Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book?
Is it part of a series?
In “Escape from the Past:
The Duke’s Wrath” Max Anderson, a nerdy gamer tries out an experimental
computer game and time-travels to medieval Germany where he gets drawn into a
feud between three lords while trying to find a way home. This is book one in a
trilogy, based on the history of Castle Hanstein in Thuringia, Germany and its
charismatic knight, Werner von Hanstein.
In book two “Escape from the
Past: The Kid,” out in February 2016, Max tries to return to medieval Germany
because of ‘unfinished business,’ but accidentally lands in the Wild West of
1881 New Mexico where he meets Billy the Kid and gets involved with an ancient
Warm Springs Apache.
Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?
Yes, I signed with a
literary agent in 2013 and let him go after a year. I found him through a cold
query but unfortunately things didn’t work out. Since he had already shopped my
manuscript, I chose to find a publisher on my own. I was lucky to find
Lodestone Books and they are publishing all three books in the trilogy. For my
next project I will again return to querying agents.
How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract? Was it for your first novel?
How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract? Was it for your first novel?
I finished my first novel
and a dozen revisions in 2010—the book is still unpublished. I received my
first contract offer for “Escape from the Past” in 2014. I did, however, sign
with a literary agent in 2013 and after a year of sparse communication and
several other issues decided to cancel the contract.
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?
My first novel, “A Different
Truth” was published in partnership with Grey Wolfe Publishing. I was able to
chose my own designer who created this amazing cover from scratch. I was lucky
to get him to help me. The “Escape from the Past” trilogy is published through
Lodestone Books in the U.K. and I was able to suggest cover art, but the
designer ultimately choses what he wants to work with.
The cover of “Escape from
the Past: The Duke’s Wrath” was created from an original drawing of Castle Hanstein
in 1450.
Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?
Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?
I’ve been part of a critique group for seven years. We meet every
two weeks and I’ve only missed when I was out of town. I can’t begin to tell
you how much I’ve learned from my writer friends. In the beginning I learned
things like formatting, grammar and punctuation. Over time, my focus changed.
Nowadays, I mostly get feedback on inconsistencies with plot or dialogue.
My groups – I belong to two – have definitely helped me a lot.
However, not all groups are created equal and there can be problems including
personality conflicts, not following proper critique guidelines, fellow writers
being much better or much worse. Sometimes a writer considers him/herself an expert
and influences your development, even your voice negatively. So, it’s important
to find a group with likeminded individuals who are at varying levels of craft,
understand the genre you write and are genuinely interested in supporting each
other.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?
I like quiet so I don’t
listen to music. I sit in my office with the door closed because I find noise
of any kind distracting. I typically write in the morning, especially when I’m
working on a first draft. This first creation is always the hardest, taking the
most brainpower. Sometimes I only write a page, sometimes it’s ten.
I struggle most with first
chapters because so much is set up in it. I’ve learned to just ‘slop’ it down
initially without the editor sitting on my shoulder whispering criticism.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
I’m a pantser and have only
a lose idea where the story goes. I find if I let my mind run, I come up with
new characters, subplots and generally am freer to create than if I outline.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
With the exception of a few
bestselling authors and no matter how a work is published, most authors in
todays’ environment must market their books and themselves. I struggle finding
a good balance between writing and marketing. There are infinite possibilities
to market, but until one has done this for a few years, it’s difficult to tell
what works best. At the same time I have stories nudging me and I’ve committed
to creating a first draft this spring.
I’m trying to juggle both
jobs by writing every morning because I’m freshest and doing marketing in the
afternoon. Ask me again in a year and I’ll tell you how well this is working.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
I’m a travel nut and thanks
to my husband’s retirement we have time to explore new places. We love Europe
and spend a month there every year. A few days are always reserved bicycling
along a river in Germany. They have amazing infrastructure and hundreds of
thousands of miles of dedicated bike trails.
I also discovered my passion
for yoga. Since I sit so much my back acts up and yoga gives me that outlet to
get my body back into shape.
I don’t know if you can call
my old dog, Mocha, a passion, but I’m devoted to her. We walk every day, rain
or shine and we’re roommates sharing my office.
What’s next for you?
What’s next for you?
I
envision being a lifelong author. I love the process of writing, editing and
researching. I love looking for new ideas and creating exciting stories. Book
two in the trilogy, “Escape from the Past: The Kid” will be released in
February 2016 and I just completed the third and last book. My next project
will be about two teens surviving WWII in Germany. It’s sort of a love story
despite the odds. I’m also still working on a story about a farm boy and his
slave friend who are torn apart by the American Civil War.
Thank you so much for hosting me!
BLURB:
When
fifteen-year old nerd and gamer Max Anderson thinks he’s sneaking a preview of
an unpublished video game, he doesn’t realize that 1) He’s been secretly chosen
as a beta, an experimental test player. 2) He’s playing the ultimate history
game, transporting him into the actual past: anywhere and anytime. And 3)
Survival is optional: To return home he must decipher the game’s rules and
complete its missions—if he lives long enough. To fail means to stay in the
past—forever.
Now Max is trapped in medieval Germany, unprepared and clueless. It is 1471 and he quickly learns that being an outcast may cost him his head. Especially after rescuing a beautiful peasant girl from a deadly infection and thus provoking sinister wannabe duke Ott. Overnight he is dragged into a hornet’s nest of feuding lords who will stop at nothing to bring down the conjuring stranger in their midst.
Now Max is trapped in medieval Germany, unprepared and clueless. It is 1471 and he quickly learns that being an outcast may cost him his head. Especially after rescuing a beautiful peasant girl from a deadly infection and thus provoking sinister wannabe duke Ott. Overnight he is dragged into a hornet’s nest of feuding lords who will stop at nothing to bring down the conjuring stranger in their midst.
Buy Links:
Barnes &
Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/escape-from-the-past-annette-oppenlander/1121795814?ean=9781846949739
IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781846949739
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Annette Oppenlander writes
historical fiction for young adults. When she isn’t in front of her computer,
she loves indulging her dog, Mocha, and traveling around the U.S. and Europe to
discover amazing histories.
“Nearly every
place holds some kind of secret, something that makes history come alive. When
we scrutinize people and places closely, history is no longer a number, it
turns into a story.”
Social Media
Links:
Twitter:
@aoppenlander
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