Another Interview With Myself (This Time About Igniting a Firestarter)

When did you write this?

Igniting a Firestarter was what emerged from my trying to write a novel in 20 days. So...I started it in February. Finished it in March. I am currently in the process of editing it, and have sent it to my first round of readers.

So, the main character doesn't have a name...why?

I always have a really hard time with names. I think this one pulls it off a little bit better because most other characters have names (mom is Mom, dad is Dad, then there's Allison, the narrator's best friend (Firestarter), Alec, potential love interest (Shredder), Jennifer, (sister and Decoder), and Mackenzie (another friend, also Mirror). But the narrator is just "I". I kind of like it.

How many rounds of editing has this piece gone through?

Thus far, it's still technically on its first round.

And what is the novel about?

It's about a fourteen year old girl and her relationship with her best friend, Allison. There are four legions in said story; Firestarters, Mirrors, Shredders, and Decoders. They all are kind of like people I encounter every day, or encountered every day in high school....It draws the boundary lines between family and friends, and who you choose to protect and associate with. The narrator is one of those people who tries to see people for who they are rather than what they are.

What is your inspiration behind this?

My friend Jennifer Olson and I had a conversation this summer about being Mirrors or people who feel other people's feelings. I've also met some people who after I've conversed with them, I was pissed off and I said to myself, "She's a Goddamn Firestarter" (which actually made it into the story). Then there are people who are virtually human lie detectors...I started taking notes on my iPod one day until I heard the narrator's voice and started writing. Then Patrick Gagnon and I were chatting and I said "I wonder if I can write 10 pages a day...I feel like I have a pretty good start" and he told me I'd be crazy if I was able to write a novel in 20 days....which I did :)

20 Days, eh? What was your biggest obstacle?

Hahahah....the return of my sister, excessive drinking, and the Wii fit. Also working 40 hours a week, taking care of my doggie, writer's block...you know, the usual. But really, it was nice catching up with Laura, I missed her a lot. She's kind of the inspiration for the narrator and Jennifer.

What do books do you consider to be similar?

Ha. This is kinda like Gossip Girl meets Harry Potter...or something like that? It's magical realism on the surface, yet...I think everyone can relate. We've all had those people steal our boyfriends/girlfriends. We have people intentionally hurt us. This is an amplification of that...where words really can cut you, or light you on fire. They really do wound. I don't think that people give enough credit to the damage we do to one another on a daily basis.

What is your target age group?

The narrator is 14 years old..so I tried to channel what I felt at that point in my life. I think I'm aiming for fourteen and older, then. Or whoever else wants to read it :)

What other things are you working on?

I'm always submitting things (hence the blog being called The Submission Process). I'm waiting to hear back from several literary magazines, as well as agents for Confessions of an Immortal Heart. I will keep on submitting, and I currently am awaiting my debit card in the mail so that I can finally buy my place for the PNWA conference and LitDay!  
March 31st is the next deadline for two short fiction contests. I'll be editing/writing those until that day.

So.....What happens if this gets published? (This question is copied from the previous interview with me)

Well, hopefully I'd be able to do a book tour. I've moved around a lot, so I have three solid fan bases: in the towns of Shepherd, Mt. Pleasant, Auburn, and Bay City, Michigan (my home state), so I feel like that would be a good place to start. (I'd LOVE to have a book signing at Book Mark in Mt. Pleasant, or somewhere in Bay City, and I feel like I would have a good turn out.)
In Biddeford/Portland, Maine, where I attended the University of New England (getting a Med Bio degree!). I have a lot of friends that way who constantly say, "When you get published, I'll be in the store to buy it!" When I was published in Zephyr, a few people made me sign their copies which was HUGELY flattering. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a signing at Bullmoose. And then on the Outerbanks of North Carolina where I currently reside. It's a smaller following, but I work for a pretty big company (Kitty Hawk Kites), so I feel maybe we could do a co-thing? Try to get both of our names out there?
Thankfully with these places, I feel I'd be able to set up the book signings myself (with maybe some research and direction from an agent/editor...but if they don't have time, I could figure it out. It's not that hard to call places and I'm familiar with the areas in question/the bookstores.)