More Author Insight: What's in a name?

What’s in a name? Is it just that or is it as important as the traits attached to that character?

"To an extent. On one hand, people are going to remember a character called Hermione. On the other, you can include as many unique names as you'd like, but if that character has no personality, they are likely going to fall flat. And in the end, I believe character is more important,. We don't remember Hermione because of her name. We remember her because of what she does in the story." - Aimee Carter, author of The Goddess Test. 

"Names are vital to me, they mean so much, they're keys to personality and have to look right on the page. In my upcoming YA, my Magic Most Foul series, beginning with Darker Still (November from Sourcebooks Fire), names and naming is a huge part of the magic used in my world." - Leanna Renee Hieber, author of Darker Still and  The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess.

"I don't place a terrible amount of significance on names. I just want them to sound right for the character. I confess to using baby name books and the Scrivener name generator. (Weird fact: in the four books I've finished, three of the heroines have names that start with E.)" - Sonia Gensler, author of The Revenant. 

 

"The most important thing I strive for when naming a character is to come up with 'clean' names.  By that, I mean a name that has no associations for me other than the name of the character.  That’s clearly impossible.  So I just do my best NOT to name a character after someone I am, have been, or might be married to." - Randy Russell, author of Dead Rules. 

Author Insight: What's in a name?

What’s in a name? Is it just that or is it as important as the traits attached to that character?

"I love names. There are readers who scoff at the names I give my characters but I guess they must be folks who surround themselves with very, very normal friends from very lame backgrounds. Even though I've named my characters Ade, Vauxhall, Jimi, etc. these aren't the most bizarre names I've encountered. Heck, my kids have stranger names." - K. Ryer Breese, author of Future Imperfect. 

"For me, a name is just a name. I firmly believe you can call a character any name you want. Eeny, meany, miny, mo. Honestly, it’s just a name. The name does not define the character, the same as a name does not define an individual. You are what you make yourself. You can give a character the plainest, most non-descript name and make that character into an ass-kicking ninja." - Leigh Fallon, author of The Carrier of the Mark. 

"Names are important to me, but I don’t look up their meanings or anything. And they do have to have a nickname. I like nicknames a lot." - Elana Johnson, author of Possession. 

"Names are very important to me. I use a baby name book and often pick names based on their meaning, but sometimes I base them on the feel the name gives me which is harder to explain, but my characters wouldn't be my characters with different names." - Stephanie Kuehnert, author of Ballads of Suburbia. 

More Author Insight: Beginning, Middle, End

What's more challenging -- the beginning, the middle or the end?
(NOTE: Sorry this is so late guys and gals! I've had a lot going on lately and couldn't get the post up before now. Thanks for understanding. Enjoy.)

"The end is almost always the most difficult part for me. Tying together all of those loose ends and finding the perfect note on which to end the last chapter is tough. Then again, the middle is always made of quicksand, and sometimes finding the perfect beginning is like finding Waldo in one of those impossible-to-find scenes where everyone's dressed like him, and he's handing out near the corner behind the wizard. Each story has its own specific challenges, but the end is usually the part I have the most trouble with." - Aimee Carter, author of The Goddess Test. 

"The between. I write in a non-linear order so it's putting all the connective tissue in that's the most difficult." - Leanna Renee Hieber, author of Darker Still and  The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess.

"The end is the hardest for me. The beginning is the honeymoon period. The middle definitely can be a challenge because we're all trying to avoid the inevitable sag, but wrapping things up in a beautiful and compelling way -- that's a terrifying task!" - Sonia Gensler, author of The Revenant. 

 

"It’s the wanting to write a book that I find challenging.  And then there’s the part about being good at it.  That part takes years.  For me, however, the challenge is what makes me want to do it.  Were any of it -- the beginning, middle, or end -- to cease being harrowing, that’s when I would divorce the project." - Randy Russell, author of Dead Rules. 

Author Insight: Beginning, Middle, End

What's more challenging -- the beginning, the middle or the end?

"Always the middle. Mostly because it shifts so much. My middles were almost always, at some point, either the beginning or the ending of a different draft." - K. Ryer Breese, author of Future Imperfect. 

"The middle. The beginning is full of anticipation and excitement for the new story and characters. The end is all about climax, excitement, and resolutions. The middle is a delicate balance of plot building, character understanding, and a journey arc that needs to hit all the right spots. It’s not as exciting to write, but it’s what makes or breaks a book. I’ve read so many books that have lost me slap bang in the middle. There’s a crucial moment, if you miss it, the reader will abandon the book and miss out on the ending, if you nail it, the rest of your book will be devoured and enjoyed and leave the reader gasping for more." - Leigh Fallon, author of The Carrier of the Mark. 

"Oh, the middle. I want to punch the middle in the face. Because I tend to wander, and/or add too much I can’t tie up at the end." - Elana Johnson, author of Possession. 

"Depends on the project. With what I'm working on now, it's all been a challenge! I generally spend a ton of time revising the beginning to get it exactly right because it needs to hook the reader. However, I always seem to get stuck about 3/4ths of the way through a book because then I have to figure out how to tie up those threads. I'm not a plotter so it always gets hard there." - Stephanie Kuehnert, author of Ballads of Suburbia. 

Ruby Red Winner

I'm thrilled to be giving away a copy of Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier today to someome I know has been eagerly anticipating it. How do I know you might ask? She wrote a comment in the address block of the submission form telling me that she'd heard good things and couldn't wait to get her hands on a copy of this book. Well, her enthusiasm was rewarded by the mystical powers of Random.org. 

And the winner is...

Elle S.

Congratulations! I have forwarded your information on to the publisher that will be sending out the book. Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for allowing me to host this giveaway and to everyone who entered. There are more giveaways coming soon.

More Author Insight: Defining Success

As an author, how do you gauge personal success?

"Hearing from people who have read the book and enjoyed it. Having the opportunity to make writing my full-time job. And, of course, book sales. There are so many levels of success that it's hard to say 'If X happens, then I will feel successful.' Especially with this kind of career, there's always something more to strive for, and in the end, all I really want to do is write books people want to read. That's what I try to focus on." - Aimee Carter, author of The Goddess Test. 

"Making a decent living writing books I love, increasing my supportive fanbase who love my characters and worlds as much as I do." - Leanna Renee Hieber, author of Darker Still and  The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess.

"I'm still working on this one. When I set specific writing goals and somehow manage to meet them, I feel pretty successful. But when I think in more general terms, like how to be a success in the wider world of YA fiction, I feel pretty inadequate and flaily." - Sonia Gensler, author of The Revenant. 

 

"Much like sex. Completion.  Writing a book is one big, grueling performance.  And it is really cool when it’s over.  Was it good for you?  Want to order a pizza?" - Randy Russell, author of Dead Rules. 

Author Insight: Defining Success

As an author, how do you gauge personal success?

"Hard to say. Is it copies sold? Reviews? Prestige? I don't know. Honestly, I think the days when I get fan mail that's really touching are the ones that keep me upbeat. Convince me I'm doing something right." - K. Ryer Breese, author of Future Imperfect. 

"Reader appreciation. Every time I get a message from someone telling me how much the love my book that’s a notch of success. I used to think it would be royalties, or peer author respect, but that means less and less to me. It’s all about the reader." - Leigh Fallon, author of The Carrier of the Mark. 

"When I set a goal for myself and meet it, that’s success." - Elana Johnson, author of Possession. 

"It's hard for me because when I accomplish one goal, I instantly have another. Like I finished a book, then I wanted to get that book published. Then it got published and now I want to keep publishing, but reach a wider audience. When it comes down to it though, success is telling the story I want to tell and learning that it touched someone. It's seeing Ballads of Suburbia all banged up in the hands of a teenager who adores it." - Stephanie Kuehnert, author of Ballads of Suburbia. 

Giveaway: Ruby Red

I haven't posted a giveaway in a while and was just thinking about how I needed to get one up on the blog. It had to be something good, something readers would salivate over. Luckily, the wonderful folks at Macmillan Children's Publishing Group came to my rescue and generously offered me a copy of Ruby Red to give away. Who's excited?

On the off chance that you aren't pumped up about it yet, I've put the gorgeous cover and the synopsis below...

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Still not convinced? Check out the super-cute book trailer for Ruby Red.

 

 

 



Find out more about Kerstin Gier and read excerpts of Ruby Red here.  

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More Author Insight: Authorial Appetites

What's the worst day's diet you can recall eating while engrossed in a project?

"There have been days where I've forgotten to eat almost entirely. When midnight rolled around, I had to make myself scarf down a bowl of cereal. Balancing it on a laptop and trying not to spill any on the keyboard while continuing to type is definitely a learned skill." - Aimee Carter, author of The Goddess Test. 

"Popcorn. All day." - Leanna Renee Hieber, author of Darker Still and  The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess.

"It probably involved drinking too much hot tea and eating too many carbs. I am an unrepentant sugar addict, and these cravings seem to spiral out of control when I'm under deadline. I trick myself into believing that the sugar feeds my creativity, and that the heightened brain activity will help burn those extra calories!" - Sonia Gensler, author of The Revenant. 

"12 ice-cream sandwiches. It was gloriously bad. I’ve always thought if I could marry four or five times in my life, I would marry an ice-cream sandwich each time. 'I now pronounce you man and ice cream. You may lick the bride.'  All our children would be named Bon-bon. And I’d have torrid, brief affairs with Dilly Bars on the side." - Randy Russell, author of Dead Rules. 

Author Insight: Authorial Appetites

What's the worst day's diet you can recall eating while engrossed in a project?

"Definitely the time I downed too many jalapeno poppers." - K. Ryer Breese, author of Future Imperfect. 

"Coffee, coffee, and more coffee. Yip, that just about sums it up." - Leigh Fallon, author of The Carrier of the Mark. 

"McDonald’s and chocolate pie and sour patch kids all in the same day. Not. Pretty." - Elana Johnson, author of Possession. 

"Chips and salsa. There have been days when I've forgotten to eat entirely aside from a snack like that until I'm utterly starving." - Stephanie Kuehnert, author of Ballads of Suburbia. 

More Author Insight: Changing Lives

Would you rather write a book that changes your life or the lives of your readers?

"I think it would go hand in hand. If the readers cared that much about a book, if it affected them that much, then with luck they would tell their friends, and the author would reap those benefits, essentially changing their life as well." - Aimee Carter, author of The Goddess Test. 

"I'd like to do both at the same time. And I'm not going to presume I'm changing lives, but my characters deeply affect my heart, and I want to affect yours." - Leanna Renee Hieber, author of Darker Still and  The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess.

"Honestly, I can't imagine ever writing a book that would change a reader's life. I write stories geared toward escape rather than transformation. But it sounds kinda selfish to say I'd rather write a book that changes my life, so I'll answer it this way: I write to please the reader in me. If that pleases other readers, then I 'm tickled pink. In my mind, there's no better way to make a living!" - Sonia Gensler, author of The Revenant. 

"I find the idea -- that a book changes a reader’s life -- exceedingly arrogant.  People change their own lives, or their lives change for them.  They might use something they read as an excuse for going forward with their own thoughts… I also have no desire to change anyone’s life, although I have a strong longing for things like cruelty to others, and especially to animals, to f***ing disappear.  If books could change lives (that didn’t ask to be changed) there would be none of that sh**." - Randy Russell, author of Dead Rules.