Interview: Hélène Boudreau on book tours, writing, promotion and MERMAIDS

Toronto author Hélène Boudreau writes fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults. I first met Hélène at a Torkidlit group tweetup and have continued to be impressed by her never-ending positive creative energy, ability to juggle multiple projects AND her online promotion skills.

Her tween novel, Real Mermaids Don’t Wear Toe Rings  was a 2011 Crystal Kite Member Choice Award Finalist.

Last year you went on a book tour. How did that go?

The book tour was great! I spent a week in New Brunswick, touring schools, as part of the Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award program. Atlantic Canadian students from grades 4-6 spend the school year reading from a selection of nominated books and then vote for their favourites. My middle grade book, ACADIAN STAR, was nominated in 2010 and I was invited to visit a total of five libraries where I met hundreds of kids who'd taken part in the program.  

What was your favourite part of the book tour?

My favourite part of the tour was meeting all the students. These kids were reading superstars! Some of them had read up to 13 books for the program and had so many great questions during my presentations. It was easy to tell that they came well prepared! The final day of the tour was the awards ceremony. Six hundred kids packed the auditorium with signs, banners and costumes, representing their favourite books. It was pretty inspiring to hear an auditorium filled with kids, cheering and going crazy for BOOKS! That's pretty much any children's author's dream.

During your tour, did you get any writing done?

I had one or two presentations each day plus travelling but I had a bit of down time during the tour to get some work done. I worked on a picture book revision and made a bit of progress on a young adult novel I've been working on. Most of my stay was in Fredericton, which is beautiful, so I took advantage of the pretty scenery and spent a lot of time walking along the St. John River. It was actually very restful (no laundry, no dishes, no cooking) and a nice change from my usual mom/writing/work mode.  

How did you get your book tour? Did you plan it or did someone else arrange it?

The tour was all arranged for me by Hackmatack and the New Brunswick Public Library system. They arranged everything from my air travel and accommodations, booking the sessions and shuttling me from place to place. They were wonderful hosts!  

So you're working on a picture and a YA novel at the same time? How to manage your work time?

I usually work on several projects at once and try to manage my writing time in the same way as I approached projects when I worked in a more traditional office job. I prioritize projects depending on their deadlines or scope and keep an ongoing to-do list to help stay on track. It can be a bit of a juggling act but it definitely keeps things interesting!

Do you find any challenges in writing for multiple genres?

I think being a writer is a lot like being an actor in many ways. Whether I’m writing a picture book or a young adult novel, I need to understand my character’s motivations, wants and needs before I can step into that role. The difference is that I need to tell those stories from different perspectives, depending on the age and maturity of my character. So, yes, working in multiple genres has its challenges, but that's also part of the fun.

What advice do you have for authors considering doing a book tour?

Pack lightly! Try to choose clothes and footwear you can wear multiple times or hand-wash easily. Non-wrinkle clothing and neutrals work especially well. You may have some downtime, so be sure to pack good walking shoes and outdoor clothing you can layer so you'll be ready to explore your destination city, whatever the weather.

Be flexible! Other opportunities like extra appearances, media interviews or dinners may crop up while you're on tour. It's okay to decline if you're strapped for time but be open to new possibilities.

Be adaptable! Travel arrangements don't always pan out (I was bumped on both my outbound and inbound flights) so have a book or your laptop ready to fit in a bit of work.

Have fun! The best part of book tours is meeting readers so make a special effort to meet and talk to as many readers as possible.

Any advice for hopeful children's writers?
 
That's a toughie, because I'm trying to think of words of wisdom that may have helped me just a few short years ago. It's so hard to stay on course when you have no idea if your efforts will ever amount to anything but you just never know when your time will come. Mainly, I'd encourage hopeful children's writers to write with confidence, even if you don't feel it. To leave it all on the page and not spare a drop. So much of this business is out of our control, but what we can control is the effort and mindset we put forth. So, I'd say; set clear, definable goals and walk confidently toward them.
 
Or, fake it 'til you make it. ;-)

When it comes to effective use of the Internet for author/book promotion, you're one of the best. How do you manage your time re: promotion vs writing?
 
Gosh, I don't know that I'm that effective but I do know that I enjoy social media and love connecting with people that way. Managing my time can be tough especially around book launches or when I'm travelling to conferences and such but I try not to procrastinate on the writing side of things so that I don't get buried by deadlines. That way, if unexpected things come up like trips, (chicken pox), or new projects I've got a bit of wiggle room. As far as fitting in time for social media, that's a must for me. I can't be creative 100% of the time and the internet is a good outlet for interaction and idea-sharing.

What are you working on now?
 
I'm getting ready for the release of the second book in my RED DUNE ADVENTURES junior chapter book series (WATER HAZARD, Nimbus Publishing, spring 2011) and writing the SEA-quel to REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS (Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky, Dec 2010). The new one is called REAL MERMAIDS SHOULDN'T HOLD THEIR BREATH and it will be out in spring 2012. I also just finished revisions on my picture book which will be out in 2013. The illustrator has started sketching so I'm excited to see what the artwork will look like.

Sneak peek trailer for REAL MERMAIDS SHOULDN'T HOLD THEIR BREATH (official trailer coming out later):

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For more info about Hélène and her projects, see:

Her website: http://www.heleneboudreau.com/

On Twitter: @HeleneBoudreau

Her books:

WATER HAZARD, Nimbus Publishing, 2011
REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS, Jabberwocky, 2010
KEEP OUT!, Nimbus Publishing, 2010
ACADIAN STAR, Nimbus Publishing, 2008

Upcoming:

REAL MERMAIDS SHOULDN'T HOLD THEIR BREATH, Jabberwocky, 2012
REAL MERMAIDS BOOK 3, Jabberwocky, 2012
I DARE YOU NOT TO YAWN, Candlewick, 2013
EVANGELINE FOR YOUNG READERS, TBD

and non-fiction too:

LIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL CITY, Crabtree Publishing
LIVING IN A FISHING COMMUNITY, Crabtree Publishing
SPORT SCIENCE: SWIMMING, Crabtree Publishing
MIRACULOUS MEDICINE, Crabtree Publishing
CRIMEBUSTING & DETECTION, Crabtree Publishing

Interview: Middle Grade & YA Author Adrienne Kress On Writing, Acting & The Friday Society

 

Adrienne Kress is a Toronto born actor and author who loves to play make-believe.  She also loves hot chocolate.  And cheese.  And her cat Atticus.

She is the author of two middle grade books: Alex and the Ironic Gentleman and Timothy and the Dragon's Gate (Weinstein Books) as well as a theatre graduate of the University of Toronto and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in the UK.  Published around the world, Alex was featured in the New York Post as a "Post Potter Pick", as well as on the CBS Early Show. It won the Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award in the UK and was nominated for the Red Cedar. The sequel, Timothy, was nominated for the Audie and Manitoba Young Readers Choice Awards, and was recently optioned for film. 

Her debut YA, The Friday Society (Dial), comes out in the fall of 2012.

Find out more about Adrienne at Adriennekress.com and on Twitter at @adriennekress.

Which came first, acting or writing?

I've been creating stories my whole life. I would play make believe with my friends and we'd create little plays to perform. And I would dictate stories to my dad who would then type them up on the Commodore 64. But as far as a profession goes, acting was my first goal.

I became a drama major at the age of 11 at an arts school in Toronto, and continued as such through highschool and then majored in it at University. I moved to London England to study it. All along the way, however, I was writing: taking writing courses, entering contests, and then eventually writing plays which I would then direct.

It wasn't until after university, though, that I considered writing a viable career path to follow as well. So technically you could say acting first, but both passions have been around since before I can remember.  

What was your first writing sale?

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman (though I did produce my own play "A Weekend in the Country" at both the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Toronto Summerworks Theatre Festivals prior to that sale)

Did you or do you have a writing mentor?

My father has always been my writing mentor. He taught high school creative writing, in fact it was such a popular course that students would stay an extra semester to attend it. It was one of those wonderful rare cases where someone taking his work home with him was a wonderful treat for his daughter.

He taught me how to write poetry (and would always write me and my mother poems for special occasions), encouraged me to write any kind of fiction and was extremely supportive and proud of what I did, and importantly introduced me to many different and interesting authors by reading to me every night before bed.

After that I suppose my other mentor would have had to be Canadian playwright Djanet Sears who taught my playwrighting course in my last year of University. She was great.

What I admired most of all was that she was able to be critical of a work and at the same time respect the genre and vision of the student, never imposing her own personal tastes onto our work. She was also the first person who ever told me that writing was something I could do as a profession.

She said that she knew how focused I was on acting, but that she hoped I would return to writing someday because I was very good at it. It was the first time I'd ever considered writing as anything more than a hobby. It was a turning point for me.  

What's your typical work day?

I don't really have one. I have tried numerous times to create a schedule to stick to, but it always falls to the side.

What I do do is set a writing goal to reach. That way it doesn't matter what I do with my day, I have to have finished my writing goal by the end of it. So if I decide I want to sleep in, that's awesome, but it means I'm staying up late to finish my writing.

Typically when I'm working on something it's a 2000 words a day goal. Sometimes as a deadline looms that can go up to 5000. I also do a lot of school visits and presentations, so that can also be a very full day.

Being an actor also means that on occasion I have to drop everything and go to an audition, which is always last minute. I suppose the closest thing I have to a schedule is I try to write during the day and go out at night.

Working from home can be very lonely and isolating, so I try to make sure I see my friends and family as often as possible. Since most of them work 9 - 5, I try to do the same. It doesn't always work though, there are times I'm still at my computer at midnight.

Could you tell us about your new book, The Friday Society?

Sure!  It's my first foray into young adult (teen) fiction.  I like to call it Steampunk Charlie's Angels without the Charlie (because it's very important to me that these girls are in charge of themselves, not taking orders from some faceless dude).  It's set in London, 1900, and is about three female assistants to three very powerful men in London society:  Cora Bell - personal/lab assistant to a Member of Parliament and genius inventor; Michiko Takeda - fight assistant to a self-defense guru; Nellie Harrison - magician's assistant to the very popular Great Raheem.  They find themselves drawn together through a series of mysterious events (murder, thievery and whatnot) happening around London and eventually decide to team up to solve what's going on together as The Friday Society.   Lots of action, comedy, cool costumes and inventions, along with some pretty fun characters.  I'm very excited about it.  It comes out Fall 2012, from Dial.

What about the two short stories you have in upcoming anthologies?

Well technically it's one short story and one essay.  The short story is called "The Clockwork Corset" and appears in the YA Steampunk Romance Anthology CORSETS & CLOCKWORK.  It's about a wealthy 16 year old girl, Imogen, who falls in love with Rafe, the son of the clock winder on her father's estate. When Rafe is sent off to war, she fears for his safety and so follows . . . disguised as a boy.  I call it a mini-novel because it's really structured more like one than a short story, despite the low word count, and a lot of stuff happens in it.  It's a rollicking adventure you could say :) .

The essay is called "The Inevitable Decline of Decadence" and is in the HUNGER GAMES essay anthology THE GIRL WHO WAS ON FIRE.  The anthology consists of essays analysing the awesome that is the young adult series the Hunger Games, and as a pretty big fan of the books I was really thrilled to be asked to contribute to it.  My essay is pretty much about what its title suggests: the decline of decadence, how a decadent society is doomed to fail.  I explain why, and cite examples the from the books themselves as well as throughout history.  

Both books are available right now in bookstores and online actually, which is really exciting!

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Find out more about Adrienne at Adriennekress.com and on Twitter at @adriennekress.

PiBoIdMo and Tara Lazar

Tara Lazar is a children’s book author, mother, foodie and founder of Picture Book Idea Month (a.k.a. "PiBoIdMo"). Her first picture book, The Monstore, will be published by Aladdin/Simon & Schuster in 2013. Tara is represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Find out more about Tara at her blog: http://taralazar.wordpress.com/

And stay tuned for PiBoIdMo 2011 this November!

What inspired you to start PiBoIdMo?

I got active in the online kidlit community in November of 2007. I learned about NaNoWriMo  immediately--EVERYONE was chatting about it. I was jealous of novel writers having all the fun, so the following November I decided I would do something to inspire me as a picture book writer. I'd created one new picture book concept a day. I didn't make it through the whole month, though. I finished with 22 ideas, but one of them was for THE MONSTORE, my upcoming book with Aladdin/Simon & Schuster.


How many years have you run PiBoIdMo?

PiBoIdMo 2008 wasn't official, it was just me and a few local writing friends. I ran PiBoIdMo on my blog for the first time in November 2009. This past November was the 2nd year for the blog-based event.


How successful has it been?

The first year I ran PiBoIdMo, I didn't have a sign-up period, so I don't know how many people participated, but a little over 100 signed the pledge at the end, confirming they had at least 30 ideas. My website received 15,000 hits during November 2009, which, at the time, was the most active month the site ever had.

For PiBoIdmO 2010, there was a sign-up period which logged 404 particpants, with 201 completing the challenge. Web hits soared to 30,000 for the month and my blog was ranked in the top 100 book blogs by Technorati, making it as high as #10. I was blown away by the enthusiasm of the participators! Many blogged their daily progress. Megan K. Bickel, for instance, put her own spin on PiBoIdMo by creating ideas in alphabetical order.

And PiBoIdMo has netted others contracts and awards. Corey Rosen Schwartz came up with the idea for GOLDI ROCKS AND THE THREE BEARS during PiBoIdMo 2009, which was bought by Putnam in 2010. Diana Murray wrote a manuscript from a PiBoIdMo idea which won the SCBWI Barbara Karlin Grant. Those are the two PiBoIdMo success stories I know of, and I'm sure there's more to come! I hope people will contact me with their good news.


Have you enjoyed running it?

It's been a blast running it, but also a lot of work. The first year, I decided to do a daily post after I had already recruited guest bloggers. There were 15 guest bloggers, which meant I had to write 15 posts on my own. That was a bit much, so in 2010 I decided to schedule more guest bloggers. The response was surprising--there were more volunteers than days in November! So some of the guest spots rolled into early December. I had so much fun putting the posts together; I felt privileged to read all the great advice before anyone else.

Next year I might need a PiBoIdMo assistant! So many people volunteered prizes that I'm still doling them out in January!

Interview: Robert Lee Brewer & the Poem-A-Day (PAD) Chapbook Challenge

One of the creative challenges I've decided to take this month is Robert Lee Brewer's November PAD Chapbook Challenge, in which participants write a poem each day, based on a prompt. "During the month of November, don't worry so much about finished drafts; just get the rough drafts cranked out each day. After all, you've got December (and the rest of your life, for that matter) to edit.

It's been fun posting as well as reading other people's poems. Robert was kind enough to take some time out of poetry writing to answer a few questions...

What gave you the idea to start the PAD Challenges? (& how many have you had so far?)
 
We’re currently in the third annual November PAD Chapbook Challenge. Earlier this year, we finished the third annual April PAD Challenge. That’s where all the prompts and challenges started. I’m always trying to think of ways to help other poets—and inspiring them to write is just one way to do that. So I started offering a prompt a day (and two on Tuesdays) in April of 2008. That first challenge was so successful I started doing Wednesday Poetry Prompts each week. As we neared NaNoWriMo month in 2008, I started thinking that it would be neat to give poets a slightly different challenge while fiction writers work on their novels—so I challenged them to write a poem a day in the hopes of getting a 10-20 page chapbook together.
 
You must be so pleased with the response you've had! Every time I check in, SO many poets have posted! How have you found the experience so far?
 
I remember telling my wife (who I was dating at the time) that I wouldn’t be surprised if nobody participates that first year. Boy was I surprised when more than 100 poets jumped in the first day! And it’s only increased in popularity since. I’m the type of person who always hopes for success but expects failure. So I’m almost always pleasantly surprised by any type of success. The best part is that over time I’ve heard from many current and past PAD participants who have placed their PAD poems with various publications and even published whole collections. Plus, it’s amazing to hear that these challenges have either sparked an interest in poetry or brought poets back to their poeming ways!
 
What advice do you have for aspiring poets?
 
Read contemporary poets. Local poets if possible. Find them at literary festivals, open mics, readings, online, or wherever possible. Read online journals. Read anthologies and literary journals (at the library or bookstore). Of course, you must write too, but I find that the more poetry I read the better I feel about my own voice. Outside of that, read your poems aloud or have a friend do so for you. This really helps you figure out obvious flaws in the rhythm of your words.

 
What are your current/upcoming projects?
 
I currently have the November PAD Chapbook Challenge, the WD Poetic Form Challenge: Rondeau, and a challenge to create a new poetic form. In addition to poet interviews, craft advice and publishing tips, I’m usually trying to offer prompts and challenges for poets. At the moment, I’m also figuring out my plans for the 2012 editions of Poet’s Market and Writer’s Market. Plus, I’ve been submitting both individual poems and a few chapbook submissions of my own.
 
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
 
If anyone wants to tweet poetic on Twitter, there are a few different hashtags available to poets. On Tuesdays, they can use #poettues. Throughout the week, poets use #poettalk to share links, poems and poetic quips. @32poems hosts a #poetparty every Sunday evening from 9-10 p.m. ET. And, #novpad is the hashtag of choice for poets who are pushing through the November PAD Chapbook Challenge. Outside of that, thank you so much for the interview. It was fun!
 

How Nelsa Roberto wrote & sold her YA novel debut: ILLEGALLY BLONDE

 

I met YA author Nelsa Roberto through the Toronto Middle Grade and Young Adult group (a.k.a. Torkidlit). Nelsa's one of those people who makes you feel comfortable right away. She's smart, she's funny, she speaks her mind. Read my interview with Nelsa to find out about how she wrote and sold her debut YA novel, ILLEGALLY BLONDE, and her advice for hopeful writers.

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Lois Peterson: Wrote 3 Drafts Of A Book In 5 Days (Interview)

Lois Peterson is a children's author and creative writing teacher living in B.C. Canada. Her books include 101-and more-Writing Exercises to Get You Started & Keep You Going (Metta), Meeting Miss 405 (Orca Book Publishers) The Ballad of Knuckles McGraw (Orca), and Silver Rain scheduled for publication in October. More about how Lois works in the interview.

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Interview with Claudia Osmond, author of SMUDGE'S MARK

I met the fabulous Claudia Osmond through Twitter (where she's @claudiaosmond), when she organized the very first in-person tweetup of Torkidlit. Hugely supportive of the local writers' community, Claudia interviews writers and talks about writing on her blog, Where the (not-so) Wild Things Are. Her first book, Smudge's Mark, came out from Simply Read Books earlier this year.

How long have you been writing?

Thanks to spending much of my early years with Dr. Seuss, I've always had an obsession with letters and words (and thus, writing materials) and have been writing for as long as I can remember.

But way-back-when it was purely for my own entertainment; mostly in the form of poems, journal entries, skits, and just random thoughts and phrases that I either read somewhere or just made up myself.

I didn't start writing in earnest until about ten years ago, and, well, even then it was more for the fun of it than anything, just because I love doing it.  

When/how did you make your first sale?

My first sale came in February of 2006. I'd started writing that book in 1999, completely in secret. And actually very literally and appropriately in a closet. Because publication had never crossed my mind, I just took my time with it, enjoying my writing process for what it was. Ahh, no pressure at all.

As the book was nearing completion, in a moment of, oh I don't know, a brain lapse, I told a friend of mine that I was writing a book. Well, then the pressure was on! She immediately said I must try to get it published. I balked at the idea for quite some time; after all, whose friend wouldn't tell them their book is great and encourage them to try to get it published? Friends are always so biased.But this friend of mine wouldn't let up and she eventually wore me down.

And, really, the more I thought about it myself, the more the idea of having a published book sounded appealing. So I spent a good year researching publishers, reading every book on getting published I could get my hands on, and then drafting and sending out query packages.

Out of the twenty-five or so packages I sent out, I got five favorable responses; two of which came after I'd already signed my contract with my current publisher.

Wow, you started writing your book in a CLOSET? You wouldn't happen to have any photos I could include with the interview, would you? :-)

Ha! You know, I actually took pics of my closet before we moved from that house, but I didn't have a digital camera at the time and took them with a roll of film. I hadn't been able to find it, but just the other day while I was cleaning stuff out for our current move, I found a roll of film! It might be the one. I'll have to get it developed and if my closet is on it, I'll scan and send your way. ---- yay!

I'm glad your friend wore you down and encouraged you to try to get it published! Also sounds as if you did a ton of research before sending it out. You mentioned you read a bunch of books about publishing...any you'd like to recommend to Inkygirl readers?

So the books I read over and over, pretty much memorizing every detail so as not to miss a thing are:

1. Getting your Book Published for Dummies. Sarah Parsons Zackheim and Adian Zachkheim, Wiley Publishing Inc.

2. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing. Harold Underdown, Penguin Group USA Inc.

3. The Everything Guide to Writing Children's Books. Lesley Bolton, Adams Media Corporation. (chapters 10-20 are on publishing - what to do before, during, and after)

Heh! The titles pretty much describe how I felt about the whole thing at the time! :) A couple other books about writing I've felt to be particularly helpful both now and before pub:

On Writing, Stephen King

The Plot Thickens, Noah Lukeman

You mentioned that you received more favourable responses -after- you already signed the contract with your current publisher. If you could go back in time to when you were first sending out queries, is there anything you'd do differently?

This is a tough one to answer. I'm thrilled with my book and had I not gone down the route I chose I wouldn't have the exact finished product I have now. Nor would I have had the opportunity to work with the two editors that I learned so much from. However, I did learn from that experience.

First of all, I'd spend more time querying AGENTS, not publishers. Having an agent would be so beneficial on so many levels. Those of you who have a fabulous agent can probably attest to the geniusness of your agent 1,000 times over. I know. I've read all about them on Twitter! :)

Secondly, if I had the choice to do it over the way I DID it, I'd query my top five publishers first and wait to hear back from them before moving on to my next five.

What inspired you to start the Torkidlit group?

Why did I start the torkidlit group? Do you want the selfish or selfless motivations? Because there are a bit of both. The selfish motivations being: I wanted a group that I could be a part of that a) was fun, b) was full of like-minded people, c) was a place where I knew I didn't have to explain or apologize for my obsession with, frustrations about, and absolute sense of fulfillment I get from writing.

I wanted to be part of a group where conversation about writing flowed naturally and was expressed by and understood by everyone. I also wanted a totally unstructured, informal social group where I could just hang out and be with awesome people. Luckily for me, all of my selfish motivations have paid off!

The selfless motivation for starting torkidlit (notice there’s only ONE of these?) is really double-sided: I wanted to help promote and empower Toronto area kidlit writers as a whole. I figured the promotion piece would be relatively easy. I knew that once the group started up, word would fly throughout the twitterverse and eventually make its way across the blogosphere.

Toronto is an awesome, amazing city that is home to countless equally awesome and amazing talent. And we all know the online community is great at promoting awesomeness. But it was the empowerment piece that had me a little nervous. I mean, really. I want to empower a group of authors, many of whom are far more accomplished than I am. That doesn’t even make sense. But I have always had a passion for art and artists and one of my greatest dreams is to have a hand in bringing local artists together.

That makes total sense to me: bringing like-minded people together. I think it's such a rare and beautiful thing, in our highly competitive society, when people can come together in community to encourage and celebrate each other. A strong sense of solidarity is created through being in community. And that’s what brings empowerment.

What is your writing process?

Ha! I’ve often wondered that myself. I was just showing my husband my notebook this morning and it’s a very clear illustration of how my brain is... um... organized.

There are very definite sections in this notebook, but they’re all written in different colours, none of them are chronological, there are huge gaps of blank paper between most, and some sections are even written upside down. Each one does have a header, though, so at least I know which section is for what.

So, using that as an illustration, there you have my writing process: not at all linear. I tend to isolate sections, or chapters, knowing fairly clearly what the focus is. I work within each as a complete yet pliable thought. In the end I find myself with a ton of puzzle pieces, each piece being relatively shaped but still needing to be snapped into place.

Now, to this revelation of madness, some of my critics may say, “Aha! I knew she wasn’t a plotter!” But on the other hand I’ve been assured by my editor that my process is the strength of my writing. So, that's the answer I'm going with! You know, it’s really easy for me to get discouraged while I’m writing, especially when

I start listening to the voices inside my head that say I don’t “do it the right way.” I always have doubts. I always wish I could be a plotter, to have the ability to think of my stories from beginning to end. I imagine that would save me a lot of grief. But you know, I’ve come to learn that the way I write IS the right way. For me. And to try to do it any other way would mean that I wouldn’t be true to my writer-self and my story wouldn't be told the way it needs to be. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

In your notebook, do the sections correspond to different plot sections? Background info?

The sections correspond to everything - plot, background, dialogue, quotes that I like. I'll even find a note or two that don't relate to anything at all or a map showing the location of our new house!

re: writing process. So you do your planning on paper, not on your computer?

If the planning gets too complex then I have to sort it out on paper. If it's just simple and flows fairly easily then I can just do it right in the document. Although most times even the simplest of ideas becomes complex in my mind and then I've got to transfer to paper anyway. I have a really hard time keeping things simple and linear. You know those brainstorming webs that go off in twenty different directions? That's how I think all the time. And that's why I'm so thankful that my editor is so amazing at her job.

What are your current/upcoming projects?

Currently, and most pressingly, I am finishing up the sequel to SMUDGE’S MARK. The working title is Gil's Tattoo and there is no definite date yet for release. I think they're aiming for sometime in fall, 2011.

 I am also in the revising stage of an adult short story for the forthcoming Chinese Whisperings Yin Book Anthology and working on another fantasy, but this time the MC is an 11-year-old girl. I’ve got a couple other projects in the incubation stage, one of them being the story of a young girl caught up in the sex-trade in Kolkata, India.

To find out more about Claudia, visit the following links:

Smudge's Mark

Q&A with Claudia Osmond

Where the (not-so)Wild Things Are (Claudia's blog)

Twitter: @claudiaosmond

Interview with YA author Deborah Kerbel

I met Deborah Kerbel through the Toronto Area MG/YA Author Group, which was founded by Claudia Osmond via Twitter. Deborah's a cheerful, witty and dedicated YA writer who is the author of several books for young people including Girl on the Other Side, which was nominated for the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award. Her newest book, Lure, is due out from Dundurn Press this September. You can find out more about Deborah Kerbel and her work at http://deborahkerbel.com/. Meanwhile, Deborah was kind enough to answer some questions for me... Q - How long have you been writing? A - Not very long in the grand scheme of things. I really started writing creatively about 10 years ago. But my father is an author as well, so ink has probably been flowing steadily through my blood since birth. Q - How did you make your first sale? A - My first sale was huge! I was just starting out as a writer and my agent sold my (as yet un-written) series of four MG novels to a European book-club publisher with plans to translate the series into three different languages and a first print run of 40,000 copies for each book. Exciting, huh? Well, as it turned out, not so much. By the time I finished writing the final book in the series, the publisher was encountering financial difficulties and was shutting down their book clubs. In the end, only the first book in the series saw publication (in Germany). The other three books never saw the light of day. But still, I think of it was a hugely valuable experience – basically I got paid to write my first 4 practice novels. Q - What is your typical writing day like? A - My typical day is a crazy patchwork of small writing spurts. I'm the mother of two little kids so I really have to write whenever I can grab some quiet time. Half an hour here, an hour there - I take the time wherever I can find it (and there's never enough). Lately, nights have been very productive for me - after my kids are in bed, the house gets quiet and I can hear myself think. Q - How much research did you have to do for Mackenzie, Lost and Found, which is set in the Middle East? A - This book needed a LOT of research since it was completely set in a part of the world I had never seen. Luckily for me, I have a good friend who, like Mackenzie, had moved to Israel as a teenager. She was my main source of information. We went through her photo albums and I grilled her for details - from everything to the feel of the air in Tel Aviv, to sneaking into the hotel pools, to the smell of the markets in the souk. She was a fabulous resource. And then when I was in the editing stage of the manuscript, I was given the opportunity to visit Israel and travel to most of the places that are in my book (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Tiberias) which helped me put the final pieces of the research together and allowed me to really personalize the story to my own experience. Q - How much outlining do you do? A - I like to outline - it's my nature to know where I'm headed before I walk out the door. But the amount of outlining I end up doing definitely depends on the book I'm writing. My next YA novel, Lure, was outlined from start to finish - chapter by chapter - before I wrote a word. But I don't always work that way - for Girl on the Other Side, I had no outline, no plot, and not much of a premise - just two strong characters with very distinct voices. I let them loose on the page and they took the lead and surprised me with the story. I love it when that happens - it's truly the magic of writing! Q - How much time do you spend promoting your books? A -Some days, not enough - other days, too much. It all depends on where I am in the writing process and if I have a new book coming out. Last spring, I spent weeks organizing a Canada/U.S. blog tour' to promote Mackenzie, Lost and Found. Although it sucked away lots of valuable writing time, it was fun and it got the word out about me and my book which is the most important thing. As Cory Doctorow has said, the biggest problem for writers is obscurity. Q - How useful have you found online social networks like Twitter? A - Well, let me put it this way - if it weren't for Twitter, I wouldn't be doing this interview. Twitter and Facebook have been incredibly useful for learning about this industry, getting to know other people in the business, and of course, promoting my work. There's a huge community of editors, agents, writers, publishers, and book reviewers who are putting themselves out there on a daily basis and I really believe that it's a mistake not to make use of this kind of accessibility (especially for people who are starting out it this business). Writing is probably the most solitary profession in the world and so the need to stay connected to your colleagues and peers is vital. Q - What are your current/upcoming projects? A - My next YA novel, Lure, is scheduled for release in September, 2010 and it's a giant departure from anything I've written before. Lure is a ghost story set partly in the present day and partly in the late 1800s and it's based on a real haunted house near where I live. I also have another YA manuscript that I've just finished called Bye-Bye, Evil Eye and -- I don't even know the right way to describe it - it's kind of a paranomalish mystery, comedy, romance about the Evil Eye. LOL - did that make any sense? And in between novels, I love to play around with writing picture books. My kids are still at that magical stage, so new book ideas for their age group come to me literally by the hour. Hopefully, I'll get one of them published soon.

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Interview with Mahtab Narsimhan: The Silver Anklet

THE SILVER ANKLET is a sequel to Mahtab Narsimhan's THE THIRD EYE, which won The Silver Birch award in 2009. For those who don't know, The Silver Birch Award is a province-wide honour given by Grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 Ontario students. Although administered by the Ontario Library Association and run by teacher-librarians and teachers in schools and by children's librarians in public libraries, the final choice is made by the young readers. The trilogy follows the adventures of Tara, a young Hindi girl who lives in the village of Morni in India. When Tara's brother Suraj and two other children disappear from a local fair, Tara and her friends set off to find them. I enjoyed THE SILVER ANKLET even more than the first book in the Tara trilogy. Like its predecessor, the story kicks off with immediate action and suspense, with a chase and a mystery, grabbing the reader and not letting go until the very end. Mahtab's vivid descriptions add rich detail to the exciting story, weaving in Hindi colour and flavour that bring scenes to life for the reader. My mouth watered for biryani wrapped in banana leaves and spicy papads, and I shuddered as Tara and her companions trudged through the dark forest, batting away clouds of mosquitoes. Tara is an appealing protagonist, fighting her private fears and insecurities to save her brother. This is a story full of secrets and discovery, betrayal and mercy. Fans of the first book will love THE SILVER ANKLET.

Q&A with Mahtab Narsimhan:

How long have you wanted to write? Writing was definitely not a life-long wish, though I’ve always been an avid reader. I felt the desire to write only when my father passed away in 2003. I wanted to keep a record of incidents that happened back home so I would never forget the fun times we had as a family. These initial jottings, along with my love for fantasy and adventure, morphed into the idea of writing a children’s book in early 2004. THE THIRD EYE’S gestation period was longer than a whale’s; four years and twenty rewrites before it was published in the fall of 2007. And now, writing is all I want to do. Was THE THIRD EYE your first writing sale? If not, what was your first sale? How did it happen? I did manage to get a short story and an article printed in couple of magazines but, yes, this was my first “real” sale for which I was paid. I was so ecstatic to receive that cheque from Dundurn that I wanted to frame it and keep it in my office. My business-savvy husband suggested that I take a photocopy of it and cash the real thing! I love all the cultural details/flavour threaded throughout THE THIRD EYE. How much research did you have to do for this book? The cultural aspect, e.g. the food, clothing, locale etc was easy since I lived in Mumbai for most of my life. Indian Mythology can be quite complex and confusing and that took a fair bit of research. I’m still finding out interesting facts about the various Gods and Goddesses especially their Avatars. Only the very interesting bits make it into my books and are woven through the plot to make the narrative richer. What's your writing process for a book? e.g. outlining? how many drafts? etc. THE THIRD EYE was my very first attempt at writing a novel. It involved a steep and lengthy learning curve. Initially, I made a grid which listed all the chapters and jotted bullet points about the content and characters of each. This gave me a pretty good idea of how the story was progressing, and about pacing and structure. The first draft was a whopping 68,000 words and garnered many rejections. As I worked through it with my critique group, the story became leaner and more polished. It was 52,000 words when it finally made it to publication. As I mentioned before, from start to finish it took 20 drafts and 4 years of writing and rewriting. This was because each time I rewrote I could only concentrate on one aspect of the story; character, plot, pacing, dialogue, motivation. As I’ve gained experience, I can focus on two or three aspects simultaneously, greatly cutting down on the number of times I have to rewrite. For THE SILVER ANKLET, I wrote a synopsis and a very detailed chapter by chapter outline which gave me the framework. In the course of actually writing it, the story changed a fair bit but I always knew where it was going. The interesting part was that I wrote the first draft late 2007, early 2008, and put it away for a while. Then I took a Creative Writing course at the Humber College. My instructor was Tim Wynne-Jones. I worked on an entirely different manuscript with him but I learned many techniques which I was able to apply to all my writing. When I came back to this draft I didn’t like it at all. So out the window went 50,000 words and I started afresh. The new draft took about six months to write and another six to polish. So all in all, this one took a year. I worked with another wonderful writer, Uma Krishnaswami, on this manuscript and once again, gained some excellent writing tips. The final book in the trilogy; THE DEADLY CONCH(working title) took two months to write only because I had the plot already worked out, most of the characters were already fleshed out so the key things I had to focus on were pacing, consistency and the quality of writing. It took a month to finish the second draft. Compared to the first novel, this will be done in record time. Based on my six years of writing experience, I will say that practice does make perfect and the more you write the better you get. Writing bad stuff helps you get to the good stuff buried just underneath. Not a single word is ever wasted! You said that you're still finding out interesting facts about the various Gods and Goddesses, especially their Avatars. Could you please share a couple of these facts? Avatar is a Sanskrit word and literally means “one who descends” and the closest translation is “incarnation or manifestation.” Kali the evil Goddess of Death and Destruction is just another avatar of Goddess Parvati who is the wife of Lord Shiva and known for her kindness and gentleness. She is also known as the Divine Mother or Mother Goddess. Hanuman, the Monkey God, who helped Lord Rama rescue his wife, Sita, from the evil Ravana in the epic Ramayana, is also a very popular God in India. He is believed to be an avatar of Lord Shiva and is worshipped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion. In times of trouble, it is a common faith among Hindus to chant the name of Hanuman or sing his hymn - "Hanuman Chalisa". Hanuman temples are among the most common public shrines in India. 20 drafts and 4 years to write THE THIRD EYE, wow. Did you ever find yourself getting discouraged? If so, how did you get through the discouragement? Chocolate, Wine, and the Will to succeed. As the days, months and years rolled by, I realized that I had put in far too much effort and time to give up now. Though I was miserable doing the umpteenth rewrite with only rejections pouring in, I was even more miserable when I did not write. And so I kept going, trying to polish the manuscript till it shone. Then I got my lucky break and haven’t looked back since. Reminds me of a quote I’ve often heard; The harder I work, the luckier I get! What is your daily writing process? (e.g. mornings or evenings, setting daily goals, rituals, etc.) I write for at least a couple of hours in the morning to complete my allotted quota for the day. If it is a new draft, it’s a thousand words a day. If it’s a revision I break the manuscript up into pages or chapters and try very hard to finish the amount allocated for that day. Most days I can stick with it, some days it’s impossible so I try and catch up on the weekends when I put in four to five hours each day. All in all, I have daily, weekly and monthly goals on a bit of paper beside my laptop. It gives me tremendous pleasure to be able to tick off an item each day as I complete my quota. That’s why I love making lists! I listen to instrumental music when I write. My two favourites are: The Lord Of The Rings (Part 1) –Music composed, orchestrated and conducted by Howard Shore, and Dan Gibson’s Solitudes: Rocky Mountain Suite. Currently the soundtrack for Avatar-music composed by James Horner is also at the top of my list. I love everything by John Williams, especially Memoirs of a Geisha. I always focus better when I have something playing in the background, though it must be without words or I’m tempted to sing along and that would be disastrous for my writing. Most of my real work is completed in the morning when I’m fresh. In the evenings I revise, rewrite, research, catch up on my reading and spend time maintaining my online presence. What was the Silver Birch award ceremony like? FANTASTIC! It was a truly memorable moment filing onto the stage with the other authors, cheered on by thousands of screaming fans. It was so evident that these kids loved books, that they wanted to be here and were not shy about expressing themselves. It was a heart-stopping moment when the runner ups were announced. Since my name wasn’t mentioned, my heart sank a little. I was hoping THE THIRD EYE would be (at the very least) a second or third choice of the readers. Words fail me when I try to describe that ecstatic moment when they announced that THE THIRD EYE had won! I wanted to cry, faint and dance, all at the same time! I have no idea what I said in the acceptance speech except thank you…many times over. That feeling of euphoria, of a sense of unreality lasted all through summer. Even now, in the depths of winter when I am blue, I pull that memory out, examine it, remember it and inevitably…it lifts my spirits. Any news about upcoming projects you'd like to share? Penguin Canada will be releasing an anthology (to which I have contributed my own story) titled PIECE BY PIECE. STORIES ABOUT FITTING INTO CANADA on March 9, 2010. To celebrate the release of the book, Penguin is joining forces with the youth literary series Small Print to stage "The Piece By Piece Mash-Up," an event on Sunday, March 28, between 2:30-5pm, at Gladstone Hotel. A writing contest for high school kids will be organized ahead of time, asking them to contribute their own 500 word, Piece By Piece stories. The event will showcase the contest winners and feature a sound clash by teenage DJs from different communities. I’m really quite excited about this event and the book’s release because I believe it will be an eye-opener for many teens who believe that they cannot “make” it in a new country, far away from home. I hope it will inspire them to shoot for the moon! You can find more information about Mahtab at http://www.mahtabnarsimhan.com. You can also follow Mahtab on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mahtabnarsimhan.

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My interview on Novelists Inc

Thanks to Dara Girard for interviewing me about my comics at Novelists Inc. You can read the interview here.

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How Shannon Delany's cell phone novel ended up as a St. Martin's Press book

After posting short stories to Textnovel.com, Shannon Delany (previously writing as Saoirse Redgrave) ended up with a St. Martin's Press book contract for 13 To Life, a new YA paranormal werewolf novel. Shannon kindly agreed to answer a few questions about her experience: What got you interested in cellphone novels? I was a naysayer to Textnovel.com until they changed their contract to make things fairer for authors and then I decided to test the system by posting two stories. How did you find out about Textnovel (http://textnovel.com/)? 13 to Life started as just a title and a very vague set of characters. I wrote it "by the seat of my pants" and even had readers participate in polls so I could use some of their choices to challenge my preconceived notions of where the story might go and how characters might look. I posted 2 brief serial sections daily, each with a "hook and a hang." I incorporated the internet where and when I could to build more depth and interactivity (those links are now gone, though). Could you give me a one-sentence description of what "13 To Life" is about? How long is it? How long did it take you to write? My main one-liner is : A tale of teenage love, loss and--oh, yeah--werewolves. I went with this because although the werewolf presence is significant in the books, I'm dealing even more heavily with plain old humanity and our many mistakes and struggles. 13 to Life is not what many traditionally consider a standard werewolf (or monster) novel. I've had a number of authors who are generally not fans of werewolf stories say they loved mine because it wasn't the norm. The Textnovel version of 13 to Life took me five weeks to write (posting two short sections most days, morning and early evening). Then it was an additional month to flesh it out so I was generally satisfied. After copyedits I think the debut novel in the series is right around 370 pages (a far cry from the original cellphone novel which was probably around 50 pages). What was the Textnovel contest called? What were the rules? How much did you win? Geez. Hmm. In 2008 it was the only contest Textnovel ran, so I think it was simply Textnovel 2008. Rules were simple--you needed a certain number of "chapters" (I believe it was 20), you needed a decent popular vote (but didn't need to be the most popular), needed to show a strong marketable story and voice and integrate the technology available in some way (that last bit being more of a suggestion than rule). Two of my stories wound up in the top group as the contest was getting ready to close and I focused my attention on 13 to Life. I won $1,000 (which definitely helps on a farmstead during winter when hay's running tight). You mentioned that you got agency representation -- was this part of the contest winnings? Yes, I still sort of chuckle when people ask how I got my agent and I can say, "I won him." Were you nervous about being the agency's first client? What is the agency's name and what's your agent's name? Yes, I was definitely nervous about being the first client. I figured I'd be the guinea pig and that the third and fourth clients would benefit a lot more because of what my agent learned through working towards getting me published. I had a long phone conversation with him and (having heard a talented friend bemoaning the fact agents were nearly impossible to find) decided having someone in my corner was better than not having anyone. And, frankly, I'm a big believer that there's still a lot for me to learn about all this (and I hope folks have patience with me) so having patience with someone else as they start out is just sort of what I'd expect. How did your agent approach St. Martin's Press? Did he/she just send them your winning story? Propose a full-length book? etc. He actually put out a press release about the contest win and St. Martin's Press contacted us before queries were even out. Yes. I know. It all sounds crazy. Wow, exciting that a movie producer and another major publishing house contacted you as well! Did your agent approach them? If not, how did they find out about you? What made you decide on St. Martin's Press? Yeah, the sudden attention blew my socks off. And all that attention was totally unsolicited (just that press release). I remember giggling a lot during those first few months because everything was so richly surreal. My agent chatted with all of them and asked me if I didn't think 13 to Life could be a series. I had actually been chatting with my husband about that and knew I could get 4 or 5 books out of my characters and scenario with absolutely no stress, but I only really had three firmed up, so we asked about three and St. Martin's Press agreed. I think the thing that really made me say yes to St. Martin's Press was knowing how excited they were about my series and getting to talk to my editor quickly. Communication is VERY important in this business. Knowing my opinions and concerns are being listened to are big things for me. Was it difficult turning your cellphone novel into a "traditional" novel? How long did it take you? It took about a month. I knew from pretty early on what I really wanted to do with 13 to Life so it wasn't like I needed to build brand new subplots or deepen characterization--I just needed the time and space in word count to make it work. When I started 13 to Life on Textnovel.com it was November 24 and I only had until December 31 to complete it (and watch my son and run our farmstead)--there was no way I could pump out the quality and quantity I needed at that point for a full novel. Why did you decide on the pseudonym Saoirse Redgrave? I did it because I figured there'd be some backlash from people. One of my CPs told me repeatedly she didn't think my participation was a good idea and I wanted to be able to just walk away if the whole experiment was a failure. 13 to Life was what I call a "cannon fodder" story initially. I was just shooting stuff out there to see if I'd get anywhere near target. I had almost nothing invested in it initially--until I really found Jess's voice and I realized she and I have a bunch in common. The pseudonym was also partly because I know some people who have a real issue with fantasy or paranormal elements in writing and I balked at having them discover I was writing werewolves. Saoirse means "freedom." I think every author and artist should have that. But it's also miserable to spell, so now I'm being listed under Shannon Delany (Delany means "dark" or "defiant"). Eh. "What's in a name, right?" ;-) How are you publicizing the book before its June 2010 release? I joined 2k10 (a great group of YA authors making their debut in 2010), I'm lining up a blog tour thanks to some great authors who want to host me, I've reserved a spot at Free Book Friday Teens, I'm speaking at RT Booklovers' Convention in Ohio and I'm making it clear that I'll happily chat with nearly anyone who wants to talk to me or have me as a guest blogger. I was a teacher and I firmly believe that creative writing--and the arts overall--are necessary to encouraging the development of more creative personalities instead of destructive ones. Know a book club or creative writing group that wants a speaker? I'm game. We'll have at least one more book trailer for book 1, and I'm also being mentioned in a couple magazines between now and then. Once book 1's out and book 2's on its way we'll make an even bigger push (signings, a couple events to help service groups and charities I support--all that tie into the books) and the website will become much deeper and much more interactive for folks who want a more involved experience in the town of Junction. You can find out more about Shannon and her book on the Class of 2K10 site .

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Interview with Chuck Ingwersen, greeting card writer/designer

Chuck Ingwersen is a freelance writer and cartoonist who posts his "cartoons, short stories and bad poetry" on his humor blog, Words And Toons. You can find Chuck's greeting cards at http://www.zazzle.com/chuckink. How did you get into greeting card design? I've created funny greeting cards for family members for as long as I can remember, and it's been my goal for years to become a published greeting card writer and artist. After more than 20 years as a newspaper writer, editor and page designer, I made the leap into the freelance world in 2007, and I'm happy to say I've have had some success in the greeting card field. In 2007, Gallant Greetings started a new line of humor cards, and I submitted dozens of my creations. Gallant bought 16 of my cards from those submissions. Since then, I've sold a good number of my cards to Shoebox (Hallmark's humor line), Oatmeal Studios and It Takes Two. How do you come up with your ideas? Do you sit down and have brainstorming sessions? Do you carry and notebook and write down ideas as they come? I'm constantly brainstorming throughout the day, and if I get what I think is a good idea I'll grab the notebook and jot it down. A notebook next to my bed is a must, since many ideas come just before I fall asleep. I also set aside blocks of time a couple days each week in which I'll write in a stream-of-consciousness mode, letting ideas flow without much editing. I love going back later to polish those scribblings into fully formed ideas. What made you decide to sell your own cards? I was intrigued by the Print On Demand model and where online sales might be headed, so I decided to test the waters. It's great to have cards online not only for the opportunity to sell them, but to get feedback and to be part of an artists community. How many cards do you sell a month? The number of sales varies wildly by month and by season. I had terrific sales from my Zazzle store in November, selling roughly 2,000 cards (plus a good number of other products featuring my artwork). Of course, most of the cards I sold were Christmas cards, and many of those sales were bulk sales. The largest bulk sale was 800. Obviously, Christmas purchases make November the best month for sales, by a wide margin. By comparison, I sold just over 200 cards from my Zazzle store in October. How much do you make selling cards a month? Or if you'd rather not share that specific info, approx. what percentage of your total income per month comes from the cards that you sell on sites like Zazzle and Greeting Card Universe? Percentage of total income is fairly small, but the arrow is going up for online sales as I continue to add new designs. Which site do you prefer: Zazzle or GCU? (and why) What are the pros and cons of using each? Zazzle has become a clear favorite for me. It offers a wide variety of products to work with, good store customization and promotion tools, the ability to set your commission percentage and a very active community. For creators who focus strictly on cards, GCU is a good option and provides a fair commission structure. I have to say that both Zazzle and GCU do a tremendous job with their printing. The quality of the printed cards is first-rate. Why don't you also sell on Cafepress? I felt like I got lost in the enormity of Cafepress, and didn't have much success there. I found it less inviting a community than Zazzle. After CP changed its commission structure (to the detriment of artists) not too long ago, I closed my CP store. How much marketing do you do? The short answer: Not enough. I do some promotion on my cartoon and humor writing blog (wordsandtoons.com) and my webcomic ( http://captainscratchy.com ), as well as Facebook. Twitter is still on my to-do list. What advice do you have for beginning card designers? Besides "do better marketing than me," here are a few tips: 1) It all starts with creating high-quality content, and that starts with having a passion for the art/writing. Without the passion for the work itself, it can get discouraging when online sales are slow or when the card companies reject your submissions. 2) You'll really have an edge if you find a niche that isn't being filled — something that makes you stand out in a crowd. But make sure it's something you love to do. Don't try to "play to the market." Do work that pleases and inspires you, and the joy you put into it will be evident. 3) Hone multiple skills. In my case, my writing skills often give me an edge over people who are better artists than me. Some people are excellent marketers, which might give them an edge over a great designer who is marketing-challenged. Some people get the edge by having superior tech skills. My point is that even if you're a great designer, learning other skill sets can make a huge difference. 4) Be able to take rejection in stride, and be persistent. I've had some success in a relatively short time as a freelancer, but I've also had plenty of my submissions rejected by various card companies. That's a given for a freelancer. The competition is fierce and budgets have gotten tighter. Rejection doesn't mean your work isn't good. Rejection just means you have to dust yourself off and prepare to send out the next batch of submissions.

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Christina Katz & Time Management For Writers

I interviewed Christina Katz last September about her book, Get Known Before The Book Deal. During the interview, I was astounded at the number of projects Christina has on the go. Christina graciously agreed to do a second interview, this time focused on how she manages her time. What's your typical workday? I try to get up early so I have a couple of hours to work before my daughter needs help getting ready for school. That process takes about an hour. Then the dogs need me for about a half hour. After that I’m free to work my brains out until it is time to pick my daughter up from school with the occasional short break. The afternoon is a negotiation between my work needs and my daughter’s needs. Luckily for me, she can often use some down town after a busy, social day at school and she’s quite good at keeping herself busy drawing, playing imagination games or (last resort) watching TV or some other kind of screen time. Samantha also has regularly scheduled activities like dance, swimming and Brownies, which makes those days a bit more hectic. Often in the late afternoon, when she doesn’t have activities, we do errands together. Then it’s time to make dinner and have some family time. Thankfully, even though my husband basically has two jobs, one as a high school teacher and the other running the theater department, when he’s home we share the chores. That’s a thumbnail of the rhythm of my days. As far as what I do in those hours when I work, it’s never the same because I write articles, blog posts and books. I administrate, I travel, I run classes, and I create presentations. Lately, I’ve been innovating new products and services and I want to do more of that. I am also busy with social networking, platform cultivation and maintenance, pitching myself and goofing off. I keep in regular touch with a small tribe of writer moms and go out for lunch with a writer friend once in a while, when I’m not too busy. Believe it or not, within all of this variety, there actually is a rhythm to how I work. But it’s one that is constantly evolving. I find if I try to pin it down or force it, then that same rhythm that once worked, no longer works. Occasionally, in my blog, I discuss a particular tool that helps me keep all the balls in the air. Basically, I just do it. Whatever “it” happens to be. How do you balance your writing time with everything else you do? This is an easy one. I’m a morning person, so my most productive time is in the morning. I can sketch out an idea in the afternoon by hand or jot notes but I write fastest and best in the morning. So regardless of the rest of the day, I get my writing done early. Here’s something that might be interesting to writers: since I’m an author and I wrote two books back-to-back, I can write a lot faster now. Also, I don’t hesitate before I write something. When I was a beginner, and even when I was working as a journalist, I would often hesitate before I wrote. I think it was that moment of perfectionism anxiety where I’d think: what if it’s not good enough? So even though I generally think of myself as a fairly slow writer (compared to some people I know who are so fast you would not believe it), writing 1,000 words now is a lot easier than it used to. I wrote 60,000 words in a row, twice. So what’s 1,000 words? Nothing I can’t handle. What advice do you have for writers who are "time management"-challenged? I’d tell them there is no such thing as time-management challenged. What we are probably talking about is that most left-brained time-management techniques don’t work for right-brained people. So people are not actually “time-management challenged.” They are likely right-brained trying to live in a left-brained world. What I think what we’re dealing with here, Debbie, is a classic permission issue. If a right-brain person is waiting to be more like a left-brain person before they can master time, they are going to be waiting for a long time. But if they explore and experiment with what works for them within their current work context, and strive for their own definition of time-management success (assuming it harmonizes with those around them), they will start to thrive and be more productive. I’ve read that more Generation X & Y companies are allowing their employees to follow flex-time techniques that work for them and are creating a higher rate of productivity with less sick days. That’s what I’m talking about. I’ve heard and read a myth that left-brained techniques work for right-brained people, if we’d only use them. But I’m pretty sure that’s the road to misery and frustration for anybody right-brained person, who buys into that myth. What are your current and upcoming projects? My most exciting current project is The Prosperous Writer blog and e-zine. I am thrilled about both of them because they are the fruition of many months of preparation and planning. What I’m trying to do is set a positive example of what it means to be a prosperous writer in these rapidly changing times. I’ve already accomplished one of my primary goals with the e-zine, which was to get readers blogging about the topic of prosperity in their blogs. I think this is going to create a fascinating, growing movement about what true prosperity means in the new Web 2.0 world we are living in. The blog is the public mouthpiece and the e-zine is strictly for my fans. I don’t plan to make it public. Therefore it’s a safer, more private context and the only way for the ideas to get out into the public eye is when readers respond to them. I love it when they do! As far as the future goes, I think, for me the new living-out-loud lifestyle means revealing only the most manageable amount of news about where I am headed. If I reveal a lot and then don’t follow through or change directions at the last minute, I risk coming across as flaky. So, I’ve learned that when I’m dreaming and visioning the future, I’m much better off, except for a very few close, personal friends, keeping my plans contained until they are ripe and ready to blossom. So what’s coming up in my future? A lot of really cool stuff! And that’s all I can say…for now. Here are just a few of Christina Katz's current projects: Nonfiction Writing-for-publication Classes From Beginner to Book Deal http://christinakatz.com Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (Writer's Digest Books, October 2008) http://getknownbeforethebookdeal.com/ http://getknownbeforethebookdeal.typepad.com/ Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (Writer's Digest Books, March 2007) http://thewritermama.com/ http://thewritermama.wordpress.com/ Writers on the Rise E-zine http://writersontherise.wordpress.com/ The Northwest Author Series http://northwestauthorseries.wordpress.com/ Sponsored by the Wilsonville Public Library, The Friends of the Wilsonville Public Library & the Wilsonville Arts and Culture Council Created and hosted by Christina Katz Christina on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thewritermama Christina on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Christina-Katz/716153807

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