Interview with Kathleen Duey, Author
How did you get started writing for children?
It was an accident. I meant to write SF and fantasy for adults. But I wrote a goofy little story-poem and a librarian encouraged me to think about writing for kids. The poem sprouted into a short story which became a MG novel and was my first published book. I am now writing dark fantasy for upper YA and enjoying the change. And I am writing for adults with a partner—not literature, just well-done entertainment reading. No adult book sales yet, we are still agent shopping. Feed back from the first two agents: “We have never seen an initial submission this well written, this clean.” Hmmph!!? Guess they don’t know enough children’s writers?
What is your writing schedule and how do you stay with it?
I write every day I am at home. Computer is on a 6am, off at 11pm-midnight. I do the dailies interspersed with writing, and tend the increasingly time-consuming peripheral aspects of a writing career. My New Year’s resolution is to build a saner schedule.
If you have been rejected (we know some writers who haven't), how do you handle it?
I have gotten much better at being rejected. (practice, practice, practice!) At this point it is an inconvenience—and one that often comes with comments that help the book sell elsewhere. I try hard to think of rejection letters as free, and often good, advice. I write thank you notes.
How did the Unicorn's Secret series come about? What is your schedule for each book and who determines it? What are some of the differences writing books in a series versus stand-alone books?
The Unicorn’s Secret is based on a repetitive dream I had in grade school. For a year and a half, I went to sleep here and woke up there. The plot is better in the books than in my dreams; the setting is almost the same. I was Heart—the protagonist—in that dream-place. There are dragons there as well as faeries and I want to do two more small series. Some of the characters will be in all three, others only two, some only one…but all set in the same place.
For me there is no difference in writing series books vs. writing novels except that the story continues—or there is some other connective tissue that binds the whole. American Diaries (19 titles) all had a 24-hour-plot format. Each story opened and closed with a diary entry. The 140 pages between was an accounting of the single day that fell between the two entries. None of the plots were related in any way—each was a different girl, set in a different era and locale.
How did you approach your research for the books in the American Diaries series? How did you use the research once you begin writing?
It evolved. Basically, I now begin with the Internet and find historical societies, reenactment groups, museums, universities, repositories of primary sources, textile experts, whatever I need. I make some lovely contacts with people who have spent their lives learning about what I must know and I ask them for reading lists that help me gain a basic understanding of the setting and era and the character’s life. Then I feel qualified to interview, to ask questions. I begin writing the day I can imagine myself in the protagonist’s clothes, family, predicament, body. I use the research information constantly as I write to check, to add details, to find a nugget for the plot to turn on, whatever…
You're writing fantasy novels for teens now. What differences do you find in writing for teens versus younger children? What things do you like about each? What challenges you when writing for different age levels?
It is just the obvious differences. My YA fantasy is much more tangled, dark, has more adult issues and events—more intellect. I work on several projects at once and have to remember to change gears. The challenge is always the same, no matter the age group: Tell a compelling story, be true to the character.
Do you have an agent and if so, at what point in your career did you get one? What would you recommend for writers trying to get an agent?
I had a PR person who was a friend of a friend to begin with. Later I had a wonderful person who was a bad fit for me. I am too prolific, too network-y, too impatient to add six months agent-time to every deal. Things take way to long as it is. So I have no agent for my children’s work. I am considering getting one for my YA. A friend just gave me the “You can sell a book but can you run an auction?” talk. She is right. I represent myself pretty well, I think, but I do balk at playing real money-hardball. To get an agent, you write a great book. We all want there to be an easier way, but there just isn’t.
What advice would you give to writers trying to break into children's publishing in general? What advice would you give to those who hope to publish trilogies or series?
Become a VERY good writer. First. Foremost. Throw yourself into learning the skills. This is usually a 3-10 year project, and it never ends. Once you know you are competent, when enough people who do not love or even like you are telling you that the book rocks, phase two begins. Approach agents and/or editors with a really good ms and it will find a home. Trilogies and series are harder sales, especially for new authors—you are tripling (or more) the publisher’s risk. My first series sale was to an editor who had bought three single titles from me previously. Series are not a hot ticket right now, anyway. YA has been growing like watered weeds. And these trends will reverse, shuffle—genre’s will come and go and come back again. It can make you dizzy and lead you astray. Write what you are good at and what you love—and keep learning. Not a mysterious magic formula, I know, but it is what works. And the marketplace will sometimes reward ‘dreck’ with sales in the millions and will sometimes ignore brilliant stories and let them go out of print within a year. I try hard not to worry about any of that. I am a writer. So I write as much as I can, as well as I can. And then I hope for the best.