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| Krystal Wade |
Natalie Wright (NW): Your new release Wilde’s
Fire just hit the shelves and I am loving it! You went with an Indie
publishing house, Noble Young Adult, to publish Wilde’s Fire. Can you tell
us a little about your path to publication?
Krystal Wade (KW): My path was short. Horror
stories circulate about how people wait months, years—decades even—before their
novel sees the light of day. I'm impatient—very, very impatient—so, I decided
not to query an agent to reach a NY house. I researched medium-sized publishers
and found one I thought was "the one", subbed to them, and never
heard back. Not a word. Not, 'we've received your query and it will be x amount
of days' . . . nothing. So, I kept reworking my novel, changing it up,
gathering beta data, and researching more publishers. A friend of mine
mentioned Noble Romance opened a YA arm. I sent them the first three chapters
of Wilde's Fire, and three days later, they wanted the rest. There you have it.
NW: Wow! Three days? That's almost unheard of! But the quick response I think relates to the strength of your story. And what about your
experience with Noble Young Adult – what has that been like for you?
KW: A whirlwind. I've learned
so much about publication (both sides: author and publisher). I've learned as
impatient as I am, I am also a control freak. J
NW: One thing I’ve noticed is
that your book is very well edited – both for content and for grammar,
punctuation, spelling, etc. What was the editing process like?
KW: Thank you. That means the
world to me. One thing I'm afraid of is that some reviewer will say "Hey!
You goofed, you idiot!" Luckily, that hasn't happened yet. I work with a
team of writers. Sarah Ballance and Dawna Raver are my critique partners, and
they ruthlessly read and edited my chapters before I sent to beta readers. I
also use a service called Grammarly. This is all before my editor got her hands on Wilde's Fire. She taught me about
impossible simultaneous actions and about Noble's house style for commas. But
other than that, there wasn't much for her to correct. My team is awesome!
NW: In Wilde’s Fire, your
main character, Kate, accidentally ends up in another world – world full of
danger. What was your inspiration for this other world?
KW: Really good question. I
had no inspiration for her other world. Years ago, when I first tried to write
her story, all I had was an image of her reaching out to touch something
shimmering in the forest. The rest of the story was blank, dark, non-existent.
So, I guess it's kind of ironic I sent her into a world without light.
NW: Do you have any news to share about your work?
KW: Wilde's Fire has claimed
the #1 Best Selling spot on Noble YA's website for two weeks in a row. That's
amazing. I'm next to some great talent. One of these days, maybe I'll see #1 on
Amazon. What do you think?
NW: That's great Krystal! Shoot for the stars. What books have you written so far?
KW: Wilde's Army, Darkness
Falls Book Two, is complete and in my editor's red-penning hands. The third
book in the trilogy is near completion, but my muse told me to finish an urban
fantasy (currently untitled) I started last year. So, I'm obeying. That one is
coming along quickly and I already have a publisher lined up! Keeping the
details mum though.
NW: Urban fantasy - I'm in! When you are ready to share the deets, come back and chat about it!
What is your favorite scene from Wilde's Fire and why?
KW: I have so many scenes I'm
in love with, but I think what I love the most, is when Kate is utterly
deflated. Arland asks her to draw out what happened as a way to make her feel
better. She draws a stick figure in the dirt then stabs it through the heart.
His advice didn't help. And I love her attitude.
NW: What genre do you write in?
KW: I write mostly fantasy,
but a few times I've dabbled in suspense. My urban fantasy might be described
as a thriller/suspense/fantasy. LOL. Say that ten times fast.
NW: Which character from your books do you like most / are
most like?
KW: Flanna. She says
everything I'm afraid to.
NW: If you walked through a portal to dimension without
books, what three books do you want to take with you?
KW: The Hunger Games . . . all
three.
NW: I'd pick the Hunger Games too but when asked this question, I "cheat" and count the series as one book, LOL! Who is your favorite author and why?
KW: My favorite author is,
coincidentally, not my favorite writer. Does this make sense? I love Maggie
Stiefvater. Her books are good, but it's her personality I'm drawn to. Her
vlogs, her blogs. She's unique, and her voice carries into everything she
writes. She's quite amazing, but I wasn't happy with the Wolves of Mercy Falls
trilogy.
NW: I totally agree with what you just said. I think that for authors trying to build their "brand," they should study Maggie Stiefvater - not to copy her, but to see how she so successfully puts the "real Maggie" out there in everything she does and it is compelling.
KW: Waking up to the sound of
birds singing, not kids screaming. A cup of coffee brought to me by my loving
husband, breakfast in bed, someone propping pillows under my feet and feeding
me grapes—Oh, wait, you didn't want reality, did you?
Thank you Krystal for stopping by my blog today and chatting. I HIGHLY recommend you check out Krystal's book and get to know her on Facebook, etc.
Web:
www.krystal-wade.com
Short
Stories: www.thewriterscollection.com
Noble
YA: www.nobleyoungadult.com
Clearly, I need to add this to my Kindle list :D I'm instantly recalling bits and pieces of Wraith by Pahedra Weldon as I read of this tale. I liked Wraith v much; ergo ...
ReplyDeleteEditing is a complete and total bitch. I loathe the process and four books in, I have yet to find a facile route. Natalie, your suggestion of reading aloud sounded promising, until I tried it. Ick. It was like George Costanza listening to himself read about risk management on audio books. Just horrid. I sound like a cross between one of SNL's "The Californians" and Janice from "Friends".
Love, love, love your author series! Can't wait to see who's next ;D
I'm going to post a review of Wild's Fire on Friday so stay tuned ; )
DeleteThanks for your kind words Jennifer & glad you enjoy the series.
"It was like George Costanza listening to himself read about risk management on audio books."
DeleteLOL.
Thanks for having me! Unfortunately Wilde's Fire is making a slight move right now and is unavailable for purchase. You can check my blog/website for updates. Hope to have this novel back on the market soon!
ReplyDelete