Debut Author Interviews

Joni Sensel is the author of Reality Leak, a middle-grade fantasy novel (Henry Holt/Holtzbrinck Group, Spring 2007)

• Joni Sensel on...Dream Editors
• Joni Sensel on...Writing Process
• Joni Sensel on...First Novels
• Joni Sensel on...Family Appreciation
• Joni Sensel on...Completion
• Joni Sensel on...Critique Groups
• Joni Sensel on...The Call
• Joni Sensel on...Audience
• Joni Sensel on...Surprises
• Joni Sensel on...Writing Schedule
• Joni Sensel on...Other Careers
• Joni Sensel on...Prior Research
• Joni Sensel on...Promotion
• Joni Sensel on...Ideas
• Joni Sensel on...Training
• Joni Sensel on...Why Kids?
• Joni Sensel on...Setting
• Joni Sensel on...Influential Books
• Joni Sensel on...Ideal Reader
• Joni Sensel on...What's Next?
• Joni Sensel on...Impact on Readers
• Joni Sensel on...Why Write?
• Joni Sensel on...Favorite Teacher
• Joni Sensel on...Book Memory
• Joni Sensel on...Self-Help Books
• Joni Sensel on...Website
• Joni Sensel on...Favorite Book
• Joni Sensel on...Character's Conflict

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

My editor, Reka Simonsen at Holt, would have earned the dream editor title if for no other reason than that she’s willing to read slush and picked me out of the pile. She also took the time and effort to give me extensive feedback in the rejection that followed so that I could try again, and she could eventually convince the rest of the acquisitions committee to say yes. Yippee! I was lucky enough to meet her in person and she’s great. I hope to make her sorry that she rejected my second novel, hee hee, but she’s just agreed to buy the third, so that’s dreamy, too!

What is your writing process?

Some books come easier than others, but I’m with those who get a divine download. The first line pops into my head and it just flows from there, and as long as I write as fast as I can — and I mean sometimes 12 or more hours a day, neglecting the chores, the mail, the day job, the rest of my life — it usually just keeps flowing. I’ve taken a small notebook and pen out on a walk so I can keep jotting while trying to prevent mold from growing on myself, and I have another notebook in my car. (I try to only use it at stoplights, though!)

I almost NEVER know specifically what’s going to happen next, but when I’m unsure, I literally write the first line of dialogue or description that comes into my head and while I certainly revise, it more or less works. (Revise, yeah. I usually take about a month to write the first draft and months or years to whip it into shape to market. At least I’m getting faster at that part.) Usually, but not always, the title comes very early, too; and I often get the last line, and recognize it as such, before I’m quite to the end. It’s a fantastic feeling, this channeling of a story. And it’s a good thing nobody lives with me other than my dogs, because I often find one CD or even one song that crystallizes the story for me and listen to it obsessively until the first draft is done. I’m sure it’d drive another human nuts. But it sure is fun.

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

I actually spent about 10 years writing screenplays before I attempted a novel. I can remember actually saying to the people in my critique group, “I don’t think I have that much of a story in me.” Guess I was wrong, but screenwriting was great training. The first novel I ever wrote was actually for adults. (Some nibbles but no sale. I still think it’s pretty decent, though.) REALITY LEAK is technically the second, and it’s based on a screenplay of mine — although it changed quite a lot, including a switch from an adult protagonist to a kid! After beating my head against Hollywood for a while, I decided I’d take rejection from New York instead, and work on children’s books. But New York likes me better. I just sold another novel to Henry Holt (this would be the, um, fifth children’s novel I’ve written — there’s a trilogy in between I’m still trying to sell); I’m marketing another; and just finishing a draft of the most recent. Wish me luck with those!

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

My family is great anyway and always has been. I’m single (more time to write!), but my parents and main squeeze are uber-supportive. Only my brother is sorta blase, and he’s just too busy with his own windmills to care.

How did you know you were “done” with your book and ready to submit it?

Oh, I’m not sure I really believe in the concept of “done” any more — just abandoned. I’m sure I’ll find things in the printed version of REALITY LEAK that I’d like to change or improve. As I grow as a writer and change as a person, I want the work to evolve, too.

That said, I reach a point of temporary “doneness” on any of my manuscripts once I’ve done a few drafts, incorporated resonant feedback from others, set it aside for a few weeks, then can read it again on a glissade — that is, I can slide into and through the story without speed bumps, abrupt “huh?”s, or sneaky inconsistencies, and without wanting or needing to change more than a word here or there for aesthetics’ sake.

But the same manuscript will be “not done” again as soon as a few months pass. I suppose that’s because writing is, for me, organic, not architectural.

Do you belong to a writing group?

Yes, indeed. I can’t even imagine sharing a manuscript with an editor without first having sent it past a firing squad of educated and understanding critique pals who can point out the obvious plot holes I overlook, the viewpoint from the opposite gender, the symbolism that my subconscious must have written that my conscious is unaware of, and the parts they like (generating warm fuzzies that help me keep going through tough revisions) — not to mention the typos. Then it feels bullet-proof enough to present to professionals. Thanks, any of you critique pals reading this.

What happened when you received ‘The Call’ that your book would be published?

I was on vacation in South Carolina and picked up the best voice mail message I’ve ever had. (I kept it on the answering machine for more than two weeks before finally deciding that it was actually true and that I didn’t need it as proof and could live without it.) Since I didn’t have an agent, I hadn’t had even that “professional” validation yet, so when I returned the editor’s phone call, my heart was pounding so hard I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hear her voice over it! I tried to play it cool but it was really hard not to scream in her ear. After hanging up and catching my breath, I tried really hard and not altogether successfully not to cry when I jumped up and down delivering the news to the relatives I was vacationing with. My mom was at least as excited as I was, which is saying something, and she made me call a bunch of other relatives to share. It was AWESOME. And I am a bit surprised, but thrilled, to say that the second one (an e-mail rather than a call) felt just as good.

Who is the target audience for your book?

Greetings, 2k7 organization, blog, and website readers:

Thank you for your interest in Joni Sensel’s book, REALITY LEAK. Our Institute is happy to field this question on behalf of the book’s liar—er, author.

Please be advised that, in the interest of preventing mayhem, flying potatoes, and the complete failure of world order, no target audience is advised for the aforementioned book.

Young people between the ages of 8 and 12 are specifically advised to refrain from perusing its pages. Especially those who like dogs, popcorn, hidden messages, or secrets. Additionally, any citizen finding him or herself bored in a small town over the summer are warned that this book is considered hazardous to teeth and liable to produce hallucinations.

The I.I.I.I.I. will not be held responsible for any blatant disregard of this notice. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Sincerely,

[Name redacted]
Agent, I.I.I.I.I.

What has surprised you the most so far?

Honestly, that I can sell two novels and still not be able to get an agent for my latest manuscripts (let alone that first one). Maybe it’s just me! But after all the analogies we’ve heard about agents acting as filters and pre-screeners, I never would have thought that editors were easier to impress than the folks that sell to them. Same queries, everything. I guess the moral of the story is that there’s no one way to do it?

What is your writing schedule?

I try to write daily — well, nightly, because my hottest streaks usually come after 7 p.m. and as late as 2 or 3 a.m. — but sometimes the day job or the sweetheart gets in the way, and that’s a good thing, because I find that a little time off recharges my creativity, especially when I’m revising. I can almost feel my subconscious working out problems when my conscious finally lets go of it for a few hours.

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

Well, I hope to be reincarnated someday as a Cirque du Soleil performer, a professional football player (defensive line), and an actor, not necessarily in that order. The body I was assigned this time around is better suited to writing.

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

At the risk of earning the “Longest Gestation” award — REALITY LEAK started life as a screenplay in about, oh, 1998 or so. I worked on it in that form for a couple of years and decided to try it as a kids’ novel in 2000. (Yes, that’s right, 7 years before its release date. I have some excuses, but I’ll spare you.)

That said, I don’t research or meditate much at all — I just get an idea and start writing, like unravelling a sweater. (That’s why I have lots of knots to work out in revision, I guess.) Even for my historical fantasy, I did most of the research after the first draft was written. I don’t recommend this method; I just can’t help it.

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

Ditto on stealing other ideas here. I also have a cool (I think) and inexpensive give-away for when I visit booksellers, classrooms, conferences, etc. — it’s a custom seed package that I had a local designer create and am buying from a custom seed package manufacturer. I got the idea from another local writer who used them for sunflower seeds, because there are sunflowers in her book, but my twist is that they’re not your usual plant seeds, but “wish seeds” (which relate to the storyline of Reality Leak). With some creative copy and the book’s title and my web site and all that good stuf. Can’t hurt, and they’re inexpensive enough to try!

Where did you get the idea for your book?

I adore factories and assembly lines and complicated Rube Goldberg machines. And I’ve always wanted to visit the Acme factory that supplied dynamite (and odder equipment) to Wile E. Coyote. Since I couldn’t find a real Acme factory to visit, I slid into the cartoon universe and brought it back here via REALITY LEAK.

What writing training have you had?

Hmm. English major, college creative writing classes, scriptwriting and screenwriting classes and workshops, and a day job in which I’ve spent, good lord, 25 years writing almost daily.

I actually applied for an MFA program prior to 1990 and didn’t get in. (Someone familiar with the school later told me that since I did not make personal professor contacts or do any schmoozing — just sent in the application — I never had a chance. I’m really bad at that kind of networking, so it’s probably just as well.) At the time, I thought, well, to heck with you academic guys, I’m just going to go write and publish. It took a while, but it has been pretty satisfying to get there.

Why write for children and teens?

I don’t know that I meant to… but I enjoy writing about young protagonists, in part because I’m cynical about adults’ ability to actually change (and thus have a credible character arc). I have trouble as a reader with a lot of novels for adults for this reason — in my experience, even HUGE life events and dramas don’t often truly cause adults to change at all. Kids and teens are still flexible, still discovering themselves and the world, still creating themselves, and I think that’s fascinating.

Where is your novel set, and why there?

Reality Leak is set in South Wiggot, a dusty farm town so small you can throw a cow-pie from Zilcher’s gas station at one end to Elmer’s Eats at the other. (I had several tiny Eastern Washington farm towns in mind.) The main character and his dad live in the gas station, where Bryan’s bunk-bed used to be a hydraulic lift. The setting needed to be isolated, quirky, and have an agricultural connection for the mysterious I.I.I.I.I. to set up their factory there without undue public interest.

What books had an impact on you when you were growing up?

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and everything by Dr. Seuss.

If you had an ideal reader, who would that be and why?

I think I have two answers to this question, neither of which would probably please my publisher.

A) Anyone at all willing to spend an hour or two reading stuff I’ve thunk up.
B) Adults who need to be reminded of something they knew as kids — that silliness is next to godliness.

What’s next after your debut novel?

My second novel from Holt in 2008 will be The Humming of Numbers, an historical fantasy set in 10th century Ireland. I expect to be doing some copyediting on that this January. In the meantime, my agent (I finally fooled one, apparently, into signing me!) just began shopping a ghost story called Blank Pages and I just turned in revisions on a fantasy called Farwalker that I hope she will also begin shopping. Oh yeah, and I need to start revisions of another ghost story drafted last summer, and I have these notes for something new, and…

The overlap in book writing, editing, and release timeframes is really wacky. Seems like Reality Leak is OLD news in my head, and it’s not even out yet!

What should readers get from your book?

In my fondest dreams, my readers will understand that “imagination” is powerful, fun, and not just for kids or kooks.

Why do you write?

It sounds selfish, but I write first and foremost to help me understand life. It’s taken me a number of years to realize that I’m mostly telling MYSELF stories. But that’s why I lose interest in a writing project if I know too far in advance how it will end… because if I’m too certain of the answers to the thematic questions, I no longer need to ask and explore them.

Communicating with others — reaching out, touching, find common ground, and understanding another person — is a second important reason for me. Whether reading or writing, there are few feelings cooler than that, “YES! That’s exactly how it seems for me, too!” reaction.

Describe your favorite teacher when you were your protagonist’s age.

I’ll have to go about a half-year younger: My fifth grade teacher, Ms. Storch, was a young and enthusiastic teacher who read to us for 1/2 hour daily — including the, for me, seminal The Phantom Tollboth by Norton Juster and several other great adventures I wish I could remember titles for. She also taught us in really fun, creative ways — learning science by melting ice cubes in our armpits, having bean-sprout-growing contests, learning language arts by cutting up and analyzing stuff in the newspaper, etc. Plus she had long, dark, hair, in those hippy-esque days, and I thought she was the prettiest teacher I’d ever had (and she was certainly the youngest). I’d love to reconnect with her somehow.

What is your earliest book memory?

Sitting at our dining room table when I was four years old with a Dr. Seuss book club book called SNOW! My mom had read it aloud, probaby for the umpteenth time, and then risen to take care of some housework. Flipping back through the pages myself, I suddenly realized how those alphabet lettters S-N-O-W connected to the spoken word “snow” and the white stuff.

I have no specific memories of being read to prior to that day, although I know it most certainly happened, but I definitely remember the moment I learned to read.

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

Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing

And I refer CONSTANTLY to a book called Wicked Words (swear words, insults, etc.) by Hugh Rawson and a Dictionary of Symbols by Carl Liungman.

Do you have a website for your book? How did you handle setting it up?

My author website at www.jonisensel.com includes a separate page for each book, with information about what inspired it. As they come in, I’ll add reviews (no promises to post any bad ones!). I have parents’ guides to my picture books available for download, and once REALITY LEAK is out, I’ll be adding perks for readers, such as I.I.I.I.I. membership cards. I’d like to use the book’s secret code tie-in to run a reader contest, too, but we’ll see if I can pull that off.

I’m learning HTML so I can maintain the site myself, and it’s kind of addictive. Revisions to websites are much more fun, IMO, than revisions to manuscripts!

What was your favorite book when you were your protagonist’s age?

Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth!

And if I get a #2: The Black Stallion by Walter Farley

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

My protag’s character issues are partly my own, and come partly from observing issues of trust in a teenaged friend of mine who was abandoned by her mother at an early age.

The answers to this question from our group are pretty varied, but I’m a firm believer that the first purpose of writing is to explain life to ourselves, so I tend to believe that most themes and character arcs ultimately come from the writer’s personality and life experiences. This has always been borne out in my critique groups, too, once I know the members well enough to tell.