The character, Erin, shares many of the same qualities as her namesake: imaginative, adventurous, kind and enjoys helping others.
Lori Forrest – 27 October 2016
The Back Flap
POP!
An old bubble wand. A hazy image in a bubble. POP! And suddenly, Erin is pulled into a new world — a medieval town, complete with a castle. Mistaken for the princess who has gone missing, she finds herself in danger and on the adventure of a lifetime. With the help of her new friend, Jeffrey, Erin finds clues to the missing princess and fights to save the kingdom. Join Erin on her first adventure in the magic bubble as she discovers the past of this new world. She must decide who to trust and learns she is braver and stronger than she thought!
About the book
What is the book about?
The Castle in the Bubble is about a young girl named, Erin, with a huge imagination. She finds an old bubble wand while helping her mother clean out her grandmother’s attic. The wand creates a bubble that encases a new world. Erin is transported to this world and finds adventure in store!
When did you start writing the book?
I started writing this book in the summer of 2015.
How long did it take you to write it?
It took me a year from when I started writing to final publishing. The actual writing took about six months and then I spent a lot of time researching, finding and then working with an illustrator as well as editing, formatting and producing the cover.
Where did you get the idea from?
The idea came from my own childhood. I was always fascinated by bubbles. I remember playing in my backyard in the summer, chasing the bubbles and imagining each one held a different world. I imagined that I could be transported magically into these worlds to explore.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The biggest part I struggled with was keeping the language in the book at my targeted reading level but yet, still have it be diverse, dotted with a few challenging words. Sometimes, I would find my language repetitive. Reading the manuscript aloud really helped catch the times my words were repetitive and helped me improve the language and flow.
What came easily?
The story itself came quite easily. Once I started writing it just flowed. If I got stuck, I would read my story aloud to my own children and that would help inspire direction.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
The main character was named by, and for, my second daughter Erin. The character, Erin, shares many of the same qualities as her namesake: imaginative, adventurous, kind and enjoys helping others.
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?
J.R.R. Tolkien is a huge influence on me. I have read Lord of the Rings more times than I can count. Also, the Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. In both of these series, the authors create such rich magical worlds and the characters grow to become more than they thought they could be.
Do you have a target reader?
My books are geared toward 7-10 year olds.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
My writing process is very organic. I begin with a basic idea or even just an opening sentence. I don’t map out a specific plan but instead the story grows as I write. In a way, it’s a lot like discovering the adventure and growing along with my character.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I don’t write an outline as I start, however, I have often made use of outlines to help cope with writer’s block. Sometimes when I’m writing I’ll find that I’m stuck as where to go next, and planning out a direction and an ending can help reignite the story.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I rarely do any editing as I go. I need to get all the story out, so to speak, before I can critically go back and identify the parts that need revision.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I do. I find it invaluable to have another set of eyes got through my story, not just to catch typos and errors, but also an editor has fresh eyes that can see things that often your own brain skips over.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
No, I need quiet to write.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I did not.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I decided to self-publish after doing a lot of research on publishing companies and the publishing process. It seemed to me that I didn’t really gain much by going through a traditional publisher. From my research, I found that many publishing companies, even if they accepted your book, didn’t do a lot in the way of marketing. That the success of your books and audience reach really depended a lot on what you, the author, put into it. I decided that if I was going to invest fully my time, energy and skill into my books that I also wanted to retain the rights.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
Both. Since I write children’s books, I had an illustrator that did the chapter illustrations. She also designed the background image based on my needs that I used for the cover. I did the rest, adding the text and formatting printing.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Mostly I am winging it. I started locally gaining exposure and support in the city where I live. I’ve visited classrooms with my target age range and read parts of the story and talked about being an author, giving a donation of books for the classrooms and bookmarks for the kids.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Go for it! Self-publishing was very difficult and took me longer than I expected the first time around. There was a huge learning curve. There were many times I felt overwhelmed and wasn’t sure I could. But when it was all finished and I had my completed work in my hands it was all worth it.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Juneau, Alaska. I spent most of my childhood outside, rain, shine or snow, living in my imagination and making up stories.
Where do you live now?
I live now in the Pacific Northwest. I love it here. The foliage and mountains are beautiful and living near the water gives me peace.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I am also part of a local non-profit arts organization, UP for Arts, that brings public art to the community, through permanent public art sculptures and music and visual art shows. I value being a part of this organization because I feel that it elevates everyone when art thrives.
End of Interview:
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Get your copy of The Castle in the Bubble from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
