 revisions. I'd been beating my head against a wall on them for a month, but just a few minutes with him and we figured it all out.

I don't know what I'd do without him.

And my kiddo...oh boy. When I'm really stuck, I'll ask her for ideas. Usually, her answer is something completely off the wall. (Add more dragons is a popular theme) But I always try to take her advice seriously and try to figure out how to make it work. I hope she always feels involved in my writing, especially because it's something that usually involves me staring at a computer for hours on end instead of doing something more awesome like playing in the park or dancing to her new video game.

I like to include things just for the both of them, little tidbits and Easter eggs that no one else would recognize. Someday, when kiddo's grown enough to read my stuff, I want her to be able to point that out and say "Oh, you put that in there for me!" No matter what I'm writing, I'm always thinking of them in some way.

Merry Pie-mas!

Tonight, I may have made the world's most perfect pie crust. Join me in basking in its beauty, won't you?

Cover Art!!!

THE ENEMY OF HIS ENEMY

Jesse James Dawson is a Champion, putting his life on the line for those foolish enough to bargain with demons and fighting to save their souls. But even a Champion needs some downtime, so Jesse takes his annual camping trip to Colorado for some male bonding over friendly games of paintball.

Unfortunately, the fun and war games are interrupted by a pack of creatures summoned up from the very depths of hell by an entity Jesse prayed he’d never see again. With the lives of his friends and a teenager’s soul on the line, Jesse’s only hope may lie with an even more dangerous enemy—his personal demon, Axel…

Kari's Queries, lucky 13

We're coming up on the Winter Holiday break for my high school friends (they don't let you call it Christmas break anymore), so the queries will be going on hiatus soon, at least for a little bit.

When we come back next semester, we're gonna change things up a bit, and maybe see some of the kids' own writing. I'm really excited about it!

In the meantime, I have this week's questions. Everyone stay warm, I hear it's downright nasty where ya'll are.

~*!*~

Who is your biggest inspiration and what have they done to inspire you?

I don't think I have a good answer for this one. There are a lot of people in my life who have inspired me to do this whole writing thing. Some of them cheered me on, cheered me up. Some of them I just felt the petty need to say "Ha! I did it, so neener neener!" (see, not all inspiration comes from good sources) But to pick the "biggest" one...

I write because I love it when people say "Oh my god, I want to read more!" "Wow, you totally had me wigging out there!" "Dude, I cried, seriously." Yeah, the praise is great, I won't deny that, but even more, I love knowing that I was able to take that person out of this world and put them in another, even if just for a little while.

Even if I had never been published, I would still write for those people, the ones who want to be transported to a different time and place, to walk in a hero's shoes (or a villain's) for just a little while.

So the really sappy answer to this whole question is, the readers inspire me. All the readers. All the ones who have ever read my stuff, the ones who might someday, and the ones who never will. I keep writing for them, because making them happy makes me happy.

After getting the cover art for your books, does it change your image of the way you imagine them?

Well, I've only had this experience twice so far, so right now I'll say no. The model on the covers of the JJD novels is not quite how I envisioned Jesse, but in all fairness, in my head Jesse still looks a lot like my hubby. Does the cover model make a good Jesse? Oh yeah! There are no words for how much I love my covers. But I don't think the Cover Jesse will ever replace Mental Jesse as my "go to" image. The original picture is still too entrenched in my head.

That is something I'll be curious to watch for, as time goes on. (and, higher powers willing, I publish more books) How will the cover art influence me, not just for the JJD novels but for everything I ever write? How will it influence how my readers see my characters?

For me, it's something to look forward to. For you, it probably just makes me sound like a big geek.

Have you ever thought that one of your books was going to be really good but then someone else reads it and he or she thinks it is not?

Oh yeah. Always. It happens with everything you ever write. There's always going to be someone who doesn't like it.

But I get the feeling that's not exactly what you're asking. I think you want to know, has anyone ever not liked something enough that I abandoned the idea? The easy answer to that is no.

I don't think I've ever truly abandoned an idea. Oh sure, I've got that one novel, Avarice, that has gone to live with a nice family in the country, but it's not GONE gone. Someday, when I feel like I can finally do it justice, I'll pick it back up again. Someday. And I didn't banish it because of anything anyone else said. It was something I came to recognize myself about the work. It wasn't ready yet.

When one of my betas, especially one of my early readers (Miss Chie, my hubby, Theo), tells me there's something not working with a piece, I listen. I mean, that's why I HAVE them, to catch the things I can't see. But then again, I've never had one of them say "OMG, this thing suuuuuuuucks! You should burn it, and break your fingers, and never write again!" They can always find some value in even the worst of my efforts, something to salvage, something to polish up. Even discarded writing isn't worthless writing. You learn, you grow, you scavenge the awesome pieces and use them later.

Now, to tackle the question on a more personal level... My hubby doesn't like Muse, and it's probably the writing I'm most proud of at this point in my life. Did it sting a little? Yeah a bit. But in truth, Muse isn't the kind of thing that he would normally like anyway, whether I wrote it or Joe Bestseller wrote it. So I can't really fault him for not liking something he already didn't like, y'know? Doesn't mean the writing's bad, just means it's not his thing.

That's something any writer has to learn. Just because a person doesn't like what you've written doesn't mean that the writing itself is bad. It just means it's not for THAT particular audience.

Kari's Queries, part 12

Are there any authors' awards, such as how actors have Oscars? If so, have you ever attended a ceremony or received an award?

Short answer: Yes, and no.

Long answer: Yes, there are author awards (well, most are actually book awards), though they're often exclusive to genre, rather than all-encompassing "OMG it's the best book EVAR!!!!!111".

For example, we have the Nebula Awards. These are awards presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. They have categories, just like the Oscars. Short story, novel, novelette, things like that. Big awards ceremony, from what I hear. I've never been.

(Remember, I'm just starting out in this big crazy publishing world. Maybe they'll notice me later. ;) )

Another big sci-fi/fantasy award is the Hugo, voted on by members of Worldcon.

There's the O. Henry award, for short stories. I'm sure you've all heard of the Newbery Medal (kids' books). There are awards for mysteries, and romance, and poetry and pretty much everything you can think of.

And of course, the big daddy, the Pulitzer in five different categories.

Here's a link to a Wikipedia page on Literary Awards from all over the world. (I know, I know. Don't tell your teachers I sent you to Wikipedia)

So yes, there are awards. No, I've never been. But maybe someday!

Hey Kari! I'm your biggest fan and I find great enjoyment in out weekly readings with you. Now, onto my question, What is a typical day in the shoes of an extravagant author such as yourself?

You're my biggest fan? Wow, it's so great to finally meet you! I always wondered who you were!

Extravagant... Har har. Prepare to have your illusions utterly shattered.

Honestly, my day goes pretty much like yours. I get up at 5:30 a.m., check the news to see if I need an umbrella, sunblock, or a parka. Roll my kiddo out of bed, get her dressed. Take her to daycare, then I go climb on the public bus to head to the Real Job(tm). At work, I do my work... (duh) On my lunch break, I generally eat at my desk so that I can get in some writing or revising. In the evening, I take the bus home again, pick the kiddo up, go do dishes, and dinner and laundry and all that other domestic stuff. Kiddo goes to bed at 9, I work out for about 20 minutes, then I sit down to do some more writing, or revising (*cough or playing WoW cough*) depending on what deadline I'm working on.

On Saturdays and Sundays, I can usually fit more writing time in, and during kiddo's karate class I can usually revise like the wind!

It ain't glamorous. But I can think of a lot of worse ways to spend my time. Maybe someday I'll be rich enough to quit the Real Job(tm) and spend my days staking out my own personal table in some trendy coffeehouse, but I don't expect it any time soon.

The Stephen Kings and J.K. Rowlings of the writing world are rare. Most writers I know still have their day jobs, or have a spouse who has a really good job to support their writing addiction.

Writing won't make you rich, but I can't think of anything that would make me happier.

On bad days when you get 'writer's block', what do you do to clear your mind and overcome it?

Sometimes, it's as simple as changing the music I'm listening to. If I've been hitting the same tunes for a while, switching them up can shake something loose. Related to that, sometimes stopping to write something else will help me get through a stuck spot. Often, I'll stop and whip out a short story for my WoW guildies, or a few pages in a project I haven't "officially started" yet. Something to get the words flowing.

Sometimes I stop to read someone else's writing. That almost always does it. Like I'm absorbing someone else's creative vibes.

Sometimes (and you're gonna laugh at this) I take a nap. Strangely, I do my best creative thinking in that fuzzy place between awake and asleep. I keep a notebook by my bed, and when I come up with something right before drifting off I can scribble it down so I don't forget it.

And then sometimes, there's nothing to do but let it go. There are days when I'm truly stuck, when all I can do is stare at the blinking cursor of doom and send Miss Chie these texts about how much I suck and how I'm a big fraud, etc. etc. When it gets like that, sitting there trying to force it is just going to make me more stressed. More stress = less writing. Vicious cycle.

Then, the best thing I can do is walk away for the day. Come back tomorrow.

Ok, I'm a dork.

I fully admit that I'm a dork, but this just made me smile all day. How awesome!