Tidal
What can you tell us about your new book Tidal?
Tidal is the third book in the Watersong series, and it takes a place about a month after the events in Lullaby. Gemma is still cursed with being a monster, but she's growing closer to discovering a way out. Harper is getting closer to Daniel, but their relationship is about to hit a major speed bump. The action and the romance are much hotter than the previous two books, but it also delves more into Penn and Thea's history.
You are a self-publishing phenomenon, so tell us how you did it!
People expect there to be some kind of secret or magical trick involved, but it's mostly good old fashioned boring stuff - lots of writing, lots of patience, and the right timing. I'd been writing books for nearly 10 years when I started self-publishing, so I had several finished books the popular YA genre all read to go when I started. And it just happened to be right around the time that eBooks were exploding. I also was very fortunate to have such fantastic readers who blogged and tweeted about my books, spreading the word.
You are only recently published so when did your passion for writing begin?
I'd always, always had a passion for writing. As soon as I could write, I was, and before that, I was telling stories. Constantly. It was something that I always wanted to do.
You are an obsessive tweeter, so how important is it to you to be in touch with your readers?
It's definitely important to keep in touch with my readers. Obviously, without them, I wouldn't have a job. They allow me to spend all my time with imaginary people. I'm very grateful for them, and I like to be contact with them.
Who are your favourite reads?
Too many to list. My favourite books are probably Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. But I love all kinds of books, from Jane Austen to Richelle Mead, Edward Gorey to Stephen King. Lately I've been reading more biographies and nonfiction books, but I just read Icons by Margaret Stohl and the second book in Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers series, and they were fantastic.
For fans of this book please can you tell us a bit about the Watersong series?
The Watersong series follows two sisters - Gemma and Harper - as they try to battle an evil (and supernatural) trio of girls, all while trying to navigate their individual love lives and their somewhat complicated family life.
What is your writing process?
When I get an idea, I usually spend a period of time thinking on it and taking notes. With some books, that's a few days, and with others - like the Watersong series - I spent over a year working on the idea before I sat down to outline it. I write very extensive outlines, with lots of notes on characters, places, and music, and then once that's all done, I unplug the internet, remove all distractions from office, and I sit down and write until the book is done. Which varies from a couple weeks to six months.
Tell us about the inspiration behind this story.
The most obvious inspiration for the story is Greek mythology. I grew up very fascinated by it, reading anything I could on it. Sirens in particular stuck out to me (after I saw an episode of DuckTales called "Home Sweet Homer," so I've really been working on the idea for the Watersong series for nearly twenty years). There's also a bit of Shakespearean influence, with Taming of the Shrew laying some of the groundwork for the four main characters - Gemma, Harper, Daniel, and Alex.
What is a normal day like in your world?
I am definitely a night owl, so I sleep in pretty late in the morning. Then I check email, Twitter, Facebook, fun stuff like that. If I'm working on a book, I usually don't go down to my office until after supper. Then I spend the next 8-12 hours down in my office (along with my dog, who sleeps on his bed next to my desk), and I'll be writing or outlining or revising or working on whatever I need to. If I'm not working on a book, then my days involve more reading and video games, but other otherwise they're about the same.
What is next for you?
I have many different ideas for several different projects, so I have a few things in the works, but it's too soon to say what's up next.