To
start on a personal note, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
In Ireland,
I’m what is known as a “seanachai” (pronounced shawn-akee). That’s a
story-teller. And, no that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m great at making up
lies, although I can do that too. I carry on the tradition of oral
story-telling as a Bard. I’m a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids
(or, a Druid, duh), which means I’ve done a good few courses and study on
spirituality, my native Celtic heritage, meditation, natural healing, and
eco-psychology. In short, I love nature, trees, and anyone with four legs.
(*side note: this does not exclude two-legged individuals)
My first
career was as a dancer with two different U.S. ballet companies, where I
learned to tell stories without words. From there, I segued into an acting
career and worked as an actress in L.A. for over twenty years, telling stories
with words other people had written. Finally, I enrolled in writing courses and
learned how to write my own stories. Sort of. That’s actually an on-going
process, isn’t it. So now I’m the reclusive writer by the lake in the wild west
of Ireland, where I have my own tour business and put together writers’
conferences combined with tours of Ireland, called Ireland Writer Tours. I love introducing people to this country, as well as
meeting the successful writers and editors who teach at the conferences.
I was the sole
reporter/photographer for the local village news, until it folded. My
fiction has been published in Athenia West, Triad and Touchstone and my play
“Sorted Out” won first place at the Beehive Theatre New Playwrights’
Competition. When not writing or guiding tours, I work as head cook and housekeeper for two demanding black men who
worship tuna and catnip. I also enjoy dancing, late night horseback riding and discussing
existential realism with the neighbours' sheep.
What
novel are you currently querying? What is it about in a few sentences?
ISLE OF NO RETURN – It’s a YA thriller
about two girls from Palo Alto, California on vacation in Ireland who get
kidnapped and taken to a remote island. The query for this is a masterpiece thanks to Emily,
Goddess of Query-topia, who assisted in its creation. (Oh, you make me blush!)
Who
is your favorite character from this book?
Hmm. It would have to be the MC, I
guess, because she’s a driven ballet dancer on the fast track to stardom. She’s
sidelined by an injury, which is what lands her on vacation in Ireland, and
she’s a total romance-geek. Write what ya know (ha)!
Have
you written/queried other books before?
Yes! A historical fiction opus that had
two agents foaming at the mouth for a while, but they gave up before ever
starting.
A YA time-slip about a miserable teen
who moves from southern California to a remote lake island in Ireland and
discovers her past life.
A middle-grade novel about a boy with
Asperger’s whose condition sends him straddling a parallel dimension.
And I’m also currently working on a
non-fiction manuscript and another YA thriller.
Plus ISLE OF NO RETURN cooooouuuld maybe
be a duology, but Ima hold off on that and see if anyone takes the bait.
What
is the hardest part about querying?
Pressing Send. Waking up in the morning and seeing an
empty inbox. Getting back on the horse and doing it
all over again.
How
did you go about picking the agents you wanted to query?
- Publisher’s Marketplace
- Writers’ Conferences
- Talked to loads of other writers – (for me that’s frequently via skype because I live in a really remote location)
- Stalked agents on the internet
- Read the Acknowledgements pages of books similar to mine
- Joined a singles website (just kidding)
How
do you cope with waiting to hear back from agents?
Eat red licorice
Clean the kitty litter boxes
Write something else
Talk to friends and let them remind me
I’m not a useless piece of goat poop.
And GOD BLESS OUR WRITERS’ GROUP coz
they always help!
Do
you have any tips for writers yet to query or people who are writing query
letters?
Yes. Always brush your teeth after
eating garlic.
Also, the usual stuff: Join a critique
group and get as many people as possible to read your ms before you query (btw,
we have one available spot in the group I’m in); REALLY consider feedback and rewrite
before querying. Do. Not. Rush. Subscribe to Publishers Marketplace (you can
split the cost of the subscription with another person. Study agents before you
query. Who have they represented? What do they tweet? Do you hate their
favourite books? If possible, talk to their clients and find out if that agent
is an all-business-type or an isn’t-my-puppy-cute type. In other words, try to
query people you’ll be compatible with. Go to writers’ conferences whenever
possible, not only to meet agents, but also to take pitch workshops. These can
really show you where there might be holes in your story.
Long ago, my college professor in
Theatre Arts told us, “Practice does not make perfect. It makes consistent. And
that is not success.” While a consistent writing practice is great, if you’re
simply rushing to get 50K words down, you’re missing the point. Just putting
words on a page does not make you a better writer, and it won’t necessarily get
you traditionally published. We need an awareness of the QUALITY of our work. Also,
how do people react to what you have written? And most importantly before we
query, we need to know how we fit into the market.
Finally,
how will you celebrate when you eventually get your agent?
Well, bless your sweet heart, Emily, for
saying that day will come. Here’s how I see it:
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