Threadwalkers
Joanna Volavka
Publication date: October 16th 2017
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
After her father’s death in a plane crash, Miranda Woodward’s life begins to unravel. On her sixteenth birthday, Miranda receives a mysterious gift: a small wooden box containing a needle and spool of gossamer golden thread, left behind by her father, which begins a chain of events that soon leave her life in chaos. Her pet cat is replaced with another, her teachers don’t have her on their roll call at school, even her closest friends forget who she is. When her mother vanishes into thin air, Miranda becomes desperate for answers. She follows clues to a meet a man known only as the Tailor. With his help, she must find a way to fix her life before it’s too late.
1. Did you always know you wanted
to be a writer or did you want to be something else?
When I was
five, I wanted to be a piano-playing astronaut paleontologist (so a musician
who went looking for space dinosaurs) and I still think this is the best
possible career path in the world. Unfortunately, NASA hasn’t gotten back to me
about it, and also I stopped piano lessons when I was about ten.
2. How long does it take you to
write a book from start to finish?
This entirely
depends on the book and which time I’m writing it. For a first draft, it can be
as short as a couple of months, or even more than a year if I’m having a hard
time with, say, the middle. It took me about two years to write Threadwalkers,
and then another year or so to edit it.
3. How do you come up with themes
for your stories?
I tend to
begin with characters and then figure out what’s “wrong” in their lives. What’s
the conflict, what are they dealing with, what bothers them? Themes come out of
exploring those aspects. If I try to begin with a theme then I find the story
is too conceptual and is missing the meat of a plot! I’m definitely a plotter.
4. Do you have a schedule of when
you write?
I would
really like to say yet, but the answer is no. I write a lot and then I write
nothing.
5. How are you able to balance other
aspects of your life with your writing?
Time blocking
is my friend. I set aside big chunks of time to do certain things, and then
don’t let myself off of that schedule (within reason) and try to get things
done. Sometimes designating specific days of the week (or months of the year)
is the only way to get it all done.
6. What elements do you think make
a great story line?
Internal
logic and consistency. You can write about anything under the sun, but your
story has to follow its own rules or the reader will either not be able to
follow it, or feel betrayed and abandon the story, or it just won’t make sense.
Internal logic in everything is key.
7. What was the hardest thing about
writing a book?
Editing a
book.
8. How many books have you written
so far? Do you have a favorite?
I have
written 7 or 8 books so far, though only the one has been published (yet)! It’s
hard to choose a favorite, though I suppose I am partial to the one I’m working
on now. ;)
9. Do you have a favorite
character?
Can you have
a favorite child?
10. Where do you write?
I have an
office in my house. It is full of bookshelves and very, very nerdy
collectibles.
11. When deciding on how to
publish, what directed you to the route you took?
I queried for
nearly two years and explored a lot of options before going with a small press
publisher. I liked what they had to say about the industry and finding a good
home for my book.
12. Have you gotten feedback from
family about your book(s)? What do they think?
They like it.
13. What kinds of things do you
like to do outside of writing?
I love to
travel and am very passionate about conservation and environmental issues. I’m
even working on my masters in biology.
14. What kinds of advice would you
give to someone who wants to start writing?
Just start
writing. You’re not going to be good at first, but that’s okay. Nobody becomes
a concert cellist after a couple of weeks with a bow, and you aren’t going to
become a great writer without lots of practice. The more you write, the
stronger your writing gets. (Mine is still getting better the more I do it,
too.)
15. What is your favorite book?
favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to
write?
My favorite
book changes frequently, but I loved Lord of the Rings when I was in middle and
high school. I also loved the Harry Potter series, but who didn’t? I like books
with good worldbuilding, but that also don’t exist solely for the purpose of
building said world. I want a plot and conflict and interesting characters and
maybe a little humor, too. Terry Pratchett is a great example of this—Discworld
is rich and fascinating but it is the characters and stories that make that
series shine.
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?
This changes
depending on the specific book. I had a fabulous group of writers during the
process for Threadwalkers as well as several really good beta readers. And I’m
developing a list of beta readers for my next project once it gets to that
point. I always want to find someone who will help me make the story as strong
as it can be and someone who knows the genre and is familiar with similar
stories.
17. Are you working on anything
now?
I am! It’s something of a pet
project and nothing may come of it, but I’m experimenting with genre and a
different writing style.
18. Tell us 5 things that make you
smile
Kittens, daisies, plane tickets,
movies in theaters, lactose-free ice cream
19. Tell us 5 things that make you
sad
Cancelled shows, when books end,
when people are awful to one another for no reason, traffic, lack of
lactose-free ice cream
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 want to
travel to so many places around the world, but right now I think the most
beneficial place would be a little cabin in the mountains. Preferably haunted.
Author Bio:
Joanna Volavka is the author of the young adult science fiction novel Threadwalkers. She currently lives in Chicago with her husband, two cats, and extensive book collection. A writer for Geek Girl Pen Pals, Joanna spends her time alternately between creative artistic pursuits and has a passion for conservation and wildlife while working on whatever story she’s got brewing in her overly active imagination. She still hasn’t decided what she’s going to be when she grows up, though she suspects it will probably be herself. Read more about Joanna and her adventures on her website www.joannavolavka.com
You can connect with Joanna on Twitter: @joannavolavka and on Instagram: @joannavolavka and @geekyjo
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very interesting book, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJust added this to my wishlist!
ReplyDelete