There’s a post on Amanda’s blog called Pink Headphones. Go read it, then come back here. It’ll put everything in context for you. Suffice to say this woman has heart; a heart that pumps digital ink through her veins as she lives and breathes her stories.
“I’m an all or nothing person. So for me, writing is like bingeing and purging. I’m either obsessively working on something – anywhere from 8-14 hours a day – or I’m not writing at all. But I’m always thinking of ideas.” Amanda Hocking 9 December 2010
The Back Flap
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn’t until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right.
With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed – a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy’s not sure she wants to be a part of it.
About the Book
What is the book about?
Switched is about a girl who finds out she was switched at birth, and throughout the trilogy, it’s about how she grows up, learns to handle major responsibility, difficult choices, and falling in love. I originally marketed it as The Princess Diaries but with a much darker, paranormal slant.
When did you start writing the book?
When Star Trek was in theaters. May 2009 sometime.
How long did it take you to write it?
A couple of weeks. I know I started writing after the first time I saw Star Trek in theaters, and I’d finished it by the second time I saw Star Trek in theaters. (I really enjoyed that movie).
Where did you get the idea from?
I read a line about Scandinavian folklore that had a bit of a different interpretation of changelings than I read before, and that really filled out the story.
I’d had an idea in my mind for a while before that. I’d read an article about Andrea Yates – the mother who drowned her five children in the bathtub – and I’d thought, “How could a mother do that to her own kids? She must have really believed they were evil.” And then I thought, “What if she were right?”
Not that I believed Yates was right, or that anyone should harm their children. But from a fiction standpoint, it was interesting. So I combined that idea with the changelings one, and that’s where Switched came from.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Not so much with this one. I’ve had books that were very difficult to write – Hollowland in particular – but Switched was fun to write. It went through multiple edits, and I had to cut out a lot from the front half of it, and that was hard.
What came easily?
Conflict. Not physical fighting – that I find hard – but when people are just yelling at each other and they’re really angry or passionate, that’s the easiest and most fun to write.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I think everything comes from somewhere. I take a little bit of everything I love and throw it in, and in the end, it somehow ends up a book.
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?
For young adult writers, Richelle Mead and Claudia Gray have been really influential. Richelle Mead, in particular I think, writes to teens where it’s at. There’s no preaching about what should or shouldn’t be. Teenagers act like they do in real life – they swear, they back talk, they make mistakes, they even have sex. They have real consequences for their actions – some good, some bad. And I like that.
Do you have a target reader?
Anyone who likes paranormal romance, especially those looking for something other than vampires and werewolves.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I’m an all or nothing person. So for me, writing is like bingeing and purging. I’m either obsessively working on something – anywhere from 8-14 hours a day – or I’m not writing at all. But I’m always thinking of ideas.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
It depends on the books. I always outline, but to what degree depends on the story. Some are really detailed, with half a page of description, and others will say something like, “Wend and Finn fight” and that’s it.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Finished. I used to edit as I worked, but I found it slogged down the whole process. I’d get stuck trying to revise certain parts and never move on. I think it’s much easier to go back and fix.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Semi-yes. I’ve hired people to edit, and they’ve done a very good job. But I don’t know if they’d technically be considered “professional editors.”
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Yes. I make playlists for each of my books when they come out they put on my blog, and they’re based what I listened to when I wrote the books. But the type five artists I listen to when I write: blink 182, Fall Out Boy, Ryan Adams, Elliott Smith, and the Cure. Plus, I listen to a lot of 80s New Wave and hipster rock, like Phoenix and the Dead Weather.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yes. Multiple times. I got rejected multiple times. I did land a really great agent, but not until after I’d started making sales the indie way.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I’d tried everything I could to get traditionally published, and it wasn’t happening. I knew I wanted to write full time, and I was determined to find a way to do it. I saw people were making a living as indie – at the time Joe Konrath and Karen McQuestion – and I thought I should try it. So I did.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
Most of my covers I made myself. Right now, the only cover that’s not mine is the one for Honalee – a book coming out soon (next month, now, I think) – and that is my favorite. Claudia McKinney with phatpuppyart.com, and she is amazing.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Wing it, mostly. I tweet, facebook, and blog about a release. I make or hire someone to make book trailers. And I do giveaways. That’s about the extent of my marketing. I did have a Goodreads account for about a month, but I don’t think it helped any.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Research a lot. Edit even more. Make sure your cover is good – whoever said “don’t judge a book by its cover” is an idiot because everyone does. This is a really great time to be a writer, so make the most of it.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Austin, Minnesota. It’s SPAMtown , USA. Yeah, we actually invented SPAM here. Well, I didn’t. But Jay C. Hormel did. I think.
Where do you live now?
Austin, Minnesota. I’d love to move to Chicago or Minneapolis, and I can now, but my family is here. So I don’t know if I ever will.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I’m allergic to pineapple. It’s probably better if everyone knows that.
What are you working on now?
A lot of things. The final book in the Trylle Trilogy – Ascend , and the first book in a new series called Honalee. Plus, I’m doing some short pieces for a couple of anthologies, and I plan to edit some books I wrote a while back for an early 2011 release. Oh, and I have a novella coming out in like two weeks.
End of Interview
Buy Switched from Amazon for Kindle Here
Buy Switched from Barnes & Noble for the Nook Here
Buy Switched in Paperback Here
There’s a great post about Amanda’s MEGA sales by the father of Indie eBook publishing, Joe Konrath, over here.
If you’re into Paranormal Romance or just would like to learn more about Amanda then go visit Amanda’s blog it’s worth the trip.
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