Debut Author Interviews

Heather Tomlinson is the author of The Swan Maiden (Henry Holt/Holtzbrinck Group, Fall 2007)

• Heather Tomlinson on...Dream Editors
• Heather Tomlinson on...Writing Process
• Heather Tomlinson on...First Novels
• Heather Tomlinson on...Family Appreciation
• Heather Tomlinson on...Critique Groups
• Heather Tomlinson on...Audience
• Heather Tomlinson on...Surprises
• Heather Tomlinson on...Writing Schedule
• Heather Tomlinson on...Other Careers
• Heather Tomlinson on...Agents
• Heather Tomlinson on...Prior Research
• Heather Tomlinson on...Promotion
• Heather Tomlinson on...Ideas
• Heather Tomlinson on...Training
• Heather Tomlinson on...Setting
• Heather Tomlinson on...What's Next?
• Heahter Tomlinson on...Why Write?
• Heather Tomlinson on...Book Memory
• Heather Tomlinson on...Self-Help Books
• Heather Tomlinson on...Favorite Library
• Heather Tomlinson on...Character's Conflict
• Heather Tomlinson on...Actor for Character

How did you choose your editor and was he or she the “dream editor” you wanted?

I pitched Swan Maid to my editor at Holt for two reasons: she had edited Clare Dunkle’s YA fantasies (The Hollow Kingdom; Close Kin; In the Coils of the Snake), which I adore. Also, she works with a critique group buddy on the Melvin Beederman, Superhero series. While our genres are very different, Greg sang her praises, and with good reason.

Fortunately, she saw enough promise in an early draft to give me really thoughtful and smart suggestions for revision, and liked the result enough to buy it!

What is your writing process?

I love classic fantasy, and am terribly plot-challenged, so several times I’ve started with a fairy-tale and then poked at it, asking questions about things in the narrative that bugged me, trying to find a setting and characters that would help me make sense of the sequence of events.

With Swan Maid, I wondered why the title of so many versions is “The Maid as Helper in the Hero’s Flight.” It was her flight, too! Why was the story always told from the hero’s point of view, never the heroine’s? What attracted one to the other? Why did the heroine want to get away from her family? Where did she get her magical powers? Once they had escaped, why should she saddle her new fiance with another impossible task, use a flimsy excuse to dump him, and then go to a lot of trouble to get him back? This seemed like a story with a lot of hidden conflict, ready to be fleshed out.

Having read up on medieval Provence for a previous project, I already had some ideas about how and where these characters lived. Once I had an outline that roughly corresponded to the tale’s traditional elements, I started writing. Longhand, in coffee shops mostly, since when the computer’s booted up I’m quite capable of spending hours “doing research” online if I don’t have something specific that needs to be typed. A writing buddy regularly joined me, which was fun and fruitful. It’s amazing how a little solidarity can boost your word count! My critique group also commented on each chapter, which helped keep me focused. I revised the finished draft a couple more times, had another writer read the whole thing, incorporated her suggestions, and then sent it out. The whole process took about a year, and then I started the next book!

Was this the first full-length novel you wrote, or rather the first that you sold?

Nope. It’s the fourth. Some of us are slower to get in gear!

Now that you’re under contract, does your family better appreciate your writing?

Well, “appreciate my writing” and “support my writing” are two separate concepts for me. My family has always supported my writing, and my mother and sister commented on various drafts. Unfortunately, the one time my husband (with all sincerity and good intentions) critiqued a couple of chapters of my work-in progress, I was devastated. We agreed that my critique group would help me fix things, and he could read the book when it was published. Now that I think about it, he’s had to follow my progress as a writer over the past few years by the rejection parade… first the form letters, then some personalized “not right for my list” notes, then finally the “please revise and re-submit” letter that resulted in publication.

So I do hope he appreciates Swan Maid when he finally has the chance to read it! The path to publication would have been much rockier without his steadfast encouragement.

Do you belong to a writing group?

Yes. It’s been the single greatest factor in improving my writing. I met a couple of the other members at an SCBWI “critiquenic” several years ago, and they invited me to join their group. Now we meet every two weeks, which gives me

— a deadline to get the next chapter finished
— immediate feedback about elements that are working and those that aren’t
— a chance to vent about whatever’s currently driving me crazy in my work-in-progress
— role models for excellence in dialogue, humor, plot, conveying emotion, etc.
— a carpool posse to go to writing events
— encouragement from sympathetic peers

At first, none of us had published, except for short pieces in magazines. Now, one person has a series in the pipeline with two books already out, and SWAN MAID will be published next fall. As for the other four members, their writing is terrific. It’s just a matter of their finding the right editor!

Who is the target audience for your book?

I hope to write the kind of books I loved as a teen (and still seek out): drenched in magic, whose heroines find love and adventure and a place in the wide world. If I’ve done my job, SWAN MAID will appeal to readers who’ve already discovered fairy tale retellings and fantasies by Holly Black (VALIANT), Shannon Hale (THE GOOSE GIRL), Patrice Kindl (GOOSE CHASE), Gail Carson Levine (ELLA ENCHANTED; FAIREST), Robin McKinley (BEAUTY; SPINDLE’S END), Donna Jo Napoli (BEAST; THE MAGIC CIRCLE; BOUND), Edith Pattou (EAST), Elizabeth Marie Pope (THE PERILOUS GARD), Jane Yolen (BRIAR ROSE; PAY THE PIPER) and so many others.

Just listing them makes me wish I had finished this round of revisions and could dive into a book!

What has surprised you the most so far?

I’ve been surprised and delighted by the excitement of friends and even acquaintances upon hearing that SWAN MAID will be published. I guess I expected my close friends, family and writing buddies to jump up and down and squeal with me, but not our unflappable realtor, other parents and staff at the high school where I volunteer, the dental hygienist, Coffee Bean baristas, my hair stylist, my husband’s colleagues, my stepson’s teenage friends… it reminds me that publishing a book, especially a book for children, is a magical undertaking.

What is your writing schedule?

My writing schedule tends to be deadline driven. I sit down at the computer and look at the calendar.

Hey—that critique group meeting is coming up! Better get the next chapter whipped into shape. SCBWI contest? Polish up those first ten pages. Retreat? Conference? I definitely want to bring a better draft than the one I’ve got now. Oops—my writing buddy is going on vacation, and she said she’d critique the latest version… Maybe I want to go on vacation? Hey, look—the next round of edits is due to the publisher iin two weeks. Excellent (rubs hands together)—a new deadline!

What career would you pursue if you weren’t a writer?

It would have to be book-related! Fortunately, I worked in book distribution for many years, and saw that there were a lot of cool jobs in this industry. And not only in New York, which was a hard sell for this California girl! Independent publishers, especially regional and specialty ones, have strong niches of their own.

I liked working trade shows and putting together catalogs, so maybe I’d be lobbying one of our client publishers for a job in their sales or marketing departments. Or as a rep—it was always a treat to talk shop with the ones who called on me.

Is an agent useful or necessary for a first-time author?

Useful, yes. Necessary, no.

As Marlane said, agents can open doors to publishers that are “closed” to unsolicited submissions. Also, your work will be seen much more quickly if an agent sends it to an editor than if you send it to the company’s slush pile. But in the time you’re querying agents, you could be getting direct feedback from the editors who will actually buy your work.

If you’re just starting out, my advice would be to focus first on improving your writing, and second on selling it. When you go to conferences and workshops, meet other writers and read their books and blogs, you’ll get a sense of which agents you might want to work with. In my experience, the children’s literature community is extremely supportive, and full of matchmakers! As others read your writing, they’ll naturally point you in the direction of editors and agents.

How much research and/or meditation about your subject did you do before you began your first draft?

In the sense that I grew up loving fairy tales, the answer is “forever.” For this particular story, though, about three months. I was fortunate enough to have access to UCLA’s Young Research Library, and spent a lot of time in their folklore and French history stacks. In the research phase, I usually read a variety of non-fiction, and study pictures and maps, trying to get a feel for the little details that will make my setting seem more real.

The internet is also a fantastic time sink research trove. One of the most serendipitous sites I found while researching THE SWAN MAIDEN was “Pascal le Berger du Vercours.” It’s a photo essay about the life of a contemporary French shepherd. His sheep are driven in trucks to the mountain pastures these days, but otherwise, his lifestyle sounds pretty traditional! There are pictures of his dogs, the sheep, and the scenery. That led me to research what breed of dog the shepherd had, and why, which later contributed to the plot.

What is your plan to get the word out to the public about your book?

I’m with Carrie in the “cheating off everyone else’s answers” category. That’s why I joined the Class of 2k7: to get a clue about this whole “promote your book” gig!

Otherwise, I’ll try and spread the word in the places I hang out, both in real life and on-line: the high school library where I volunteer, bookstores I patronize, my local community of writing buddies, the Sur La Lune Fairy Tale discussion boards, etc. I definitely feel like I have a lot to learn in this department.

Where did you get the idea for your book?

As I’ve said before, I’m a plot-challenged writer. Retelling fairy tales, besides being fun, gives me a time-tested action framework to work within. Confident that at least the underlying structure won’t suck, I’ll brainstorm characters, motivations, and settings until I come up with a combination I want to explore.

Wondering in the summer of 2004 which fairy tale to play with next, I was reading Paul Delarue’s excellent book Le Conte Populaire Français, and found a story called “The Devil’s Daughter.” It had many, many versions in French—over 120, I think—so I knew there’d be lots of possible shapes the story could take. Plus disobedient daughters, lots of magic, and a central mystery. Writing gold!

What writing training have you had?

When I decided to get serious about pursuing my writing dream, I knew I wanted professional help. I took several UCLA Extension creative writing classes and joined the Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (www.SCBWI.org). Since 2001, I’ve attended as many SCBWI retreats, conferences, critiquenics, and Writer’s Day programs as my time/budget allowed. I’ve found the Southern California chapters to have great programming and motivated attendees. Oh, and I met my eventual editor at the Pacific Coast Writer’s Workshop (www.childrenswritersworkshop.com).

Regular critique group meetings give me deadlines and support, and the other programs provide networking opportunities and inspirational boosts. On the other hand, I have friends for whom an MFA program has been a different—and very satisfying—route.

Where is your novel set, and why there?

The Swan Maiden takes place in a fantasy setting based on 13th century Provence. I had been reading about the era’s troubadours, and one castle’s family and history caught my imagination: Les Baux de Provence.

Then I remembered actually visiting the site, the year I was studying at the university in Aix-en-Provence. The town built around the hill-top castle has really narrow streets, so the bus parks down the hill and you have to climb up a steep path to get there. It was an incredibly windy day the day I saw it—I was constantly spitting hair out of my mouth while we hiked around the ruins, and our picnic lunch got covered with blowing grit. Somehow, that added to the attraction: it seemed like the kind of place where wild and mysterious things would happen!

What’s next after your debut novel?

Book #2 for Henry Holt is another retold fairy tale, hopefully! My editor has the manuscript, and while I’m waiting for her comments, I’m working on a contemporary selkie story, set in the Channel Islands off Southern California.

Why do you write?

To me, writing feels like joining a great conversation, where you can enjoy what other people have to say and make your own contribution. Books have given me so much pleasure through the years that I hope to share some of it with new readers.

What is your earliest book memory?

Earliest is hard, because books were always around the house, like food and stuffed animals and music and my little sister. But I do have specific memories of the first time I picked up some books that became favorites: Little Women (a copy printed in 1910 that I found at my great-aunt’s house in Long Beach); The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Laguna Beach, CA library); Beauty (Franklin, NH library).

Also, I remember books I had to read really fast, before we left, or the books did: at my cousins’ house (the Tintin stories, and that series of historical “We were there… at the Alamo / with Florence Nightingale / on the Oregon Trail” adventures, which we’d read in the fort in their basement, or the back of my aunt’s station wagon, with their golden retriever panting over the seat), or at the Girl Scout summer camp (“I can only check out 2 Nancy Drew mysteries per day? What kind of library is this, anyway?”)

What are some of your current favorite writing or author-help books?

I enjoyed Elizabeth George’s book Write Away: One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life, especially her discussion about developing characters.

Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King has some great tips for critically reading your drafts.

A new book geared for younger writers is Gail Carson Levine’s Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly, which is also an interesting look at a writer’s creative process.

Describe your favorite library.

The Thousand Oaks Library (http://www.toaks.org/library/) completed a fabulous new children’s wing in 2006. Opening day was a happening! Local children’s writers had a tent in the parking lot, along with many community organizations, and it was a kick to see so many families celebrating their local library. There’s a storytelling corner, giant aquarium, comfy nooks to read in, computer workstations, lots of light, and tons of books. Hopefully at some point the teen space can be upgraded, too.

What drew you to the conflict you created for your main character?

I wanted to know what was going on behind the scenes. Since I was retelling a fairy tale, I knew what would happen, but wrote the novel to find out why.

Why would a girl who could obviously work magic feel like she needed to wait for a guy to come along, and pretend he was the one completing the impossible tasks to win her hand? Then, after they had successfully escaped her family’s pursuit, why would she set him up to fail? And then reconcile with him later?

Parent-child conflicts, relationship conflicts—they fascinate me when I’m eavesdropping at the coffee shop, so I knew I’d want to figure out what was happening with these characters, too.

Who would play your book character in a movie?

What a fun question! I actually put together a “cast list” for The Swan Maiden’s supporting characters, with pictures of French actors and Olympic athletes, to help me visualize them. (Isabelle Adjani, Fanny Ardent, Emmanuelle Beart, Catherine Deneuve, Tony Estanguet, Tcheky Karyo, for those playing along at home.)

For Doucette, I used a picture of a family friend. She’s chosen another career path, so my second choice would be an “unknown,” who would put her own stamp on the character.