IndieView with Lindsay Buroker, author of, Encrypted

“I’ve been making a living blogging since 2004, though, so I wasn’t intimidated at the notion of learning to promote my work online. If anything, I was excited by the idea of having so much control over it. I can’t imagine being quite as motivated if I couldn’t see the sales numbers ticking upward day by day in the Amazon control panel. Your destiny really is in your own hands.” Lindsay Buroker 5 February 2011

The Back Flap

Professor Tikaya Komitopis isn’t a great beauty, a fearless warrior, or even someone who can walk and chew chicle at the same time, but her cryptography skills earn her wartime notoriety. When enemy marines show up at her family’s plantation, she expects the worst. But they’re not there to kill her. They need her to decode mysterious runes, and they ask for help in the manner typical of a conquering empire: they kidnap her, threaten her family, and throw her in the brig of their fastest steamship.

Her only ally is a fellow prisoner who charms her with a passion for academics as great as her own. Together, they must decipher mind-altering alchemical artifacts, deadly poison rockets, and malevolent technological constructs, all while dodging assassination attempts from a rival power determined the expedition should fail. As if Tikaya didn’t have troubles enough, her new ally turns out to be exiled fleet admiral, Federias Starcrest, the man who recommended taking over her nation. To trust him could be a mistake; to fall in love with him would be a betrayal to her people, her family, and the fiancé she lost in the war. Those runes cloak more than mysteries, however, and he may be the only one who can help her unravel them before their secrets destroy the world.

About the Book

What is the book about?

I wrote at least ten drafts of the book blurb, so I think I’ll just let that do the talking here. 🙂

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing Encrypted in Spring of 2010.

How long did it take you to write it?

It’s my second novel, and it came along a lot more smoothly than the first (The Emperor’s Edge). I did end up rewriting much of the last third of the book, but what writer is ever happy with things after the first draft? I finished in October, sent it off to my critique buddies, made some changes, and then had the cover art and editing done in December/January. It went live mid-January.

Where did you get the idea from?

I already had the world developed (at least insofar as the Turgonian Empire and its detested foes, the Nurians), since I used it for my first novel as well. The Emperor’s Edge was a lot of years in the making, and it started as a very typical secondary world urban fantasy with the stalwart adventuring group one sees so often in the genre. It did evolve into something that is somewhat original (I hope!), but I still have familiar character types. With Encrypted, I wanted to get away from the stereotypes and create a main character you don’t see every day in fantasy.

At the time, I was reading The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography (cool book), and I thought something to do with cryptography or cracking codes would be fun. Eventually I created Tikaya, a philologist professor who knows dozens of languages and gets sucked into learning cryptography to help her nation when the Turgonians try to take them over. She’s tall, klutzy, wears spectacles, and is the quintessential geek. That, I thought, is not a heroine you see every day in fantasy.

From there, I built a story that would let her use her skills while having plenty of danger and adventure to keep things exciting. I knew I wanted to do a romance with this one, too, so I had to create a suitable hero for her to fall in love with. Rias is a famous naval officer amongst his people, but he’s a big geek, too, with a passion for mathematics and engineering. They’d be meant for each other… if they hadn’t been on opposing sides in the war!

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I always build a mystery into my action-adventure stories, and sometimes “whodunit” is as much a mystery to me as to my characters. I was about 75% of the way into the first draft of Encrypted and still hadn’t figured out what was motivating the bad guys and who they were exactly. I ended up doing quite a bit of rewriting on the back half once I figured things out. I’m told it all came together well, though, so that’s good!

What came easily?

I love writing dialogue between my main characters, and I also enjoy sprinkling in some humor. I’m the kind of person who will say nothing for five minutes in a group conversation, and then someone gives me a good set-up for a joke…and I pounce. I really enjoyed writing the cute-but-awkward dialogue of these two heroes falling in love.

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

Nothing comes to mind, so if I’ve ever done this it’s been subconscious.

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?

How and what, yes.

I grew up reading Jack London and lots of books about Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, and other heroes of that time period. Years later, I think Sacajawea is still the longest book I’ve ever read. Even though I devoured lots of medieval-European-styled fantasy later on, I never forgot my love for that 1700s-1800s time period and those frontier America exploits, so it’s no surprise that my fantasy worlds are all steam-powered and full of adventure.

I also was a child of the 80’s and remember watching the A-team, MacGyver, and re-runs of the original Star Trek on television, and I believe those early shows influenced the types of characters I like to write today. Spock, Hannibal, and Macgyver, all smart guys. 🙂

As for the how of writing, I definitely have to give a head nod to Lois McMaster Bujold. Even though I was in my 20s when I discovered the Vorkosigan books, and my writing “style” was probably already set, I kept nodding to myself as I read her stories. This, I said, is how I want my fantasy to be (kind of funny that I thought that since they are SF books): very character-driven with the stories coming into existence because of the characters rather than characters being created to fit into some epic quest plot formula.

Do you have a target reader?

With Encrypted, I honestly thought I was writing a book for female fantasy lovers (my only POV character is a woman, after all, and Encrypted is very much a romance), but I’ve had a couple wonderful reviews from male readers, so I’d say anyone who enjoys fast-paced science fiction or fantasy might give it a try.

About Writing

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

I’m amazed sometimes that I get any writing done at all, because I’m easily distracted by the internet, other books, the internet, my dogs, and the internet. I seem to do best when I drag a notebook off somewhere and write by hand. It’s just a shame my handwriting is so awful that I could never hire anyone to transcribe my pages to the computer for me.

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

I do write out an outline before I get started, but I’m not sure why I bother. I tend not to look at it again, and I’ve usually deviated from the plan by Chapter 3.

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

I won’t say that I never go back and edit, but I usually try to get that first draft done before worrying too much about prettying things up. I don’t want to waste a lot of time perfecting scenes that may end up getting cut later on.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I belong to a writing workshop and have some gals critique my stories after I have a middle draft done. Then I go back and edit to address concerns that resonate with me. Then, when I’m happy with the story, I have a professional proofread for me.

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

Rarely. I seem to be one of the weird ones! Because I drag my notebook around and write anywhere and everywhere, I’m not always some place where I can choose the background noise. If I do listen to music while I’m writing, it’s usually something without lyrics. A movie soundtrack or ES Posthumus, perhaps.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I sent out five query letters for Encrypted, and between the time I first sent them and the time the last ones came back, I’d discovered e-publishing, decided to try e-publishing, hired an editor, hired an artist, and had final edits and cover art on my computer. To say the traditional process is slow is an understatement.

I did have an offer of representation (for Emperor’s Edge) from an agent who’d agreed to critique the manuscript as a prize in a charity auction. It was seven months from the time I sent it to when she got it back to me, though, and I was already deep into the e-publishing process at that point. (The offer wasn’t unconditional, either, and I wasn’t that interested in going back and making changes to the novel at that point.)

What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I got my first e-reader in October 2010, discovered the relative ease of getting one’s books into the Kinde/Nook/iPad store, and decided to go for it in November! The Emperor’s Edge went live in December and Encrypted in January.

I’ve been making a living blogging since 2004, though, so I wasn’t intimidated at the notion of learning to promote my work online. If anything, I was excited by the idea of having so much control over it. I can’t imagine being quite as motivated if I couldn’t see the sales numbers ticking upward day by day in the Amazon control panel. Your destiny really is in your own hands.

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

There’d be stick figures on there if I’d done it myself! I knew I didn’t have the talent, so I hired Elena Dudina, a lovely lady you should check out on Deviant Art. She has some beautiful fantasy work online.

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

Like many writers, I don’t have the salesman gene, and I don’t like to bother folks, so I’m a pretty lousy pitchman. I am, of course, submitting my novels for review where ebooks are accepted (Liviu Suciu over at the Fantasy Book Critic did a wonder review for Encrypted, in case your readers would like to check it out:), and I’m trying to blog regularly, putting out helpful information for other authors [Editor’s note: I’ve checked it out – loads of useful information for indies at Lindsay’s blog :)]. I’m a newcomer to selling ebooks, but I’ve learned a lot about search engine optimization, internet marketing,  and online advertising over the years, so I’m able to take that knowledge and share what’s applicable for people in our industry.

My blog is at: http://www.lindsayburoker.com

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

Even though I provide a lot of information on my blog, I’m not big on giving advice. Maybe when I’ve sold 100,000 ebooks, it won’t sound presumptuous in my own ears, but I have a long ways to go before reaching that point. Folks are welcome to contact me through my site, though, and I’ll do my best to answer questions.

About You

Where did you grow up?

We moved a lot when I was a kid, but I’ve lived in the Seattle area for most of my adult life. I did do a few years in the army and lived in Arizona, Georgia, and South Korea during that time.

Where do you live now?

Out in the boonies, hah. Everett, WA is about fifteen minutes away, but there are people with horses, goats, and alpacas in my neighborhood, and I often see deer when I’m out jogging. My yard is big enough for a small orchard and a huge garden, though, so it suits me.

What are you working on now?

Book 2 in the Emperor’s Edge series. I do have an outline and about twenty thousand words written in a sequel to Encrypted, but I’m a little intimidated by the project. I’m pleased with the way Encrypted turned out (I’m a tough critic when it comes to my own stuff, so I don’t say that lightly), and I want to make sure I can do a sequel justice. With Emperor’s Edge, I always knew that was setting up a series, and there are lots of questions left unanswered, so it feels more natural to go on to the next one.

End of Interview

Lindsay’s book Encrypted can be bought at Amazon, B&N or Smashwords.