I worked on it for close to a decade and then the first half of what became Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga was the writing sample I used to get jobs at ABC Daytime and with As the World Turns and Guiding Light. The fact that it was just a sample and not finished was what inspired me to write it in collaboration with my readers!
Alina Adams 16 June 2012
The Back Flap
From Alina Adams, New York Times best-selling author of Oakdale Confidential, Jonathan’s Story, When a Man Loves a Woman, Annie’s Wild Ride and the Figure Skating Mystery series, comes Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga, where readers are invited to help write the story!
When Victoria Morgan agreed to come work for the mysterious Cooper family, she never expected their long-hidden secrets to bleed over into her own – or to fall in love with Douglas Cooper’s playboy son, Robin.
A development Robin’s wife, Nicole, has no intention of accepting gracefully – even if it means destroying the only person who ever gave a damn about her… and everyone he cares about, as well.
2010 SCRIBE Award Winner Adams (for The Man From Oakdale) begins her tale of passion, intrigue, and deceit with Volume #1 of Counterpoint, then turns it over to her readers to guide where they want to see the tale go next.
A new volume of “Counterpoint” will be released monthly, written by Adams… and you.
About the book
After close to twenty years of publishing with traditional houses like Avon, Dell, Berkley, Pocket, etc… I’ve taken the plunge and not only digitized my backlist for re-release as ebooks, but launched an original series, Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga.
What is the book about?
Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga (Volume One) is the story of a wealthy family with a lot to hide. And of a brother and sister who get mixed up with them while falling in love with the absolutely last two people they should be. That’s the opening premise, anyway. But, the kicker is the world “Interactive” in the title. I will be writing all subsequent volumes based on reader feedback. I got the idea from when I worked in soap operas, and developed a property for Procter & Gamble Productions called www.AnotherWorldToday.com where, at the end of every bi-weekly episode, readers got to vote. When it comes to Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga, what happens next is up to you…
When did you start writing the book?
Would you believe… twenty-five years ago? I got the germ of the idea while still in high-school. I worked on it for close to a decade and then the first half of what became Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga was the writing sample I used to get jobs at ABC Daytime and with As the World Turns and Guiding Light. The fact that it was just a sample and not finished was what inspired me to write it in collaboration with my readers!
How long did it take you to write it?
Right now, I plan to release a new volume every month. And as long as there’s interest, I’ll keep on writing!
Where did you get the idea from?
I was a teen-ager in the late 1980s. The late 1980s were a time of blockbuster books and mini-series like those of Sidney Sheldon, Judith Kraantz, Jeffrey Archer, Belva Plain, etc… I loved them. I miss them. I want to bring them back.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
People in glitzy, glamorous books always wear fabulous clothes. I know nothing about clothes, about designer labels, about what’s classy and what’s tacky, what’s in and what’s out. That took a lot of research.
What came easily?
Dialogue. Because I come from working in television, dialogue has always come easy for me. I love to read it, I love to write it, and, if I’m not careful, I can get carried away.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Any similarity to people living or dead is entirely coincidental. That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it. J
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Aside from the aforementioned Sidney Sheldon and Belva Plain, I love George Orwell (I know, they hardly write the same sorts of things). The reason I love Orwell is for the precision of his language. He never overwrites. Animal Farm does not have a single, extraneous word in it, and yet he gets his point across so perfectly. I constantly strive for that kind of economy. I’m not quite there yet.
Do you have a target reader?
My dream readers are the ones who, when they finish a book , want to know, “But, what happens next?” I’m one of those readers. I hate having to let go of characters I’ve fallen in love with. I want the story to go on forever. And, okay, I’ll admit it, I want to contribute my ideas to where I think it should go. My ideal reader is one who likes to be a part of the process. And one who misses the glory days of family sagas, mini-series and soap operas as much as I do.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I write for a living. Free-lance writing, non-fiction writing, fiction writing, the whole gamut. I treat it like a job. After getting all three of my kids off to school in the morning, I sit down at my desk, and I look at my deadlines. I write the shorter lead-time pieces first. Then I work on marketing the books I already have out via Social Media, Facebook, Twitter, guest-blogging, my own blog, etc… And then I work on my long lead-time fiction releases. And then I go pick up my kids from school.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I actually love to outline. I feel it makes the writing process go much more smoothly. For books, I break it down into chapters, and then list the main plot points of each chapter before I start to write. Of course, sometimes matters do take on a life of their own…
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
It depends. I usually like to get a first draft down before I go back and start cutting/rearranging/polishing. But, sometimes, if I get a new idea midway through, I will go back and rewrite in order to include it.
Did you hire a professional editor?
All of my books that were published traditionally had their own editors assigned, so when I re-released them as ebooks, they were already edited.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
No! I can’t! I get too distracted! I can’t even listen to music and read at the same time. My husband can and does. It drives me crazy!
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
The first two books I had traditionally published, I did without an agent. The rest have been agented. However, I am handling the re-releases and the original titles myself.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Coming from a television background, I was very excited by the concept of enhanced ebooks. I loved the idea of adding video to help tell the story. I had written five Figure Skating Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, and I made a deal with The Ice Theatre of New York to incorporate their video library as part of the story. I offered the idea to my editor. She liked it, but the house ultimately passed. That’s when I decided to do it myself. I got the rights back, I formatted the books, and I embedded the videos. The results were Murder on Ice: Enhanced Multimedia Edition, On Thin Ice: Enhanced Multimedia Edition, Axel of Evil: Enhanced Multimedia Edition, Death Drop: Enhanced Multimedia Edition and Skate Crime: Multimedia (the latter is an excerpt from a larger work and is part of the Book Lovers Buffet $.99 cents for all titles sale going on until June 22! So is “Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga and When a Man Loves a Woman: Enhanced Multimedia Edition.)
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
I did hire a designer to make my covers for all of the re-releases.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I did my best to have a plan! In addition to traditional readers of romances and mysteries, I am targeting my Figure Skating Mysteries to figure skating fans, and Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga to soap fans. I’ve already received e-mails from people who tell me, “I’m not usually a big reader, but I loved this book!”
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Know your market, know your audience, and, most importantly, know where to find them!
About You
I was born in the former Soviet Union and moved to the US in 1977. English isn’t my first language! (Though I hope it isn’t too noticeable.)
What are you working on now?
Why, Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga (Volume Two), of course!
I also produce enhanced ebooks for other authors, such as Dan Elish’s The Worldwide Dessert Contest: Enhanced Multimedia Edition. It’s a middle-grade fantasy novel with it’s own original musical score.
End of Interview:
For more visit Alina’s website.
Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga (Volume One) can be found at Amazon US or Amazon UK.
