Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing the awesome Leah Petersen. Leah is giving away an ebook copy of her book Fighting Gravity to one lucky commenter! Just comment here for a chance to win this:
"When Jacob Dawes is selected for the Imperial Intellectual Complex as a child, he's catapulted from the poverty-stricken slums of his birth into a world where his status as an unclass is something no one can forget, or forgive. His growing scientific renown draws the attention of the emperor, a young man Jacob's own age, and they find themselves drawn to each other in an unlikely and ill-advised relationship. Jacob may have won the emperor's heart, but it's no protection when he's accused of treason. And fighting his own execution would mean betraying the man he loves."
Leah Petersen lives in North Carolina. She does the day-job, wife, and mother thing, much like everyone else. She prides herself on being able to hold a book with her feet so she can knit while reading. She’s still working on knitting while writing. Make sure to check out Leah's blog and follow her on Twitter.
Her first novel, Fighting Gravity, is available now from Dragon Moon Press.
Welcome Leah--I'm from North Carolina too! I think you need to post a pic of the knitting while reading thing, because that is amazing. So can you tell us how participating on the MSFV blog helped get you where you are now?
Leah: The short(ish) version is that
I got into one of the monthly Secret Agent contests (back when it was
simply the first 25 or 50 that got into the mailbox, purely a trigger
finger rather than a merit thing.) The agent had some pointed criticism
of my opening, and little about it that she thought worked. Ouch. Well, I
took her critique and worked on making it better. The next month,
Authoress announced the open submission period for Dragon Moon Press.
They looked like a good fit for me so I queried with my revised draft
and they asked for the full. The next day I got an email asking if we
could have a phone conversation. And the rest is history.
I think the nice thing about my story is that it shows how many ways authors can benefit from Authoress's site and the community there. It's not just about winning the contests or auctions. There's value in what you can learn there, and the connections and network and community Authoress has built there.
I think the nice thing about my story is that it shows how many ways authors can benefit from Authoress's site and the community there. It's not just about winning the contests or auctions. There's value in what you can learn there, and the connections and network and community Authoress has built there.
That's a great story, and highlights how every path to publication is different. One of the things that struck me about your book was the LGBT aspect. As a writer who has a gay character in my current novel, I'm wondering if this was an obstacle for you in terms of publishing.
Leah: You know, I expected it to, but the opposite was true. In fact, my editor told me that someone she mentioned it to remarked that it was the LGBT angle that made it such a unique and interesting concept.
That's awesome. So can you tell us what you're working on right now, and why are you excited about it?
Right
now I'm working on the sequel to Fighting Gravity, currently called
Cascade Effect. I was actually less than excited about it a few weeks
ago because the summer is such a busy time for me and it was just
another thing that required my time. But a couple of weeks ago my dad
read Fighting Gravity for the first time and he liked it so much that my
aunt decided to read it and she raved about it so her assistant is now
reading it and my coworker... (this is a family business, so we're all
working in the same office.)
Anyway, watching real people in my life get excited about my characters and want to know what happens next has helped my find my excitement again.
Anyway, watching real people in my life get excited about my characters and want to know what happens next has helped my find my excitement again.
I
can relate to summer being super busy, but how cool to have family that
is so supportive of you! What advice do you have for those who are
still in the query trenches?
Learn from it. Don't just flog the query process with an exclusive focus on landing an agent. I learned A LOT about writing and the publishing industry from querying at a slow, measured pace and reading as much as I could about how to go about it in the meantime.
That
is so true--I felt like I had gained so much knowledge about writing
and the publishing industry by the time I got an agent. What
is your writing process like (e.g. are you a morning/evening writer?)
I'm a catch-it-when-you-can writer. I tend to devote chunks of time to writing one or two days a week rather than smaller, regular periods. Even I don't think it's ideal, but it's what works for me. My muse resents being told what to do. If I dictate time and place to her, she tends to get huffy and uncooperative.
Your
writing style sounds a lot like mine--your muse and my muse must be
related. Can you tell us something about yourself we'd be surprised to
know?
I celebrated the sale of Fighting Gravity by getting a new tattoo. It's a solar eclipse.
That
is very cool, and very brave. My tattoos are applied by my 5-yo and
wash off easily. Last bonus question for you: What are you reading right
now? Which authors inspire you?
I've been on a huge reading kick lately and I've probably read three books this week already. (It's Wednesday as I write this.) Today I'm on Kushiel's Avatar, by Jacqueline Carey.
If the characters are compelling enough that I hurt and bleed and jump for joy with them, then that's a good book. I'm inspired by any author who can do that.
Oh, the Kushiel series have been read by several women in my book club (myself included), and are such a great guilty-pleasure read! Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today, Leah.
Don't forget to leave a comment on my personal blog to be entered in Leah's book giveaway, and check out Leah's blog tomorrow when she interviews Monica Bustamante Wagner.
Visit the whole crew:
| Blog | Posting Date | |
| David Kazzie | @davidkazzie | 1-Aug |
| Leigh Talbert Moore | @leightmoore | 2-Aug |
| J.Anderson Coats | @jandersoncoats | 3-Aug |
| J.M. Frey | @scifrey | 4-Aug |
| Elissa Cruz | @elissacruz | 5-Aug |
| Amanda Sun | @Amanda_Sun | 6-Aug |
| Kristi Helvig | @KristiHelvig | 7-Aug |
| Leah Petersen | @Leahpetersen | 8-Aug |
| Monica Bustamante Wagner | @Monica_BW | 9-Aug |
| Emily Kokie | @emkokie | 10-Aug |
| Monica Goulet | @MonicaGoulet | 11-Aug |
| Peter Salomon | @petersalomon | 12-Aug |
| Sarah Brand | @sarahbbrand | 13-Aug |
| Angela Ackerman | @angelaackerman & @writerthesaurus | 14-Aug |
| Tara Dairman | @TaraDairman | 15-Aug |
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