All the Feels by Danika StonePublished by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: June 7th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Synopsis:
College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life… So, when her favorite character, Captain Matt Spartan, is killed off at the end of the last movie, Liv Just. Can’t. Deal.
Tired of sitting in her room sobbing, Liv decides to launch an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. With the help of her best friend, Xander, actor and steampunk cosplayer extraordinaire, she creates #SpartanSurvived, a campaign to ignite the fandom. But as her online life succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, Liv is forced to balance that with the pressures of school, her mother’s disapproval, and her (mostly nonexistent and entirely traumatic) romantic life. A trip to DragonCon with Xander might be exactly what she needs to figure out what she really wants.
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Today we welcome Danika for an interview! Take it away!
1. Did you always know you
wanted to be a writer or did you want to be something else?
I
have always loved to make things. For
a time it was painting (and I still do that on occasion). When I was paying for
university it was muraling, then it was filmmaking. The latest and most intense
phase has been writing. The love for that
has been bigger than all of them combined!
2. How long does it take you
to write a book from start to finish?
For
a first draft, probably two months from when I start writing to the final word
on the page. For an actual, finished book, it’s more like a year and a half.
Editing, by far, takes up the majority of my time.
3. How do you come up with
themes for your stories?
I
feel that themes evolve on their own. I write the first draft to tell myself
the story and meet the characters. It’s not until editing that themes and
motifs emerge. My job is to polish them up so that everyone (rather than just
me) can see them!
4. Do you have a schedule of
when you write?
If
I’m writing a first draft, my goal is at least 1000 words a day. I often write
more than that, but I never write less. My theory is that you can always edit
crappy writing, but if you don’t write at all, there’s nothing to fix. That
approach has never led me astray.
5. How are you able to
balance other aspects of your life with your writing?
I
have three kids and a husband, so schedules are key. I still do lots of family
things, but the time after my kids go to bed is my time for writing. I love
this time!
6. What elements do you think
make a great story line?
I
think the biggest element is character. If your readers don’t care about your
main, they aren’t going to read. A close second is risk of some kind. We read a
story to find out if that main character is going to make it (through the
meeting, through the date, through the car crash). By setting up risk
situations for a character who readers already love, a book keeps them reading.
7. What was the hardest thing
about writing a book?
I
find editing the hardest part. I’d rather write ten first drafts than a single
polished manuscript. For me, the only way to get through it is to make a list
of edits and just force myself to do one each day. (This requires a LOT of
self-rewarding!)
8. How many books have you
written so far? Do you have a favorite?
I’ve
published six books (so far) and written a couple others that are waiting in
the wings. My favorite (at the
moment) is All the Feels. It’s fun
and fandom-focused and I had an AMAZING time writing it!
9. Do you have a favorite
character?
Xander
is definitely my book boyfriend at the moment. And, yes, I wrote him. That’s
not weird, is it?
Er…
don’t answer that.
10. Where do you write?
I
love sitting at my kitchen table with my laptop open. It’s not fancy in the
least, but since the table is right between the living room and kitchen, it
lets me keep an eye on my kids in the yard, grab coffee whenever I need, and
participate in family life. Perfect!
11. When deciding on how to
publish, what directed you to the route you took?
I’m
the perfect example of NEVER GIVE UP. When I first started writing and
querying, I got a lot of responses from agents (yay!) but the overwhelming
consensus was that I was an “unknown” (boo!) One agent explained publishing was
changing incredibly fast and suggested I get out and prove myself, then query
again. I self-published that first book and wrote another. I entered this new
one in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel of the Year Award and was a
quarterfinalist in 2013. I made a huge social media presence and connected with
other writers.
When
I queried again, the outcome was totally different. I signed with Morty Mint,
and my writing career took off from there. From indie to small press to big
five in about five years. That’s not too bad!
12. Have you gotten feedback
from family about your book(s)? What do they think?
It’s
funny how often people tell me they always knew I’d be a writer, even before I
knew! My family has been super supportive for the most part. Even family
members who don’t usually read YA have read All
the Feels and completely enjoyed it. In fact, the only negative experience
I can think of was my one aunt told me she wouldn’t read my thriller Edge of Wild (Stonehouse, 2016) because
“you kill people in it”. (Yes, that tends to happen in murder-mysteries.)
13. What kinds of things do
you like to do outside of writing?
I
grew up in the mountains and love being outdoors. I’m fortunate that I live
close to both the mountains and a lot of prairie nature areas. Taking long
walks or hiking is when I get my best ideas for books.
I’m
also an artist, and love to paint. It’s a completely different way to express
oneself, but I find the same kind of escape I get from writing. Creative flow
is my addiction!
14. What kinds of advice would
you give to someone who wants to start writing?
Do
it. Don’t talk about it. Don’t invest in books about how you should market once
it’s done. Don’t invest in fancy writing software or an ergonomic desk chair.
Just
WRITE.
Like
anything else that requires skill, the only way to get better is constant
practice, and that means constantly writing.
15. What is your favorite
book? favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to
write?
I
always get asked this and I never have a good answer. Sorry about that. My
go-to response is that the only writer I can think if who has a book on my
favorite non-fiction list (On Writing)
and my favorite fiction list (The Stand)
would be Stephen King. If pressed, I’d probably choose him, but that’s only
because he scored two home runs. I have tremendous love for any number of
writers: Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Audrey Niffenegger. ALL of them –
and more! – are the reason I became a writer.
16. Do you have any go to
people when writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as
editing, beta reading and such?
I
have been blessed with an amazing group of writerly friends with whom I share
my writing. They beta-read for me and I do the same for them. When it comes to
editing, I trust Holly West, the editing guru from Swoon for my YA books, and
Dinah Forbes, the one-time editor from McClelland & Stewart, for my
thrillers.
17. Are you working on
anything now?
Short
answer: I am ALWAYS writing.
Long
answer: I’m partway through writing a new thriller, and have recently started
editing a super-secret YA book. There should be an announcement about that one
sometime this year!
18. Tell us 5 things that make
you smile.
a.
Rainy days and no place to be
b.
All dogs
c.
All cats
d.
The moment you arrive in the
mountains
e.
Book stores
19. Tell us 5 things that make
you sad.
a.
Rainy days when I’m stuck
working
b.
Missed connections
c.
Faraway friends
d.
Old houses that have fallen
into disrepair
e.
The very last page of an
amazing book
20. If you could travel
anywhere in the world to visit a place so you could use it as a background for
a book, where would it be?
I
have always wanted to travel through France and visit all the sites. It’d also
be a great excuse to go practice my French!
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Danika. It was great having you with us!
Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both adults (The Intaglio Series and Ctrl Z) and teens (Icarus and All the Feels). When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.
The first book in Danika’s upcoming Tathagata series (Edge of Wild) was selected as a quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel of the Year Award (2013). Edge of Wild (Stonehouse CA) will be released March 2016. Danika’s YA novel, All the Feels (Macmillan US), will be released June 2016.
Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.
The first book in Danika’s upcoming Tathagata series (Edge of Wild) was selected as a quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel of the Year Award (2013). Edge of Wild (Stonehouse CA) will be released March 2016. Danika’s YA novel, All the Feels (Macmillan US), will be released June 2016.
Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.
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ReplyDeleteAll the feels sounds great ♡ Looking forward to reading this book. Thank you
ReplyDeleteI fell in love with this story! Well written, funny, with a side of romance. Liv and Xander are great. Real friends with the ups and downs all friends have. I was laughing and cringing as I read. This book definitely captures the feel of all consuming fandom can be, but there's a real heart to its message. Totally loved it!
ReplyDelete