Author Spotlight - Susan Count on her award-winning book

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER? Grief. Grief inspired me to write. In my dark days, an adventure story filled my head and the writing process gave me great joy and re-established my equilibrium.

WAS THERE A TEACHER OR OTHER MENTOR WHO INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING - PLEASE ELABORATE: The first thing I remember writing was an essay on utopia, in middle grade. It came back to me covered in red-marks. Thoroughly discouraged, I decided then I was bad at writing and didn’t write my first novel until I was over 60. It turns out the ability to create a story is not the same as knowing where to put a comma. I use a brilliant editor for that.

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK? Horses are a legacy in many families. My series reflects the love for horses passed from one generation to the next. I shared that love with my daughter and now my granddaughter – Selah.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK AND WHY? This little snippet of dialog always makes me chuckle.

“If I had a dream like that, I’d move out of my head.” Mary echoed a shiver.

“Want me to pray for you? Mrs. Tate prays for me all the time, so I know how to do it.”

“I guess, but I don’t see how it can help.”

“Let’s try it.” Mary brought her hands together, closed her eyes, and bowed her head.

Laura dropped her chin and rested her shoulder against Mary as she prayed.

“God? Please protect Laura from her bad dream. Amen.”

“That’s it?”

“He’s busy.”

WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE ARE MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY? None are like me. The librarian in Mary’s Song is modeled after my very own librarian grandmother. She was dignified, elegant and beautiful in every way. She encouraged me to read my favorite genre – horse books, starting with The Black Stallion. I write at her desk.

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK? First, I hope young readers will absorb that their families are to be treasured. Their parents are silver and their grandparents are gold. Also, to keep their eyes on their dream and pursue it with passion.

IF YOU COULD BE COMPARED TO A WELL-KNOWN AUTHOR WHO WOULD YOU MOST WANT THIS TO BE AND WHY? I’m in no way comparable to her, but the author whose work I most admire is Anna Sewell who wrote Black Beauty. She wrote the book from the horses’ point of view which is extremely difficult to do expertly. Plus, she bettered the life of working horses with the book by bringing attention to their plight.

WHAT INCIDENT HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE? Writing the Dream Horse Adventure series has energized my life. It gives me great joy and purpose every day.

HOW DID YOU GET PUBLISHED? For about a week, I thought I had an agent. She swooned over the book, but left me at the altar. Her gushing gave me confidence in the book and the determination to publish it myself. At some point, I realized if I sold Selah’s Sweet Dream to a traditional publishing house they would own the book. They would make all the decisions about its development. How could I have ever thought I could sell a book I’d written for Selah?

IF A CLOSE FRIEND OR LOVED ONE WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK, WHAT GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THEM? Write the whole book. Get that your first draft is dribble. Find a critique group and change everything. Get it professionally edited. Decide the publishing route best for you. Don’t look up the long staircase, but take one prayerful step at a time to get it done.

CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK? Lots, but that is a book in itself. I concentrate on writing the best book possible. Then I stack it against others in award contests. If your book floats to the top – you can assure it’s worth your readers' time.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT? Something I never expected! While my books have won multiple first-place awards, I’ve been most honored by a scene in Selah’s Sweet Dream being selected for inclusion in reading comprehension testing for fifth graders - worldwide.

WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ASPIRATIONS? That the work of my hands would be pleasing to the Lord.

TELL US SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT THEY MIGHT FIND INTERESTING: If I’m taking notes while you're telling me something fun your child did, you can be sure it will find a way into my books.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS? After you’ve read one of my books, come find me. SusanCountAuthor@yahoo.com I want to know what you think.

WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED?

Selah’s Sweet Dream is the story of a girl who aspires to be an equestrian superstar and a horse with ATTITUDE. Selah is the granddaughter of Mary 

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS? Of course! Editing Selah’s Painted Dream - the third book in Dream Horse Adventures. And considering the publication options for a book for boys – The Firefly Warriors. 

Selah’s Painted Dream is the story of a girl determined to chase her horse dreams even when life tries to buck her off. Sign up on my website to be notified of updates susancount.com.

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Author Christina M. Pagés on her Top Honors award winning book

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER?

I first wrote poetry as a child, usually high up in a tree. The beauty of nature, and the mysteries of being human on this extraordinary planet inspire me to write, paint and play music.

WAS THERE A TEACHER OR OTHER MENTOR WHO INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING? 

The romantic poets such as Wordsworth, Keats, and Shelley, as well as the transcendentalists, Emerson and Thoreau showed me that I wasn’t alone in my feelings of connection with nature. Also, while studying for my Ph.D. in English, James Dickey, the well-known poet, was one of my professors who encouraged me to explore different ways of writing. He, other skilled teachers, and the works of literature helped me to expand my way of expressing myself on paper.

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?

I first got the idea from Wordsworth’s poems about Lucy Gray, who is part-child, part spirit. When we read about her we are not sure if she is an actual child, or a spiritual presence in the grass, trees or stones. This idea also came from my own childhood. Sometimes I felt imprisoned indoors, either at school or at home, because where I grew up in Kent, England, was always so beautiful outside, regardless of the season. My house was surrounded by lush fields and magnificent oak-trees, and the garden was almost always filled with flowers. Luckily, my mother encouraged us to play outside most of the time, and we were free to wander for hours over the fields and farms. Farmers, cows, sheep, dogs, even the birds, rabbits, and foxes. seemed to recognize us as part of the landscape. I often walked alone in those woods and fields and imagined myself as part-child, part-flower, or tree. I was in everything and everything was in me. This gave me the idea of my main character, Lucy, in Lucy in her Secret Wood, an eight and a half-year-old child who was locked away indoors, for years, by her mean stepfather, and never knew the joys of being outside. When, one evening, her stepdad takes her out into the remote woods and abandons her there, Lucy wakes up to herself. By that, I mean that she recognized herself as part of the creation surrounding her. Having been deprived of life and beauty in her dirty little room, her awareness of beauty is much greater than for most humans. The animals, trees, flowers, and brook are all miracles for her, and because she feels the same magic within her, all her creativity and imagination is unleashed. Later, this manifests in the enchanting music she plays on a recorder.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK AND WHY?

“But then [Lucy] remembered Alone [the deer], her body the colour of sunrise, her eyes full of the wood’s shadows that were saying, ‘Yes, shadows and darkness will come; night creatures will come, but light will always follow.”

Lucy is trying to settle down for her first night in the woods, inside the hollow trunk of Grandpa tree. She begins to feel afraid of the descending darkness, but then the doe, who she calls Alone comes through the trees and stares at her for a long time, as if trying to tell her that she has a friend and is not alone.

I like this passage because it shows how Lucy finds the courage to overcome her fears by connecting with her new family of woodland creatures who are beautiful, but also wise in the ways of survival.

WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE ARE MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY?

Lucy is the most like me because finally, after almost nine years, she is able to experience the childhood I had in nature. As in my case, nature becomes her palette for wonder, her main comfort, inspiration, and teacher. Like Lucy, I became interested in music because of nature’s sounds, and also because my family played classical music. At the age of 11, I begged my parents to let me learn the piano, but in those days parents did not cart children to and fro. I had to walk across four fields to get to my piano teacher's cottage, often in rain, and usually through a great deal of mud. My piano playing became a primary way for me to express myself, just as Lucy’s playing on the recorder is her most important way of communicating her feelings when she is alone.

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?

I hope they will be even more encouraged to see that we are surrounded by miracles and creativity, and happiness comes from experiencing life directly rather than through electronic gadgets and screens. Even city children can know a relief from playing outdoors, feeling the breeze, and seeing the sky, that can make them feel more alive than being enclosed inside a room. More and more cities are closing off streets so children can play outdoors, and schools are recognizing the importance of exposing children to nature in one way or another. The Children and Nature Network headed by Richard Louv, who coined the term “nature deficit disorder’ for children deprived of outside experiences, is doing all they can to increase children's connection with nature.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER:

As a child, I would climb trees with a piece of paper and a pencil so I could scribble out a ‘poem.’ I wanted to escape the scorn of my three older sisters who never took me seriously, but I also wanted a longer view over the tops of trees, into the fields beyond. I thought that view would make my poem more interesting. Often, I screwed up the poem in disgust, because I knew it was no good (and I certainly didn’t want my sisters to find it). At other times, I tore it as I scrambled down and lost interest in putting it back together. I don’t remember what I wrote in my tree-nooks. But I do remember feeling that pushing up higher through scratchy branches would make my writing more dramatic somehow.

I will continue to keep easing my way through leaves, hunting for a rise of ground that will give me a clearer view for my writing!

IF YOU COULD BE COMPARED TO A WELL-KNOWN AUTHOR WHO WOULD YOU MOST WANT THIS TO BE AND WHY?

I cannot think of a well-known writer I would like to be compared with! I love the classics but I realize their writing can seem old-fashioned and verbose for modern readers! I’ll just say I want to write clearly, spontaneously, and with just a touch of poetry that will inspire!

HOW DID YOU FIND AN AGENT / GET PUBLISHED?

I heard about Waldorf Publishing, a relatively new publishing house, through a friend. I contacted them directly, not through an agent.

IF A CLOSE FRIEND OR LOVED ONE WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK, WHAT GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THEM?

Tap into your inner voice. Write spontaneously without thinking about the effect of your words on an audience. Don’t try to be reasonable or logical. Just write a stream of consciousness about the idea/event/story you have in mind. Put it aside. When you come back, perhaps after a day, you will find the gems. There will be some nonsense, but stay with the gems and build outwards from those, making sure you stick with that authentic voice, which is YOUR voice, not the one you are supposed to have, or that your audience might demand. Don’t be afraid to throw out what you know is unnecessary. Don’t get attached to what you write. Be merciless and objective when you are editing.

CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?

No. I am not a good marketer! This is the most difficult part for me. I would say that if you can afford it, find someone to market your book for you. Of course, there is always the social media – Facebook, Linked-in, Instagram, etc. These help a little. You should also make an Amazon Author page, and create your own website.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?

Winning the Eloquent Quill Award from Children’s Literary Classics for Lucy in her Secret Wood is a thrill! They have also given me a Gold Award. Several months ago, Readers Favorite gave me their Silver Award. All of these are a wonderful pat on the back. My first publication award was from The International Society of Poetry back in 2004 for my first poetry collection. That gave me the taste and the drive to keep writing.

WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ASPIRATIONS?

I would like my children’s writing to creep into the minds and hearts of children, and encourage them to look at their surroundings with wonder and excitement. I would very much like the Lucy Series – Lucy in her Secret Wood (Book 1), and The Woodland Adventures of Lucy and Will (Book 2) to become best-sellers and to be made into movies. (Book 2 will be published in 2018).

TELL US SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT THEY MIGHT FIND INTERESTING:

I was a terrible student in England from ages 11 to 16 (when I left school). I was always in the clouds, in my dream world, and I never studied until the last minute before an exam. Then I stayed up all night. The result was I was so tired when the exam came, that I had forgotten everything. I could not wait to leave school, and I began working in London when I was sixteen. Given how much I detested school and teachers, it is incredible to me, that I ended up getting a Ph.D in Literature and becoming a professor myself!

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?

For young readers: Remember that watching television, or a movie, or playing a video game, doesn’t require much imagination. The “pictures” are already given to you, so you don’t have to create them yourselves as you do when you read about characters and situations in books. Reading will keep your minds and imaginations lively and interesting, and books are the best friends you will ever have.

WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED?

Poetry:

Shadow Words and Other Selected Poems

Published in 2006 by Watermark Press

Remember not to Forget and Other Poems

Published in 2013 by Summerland Publishing 

Children’s Books:

Mountain Boy (Nature Children)

Published in 2007 by Summerland Publishing

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?

Lucy Series Book 2 - The Woodland Adventures of Lucy and Will is already written and illustrated. It will be published by Waldorf Publishing in 2018.

Lucy Series Book 2 – The Woodland Adventures of Lucy and Will starts off a few seconds after Book 1 ends. Will, Lucy’s best friend, and kindred spirit, will join in her adventures, and I hope this will encourage more boy-readers to pick up the book. One nail-biting situation follows another, which makes this second book a page-turner. Now they are slightly older, Lucy and Will’s incredible friendship begins to become a little more like a childhood romance.

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Author Spotlight, Patricia Reding on her award winning book

WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER AND WHY?

This is an interesting question because I can’t think of a time when I first gave consideration to the thought. I’d always been an avid reader, and from early on, I wrote. But there isn’t a day I can point to when the clouds parted and the sun shone and an epiphany came unto me saying, “You should write.” Having said that, there was an event that served as the catalyst to my starting my first full-length work. Specifically, I was so inspired by a fantasy series I read, that I had to see if I could write one myself.

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AS A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU ASPIRE TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?

I came from a large family of all girls (eight, that is, count them!), back in the day when we weren’t encouraged to aspire to much of anything, really. Still, even as a child, I was intrigued by courtroom dramas. By the time I was finally able to articulate what I might want to do (practice law), I’d been conditioned into believing that such a venture was reserved for others—that it was not something for me. One day, I dared mention it to a friend. I remember being afraid to even say the words. Then, I quickly followed up with: “But I don’t think they’ll let me.” She responded with one simple question, a question that may well have changed the course of my future. “Who is ‘they?’” she asked. In that moment, something was born—a hunger for more and a belief that perhaps I, too, could have dreams and could follow them. As time unfolded, I found myself pursuing those dreams. I’ve now been practicing law for some years. In many ways, the same idea applied to my writing. I saw others create fascinating works and thought, “Why not me?”

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HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE?

My two daughters—my youngest two children—were in their early teens at the time that the Oathtaker story and title came to me. I was lamenting about things I saw going on around me. I had a vision of my children seeing the world I’d grown up in, at least for a moment. It was a world in which (to my young mind, at least, back in the day) people said what they meant and meant what they said. You could count on them to follow through on their word. I felt badly that my children were growing up in a world in which teachers don’t always follow through, spouses give up on marriages, religious leaders on occasion fall (quite publicly) from grace, and politicians are excused with the old adage: “Well, they all lie.” I wanted to make a statement that one’s word matters, and that words have a price. Yet I also wanted to express the great glory that can come with honoring one’s word. To do that in a manner that might be accepted by others, I chose to illustrate the concepts I had in mind through a fantasy story.

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TELL US SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER:

For me, the most random and funniest events are those moments when in the midst of writing, something trips from the end of my fingertips that I never expected. Sometimes, it’s a funny or thought-provoking, line. For example, in Oathtaker, when a slave woman, Erin, reprimands another, Ginny, whom the reader already knows is slightly cross-eyed, Erin says: “I thought you were only cross-eyed. Now I see that in truth, you are blind.” It’s the kind of line a person would never express out loud in real life, but that a character can get away with saying—and that an author can get away with using. Other surprises have come to me when, for example, a character has shown up in a scene unexpectedly. In Oathtaker, to my delight, that happened at the end of the tale. I remember typing away that Mara (the main protagonist) looked up when the door opened. Then, I stopped, stunned, my hands hovering over my keyboard. I saw the person entering the room, but I was in shock. I had to ask myself: Is that possible? For quite some time, I refused to believe it, but eventually I did, and in the end it was completely right. In fact, it was as though my subconscious knew all along that it was coming, but decided to surprise me along with everyone else.

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WHICH AUTHOR HAS MOST GREATLY INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE OR HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

I can’t say that any one in particular has influenced my style, but as to impact, I have to go back to the classics. Perhaps my all time favorite is Les Miserables, which to my mind is sheer poetry. Moreover, it tells a tale of sacrifice. In many ways, my stories also suggest that sometimes there are things more important than “self.”

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WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?

Of course, there is the obvious of taking a story from start to finish. That may seem ordinary to many, but I suspect many writers would agree that it feels miraculous—particularly the completion of a first full work. Aside from that, both my books are award-winners and WindDancer Films asked to take a look at Oathtaker (Volume One). Not many new authors can claim that a major film production company has shown interest in their work. Even so, I’d have to say that it is the comments from readers that mean the most. I especially like when someone tells me that he or she didn’t read fantasy before, but because of my stories, has been “converted.”

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CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?

The best advice for a new author seeking to promote her work would be the worst advice for her, in general. That is, if she wants to be great at promotion, she needs time to do it. This might suggest she should quit her day job. Please don’t! Instead, new authors should be active on social media—preferably before they first publish. (I wish I’d known this before I first published!) Also, I would encourage them to enter contests, but to be wary of them. They are not all equal. An author should look to enter those that are used to promote ideas with which the author agrees. For example, Literary Classics caught my attention because I discovered LC’s emphasis on works of quality.

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DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?

Ephemeral and Fleeting: The Oathtaker Series, Volume Three went “live” on March 24, 2017.  I know there will be more to the series, so I suppose I should get started on the next one (post haste!). I’m very excited about Volume Three. Also, I’ve decided to take the plunge into audio books and have spent some time looking into them and doing some recording. You see . . . I want to read them myself. We’ll see how that all goes. It is daunting—and exciting.

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IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?

Yes! If you are a blogger and would be interested in reviewing my works, I would love to hear from you. To all other readers, I very much appreciate getting feedback—particularly “in the moment” feedback. So, if you’re reading one of my stories, please feel free to contact me via Facebook and follow me there, or on my website www.PatriciaReding.com  and share your thoughts with me. Finally, if you’d like to know more about how my works came about, I’d be delighted if you would join me on Bublish. Just click on the “Follow on Bublish” button. Bublish is a great tool for authors to use to share with readers what they were thinking in the writing process, what things might have influenced their stories, and so on.

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LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Author Spotlight K.B. Hoyle on her award Winning Books

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WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER AND WHY?

The first time I knew I wanted to be a writer was, I think, as a very small child reading The Chronicles of Narnia. There was something so transportive about those stories. I was the child who used to go into my closet and push on the back wall, trying to get to Narnia, and it amazed me that someone could write something that produced that effect--that longing--within me. I knew I wanted to grow up to do the same for others. 

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AS A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU ASPIRE TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?

Aside from a writer? Everything! The stories I read and the movies I watched inspired me to imitate the heroic characters within them. I can remember wanting to be an artist, explorer, archaeologist, astronaut, humanitarian, singer, actor, fighter pilot--you name it! It just had to be fantastic, and it had to be something that changed the world. That was my one caveat: I wanted to change the world. 

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HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE?

The Gateway Chronicles is very personal for me. Growing up, my family attended a summer camp in upper Michigan the same week every year with the same families, and the experiences I had at that camp--and the friendships I formed--integrally shaped my childhood and who I am today. It was a magical place and time in my life, so as an adult, when I sat down to figure out the setting and characters for my first fantasy series, I decided to base it on my experiences at the camp I loved so much from my childhood. From there, I decided to pay homage to the first fantasy series that ever inspired me to want to be a writer--Narnia--and make it Gateway Fantasy, and then pay further homage to the fantasy series of my teen years that re-ignited my love of fantasy literature--Harry Potter--and make it a sort of friendship adventure where the characters have year-long adventures, and where the readers get to grow alongside the characters and walk the metanarrative with them. From all these things, The Gateway Chronicles was born! 

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WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK AND WHY?

Oh wow… How can I choose just one favorite line out of six books? Okay. I don't know if it's my favorite line, but I think it's probably the most compelling line, although it needs a little explanation. The Gateway Chronicles is full of oracles and prophecies, which are often delivered as riddles. In book 2, The Oracle, a very important oracle is delivered to a character, and she spends the remainder of the books (3-6) trying to decipher what exactly this means for her. Here's the line: 

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"Twice wed, twice dead, twice stained red." 

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WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE ARE MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY?

I am definitely most like the main character, Darcy. I wrote her to be like me--digging deep into my adolescent psyche (it was a dark time). In all seriousness, though, I really do think I had typical teenaged angst, and because I tell the story through a limited perspective (Darcy's), it only made sense to dig through my mind and memories to make her as realistic as possible. As I've told many people--since she's not terribly likable in the first couple books--I start her off very much as I was in early adolescence, but as she grows, I make her into the sort of person I wish I could have been as a teenager. 

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WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?

Because there are six books in the series, there are many themes and messages I hope the readers can take away from the books. Overall, though, I want my readers to walk away knowing that no matter how bad life gets, they should never despair, because there is always hope in this life--especially as long as good people are willing to stand up against evil and oppression. I also hope my readers will glean a strong message of the importance of self-sacrifice and serving others. That sometimes doing the right thing means putting others ahead of yourself. 

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TELL US SOMETHING RANDOM/INTERESTING/FUNNY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER:

I think all writers are just a touch crazy--just a touch. I know I definitely have my oddities! For example, I personify things and name them, as relates to my writing work. My laptop is Scribbus MacDoodle, and he's a HE. And I have an antique typewriter who is female, and her name is Rhonda Royale. I also plaster my office with notes, like Sherlock Holmes on a case, and also like Sherlock Holmes, when I'm writing a book, because of all the details--and the amazing layers of details--I have to keep straight (the world-building), I'm able to enter into a mind-palace of sorts where I have everything neatly organized. I can walk around and touch and see and smell the world in my mind--I can even talk with the characters. A great deal of writing actually consists of me staring blankly at the wall while I am inside the mind-palace, hard at work! 

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WHICH AUTHOR HAS MOST GREATLY INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?

J. K. Rowling has had the greatest impact on my writing style because I studied how she constructed Harry Potter before I sat down to write The Gateway Chronicles. If you want to learn how to do something well, a good place to start is studying the person who wrote a crossover, billion-dollar smash hit in your genre! 

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WHAT BOOK HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

This is always a struggle to answer, but I think I would have to say The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the simple fact that it's the first book to awaken that longing within me for the "other." And if that longing within me hadn't been awoken, I don't think I would have become an author. 

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WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?

My greatest literary accomplishment--aside from getting published--has been winning the gold award for YA series for The Gateway Chronicles from Literary Classics! 

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DO YOU HAVE ANY WRITING RITUALS?

I don't have any particular writing rituals, aside from doing my best to shut down my social media browsers to not let myself get distracted. I usually take a quick read through whatever it is I wrote the day before, but I try to avoid revising at that time. It's always important to just move forward when you're writing your first draft. Deep revisions come later. 

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HOW DID YOU FIND AN AGENT?

I'm hoping 2017 will be the year I land an agent, as I have a new manuscript ready for publication that I'm really excited about. I've been actively pursuing agenting for a few months here. I was published with The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House in 2011, though, after they discovered me through a reviewer who had reviewed a copy of my first two (then self-published) books. 

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WHAT DID YOU DO TO CELEBRATE THE COMPLETION/PUBLISH DATE/OR OTHER OF YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?

My husband and I usually keep the celebrating pretty low-key. We have four small boys, so while it's exciting when I have another book published, or I win an award, or something like that, it's difficult to get out, and we don't exactly have money to burn! We have, in the past, just gone out for dinner or dinner and a movie. My husband has bought me flowers to celebrate the awards, though. That's been nice! 

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CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF BECOMING PUBLISHED AND ANY TIPS YOU MIGHT OFFER FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS?

The process of becoming published is going to be different for everyone these days. The first thing aspiring authors need to do is establish a brand and a platform. Many publishers and agents want to see that an author comes with some sort of social media base ready-made. You can do this through writing a monthly newsletter, getting plugged in and promoting your brand on social media, or self-publishing your first/second/third books to get your name out there--or some combination of these. The main things to keep in mind these days are: The market is saturated with authors doing exactly what you're trying to do, and YOU are the only one who is going to sell your book--no one else. 

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CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?

Self-promotion is a tricky thing, but there are some crucial steps to consider for success: 

-Figure out who you are as a writer and for whom you are writing (your audience): This is your brand

-Figure out how to write effectively for this audience by studying the most effective writers in the genre: This is the research for how to become the best storyteller and writer you can be.

-While doing that, be working on setting up your online persona as an author and start drawing in people who might be interested. 

-Be prepared to give things away for free. 

-Figure out where on social media your audience hangs out, and follow them and their interests religiously. *Do not use these social media platforms for personal usage, but for promotional usage, without spamming people! 

-Enter contests

-Build relationships with likeminded people and keep contact lists

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IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?

I have an author newsletter that goes out about once monthly, and I'd love to invite readers to subscribe! I blog about writing, share exclusive content, relay my publication news, and more! Here's the link: http://www.kbhoyle.com/subscribe.html 

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WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED? 

The Breeder Cycle series

DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?

I have a completed manuscript called The Girl in the Sea that is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. I am really excited about this book, and it's the book for which I am actively seeking agenting. I am also writing Clone, the third and final book in my YA Dystopian trilogy, The Breeder Cycle.

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I don't have any news as to when either The Girl in the Sea or Clone will be available. There is too much up in the air right now regarding my publishing future. But people who are interested should subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to know when I DO have news! 

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LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org