IndieView with Lynne Cantwell, author of Crosswind

 

I took that to mean that there wasn’t anything wrong with it, other than that the agent couldn’t make any money from it.

Lynne Cantwell – 23 February 2014

The Back Flap

Storm’s coming…

When Jesus returned, bringing flocks of pagan Gods with him, Paradise also returned to Earth. For ten years, the Gods have labored together to improve the world.

But some people believe the Second Coming was a hoax. Along with the wealthy and powerful, they are targeting the First Nations people who aided the new resurgence.

Three humans have been recruited to foil the plot:

• Tess, an investigative reporter for a news network, has an uneasy alliance with Morrigan, the Irish Goddess of war.
• Darrell, a Potawatomi medicine man turned Navy lieutenant, thanks to Nanabush, his people’s culture hero.
• And Sue, a project manager for a nonprofit who the Earth Goddess Gaia has recruited to be her Right Hand.

As the Gods’ opponents up their game, these three individuals must overcome their own turbulent histories to come together as a team  — or the work of the last ten years will be in vain.

About the book

What is the book about?

Crosswind is set ten years after the return to Earth of Jesus and all the pagan gods and goddesses. The gods have been cracking heads since They came back, and as a result, Earth is a much nicer place to live than it used to be. But of course, there’s been push-back from the humans who had been in power up to then. The gods expected that, so some of Them recruited humans to help Them when the time came. In this book, the time has come – a coalition of political, military, and religious interests is ready to strike back against the gods and take back control. So the gods have now brought Tess, Sue, and Darrell together for the first time, and the three of them have to figure out how to work together to save the day.

When did you start writing the book?

Late summer 2013.

How long did it take you to write it?

For the first draft, about a month. I tend to write my first drafts NaNoWrimo-style – 50,000 words in three or four weeks.

Where did you get the idea from?

Land, Sea, Sky is a follow-on series to my earlier urban fantasy series, The Pipe Woman Chronicles. When I had finished Naomi’s story, I began wondering what would happen next. It stands to reason that the military-industrial complex would cling tenaciously to its money and power, and I figured it would take a couple of election cycles for the gods’ opponents to really pull a plan together.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

The biggest struggle was probably deciding what Indian tribe Darrell is from. I wanted him to be from Michigan, which gave me a choice of three tribes – the Chippewa, the Odawa or the Potawatomi. There’s a ton of information available about Chippewa (also known as Ojibwe) culture and customs, so for starters I was leaning that way. But I settled on Potawatomi because (as I understand it) their beliefs are very similar, and because they’re from southeastern Michigan, just a few miles from where I grew up.

What came easily?

Tess works as a broadcast journalist in Washington, D.C. Writing her scenes at work were easy because I used to do that for a living myself. The opening scenes were also pretty easy, as I’ve been to several Congressional Correspondents’ dinners in my time.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

I don’t deliberately pattern my characters after anyone in real life. However, I wouldn’t swear that there have been no subconscious influences.

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?

I always cite Stephen R. Donaldson because the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever is still my favorite fantasy series. I learned a lot about how fantasy works from reading his books. I also like Graham Joyce for the psychological twists he puts into his work, and Kent Haruf for his spare style. Reading Patricia Briggs and Carrie Vaughn set me off on writing urban fantasy, and I also enjoy C.E. Murphy’s books.

Do you have a target reader?

It’s funny, but when I started The Pipe Woman Chronicles, I intended for the books to be urban fantasy – a genre that’s aimed at women. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of men who have admitted to reading, and enjoying, my books.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

Unless you count blog posts and Facebook, I don’t write every day. Typically, I spend an intensive three to six weeks on the first draft, writing every evening and all day on some weekend days. Then I will let the work sit for a few weeks before I begin the first editing pass. That “ripening” period helps me forget what I wrote, so I can come to the work with fresh eyes. I’ll make two or three editing passes before sending the book to my editor and beta.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I just recently learned there’s a name for what I do. It’s called “story beats,” and it’s a little more like jazz improvisation than an actual outline. Basically, I write a meandering paragraph about each of the major plot points, in order. Sometimes the paragraph will be fairly detailed, but sometimes it will say something along the lines of, “This thing needs to happen and I think X will be in the best position to do it, and I’ll figure out how when I get there.” This allows the characters to do what they need to do in their own way, and as long as we all end up in the original key (if you will) by the end of the book, it’s all good.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I usually start a writing session by reading over the last few pages from the previous session. If I find an error, I’ll correct it then. But I don’t meticulously hone one section before I go on to the next. For that kind of editing, I wait ‘til the whole first draft is done.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I like to say I grew my own editing team. My daughter Kat beta reads for me, and one of her college friends, Suzu Strayer, is my editor. Both of them have degrees in creative writing, and Suzu is working on her Ph.D. in children’s literature.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I spent so many years working in a noisy newsroom that now, when I write, I prefer silence.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

In the long-ago and faraway, yes, but I could never get any traction. Either they would return the manuscript unread, or they would read an excerpt and say it wasn’t for them. The most encouraging response I got was from one who said she didn’t think she could sell my book in the current climate; I took that to mean that there wasn’t anything wrong with it, other than that the agent couldn’t make any money from it.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

That agent’s response was one of several reasons why I went indie. But what made me pull the trigger was a desire to sell Kindle editions of my work. I already had a book published by a small publisher, but they weren’t set up for KDP, and I kept hearing that’s where the action was. So when the agent said no, I went ahead and self-published.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I did the Crosswind cover myself. The biggest outside-my-wheelhouse part of indie publishing, for me, has been learning about royalty-free stock photos, GIMP, and book cover design. I’m not sure I know enough about it yet to be dangerous. Mildly alarming, maybe.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I hired the Finishing Fairies to help me launch Crosswind. We did a book blast right before Thanksgiving and a blog tour in January.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

First, let me say that in the current publishing climate, if you’re writing genre fiction, self-publishing is the smartest thing you can do. Then I’d say that your best bet is to spend some quality time at Indies Unlimited. We have tons of information on every facet of the self-publishing process, from writing and formatting to editing and marketing – and we’re fun.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in northern Indiana, about five blocks from Lake Michigan. In summer, we went to the beach, and in winter, we watched high school basketball. There wasn’t a lot else to do.

Where do you live now?

I live in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. I’ve been a resident of the Old Dominion for probably 30 years now – longer than I lived in Indiana.

What would you like readers to know about you?

When I’m not writing, reading, or on Facebook, I’m knitting. I’m not a huge fan of movies where stuff blows up real good. And I don’t get anywhere near enough sleep.

What are you working on now?

The sequel to Crosswind, Undertow, is currently in the final editing stages. I’m aiming for release in March. Undertow is set in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, VA, where I lived for several years before moving up to the D.C. area. I’ve also begun the planning for the final book in the trilogy, which will be called Scorched Earth.

End of Interview:

For more from Lynn, visit her blog.

Get your copy of Crosswind from Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.