Ganymeder

Author Helen Howell kindly agreed to an interview about her new ebook, ‘I Know You Know,’ published through Crooked Cat Publishing. She also frequently posts fiction to both Friday Flash and Tuesday Serial via her Helen Scribbles website.

Thank you, Helen, and congratulations on publishing ‘I Know You Know!’ I really enjoyed the book. I was hoping you would share some of your experience both writing and publishing. First of all, have you always wanted to write? If not, what motivated you?

Thanks Catherine and I’m glad you enjoyed reading the novella.

I think I might have liked the idea of writing, but inside I didn’t think I had what it took. But one day in 2010 I came across the BBC website called ‘Lets Write” or something like that and it said just write about anything. So I went for a walk that afternoon and came back and wrote a small piece about it. I sent that piece off to my author friend Scotti who was so encouraging about what I wrote, that it gave me the confidence to carry on. From that point on I embarked on writing Jumping At Shadows – I know quite a leap from not writing to jumping straight into a novel.  I interspersed  this task with writing short stories and then came across Friday Flash.  Writing Flash helped my writing skills improve far more quickly than I could believe.  Since starting out I now have two novellas out, three of my stories in various anthologies, various other pieces in online e-zines and some of my work showcased on blog fests of one sort or another. My story “I AM” won second prize in the people’s choice competition last year, run by The Were Traveler e-zine.  I think what I’m really saying here is don’t doubt yourself, just jump in and have a go. The more you write the better you hopefully become as you learn the skill of writing.

Do you have a writing routine?

I’m afraid I’m very undisciplined, and write all over the place. I write as and when I feel like it and that spans morning, afternoon and evening. Of course household tasks always get in the way. But when I’m not writing I’m thinking about writing. That is I might be thinking about the next chapter or story or micro fiction that I’m in the midst of. So my non writing time is really sorting out plots etc in my head.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Ah now that depends on what I am writing.  Novels etc. I write an outline and then plot each chapter, just the bare skeleton of it so that I know where I am heading. How I get there often surprises me as I often let the writing take me there in its own way.  If I’m writing flash sometimes I have a beginning, middle and end, and an idea how I am going to get there. Other times I just write and see where it leads me.  For example, my Friday Flash micro fiction serial, that is running at the moment, is based on a three word challenge each week. So from one week to the next I have no idea where the story is going. It all depends on the three words but somehow it all seems to hang together. ^_^

How important was word count in your decision to publish and did you find length a factor in marketing your work?

I did have to increase the original story by 6,000 words and was lucky enough to find a publisher that would publish a novella that only stood at 28,000 words. I really think that most stories need to be a fair bit longer. However in the case of I Know You Know, to lengthen it any more, I felt,  would have been to slow it down and lose the impact of the story. If I had not found a publisher willing to publish I would have self published it. Fortunately for me my publisher announced the book as part of a new category especially for shorter stories, called Crooked Cat Tales.

‘I Know You Know’ is your first ebook through Crooked Cat Publishing. How did that come about?

I had a fellow author friend who had had his book published by them and had also read I Know You Know in its original form.  He liked the story so much and felt that Crooked Cat would be interested in it.  So I submitted to them and the rest is history.

The plot of ‘I Know You Know’ is concerned largely with Tarot cards, which I understand is an interest of yours. Can you describe how you became interested in Tarot? How did that interest fuel your writing?

I’ve always been interested in mystical and magical things.  Tarot cards in themselves are not the magic, it’s the reader’s ability to interpret the cards that is the magic. I got my first deck way back in 1970′s – I still have it in its original box.  I studied the cards and became very familiar with them and eventually became a Professional Member of The Tarot Guild of Australia and also a Professional Reader – but I have retired from both the Guild and professional reading now.  I also was the co-author of the blog Tarot Notes Major and Minor which had and I believe still has a large readership.  I retired from being co-author of that blog in 2011 when I decided that I needed to concentrate on my fiction writing more. There’s only so many hours in a day. However I do still ‘Guest Post’ for that blog.

The Story of I Know You Know came about because as a tarot reader I know it is possible to see certain things about a person’s situation. I thought they would make an interesting medium for the story to be based around and one that was easy for me to work with as I have a strong knowledge of the card meanings.  I Know You Know was born from one idea. What if a tarot reader could see in the cards that one of her client’s was a serial killer and what if the serial killer suspected that she knew? How would that all play out?

Could you talk about the process of publishing through a small press like Crooked Cat? How was it different from when you published your first book, ‘Jumping at Shadows‘?

I think the main difference, at least for me, was the editing process. When you self publish you either employ an editor or put your work out to betas who do a really good job. But with publishing through a small press I got to work one on one with an editor, whose job was to make sure that the story was well rounded and had no plot holes.  I think working with just one person was an easier experience for me. One had the opportunity to go back and discuss certain aspects with their editor. Beta’s do a fabulous job, but more often than not you have three or more people’s perspective on you work and deciding which to follow and which not, can at times be challenging, whereas working with one person whose job is to edit was a really smooth process.

Of course when you go with a publisher they will do the formatting for you and help you choose an appropriate cover that enhances and echoes the story you have written.  But for me I have already self published and am fortunate enough to have a graphic designer as a husband who did my formatting and book cover for Jumping At Shadows – so truly the main difference for me going with a small press was the editing experience and the support given through the whole process.

You’ve also written several serials, which you’ve posted on your website. Could you describe your experiences?

I really like writing serials. I Know You Know started out its life as a serial on my blog.  Writing a serial can help you expand an idea into something more than a flash. One of my Serials Mind Noise started life out as a flash.  I find the whole process of writing something in episodes keeps you writing, it’s a sort of motivation and it’s easy when your word target is anywhere from 500-1300 words at a time.  The serial I’m showing at the moment is written in longer chapters and I just split these chapters up into three or four episodes at a time.

The other thing about writing a serial is that it is a good way to gauge whether you have something that is more viable for publishing. Your readers comments give you a first class eye view of how your story is being received. When all of them say they are enjoying it and can’t wait to see what happens, you know your writing is on the right track.

Do you have any plans to publish your serials or flash fiction in another form?

I think I may publish Wizard once I have finished writing it. Also Mind Noise I feel could be expanded into a novel. Both of these have met with good responses. I have thought about publishing a collection of my ghost stories, already people have said to me if I publish they will buy. Also maybe a collection of my  Gangster Noir Stories which always seem to get a very good review.

Are there things you know now that you didn’t know before, or things you wished you knew when you started?

Oh yes of course!  Things that you learn as you learn the skill of writing,  like how not to use dialogue tags unless absolutely necessary and then if you have to use a tag, just use said to tag that dialogue.  How to not use more words than necessary when writing. Exclamation points, you can always tell a new writer by the amount of exclamation points I think.  Don’t overuse adverbs with ly on the end etc.  All these little rules would have been wonderful to know when I started. ^_^

Something that I wish I had known from the very start is that when you write something of length anyway, put it away for a short while and then come back with fresh eyes and edit, instead of trying to do it straight away. That break allows you to see it all from a different perspective. But like all things one has to learn to do this.

Any advice for writers looking to publish?

I think my only advice is make sure the work that you are submitting has been thoroughly edited and is as polished as it can be.

Please let us know where else we can find your work.

 

The darkest cards in the tarot deck reveal the darkest side of the man sitting opposite Janice—Mr. Edgar Kipp.

My other novella Jumping At Shadows – is available from Smashwords

Once again, thank you for consenting to this interview. I know I’ve enjoyed your fiction online and the new book was just as wonderful. I recommend it for a quick, pleasurable read.

Thank you Catherine for inviting me over, I’ve enjoyed our chat.