Author Interviews Archives - Page 7 of 13

#LoveOzYA Interview: Nansi Kunze

Aug 19, 2016

I love Aussie YA. I love reading books from authors that live in the same country as me, that know things that people out of Australia might be so confused about. I love how sometimes they can incorporate this into their book and it is fabulous.

So I decided to created a feature where I interview Australian Young Adult authors about their craft, journey and some interesting facts. I thought it was a fun way of everyone around the world to get to know these authors and maybe make them want to pick up their books. And that is what I am aiming to do, spread the word about #LoveOZYA and get everyone reading it.

You can check out my previous interviews with authors like Jay Kristoff, Gabrielle Tozer, Sarah Ayoub, Jessica Shirvington, and last week Helen Chebatte at Angel Reads.

This week we have Nansi Kunze author of Mishaps (2008, Random House), Dangerously Placed (2011, Random House) and Kill the Music (2013, Random House)

Hi Nansi, welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi everyone! My name’s Nansi and I am a Weirdo.

Hi, Nansi. *all the other Weirdos wave politely*

Uh … sorry, can we start that again? I just had this sudden feeling I was at a Weirdoholics Anonymous meeting. No, that’s not a real thing. Why? Have you heard of them? ‘Cos I’d be quite inter–

Ahem.

I’m Nansi Kunze. I’m the author of three YA mystery novels: Mishaps, Dangerously Placed and Kill the Music. Before they were published, I taught things like foreign languages, computing skills and ESL to kids and adults.

What has your writing journey been like? When did you start? Why?

Unlike most authors I know, I didn’t always want to be a writer. When I was 25, my husband and I moved to Gippsland (south-eastern Victoria), and I was inspired by its beautiful green landscape to try writing a historical novel for adults. My novel sucked, but once I’d had a taste of what it was like to create my own world and my own characters I was addicted.

To justify the time I was spending on writing by making it a paying job, I started writing short stories. I had a couple published in magazines, but no major sense of progress. It wasn’t until I wrote my first story for a younger audience, which won the FAW Mary Grant Bruce Award back in 2002, that I realised it was no good trying to pretend I could think – or write – like a grownup. I began working on my first YA manuscript, and have never looked back.

I use being a writer as an excuse to create slightly odd clothes from second-hand stuff and then wear them to author talks and festivals. So far, the most fun I’ve had doing that was at a local potato festival, where I wore an 18th-century ballgown I made out of used potato sacks.

What was the process of getting your first book published?

I had a manuscript assessment agency look at my first YA novel and revised it as they suggested, then sent it out to a few publishers. It was rejected by all of them, but the lovely Zoe Walton at Random House Australia let me know that she’d enjoyed it and would like to see more of my work. So I wrote my next novel as quickly as possible, polished it as much as I could (with the help of some awesome beta-readers) and sent it straight out to her. That manuscript became my first published book, Mishaps.

Was it different when getting your subsequent books published?

Yeah, it was. Zoe and the team at Random House had made it clear that they were interested in seeing more manuscripts from me, but that there was no pressure to produce them instantly. My son was only two months old when Mishaps was accepted for publication, so not having a deadline for another book was a huge relief for me! Being able to submit my subsequent novels directly to an editor and talk over things like plot changes and lengths felt like a real privilege, though. I think I learned a huge amount from that more in-house process.

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

I’m a big fan of Ellie Marney’s Every series, Marianne dePierres’s Night Creatures series and Michael Pryor’s Laws of Magic books. I really loved my friend Kate Gordon’s latest book Writing Clementine, which recently won the Ena Noel Award. And I’m always blown away by the emotive power of Jackie French’s books – I’ve just read Refuge and can’t recommend it highly enough.

I have yet to read Nansi’s books, but I plan to get on it. You can find Nansi on twitter at @NansiKunze, her website and don’t forget to add her books to your goodreads

Mishaps by Nansi Kunze

Pages: 292
Publish date: February 1st 2008
Publisher: Random House Children’s
ISBN: 1741662753
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Sometimes bad luck is more than coincidence…

Pen O’Connell is, without a doubt, the unluckiest girl at Callindra Secondary College. Her dream date’s just fallen through, her dog has literally eaten her homework, and don’t even mention the incident at school camp. But when Pen meets Sebastian Meyer, teenage genius and genetics expert, she begins to wonder if everything that happens to her really is just bad luck.

Could the bizarre theory that’s turned every teacher in the school against Sebastian explain why Pen is more likely to get a head injury than a hot date? Why does Pen’s name strike terror into the heart of pop princess Sereena? And just how far will Pen go to get what she deserves?

***

Thank you Nansi for joining me at Angel Reads and sharing your journey. Have you read any of Nansi’s books? Did you like them? Are you going to read them? Let’s Chat!

Come back next week for some more Aussie fun. If you want to know more about the #LoveOZYA movement check out the website for all the details.

#LoveOzYA Interview: Helen Chebatte

Aug 12, 2016

You can check out my previous interviews with authors like Jay Kristoff, Gabrielle Tozer, Sarah Ayoub and last week we had Jessica Shirvington, at Angel Reads.

Today on my #LoveOZYA Interview series we have Helen Chebatte, author of Bro (Hardie Grant Egmont, 2016).

Hi Helen, welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi everyone! I’m Helen Chebatte and I’m an author, actor and drama teacher, living in Sydney.

I work professionally in film television and theatre. Some of my credits include roles on All Saints, Crownies, the feature film Cedar Boys and more recently the romantic comedy Alex and Eve. After many years in the film industry however the writing bug bit me – quite surprisingly! This resulted in the publication of my debut novel, BRO, released early 2016.

What has your writing journey been like? When did you start? Why?

Writing came much later in my life. Growing up I had no interest in writing, acting was my dream and I pursued that diligently. However about ten or twelve years ago, a short time after my father passed away, I wrote as a way of expressing my grief. It wasn’t until I stopped I realised how much I loved it. I started again but this time I wrote creatively. It was so much fun I began to take it more seriously, enrolling in courses, attending festivals and subscribing to writing organisations. I also co-founded a writers group during this time and we’ve been meeting once a month for many years now.

What was the process of getting your first book published?

I’d always liked entering my manuscripts in writing competitions. It was a way of getting feedback on my work. But I got a lot more when I entered my YA novel, BRO into the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Frustrated Writers’ Mentorship Competition. I won! With that came a most eye-opening mentorship. We worked on many aspects of the manuscript, improving it considerably. It wasn’t enough to get me over the line though.

Following the mentorship I had it assessed professionally. This meant more work until eventually it was ready for submission to publishers. Within weeks I had three separate publication offers come through. You can imagine how I felt – I was jumping so high you’d think there was a trampoline under my feet.

I decided to go with Hardie Grant Egmont. They were fantastic! Hilary Rogers knew exactly what BRO was about. She understood multiculturalism and its importance in Australian literature and she was supportive of the character’s language which was very important to me and to the authentication of the story.

What was your journey as a debut YA author in Australia? What was the hardest thing?

The year between signing a publishing contract and the release date was hardest – in a fun sort of way. The manuscript underwent another thorough sweep. Strengthening the parts that moved the story forward and carving away those that suddenly had no bearing on the narrative was challenging.

Trying to keep focus on the changes and their effect on the rest of the story was an intricate balancing act. I was fortunate to have a great team at Hardie Grant Egmont; their sharp eyes helped me keep the equilibrium. It’s odd because while some days it was exhausting, it was also very creatively satisfying.

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

So many! I loved reading the YA novels Sea hearts and Tender Morsels, both by Margo Lanagan – I could read them again. Into that Forest by Louis Nowra is also great. I thoroughly enjoyed The Incredible Here and Now by Felicity Castagna as well as Nona and Me by Claire Atkins – both brilliant.

Others that stand out in my mind are Shadow Girl by John Larkin, The Dead I Know by Scott Gardner, The Shiny Guys by Doug Macleod and Friday Brown by Vicki Wakefield.

I have yet to read Bro, but I will have to get on it real soon. You can find Helen on twitter at @helenchebatte, on her website, and you can add her book to your goodreads.

Bro by Helen Chebatte

Pages: 240
Publish date: February 1st 2016
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont
ISBN: 9781760125509
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Romeo knows the rules.
Stick with your own kind. Don’t dob on your mates, or even your enemies.
But even unwritten rules are made for breaking.
Fight Clubs, first loves and family ties are pushed to their limit in Helen Chebatte’s explosive debut novel.

***

Thank you Helen for joining me at Angel Reads and sharing your journey. Have you read Bro? Did you like it? Are you going to read it?

Come back next week for some more Aussie fun. If you want to know more about the #LoveOZYA movement check out the website for all the details. Also if you have any Australian YA authors that you would like to see me interview, just let me know and I can see what I can do.

#LoveOzYA Interview: Jessica Shirvington

Aug 5, 2016

You can check out my previous interviews with authors like Jay Kristoff, Gabrielle Tozer, Sarah Ayoub last weeks guest Paula Weston and more through Angel Reads.

This week on my #LoveOzYA feature I interview Jessica Shirvington, author of; The Violet Eden Chapters (2010, Hachette), Between the Lives (2013 Harper Collins) and the Disruption Duo (2014, Harper Collins).

Hi Jessica, and welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi Angel, thanks so much for inviting me to give this interview. My name is Jess and I live in Sydney with my husband, Matt and out two girls, Sienna and Winter. I write (mostly) young adult fiction. My first book, Embrace, came out in October 2010 and since then I have released eight novels (Embrace, Entice, Emblaze, Endless & Empower, Between the Lives, and Disruption & Corruption) and one picture book (Just the Way You Are).

What has your writing journey been like? Where did you start? Why?

My writing journey has been hectic! I never envisaged myself as an author or writer of any kind. I always thought I would have a corporate career but that all changed when we were living in London and I had my first daughter. Having kids changed everything and we decided to move back to Sydney, where our second daughter was born. It was only then that I was reading in all of my downtime.

It was the first time since I had finished school that I’d had any downtime! I hit a small run of books that I was struggling to connect with. It’s strange and I don’t know why exactly, but one morning, instead of opening a new book, I opened my laptop and I wrote two names – Violet and Lincoln. Those names became the two lead characters in a five book series. A year after I started writing my first story, Embrace was on the shelves. Sometimes life gives you a nudge in the right direction and sometimes it catapults you onto a new path – for me it was definitely the latter.

What was the process of getting your first book published?

My first book was all about confidence. I knew I had written something that worked. The story was solid and I loved the characters but I had never done this before and there was a very solid chance I was kidding myself. So, the process really began with accepting criticism. I asked my husband, my family and friends to read the manuscript – God love em! Looking back at that initial draft, they were all very kind. But they did give gentle feedback, and it did help. I rewrote my first manuscript about eight times before I even considered what I would do next. After that, I researched the agent I thought would be the best fit for me and I made contact. I was lucky enough to receive an opportunity to send my first three chapters. I sent them off, never expecting to hear from her again.

About a week later, I received a note in the mail telling me she was going away on holiday and not to expect her to read my chapters until her return. I’ll never forget because it was my birthday and my husband took me up the road for a birthday breakfast and then took the kids and sent me off to do a spot of shopping. Anyway, my phone rang and it was this agent. She told me she had had a few free minutes so had read my chapters. She liked them and told me to have the entire manuscript with her by 9 am the next morning and she would take it with her on holiday. Two weeks later I had an agent. Three weeks after that I had my first three book deal. It was an absolute whirlwind. One of the most exciting times in my life!

Was it different when getting your proceeding books published?

Yes! It’s a different kind of confidence needed when writing your second, third and subsequent books. It is also different when writing books within one series and then starting a new one. The self-doubt never ends, because let’s face it – we’re basically relying on our ability to come up with really weird unique ideas and then make them connect in a believable sense with readers whilst keeping said readers thoroughly entertained! Self-doubt is a guarantee!

In some ways, the process is easier because you know all of the rules and the steps of publishing. But at the same time, it’s important to me to approach each story in a completely new way. I don’t want to write the same stories over and over, so I’m always challenging myself to come up with something that is out of my comfort zone and that always brings a new set of hurdles.

What was the difference between getting your books published here in Australia and internationally?

The process is different in every country. Obviously if I’m being published in a non-English speaking country, they don’t ask me for much help! More often than not, the book is translated in-house and I only see the cover art when the book is available for sale, or on a blog like yours!

In the US it is a more involved process. They like to put the manuscript through their own edit and design new covers, and they usually embark on a marketing campaign that requires a fair bit of input. It’s great! I love all parts of the publishing process and I find it fascinating how different countries have different expectations and approach their readers in unique ways. I’m constantly learning to both be thoughtful, active and understanding – it takes a combination!

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

Anything and everything by Melina Marchetta, Kirsty Eagar and Justine Larbalestier, to name a few. We have an incredible pool of talented Aussie authors putting out a great range of OZYA.

I adore Jessica Shirvington’s books – she writes so well and is able to capture me from the first page. You can find Jessica on twitter at @JessShirvington, her website and don’t forget to add her books to your goodreads.

Disruption by Jessica Shirvington

Pages: 400
Publish date: April 1st 2014
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
ISBN: 0732296285
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

What if a microchip could identify your perfect match?
What if it could be used against you and the ones you love?Eight years ago, Mercer Corporation’s M-Bands became mandatory. An evolution of the smartphone, the bracelets promised an easier life. Instead, they have come to control it.

Two years ago, Maggie Stevens watched helplessly as one of the people she loves most was taken from her, shattering her world as she knew it.

Now, Maggie is ready. And Quentin Mercer – heir to the M-Corp empire – has become key to Maggie’s plan. But as the pieces of her dangerous design fall into place, could Quentin’s involvement destroy everything she’s fought for?

In a world full of broken promises, the ones Maggie must keep could be the most heartbreaking.

***

Thank you Jessica for joining me at Angel Reads and sharing your journey. Have you her books? Did you like them? Are you going to read them?