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Victoria Laurie |
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Victoria’s 18Q |
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The Eighteen Questions |
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18Q |
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1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you? It definitely chose me. When I entered into this business, I thought I’d write one, two or maybe three books and be done with it….twelve books in four years later (and counting) and I keep thinking, How the heck did I get here?
2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.) On the lighter side, I’ve been a professional psychic intuitive and medium for ten years. On the dark side, I spent just as long in the corporate world writing mortgage paper and managing call centers until the books took off – now I write full time and do psychic readings part time.
My education is an “almost” BA – I’m two credits shy, (I know!) of a Bachelors in political science. Why I never finished is a whole ‘nother story. Someday, however, I really want to get back and go for it,…..ah, wishful thinking!
3. When did you 'know' you were a writer? Seriously – and I’m not exaggerating here – it wasn’t until I sold my first hardcover to Random House. Mind you, this was four years after I’d first been published and had six other titles on the shelves, (all mass market paperback.) There was just something about having someone offer me that hardcover title that really legitimized things for me. And The Scroll Of Dover Cavern (said hardcover) debuts next year – so dreams really can come true!
4. How would you describe your style of writing? Ha! Well, let me say this…I’ll never be mistaken for Hemmingway! My style is simple, and at times maybe a wee bit repetitive, but it’s easy to read and absorb – very conversational without getting bogged down into too many details. I love humor and infuse my writing with equal parts laughter and suspense, because those are the kinds of books I like to read after all, the ones that take you for a rollercoaster ride, and give you time to giggle about it on the rickety way up.
5. What is your writing process? Step 1: Select wall. Step 2: Pound head against wall until brains rattle toward an idea.
Actually, my process is to take a daily power walk of about five miles, (sometimes I cheat and only do four,) during which time I think about the next two or three scenes that I have to write for whatever manuscript that I have due. When I come back from the walk, I sit down and pound out about five to ten pages. I’m a big fan of making it up as I go along but this can also be a much more difficult way to write a book. It’s not a style for everyone, but it’s one that works for me. I also try to write or work on editing just about every day of the week, this helps keep my focused and on deadline.
6. What was your path to publication? For me it was ridiculously simple – lending credence to my belief that any idiot can win the lottery. In February of ’03 I thought of an idea for an amateur sleuth mystery series, (Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye.) By June I’d written my first draft. By August I’d done my homework and sent out 120 query letters to agents all across the country - all at the same time, (note to anyone reading this – I recommend that you not query so many agents all at once!) By September my current agent Jim McCarthy had rejected me – but he left the door wide open for a possible rewrite. By the end of October I’d chucked ten whole chapters and re-written 250 pages, resubmitting it to Jim. He signed me right before Thanksgiving. By December we submitted to 10 publishers – and in early January, I had a three book deal with Penguin. From there two more series have been developed – ye-haw!
7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea? Gah….does, “Tell all your friends!” count? I suppose that’s the most effort I’ve put into it. For me, success has been completely based on everyone else’s word of mouth, and thank God I have a fiercely loyal fan base who must be telling all their friends. It’s worked for me – last count had us at 220,000 books sold and counting, whoop, whoop!
8. What are the biggest surprises you've encountered as a writer? I had no idea how much work went into something that earned so little money. I once calculated what my hourly pay was based on the advance for my second novel and it came out to under $5 an hour. There are definitely easier and more lucrative ways to make a living!
Even now I continue to work my tail off and although the pay is better now – it’s still a monstrous amount of work. To give you an idea, from last December through the end of January I worked every single day save one, (my birthday) and worked 10 to 14 hours a day during that time. Writing for a living involves an incredible amount of work – and just when you think you’re done with something – it will come back from your publisher for yet more work. In other words – it ain’t over until it’s hit the shelves.
9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity? I’ll tell you what my best resources for inspiration and sources of creativity are in order of preference: a) The History Channel: (I’m addicted!) There’s sooo much gold to mine in history – it’s my playground and it’s just rich with stories of real heroes and legends. b) Wikipedia: (I loooooooove Wikipedia!) So often I’ll go to research one thing and I’ll be led to another link within the article I’m reading that will inspire other ideas and plot lines. It’s such a fabulous resource. e.) My life: Write what you know – n’est pas? Almost all of my central characters are based on real people in my life – much to my friends and relatives’ chagrin! c) Other writers: There are some true geniuses out there on those shelves! d) Television: I once got the idea for a mystery based solely off a commercial I saw for a very short-lived television show called In Justice, which was about a group of attorneys working to free wrongfully convicted felons – I saw the commercial and shazam! I had an idea for Crime Seen.
10. What is your proudest writer moment? It’s a rather odd one: When I got my first revision letter from my editor at Random House for The Scroll Of Dover Cavern she pretty much suggested that my entire plot needed to be thrown out –she made no bones about telling me that I needed to start over – from the beginning. She said she loved the characters, and had purchased the story solely based on how connected she felt to them – but the overall story arc wasn’t working for her. Now – keep in mind – this pretty much accounted for three-quarters of the manuscript, not to mention that it was the first book in a SEVEN book series….in other words – after reading her letter, I knew I was in deep doo-doo.
The two weeks that followed were especially dark for me. I felt equal bits terrified that I wouldn’t come up with a good alternative, and overwhelmed at the amount of work that needed to be done in such a short period of time as I was pushing right up against another deadline if I went over the two month mark.
Enter – the power walks, (I swear, I lost like ten pounds during this process!) On these walks, slowly but surely an idea came to me – just a thread really and mile after mile I nurtured it and pulled it along until – shazam! I had my Eureka moment and I got to work on the rewrite. 600 pages later, I’ve now got a story that is rich with possibilities, mystery, and intrigue and my editor is thrilled. It’s something I’m ridiculously proud of and it just goes to show you that sometimes, out of even the deepest, darkest gloom, you really can pull out a winner.
11. What's the best advice you were given about writing? It came on a flyer from an agency that eventually turned me down when I was first looking for representation and it was a quote that said: “If anything can prevent you from becoming a writer – let it. If nothing can – persevere.”
12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment? Oh – I’ve had LOTS of those! But I think my most comical was a sentence that both my agent and editor had a field day with! In a manuscript I submitted, I wrote:
Dutch stared at the basement door with a deep frown. “Abby,” he said gravely, “I think something fowl is afoot!”
Giggle….something fowl….like he was looking for the goose from Aflac or something!
13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer? Hmmm…that’s a good question! I don’t know that I’ve had any real business challenges, mostly because I haven’t put a ton of effort into marketing myself. It’s a matter of preference really – I’m not good at the salesman aspect, so I just allow the marketplace to do what it wants and so far, it’s done all right by me.
14. What is your writer life philosophy? I try not to be too married to anything that I write – and what I mean by that is, of half the books that I’ve written – the first drafts haven’t worked and have needed major overhauls.
I personally know writers who work really hard on their first drafts and it almost works – but not quite and these folks rebel against the feedback they’re given by perspective agents and editors. They don’t want to part with or alter their first pass at something. And I will tell you that most of these writers are unpublished, and I’ll let you guess why.
My philosophy is really based on my perspective that this book publishing business is a business first, last and always, and if you can’t handle the deconstruction and then reconstruction of something that you’ve crafted, then it isn’t a business you should be in. I don’t ever believe on the first pass of anything that I create that I’ve written the next bestseller, and I’m willing to chuck characters, plots, and whole manuscripts because the industry experts have suggested it would be an uphill battle or it’s just flat out not working. I am totally open to that feedback, because at the end of the day, what I value most is that check hitting my bank account so the mortgage and light bill get paid. I’ll let someone else stand on their artistic principals – I consider writing a job, not something I need to be elitist about.
15. When you're not writing what do you do for fun? What do I do when I’m not writing, you ask? Feel guilty about not writing! Actually, again, I do love those power walks, but I’m also a HUGE movie buff and have spent many an afternoon plugged into Movies On Demand. Time spent with friends out to dinner is also a must. And, I’m a big gardener. I’m always putzing around in the dirt around my house talking to the plants or shoving something else into my already over stuffed garden. (Are you yawning yet?) J
16. Who do you like to read? For memoirs I am a HUGE fan of Anne Lamott, (I just think she’s amazing!) For mystery, it’s Janet Evanovich, Kathy Reichs and Sue Grafton; for paranormal romance it’s Katie MacAlister – who is a hoot! But my biggest cravings come from YA – and in that category I love Michael Scott, Carrie Ryan, J.K. Rowling (duh!), Brandon Mull, Rick Riordan, Stephanie Meyer, etc., etc., etc.
17. What’s your advice for new writers? My best advice for new writers is this: When you can list yourself as one of your top three favorite writers – then you know you’re ready to begin the effort of getting yourself published, because until that time, if you’re not willing to put yourself in your top three – how can you expect anyone else to?
18. What are you currently working on? Ha….wow, that’s a longer list than I think you’re expecting. I’m currently working on revisions for Ghoul’s Just Haunt To Have Fun, (one of the next novels in my mystery series) and I’m fifty pages into a new YA trilogy that’s been niggling at the back of my mind called Ether, and I’m working on outlines for two more books that are up for option and my editor needs to see something by next week and I’m just about to start work on the first draft of Doom With A View. So – it’s a fairly light summer schedule….hee, hee! |
