Hi, Kyra!
Welcome back to Wordwranglers! The last time you
were here, we were hosting a pitch session with Piper Denna, editor at Lyrical
Press. I understand that pitch, about a year ago, garnered you an offer.
Congrats!
So, I have a few questions:
1.
Tell
us about yourself, please. A brief bio.
Thanks
so much for having me, D’Ann! It’s an honor to be here today.
And
yes, my participation in the Lyrical pitch session did lead to a recent offer.
I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet that I have a book, an honest-to-goodness
book, due out in 2013.
Let’s
see…a little bit about me? I’m a married mother of two, and our family calls Northeast Indiana home. I also have a full-time job, so
between work, kids and a perpetual stream of sports activities, finding time to
write can certainly be a challenge.
2.
How
long have you written?
I’ve
written fiction since I was a kid. Silly stuff in the early days. Then in high
school I was the kid that rather enjoyed hearing the words, “Your next
assignment will be an essay on…” (I never verbalized it, though—getting beat up
wasn’t exactly on my to-do list.)
But
I started writing in earnest back in 2010. I’d just broken my left pinky
finger—yep, will never play baseball without a mitt again, no matter what type
of ball the kids and I are pitching back and forth—and was in search of a new creative
outlet. Usually that time of year I’m either outside playing something or
another with the kids, golfing with my hubby, or digging in my flower gardens.
But with my hand in a cast, none of that was happening. So I sat down at my
computer one evening, and this scene flashed into my mind. I opened a blank
Word document, and typed out the story playing in my head. The rest is history.
3.
Will
this be your first published book? If no, tell us about your other works.
Yes,
this will be my first. I’ve had several articles published in professional
journals the past two years, though, which have definitely helped me to hone my
writing skills. One publication, the IWEA Digester, even asked me to become a
contributing editor this year. They’ve been awesome to work with, allowing me
to inject a little humor into the world of municipal water pollution control.
4.
What is the title? Genre?
The
title of my book is ARMED WITH STEELE, and while it will be listed as a
romantic suspense, it’s truly got a little something for everyone—suspense,
romance, humor, and drama. When I first sat down to write it, I’d envisioned a
women’s fiction as it centers around a twenty-something heroine doing
everything she could to redeem the reputation of her hospitalized best friend.
But then I brought her partner into the story, and found it impossible to leave
the romance out. Overall it was a lot of fun to write, because it gave me the
freedom to inject a lot of my own sarcasm into her witty lines. And having an
introverted computer nerd team up with a handsome, outgoing local police
officer to work together undercover allowed me to explore all sorts of sticky
situations.
5.
Had
you queried/pitched it before the pitch on WW?
No,
I don’t believe I had.
6.
What
made you decide to throw your pitch out there that day?
I
saw your post on the Yahoo! JustWriteIt group email and thought, “What do I
have to lose?” It was also great practice for crafting a pitch, something I
knew I needed to work on regardless.
7.
When
will your book be available?
We
don’t have an official release date yet, but watch for it Fall 2013. In the
mean time, you can watch for updates and enjoy my “IndianaWonderer” blog musings
and anecdotes over at http://KyraJacobs.wordpress.com
.
8.
What
are you working on next?
I’ve
currently got two books in the works. The first is a women’s fiction—kind of a
fun twist on “It’s a Wonderful Life”. But I’ve put that on hold so I can
participate in the 2012 NANOWRIMO contest with a romance that’s been brewing in
the back of my mind for a few years now. I did NANO last year, and highly
recommend it.
Ironically,
the book I wrote for it last year was the one I’d started a year prior. Only,
it was much too long, started in the wrong place, and I’d edited the poor story
to DEATH. So I threw the entire ms out the virtual window—man, was that painful
to do—and November 1st I started completely over from scratch.
Forcing myself to write 50,000 in a month was liberating, both for me and the
storyline. When December arrived, I had half the new novel written, and had a
completely different plot driving my book.
9.
You
obviously caught Piper’s attention. What advice do you have for others the next
time we invite an editor on?
My
advice? Go for it. But be sure to do your homework first. Make sure the book you’re
pitching is in a genre that editor represents, and spend some time on your
pitch before throwing it out there. Remember, you (and your story) only get one
chance to make a first impression.
Great interview, Karen. Congratulations on your upcoming release.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Kary!
Deletegreat advice, Karen, and congrats on the sale! Your book sounds like a load of fun - will be watching for it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristina! And yes, I definitely wanted AWS to be a fun read.
DeleteNice interview, ladies! And Karen, so glad I found you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Piper! Me, too :-)
ReplyDeleteFirst off - congrats!!
ReplyDeleteSecondly - "Your next assignment will be an essay on…” --- kniw exactly what you mean. I loved writing essays.
LOL Thanks, Daryl!
ReplyDeleteCONGRATS!!!! That's so cool!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Martha!
DeleteLovely interview.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great success story! Congrats on the contract and I can't wait to see your book come fall 2013. It seems like such a long time away but it will be here before you know it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. I have no doubt the time will fly by. ;-)
DeleteGreat advice. Congratulations on your contract.
ReplyDeleteI do the nano too every year and it's a wild ride.
Janice~
Thank you, Janice. Enjoy the NaNo 2012 ride!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your contract! Great interview!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shawn!
DeleteThis is great. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liz!
DeleteCongratulations! That's very exciting! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Patty!
DeleteCongrats Kyra! I sold my pitch project to Piper too. :) This is my first full length sale, but second book published.
ReplyDeleteHi Calisa! Thank you. And congrats-on both! I'm sure I'll be seeing you around the Lyrical sites!
DeleteCongratulations!! That's great news.
ReplyDelete