Today I am really excited to have author Victoria Schwab as a guest via The Cover Contessa.
Victoria has written this totally awesome book that comes out January 22, 2013:
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption
I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC from Disney, after reading the sneak peek through Net Galley, and once I started it I could not put it down! You can see my review HERE
How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish?
--It totally depends on the book! I’ve had first drafts take anywhere from 8 weeks to 2 years. Add in the publication process (another 1.5-2 years per book) and it takes a good long while to see my stories in print.
How do you come up with themes for your stories?
--I don’t. I don’t go into a story looking for a theme. I start with characters, and a plot, not a theme. The themes usually come out over the course of drafting, and are distilled in revision.
Do you have a schedule of when you write?
--I wish. I’d probably be a more productive, or at least more efficient, writer.
How are you able to balance other aspects of your life with your writing?
--Haha, poorly.
What elements do you think make a great story line?
--I think at the core of every great story you have to have great characters. You can have a great plot, but great characters are the reason a reader will CARE what happens.
What was the hardest thing about writing a book?
--Muting your internal critic, and pausing your internal editor.
How many books have you written so far? Do you have a favorite?
--Six. One that will never be read, then THE NEAR WITCH, then the sequel, which might never be read, then THE ARCHIVED, VICIOUS, THE ARCHIVED #2. I’m on my seventh right now, the first in a set of MG books. And then I’ve got three or four swimming in my head, only a few scratches of which are on paper.
Do you have a favorite character?
--I try not to play favorites, but I tend to love my strange secondary characters best. The old sisters in THE NEAR WITCH, Nix in THE ARCHIVED, Mitch in VICIOUS.
Where do you write?
--At my kitchen counter, in coffee shop corners, and in airports. I love working in airports (but obviously only end up there when I have a flight).
When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route you took?
--I always wanted a traditional experience, insofar as that’s possible these days. I followed the steps. I wrote a book. I made it the best it could be. I wrote a query letter. I got an agent.
That book, the one that landed me my agent, is not the one that sold. About 7-8 months into being on sub, I wrote another book, THE NEAR WITCH, and that one sold.
Have you gotten feedback from family about your book(s)? What do they think?
--I’m very lucky that my family likes my writing. My mum is a much more avid reader than my dad, though. My dad is at the beginning of the acknowledgments for THE ARCHIVED with the line, “To my dad, for liking this one more” because he likes action-y suspense books more than moor-y mysteries.
What kinds of things do you like to do outside of writing?
--I always laugh nervously when I read this question, because I’ve had so many deadlines this year that it doesn’t feel like I’ve done anything BUT write. But I’m a big fan of exercise. Running and swimming are my sanity. I’m also a travel nut. I suffer from wanderlust, and love to just get up and go.
What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing?
--Be brave. Make sure your want always outweighs your fear.
What is your favorite book? favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to write?
--I don’t have a favorite book (I have two dozen or so), but Neil Gaiman is my favorite author. He’s an inspiration to me, both as a writer and as a person.
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?
--I have a couple people to bounce ideas or scenes off of, but because I’m under contract, I usually go directly to my editors for advice.
Are you working on anything now?
--I am! I’m revising the sequel to THE ARCHIVED, writing a set of short MG books for Scholastic, and planning a new adult project!
So let's hear what Victoria had to say in answer to my questions!
Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to be something else?
--I’ve always wanted to tell stories in one form or another, but I didn’t know what shape it would take! I started in poetry, and migrated to scriptwriting in college before finally finding my way to fiction. How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish?
--It totally depends on the book! I’ve had first drafts take anywhere from 8 weeks to 2 years. Add in the publication process (another 1.5-2 years per book) and it takes a good long while to see my stories in print.
How do you come up with themes for your stories?
--I don’t. I don’t go into a story looking for a theme. I start with characters, and a plot, not a theme. The themes usually come out over the course of drafting, and are distilled in revision.
Do you have a schedule of when you write?
--I wish. I’d probably be a more productive, or at least more efficient, writer.
How are you able to balance other aspects of your life with your writing?
--Haha, poorly.
What elements do you think make a great story line?
--I think at the core of every great story you have to have great characters. You can have a great plot, but great characters are the reason a reader will CARE what happens.
What was the hardest thing about writing a book?
--Muting your internal critic, and pausing your internal editor.
How many books have you written so far? Do you have a favorite?
--Six. One that will never be read, then THE NEAR WITCH, then the sequel, which might never be read, then THE ARCHIVED, VICIOUS, THE ARCHIVED #2. I’m on my seventh right now, the first in a set of MG books. And then I’ve got three or four swimming in my head, only a few scratches of which are on paper.
Do you have a favorite character?
--I try not to play favorites, but I tend to love my strange secondary characters best. The old sisters in THE NEAR WITCH, Nix in THE ARCHIVED, Mitch in VICIOUS.
Where do you write?
--At my kitchen counter, in coffee shop corners, and in airports. I love working in airports (but obviously only end up there when I have a flight).
When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route you took?
--I always wanted a traditional experience, insofar as that’s possible these days. I followed the steps. I wrote a book. I made it the best it could be. I wrote a query letter. I got an agent.
That book, the one that landed me my agent, is not the one that sold. About 7-8 months into being on sub, I wrote another book, THE NEAR WITCH, and that one sold.
Have you gotten feedback from family about your book(s)? What do they think?
--I’m very lucky that my family likes my writing. My mum is a much more avid reader than my dad, though. My dad is at the beginning of the acknowledgments for THE ARCHIVED with the line, “To my dad, for liking this one more” because he likes action-y suspense books more than moor-y mysteries.
What kinds of things do you like to do outside of writing?
--I always laugh nervously when I read this question, because I’ve had so many deadlines this year that it doesn’t feel like I’ve done anything BUT write. But I’m a big fan of exercise. Running and swimming are my sanity. I’m also a travel nut. I suffer from wanderlust, and love to just get up and go.
What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing?
--Be brave. Make sure your want always outweighs your fear.
What is your favorite book? favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to write?
--I don’t have a favorite book (I have two dozen or so), but Neil Gaiman is my favorite author. He’s an inspiration to me, both as a writer and as a person.
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?
--I have a couple people to bounce ideas or scenes off of, but because I’m under contract, I usually go directly to my editors for advice.
Are you working on anything now?
--I am! I’m revising the sequel to THE ARCHIVED, writing a set of short MG books for Scholastic, and planning a new adult project!
Thanks so much for stopping by and chatting with us on The Cover Contessa today, Victoria. Good luck with your books! I'm really interested to read your middle grade stuff! Always looking for something for my oldest son to dive into!
Victoria is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say "tom-ah-toes," "like," and "y'all."
She also tells stories.
She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.
She also tells stories.
She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.
You can stalk Victoria here:
Victoria's Other Books:
Thanks to The Cover Contessa for the post!
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