Interview with Edmund Schubert on Community Fridays

Welcome to Community Fridays!

During Community Fridays, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing community. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new participants. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Today's guest is Edmund Schubert, an editor of Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show and author of the recently released Dreaming Creek.

You recently had your first novel, Dreaming Creek, published. Could you tell us a little about it? If I were to ask you for one reason that I should buy this book over any other, what would you say?

Dreaming Creekis a bit of a mutt. I would say it’s primarily a mystery/suspense novel, where solving the current mystery also results in solving an older one. But the action is driven by a Twilight Zone kind of twist, without which none of the present-day action would have occurred. There is also humor (I think humor and drama are the perfect foils for each other), as well as some relationship issues. My two main protagonists are a couple, and they are tested both individually and as a couple.

The main reason I would cite as to why you should read this book is that I have a great pair of legs. I’m talking traffic-stopping legs here. Seriously, if you ever saw me in a miniskirt, you would say, Oh my God, I have to buy his book!

Before your first novel was published, you sold more than thirty short stories. What are the similarities and differences between writing short stories and writing books? Is it difficult switching between them? Or do you only write one style at a time?

I think the biggest difference between writing short stories and writing a novel is their scope. A true short story (under 7,000 words) has to be really focused -- almost laser-like, if I may coin a new and clever way to describe it -- and I think it’s best to stick with one (or two at the most) point-of-view characters, and deal with one or two central events. A novel, on the other hand, has a lot more room for exploring a world and several of the characters who inhabit it. It ought to have multiple plot threads that eventually tie back together, and the author can show more of the backstory.

As to their similarities, I think the most obvious similarity is the need that both have for strong characters. Whether you are writing short or long, having interesting, believable, motivated characters is vital the success of the story.

While I was writing Dreaming Creek I would often get an idea for a story and set the novel aside to write the short story. Once the short was done, it sometimes took me a little while to get back into ‘novel mode,’ but generally speaking, switching back forth was not a problem for me.

What inspires you about the genres of science fiction and fantasy? The existing stories, the creative potential, the community? Something else?

I think the creative potential is definitely the primary thing that draws me to speculative fiction. I read a lot outside of the genre, but when it comes time to write I can’t seem to help incorporating some fantastical element into my stories. Part of the reason is simply because there are enough mysteries and romances and thrillers and whatever other genre of stories you want to cite to be found in real life that making another one up isn’t usually as appealing to me (I say ‘usually’ because I have published about a half dozen of mystery short stories). But with spec fic, there are no limits and no boundaries, and I find that immensely appealing.

I generally don’t write fantasy stories about elves or dragons, nor do I generally write about far-flung futures filled with space ships and ray guns -- and even when I do, the point of the story is still to get at the heart of an individual character. To what degree I succeed or fail at that I will leave to the reader to decide, but as the writer that is always my goal.

The kinds of stories I find myself most interested in writing are stories that remind some folks of the old Twilight Zone episodes. Take ordinary people, put them in an extraordinary situation, shake vigorously, and see what happens. To me that’s just more fun, and the stories that have received the best are usually the ones I had the most fun writing.

What catches your eye first when you're looking for a new author to publish in InterGalactic Medicine Show? An unusual character, an interesting plot, or perhaps a new way of using language? Or none of the above?

In the end I’m looking for two main things. The first is readability; there are a lot of people who have interesting ideas and interesting characters, but not all of them have the writing skills to make their prose so smooth that I forget I’m reading. I want to get lost in a story, and anything that jars me out of the world they’ve created is a problem. The other thing I’m looking for is the same thing you hear from editors all the time: that perfect combination of compelling characters doing compelling things in compelling situations and settings. Blah blah blah…

Frankly, the more work I do on the editing side of the equation, the more convinced I become that good stories are not about any one, big ‘ah-ha-this-is it’ kind of moment; they’re about a million little things all coming together just right. That’s why it’s so hard to quantify. The problem is that while the big picture is not that hard to see –great writing, great characters, and compelling situations -- the big picture is actually a jigsaw puzzle, made up of hundreds of unique but interlocking pieces that all have to fit together. That’s hard to describe, and even harder to do well.

Do you have any tips for an emerging author just starting on the path to publication? Either things you've learned from the editor side, or things you've learned from the author side?

1) Write, write, write
2) Read, read, read.
3) Write, write, write.
4) Lather, rinse, repeat.

I read an excellent story by you, called “Fourth and Goal From The Forty-Eight” I only have one question: is the 48 yard line the one close to the goal, or the one far away? (I admit, I'm a bit of a dunce when it comes to football!)

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the story.

I’m hardly an expert on football myself; when Fourth and Goal From The Forty-Eight was first published I got an email form a reader who pointed out that under current NFL rules, the scenario I portrayed at the end of the game in the story isn't possible. He suggested I change the team from an NFL team to a college team, because it was possible under college rules. I didn't change the team (the Washington Redskins), mainly because I am a Giants fan and don't like the Redskins; I wanted to make the ‘Skins the losing team in this story and what's the point in being a writer if you can indiscriminately punish teams you don't like...?

However, to answer your actual question (what a novel concept), there are two 48-yard lines. There are two versions of every yard line except the 50, which is right smack in the middle of the field. The yard lines are usually referred to as the Giants’ 48 or the Redskins’ 48 (or whichever teams are playing) depending on which goal the ball is closer to -- the Giants’ ‘goal’ being the one they are defending, and vice versa.

For the record, I had to re-read the story because it’s been a very long time since I wrote it, but it turns out that the 48-yard line referred to in this story is the Redskins 48, because there is a line in the story that mentions the ‘Skins having to go 52 yards to get the touchdown.

I picked “Fourth and Goal From The Forty-Eight" as the title because, 1) while it is technically possible that a team could find themselves in that situation, it is just about the most improbable scenario you’ll encounter on a football field, and 2) I liked the sound of the alliteration; it just rolled nicely off the tongue.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor, publisher etc. who's doing great things right now, and why?

Two writers who I would say are worth watching are James Maxey and Eric James Stone.

James’ name may be familiar to some folks because he’s got three novels out now (Nobody Gets the Girl, Bitterwood, and Dragonforge: A Novel of the Dragon Age), as well as having multiple short stories in anthologies, Asimov’s and InterGalactic Medicine Show. In fact, I would say that James’ story in issue 7 of IGMS (“Silent As Dust”) may be one of the best stories we’ve ever published and deserves to be in several of the Year’s Best anthologies for 2008. He’s got a great writing style and a great sense of ‘story.’ Those two things are not commonly found in one package, but James has them both in spades.

The other writer I would be negligent in not pointing out is Eric James Stone. Eric is a Writer’s of the Future winner, has sold several short stories to Analog, several anthologies, and has sold so many stories to IGMS that some people half-jokingly say we should change the full name of the magazine from Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show to Eric James Stone’s InterGalactic Medicine Show. Eric is working on a novel right now that sounds so interesting that I told him back at DragonCon (last August) that if he needed an early reader to make comments that I would gladly do so, and to be completely honest I primarily made that offer so I wouldn’t have to wait until it was published before I could read it.

About the Author

Visit Edmund Schubert's website and his blog for more information. And don't forget to stop by InterGalactic Medicine Show, where Issue 10 has just been released!



© Emma Larkins and Edmund Schubert

Recap of Community Fridays To Date

Today's post is a recap of the most recent Community Fridays interviews. This week will be the third straight month of Community Fridays posts. Yep, it really has been that long! All the authors, agents, editors, publishers etc. interviewed here have provided excellent information about writing, getting published, and everything that comes with the territory. Check out a few if you have a moment to spare!

Karen Syed, and CEO of Echelon Press, LLC., shares her wisdom about transitioning from author to editor and authors taking charge of their destiny through smart marketing techniques.

Learn more about improving your writing skills and how to be an effective part of the writing community with Jason Sanford, editor of storySouth and author.

Laurie Paulsen is in the beginning stages of her writer's journey. She talks about how technology affects the modern writer, and how working in a bookstore helped her learn more about the writing industry.

Author of the recently released The Ride, Jane Kennedy Sutton gives a fresh look at taking a book through the submissions process. Learn about volunteering in the publishing industry and how travel affects writing.

What better way to learn more about the book industry than from the readers themselves? Avid reader Katrina Larkins provides insight into the world of those who buy and read books.

Tomato Girl author Jayne Pupek started out getting published in literary and poetry magazines. Find out why this is a good first step for authors, and which writing/reader communities Jayne recommends.

Helen Ginger is a freelance editor, book consultant, writer, teacher, editor, speaker, and former mermaid. Among other things, she gives good advice regarding book consultants and public speaking.

Where to start with Elvira Woodruff's list of publications? Fearless, Small Beauties, The Ravenmaster's Secret, George Washington's Socks, the list goes on and on. Not only that, but she knows her stuff when it comes to in-depth research and surviving sticky situations involving librarians.

Andy Ross, a non-fiction literary agent, lists eleven benefits an agent can provide to an author. Not only that, his past ownership of a bookstore gives him new perspective on the writing industry.

Maryann Miller's multiple roles as author, scriptwriter, reviewer, and editorial consultant make her a wealth of knowledge. Read thoughts on how reviewers decide which books to review, and how scriptwriting is different from other types of fiction.

Get a dose of spookiness all year round! Christine Verstraete and the delightful characters in her Searching for a Starry Night stop by to educate and entertain.

Larry Hodges wastes no time in flooding your mind with useful tidbits regarding writing workshops, science fiction and fantasy magazines, and formatting a cover letter. Not to mention he's a former table tennis coach to the stars!

And most recently, here are eight tips for having a successful convention by Tomorrow's Memories author Danielle Ackley-McPhail, along with rogue marketing techniques and how to end up speaking on a panel at a conference.

Completion of the First Draft of My First Novel, The Hidden Land of Gre

First, the stats:

The Hidden Land of Gre is a story about a girl and boy who go on a great adventure to save a dying race from an ancient curse.

Final length 71,467 words.
Start date: February 2008.
End date: November 2008.

Wow. I'm overwhelmed and speechless. I've just finished the first draft of my first novel.

I can't say that I've ever stuck with a big project like this (outside of "work," that is) long enough to see it through. It's an achievement, something to be proud of, and I think that everyone should take some time out to recognize their personal milestones. It's too easy to say "Phew, that's off my list, what's next?" But on the other hand, if I've learned one thing from all the wonderful people I've met over my last few months of learning the writer's ropes, it's that my work has only just begun!

Here are my next steps:

• Format the novel, probably in Adobe InDesign, and print a copy or two on Lulu. It was actually my boyfriend's suggestion, and I think it's a good one. The novel still has a long way to go, but it will be fun to have a rough draft copy for posterity!


• Let the novel sit. Most authors I've talked to have suggested this step. Despite the fact that it's been ten months since I've read some parts, I think it still needs to "gel."
  
• Work on my "character bibles." My understanding is that these are documents used to get to know your characters better. I think my characters have changed and coalesced over time, so this will help when I get to the rewriting stage.


• I'm toying with the idea of writing the next book in the series before rewriting the first book. I know the rewrites will be a pain, editing tends to be harder for me than writing. Perhaps I could do both at the same time?


• And then, of course, rewrites, read-throughs, and edits for the foreseeable future!

Before all that, I suppose I should take some time out to celebrate... Thought it feels like a celebration just to know that I've actually done what I set out to do. Then again, watching a bit of Puppy Cam and eating chocolate is a pretty sweet, easily accessible reward!

Last but not least, I'd like to offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone on Twitter and elsewhere who've offered their congratulations. And of course, thanks to all those who've buoyed me through my writer's journey!

Sunday Report: Week of November 17th Odds and Ends

Here are some of the fun/informative things that are coming up for the next couple of weeks. Time to get excited!

On the next Community Friday, November 21, I will interview Edmund R. Schubert, author of the newly released Dreaming Creek and an editor of Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. Issue 10 of Intergalactic Medicine Show has just been released, so I'm really lucky to get a chance to talk with Edmund. Stop by if you get a chance!

For those interested in science fiction and fantasy conventions in the mid-atlantic/northeast, Philcon will be next weekend (November 21-23) in Cherry Hill, NJ. Yeah, this year it's in New Jersey, for those who might be confused: Philcon actually stands for "Philadelphia Conference on Science Fiction and Fantasy." I won't be able to make this one, but it's a large conference that comes highly recommended. Several authors (and great sources of information!), including Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Larry Hodges, and Jonathan Maberry will be in attendance. Good times should be had by all.

Other than that, I will be attending the Washington Science Fiction Association meeting and (possibly) the Darkover convention in Baltimore, as mentioned in last Wednesday's post.

Finally, I've had an assignment to write a Thanksgiving story, to get people in the spirit of the holiday. So I'm going to be working on that. Will it involve a contest? Reader suggestions? Me making up something completely random? Time will tell.

As always, let me know if I missed anything!

Interview with Danielle Ackley-McPhail on Community Fridays

Welcome to Community Fridays!

During Community Fridays, I interview authors, editors, publishers, and pretty much anyone else who I can get my hands on from the writing and publishing community. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to suggest new participants. Check out current and past interviews here. Only have a minute? Click here for interviews at a glance.

Today's guest is Danielle Ackley-McPhail, author and purveyor of promotional awesomeness.

You're about to release your newest novel, Tomorrow's Memories, sequel to Yesterday's Dreams, and you're an expert when it comes to creative marketing techniques. For example, at Capclave you distributed giant Pixie Stix® to promote a book about fairies. What ideas do you have for the book launch? (Unless they're secret, of course!)

The biggest plan we have is the raffle prize, which in this case will be a full-sized replica claymore donated by Griffon's Claw Armoury. The reason for the prize is that in Celtic mythology there were four artifacts the Sidhe or the Tuatha de Danaan brought to Ireland from their home land: From the city Murias, the great Cauldron of the Dagda, or caldron of plenty. From Gorias, the Spear of Lugh, from Findias, the Sword of Nuada, which always struck true and fatally; and from Falias the Lia Fail or "Stone of Destiny." In the novel, the sword plays a key part in the climatic ending, so our prize is a sword. If anyone is interested in the novel, they can click here, and if they would like to know more about the launch party, and how they might win that sword, they can visit this site.

While we're at it, would you like to tell us a little about the book?

Yesterday's Dreams and its sequel, Tomorrow's Memories are the beginning of my Eternal Cycle series, urban fantasy novels based on Irish Mythology. I am mostly Irish, but I never really knew what that meant. Most of my family history was lost in a fire and my heritage was never really passed on to me. Because of this I was always curious. The music and the legends always moved me and the brogue... anyway, I was frustrated that most of the fantasy books I picked up never really explored the Irish mythology. Mostly they just took the concept of the Sidhe, combined it with a few Gaelic words, and then made up the rest. I know it's fiction, but I like fiction that uses a foundation of what is established in the real world to add depth. I decided to write my own and in the research came across the goddess Carman and her three sons. There are so many variations that I won't mention the names, but basically they terrorized Ireland until they were finally destroyed by the Sidhe. I used that as the foundation of my story, introducing one son in the first book, returned as a possessing spirit, and then a second in Tomorrow's Memories. Each novel builds on the last, starting in New York and ending up in Ireland and Tir na nOg.20 I haven't done much work on the third book, too many other projects, but now that book two is coming out I have to get cracking!

Where do you get marketing ideas? Do you observe other people? Do you read about the subject? Do the ideas just pop into your head?

Most of my marketing ideas come from my own imagination, others do come from hearing what others I know have done. Basically, I try and think of things that apply to the subject matter of the current book, thus the prize of a violin for the Yesterday's Dreams launch and an autographed set of military-style patches as a prize for the anthology Breach the Hull, a military science fiction collection. The patches are also offered for sale, which helps to promote the books, particularly if a reader has enjoyed a particular author's story. As give-aways I always have Pixie Stix® on hand because of my anthology series, Bad-Ass Faeries... Pixie Stix® for Bad-Ass Faeries. Another thing you can do is use something that comes your way, even if it is meant for something else. We were given a bunch of pins promoting the movie Beowulf, now when we have a Bad-Ass Faeries event we give out the pins saying "The studio says B is for Beowulf, we say it's for Bad-Ass." For Breach the Hull we had another idea, that we didn't follow up on, but I still really like... we toyed with the idea of having custom dog-tags made up to distribute.

You describe yourself as an anthologist, which is a term I haven't heard before, 'someone who puts together an anthology.' Does that mean you solicit submissions, edit manuscripts, select cover art, publish the book, or some or all of the above? How does one get to be an anthologist?

Actually, I don't remember using the term, but I have heard others use it in reference to me. The description is apt, though. It isn't the normal way things are done, but in small press, particularly very small press, things can often be informal. I have taken four books through the process from idea conception to preparing the final files. Sometimes all the steps you have outlined above, sometimes only part of them. I have never published anything myself, I've always made arrangements with existing publishers when I have an idea. Mostly this is possible because of the connections I have made at various conventions, though I have been approached by publishers based on the reputation built upon what I have already done. I believe another term that exists to describe what I do is 'packager'. Someone who takes care of the details of a project for a publisher and then hands over the files at the end.

You're a convention and conference veteran, a frequent attendee as well as a panelist. What are your suggestions for a newbie just starting to attend these events?

1) Economize where you can: share rooms, bring food, don't go wild in the dealer's room.

2) If you want to be an author, go to the pro panels about writing and the business, participate from the audience if you are comfortable speaking and have something to add.

3) Meet the professionals, strike up conversations with them... it is important to make friends, not just contacts.

4) Look for opportunities you hear about at panels or in discussions and follow up on them.

5) Add your name to the mailing lists/news groups, they are opportunities to build on the friendships you started at the convention.

6) Volunteer for programming, even if you don't have any publishing credits, you have stuff to add, but be sure to prepare, at least in your head, if not with notes

7) Be respectful and professional.

8) Bathe... regularly ;)

About the panels - how are the selections made for who sits on them at a conference? Do you mention your interest, or does someone contact you about it? How do you prepare for being on open-ended panels like the ones they had at Capclave?

My first convention I attended as a guest was thanks to my publisher, as it was in the town where they were based. I didn't much know what I was doing, but I was fortunate that it was a very small, forgiving con and I never had trouble speaking in front of people. I also met people there that gave me advice on promoting myself at conventions. Most conventions you simple email the person in charge of programming and express an interest of being a participant. Mostly, that is all it takes.

Each convention has its own method of assigning panels. Some give you a list of panels, you tell them which you want to be on, they compare everyone's responses and time constraints and then attempt to populate the panels according to those constraints without double booking... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Other conventions ask your general interests and then put you on the panels according to their own decisions without telling you the actual topics. This can get dicey as an interest in a general topic doesn't mean a person will have any interest or knowledge about a specific topic that would fall under that heading. You are given, in theory, your schedule in advance so you can prepare. For myself, I have been doing this long enough that I get an idea of what I want to talk about in my head and think it through a bit, but then generally respond to what the other panelists bring up. If I can, and it's pertinent, I try and come up with a few examples if the topic calls for it. Some people work up a complete outline and a variety of questions they want to bring up, but I'm more comfortable going with the flow. I've worked in publishing so long, and I am an avid reader that I can generally hold a worthwhile conversation on most topics in that range on the fly.

What's it like to be in the dealer room of a conference or convention, selling your own books and anthologies? What suggestions do you have for people who want to do this?

This can be difficult. I don't really recommend it to anyone that is not extremely extroverted. I also don't recommend it if you only have one or two books. The best way to get started doing this, if you have an interest in it, though, is to pair up with someone else that you know (not good to do this with strangers) and that way you have several people to handle the table, as well as more to offer. Dealer's rooms can be grueling from the other side of the table. Long periods of wishing someone would stop to talk, followed by frantic moments of trying to take care of everyone at once AND keep track of all the necessary details.

Personally, I feel that when I sit down I don't sell because it puts a layer of distance between you and the customer an area of separation. You're talking up at them and not engaging one to one, that means I stand for upward of eight hours at a standard con... very rough. You have to engage the customer, draw them in. Chat, make them laugh. Show energy and enthusiasm, but without drawing them away from someone else's table. That's very important.There is a unity among dealers that you will very quickly find yourself on the wrong side of if it is felt that you are poaching another vendor's sales by drawing the customers away. If they stop at your table, or pass it in a general sense, or you see them looking at your stuff, make a connection, try and point out what you have before you. If you can make them laugh, you put them at ease. You relax, they relax, then you can start pointing out to them the finer points of your book... a brief idea of what it is about, what genre it is, any awards it has or has been nominated for, basically any relevant fact that might make it more appealing to them. From time to time, I've even offered to read them a portion. Basically... you have to be comfortable putting yourself out there, confident in your work, and enjoy talking to people. If you believe in yourself and your work, the customer picks up on that and you make them curious, make them want to know what makes you so confident.

Lastly, because this feature is about establishing bonds within the writing and publishing industries, can you name one author, editor or publisher who's doing great things right now, and why?

Hmmm... I would have to say Jonathan Maberry. He is relatively new in the fiction industry, but he has made such strides in building his career. He knows what he wants and goes for it; he works every angle he sees and has the vision to propose some very timely projects to the proper people and get them signed. He is a business man, a deal maker, and an author all in one...a truly stunning sight to see him in action.

Now... a bit of advice not covered in the above. For any author or writer aspiring to be an author, professional organizations can be a vital tool. Find those relevant to your interests and join, they are excellent for networking, finding opportunities, and benefiting from the experience of those already established in the field. I belong to several organizations, including the Garden State Horror Writers, EPIC, and Broad Universe. All of them have been extremely valuable.

About the Author
Danielle Ackley-McPhail is the author of Yesterday's Dreams and Tomorrow's Memories. She is also the senior editor of the Bad-Ass Faeries Series. See her website for more information.

Update: Tomorrow's Memories is now available on Amazon!



© Emma Larkins and Danielle Ackley-McPhail