Awakening:
Book One of The Geis is a young adult fantasy that is based in Celtic
mythology. It is set in Star Valley, Wyoming, and has Celtic mythology, Irish
dance, sign language, a dragon, banshees, teen love, twenty-something love, and
a murder mystery. Phew!
Have you
ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the
direction of the novel at all?
Aunt Avril, an
eccentric clairvoyant who works for the FBI, was not even in the first few
drafts of Awakening. It seems weird now, because she is a major character and
it changed the entire novel when I found her. Once she showed up on the page,
Aunt Avril took over and it was so easy to write her character.
Did you
try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?
I did not even
send out one query for Awakening. I knew that I wanted to self-publish and it’s
been such a fantastic ride!
What
factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?
I love having
creative control over my work, and I like to have goals, not set deadlines. I
have a good presence on the web, and an entrepreneuring spirit, and I am
willing to work hard. And my husband is fantastic at cover and layout. A
perfect combo!
If you
used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the
creative process for your cover?
I was very
involved. My husband, Devon Dorrity, designed and created my cover and I am so
pleased with the way it turned out. We hired a model and a photographer and did
a photo shoot. I have to say that photo shoot was one of the highlights of
creating the book!
Do you
belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?
I love my
critique group. We meet once a month and it really helps me to continue putting
out new content. It helps so much to read early writing to a willing ear.
Do you
outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
With Awakening I wrote by the seat of my
pants, but I ended up with so much editing! I am currently working on a major
outline for book two.
Did you
hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
Absolutely!
It’s amazing how many mistakes I can’t see because I’m too close to the story.
I had four editors for this book, including one from Ireland to check for
consistency in the Celtic mythology.
What have
you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?
If I don’t
champion my book, who will? I am responsible for getting my books into the
hands of readers.
What
advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing
arena?
Learn
everything you can about the craft and give it time.
Besides
writing, do you have any other passions?
I am a
Champion level Irish dancer and I’m currently training for the World Irish
Dance Europeans and World Competition in April 2014.
What’s
next for you?
Book Two in
The Geis comes out in 2014, and the final volume in The Book Blogger’s Cookbook
will release in 2014 as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your post will be published after administrator approval.