Click For Clicks! 5 Questions With Author Amy Evans

Hey, gang! I'm sharing an interview I did recently with author Amy Evans with you today. Her book, Clicks, is a surfing adventure, a love story, an ode to dolphins, and so much more. Think you'll really dig learning about it.

A couple of quick news things first...

First, I wanted to mention that Camp New Adult is still chugging along, and this week we've got a Scrivener guru in the forums to take and answer questions. Her name is Kat, she's super helpful, and uses Scrivener in a lot of cool and different ways to help her writing process. 

So if you have questions about the software, or maybe even tips to share with others, be sure to jump over and check it out. Logging in to comment is as simple as using your Facebook, Twitter, or Google accounts. You can do so, HERE.

And you might even bump into today's guest author or me over there. :)

Second, I wanted to give a shout out to my pal Carrie Butler, who is re-releasing her book, Strength (which I've featured here on this blog), as an independently published book. 

She lost her reviews and sales ranking because of the transition, not to mention she's had to learn all the ins and outs of DIY publishing--all in a short amount of time. Furthermore, the sequel to Strength will be hitting the streets in just a couple of months.

So, to help kickstart things and celebrate the new direction in her career, Carrie is offering up Strength for .99 cents for a limited time. She was featured on this week's W4WS, so you may have already pitched in.

If you haven't, I know many of my followers here are Indies, and you know how steep the learning curve can be. So if you can, please consider jumping over to Amazon and downloading Strength. It'll cost you less than your next soda and be so much sweeter. :)

5 Questions With Amy Evans, Author of Clicks

EJ: "Born and bred to win, sixteen-year-old Cami's family expects her to join a secret society called The Guard, marry one of the two identical twin boys next door, and stay on Pinhold Island for the rest of her life. But she has other plans: work beach patrol, win the Surf Carnival and leave Pinhold to compete in international surf rescue competitions and see the world."

That's the blurb for Clicks. It sounds a little bit fantasy, a little bit sporty, a little bit The O.C., and a LOT awesome! So, which is it? 

AMY: Clicks is a coming of age story about a girl who takes her home and family for granted until they are threatened.

EJ: Clicks sounds like a beach goer's dream read. Where'd you draw your inspiration for the story from? Was it long days stuck inside dreaming about the beach, or long days AT the beach? :)

AMY: Long days at the beach actually. I wanted to spend even more time there, so I wrote about it.

EJ: There seems to be a strong environmental theme in Clicks. Is that something you're passionate about? Is there anything you hope readers will take away from the story?

AMY: The environmental theme Clicks grew from my obsession with dolphins and my real fear that the damage to our environment and oceans has become irreversable. I wanted the story to be accessible for people younger than me, to help them grow up with an interest in protecting the ocean.

EJ: Clicks is a self-professed coming of age story--an experience that is often sometimes sweet, and sometimes bitter. Why do we want to go on that ride with Cami (the heroine of Clicks)?

AMY: Cami gets to do really fun things - lots of swimming with dolphins and surfing and kissing. She's a reluctant hero who is content to sit back and wait for others to solve problems until her twin Mica is in danger. It's only when pressed that she embraces her natural strength and her instincts, which is the key: listen to that voice that's inside you because you are the only one who can.

EJ: Our favorite question here at The Open Vein! Why should Clicks be our end-of-summer read, and where can we snag a copy? (links to book, websites, author stuff will go here).

AMY: Because everyone wants to hold on to summer as long as you can. And no one ever gets enough time at the beach. And did I mention the hot lifeguards?

Here's where you can find me an Clicks!

AMY
Website
Author Facebook
Tumblr
Twitter
Author Goodreads
Pinterest

CLICKS (EJ NOTE: Also only .99 cents!)

Goodreads 

Amazon

B&N

iBooks

IWSG: Is It Okay To Have A Few "Turkeys"?

Hey, gang! It's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post, a monthly tribute to the things that claw, gnaw, and snap at a writer's fragile mind--in a shiny, candy coating! But more on that in a sec...

Just a quick reminder for those of you interested in exploring the New Adult literature category, we're nearly a week into Camp New Adult--a month-long exercise in exploring the New Adult basics. It's free, open to all at any time, and really a great chance to meet some NA peeps and talk writing. Not to mention you might actually end up with a story out of it. :)

This week's camp session is all about taking that story spark or concept and building it into a fully fleshed-out idea. (I shared one for a story I'm working on in the forums...) We'll kick off the second week of camp with #NALitChat over on the Twitter this Thursday night (9 PM Eastern) by talking to several NA authors about how they brainstorm their story ideas into an actual book.

Some use Tumblr, some use mind mapping software like FreeMind or Coggle, and some use pictures and other media collection sites like Pinterest or Instagram. Whatever you use, it's likely an important part of your creative process--so come share it with others at Camp NA!

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! Posting is first Wednesday of every month. For all the details on the IWSG, to read more posts, &  to join in the fun, click HERE!

Is It Okay To Have A Few "Turkeys"? 

I recently read an article/interview with actor David Bradley. Now, if you're a fan of movies and TV--particularly the fantastical variety--you'll know David. He played Mr. Filch in the Harry Potter movies, and recently portrayed the despicable Walder Fray in the Game Of Thrones TV series. And he has a score of other credits to his name, not to mention an upcoming appearance in the Dr. Who movie.

He's an actor who has been around the block a few times, so he's got some perspective. I thought this comment was particularly revealing: 

"For me it was amazing because four big things are coming out all at once: Game of Thrones, Broadchurch, the Doctor Who movie and the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost/Edgar Wright movie The World's End. Happily they're all good, because for any actor of a certain age you've had your share of what you call Turkeys over here. So it's a real pleasure when you've got something good on your hands." ~ You can read the entire article over on IGN HERE.

Traditionally, authors have been under an immense amount of pressure to perform well right out of the gates. There's many a tale of the debut author who didn't meet her (often unknown) sales quota, and was unceremoniously dropped by her publisher. Or worse yet, said author found her name on a list of 'unpublishables', and would need to write in a new genre or under a new name to continue her writing career. 

It was just a numbers game. If you didn't earn out your first advance, it was difficult to justify another investment on the publisher's end of things. Had nothing to do with talent or the quality of the book necessarily, just business. 

Now, more and more authors are asked to prove themselves on their own before a publisher will commit. Furthermore, many authors simply want to go it on their own--sail their own vessel, so to speak. So in many in cases, it's now up to us to decide how well a book should do, or if we want to publish another one.

But I'm not sure that's alleviated the pressure, or at least the perceived pressure, much at all. A lot of authors still nervously watch their sales on Amazon, almost trying to will their books into the top 100. We get depressed when our latest--the one we were certain was going to take off--fails to perform even as well as the previous.

I guess I'm thinking we need to have more of Mr. Bradley's mindset. A career mindset if you will. 

Look, I've said many times on this blog that writers need to be able to put all the "it's art" talk in the drawer once a story is published. It's a business, and if you want to survive longterm, you need to treat it as a business.

You've created a product. Like your favorite fabric softener or brand of shoe, people are going to buy your book as a product, they are going to consume your book as a product, and lastly judge your book as a product. (This sounds bleak and overly consumeristic, but trust me, it'll help you cope when the reviews do or don't start coming in...)

If you're very, very lucky and talented, a literature class fifty years from now may examine your words with collected awe and admiration. But for now, you should feel really blessed to have someone tweet, "OMG this book is #AMAZEBALLS!!!! Totally read it on my potty breaks this week!"

But that doesn't mean that creativity and exploration doesn't still burn at the heart of what we do, because it does. 

We can't be afraid to explore a cool concept just because there isn't a market for it. We can't shy away from trying a new writing technique or twisting a genre trope just to see what happens. 

Why? Because I think that's how the really exceptional stories come about. In that way, I think we have to push the art to create the killer product, if that makes sense. 

The byproduct of this, unfortunately, is the occasional turkey. Sometimes the vision is there, but the little ingredient that makes it shareable with others, isn't. Sometimes the writing is fine, the bones are all in place, but it just kind of sits there. You took a chance, and it just didn't go.  

That's not advocating that you try to publish every story you churn out hoping that one of them eventually doesn't suck. That's how agent's are driven to the drink, and why some readers will pull a knife on you if you tell them you're a self-published author. 

But you'll know the difference between something that sucks and a turkey. 

A turkey is your best effort, something you've worked and reworked, but it just doesn't fly when you turn it loose. Suck is when your writing group threatens mass suicide if you don't rewrite it with ONLY "six POV characters and three epilogues" before they're forced to read another chapter. :)

In short, Mr. Bradley's statement has me feeling like it's okay to have a few turkey projects out there. That it'll just make me more appreciative of the things that do flourish. 

What do you think? Does every story that you see through to completion need to have bestseller potential, or are you okay having a few that miss the mark? Do you feel any pressure to achieve external success (lots of readers, money, etc.) with everything you write, or is the writing enough?

~EJW~

Welcome To Camp NA!

Be sure to pack extra clean underwear, a toothbrush, and mosquito repellent, 'cause we're going to a very special summer camp folks! Beginning the first week of August, the inaugural Camp NA opens its cabin doors to anyone interested in learning how to write New Adult literature.

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Are You Camp NA Material?

Interested in writing a New Adult novel? Have a project you'd like to turn into New Adult literature? Started an NA project but have NO-FREAKING-CLUE how to finish it? 

You're in--but you'd better bring some chocolate and a headphone splitter to share with your bunkmates, or swirlies and Kool-Aid showers might be in order. 

What Is It?

Thursday, August 1st, the folks behind NA Lit Chat are kicking off a 5 week focused event to teach the basics to building a New Adult story. Here's what we'll cover:

Week 1 (8/1) - From Story Nugget To Plot - Creating dramatic tension by planning. 

Week 2 (8/8) - Brainstorming - Tools (tumblr, brain mapping) that take ideas to book.

Week 3 (8/15) - Writing Process - Habits, software, & getting the most out of your writing time.

Week 4 (8/22) - Revision Process - Best practices, and how to stay engaged.

Week 5 (8/29) - Finishing - When is the project ready for the next step?

You can see that these are the basic steps in writing pretty much any kind of story, but we'll give it all a very 'New Adult' spin with tips and guidance from NA authors, editors & more! Speaking of guidance...

Meet The Counselors & Camp Directors

We'll kick off each week of camp with a discussion of the given topic on Twitter with #NALitChat (9 PM Eastern every Thursday night). We'll accompany the usual Twitter hashtag conversation with an audio show where we'll have authors, editors and more on to share their tips and insights. (You can--and will want to--participate in both the Twitter conversation & audio broadcast simultaneously.)

THEN, we'll move to the actual camp portion. Every week we'll have a camp counselor & camp director working in a dedicated forum on the New Adult Authors website to help you on a project of your own. 

For example, week 1 will have us working on taking that brilliant flash of genius (AKA the story idea) and transforming it into fully formed structure for a novel. By the end of the week, you'll hopefully have the bones of a story to start building on. And, if you get stuck, our counselor & director will be right there to help you out. 

We have an excellent group lined up to lend their camping expertise, including authors/editors D.M. Arney and Lichen Craig, Authors Amy Evans, Kat Vancil, E.J. Wesley, ST Bende, Jennifer Martinez, and more. 

How Do You Sign Up?

Easy! Just go to the New Adult Authors website forum and create a log-in. (You can use your Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, etc. accounts for easy access.) Once in, check the "Camp NA" thread daily for information and updates. Also, feel free to post questions, etc.

And speaking of free, this totally is!

Then, don't forget to tune in to NA Lit Chat on Thursdays. That's it! Even if you can't make every week, or simply would only like to take part in one of the planned topics, that's fine with us. 

Our primary goal with this event is to increase the amount of quality New Adult literature out there by emphasizing strong story mechanics and good writing practices. All skill levels are welcome, and in true summer camp fashion, we'll foster a judgment free, can-do atmosphere. 

Hope to see you at camp!

~EJW~