Lea's Virtual Book Tour
September 03, 2007 05:29 PM EDT
(Updated: September 03, 2007 05:32 PM EDT)
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I recently interviewed Lea Schizas, published author and award winning editor of 2 Writer's Digest 101 Top Websites 2006, about her latest book DOORMAN'S CREEK, and her writing in general. She graciously answered my questions. - When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Or did it just happen?
As a youngster I remember how fascinated I was whenever I stared into fellow classmates eyes, reading one of my compositions to them during English class, their interest to find out how a story was going to end. So my answer would have to be I’ve always known writing had pulled me in its world and has never let go. - Tell us about your road to publishing. Were there challenges along the way?
Besides the rejections a writer gets along the way, I suppose the hardest challenge has to be the mental anguish of where to submit your book. There are so many options available to a writer and choosing the right one for you is not an easy task. Yes, you research and find out which venue is suitable for your book, but there are other things to consider as well; the reputation of a publishing house and its editors, the communication and interaction with these editors, should you go with a smaller house or bigger one…all of these are challenges in decisions a writer faces and I’m no different. Each publisher I have signed a contract with was thoroughly researched on my part by emailing other writers and finding out their impressions and satisfaction with them. Also, I check to see how they promote their new writers and books on their sites, what they offer bookstores, if they have newsletters going out, etc. - Who, or what, is your inspiration for your stories?
People in general. We’re each faced with so many different characters in our lives, we can’t help but take an aspect of them and manipulate that characteristic within our stories. But my children, God bless their souls, have been an inspiration to me in many of my characters. Not necessarily using ‘them’ as a character but some of the things that come out of their mouths has helped shaped and build someone in my stories. - Tell us about your new release, Doorman’s Creek. Where did the idea come from?
Doorman’s Creek was my very first screenplay I wrote after coming out of my 23 year self-induced coma of taking care of the family way back in 2000. It wasn’t until two years ago that I finally made it into a novel. The book, a paranormal suspense/thriller, is about a teenager who, along with his friends, discover a cave with a partially covered skeleton…and an unknown entity they weren’t expecting. Gifted suddenly with visions of past and present murders, he now has to solve this case before another family member gets killed. The idea actually came to me using that all reliable ‘what if’ factor many writers use. I was looking at my kids and wondered ‘what if’ one of them had the capability to foresee upcoming murders, how would they react, and from there I came up with the whole idea behind the book. The book is published by eTreasures in both e-book and print formats and only about 145 pages long. - Was it accepted the first time you sent it out, or did it take awhile to find a publisher?
Vickie Kennedy, publisher of eTreasures, accepted the manuscript from the start. She liked the whole context and had no qualms publishing it. - You also have a young-adult novel, The Rock of Realm, published. Tell us a little about it. Do you have any advice about writing for teens?
Oh…I know many writers fall in love with their characters but I have to say that two particular characters in The Rock of Realm are very dear to me. This novel is the first in a series of adventures to befall my main character, Alexandra Stone, and her pet dog, Butch, and his pet squirrel, Pops (yes, the dog has a pet). The story follows Alex, her friend Sarah, and the animals as they find themselves one day magically transported to this whole new world. Shocked to discover she is the princess to this dimension, Alex not only has to adapt to this bit of news but she needs to keep her head clear and find a way back home safely for everyone while eluding capture from the man responsible for transporting them to his world. Tons of twist and turns to delight any age, and throughout the novel, I have one constant saying, “All is not as it appears to be.” to keep a reader guessing of its meaning. The two characters I love the most are Pops and Jinx, the six-legged hamster from Rock Kingdom. Both of them are the comical act throughout, getting into Dennis the Menace mischief and fighting constantly to capture Butch’s friendship. I contemplated making them humans but then decided against it since their ‘human form’ would only make them appear ‘bratty’. Writing for teens? One thing that is the hardest to do is to make your character not swear. I’ve edited books where all the teen did is use the ‘f’ word and although in real life they do use it, in books you have the option of showing their actions and getting the meaning of their anger and frustration without the need of adding that word in the stories. It’s not easy but it is an area, regardless what you write or for which audience, you do need to think about dialogue as a way to move the story forward and using foul language ALL the time is not succeeding in this area. - What is your writing routine?
Well, now you did it, shot me a loaded question. About two years ago I finally decided to close my beauty salon after close to 14 years owning it and pursue writing as a fulltime job. What this means is now I can devote ALL day to writing and editing. However, seeing how I’m involved with quite a few sites, newsletters, groups, publishers, and a conference, besides my own writing, I try to devote one full day to each responsibility, all the while making sure at least an hour a day is for me and my writing. I use a Rotating Disc method for my writing, meaning: each story/article I write I place it in its own disc. I work on disc #1 until I come to a head at some point, then place it in the back of the pile and go on to disc#2. What this does is it allows time to pass before I get back to disc#1 and have allowed my thoughts to have cleared with whatever was blocking it in the first place. - What is your favorite food? Movie? Music? Color? Book? Author? (Just thought I’d throw those in for fun.)
Let’s take them in order: Favorite food: spaghetti and meatballs or with a sauce mixed with cut up squid. Movie: American Pie, Lethal Weapon and Die Hard all tie in my book.Music: Elvis Presley and the Beatles. I know, I’m dating myself now. Color: Black, makes me look thinner.Authors: love to read books by Stephen King, Nora Roberts and Robert Ludlum. - Can we look forward to more novels from you in the future?
Oh yes. I have about 8 books in the works right now, one of them in the editing stage and the others in various stages of life. All of them are in various genres: sci-fi/fantasy, romance/mystery, young adult, children’s, and nonfiction. I’m writing the second novel in the Rock of Realm series right now. Also, I’ve been invited to a few anthology projects which are due to be released next year, along with a nonfiction project by a Canadian publisher where I have one of its chapters to write. I’m always involved with something or other and welcome your readers to check out what’s new through my site at: http://leaschizaseditor.com Thank you, Lea, for visiting with me. A note: I put a review of DOORMAN'S CREEK on Gather awhile back. A great read.
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Comments: 11
I love that line!!
interesting read.