C.J. REDWINE INTERVIEW AND DEFIANCE GIVEAWAY

Before I get to our interview, I want to remind you to enter our contests for the YA contemporary novel,  COUNTING BACKWARDS and a great writer's resource, THE EMOTION THESAURUS, and THE STONE GIRL, another newly released contemporary novel about a girl struggling with eating disorders. The links are at the top of the blog.

And are you all planning to go to the WriteOnCon Conference on August 14th and 15th? It's free and super awesome, so you should. The good thing is you can go as much or as little as you want or are able. I'll have to sneak in this year because I'm having company then. But I'm going to check out what I can. Go here to find out details.

One last thing--the winners of my contests. 

The winner of SHADOW AND BONE is: SOFIA!

And the winner of FLYING THE DRAGON is: ANGELA BROWN!

Today I’m super excited to interview C.J. Redwine about her debut book DEFIANCE that will be

released August 28, 2012. It's my first pre-release interview.

I first learned of C.J.’s blog from Shannon Messenger when C.J. was in the process of adopting her daughter from China a few years ago. Having adopted our daughter from China too, I’ve enjoyed following C.J.’s blog and her journey to adoption and publication. It makes it even more fun to interview her because I know her.

I really enjoyed the part fantasy, part dystopian story C.J. created. She really brings the scenes

and characters to life with her dynamite, yet not too long, descriptions. The pace of the story

never stops and C.J. doesn’t hesitate to make things harder and harder for her main characters,

Rachel and Logan.

Here’s a description from Goodreads:

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

Hi C.J. Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

I’ve been making up stories since I realized in the second grade that it was someone’s job to make stuff up.  When I was thirty, I was diagnosed with cancer, and I realized that life is too short to hesitate in following your dreams. I haven’t looked back since. J

2. So sorry you got sick, but that's awesome you followed your dream. And it's worked out so well. I've been using your advice that life is too short a lot these days. It really puts things in perspective.

It is so important in fantasies and dystopian stories to create a vivid world, which you do

so well. How did you come up with the idea of the safe city of Baalboden, the Beast, and the

frightening wilderness that had been left after the Beast’s destruction?

The idea of a Leviathon-like creature who lived deep underground had been in the back of my mind for years. One day, I saw a picture of a fortress and it reminded me of a city-state. I thought “What if everyone lived in city-states again? Why would they do that? What’s so dangerous about being outside the walls?”  The Leviathon idea collided with the city-state idea, and Defiance was born.

3. I'm always amazed how seeing something randomly can stir a story in writers. Rachel is strong yet vulnerable given all the losses she has to face, independent, and sometimes angrier than most characters I’ve seen. Not that I blame her. Share with us how you developed her as a character and how you got the right balance of having her show anger but not too much.

My characters show up in my head already fully formed. I just get the delightful job of discovering who they are and then putting them into situations that generate action and conflict. Rachel is fierce and driven, so when I put her in situations that cause her grief, her go-to response is anger because she knows how to use anger to fuel action, and she’s most comfortable with action. My editor (the amazingly talented Kristin Rens!) helped me find the right balance with Rachel’s emotional arc.

4. That's great your editor helped with the balance. I loved that you told your story from both Rachel’s and Logan’s POVs. What were some of the challenges in writing from two POVs and what tips do you have for the rest of us?

Logan’s POV wasn’t originally part of the plan! I was halfway through with the first draft when I realized that Logan had just as much at stake in the story as Rachel did and needed to be included. (Shout out to my friend and critique partner MG Buehrlen for helping me figure that out!) It took several tries to find Logan’s voice and to understand how to look at events through his eyes instead of through Rachel’s. He’s a very deductive, logical person and Rachel is much more intuitive and impulsive. My advice if you want to try writing dual POVs is to make sure the entire approach to the scene is different for each character so that they sound distinct.

5. So glad you decided to include Logan's POV. He's such a great character. I bet a lot of your fans will say the same thing. Your agent is Holly Root. How did she become your agent and what was your road to publication like?

I was discussing my querying process on a loop of writer friends (I’d had several agents ask to see the manuscript I’d just finished), and one of my friends said the book sounded like something her agent, Holly, would love. I queried Holly, and it turns out we are a perfect fit. My road to publication was much harder than my road to finding an agent. J We subbed two different books over the course of two years and got nothing but rejections. I just kept writing and writing. Finally, I decided to jump to the YA genre (I’d been writing adult) because it was my go-to genre for pleasure reading, and I took on the idea that scared me with how big it was. A few months later, the Defiance trilogy sold at auction. It took weeks for me to believe that something I’d written had finally sold!

6. It's good to hear how you and your agent kept submitting when book 1 didn't sell. You decided to quit your full-time job at some point to focus on writing. Many of us, me included, would love to be able to do this. What went into deciding that and what do you recommend people consider in making that decision?

I didn’t quit my job until after I’d sold the trilogy. I was busy balancing work, four kids, homeschooling two of them, and life in general. To say that I was near the end of my rope is an understatement. J When I was able to replace enough of my income to make staying home possible, I jumped at the chance! To effectively work from home, I’ve set up office hours for myself, and I usually go to my local bookstore and write a couple days a week as well. It takes some juggling (I have a toddler!), but I was already used to juggling. 

7. I bet it's critical to set the office hours to stay productive. Your book will be released soon. What are your marketing plans and what are the essential steps you’d advise a debut author to take in planning to market a debut book?

I’ve been building relationships within the publishing/blogging community for years, mostly because I just love books, and it’s so much fun to champion the books I really enjoy. Because of those relationships, I could go to people and ask if they’d like to do a blog tour with Defiance or if they wanted to do an interview etc. Also, because of those relationships (and because Harper designed such an amazing cover for me!), people have come to me asking if they can be a part of promoting Defiance. My advice to a debut author is to be genuinely invested in other people’s success, to reach out to people (strangers too!), and to carefully space out contests etc on your own blog so that you aren’t a constant stream of ME ME ME because let’s face it—that’s super annoying. J

8. I have the same passion for books and authors. I'm going to watch your debut and learn how you've used your connections. What are you working on now?

I just finished book two in the Defiance trilogy, and I’m also working on a secret project on the side.

Ooh, can't wait till you tell about the secret project. Thanks C.J. for sharing all your advice and letting us help celebrate your debut. I’m so excited for you! You can find C.J. at her website and her blog.

C.J.'s publisher generously offered an ARC for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by August 25th. I’ll announce the winner on August 27th. If your e-mail is not on Blogger, please list it in your comment. International entries are welcome.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry.

Here's what's coming up:

Next Monday, I'll be taking off. My mom, uncle, and aunt will be visiting and I need to be a good hostess and enjoy being together. I'll be back Friday next week with a big Last Days of Freedom Giveaway Hop. I've got a great selection of books planned.

The following Monday I have a book review (not sure yet which one) and a giveaway. But it'll be awesome for sure. 

The following Monday I'm interviewing debut author Meagan Spooner and giving away her awesome fantasy/dystopian book SKYLARK. It was so good that I stayed up way too late one weeknight finishing it and was SO tired at work the next day. But it was totally worth it. I know you'll love this book.


And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.


Hope to see you a week from Friday!