Interview with Shelby Hiatt

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Shelby Hiatt is the author of PANAMA, set in the early 1900s, and charting an American girl's life in Panama during the building of the canal. I described it in my review as having 'very evocatively written descriptions of Panama and the jungle, as well as a lot of interesting dialogue about class and society in America, Panama and Spain in the early 1900s, Panama will certainly appeal to readers of historical romance of all ages.'


1. What was the inspiration behind PANAMA?

I went there with a friend a few years ago – there’s a page about that on http://www.shelbyhiatt.net/ and I was impressed with the locks and the canal and with the people--I knew there was a book in all that. But it had to be fiction, the non-fiction history has been written and very well by others. There’s plenty of first-hand information since the Americans in the Zone during construction knew it was important and wrote memoirs, letters, diaries and journals, and many of those are available. So using those I went to work.

2. What made you decide to leave the central character of PANAMA nameless?

It wasn’t conscious. I was three quarters of the way through the book and wanted her mother to call her by name when they were hurrying to leave for Dayton then realized if I hadn’t used it by then it would seem strange to start at that point. So I just didn’t use it at all. That never happened before and I’ve written several books.

3. What's your writing process like? Do you write in the morning, at night, in bed, outside, in short bursts or steadily?

Steady and daily. Every morning I write at the desk beside my bed on a computer using Screenwriter 2000 software. I write screenplays too and that software has a good novel format. I work four hours every morning, nine to one. I’ve done it for years. Don’t know what I’d do in the morning if I didn’t write. It’s not so much a discipline as something I really love to do.

4. Can you tell us a bit about your road to publication?

I wrote screenplays between run-throughs on the General Hospital set and when those didn’t sell I wrote a novel. That first novel sold to Oliver Stone for film. It was called HECTOR’S TAPES but it didn’t get made and was never published so I kept writing. I used AgentQuery.com to find suitable agents and my query letter for PANAMA went to over 130 agents before the book was picked up. Then it was sold in a couple of weeks.

5. What inspires and drives your writing?

I think my interest in history inspires me most, especially first hand accounts. Everything I write is set against some historical event. I dig up personal accounts and if those don’t exist I research the researchers and get as close to how the people acted and felt at the time as I can. All that’s very interesting to me. I’ve just finished a novel set in Biblical Judea – not much first hand stuff on that but plenty of scholarly research. What a place that was with the Romans running things. Very interesting.

6. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...

…a mix of small town life in Winchester Indiana and suddenly at 16 (and at my request) a year in a boarding school in Switzerland because I was so interested in languages—culture clash. My parents let me go to Brillantmont in Lausanne, Switzerland and I loved it. Very strict but I learned French and did well. Then on to College and I graduated two weeks after my 20th birthday--end of the teen years. Very studious. No serious boyfriend yet.

7. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is...

…a lot of reading. Life goes like this: Get up at 9. Write. Go to the gym (beautiful Wooden Center at UCLA) or take a long walk. Run any errands. Stop at Starbucks and read and drink tea. Evenings are more reading and watching TV if there’s something interesting on. BBC America has some good stuff. I’m liking Robin Hood and a couple of the popular talk shows and Top Gear, a car show but so entertaining. Last month I went to New York and Boston for the book and I visit a son in Seattle regularly. My friends and I often go to movies. I have to say I loved District Nine.

8. Are you working on anything new at the moment? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

The newest is a story taken from a strange true event: in the 1930s there was a Nazi survivalist camp in Santa Monica Canyon. Amazing, I know. It was there all right, I’ve climbed through the concrete and steel ruins. The protagonist is a 17 year old boy and there’s flood and a fire. It’s a big adventure and true and really amazing.

Inky Awards!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Today I had a lovely time hosting the inaugral School Library Association of Victoria's Reader's Cup State Finals! I'll be talking about that a bit more when I get some photos of the day. But for now, let's talk about yesterday's Inky Awards:


They were great! The muffins were good (though they disappeared quickly)! There was excellent speech-giving and lots and lots of people, mostly young! The State Library is possibly the most beautiful building I have ever seen (proof here) and they have a great exhibition on at the moment called Mirror of the World.


The Gold Inky went to WHERE THE STREETS HAD A NAME, by Randa Abdel-Fattah, and the Silver Inky went to THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins.


Now, photos! Me and...
Lili Wilkinson.

Penny Hueston, Kirsty Wilson and Steph Stepan from Text Publishing.
I also got to meet the lovely Simmone Howell, though I didn't get a photo with her. Also met Gabrielle Wang, Andrew Finegan, George Ivanoff, Bel Moneypenny (editor of Voiceworks), Paula Kelly and lots of other really lovely people (sorry if I forgot to mention you here! There were a few people I spoke to who I realised later I didn't ask their name.) It was great to meet people I've only previously known online (Adele and Simmone and Penni and Lili).


So, yay for teenagers reading! And yay for great books for teenagers! And yay for wonderful things like the Inky Awards!

Interview with Andrew McDonald

Friday, November 27, 2009

Andrew McDonald is the author of The Greatest Blogger in the World which I reviewed here. He also proclaimed August 10th as National Take a Skull to Work or School Day (which is sure to catch on next year). Check out the Greatest Blogger in the World website and Andrew's very funny blog.

1. What inspires your writing?

My main source of inspiration is jellybeans. This is because I reward myself with a jellybean at the end of every good writing session. If I were to name another inspiration it would probably be the amazing writing done by other people - from songwriters like Tom Waits to TV writers like Joss Whedon to novelists like Neil Gaiman. To write anything as half as good as any of these people would be unbelievable. So yes, other writers and jelly beans.


2. What three words would you use to describe yourself? And what three words would you use to describe your writing?

To describe myself I would use the words ‘simple’, ‘complex’ and ‘contradictory’.

To describe my writing I would use the words ‘amusing’, ‘to’ and ‘me’ – as in I only write stuff that I find amusing and/or interesting. It is important for writers (and anyone I guess) to interest themselves. You could call this narcissism, but it’s also a good way for me to double-check that my writing is on track.


3. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...

…like a boxing match: I lasted the fight and in the end I got out of the boxing ring, but there was trauma throughout and I got some long-lasting scars.

But to move away from the martial arts metaphor, teenagedom was ok, it just took ages before it was over. There’s a reason people like to think of themselves as being ‘kids at heart’ and not ‘adolescents at heart’.


4. Have you always wanted to write for young people? Or did you set out to become a brain surgeon and wind up stumbling down this path? Was the road to publication rocky for you?

Originally I set out to be a journalist-writer-man but I kept describing sports stars as ‘jumpy-muscle-men’ and the Prime Minister as the ‘boss-of-the-land-man’ so I didn’t last. Plus, a lot of the journalism I was involved with was essentially telling the same story over and over and over again, with minimal changes to names and settings.

Enrolling in RMIT’s Professional Writing and Editing diploma was the turning point. I could write the stories that I wanted to and the course introduced me to important things that writers need like editing, workshopping, writerly friends and contacts. The Greatest Blogger in the World was born out of the writing I did in that course and learning how and when I write best.


5. Who are your favourite authors and which novels are your all-time favourites?

Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman and Ursula Dubosarsky rate among some of my favourites names for people as well as some of my favourite authors.

Some of my all-time favourite novels at the moment would be Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, Holes by Louis Sachar and Dracula (it’s a lot more than just The First Vampire Book) by Bram Stoker.

6. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is...

...spending obligatory time at work, spending obligatory time with family members, doing my tax, paying my bills, cleaning the toilet and shampooing my leg hairs – all tasks which must be completed before I can sit down and read.

7. If you were a superhero, what would be your name, power and costume?

I would be a superhero who has the power to stop people being embarrassed after they sneeze in public. We’ve all been there – a big KATCHOOO on a train turns your nose into a dripping faucet and you start pretending to stretch so you can get your sleeves up close to your nose. If I could remove that awful self-awareness/sneeze denial from the world I would do it. And I don’t think I’d have a name or a costume because once solved I wouldn’t want anyone to know about the terrible problem that used to exist. Because I’m just that selfless.

--

http://www.thegreatestbloggerintheworld.com
http://andrewmcdonald.net.au

Interview with Luisa Plaja

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Luisa Plaja is the author of Split by a Kiss and Extreme Kissing . I reviewed both books here (read my Split by a Kiss review, and my Extreme Kissing review) and they're both great - hilarious and chick-litty, but also with a bit of substance to them.

You can find out more about Luisa and her books on her website, and you should follow her on Twitter (she also blogs at Chicklish - a great site for for reviews, interviews and giveaways of UK teen fiction).

1. Is there anything in particular that drives you to write, and to write for teens?
That's a great question. I don't really know the answer! I love reading fiction about teenagers and I always have, and writing it feels natural. I think it's a fascinating time in life to read/write about.

2. I love the concept behind Split by a Kiss! Did the idea just pop into your head, or did you want to explore that whole Sliding Doors idea, but on a teenaged level, and the story originated from there?
I definitely didn't set out to write a "Sliding Doors" story. I wanted to write about the culture shock of a British teenager moving to the States. The 'split' happened as I was writing, and thinking about the effects of a move like that. I think it can sometimes feel as if you adopt a new persona when you live in a different country and are seen differently. When I reached the scene with Jo and Jake in the cupboard, I couldn't make up my mind how Jo would react, given the change in people's attitudes to her, and how this was changing the way she saw herself. I decided to explore two different reactions, and the split was born! I love examining issues of identity and self.
And this is the point where I worry that I've made the book sound heavy, when it really isn't, as you know. It's very light, and it's a romance. Though a lovely person I know recently disagreed with me on this. "It's a contemporary analysis of Jungian philosophy!" she told me. So, you know. Perhaps the book itself has a bit of a split identity. ;)

3. In Extreme Kissing, Bethany and Carlota go Extreme Travelling in London. Have you ever tried out Extreme Travel yourself? (I think the 'silent rave' bit would be especially fun!)
Yes, in a way, although Bets and Lots had a far more exciting time than I did with my friends! We'd end up going round in circles on the Circle Line or standing in the middle of a traffic-filled roundabout going, "Ohhh-kay. Let's go home now."
The silent rave was based on this one, which took place near the one Carlota starts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsXtmmswDCA

4. What was the road to publication like for you?
Very smooth and absolutely wonderful. I know I was lucky. For years beforehand, though, I'd convinced myself that I could never be a published novelist because it was an impossible dream. Now I regularly metaphorically pinch myself.

5. What advice would you like to give your teenaged self, or yourself as a younger writer?
Dear mid-teenage me: you want to be a writer but you already think that having a novel published is an impossible dream. You read "how to write" books all the time, and you spend every spare minute writing letters to people you've never met, and occasionally to authors you love. By night, you fill notebook after notebook with angsty tales of your life so far. By day, you write comedy love stories and photo story scripts, and you sell them to your fave magazines. (You say "fave". You might not grow out of that.) Then you worry that you are wasting your time and/or are a complete geek/nerd/whatever-you-kids-used-to-say-back-then. You think when you grow up you'll need a proper job and/or to get a life.

My advice from the future is as follows: Don't worry. You'll muddle through and make a ton of mistakes of all shapes and sizes, but you'll always be OK in the end (so far), and you'll always be a writer (so far). In fact, you'll probably always be a writer whether you write or not, and throughout all those proper jobs you'll do. (And they'll be ace and you'll meet fabulous people and travel the country, and bits of the world, and you'll even meet some of those strangers you wrote letters to, who are now friends.) And the geekiness? You'll embrace it, eventually. Also, 'getting a life'? Is a totally spurious concept. Best of all, amazingly, teenage girls will write to YOU, the same way you now write to your "fave" authors. Well, not exactly the same, because you hand-write all your letters and post them and, in the future, girls like you will have personal computers with internet connections. Can you imagine? You'd never be off it! Oh wait - Future You never are.

6. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is...
Busy and child-filled.

7. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...
Angsty and book-filled.

8. Are you working on anything at the moment? Can you reveal a little something about it, or is it super secret?
I'm putting the finishing touches on a sequel to Split by a Kiss. It's called Swapped by a Kiss and it's a body swap story, with Rachel as the main character. I had more to say about Rachel than I could fit into Split by a Kiss, and I'm very happy I've now had the chance to write her story too. Swapped by a Kiss will be out in April 2010.

Thank you very much for interviewing me!

--

http://luisaplaja.com

I have a book deal! I'm just as surprised as you are.

Monday, November 23, 2009


My novel is going to be published in Australia & New Zealand by Text Publishing in September of next year.

Yes, I know. I'm just as surprised as you are. In fact, more so. Dependent on the degree of your surprisedness.

I'll borrow a little bit from their newsletter:


We're thrilled to announce that in September 2010 we'll publish the debut love story of 15-year-old Melburnian Steph Bowe. Steph runs a blog called Hey! Teenager of the Year and her voice in the as-yet-untitled novel will knock your socks off—so mature, gutsy, funny and true. It's the story of two messed-up teenagers, Jewel and Sacha, as they stare down death and fall in love. Steph's going to find fans old and young all over the world, and we're honoured to be the publisher who will launch her career.

(I'm just trying to come to terms with the fact that I wrote a love story. It's kind of embarrassing.)

Huge thanks to my agent, Ginger Clark, as well as to my parents for tolerating me for fifteen years. And my nan, hi Nan! (She reads this blog, you know.) And of course the amazing people at Text, for taking me on board!

I'm going to finish up by quoting myself from the press release (I know! Me, quoted! Press release!):
‘I am absolutely thrilled that Text is publishing my novel. I’m pinching myself every five seconds to make sure this is real. I’m definitely looking forward to working with the brilliant people at Text and excited for everything that’s yet to come!’

Signs & Wonders: Visual Inspiration, Part Two

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Part One. All images from Tumblr (if you know any original sources, let me know).
































How are you all going with NaNo?

Signs & Wonders: Visual Inspiration, Part One

Monday, November 16, 2009

Signs & Wonders is the working title of my NaNoWriMo novel/Work-in-progress. It's so weird at the moment I can barely explain it. But I like it. I like the dual narrative, and I like that it's so bizarrely funny and the narrator is sarcastic and that it all centralises around his death, but it's much more about being alive. And mundane things, like getting camera film developed and laundromats.

I was inspired by Weronika Janczuk's post, Where The Doves Fly In Pictures (I read part of her work-in-progress novel Where The Doves Fly a little while back, and Weronika is brilliant). Here's a pictorial representation of Signs & Wonders, for your viewing pleasure!

I have tonnes of images to use, so I'm breaking it up into a few parts - expect more later in the week. Let me know what you think!

(All of these images are from Tumblr, and none are mine. I'd be grateful if you could tell me any of the original sources.)



































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