at Creating a Book Series...
from Sharon Ledwith
I thought I’d give you a
peek at the process of writing a series, so I decided to compile a list of
questions I was asked by different interviewers about my teen psychic mystery
series, Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls. I follow up each answer with a ‘behind the scenes
tip’ to drive home the messages I want to convey, and to help writers get a
sense of what I went through to develop this particular book series.
What inspired you to write Lost and Found?
During my year-long stint as an animal care attendant,
I learned so much about the procedures and daily routines of working in an
animal shelter. Then, one day, I found myself wondering what the animals would
say if they could talk? How they would act and sound? What did they really
think of humans? So, chasing down the animal voices frolicking in my head, I
decided to write their story. The result is, Lost and Found, the first book in my teen psychic mystery series,
Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls.
All the shelter animals in Lost and Found are based on an animal I cared for in some capacity
at the shelter. Now, trying to come up with each animal’s unique voice wasn’t
that hard for me, since I went by the personality of the cat or dog. I observed
certain quirks, how each animal behaved, what were they afraid of, what they
liked, and so on. What I found was that every animal (even kittens born in the
same litter) was different. Just. Like. People.
When I was ready to sit down and write their story, I
compiled a list of shelter animals that readers would emotionally relate to and
connect with. Many came to me as a surprise, while others were firmly planted
in my imagination from the very beginning.
Behind
the Scenes Tip:
Write what you know. Yes, you’ve heard that old song before, but I knew the
ins-and-outs of how an animal shelter operated, so I applied that knowledge
when it came time to plot the story and create the setting.
On
Blackflies and Blueberries, how did
you decide to bring blueberries and blackflies into the story?
We lived in Ontario’s cottage country for almost twelve years, and each May we had to deal with those pesky blackflies. In fact, I owe the experience of living in a small, tourist town environment to creating the Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls teen psychic mystery series. The second book in the series, Blackflies and Blueberries, came about while I volunteered to be a tutor at the local literacy council. I’ve always be drawn to the occult, paranormal, and supernatural, so I got the idea of a teen psychometrist (the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them) who could ‘read’ objects, but was essentially illiterate and couldn’t read most words.
I wanted the book to span through a summer season in the fictional tourist town of Fairy Falls, so I started with blackfly season (May) and ended with blueberry season (August). The title fit in so well with the theme of blackflies pollinating blueberry bushes to yield fruit, so I went with my intuition. Plus, I absolutely love blueberries!
Behind the Scenes Tip: Setting is important. Build your series world from the ground up using what you’ve experienced in real life. Use your interests and opportunities as background information for your characters. Being a volunteer for a charity or cause can give your story great bones and authenticity.
What was the biggest mental/writing
challenge you faced along the way while writing Lost and Found?
I’ll give you three:
First—could I pull this book off, and make the animals
sound authentic?
Second—did I do enough research on what it was like to
be an animal communicator (the psychic ability featured in this book) to make
my main character (Meagan Walsh) believable to readers? Then, I realized that
after doing the needed research on animal behaviors and finding enough facts on
animal communication, I was well on my way to writing what my heart so
desperately wanted me to share with the world. I learned that animals are so
empathic. They feel our energy. And sometimes, they know us better than ourselves.
Third—to create the small, tourist town of Fairy
Falls—the setting that would glue this entire teen psychic mystery series
together. I didn’t have to stretch my imagination that hard since I wrote what
I knew based on where I was living at the time—in the heart of cottage country.
So I took in the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, emotions, and feelings of this
beautiful place, and added the challenges and obstacles of what it would be
like for an uprooted teenager possessing a psychic ability to adjust to the
day-to-day living in Fairy Falls.
Behind
the Scenes Tip: Self-doubt will always creep in from
time-to-time. It’s normal. Feel it, let it go, then imagine what it would be
like to walk in other people’s shoes. You’ll create some awesome characters if
you can do that.
Aunt Gertie is such a colorful character in Blackflies and Blueberries. Will we see more of her in Fairy Falls?
Definitely! She’s such a unique character, and is
loosely-based on my mother-in-law. Since each book is set in Fairy Falls, but
with a different cast of characters dealing with a psychic ability, I write in
cameos for the characters of my previous book. After all, it takes many
characters to create the essence and environment of a small, tourist town like
Fairy Falls, so I want readers to expect the unexpected every time they pick up
one of my books.
Behind
the Scenes Tip: Become an observer of people. Aunt
Gertie’s character was based on my deceased mother-in-law (with a few quirks
added), and if you do it right, readers will want to continue seeing them
throughout the series.
How did writing Lost and Found change you as a person?
Realizing that we (including animals) are all here to
serve in some capacity. Whether that’s through our experiences, creative
expressions, careers, professions, being parents or caregivers, we’ve all got
something to contribute to this world while we’re alive. It doesn’t matter if
it’s in a big or small way, we all matter, we all have voices, and we need to
be brave enough to use them.
Behind
the Scenes Tip: Writing and publishing a book is a
humbling and exhaustive experience. Every book you write will change you in
some manner. That’s the beauty of creating something from nothing, of becoming
a butterfly from a caterpillar.
Diana
MacGregor's little sister Nancy is a perfect sidekick in Blackflies and Blueberries. Her addition was truly brilliant. Were
you as curious as Nancy when you were a child?
Yes. I always wondered what went on beneath the
surface. Once a guidance counsellor suggested that a career as a detective
might be a good fit. Can you imagine? LOL! I guess I was always an intuitive
child, but didn’t realize this as an adult. It took me a long time to uncover
this ability again, and thankfully I found it when I started writing in my
mid-thirties.
Behind
the Scenes Tip: Never underestimate the power of your
intuition. It will lead you to create amazing characters that readers will
relate to.
What have you found has been the most
effective marketing technique for Lost
and Found so far?
I reached out to couple with
two animal rescue organizations at a few of their events when Lost and Found came out, and gave a
portion of my book sales to help with the care and needs of the dogs and cats
they had rescued. In a way, I felt by writing this book, I was being a ‘voice’
for the underdogs/cats in shelters everywhere, bringing awareness to the plight
of animal shelters, and the continual need for fundraising, adoption, and spay
and neuter programs.
I’ve also managed to get my
book into a pet food store chain, and attended a literary event to promote Lost and Found, while sharing the
spotlight with the manager of our local Humane Society. Of course, never
underestimate the power of social media, and all those animal lovers out there!
Behind the Scenes: There’s always a way you can promote your book
series through your community, especially at fund raisers or charities that
your characters are invested in. Go deep, and pull out those promotional golden
nuggets.
What advice would you give other writers
now that you’ve been through this process?
Trust that inner voice of
yours that’s telling you to write her/his/their/your story. Write what’s
important to you, what you want to say, in whatever genre you’re compelled to
write in. Don’t follow trends, they change. Know that you’ll be in it for the
long haul if you want to make it as career writer, so don’t give up on your
dreams. And the most important: please, please, please don’t compare yourself
to other writers. They’re on their own journey, and you’re on yours, so put
your blinders on and follow your
heart.
Behind the Scenes Tip: Be authentic in every story you pen, and remember
that patience is truly a virtue. You’ll get there, word by word.
Is there one thing you'd like readers to know about you?
I love to uplift people, even if I just get a smile out of a person. I use humor in all my books as a way of connection, and to hopefully make a reader’s day better and brighter. I guess it’s the way I can serve authentically and just be myself!
Behind the Scenes Tip: Always add value to others. After all, we’re built to serve.
I hope you’ve gleaned some value from this Q&A, and if you have any further questions about developing a book series, please leave them in the comments section, and I’ll answer them in a timely fashion. Cheers and thank you for reading my post!
Here’s
a glimpse of the premises of both my young adult series:
The Last Timekeepers Time Travel
Adventures…
Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be
Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil
Belial—five classmates are sent into the past to restore balance, and bring
order back into the world, one mission at a time.
Children are the key to our future. And
now, they are the only hope for our past.
Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen
Psychic Mysteries…
In the small, quiet tourist town of Fairy Falls, a
new-to-town teen, an unlikely hero who possesses an unusual psychic ability, is
drawn into a mystery and is tasked with uncovering corrupt truths that threaten
the town’s future.
Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the
unexpected.
Buy
Links:
The
Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventure Series:
The
Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave, Book 3
UNIVERSAL
BUY LINK ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES
& NOBLE ׀
The
Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, Book 2
Buy Links:
UNIVERSAL
BUY LINK ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES
& NOBLE ׀
The
Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, Book 1 Buy Links:
UNIVERSAL
BUY LINK ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES
& NOBLE ׀
Legend
of the Timekeepers, Prequel
Buy Links:
UNIVERSAL
BUY LINK ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES
& NOBLE ׀
Mysterious
Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:
Lost
& Found, Book One Buy
Links:
PANDAMONIUM
PUBLISHING HOUSE ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES
& NOBLE ׀
Blackflies
& Blueberries, Book Two
Buy Links:
PANDAMONIUM
PUBLISHING HOUSE ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES
& NOBLE ׀
Learn more about Sharon
Ledwith on her WEBSITE
and BLOG.
Look up her AMAZON
AUTHOR page for a list of current books. Stay connected on FACEBOOK,
TWITTER,
LINKEDIN,
INSTAGRAM,
and GOODREADS.
BONUSES:
Download the free PDF short story The Terrible, Mighty Crystal
HERE
Download the free PDF writing resource Tips, Tools & Tricks for the
Tenacious Writer HERE
