Debut Author Interviews

Stephanie Hale is the author of Revenge of the Homecoming Queen (Berkley Jam/Penguin, Summer 2007)

• Stephanie Hale on...Family Appreciation
• Stephanie Hale on...Completion
• Stephanie Hale on...Critique Groups
• Stephanie Hale on...The Call
• Stephanie Hale on...Audience
• Stephanie Hale on...Writing Schedule
• Stephanie Hale on...Other Careers
• Stephanie Hale on...After-Sale Revisions
• Stephanie Hale on...Agents
• Stephanie Hale on...Promotion
• Stephanie Hale on...Ideas
• Stephanie Hale on...Training
• Stephanie Hale on...Why Kids?
• Stephanie Hale on...Setting
• Stephanie Hale on...Ideal Reader
• Stephanie Hale on...What's Next?
• Stephanie Hale on...Outlines
• Stephanie Hale on...Outlines
• Stephanie Hale on...Website
• Stephanie Hale on...Favorite Book
• Stephanie Hale on...Actor for Character

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

Absolutely! NOT!

Don’t get me wrong, my family is my world. But they are very “in the box” job kind of people. Pretty much the only writing time I have is when my kids sleep so nobody ever sees me working so it’s still like I don’t. I suppose maybe when I get my cover they might realize what’s happening, but I’m not holding my breath!

It was funny how no one had a problem asking me how much money I was going to make though! I just told them it depended on how many copies they bought!

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

Oh, you’re supposed to be DONE before you submit? Whoops! :)

Just kidding! I did everything exactly the way you AREN”T supposed to. I had partials out for a different book I wrote but I was getting all rejections (positive, but still) then I got a request for a full. I knew in my heart that REVENGE was different but it wasn’t really finished. I hadn’t deeply revised and polished it. Like the implusive idiot I can sometimes be, I sent an email query on REVENGE to my dream agent. Why did I do this you ask? I was afraid I would get an offer for representation on the second book by someone who wasn’t my dream agent and I knew REVENGE was better so I was taking a chance. Yes, I know playing with fire!

Dream agent loved the concept and my voice but thought the story needed more plotting which I already knew! She said if I wanted to revise and resubmit she would love to read again. Yours truly spent a month’s worth of naptimes and bedtimes adding 20,000 words and doing a massive revision. Dream agent said I was her dream client and would love to take me on. Okay, not those EXACT words, but I know she was thinking them! :)

Do you belong to a writing group?

Yes. I am a member of a critique group with two other women, called The Sisterhood of the Traveling Manuscripts. We are exclusively online as we all live in different states. I hooked up with Carmen & Bethany through the teenchicklit loop. We are very lucky because we really compliment each other! I was overjoyed when I found them because even though I belong to SCBWI and RWA, I don’t have any chapters close enough to me that I can be involved in them.

I can’t stress enough how important these two women have been for my writing. We have only been together since January. At that time none of us were agented or had sold……………………now all three of us are agented and two of us have sold. The only reason the third hasn’t sold yet is that her agent hasn’t started to submit yet.

If you can find compatible critique partners jump at the opportunity!

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

My agent started submitting on the Thursday before Memorial Day. The following Wednesday I had a message from my agent to call her immediately! I called her back, but she was on a smoke break! AGH! About ten minutes later she called back and excitedly told me that an offer had been made for a two book deal. I was so excited I about peed my pants! The first people I told were my two little boys, ages 1 1/2 & 3. This is an exact recollection of the conversation.

ME: “Mommy sold her book! Isn’t that exciting?”
My three year old ran to get his favorite book thinking I wanted to read to him. My 1 1/2 year old grabbed his crotch and very sweetly said, “Poopy, Mommy.”

It was very exciting for the three of us. Then I called my husband at work who proceeded to ask if he could quit his job yet. MEN :)

Who is the target audience for your book?

My book is for girly girls. Girls who like tiaras, purses, shoes, and BOYS! Although I would love for boys to read it, I think the title will scare them away. I do have some nephews that I plan on forcing it on though.

When I wrote REVENGE, I thought it would be for the age range of 14 and up. Then I remembered that I used to read Danielle Steele when I was like 12. So I’m rethinking things and I’m hoping to entertain anyone 11 and older with my book.

I just hope that everyone who reads it, be it girl or boy, 11 or 99, laughs very hard because that is what I want people to take away from my book!

What is your writing schedule?

Every morning I walk four miles, during this time I rehash scenes or plot twists that aren’t coming together and try to get everything figured out in my head before I sit down to write. My actual writing time is done when my 1 & 3 year olds are taking naps or have gone to bed. I can’t really do anything if I don’t at least have an hour though. And it has to be absolutely quiet. It’s getting a little harder now that my 3 year old doesn’t feel the need to nap.

I try to do something writing related every single day. If I’m too tired to actually write I’ll research websites or price promotional items, etc. Something that would still need to be done eventually so that I don’t feel so unproductive. After revisions I always take a few days off because I get really burnt out. When I come back I’m refreshed and I think, a better writer!

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

I’d probably be a CPA. But I like working with words a lot more than numbers so I’m hoping writing will be my lifelong career! :)

How much revision did you do AFTER you sold your book to your publisher?

The email I got from my editor was probably half a page long. She didn’t really ask for anything to be changed just to add a few more mentions of things I already had in the manuscript. Everything was painless, but I went through and changed some other stuff and added about 5K. I’m a tad bit Type A! So far I’m pretty convinced that my editor is the nicest, most easygoing person on the planet! YEAH! :)

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

I don’t think I would have ever submitted directly to a publisher, I just always wanted an agent. I love having someone in the business that can look at my new work and get excited about it and know exactly who they are going to send it too. With everything else to keep up with (websites, loops, blogs, in-person visits, not to mention writing) I didn’t want to have to worry about researching the perfect editors then just have to worry about getting thrown into the slush pile for a year.

I’ve heard that it is harder to get an agent then it is to sell your book. I believe this! Agents have so many people to choose from you really have to make yourself stand out. I think attending conferences are a must just for some actual face to face time. Just make sure you research your potential agent thoroughly because there are a lot of scammers out there!

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

Um, okay, well I’m NOT going to build a robot! I swear Greg, is there anything you can’t do?

My plans include
1) an awesome website that will hopefully hold teens attention long enough to remember the title of my book;
2) to have at least 5000 MySpace friends before my book comes out;
3) local booksignings hopefully paired with The Cinderella Project (an organization that provides prom dresses & accessories for girls in need);
4) my blog - booksboysbuzz.com;
5) the Class of 2k7;
6) at some point beg Dooney & Bourke for free purses/publicity/anything for all the free advertising they are getting in my book;
7) visit bookclubs, schools, author fairs, conferences, etc;
8) hand out bookmarks instead of business cards to pretty much anyone who will take one;
9) select a group of Princesses to help promote the book by word of mouth;
10) try to get reviews from every source I can find;
11) have awesome contests to draw people to my website;
12) die of exhaustion if none of it works……

Where did you get the idea for your book?

I got the idea for my book from an event in high school. When I was a freshman, all the boys in our class got together and decided it would be really funny to vote one of the ….ahem…less popular (more PC than geek) students as the freshman boy attendant for Homecoming. Of course, the most popular girl in school got chosen as the girl attendant. So you had this really attractive girl and this tiny guy with huge glasses riding around together in the HC parade. I don’t think the boys did it to be mean because I know they really liked this kid. He ended up having a great time and I think his new status helped him out a little with the ladies! And the girl was so gracious about it. It set a precendent for future years, because the contest wasn’t all based on looks after that, which was nice.

So I thought what if the girl wouldn’t have been so gracious about it. What if she went totally nuts that her tiara had been so disrespected? I added a little mystery and VOILA! REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN was born!

What writing training have you had?

I was a late bloomer to writing so unfortunately I didn’t think to major in English. So I’ve only had the college required English courses. I’ve always been a voracious reader and I think this has helped me the most! I can’t imagine someone could be a writer without being a reader first! You also can’t chain yourself to your computer. Get out and experience life. How in the world can you make up delicious stories if you’re stuck in the house all the time!

Why write for children and teens?

I write YA because I’m selfish. It is so great to be able to transport yourself back into a time in your life when the biggest worry you had was if a certain guy liked you. No mortgages, electric bills, or dirty diapers, just cool clothes, formal dances, and first kisses. Plus, I can make my characters make either better or worse choices that I made and see how it all turns out. It’s kind of like a real-life choose your own adventure novel.

Where is your novel set, and why there?

My novel is set in a fictional town based on my hometown. I based it here because this is my comfort zone. I named it Comfort. I know, very imaginative…

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

I’m with Greg. I am still amazed that anyone would love my story as much as me. I guess my ideal reader would be anyone who is in the mood to pick up my book and escape into the world of a sometimes self-absorbed, materialistic young girl with razor sharp wit. The ideal reader wouldn’t mind where my story took them because they are having so much fun getting there, and when they finish my book they will spend the next six months pining for the sequel.

What’s next after your debut novel?

I am currently writing the sequel to REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN. It’s called, TWISTED SISTERS, and should be released in January 2008. My main character goes to college and gets herself caught up in more mysteries involving her sorority sisters.

I’m about three-fourths of the way through another sorority YA that will hopefully sell! I would also like to write a third Aspen Brooks book, who is the character in my first and second books.

After that, I’ve got a notebook filled with ideas!!

Do you outline before writing?

Before I start writing I always have a pretty detailed idea of the plot since my books are always plot-driven. I’m talking just one scrap piece of notebook paper worth of notes, not some crazy twenty page outline (yuck!). I always know the main characters names because names are a biggie for me. I HAVE to have the perfect names. And I usually know the first line. Then I just start writing. It’s amazing how many ideas I type subconsiously that can be tied in to later chapters. But I also type a lot of crap, which means revisions (double yuck!). I wonder if I did the twenty page outline if I wouldn’t have to revise? HMMMM…..

Do you outline before writing?

Before I start writing I always have a pretty detailed idea of the plot since my books are always plot-driven. I’m talking just one scrap piece of notebook paper worth of notes, not some crazy twenty page outline (yuck!). I always know the main characters names because names are a biggie for me. I HAVE to have the perfect names. And I usually know the first line. Then I just start writing. It’s amazing how many ideas I type subconsiously that can be tied in to later chapters. But I also type a lot of crap, which means revisions (double yuck!). I wonder if I did the twenty page outline if I wouldn’t have to revise? HMMMM…..

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

I did reserve the domain, www.revengeofthehomecomingqueen.com and it goes automatically to my author page at www.stephaniehale.com I toyed with the idea of setting up a small page, but figured I’d be better off directing traffic to the main page. I do have a website in my sequel for a contest and if the editor allows me to leave it in, I plan to set up a special page about the contest.

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

When I was my protagonists age, I was reading anything I could get my hands on by Danielle Steele and Jackie Collins!

Who would play your book character in a movie?

The entire time that I was writing my book I envisioned Hayden Panettiere (she’s the cheerleader on HEROES), as my main character, Aspen Brooks. It was a bit jarring to get a cover with a brunette on it (even though I love it).