Debut Author Interview: Tirzah Price and Pride and Premeditation Giveaway and IWSG Post

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m thrilled to have debut author Tirzah Price here to share about her YA historical mystery Pride and Premeditation. I was able to get an e-ARC through Netgalley. This is a fantastic, page-turning mystery. I loved that it was a retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in such a refreshing way. And I really felt for Lizzie, who finds a way to be independent, in a time when women were not free like we are now. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies and Stalking Jack the Ripper, the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series is a clever retelling of Pride and Prejudice that reimagines the iconic settings, characters, and romances in a thrilling and high-stakes whodunit.

When a scandalous murder shocks London high society, seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seizes the opportunity to prove herself, despite the interference of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious firm Pemberley Associates.

Convinced the authorities have imprisoned the wrong person, Lizzie vows to solve the murder on her own. But as the case—and her feelings for Darcy—become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it might also get her killed.

IWSG Post

 

Before I get to my interview with Jennifer, I have my IWSG post.

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts for the March 3rd posting of the IWSG are  Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen Jacqui Murray, Chemist Ken, Victoria Marie Lees, JQ and me.

Optional Question: Everyone has a favorite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?

When I started writing middle grade and young adult fantasy, I only read in those genres. But then I went through a reading crisis after I lost my husband. I later learned that this is a common part of grief. For awhile I could only read adult mysteries, thrillers, and some contemporary.

As time has gone on, I have thankfully been able to read middle grade and young adult fantasy again. I also read more widely. I read more contemporary and mysteries in MG and YA as well as the same genres in adult fiction.

I read in my genre and ones I may want to write in because I think it’s important to read in the genres you write. And I enjoy them. I also read adult books because I like them a lot and sometimes I need to see myself as an adult in the characters I read. I’ve always loved to read a lot since I first learned to read and mainly read for the pleasure of it. I read almost every day and have for most of my life. I really don’t know what I’d do without it.

What about you? What do you like to read?

Interview With Tirzah Price

Hi Tirzah! Thanks so much for joining us.

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

Thanks so much for having me! I’ve always been a big YA reader and writer, although I didn’t get serious about writing until college. I applied to Vermont College of Fine Art’s MFA program for Writing for Children & Young Adults because so many of my favorite YA writers have graduated from that program. It was life-changing, and gave me the confidence and skills to go from starting novels to actually finishing them!

2. That’s so awesome that you decided to pursue your dreams. Where did you get the idea for Pride and Premeditation?

I’ve always enjoyed retellings and genre mash ups, and I’m a big fan of YA ahistorical novels that bring a bit of a modern sensibility to a historical period or classic work. I also really wanted to write a mystery, so the idea of writing a murder mystery retelling of Pride & Prejudice seemed too fun to pass up!

3. I’m thinking that I want to write a mystery too. Tell us a bit about your writing process for this book. Did you plot it out or were you a pantser? How long did it take you to get it to the point where you felt you could query?

Pride and Premeditation isn’t actually my first novel, but my third! I wrote two YA novels before it—

my first got me my agent, and both went on submission but unfortunately didn’t sell. I generally consider myself a plotter, and I had to get very structured with writing this mystery. I worked on a detailed chapter outline where everything worked and came together before drafting, and then I had a lot of revision.

4. Lizzie must solve a murder mystery to convince her father that he should hire her as a solicitor. How did you plot out the clues and twists of who the murderer was? Do you have any tips or books you recommend for other writers who want to write a mystery?

Writing a mystery is hard! When creating my outline for Pride and Premeditation (and the sequels), I usually start out with the broad strokes. I know who the villains are, and their motives, and I work backwards to the moment when the protagonists learn of the crime. Some tips and tricks I’ve picked up: It’s good to make sure that all of the characters have a secret or two that may or may not relate to the mystery at hand, and they can make for good red herrings. When it comes down to the nitty gritty of the clues, it helps to think about your settings, and how the villain might think of react in the moment of the crime—what do they leave behind? What do they overlook? How can a sharp-eyes sleuth pick up on these details? At this stage, I usually break my outline down in an excel spreadsheet to keep track of all the clues! I’ve never managed to write a good mystery in the first draft, either. For me, the magic happens in revision when I can make sure everything connects in an exciting and satisfying way.

5. Those are great tips! Lizzie is such a sympathetic, intelligent girl who has to try to stay independent in a world where women were expected to get married and take care of their husbands and kids. Did you have any trouble finding the balance between her desire to be an independent girl with the constraints of her time?

Yes! It’s partly why I chose to make the setting ahistorical. In reality, young ladies wouldn’t have been able to pursue careers in law—most didn’t work outside of the home, and those who did weren’t part of the upper class. Lizzie wouldn’t have been able to solve the mystery without causing a huge scandal and ruining her reputation, so I decided to take some liberties. Besides, real change has only ever happened because of the brave women who forged a path outside of what society expected of them. Even though Lizzie is (mostly) supported by her family and friends in her endeavors to build a career, there are still so many societal expectations and cultural bounds she runs up against, and I think that’s still true for a lot of people, even today.

6. Your agent is Taylor Martindale Keen. How did she become your agent and what was your road to publication like?

Taylor is wonderful! When I graduated from VCFA in 2015, I took about a year to revise my YA novel that I wrote while in the program, and I began querying agents the traditional way. Taylor was one of three to read my query and eventually offer representation, and I knew from the first phone call I wanted to work with her. She’s been a wonderfully loyal and supportive agent, especially as the first two YA books I sent her unfortunately didn’t sell. I’m grateful to her for sticking with me until we finally landed on a project that made it to publication!

7. That’s great that she stuck with you until you found the right manuscript to debut with. How are you planning to market your book? What advice do you have to other authors looking to debut or release a subsequent book during these changing times?

These are indeed changing times, and my biggest thanks to everyone taking the time to support debut authors right now! The message I’ve always hoped to send to readers with Pride and Premeditation, and the sequels, is that these are fun mysteries for fans of Austen’s work, but they’re also just plain fun if you have never read a Jane Austen novel. Don’t feel as though you have to be familiar with the source material to pick up the books—in fact, I don’t mind if reading Austen isn’t your favorite. I’m lucky to have the support of my fellow 2021 debuts, the 21ders, and a huge shoutout to the 2020 debuts who forged this new path of debuting in the pandemic for us. One of the great things that these times have shown us is that virtual events are really fun, and they can be done from anywhere, with people who live far away from you. I think anyone debuting should embrace their writer friendships and remember it’s a lot easier to do this if you have a supportive community.

8. Has it been any harder to write the second book in your series now that you are writing under contract? What have you learned that has helped you write a manuscript when you have a deadline to meet?

It’s been a bit more difficult in that when writing book two, I’m also working on revisions and production timelines for book one, and when looking at starting book three, I’m also still working on book two and launching book one…so it’s a balancing act! But one of the benefits is that I have a wonderful team at HarperTeen, and my editor and her assistants have been great about answering questions at the brainstorming phase and helping troubleshoot plot problems at the outline phase. Luckily, I have experience with writing on deadlines through my day job, and I think so many years of working towards publication while balancing a personal life and various jobs has made me pretty disciplined, so I am in the habit of writing consistently and towards a goal.

9. That’s great that your publisher has been so supportive. What are you working on now?

At this moment, I’m revising Sense and Second-Degree Murder, which will be out in 2022! Very soon I hope to start drafting Manslaughter Park, due out in 2023, and in between all of that I’m hoping to write something brand new!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Tirzah. You can find Tirzah at:

TirzahPrice.com

Twitter/com/tirzahprice

Instagram.com/Tirzah.Price

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19982385.Tirzah_Price

https://bookriot.com/author/tirzah-price/

Giveaway Details

Tirzah has generously offered a signed hardback (pre-order) of Pride and Premeditation for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by March 20th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The giveaway is U.S.

Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways

Monday, March 8th I have an interview with author Donna Galanti and a giveaway of her MG fantasy Unicorn Island

Monday, March 15th I have a guest post by debut author Merriam Sarcia Saunders and her agent Caryn Wiseman with a query critique giveaway by Caryn and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Trouble with a Tiny t by Merriman

Tuesday, March 16th I’m participating in the Chasing Rainbows Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, March 17th I have an agent spotlight interview with Jennifer Herrington and a query critique giveaway

Monday, March 22nd I have an interview with debut author Christina Li and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Clues to the Universe

Wednesday, March 24th I have an interview with publisher Maria Dismondy of Cardinal Rule Press

Monday, March 29th I have an interview with debut author Jessica Olsen and a giveaway of her YA fantasy Sing Me Forgotten

Hope to see you on Monday!