“The characters who best grab audiences are the characters that are real.” ~~Emily B. Rose
Obsessed With Mermaids and Wanting to Belong
An Interview with Emily B. Rose by B. Lynn Goodwin
Ever wanted something without knowing why? Ever searched for explanations just beyond your reach? Debut author Emily B. Rose’s main character, Kenna has a mind of her own and a voice to go with it in Call of the Sea. Her sense of adventure and private insecurities will captivate readers.
Romantasy is a new genre, and it’s a big seller right now. In this interview Ms. Rose talks about her process and her writing journey. She’s working on a sequel, and you’ll want to read both books.
BLG: You tell us some important things about yourself on your “About the Author” page. Did your writing journey help you discover who you are, and when did you realize you had this specific story in you?
EBR: A lot of it definitely was discovering things about myself as I wrote Kenna’s story! When I first started writing it in 2020 I had no idea that I had ADHD, or that I wasn’t straight. I was writing so much of myself into Kenna and her story without even realizing it at first. And when I did discover these things, I decided I was going to fully lean into it, writing the representation I almost never get to see.
BLG: Did this story start with Kenna’s desires, with a plot idea, or in some other place?
EBR: Call of the Sea actually started with a 2,000 word short story writing contest run through Instagram, haha! The only rule was it had to be about/or adjacent to the ocean. I had seen a lot of Little Mermaid retellings that I absolutely loved, but I had never seen a genderbent version! And as someone who grew up obsessed with mermaids, it made more sense to me to want to be a mermaid than to want to be a human, lol! I never thought it would go past that short story, though. And then I needed a story idea for my novel writing class in college, and I decided on a whim to expand that short story! I never thought it was a story I’d write, and then I thought I’d just never finish it and leave it when I left the class, and now here we are!
BLG: What’s the best way to create a character who’ll grab audiences?
EBR: The characters who best grab audiences are the characters that are real. People read to escape, or they read to learn, but no matter what they’re coming to fiction for the characters. You don’t want characters that are all good or all bad, or so unattainably perfect. Readers want characters they can see themselves in, and the beautiful thing about that is the diversity of humans leads to so many unique and wonderful characters to fall in love with.
BLG: Do you write like a pantser or a plotter? Why does it work for you?
EBR: I would say I’m firmly in the plantser medium! I want to be a pantser, but it’s so much easier for me to write when the chapter is at least somewhat plotted out. Plotting just often feels like pulling teeth, lol!
BLG: What do you hope readers will get from this story?
EBR: I hope that readers will enjoy themselves. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, because there’s no big pivotal action plot, and there’s not a ton of political intrigue or epic world building as you see in most fantasy books. Call of the Sea is very much a cozy fantasy, here for a good time not for an intense plot! So, I just hope people enjoy themselves while reading. I also hope it finds other people like me, and they’re able to see themselves reflected in a main character.
BLG: I know you recently created a BFA program. How did your cohort help with this story? How do you find good people to work with?
EBR: Yes! As I said, I started this for my novel writing class. In this class we were tasked with writing the first act of a novel! I had a great teacher who I actually have to thank for realizing that Kenna was supposed to be fat. I had another teacher who actually volunteered to be my supervisor for independent study to finish the book, and whose feedback was invaluable! To be honest, though, I didn’t truly connect with anyone from my school. All of my writing friends and support system come from the book community on Instagram! Including my wonderful critic partner.
BLG: Tell us about your publishing journey.
EBR: Well after I finished the first draft for my independent study, I thought I wanted to go the traditional route and search for an agent. So, I revised it. Got feedback and rewrote parts of it. Revised it again. And again. Over the next year and a half, I debated with myself if I wanted to query an agent, or dive in and do it myself, going the indie publishing route. Ultimately, I decided to go indie. Romantasy is huge right now in indie publishing, especially in the New Adult genre which traditional publishing still tries to ignore, so I thought it would better as an indie book. I also wanted full control over things like having a fat girl on my cover and not changing the ages of my main characters.
BLG: Tell us about your marketing journey. How has social media helped you get the word out about this book?
EBR: Social Media has been my entire marketing journey! This book would not have been written, let alone published if it weren’t for social media. The Bookstagram and BookTok communities are a vital resource for indie authors, and the only reason Indie publishing has become as attainable as it is today.
BLG: What else would you like readers to know and where can they learn more about you?
EBR: Well, I am currently working on my second book, a companion sequel to Call of the Sea following Kenna’s brother Tristan and his love story! That will hopefully be coming out at the end of this year! People can find me on my website, authoremilybrose.com, or on Instagram and TikTok at @emilybrosewrites!
BLG: Thanks for your wonderful answers.
Call of the Sea is available on Amazon, and it’s a story of despair, hope, and self-discovery. Intrigued by Romantasy or the thoughts of those under 30? You really should read this book.
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“…have faith in yourself and make the choice that is right for you, regardless of the risk it might present personally or professionally.” ~~Nancy Christie
Never Too Late
Do you like stories of mid-life messes and applied coping skills? Do you prefer stories about women of a certain age? Are/were you a fan of Murder She Wrote? Are you facing a crossroads or planning to reinvent yourself? These are just some of the issues that come up in Nancy Christie’s interview below where she shares the ins and outs of her personal publishing journey. I’m grateful that WOW: Women on Writing invited me to interview the author.
BLG: Tell us about yourself. When did you start writing and when did you know that you were a author?
NC: I don’t know that I consciously thought of myself as an author, or more precisely a writer, at any particular age. I started making up stories in second grade and just never stopped. (My late mother had saved the first “book” I wrote—really just a story but I stapled sheets together and made a cover—and I found it after she died.) Writing fiction is just a natural form of expression for me. A piece of dialogue will come into my mind, and I follow it like Theseus followed the thread. I’m never sure where it will take me but I’m willing to make the journey.
I started writing for magazines and newspapers in 1985, but as for being an author, which I define as someone who writes books rather than individual pieces, that didn’t happen until 2004 when Beyond Words published my first book, The Gifts of Change.
BLG: I love books about older women who fall into a career slump and pull themselves out. What is Fran Carter like, and does she have any traits in common with you?
NC: Fran and I share a passion for chocolate candy and a love for writing—although she is burned out from the type of romance novels she is writing to fulfill her contract. We both started our writing career later in life—like Fran, I was 50 when my first book was published.
And we’ve both gone through some bad relationships and have hit the wall when it comes to writing. Also, I have had more than one “Diana” in my life—a friend who gives me advice and when needed, a kick in the pants, figuratively speaking.
BLG: Tell us about the Midlife Moxie Series. Where did the original idea for the series come from?
NC: I had already completed Finding Fran and Reinventing Rita (although Fran was written first, Rita was published first) and had ideas for more books featuring female protagonists 50 and older. So I just needed a name for the brand so that each novel, while a standalone, could be under that umbrella. Being fond of alliteration, I came up with Midlife Moxie Novel Series. It’s catchy and descriptive.
BLG: Did Finding Fran change much from your first draft to your finished product, and what do you hope readers will take away from this book?
NC: I had started the book back in 2010, so there were a lot of time-specific changes I had to make, since I moved the time frame to 2022. Because it was also the first novel I had written (I was a confirmed short story writer) and being a pantser by nature, I had to figure out a way to keep track of details and then fix details that had changed. I relied on beta readers for input, and Mary Bisbee-Beek was a big help when it came to specific locations in California. And of course, I had a wonderful editor, Ann Henry, who gave me lot of recommendations and corrections. (I do so love commas and em-dashes…)
As for what I hope they will take away from the story, it’s just to have faith in yourself and make the choice that is right for you, regardless of the risk it might present personally or professionally. Pursue your passion, not follow the herd.
BLG: How long have you been doing the “Living the Writing Life Podcast,” what do you like your speakers to talk about, and are you looking for people to interview? If so, how should writers contact you?
NC: I started my podcast in 2020 when Covid shut down in-person events. I had a new short story collection coming out that May, and like so many other authors who were launching books that year, had to pivot from in-person events and find a way to promote my book. Since I was already doing author interviews on my blog, I decided to shift into doing it via podcast, figuring that those who followed the authors I was interviewing would also learn about me and my books!
Each episode is theme-based, since I didn’t want it to be a 45-minute “here’s my latest book” type advertisement. I recommend that potential guests listen to a few episodes to get a sense of how it works and then reach out to me via emailwith information about themselves and their book. (A press packet is perfect.) Also, they must have a website and be on at least one social media platform.
BLG: How did you pick your publishers and how have they helped you in your journey?
NC: I am a hybrid author, which means some of my books are through traditional publishers (they foot the publishing costs) and some are through BookBaby (a self-publishing service provider that I pay).
My first book, The Gifts of Change, was originally released by Beyond Words and is now through Atria, a Simon & Schuster imprint; my three published short story collections and the one coming out in 2025 are through Unsolicited Press (a small publisher) and my writing books and novels are through BookBaby.
The traditional publishing world has changed quite a bit since my first one came out in 2004, and I was so new to it anyway, it’s hard to say how the traditional publishers helped except simply by taking a chance on me. And Beyond Words also connected my book with foreign publishers which resulted in three foreign rights sales, which was pretty cool!
But I suspect my future novels will remain indie-published, since I like being in control.
BLG: How have organizations like the American Society of Authors and Journalists and WOW: Women on Writing helped your career?
NC: I learn a lot from members and enjoy the connection, even though it’s virtual. I haven’t attended any in-person conferences or meetings since Covid. I also belong to the Florida Writers Association and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. I hope at some point to be able to make meetings and conferences again.
BLG: What’s the best advice you’ve ever had from an agent or publisher?
NC: Although I don’t have an agent, the best, maybe not advice but comments I did get when I was pitching both my first book and my first short story collection, Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories, were that they really liked the idea and concept. So I took that as incentive to keep going and just decided to pitch the books to publishers looking for unagented writers.
BLG: What else would you like readers to know and where can we learn more about you?
NC: I always tell people who start writing later in life that it’s never too late. Actually, many of the stories I wrote I couldn’t have written when I was younger because they came out of my life experiences. Do I wish I could have started sooner? Maybe. But life is what it is. Events and circumstances happen that we can’t always control. The important thing is that I am writing now.
The best place to learn more about me is on my website www.nancychristie.com, which has links to my podcast, interviews and social media profiles. And if they read my work, they will learn a bit more about me since every book or story or essay I write has some element of me or my life in it.
BLG: Thanks so much for sharing these insights with us. You sound like a writer carving her own path.
Do you want to share your stories? Nancy Christie just offered you a blueprint for how to do it. Take advantage of what she has to offer.
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“If the reader doesn’t care about the character, then your plot doesn’t matter — you could literally end the world in the pages of your story and the reader will shrug.” ~~Dervla McTiernan
Real Entertainment
What Happened to Nina is filled with what ifs as you’ll discover when you read this interview. Exploring what ifs is often safest when it’s done in fiction, and the characters—especially the characters of the four loyal parents make this book sing with nuance. You can find out a lot about how the author made this book work in the interview below, and you can read our review of her book at https://writeradvice.com/winter-2024-hooked-on-more-books/.
I would be remiss if I didn’t encourage you to read the review right below it as well. It’s about my newest book, Disrupted which is entertaining and also deals with may what ifs. Writers need to promote their work, as you know. That said, you can learn how Dervla McTiernan became an author in the piece below. Questions? Comments? Please let us know what you think. Use the comments box at the bottom of this page.
BLG: Tell us when you knew you were an author and how your career got started.
DM: I used to be a lawyer, back in the day in Ireland, and then my husband and I emigrated to Australia in 2011, and after that I worked in a couple of quasi-legal roles, negotiating contracts and that kind of thing. But I was always a reader before I was anything else. In 2014, I wasn’t all that happy in my career, and I was thinking about a change in direction, when I realised that the only thing I wanted to do was to try to write. I gave myself five years to try to learn the craft. I still had my day job, and two very young kids (aged four and two), so I wrote for two hours every night (except Thursday, which was wine night … you don’t mess with wine night!). And even though my writing was terrible to begin with, I knew from the very first week that I would never stop writing, whether I was published or not. Writing was, for me, the missing piece. In the end I was very lucky. I signed my first contract with Harper Australia at the end of 2016. The book (The Ruin) was published in February 2018, and it went straight into the top ten. The next book (The Scholar) made it into the top five, and the third book (The Good Turn) went straight to number one. I’ve had a dream run, honestly, and feel so deeply, deeply lucky that I get to have writing as my career.
BLG: Can you explain how you came up with the idea for this story? What triggered it?
DM: I think the seeds of the book were sown when I had coffee with a good friend of mine one day. We were talking about our kids. Mine are still pretty young, at fourteen and twelve, but my friend had an older boy who was starting college. He’s a great kid, but my friend was worried about her son. She talked about how social rules have changed and continue to change, and about how what we expect from young men is completely different than it was when she and I were in college. She wasn’t talking about anything too serious, but more the kind of stupidity or social screw-up that an eighteen-year-old might be guilty of that a twenty-five-year-old, with more experience under his belt, would not. Her point was that the kind of mistake that a few years ago might have given rise to some sharp words and an apology, but from which you could move on, lesson learned, now has the potential to become fodder for the kind of social media nastiness that might follow your kid for years, poisoning his reputation.
I walked away from that conversation thinking about the different worries we have when we’re parents of girls, and parents of boys. And that thinking developed into something bigger. You know, what if the mistake your son made wasn’t so small? What if it wasn’t so innocent? What if your son was accused of something truly terrible? I know if it was my son, I wouldn’t believe it was possible. I would just reject the whole notion because I know my son. I know what he is and isn’t capable of. But then … wouldn’t every parent feel that way? And if you do believe your child is innocent, is there anything you wouldn’t do to protect them? That was the seed for the book. And almost from the beginning it became about two families at war. It was always about the idea of two sets of parents – Nina’s parents trying to find out the truth about what happened to her, and Simon’s parents trying to protect him from what they see as a false accusation – and then lengths those parents will go to for their children.
BLG: How is What Happened to Nina? different from your earlier works and what does it have in common with them?
DM: It’s so, so different in so many ways, I think. My first three books were set in Ireland, they were mostly third person, and they followed a central character, a detective named Cormac Reilly. Part of the pleasure of those novels is their immersion in Ireland, and the gradual unfolding of the mystery, so for me the pace of those novels is more deliberate. Nina is fast paced, it’s all first person, it’s very immediate. I wanted it to feel very tense, for the reader to feel almost like the parents in the book feel … like every minute, like every page counts.
I think what my books all have in common is that I pay a lot of attention to character. For me character is everything. If the reader doesn’t care about the character then your plot doesn’t matter — you could literally end the world in the pages of your story and the reader will shrug.
BLG: I loved the way this was plotted. What was your process for figuring out the sequence of events? Did you work from an outline?
DM: I do often work for an outline but I didn’t much for this book. Partly that’s because even though the structure is a little complicated (because I’m writing chapters from the point of view of each of the four parents) the plot itself is pretty linear. The one thing I didn’t want to do was repeat myself at any time. I didn’t want the reader to read a chapter from Nina’s mother’s point of view, for example, and then read a chapter from Simon’s mother’s point of view and find that they were reading about the same events, because I think I would find that boring. So, the story moves forward in every chapter, and every action taken by a character prompts a reaction from another character which in turn prompts the next action … you get the idea! In that way the plot kind of wrote itself (after about twenty drafts, that is!).
BLG: I love your statement about the first 20 drafts. Your characters are so believable. Any tips for writing 3-dimensional characters?
DM: I think if you can stay out of your head, and work more with heart and instinct, that’s your best starting point. What interests you? What do you care about? Who do you want to write about? When things are working it can feel very organic and natural. That’s not to say that you can’t work with character sheets or prompts if that helps you to get started, but if the work starts to flow, go with that feeling. You can also steal bits and pieces from real life. When you’ve been writing for a while, you start to notice interesting little details about how people walk and talk and relate to each other. Sometimes those little details can make a character come to life.
BLG: What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
DM: Honestly, the only thing I really want a reader to take away from any book of mine is a few hours of real entertainment. I want you to be able to disappear into a story for a few hours, for the characters to feel real and for you to truly feel something. The only thing better than that for me is if my book makes you want to call your sister, or your best friend and tell them they have to read it immediately because you really need to talk about it.
BLG: How did you find your agent and what platform did you bring to her?
DM: I’m not working with an agent at the moment, but I got my first agent through cold querying. I learned how to write a query letter from the Query Shark website, and while I was polishing my manuscript I polished the query letter, too. That letter and the manuscript for the book that became The Ruin got me my first agent.
BLG: What are your three best marketing tips?
DM: Don’t get too caught up in the social media hype train. You have limited time. Most of it should go into your book. Think of your book as a mini-ambassador. It’s going to go out in the world and it’s going to find friends for you. Not everyone will like your book, but some people will really love it. Those people are your people, and your book will find them for you.
Social media is dangerous for writers. It’s wildly distracting. It’s served to you in tiny, bite-sized chunks of the next thing and the next thing. I genuinely believe that spending too much time on social media affects your ability to do deep work … to truly focus on your writing for long periods.
Having said that … there is an upside to social media, in that it gives you the opportunity to stay in direct contact with your readers. That’s kind of invaluable. If you’re starting out as a writer, I recommend you get onto whatever platform you’re most comfortable with, and set up a page or a profile. Just post reasonably regularly, and your readers will slowly find you. Use that platform (sparingly!) to build a genuine connection with the people who love your books. Forget about trying to build a huge following. Focus on that genuine connection. You will enjoy it all so much more, and from a marketing point of view, a smaller group of highly engaged readers who truly love your books is so much more valuable than a huge group of followers who started following you for a funny video but have no real interest in your writing.
Last piece of advice is to start a Newsletter! Social media changes all the time. You don’t want to spend ten years building a community on Facebook only to find that it is yanked out from under your feet!
BLG: What are you working on now and where can our readers learn more about you?
DM: I’m working on tidying up a new manuscript right now which I’m sending off to my editor in a couple of weeks … it’s a little too soon to talk about what it’s about, even though I’m dying to tell everyone! If people want to get in touch with me, the best way to do that is to sign up for my Newsletter (see above!) at https://dervlamctiernan.com/newsletter/ I usually send out an email quarterly, unless something exciting is happening that deserves an email of its own! Otherwise you can find me at @dervlamctiernan on Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
