Please tell us a little about yourself.
Hello, my name is Larissa Hinton. I'm a grad student at Hampton University and hopefully by next year, I'll be a full time secondary English teacher. In the morning, I'll be a teacher but at night I'll become an author. Reference isn't working for you?
Lol, anyway, most of the fiction I write really comes from a life of reading of what I love to read. Some of it, comes from a dark place which I never knew existed until college. Ah, gotta love college. Always discovering new sides of yourself.
If you want to know more about me and my sarcasm, you can just check out my blog and click on FAQ's. Thanks for reading my super short bio! :)
What is your book about?
Well, I have two books that are currently published. One is called Everblossom: A Short Story and Poetry Anthology. Here's the blurb and cover.
An anthology that will quench your thirst for more than the ordinary.
Everblossom is a journey through poems and short stories that may seem ordinary on the surface but dig a little deeper and the world not only shifts . . . It changes.
The author who brought you Iwishacana/Acanawishi, now brings you a dash of everything from dark fantasy to the paranormal to romance. So prepare yourself to delve into the three stages of the flower from bud to blossom then back to seed; you'll go through them all with a whole new perspective on what it all truly means.
The other book I have is a YA fantasy novel called Iwishacana/Acanawishi. Here's the cover and blurb for my lovely book.
Where rules are meant to be broken
Anissa is constantly on the run from the police and can't seem to stay out of trouble.
Secrets are meant to be kept
Until Anissa hides Florence in her bedroom and her mother finds out. There's only one thing left to do: Send her to Juvenile Cop Camp to erase all of her crimes on her record.
And everything is not what it seems
There's only one problem: Anissa is innocent.
Welcome to Iwishacana.
How long did it take you to write?
For Everblossom, it took me about a year total to collect all of the short stories and poetry. If you add editing, it would be about a year and a couple of months.
For Iwishacana/Acanawishi, it took me a lot longer since it's a novel, but altogether it took me (plus editing) is 9 years. It actually has an interesting history of how it came to being. Basically, I started writing this book back in high school from the mother's perspective. Then I continued her story through her child, Anissa, in my second year of college. So I had two separate books that I really couldn't use. I tried to promote it to agents and publishers, but none of them were budging.
I didn't want to give them Iwishacana because it was simply too old and it wasn't as nearly as exciting or as well edited as Acanawishi. However, I couldn't really give them Acanawishi because they wouldn't know the back story about Laura and how Iwishacana came into being. It was a tight spot to be in. So I took a year to put these stories and mesh them together to create the story as it is now: Iwishacana/Acanawishi. Then of course, I edited the heck out of that so that the two stories really could sing in harmony with each other.
However, after reading the reviews of the combo version I found out that people got confused about who was the main character so I had to reedit it again and so you have the final product. Viola!
What inspired you to write this novel?
Funny enough, there wasn't any inspiration at all for Everblossom! I know, such a bad answer for a writer, but I am telling the truth. You see, I was taking a Creative Writing class and for the first time ever, I had to write short stories. Before this point in my life, I never wrote a short story but I found something funny about it: I loved it. I was able to delve into the characters I loved, create new stories that would inspire bigger ideas, and it was a way to play with the inner thoughts that floated my mind. Even at one point, my professor told me that all of my novel ideas were really short stories. Granted, at that time, I did not appreciate him saying that, but some of my ideas were short stories. I just never knew it.
The poems in the anthology however, were inspired by mostly my personal life. And other times, by the urge to write it down. I don't think I could fully explain it properly, but when an idea hits me, it's like lightening and I'm alert and aware that a poem is in me that needs to be written. I've literally tried to go asleep with that feeling, but I couldn't. I had to write it down into poetic form. It doesn't happen so often (like once or twice a month) but when it happens, I have to write that poem down or I can't think straight.
Oh, and one of the poems, In Death You Speak, it was inspired by boredom in class. I was sitting in one of the English Literature classes listening to them drone on and on about something, so I wrote a poem instead of listening. J I know. I'm horrible. A-soon-to-be English teacher not paying attention in an English classroom? Shocker.
Now for Iwishacana/Acanawishi, I really don't remember. It was such a long time ago that I came up with the idea that it's kinda fuzzy. I do know for a fact that Halloween Town, the movie by Disney, definitely had a strong impact on this novel. Now how much, I can't remember. I do remember that movie and being drawn in by it.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I started writing at the ripe age of 12. At first, I wrote poems because of my lovely English teacher decided that we should write poems and from then on, I fell in love with poetry. The writing bug really bit me a year later when the movie of Nickelodeon movie, Clock Stoppers came out. I thought the movie was going to be horrible, so I decided that I would write a novel that would be better than the movie. Needless to say, my book wasn't as good as the move but I didn't care. I love writing and nothing else mattered. Thus my obsession with writing begun.
What part of writing do you struggle with? Character, plot, description or dialogue?
For the longest time, I suffered with description. I didn't like to waste time describing feelings, setting or anything like that. I like my characters doing something and most of all, talking.
But this all changed once I signed up for Critique Circle, a lot of the critiquers commented on the fact that I don't describe enough. So slowly but surely, I started describing. And now, about six years later, I don't love describing still but it's fun to describe instead of tell the readers what's going and describing the world that I visualize and see so clearly in my head. So I've learned to do it and have fun with it.
What made you decide on self-publishing?
Ah, the question everybody wants to know. Well, before I self-published, I was a staunch traditional publisher junkie. I sent out query letters to publishers and agents every summer. Rigidly. And I dreamed of that one day of getting the dream contact.
When the dream became a reality, I could hardly believed it. There I was, the email of my dreams congratulating me on my obtaining a contract and all I could do is cover my gaping mouth and thinking, "Oh. My. God."
But of course, the contract was faulty so I walked away. That was the hardest thing I had to do but I survived and started querying once again. The more I queried, the more I got frustrated that no one saw my talent. If I was talented to get a contract once, I could get it again. That's what logic says.
And during this time, a lot or people from Critique Circle loved my book and wanted to buy it and were wondering when I was going to be published. And it wasn't just one person, it was multiple people.
Yet no contract came. Instead a professor talked about self-publishing and spouted about how much more money an author could make but I just ignored him until Amanda Hocking's story came to light, then even more recently about JA Konrath's blog.
I read it and I couldn't help but to agree with his arguments. And he made me laugh. So after puzzling over the logic and what I thought was my dream of trad publishing, I decided to self publish.
In short: I decided to self publish because I was tired of waiting for someone to give me the green light. Instead, I decided to believe in my books and my readers to find them. I decided to self publish and not look back. And I'm damn glad I did.
Did you have a professional editor?
At first, I didn't. I published my books without an editor and that was the biggest mistake I made. I thought my books were clean enough because they were critiqued but they were not.
But the hunt for an editor proved to be mad expensive. Some tried to charge me 600 bucks for a book that was only 60 pages! But I did find a reasonable editor, two actually, and I'm so happy to find an editor that really cares about my work and wants to stand by me to make me a better writer.
And I've grown so much thanks to my editor. I have found out my faults and how to correct them. So not only do my readers have the benefit of a better book, but I become a better writer in the process. Win win situation.
Do you edit as you write or wait until your book is finished?
I definitely edit as I go along. I know, it's a big no no in the writer world, since it might lead to a writer too focused on editing and not writing. I have learned to not edit as much as I use to, but just work on typos and grammar mistakes and not to be a perfectionist unless needed. Like if I'm stuck because I didn't expect one scene turned in a completely different direction then I need to go back to the scene and revamp it. That's the only time I use heavy duty editing.
Most of the time, I read the previous scene to put me back into their world and edit a little bit as I go and then continue writing.
Are you currently working on any projects?
Absolutely! I'm currently working on my YA paranormal fantasy novel, Angel Diaries. I'm just finishing the last round of edits and after sending it to an editor and editing after that it's going to be done. I'm also writing Angel Diaries 2.
I'm also working on an anthology for Iwishacana/Acanawishi, that will explore the world of Iwishacana more.
Additionally, I'm working on another anthology Everblossom 2, the sequel to Everblossom: A Short Story and Poetry Anthology.
I have a lot under my sleeves and I'm just getting started.
Any advice for new authors?
I have plenty of advice for new and old writers! They can check out these links on my blog here:
But overall, I'd say keep writing and keep reading. Do your research. Do not limit yourself with traditional publishing or self publishing. It is possible to do both.
Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what type of music?
Actually, I don't listen to music when I write. The reason I don't listen to music is because it distracts me from writing. My favorite genre is electronic dance. So every time I listen to it (especially Cascada or Rhianna's Please Don't Stop the Music) I want to dance instead of write. So it's more of a hindrance instead of a help.
Best time of day to write?
For me, the best time to write is in the morning. That way it's peacefully quiet. I don't have to worry about people trying to bug me to ask for something or worry about music in my dorm crashing my concentration. Most college students stay asleep. Especially Saturday mornings. Those are my best days for writing.
Top 3 authors?
Depends on the genre. I'll break it down.
Juvenile Fiction
Bruce Coville
Judy Blume
Patricia Wrede
Young Adult
Meg Cabot
Brenna Yovanoff
Andrea Cremer
Cecil Castellucci
Adult
Patricia Cornwell
Kathy Reichs
David Baldacci
I know went a little overboard for young adult, but I think those four authors are wonderful. I love them all.
Top 3 novels of all time?
This is a tough question. I think the three top novels that affected my writing life are:
Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Top 3 movies of all time?
Again, I think this is so objective so I'll write down the three movies that have affected me as a writer.
Everything is Illuminated
August Rush
Legally Blonde
What do you read the most? Fiction or non-fiction?
I read more fiction then non-fiction. However, I have to say as I'm getting older, I have more of an appreciation of non-fiction. I occasionally visit non-fiction for research and for fun reading. I love reading biographies too. Ever since I leapt out of my comforting YA fantasy genre, I have become a fan of all different kinds of books including non-fiction.
Is your book in Print, ebook or both?
Actually, my books are in both print and eBook form.
Here are the links:
Everblossom: A Short Story and Poetry
Iwishacana/Acanawishi
Where can your readers contact you? Links, etc.
My readers can contact me through my blog: http://teacherwritebookaholicohmy.blogspot.com/
They can also contact me through my email: pocahantas89@yahoo.com
Thanks so much for interviewing me!
2 comments:
Thanks for interviewing me! :)
You're welcome! Thanks for participating and good luck with your novels :)
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