Marie Symeou's Blog: Author Interview

Monday, January 30, 2012

Author Interview - Emily Ann Ward

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I'm Emily. I'm in my twenties, and I'm currently living in Oregon. I love it here, but I've lived quite a few places (Hawaii, Colorado, California) and I've traveled a lot. I love visiting new places and meeting new people. I've been writing since I was very young, mostly fantasy stories. There's just something about the fantastical that my mind loves! I'm the author of short story collections Passages and Beyond home, scifi novella Finding Fiona, and my fantasy novel, Promising Light.

What is your book about?

I'd like to focus on Promising Light, my most recent release. Grace began a secret courtship with Dar for the thrill of doing something against her father, the king’s general. She hadn’t planned on falling in love with him. When Dar suddenly leaves her, she searches for answers, reluctant to let him go.

Everyone seems determined to keep the truth from her—until she’s kidnapped by Dar’s family. They’re shape changers who claim she can break a curse set on them ten years ago by the Protectors, a group of noblemen determined to stifle magic in the name of safety. Torn between two worlds, Grace isn’t sure who to trust. If the curse endures, Dar’s family could die out forever. But to help them, she’ll have to leave behind everything she knows.

How long did it take you to write?

I started it way back in 2005 for Nanowrimo. I lost about half of it through computer viruses and whatnot. I tried to rewrite it in 2008, but quickly lost interest. I finally sat down with the past drafts and put together a loose outline for a complete rewrite. I started the rewrite the end of January of last year and finished it in April. So, from first idea to finished first draft: six years. But if I put together all the writing time, it was only about six months. ;)

What inspired you to write this novel?

I liked the idea of a young girl who was interested in the dark, mysterious guy with secrets. Yeah, sounds familiar, right? But it evolved a lot: Grace is still interested in the mysterious guy, but she has a bigger role than just following him around.

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

Wow, I don't know if I remember back that far. I was looking through some of my old diaries the other day, and when I was eleven, I wrote I wanted to be "a Christian author living in Hawaii" when I grew up. So, it was sometime around then.

What part of writing do you struggle with? Character, plot, description or dialogue?

I struggle with description. I tend to forget that my readers aren't seeing what I'm seeing. During revisions, I have to be sure to set the scene first.

What made you decide on self-publishing?

After publishing my shorter works (my collections and my novella), I wanted to keep experimenting with the self-publishing with a longer work. I wanted to control the cover art and pricing. I also wanted the chance to work on my own schedule: I didn't need to wait to be accepted or rejected, and any fans I might gain didn't need to wait years between releases.

Did you have a professional editor?

Not at this point. Being a lowly college student, I utilize as many free resources as I can. I have at least three or four beta readers look each piece over, put the work through a critique group like Critique Circle if I can, have my husband and writer friends read it. Then I myself go over it dozens, perhaps hundreds of time. Reading it on paper, on my Kindle, or even in different fonts on my computer. Anything I can do to iron it out perfectly. I think my self-editing skills are improving, too! I had a few embarrassing reviews about Passages about typos and such, but I haven't had any such comments about Finding Fiona. I hope I can keep it up!

Do you edit as you write or wait until your book is finished?

I edit as I write. Usually nothing huge, but I find if I don't edit at all during my first draft, then I end up with something that's just a mess. I need to assess where the story is going and if it's on the right track while I write or I may not be able to fix the problems afterwards. First drafts are just immensely easier than revising for me.

Are you currently working on any projects?

I'm currently writing the sequel to Promising Light. I'm about 60K in, and I think it's about halfway done. I'm also revising some YA novels that I'm going to search an agent for.

Any advice for new authors?

Read a lot, write a lot. Read as widely as you can and try to write every day. The most words you write, the better you get. The more books you read, the more you see what does and doesn't work.

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what type of music?

I like listening to movie soundtracks! Composers like Hans Zimmer are perfect for those epic scenes. I also like mellow movie soundtracks like Never Let Me Go and Joan of Arc. But really, once I get into the flow of writing, everything else mostly fades.

Best time of day to write?

The evening. Occasionally I can write right when I wake up, but usually it's after dinner and before I go to bed.

Top 3 authors?

So hard! JK Rowling, Suzanne Collins, and Donald Miller.

Top 3 novels of all time?

Even harder! The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling.

Top 3 movies of all time?

Clue, Inception, and Up

What do you read the most? Fiction or non-fiction?

Fiction, for sure. A lot of YA fantasy and dystopian.

Is your book in Print, ebook or both?

Promising Light and Finding Fiona are available in both print and ebook, but my short story collections are only ebooks due to length.