Today I'm thrilled to welcome to the blog fellow PitchWars 2014 Mentor and friend S.K. Falls! She let me pick her brain about her upcoming project which is so spanking new she's still noodling out the title, but it's scheduled for release on January 13, 2015! Here's a little about S.K. and her still gestating book baby!
Tell us a little about your writer's journey so far: Since I can never do anything the "normal" way, I'm what they call a hybrid author. I've self-published to some success, and just signed a deal with one of the Big Five publishers as well.
Okay, let's hear your Twitter Pitch! (140 characters or less.) Saylor Grayson has Munchausen syndrome. She falls in love with a boy in a terminal illness support group...while pretending to be ill herself.
Love it! What inspired you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write? I'm a huge psychology nerd. The idea of a main character with Munchausen was just too intriguing to ignore. I loved the challenge of finding that balance between likeability and realism. People with Munchausen can be very manipulative, but ultimately, they're sick. I wanted that to come across in all of Saylor's choices.
What's your favorite thing about writing? Probably that feeling of really zooming along the creative highway. It's the ultimate freedom--you feel the wind in your hair, the exhilaration of every bump and curve. It's amazing.
What's your least favorite thing? That no matter how much you love something, at some point it will feel like a chore if you do it every day. There are parts of writing I don't enjoy, especially the revision of the very first draft. But I know it's essential to get through that if I want to embrace writing for all it is.
Now it's time to brag a little--What do you love most about your book? I love that the heroine is really quite despicable at times. I didn't sugarcoat her Munchausen syndrome at all, so you get to see it in all its raw, disgusting "glory." What can I say? I'm pretty twisted inside.
Who was your favorite character to write? Why? Saylor Grayson for the reasons stated above. I love a challenge.
What has surprised you most about publishing post-agent (or post contract if you don’t have an agent.) In other words, something unpublished writers may not know about how the process goes after you get an agent or a publishing contract? Well, I'm still in the very beginning of the publication process. I just got my developmental edits back in the beginning of July. But I was definitely surprised by how long the process took from offer to Publishers Marketplace announcement (about three months). It was agony having to wait that long to share the good news!
Okay, now a little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio with James Lipton.)
What is your favorite word? So many! But I'll pick one I used in the novel: Transubstantiation.
What is your least favorite word? Calumny. I just recently learned what that is, but I find the sound of the word itself abhorrent.
What turns you on? Sunshine!
What turns you off? Vaccuming. Ew.
What sound or noise do you love? This is super cliche, but my kids' laughter. (Especially my daughter's--it has this uncontrolled, oh-my-gosh-I'm-dying quality to it that I find hilarious and lovable and magical all rolled into one.)
What sound or noise do you hate? Lawn mowers. Ack, just thinking about it sets my teeth on edge.
What profession, other than your own, would you most like to attempt? Therapist. I'm going to apply to grad school for this soon! (Gulp.)
Thanks for having me, Dannie! :) This was a blast.
Okay, let's hear your Twitter Pitch! (140 characters or less.) Saylor Grayson has Munchausen syndrome. She falls in love with a boy in a terminal illness support group...while pretending to be ill herself.
Love it! What inspired you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write? I'm a huge psychology nerd. The idea of a main character with Munchausen was just too intriguing to ignore. I loved the challenge of finding that balance between likeability and realism. People with Munchausen can be very manipulative, but ultimately, they're sick. I wanted that to come across in all of Saylor's choices.
What's your favorite thing about writing? Probably that feeling of really zooming along the creative highway. It's the ultimate freedom--you feel the wind in your hair, the exhilaration of every bump and curve. It's amazing.
What's your least favorite thing? That no matter how much you love something, at some point it will feel like a chore if you do it every day. There are parts of writing I don't enjoy, especially the revision of the very first draft. But I know it's essential to get through that if I want to embrace writing for all it is.
Now it's time to brag a little--What do you love most about your book? I love that the heroine is really quite despicable at times. I didn't sugarcoat her Munchausen syndrome at all, so you get to see it in all its raw, disgusting "glory." What can I say? I'm pretty twisted inside.
Who was your favorite character to write? Why? Saylor Grayson for the reasons stated above. I love a challenge.
What has surprised you most about publishing post-agent (or post contract if you don’t have an agent.) In other words, something unpublished writers may not know about how the process goes after you get an agent or a publishing contract? Well, I'm still in the very beginning of the publication process. I just got my developmental edits back in the beginning of July. But I was definitely surprised by how long the process took from offer to Publishers Marketplace announcement (about three months). It was agony having to wait that long to share the good news!
Okay, now a little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio with James Lipton.)
What is your favorite word? So many! But I'll pick one I used in the novel: Transubstantiation.
What is your least favorite word? Calumny. I just recently learned what that is, but I find the sound of the word itself abhorrent.
What turns you on? Sunshine!
What turns you off? Vaccuming. Ew.
What sound or noise do you love? This is super cliche, but my kids' laughter. (Especially my daughter's--it has this uncontrolled, oh-my-gosh-I'm-dying quality to it that I find hilarious and lovable and magical all rolled into one.)
What sound or noise do you hate? Lawn mowers. Ack, just thinking about it sets my teeth on edge.
What profession, other than your own, would you most like to attempt? Therapist. I'm going to apply to grad school for this soon! (Gulp.)
Thanks for having me, Dannie! :) This was a blast.
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A huge fan of spooky stuff and shoes, S.K. Falls enjoys alternately hitting up the outlet malls and historic graveyards in Charleston, SC where she lives and imbibes tea. Her husband and two small children seem not to mind when she hastily scribbles novel lines on stray limbs in the absence of notepads.
Her IPPY award-winning novel (title to be revealed) is due from Grand Central/Forever Yours in 2015.
S.K. Falls is represented by Thao Le of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.
Woo hoo! Thanks for having me, Dannie!
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