An Interview with Author Holly Schindler

Today I am thrilled to be part of Holly Schindler's Playing Hurt Blog Tour and if you could recall, I read and reviewed her debut novel A Blue So Dark awhile back and totally enjoyed it. I am currently reading her latest release, Playing Hurt, and I have got a feeling that this book would be another great emotional read. Without further ado, here is my interview with Holly:

1. Your debut novel, A BLUE SO DARK, featured the heroine’s mother having schizophrenia. What made you decide to write on this issue and what kind of research did you have to do for this subject?

In A BLUE SO DARK, fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.

More than I wanted to write about mental illness, what I really wanted to write about was creativity. I’ve just always been fascinated by how some people have minds that are wired to do something creative, and others aren’t—at ALL. Where does creativity spring from? What’s the source?

In some ways, a hallucination doesn’t really seem all that different from an artist’s “ah-ha!” moment—that vision of what a finished artistic product would look like. Both are products of the imagination, things only one person can see…Sometimes, you have to wonder where the line is between a creative genius and a person who suffers from a mental illness…That gray area between the two is really fascinating…

As far as research for the project, I really just immersed myself in reading—I even went through everything in the YA non-fiction section of my local library, so I could find out how schizophrenia had been presented factually to the YA readership. Once I’d read, I put it all away. I wanted my characters to drive the book—I didn’t want it to be a factual description of a mental illness.

2. Onto some general topics: Which do you think is more important when writing a story? Great characters, or a great plot?

This question’s really asking whether I prefer literary (character-driven) or genre (plot-driven) fiction…I’m an old lit major, so I really do prefer the literary. If I’m intrigued by the characters—and by “intrigued,” I mean if they seem real to me…I don’t even have to necessarily like them—I’ll be propelled forward. I’ll continue to read even if the events of the book are relatively quiet.

(As an example of how I love and appreciate character-driven work: I really enjoyed watching the recent MILDRED PIERCE miniseries.)

3. Why do you write YA novels? What are the challenges of writing them? Also, have you ever thought of writing novels for adults?

When I first took the plunge into writing full-time, trying to snag my first book deal, I was ONLY writing novels for adults. To help pay some bills, I started teaching piano and guitar lessons out of my house. Interacting with teen and tween students one-on-one actually inspired me to try my hand at YA. (I thought those lessons were just going to help give me extra cash…I didn’t know they’d give me a new career direction!)

I think one of the challenges of YA is just breaking in. Some of the best authors out there are writing YA—it’s really hard to get that toe in the door (as it is with any genre, really)…

My first middle grade is in development as well, and is set to be released by Dial in 2012…and I’m in the midst of working on an adult novel right now!

4. What does it take to be a successful author?

Persistence. Patience. More persistence. Being an author means finding yourself faced with one struggle after another. First, it’s getting your story down on paper. Then finding an agent. Finding an editor. Completing revisions for your publishing house. Establishing a readership. Growing your readership. Writing’s not like winning the lottery. Writing’s more like climbing a mountain, one step followed by another…

5. Do you have any favorite books and who are your favorite authors?

Right now, I’m on this local color kick. I love anything with a real sense of atmosphere, of place—that goes for my current favorite songs (“Turning Home” by David Nail or “Colder Weather” by Zac Brown), and the books I’m now gravitating toward. Elin Hilderbrand has such a fantastic sense of place in her work. Her setting (Nantucket) is truly a character in and of itself.

6. Could you tell us a little more about your latest release, PLAYING HURT?

Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?

7. Last but not least, do you have any experiences on your writing process which you’d like to share with your readers?

I filmed a tip on drafting that my readers have found helpful…and I’ll be posting more writing tips soon…Follow along at hollyschindler.blogspot.com or subscribe to my YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/hollyschindler

Holly on Twitter: @holly_schindler

She also blogs with other fellow YA authors at YA Outside the Lines: http://yaoutsidethelines.blogspot.com/ and have just started a group blog for middle grade authors at Smack Dab in the Middle: http://smack-dab-in-the-middle.blogspot.com/

A Q&A Post with Author: Elizabeth Leiknes

Elizabeth Leiknes is the author of The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns and I had a fun time reading her book. (Do check out my review if you have not done so.)

Q&A with Elizabeth Leiknes

(with courtesy of the publisher)

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Why did you write this book?

While pregnant with my first son, it occurred to me that with motherhood drawing near, I had a small window of time in which to realize a lifelong dream of writing a novel. I wrote throughout my pregnancy, and completed the novel while on maternity leave. Why I wrote it is tough to answer. It was clearly more than an item on my to-do list. Once Lucy evolved from an idea to a constant companion in my mind, it became more of a compulsion than a task to tell her story.

How did it come about?

For a college writing class, I wrote a short story entitled "The Furnace". In it, a woman named Lucy Burns works as a Faustian henchwoman who escorts very bad people to her basement furnace, and ultimately, their death. My husband actually came up with a lot of the premise. But when I decided to expand the story into a full length novel, I wanted Lucy to have a solid reason, one routed in goodness, for doing what she does, so I developed her back story and tempered it all with a healthy dose of Midwestern guilt.

What else have you written?

My first experience with publishing my work wasan article entitled "Writing Spaces: Expanding the One-Story House", which was published in The Quarterly, a publication of the National Writing Project. The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns is my first novel, written about five years ago. Since then, I've written a second novel, Black-Eyed Susan, and a third, The Understory. Currently, I'm working on my fourth novel.

When did you discover you wanted to be a writer?

I'm not sure I knew it then, but while growing up in a very small town in Iowa, (population 78, if you included pets) I began my own newspaper, in which I wrote silly jokes and stories about community members. I copied it on my dad's copier at work, and delivered it via my banana-seat bicycle. I doubt if anyone really read it,but I definitely liked the idea of someone reading what I'd written. Later in fifth grade, I wrote a short story from the point of view of a pumpkin who wasn't picked at the pumpkin patch, and despite its strange sentimentality, my generous mother deemed me a storyteller. In college, I fell in love with the short story all over again, but didn't really begin serious writing until graduate school.

What would you like readers to take away from this novel?

I hope they all take away something different, something relevant to their own lives, but mostly I hope they're reminded that no matter how dark or impossible something seems, hope is usually not that far away, and no matter how jaded a person may look on the outside, there is often a core of goodness underneath.

If you had to say this book was about one thing, what would it be?

Motherhood. No question. Lucy's main goal throughout the whole novel is to break away from the evil that's been holding her back, and have what she's always wanted - a family.

Who will be interested in this book?

Everyone, I hope! I've always thought of this book as a hybrid of sorts; perhaps Bridget Jones meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I think it's fast-paced plot, humor, and emotional arc will appeal to a variety of readers.

Lucy Burns is quite an exceptional character. After all, most people don't spend their days damning others to hell. Yet, even though she is dark, often unapproachable, and sometimes, downright scary, she has an unusual appeal for readers. They empathize with her, even root for her. Why do you suppose that is?

I think Lucy represents the dual nature of what it means to be human. Is she the devil? Or is she a saint? I think it's more natural thannot to have to ask both of those questions about one human being. There are gray areas in life; there are gray areas with people. One could argue that Lucy is both devilishand saint-like. Ironically, circumstance makes her both. One could also argue that most of us are a little of both. I myself am quite evil before my first cup of coffee in the morning. Conversely, I cried for ten minutes when Wilson the volleyball drifted away in Castaway. Depending on the day, we all exhibit varying degreesof human and inhuman behavior, and I think, deep down, readers identify with that in Lucy.

Sin is ever-present in this novel, yet at its heart, it is truly a morality tale. What would you say to those who see more dark in thisbook than light?

First of all, I never intended this book to be controversial in any way, nor did I intend to use it as a platform for any serious discussion about religion or justice. It is more comedic than dramatic. Having said that, laughing alone is never enough for me in a story. I prefer my stories to be three-quarters funny, and one-quarter poignant and tender. I wanted Lucy to be sassy and to exhibit sharp wit when appropariate, but it was also very important for me that, in the end, no matter how dark the journey was, she did the right thing, even if that meant making the ultimate sacrifice.

There are strands of truth in all fiction. What in this book did you "borrow" from your own life?

Well, I'm sad to say that I indeed killed my sister's cat - but I was only three or four years old and it was absolutely an accident, so don't get all judgmental yet! We had a play mailbox, just as I described in the book, and I was playing "house", pretending to mail my sister's cat Midnight to my grandma. But I was interrupted and consequently forgot that she was in there. It was horrible and gruesome. And apparently I still feel awful about it because it surfaced in this story thirty-five years later. Let's see... I did, do love music and consider it to be a religion of sorts. In the 70s, my sister and I did listen to Barry Manilow records every Sunday, thus Teddy Nightingale's role in this novel. And I do love to-do lists like Lucy. Oh, and I don't know a single woman who hasn't at one time, either wished she could eat copious amounts of fattening foods and not get fat, fantasized about sending a rude clerk to hell, or fallen in love with her writing instructor.

Author Interview: Norm Applegate, Author of Blood Bar

Today, I have the pleasure of featuring Norm Applegate and his new book, Blood Bar (a vampire tale) as part of the Pump Up Your Book Promotion Book Tour. Many thanks to Tracee for giving me the opportunity to be part of the book tour!

Below is a short interview with Norm Applegate:


1. Where are you from and how did you get into writing?
Lately not sure, and yet I can definitely say born in Glasgow Scotland, raised in Toronto, and have been living in Florida for the last twenty-eight years. I have traveled steadily for awhile, 2 million miles on Delta, with visits to Australia, New Zealand, London, Paris (My favorite) and this year Rome, oh yeah, Alaska, Hawaii and just about every city in Canada and the USA. I was a hypnotist and did the traveling listen to my voice mesmerizing road show through most of these countries.

2. When and why did you begin writing?
Always wanted to write a book, didn’t know how, thought it was beyond my capabilities, but while traveling through New Zealand it started. The hypnosis career changed my life, and realizing nothing is impossible, began writing short notes, tales, and just life experiences to my wife back in the States.

3. When did you first consider yourself a writer?
That moment was when a few readers, strangers actually, people I had never met, sent me emails, or talked to me about something I wrote. The book was Into the Basement, abduction, torture, murder, the usual romantic stuff that makes you squeeze your thighs tight, warms your face, and blush sinfully. It surprised me, thrilled me to know people liked what I liked...I wasn’t alone from that point forward, my dark side had an outlet, freedom.

4. What you think about the trend of vampire books comparing the past to today? (By Melody)
It’s what is popular that’s changed, I mean if you go back to the Anne Rice novels, Interview with a Vampire, it’s a serious, adult suspense thriller. Other books from that time A Delicate Discipline, were about the horror, and the cold dark sinister evil, but we found them captivating.

Today with True Blood on TV, Twilight, and the Sookie Stackhouse series, it’s a young adult audience looking for romance, and they have found it in vampires. Twilight, I’ve read, the writing is excellent, Stephenie Meyer has a style that pulls you in. But I found myself waiting for the essence of the vampire, you know the one that we grew up with. I’m afraid we have made this horror genre boring, in fact it’s not even horror any more it’s YA romance.

My novel, Blood Bar, A Vampire Tale, is erotic, violent and an adventure story.

Let me share the synopsis for Blood Bar:

Vampires don’t exist...yet, on the brownstone back alley side streets of New York, a vampire dies. Desperate, his lover turns to Kim Bennett, author Norm Applegate’s quintessential heroine whose passion for S&M led to celebrity status as a hell-and-back murder mystery sleuth who’s been there, done that, and then some. This time, Kim finds herself caught between a secret vampire society’s attempts to locate The Black Testament (a sacred document written by Jack the Ripper), the modern-day vampire hunters bent on their destruction, and a white knuckled journey of self-discovery that catapults her into the bowels of hell and the arms of the ultimate vampire.......courtesy of The Haven, New York’s ultimate Blood Bar.

5. What are your current projects?
Just finished re-editing Into the Basement, was never happy with what my previous publisher did to it. Next is the screenplay to Basement, written by Nicholas Grabowsky and myself, we have a producer/distributer interested, and the movie is cast with Courtney Gains, then my next novel in the Kim Bennett series that I’m tentatively calling Black Sun Rising, is another vampire tale. You can go to http://www.intothebasementthemovie.com/ to read more about the cast, director J.L. Botelho, and see his trailer for Into the Basement...it’s wicked, prepare yourself, you don’t want little kids watching this, seriously don’t let your kids see this.

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I want to thank Norm Applegate for taking the time in answering the questions.

Please click here (or the image below) to read an excerpt of Blood Bar and to follow the rest of the book tour in June.