Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
I just finished Wild Magic, which is the second book in
the Clearwater Witches series. It follows
Krissa Barnette as she adjusts to the consequences of her actions at the end of
Crystal Magic. Krissa will have to
learn to master her abilities and figure out who she can trust when a new
danger presents itself in Clearwater.
Do you have a favorite character?
My current favorite character to
write is Felix Wolfe in the Clearwater
Witches series. He’s funny and sweet—like a little brother you want to
noogie. In my last series—The Naturals—my
favorite character to write was probably Kellen. He has this kind of easy
snarkiness that’s fun.
Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that
change the direction of the novel at all?
In Wild Magic, the second book in the Clearwater Witches series, a peripheral character from the first book—Felix
Wolfe—suddenly took on a life of his own. He ended up taking over the role
another character was going to fill, and his awesomeness altered the trajectory
of the book. It didn’t change the entire
direction of the book, but his evolution caused a retooling of some events. In
the end, I’m glad it happened. I look forward to what Felix will do in the next
book!
What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?
When I decided to self-publish, it
was because I wanted—needed—a change. I read about the success stories of
people like Amanda Hocking and figured I could do that, too. I had no idea that
writing is only a part of the story, so to speak. I really wish I knew then
what I know now, and I wish I’d figured out how to write faster earlier in my
journey.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like
silence?
My writing process is still
evolving. In November 2013, I went down to part time at my day job and started
spending four hours each weekday at my local Panera, writing. I like writing in
sprints—fifteen or twenty minute stints where I ignore everything and write,
even if I’m not entirely sure what to write. To get the most out of the
sprints, I’ll typically brainstorm scenes beforehand. Wild Magic, the second book in the Clearwater Witches series, was particularly tricky to write: It’s
just over 90,000 words, and that’s after I cut more than 50,000 words. Because
it took so much longer to write than I anticipated and because I struggled so
much with the story itself, I’m trying out a new plotting system for my next
book (a contemporary romance). As I’m maturing in my craft, I’m finding I work
so much better as a “plotter.” I need the structure if I want to get anything
done.
I typically listen to music when I
write, although sometimes I switch to white noise when I’m working on a
particularly tricky scene. Since I do much of my writing in public, I was originally
a little self-conscious about tapping my toes and chair-dancing, but now I’m
more comfortable. If people think I’m weird… well, they’re right.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
I always know how I want the story
to end, and I typically have in mind a handful of plot points in between. I
spend several days scribbling down notes about things that can and should
happen—but those don’t always come to pass. For my next book, I’m going for a
scene-by-scene outline. I’m hoping that spending some extra time plotting on
the front end will make the writing faster and less stress-inducing.
Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
My books are for sale on Barnes
and Noble, Kobo, iBooks (the iTunes book store), GooglePlay (for Android
devices), and Smashwords.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your
current book and writing your next book?
Absolutely. I know there are
things I could be doing to market my books that I’m not doing, either because
they haven’t occurred to me or because I don’t have time to do them. I know it’s
naïve to think that all I need to do is write, but writing does tend to be my
primary focus.
What advice would you give a new author just entering into the
self-publishing arena?
Study up on what’s working in your
genre. Look specifically at things other self-pubbers are doing. Read books
that are selling well so you can get a good idea what readers are craving—as
well as holes in the current offerings. And write fast. In series. And no
matter how good you are (or think you are) at grammar, have someone go over
your draft—preferably several people (critique partners, beta readers, an
editor or proofreader).
What’s next for you?
My next project is a
contemporary/NA romance. It will involve a rock star and will have nothing to
do with magic or psychic powers. I had such a hard time working on Wild Magic that I decided to do
something that required no world-building. This’ll be my fun experiment, and I’m
excited to get started on it!
Book &
Author details:
Crystal Magic by Madeline
Freeman
(Clearwater Witches #1)
Publication date: March 30th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Publication date: March 30th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Nothing is safe around Kristyl Barnette. Windows break. Books
rocket across the room. Lights flicker. Strange occurrences follow the
sixteen-year-old everywhere.
When tragedy forces her to move to the small town of Clearwater, Michigan, with her estranged aunt Jodi, Kristyl tries to leave her past behind. But Clearwater has secrets of its own—a mystical history that intersects with Kristyl’s life and might shed light on the inexplicable events that plague her.
When a mysterious illness threatens her aunt’s life, Kristyl will do anything to cure her. Enlisting the help of witches could save Jodi, but is dealing in magic worth the consequences?
When tragedy forces her to move to the small town of Clearwater, Michigan, with her estranged aunt Jodi, Kristyl tries to leave her past behind. But Clearwater has secrets of its own—a mystical history that intersects with Kristyl’s life and might shed light on the inexplicable events that plague her.
When a mysterious illness threatens her aunt’s life, Kristyl will do anything to cure her. Enlisting the help of witches could save Jodi, but is dealing in magic worth the consequences?
Purchase:
AUTHOR BIO:
Madeline Freeman lives in the metro-Detroit area with her
husband, her daughter, and her cats. In the time she should spend doing
housework, she rewatches Fringe. She also loves anything to do with astronomy, outer
space, plate tectonics, and dinosaurs, and secretly hopes her daughter
will become an astronomer or a paleontologist.
Author
links:
Tour-wide giveaway
--Signed copy of Crystal Magic (Open to US and Canada, ends
August 26th)
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