Last Friday, at the pre-con leading up to Kidlitcon, I met author P.J. Hoover, and I took the chance to interview her about her new book, Solstice, and her writing life. This post was also used as an example of the techniques I taught in my Kidlitcon session, "Don’t fear the code: spice up your blog with HTML and CSS."
Q.
Your new book is called Solstice. Can you tell me a little more about it?
A.
It is set here in Austin, in the future when global warming is killing the earth. There's a girl named Piper and she turns 18. She gets a present delivered to her house, and when she opens it, this whole world of mythology starts to explode around her. Her best friend almost dies, so Piper has to travel to the underworld to save her, and there are lots of Greek gods.
Q.
That sounds great! Tell me a little bit about your path to publication.
A.
Solstice is my fourth book published. I actually have a trilogy out from a small press. My path to publication has been really working on my writing, and also networking. I met my first editor at a conference, and I met my agent at a workshop out in California, and I met my new editor at a conference also. So for me a lot of it has been really focusing on the writing, and also getting out and meeting people.
Q.
So is that what you would advise for new writers? To get out and go to conferences?
A.
I think it's really an important part of it. It's one thing to write a book, but it's easy to get trapped in a bubble and forget there's a whole world out there. It's important to know the business. I think if it as a lifetime thing, not just about one book.
"...it's easy to get trapped in a bubble and forget there's a whole world out there."
Q.
That's good advice. Tell me a little bit about your writing process. Do you write every day, or just when it inspires you?
A.
I try to write every day. There are days when I'm just not able to write. Sometimes I take weekends off, now that I'm writing full-time, but I think having some sort of regular routine is really what matters. Even if some days you might write eight pages, and some days you might write a paragraph. Sticking with it even when it gets hard, and not quitting a project even when it stops being so interesting.
Q.
That's hard in any project. Do you have a particular place you write, particular music you listen to?
A.
I have an office in my house, so if I have really intense work, like hard line edits or something, I work at home. But otherwise, I like going out to coffee shops, as long as the coffee is good, and sometimes I meet friends there. Music that I write to at home, sometimes I'll listen to the soundtrack from The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. There's no words, and it's soothing. It puts me in a good writing place.
Buy Solstice from: Amazon Independent Bookstores
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