Interview with Pippa Jay
The Blog Ring of Power Presents...
An Interview with Author Pippa Jay
Author Pippa Jay is here today to talk about her debut science fiction novel, Keir--the first book in a planned series -- and share some words of wisdom with other aspiring authors. Can you say smexy cover?!
This is part five of a five-part interview. Be sure to check out the other BRoP sites for the rest of the interview:
Part 1 @ Teresa's site - Thursday, November 1
Part 2 @ Emily's site - Friday, November 2
Part 3 @ Sandra's site - Monday, November 5
Part 4 @ Dean's site - Tuesday, November 6
BRoP: Tell us about your route to success –how did you land your agent/publisher?
Pippa: I originally submitted to agents in the UK, but scifi is a bit of a niche genre here with few agents taking it, let alone specialising in it. I got good feedback but no offer of representation. So my BFF suggested trying small independent presses in the US. I reworked my MS to US format, researched a list she'd sent me of potential publishers, and I submitted to my top three. One of them decided to take me on. That makes it sound easy, but I spent two years solidly editing, researching, and submitting to get there.
BRoP: What are the most important elements of good writing?
Pippa: Choosing your words carefully. Researching your genre and the essential elements of your story such as era, technology etc. And lots and lots of practise!
BRoP: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Pippa: Read, write, research. Look at your favourite books to see what works well and analyse why you like them. Write all the time but don't think you won't have to cut a lot of it. Experiment with styles, POVs, tenses, etc. Expect your first draft to be appalling. Use at least a proofreader before submission, but try to get critiques on your work. Find the agent/publisher that is the best fit for you, and make sure you format to their requirements, address it to the right person and send everything they ask for query/MS wise. And don't give up.
BRoP: What do you feel is the key to your success?
Pippa: Mostly stubborness. No matter how many times I got knocked back, I kept trying. If I got criticism, I tried to analyse if the person had a point and if they were qualified to say so, in which case, I'd consider changing it. But I think it's also down to writing the story I felt most driven to, throwing my heart and soul into it.
BRoP: What are your current / future project(s)?
Pippa: I contracted my second book - a scifi entitled Gethyon - to Champagne Books in August, so I'll be working on edits for that with a publication date of June 2013 to work to. I'm also going to self-publish a science fiction romance short story - Terms & Conditions Apply - hopefully early in the New Year. The sequel to Keir is almost ready to submit. If Lyrical decides not to take it, I might self-publish that too because people have asked me for it.
BRoP: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Pippa: In case anyone wants to check out a sample of my work for free, I have a scifi short story on Smashwords - The Bones of the Sea
BRoP: What format is your book available in (print, e-book, audio book, etc.)?
Keir is available in all digital formats and print. The Bones of the Sea is available in digital formats only via Smashwords.com
Where can readers can stalk you:
Blog | Facebook Fan Page | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Amazon | Smashwords | Google+ | Lyrical Press
PIPPA JAY is a stay-at-home mum of three who spent twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory. She bases her stories on a lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her various characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar, indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although happily settled in historical Colchester in the UK with her husband of 19 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.
KEIR: Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is Keir beyond redemption?
For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the start with a wave of her hands.
But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity searching through time and space with a strange band of companions at her back. Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.
When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and earns instant exile from Quin's home world, will she risk everything to stand by him again?
The Blog Ring of Power (BRoP) is a consortium of five speculative fiction writers who have banded together to bring you highlights from the current speculative fiction market--news, reviews, and interviews with speculative fiction authors--with an emphasis on small-press and self-published authors. So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and relax. Have we got a story for you...