Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author
Christyne Morrell here to share about her MG fantasy Kingdom of Secrets. It
sounds like a fast-paced adventure story with twists that I’m excited to read.
Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:
Prismena’s father is the hot air balloonist in
the peaceful kingdom of Oren. She assists him by mending torn balloons, but she
yearns to build and fly the complicated machines herself. One day, a waif named
Abi steals Prissy’s only remaining memento of her deceased mother – a silk
scarf – and promises to return it only if Prissy smuggles a mysterious box onto
one of her father’s flights. Since balloon travel is strictly regulated in
Oren, that single act of rebellion results in her father’s arrest and kicks off
a spiraling series of events that will yank Prissy out of her predictable life.
Along the way to free her father from jail,
she’ll get caught up in a bar fight, nabbed by a sadistic schoolmistress,
tossed into a home for unwanted children, schooled in the art of stealing, and
thrust into the center of a brewing rebellion. On her journey through Oren –
with its glitzy neighborhoods and its seedy underbelly – Prismena will uncover
secrets that change the way she views her family, her kingdom, herself, and
even her beloved hot air balloons. She’ll have to break a few rules – and even
forge metal – to save the people she loves, but she may also get a chance to
soar.
Follower News and Interesting Links
Before I get to my interview, I have Follower
News to share. Colleen Paeff has a picture book, The Great
Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem releasing
on August 31st. Here’s a blurb: It tells
the story of how, in 1858, engineer extraordinaire Joseph Bazalgette
cleaned London's River Thames and saved thousands of lives by building the
city's first modern sewer system. The book's back matter delves into modern day
"poop pollution" and what we can do to keep our planet's waterways,
and the people who use them, healthy. Links: Once Upon a Time (personalized copies, signed by Colleen)Amazon.com Indie Bound www.colleenpaeff.com
Kathryn McKendry has a new release, One Year On Broadway: Finding Ourselves Between
the Sand and the Sea, on August 26th. Here's a blurb: A true story of forbidden love, adventure, and
letting go. Weaving together a fan girl's tribute to her all-time favorite
musical and a memoir, One Year On Broadway is a closeup view into the production of a Broadway musical and a testament to the power of the stories that become a part of us forever. Links: One Year On
Broadway: Finding Ourselves Between the Sand and the Sea Imagine-Today
And here's a link for you if you're interested. Preply, a global learning language marketplace, recently did a report, Mapped: The Most Translated Books in Every Country. Here's where you can find their map and report: https://preply.com/en/d/most-translated-books--lp.
Hannah, who is a follower in high school, found an
interesting link to an article for an Introduction to Writing course at her
community college. She asked me to post about it because she wanted to help
other authors and writing. The article has advice on lots of topics related to
writing. It's Money Saving Guide for Authors and Writers.
Interview With Christyne Morrell
Hi Christyne! Thanks so much for joining us.
1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a
writer.
Thank
you so much for having me, Natalie! I’m delighted to be here. I’m a mom, wife,
lawyer, beagle wrangler, Girl Scout troop leader, wannabe baker, and if there’s
any time left in the day, an author!
I’ve wanted to be a writer for
as long as I can remember, but it took me a long time to make it a reality.
When I was growing up, I wasn’t exposed to author visits or virtual book talks
or any of the other amazing resources kids have today, so I had no idea how an
ordinary person became an author. After graduating from college with an English
degree, I took the practical route and went to law school, then started working
as a corporate lawyer. It wasn’t until my daughter was born that I came back to
writing. When she was a newborn, my husband and I would rock her to sleep while
reading to her from our favorite middle-grade books - Charlotte’s Web, The
Phantom Tollbooth, The Chronicles of Narnia. These were the same stories
that had inspired me to be a writer when I was young, and hearing them again
rekindled that feeling. I started making up stories just for fun, to read to my
daughter when she got older, but eventually I realized that writing was more
than a hobby. So I started a website, told friends and family the news, and
made it official: I was a writer.
2. That’s awesome that you started writing
again when you were juggling so much else. Where did you get the idea for
Kingdom of Secrets?
Kingdom of Secrets was
inspired by a random piece of history. Many people don’t know this (I didn’t!),
but during the Civil War, there was a branch of the Union Army called the
Balloon Corps that used hot-air balloons to spy on enemy forces. My husband
wrote a research paper on this topic when he was a kid, and he casually
mentioned it to me many years later. When he did, I was struck by the contrast
of the buoyant, colorful hot-air balloons drifting over a grim battle scene. I
didn’t immediately recognize it as a story concept, but I filed it away and
kept coming back to that image again and again. It wasn’t until years later
that the idea finally evolved into Kingdom of Secrets.
3. That’s so cool that your husband’s research
gave you the idea for your story. Your story sounds like a face-paced
adventure, and readers say that they enjoyed your plot twists. How did you plot
it out?
This book took
me many years - and many drafts - to write. When I started, I knew what the
basic premise of the book would be, and I knew how it would end, but everything
else was up in the air (no pun intended!). I was a pantser back then, so I sat
down in front of a blank page and let the story unfold. Unfortunately, little
of that original draft remains in the published book.
After
scrapping hundreds of pages of that first manuscript, I decided to give
plotting a try! I’d avoided craft books until then because I considered them
somehow “cheating.” Looking back, I wish I’d turned to them much sooner. I read
Story Genius by Lisa Cron and Save the Cat Writes a Novel by
Jessica Brody, and they transformed my approach to plotting. For my next draft
of Kingdom of Secrets, I used a hybrid of those two methods to prepare a
detailed outline before I sat down to write. I also created a master calendar
to plot out the major events in the story and make sure the timing worked, both
in the present-day adventure and in the backstory leading up to it.
In terms of
format, I do all of my plotting and early drafting in Scrivener. I’ve always
wanted to be one of those writers who use white boards, post-its, and
complicated diagrams, but I’m strictly digital!
4. I just read Save the Cat Writes a Novel
recently and found it helpful too. What was your world building process like?
I knew I
wanted to tell a classic fantasy story with a fairy-tale quality to it, so I
started with the familiar “in a kingdom far, far away…” Then I layered my
original idea on top of that - about hot-air balloons in wartime - and built a
world around it.
For example,
to emphasize the importance of the hot-air balloons, I decided to make Oren a
walled kingdom, in which balloons were one of the only ways in or out. Then, I
reasoned, if people had a hard time getting into Oren, so, too, would
new ideas. Technology (including the gadgets and inventions Prissy wants to build)
would be frowned upon - even outlawed - by those in power, who want to retain
tight control over the population. In a kingdom both isolated from and at war
with its neighbor, a ruler could easily control and manipulate the narrative
about major events and his role in them, which is exactly what King Michael
does when he labels himself a hero and even invents his own holiday - Savior’s
Day. He’d also be able to convince the people they were safer behind a wall,
even as they lost the benefits of engaging with the outside world, because
nobody would have the means to contradict him.
This is a
lengthy way of saying that I built this world by starting with a single detail
(hot-air balloons) and using it to fit another detail into place (the Wall) and
then another and another, like putting together a giant puzzle. In this way, I
was able to create a full picture of Oren, from the grand palace to the
lowliest orphanage and everything in between.
5. I can really see the layers of your world
building from your first idea. Your story is unique in that it involves hot air
balloons. How cool! Did you have to do any research into how they work or go up
in one yourself to get that aspect of your story right?
I’m actually
too chicken to go up in a hot-air balloon, so I had to live vicariously through
my characters on their high-flying adventures! I researched hot-air balloons
primarily through books and online articles. I also interviewed a real-life
hot-air balloonist (that interview is available on my website under Bonus
Content).
Once I had a
basic understanding of hot-air balloons, however, I allowed myself to deviate
from that research for the sake of the story. That’s one of the benefits of
writing fantasy - you’re not stuck with reality! In real life, for example,
hot-air balloons don’t go precisely where you steer them, but in my story, it
was important that characters use hot-air balloons to get from one specific
place to another. Luckily for me, one of my young characters is an amateur
inventor, so I had her come up with a method to steer the hot-air balloons.
6. Ha! There’s no way I’d go up in a hot air
balloon later. You are an attorney by day and also a wife and parent. I know
how busy that is because I’m retired attorney and was trying to write while working
full-time having a family too. What is your writing schedule like and how do
you stay productive enough to complete manuscripts and meet all the other
deadlines and duties of an author?
It’s not easy,
as I know you can attest! I live by the 30-Minute Rule, which means I write (or
do something writing-related) for at least thirty minutes a day. It isn’t much,
but it’s a manageable block of time that I can squeeze into my schedule no
matter what else is going on. I do have to make hard choices sometimes - like
deciding whether to use my daily writing time to market my upcoming book,
attend a launch event, draft a blog post, or… well, write!
In some ways,
having a limited amount of writing time is a blessing in disguise. With only
half an hour at my disposal, I don’t have the luxury of being able to
procrastinate or get distracted. The 30-Minute Rule helps me stay focused, and
I can confirm that it’s entirely possible to write novels in thirty-minute
increments - it just takes a bit longer!
7. I really like your 30-minute rule Share about your journey to obtain an agent and to get a book
contract.
Once I started
querying, it took me five years to get my first agent. During that time, I
wrote four different middle-grade manuscripts and numerous picture book
manuscripts. I applied for loads of contests and mentorships, including
Pitchwars. I don’t know how many rejections I received, but it was definitely
somewhere in the triple digits!
At first, the
rejections were mostly form letters, but as my writing improved, I started to
receive more personalized feedback and requests for more pages. I had several
close calls with agents and contests, so I knew I was moving in the right
direction. When I submitted Kingdom of Secrets to the agent that I’d
eventually sign with, she responded within an hour asking for the full, then
made an offer three days later.
Of course,
getting an agent doesn’t mean the waiting and rejection are over. Kingdom of
Secrets was on submission for eight months, and I had just accepted the
fact that it was never going to sell when… lo and behold, we received an offer
from Delacorte! I find that the moment I stop obsessing over something (like
getting a book deal) is usually the moment it comes to fruition.
8. How are you planning to market your book?
After I got a
book deal, I set to work reading every article and blog post I could find about
how to market a novel, and I was completely and utterly overwhelmed! If I did
all the promotion people recommend to debut authors, I’d have to quit my job
and work full-time marketing my book, which is definitely not feasible for me
and my family.
Fortunately,
there’s another piece of advice that I’ve received from seasoned authors, which
I have taken to heart: my actions won’t have a significant impact on book
sales, so I should focus on the marketing efforts I enjoy the most. To that
end, I’ve been reaching out to librarians and schools, offering some school
visits (in coordination with my day job), and creating book-related bonus
content for my website. I’m actively seeking out marketing opportunities that
allow me to connect with my end readers, because getting my book into the hands
of kids who will love it is the most exciting part of being a published author.
9. I’ve heard that advice from many debut
authors too. What advice do you have for other writers who are getting agents
and may be signing a publishing contract as a debut author?
My first piece of advice for writers just beginning their
publishing journey is simple: celebrate! Pause to savor each and every
accomplishment, because you’ve earned it. The goalposts are always moving, and
you’ll be amazed how quickly you can go from elation over signing your first
book deal to dejection because you didn’t get a two- or three-book deal (or a
huge advance or a cover story in Publisher’s Weekly… the list goes on).
Which leads to the other piece of advice I’d give to debut authors, one that I
often have trouble following myself: don’t compare yourself to anyone else.
Focus on the things you can control and that you enjoy and tune out the rest.
And always, always come back to the writing.
10. What are you working on now?
I just finished copyedits on my second book, TREX, which
comes out next summer. It’s the story of a boy named Trex who receives an
experimental brain implant with an unusual side effect - he shocks everything
he touches, and his electrical charge is growing more powerful by the day. When
rumors emerge about a prowler sneaking around his new neighborhood, Trex teams
up with Mellie “the Mouse,” a reclusive classmate training to be a spy. As a
grudging friendship develops between them, Trex and Mellie find themselves
pitted against school bullies, their own parents, and even an evil,
brain-hacking corporation. Along the way, they’ll question what it means to be
“normal” and explore the fine line between secrets and lies.
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Christyne!
You can find Chistyne at christynewrites.com and on Twitter and Instagram at
@christynewrites.
Giveaway Details
Christyne has generously
offered a hardback of Kingdom of Secrets 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 August 28th. 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 and Canada.
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg
Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog.
Upcoming
Interviews and Giveaways
Monday August 23th I have an interview with debut author Jessica
Lewis and a giveaway of her YA contemporary fantasy Bad Witch Burning
Monday, August 30th I have an agent spotlight interview with Renae Moore Tobias
Monday,
September 1st I have an interview with debut author Michelle Mason and a
giveaway of her YA time travel Your Life Has Been Delayed and my IWSG post
Tuesday,
September 7th I’m participating in the September to Remember Giveaway Hop
Monday,
September 13th I have an interview with debut author Alda Dobbs and a giveaway
of her MG historical Barefoot
Dreams of Petra Luna
Wednesday,
September 15th I have an agent spotlight interview with Nicole Eisenbraun and a query critique giveaway
Monday, September 20th I have an agent/author
guest post with Chloe
Seager and Brianna
Bourne and giveaway of Brianna’s YA dystopian You and Me and the End of the
World and a query critique by Brianna
Hope
to see you on Monday!
