Welcome to the blog, Joelle! Tell us about you!
Did you always know you wanted to
be a writer or did you want to be something else?
I am always embarrassed to
admit that I never thought I’d be an author. Growing up, I loved reading, but I never was one to write
stories or dream of being published.
Instead, I was a theater and music girl. My undergraduate degree is in music and theater and my
Masters degree is in Opera Performance.
For most of my 20s I sang and danced on stage. It wasn’t until I was almost 30 that I had an idea for a
book and decided to sit down and attempt to write.
How long does it take you to write
a book from start to finish?
It
depends on the book, but most of the time I can write the first draft of a
novel in about 3 months. The
shortest it has taken me is 8 weeks.
The longest about 14 weeks. I don’t go back and edit when I write. I write straight through and then hope
that it sort of makes sense when I finally reach the end and go back to read
and revise.
How do you come up with themes for
your stories?
I
tend to write what I know. Since I
teach private voice students who are in the throws of the college admittance
process, it isn’t a surprise that I know about the stress and anxiety that goes
along with getting into a top school.
I tend to use the things I come in contact with as inspiration and write
about them in order to find out what I really think about the things I have
seen and/or experienced. So, I
guess I am inspired by what I know and then write to understand the things I
don’t know about that subject.
(Does that make any sense to anyone but me?)
Do you have a schedule of when you
write?
I
have a 6 year old at home that is in half day kindergarten. So, mostly my schedule revolves around
him. That means there isn’t a real
routine. I try to get work done
after I walk him to the bus and am able to do some business e-mails when he’s
home. Mostly, I work when he is
unconscious (yay sleep!) or when my mother takes him with her to visit my
grandmother in assisted living.
Lucky for everyone, he loves those trips. So, there isn’t a true schedule, but there is one thing that
is certain – if I am writing a novel, I will write every single day until I
have finished it. Even if it means
staying up until 2 am to get words on the page.
How are you able to balance other
aspects of your life with your writing?
Ha! You assume I can balance the other
aspects of my lifeJ I love my family. There is nothing more important than
spending time with them. I also
love my private voice students and I am willing to drop almost everything to
answer questions or have an extra lesson when they need it. Writing is what I do and part of who I
am, but while the people in my stories are a driving force in my life, the
people whom I love are what makes life worthwhile. So, I guess balance is easier to find when you are around
people and doing something that you love.
(Except when a deadline approaches. If I’m running behind on a deadline then all balance goes out
the window as does sleep!)
What elements do you think make a
great story line?
Yowzah! That’s a tough question. Well…strong, identifiable characters, a
gripping theme and killer hooks. I
really believe in stories that have strong hooks at the end of every
chapter. I love when a story keeps
me saying “Just one more chapter and THEN I’ll go to bed.”
What was the hardest thing about
writing a book?
This
is easy to answer. The
middle. The middle of a book is
the hardest part to write every single time. Starting a book is a true joy. The idea is fresh and new. The pages are blank.
It’s all about possibilities and fun. After a few chapters, I tend to leave behind the bubbly
excitement that has driven me and suddenly the book feels like the worst thing
that has ever been written in the history of ever. It is at that point that I am certain someone will realize I
have no ability to write and kick me out of the club. Thankfully, the middle (while it feels terminally long and I
often feel terribly stupid) eventually gives way to THE END. The minute I can see the light at the
end of the tunnel and THE END is in sight, I forget about the terrible middle
and just race for the finish line.
There is nothing better than the feeling of crossing that line. It makes the self-doubt in the middle
of the book worthwhile.
How many books have you written so
far? Do you have a favorite?
Are
we counting the unpublished ones?
Hmmm…let’s see…4 unpublished manuscripts that will forever remain
unpublished. 1 unpublished adult
thriller manuscript that my agent and I never got around to tweaking and might
someday go back to for kicks. 7
funny adult mysteries, 3 books in The Testing Trilogy and I’m currently in the
middle of my next project – N.E.E.D.
So, if I’m doing the math correctly – 15 ½. And my favorite has to be Graduation Day – probably because
I don’t outline and wasn’t sure how all the pieces in the series were going to
fit together. It was fun to see
how it all played out!
Do you have a favorite character?
So
far, I think my favorite character to write has been Will in The Testing
trilogy. He has lots of shades of
gray that are really fun to explore.
In my adult writing, my favorite is Paige Marshall from the Glee Club
mysteries. She’s a stage performer
and I love being able to use my past experiences as a singer/actress to bring
her to life.
Where do you write?
Wherever
I can. Honestly. Most days you’ll find me typing away in
my living room – I have an office, but I tend to use that for the businessy end
and not the writing portion of my job.
But it is not unusual to see me sitting with my laptop at the park while
my son is careening down slides or at the community center room while he’s in
cooking class. I’ve also gotten
pretty good at writing on planes or in hotel rooms.
When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route
you took?
There
were a few things that determined the path that I pursued when it came to
publishing. One is my theater
background. As an actress, I
greatly respected the importance of a director’s influence on a show. A talented director can pull an amazing
performance instead of just a good one out of a performer. So, I always knew that if I published
any of my books, I really wanted a strong editor to help me. Also, while I love the idea of
self-publishing and e-books, I can’t seem to read well on a screen. I can read a paper book start to finish
in a few hours and retain everything I read, but when I read on a screen I seem
to read much slower and my mind tends to wander. So, because of those two things, I opted to pursue a
traditional publishing path, which involved finding an agent I clicked who in
turn helped me find editors who liked my work. And trust me when I say, a great editor (one who is really
hard on you and pushes you to be the best writer you can be) is worth his or
her weight in gold!
Have you gotten feedback from
family about your book(s)? What do they think?
Thankfully,
my family all seems to love my books.
Or if they don’t, they haven’t found a reason to burst my bubble. My entire family has been incredibly
supportive and enthusiastic about every bump, turn and exciting dip in this
journey.
What kinds of things do you like to
do outside of writing?
Let’s
see…singing and reading probably wouldn’t come as a surprise, but I love
them. I also love to cook, watch
sports and competitive cooking show, hang out with my husband and play with my
son. Oh – and any excuse to chat
with friends is also very welcome.
What kinds of advice would you give
to someone who wants to start writing?
My
advice is in three parts. 1)
Read. Read critically. When you finish a book ask yourself why
you did or didn’t enjoy it. Then
go back and look at those parts to see what the author did that made you react
that way. 2) Write every day. Keep the story moving forward. Resist the urge to go back and polish
otherwise the story will never get finished. 3) Get to THE END.
The most important thing you can do is finish what you start. Trust me! All authors think their book is terrible at some point in the
process. That’s when many writers
give up. Forge on. Get to The End. Even if the book isn’t the book you
want to publish you will have taught yourself that you can scale the mountain
of self-doubt and middle malaise and get to the other side. That way the next time you write and
you get to that section, you’ll be able to draw from past experience and get
through to The End again. When
you’re on deadline, knowing you can get to The End is the most important tool
you can have in your arsenal.
What is your favorite book?
favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to
write?
I never have a good answer to this question. I love lots of genres and lots of authors. My favorite book growing up was The
Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe.
I still love that book and check wardrobes when I pass to see if there
is another world located somewhere beyond. And just about every author inspires me in some way. Lois Lowry, Nora Roberts (aka JD Robb),
Stephen King, David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson, Harlan Coben, Janet Evanovich
and so many more….The stories they tell are just amazing and I am honored to be
allowed to be part of the club.
Do you have any go to people when
writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing, beta
reading and such?
My
husband used to always be my first reader. I also have a student who is in her senior year of college
who has read some of the early drafts of my work. But my main and most constant source of editing, beta
reading and brainstorming is my agent, Stacia Decker. The Testing is dedicated to her for a reason. She is awesome!
Are you working on anything
now?
I am! I’m currently working
on a stand alone YA thriller that takes place in a small Wisconsin town and
follows a group of students invited to join an elite social networking site. The book is entitled N.E.E.D. and I
can’t wait to see how the whole story plays out!
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Joelle. Good luck with the release of GRADUATION DAY! Looking forward to your YA thriller for sure!
Joelle has generously offered a giveaway with her interview. Entrants can win a signed copy of either THE TESTING or INDEPENDENT STUDY (winner's choice) plus swag! Scroll down to enter through the Rafflecopter!
No comments:
Post a Comment