Last week I got an email from my friend Andrea Pearson, suggesting that we exchange author interviews. I assume she did this because she was tired of seeing my blog go unupdated, and figured this would be a good way to get me to post.

She figured right.

I’ve gotten to know Andrea pretty well through her tweets, (follow her @andreapearson2) and she is quite the character. I enjoyed meeting her in person at LDStorymakers last month, and it has been great to get to know her better through this interview. Which starts now.

When did you begin to take your writing seriously?

This is a very good question, since I didn’t always want to be a writer–that was my sister’s job in our family. I started writing my book in 2004, but hemmed and hawed with it for a long time before doing any good writing. Then, finally, in the summer of 2008, I scrapped what I’d written, and started over. I didn’t let anything stop me—I was very intense about it, and couldn’t even read other books until the writing process was over—six weeks later. They’d only spark my imagination where my story was concerned, and I’d barely get through a paragraph before having to put the book down to start writing again.

Wow, that’s quite the writing sprint. Tell us a little about The Key of Kilenya, which comes out in just over a month.

It’s about a fourteen-year-old named Jacob who lives in the Rocky Mountains and accidentally runs through a gateway into a different world. When he gets there, he finds that everyone knows who he is and that he unknowingly possesses powers which he’ll need to develop in order to retrieve a stolen, magical key from the evil Lorkon.

Do you feel ready for your book’s release?

From the standpoint of a first-time-published author, I really don’t know. I’ve got some cool people on my side, though, and an amazing publisher, and we’re working hard to get me and this book ready.

What big marketing plans do you have? Are you hoping to try something new and unproven?

I plan to do a lot of traveling and public speaking, tons of book signings, and school visits. And I’m willing to try anything new and unproven that may help my name get out there and help people discover The Key of Kilenya.

If you had a fairy godmother who could grant one book promotion wish, what would that be?

An interview with Glenn Beck—either radio or tv. That’s all.

Next time Glenn and I have lunch, I’ll put in a good word for you.

Was The Key of Kilenya your first book, or do you have manuscripts hidden under the bed that you will never let see the light of day?

The Key of Kilenya is my first book. I have a ton of other ideas, but wanted to make sure this book was the best I could make it before turning to anything else. I knew the story was publishable, but needed to make it shine before sending it out to publishers, agents, and editors

I know from following your tweets that you are writing book 2. How has your writing process changed from The Key of Kilenya to the new book?

I know a heck of a lot more about writing this time around. I’d never taken a creative writing class, and had never even attempted creative writing before The Key (aside from some poetry in high school). All of my writing classes had centered on business and legal writing. So, when I started writing book 1, I really didn’t know what I was doing, and made some drastic mistakes which took time to smooth out. I relied quite heavily on the internet and on three books: How NOT to Write a Novel; 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them—A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers; How to Edit Yourself into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King, and The Insider’s Guide to Getting Published (previously titled The Awful Truth about Publishing) by John Boswell. I’d strongly recommend these books to anyone serious about writing.

What are your short and long-term writing goals?

Short: finish book two.

Long: finish the entire Chronicles of Edana series, and continue writing. I’ve got so many ideas just begging to be put on paper. I plan to write them all.

Yeah, I know that feeling. It’s a common malady, I’m afraid.

What do you want people to take away with them after reading your books?

I’m not into hidden messages or “the moral of the story is. . .” What I want is for readers to be satisfied with, and excited about the story, and to look forward to the next book in the series.

Well, I have no doubt they will be, and I for one am looking forward to reading it. Thank you for suggesting this exercise – I think it’s worked well.

Thanks!

To find out more about Andrea and her book, The Key of Kilenya, visit her website at andreapearsonbooks.com. Oh, and that’s also where you can find her interview with me!