Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hi. My name is Angela Holder and I live in Houston, Texas. I’ve been writing original fiction for ten years, and publishing my books for two. I’ve published five novels and two novellas. I’ve got several more completed rough drafts that I’m currently working on (one at a time) to get ready for publication. I’ve also got a couple of incomplete projects waiting their turn. Plus lots of ideas to keep me busy writing for years to come.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is The Wizards’ War, the fourth and final volume of The Chronicles of Tevenar. It’s the grand finale to the series that I first started writing ten years ago.
The original inspiration for the Tevenar books came from two sources. First, I was playing with ideas for a gender-neutral naming system and the culture it would come from. Second, I was reading a dare thread on the Nanowrimo forums where someone had suggested “Write a animal wizard with a human familiar.” Along the way I was influenced by a song we were singing in my church choir: “Whoever would be first among you must become your servant, and whoever would be great among you must be the slave of all..” After that it was mostly a matter of thinking up interesting challenges for my wizards to face.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think about stories all the time, both the one I’m currently working on (I can only actively work on one at a time) and new possibilities. While driving and while taking a shower are particularly good times to think. I have to be careful not to get too deep into thinking while I drive, because more than once I’ve missed a turn and ended up in the wrong place.
When I get an idea I think will make a good story, I keep coming back to it, fleshing it out as much as I can. Usually I’m able to get a good feel for at least the main character/s and the general shape of the story. I like to plan out as much as I can, but I usually get to a point where no more will come to me. I seldom write any of this down, because if it’s good enough, I’ll remember it. Occasionally I’ll write a brief narrative summary, usually because it’s part of the backstory of another book (like the two-page tale of Gurion Thricebound in The Fuller’s Apprentice, which turned into a 300,000 word epic).
Once I get to a certain point, which is different for every book, the only way to figure out the rest is to discover it while I’m writing. All my books have started as Nanowrimo projects (all in November except Beyond the Boundary Stones, which was for Camp Nano). I’ll write the first 50-100 thousand words during the month, then continue to work on it until its finished. I’m lucky in that my husband’s job supports our family, so I can devote full time to writing. I write at about the same pace during Nano and outside it, around 2000-5000 words a day, done in about 3-5 hours. During Nano or when I’m pushing to meet a deadline I write every day, including weekends. Other times I take days off when I need to. There are times I take whole months off for family commitments. I used to not be able to write much during the summer because I was taking care of the kids, but now that they’re older I can be more consistent through the year.
I start at the beginning of a book and write straight through. The only exception is when there are two separate plot threads going on – then I’ll sometimes write one, go back for the other, and decide how to interweave them afterwards. Part of The Law of Isolation was done that way. But otherwise I can’t write scenes out of order. When I do have to go back and add a scene during revision, I then have to go through the entire book and make adjustments in how the characters think and feel and react to everything that happens from that point on. It’s a lot easer to get it right from the beginning.
I frequently throw in things that seem interesting or appropriate, without knowing how they’ll play out. Many times those things have become pivotal to the plot in ways I couldn’t have foreseen. I’ve learned to trust my subconscious – it’s a really good storyteller, and it knows what it’s doing. There was a point I felt I needed to include in The Tale of Gurion Thricebound, which I wrote nine years ago right after The Fuller’s Apprentice, even though it didn’t affect anything I had written or planned at the time. It became a crucial plot point in the climax of The Wizards’ War, in a way that was completely unexpected but felt inevitable. Another example: there’s a line Kabos says in The Fuller’s Apprentice, about his people. When I wrote it, I had no idea what he was talking about. I could have taken it out, except it felt right for his character. That led to the invention of the Dualists/Faithful, and huge parts of the plot of the later books.
I start each day’s writing session (yes, even during Nano!) by going back and rereading/doing light editing on the portion I wrote the day before. It gets my head back into the story and lets me fix any obvious problems right away. While writing, if I become aware of any obvious plot problems, or have ideas about ways I need to change what I’ve already written, it works best if I go ahead and do it. Otherwise it nags at me and distracts me from moving the story forward. I don’t hesitate to correct errors and change wording around while I’m writing – again, it would bother me more to leave it, and I don’t have a big problem with my inner editor shutting down my creativity. But invariably the best writing I do is when I get deep into the story and the words are flowing fast. Usually those sections come out almost perfect and need very little editing later. It tends to happen most often with scenes I’ve been thinking about and looking forward to writing for a long time, so especially around the climax. But even scenes that don’t flow and need lots of tweaking/reworking later I’m usually able to eventually get to a state I’m happy with. I can still see where the seams are, though. That’s why I like to do my writing in long chunks of time – it can take a couple of hours to get into that flow state, but once I get there I can keep it going for hours until I have to stop.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
So, so many. I’ve been an avid reader since I first learned how. The first books I fell in love with were the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would read them through from beginning to end, then go back to the beginning and start over.
The Tevenar books have a lot of influence from The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, which my aunt introduced me to when I was 12. I’ve written fan fiction for The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Harry Potter, all of which I love.
Other favorites include The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis; The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander (both of which I honored with my series title); The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper (who I got to meet at a book signing recently!); Enchantress from the Stars and The Far Side of Evil by Sylvia Louise Engdahl; Emergence by David Palmer; The Egypt Game, The Changeling and The Green Sky Trilogy by Zilpha Keatley Snyder; the Damar books and Beuty by Robin McKinley, the Miles Vorkosigan and Chalion books by Lois McMaster Bujold, the Dragaera books by Stephen Brust, the Xanth books by Piers Anthony, the Deryni books by Katherine Kurtz, the Cadfael books by Ellis Peters, Windhaven by George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle. Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Orson Scott Card, Spider Robinson. I’m sure I’m forgetting some.
In the past few years I’ve started reading romance. I started with fantasy/science fiction/paranormal, branching off from my lifelong love of fantasy and science fiction, but to my surprise I’ve also discovered I love historical romance. Favorite authors include Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverley, and J.R. Ward. I’ve got an as-yet unpublished science fiction romance series I’m working on, which I’ll probably publish under a pen name.
What are you working on now?
Finishing the final proofread of The Wizards’ War. I need to turn over the finished copy to my husband so he can format the e-book (I format for print) before the pre-order deadline, ten days before its release March 8. I’m also setting up promos for The Fuller’s Apprentice and The Law of Isolation to run in conjunction with its release.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve had good luck with a number of sites. Vinny’s sites were a big help early on, helping get The Fuller’s Apprentice off to a great start. Others that have performed well for me include Betty Book Freak, Robin Reads, Bargainbooksy and Freebooksy, Book Barbarian, and ENT. I haven’t landed a Bookbub yet, but I keep trying.
I’ve also done well including the first chapter of the next book and link to the preorder in each of the Tevenar books. More than 400 people preordered The Law of Isolation in the two months between it and TFA.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read lots of advice, but don’t be afraid to toss what doesn’t work for you. Experiment until you figure out what does.
Don’t ask permission. The answer to “Can I do this?” is always the same: you can; no one has the power to forbid you. The real question is “Will readers want to read this?” You get to decide how much the answer to that matters to you.
Learn basic grammar, because editors are important but they can’t do everything. Words are the tools of our trade; you have to know how to use them.
Spend some time critiquing other people’s work. You’ll learn a lot about what you want to do and not do. Seeing problems in other people’s stories is a lot easier than seeing them in your own, and trying to figure out solutions will help you do the same for yours. Get your work critiqued and work through all the comments, even when it’s hard. Get the same story critiqued by multiple people. If only one person mentions something, it may or may not actually be a problem, but if several do, something needs to be fixed, although maybe not be exactly what any one of them is saying. One or two rounds of critiquing is enough, though. Don’t get stuck revising and re-revising the same story forever. Make it as good as you can at the moment and then move on to the next one.
Write what you love, because nothing else will have the same spark. But it will be easier to sell if it fits firmly into an established genre.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both traditional publishing and indie publishing. Research both before you decide which is for you. But right now I think there’s more money and more opportunity for most authors in indie publishing. And whichever way you go, consider going hybrid if you get the chance.
Write more, worry less. You won’t do everything right the first time, and that’s okay. Learn from your mistakes.
Have fun! Making up stories and having people read them is the coolest thing in the world. We’re so lucky to get the chance to do it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
On a radio show, I once heard a story about Maurice Sendak. When he was working on “Where the Wild Things Are,” he got stuck articulating exactly why Max decided to leave the island and go home. His editor kept asking him, and he kept not being able to say. Finally he said, “Because he wants to be with his mommy, but I can’t say that!” His editor asked him one more time. He said “Because he wants to be where someone loves him best of all, but I can’t say that!” His editor said, “Yes, you can.” And that’s what’s in the final book.
So whenever I’m stuck on something I just can’t quite find the words for, I throw out ideas, whatever I know is true, no matter how stupid it sounds. Sooner or later that gets me what I need.
What are you reading now?
The Shadows, by J.R. Ward, the latest book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I just finished Only a Promise, by Mary Balogh, and am waiting for her Only a Kiss to come from the library, both from the Survivor’s Club series. Before that I read The Martian by Andy Weir.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My next project is going to be revising and editing The Tale of Gurion Thricebound, a 300,000 word epic prequel to The Chronicles of Tevenar. It’s set 1000 years before the main series and tells about how the ancient wizards lost their powers and how Tevenar and the Wizards’ Guild were founded. Attentive readers will know a fair bit of what to expect, but there are plenty of surprises along the way, too. It’s told in first person from Gurion’s point of view. I enjoy writing in first person very much, because everything in in the character’s voice. I can just open up and let the character talk through me to the reader. I think you’ll like Gurion very much – I know I do!
After that, there’s another Tevenar prequel, Into the Storm, about the hurricane that’s been mentioned a few times in the main series. I have ideas for a sequel series, too, but right now they’re pretty vague. I’d like to get the other drafts I have finished published first before I turn my attention to new stories.
I’ve got two novels unrelated to the Tevenar books that I’ll be publishing soon. One, Hero’s Journey, is an epic fantasy that has fun playing with many of the tropes of the genre. What happens when the hero’s mother, who was supposed to be killed off at the beginning of the story, instead fights off the monsters and follows her son through a portal into a fantasy world? I had tons of fun writing it because half the story is a very traditional quest narrative. Marc is the lost heir to a fantasy kingdom, and has to seek out eight pieces of a powerful magical artifact with the help of a wise old wizard and a diverse group of companions to defeat an evil overlord and reclaim the throne. Meanwhile, Val, his mom, who’s a police officer, has her own half of the story which isn’t traditional at all. Lots of things turn out not be what they seem at first. Also, its got the best blurb I’ve yet written, which I hope will grab readers and make them need to read the book.
The other is a YA paranormal, Nothing But the Truth. Allison is a teenager who is allergic to lies. Literally. When someone around her lies, she gets physically sick. When one of her friends is murdered, she hears the suspect declare that he’s innocent and knows he’s telling the truth. She and her friends must investigate to discover the real killer using Allison’s unique talent.
Then there’s the previously mentioned science fiction romance series, The Covenant of the Rainbow. I’ve written one and a half books out of eight so far. Eight thousand years ago, an alien scouting party came to Earth after their planet was destroyed by a supernova. They attempted to terraform Earth, causing planet-wide floods, but were stopped by a heroic group of eight humans, helped by a renegade alien who taught them psychic powers. They formed a secret society, dedicated to preserving the memory of the invasion, teaching psychic skills and preparing mankind for the arrival of the alien’s colony ship. Now that ship is about to arrive, and the eight powerful psychics who lead the Covenant, along with their soul-bonded partners, must defend Earth from the ruthless alien leaders determined to conquer and remake the planet into a new home for their people.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My copy of The Dragonriders of Pern, which has Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and the White Dragon. It’s been a while since I read them and I could happily read them over and over.
A single-volume copy of The Lord of the Rings. It benefits from long unbroken stretches of concentration, which I don’t have much of these days to devote to reading, because I’m spending all the time I could on writing.
A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons, because they’re long and dense and I haven’t gotten to them yet.
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