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Wednesday Interview: Deborah Nam-Krane

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by Megan in Author Interviews

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

authors, books, eBooks, interviews, NA, New Adult, novelists, publishing, writers, writing

The New Adult category is moving, and more authors are producing books with main characters between the ages of 18 – 26.

One of them is Deborah Nam-Krane, who will be publishing her first book in a few weeks. Born in New York City, but raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Deb has had a long love for writing and is excited her novel, The Smartest Girl in the Room, could soon be read by book lovers like her. Deb Nam Kane

MC: What was the big moment for you when you realized you wanted to be a writer, particularly a novelist?

DNK: I always looked at the really sweeping sagas that were in bookstores- and made into television movies!- and thought, “I really want to do that.” But it was when I was thirteen that the story I had to write came to me. All of the things I’d been reading- Judith Krantz, Nabokov, Austen, Bronte- percolated into something that just wouldn’t let me go.

At the age of 35- 22 years after the initial thought came to me- it still hadn’t let go. My characters just kept tugging at me until I got it right.

MC: Where did the idea for “The Smartest Girl in the Room” come from?

DNK: Shortly after that first story idea, another one came to me. Both sets of characters spent so long in my head together that I realized- fifteen years later- they belonged in the same universe. Then things started getting interesting; the main characters gave each other a strength they hadn’t had before.

But I still couldn’t quite get it. I kept thinking about the phrase “write what you know”. Well, there were snippets of interesting things I’d been witness to, particularly in college. I went to Northeastern, which back then was a mix between a commuter school and a place with a lot of international students. There was much more socio-economic diversity than there is now, which might explain why there was also an undercurrent of tension around class. That aspect I really ran with here. SmartestGirlFinal

It was easy for me to put that story in Boston, and it was easy for me to write about that setting- I’ve lived here for over 22 years! That world took on so many contours so quickly, and I thought it was just the right setting for “my old friends”. Once I put those characters in with my new characters, it was as if the story wrote itself. Is that a cliche? Well, maybe we use those for a reason.

MC: Do you believe NA/New Adult is just a passing fad, as some say, or on it’s way to having it’s own space in a bookstore or online book store?

DNK: I didn’t think there was anything extraordinary about setting a story in college, or making a main character nineteen years old. I also thought that since the character would be what I thought was the older side of “young adult” it wouldn’t have trouble finding some interest in the market. But when I first started looking into publishing about two and a half years ago, the categories were really rigid. Eighteen was old for the young adult market, and romance and women’s fiction seemed to be interested in people that were already firmly “adults”- unless it was a historical romance, but mine wasn’t.

When I poked around and started asking agents informally about my character’s age, two recommended that I make the character eighteen instead. While I was willing to make some changes to get published, that just seemed silly.

I think New Adult is here to stay because I’m not the only writer- or reader- that wants to read about people that age. Having said that, while I think it’s going to continue to do really well online, I think it’s going to be a couple of years before the bookstores get around to displaying them in their own section, if they ever do. I think it’s more likely that they’re going to be included into general fiction or whatever other genre they fall into. And that’s fine, as long as booksellers can talk about them and readers can find them.

MC: You say that you much prefer to hold a book and turn it’s pages. How do you feel about the increasing popularity of eBooks?

DNK: I don’t object 🙂 Believe me, there have been plenty of times that I’ve carried around a heavy library book- plus a notebook- and thought, you know, maybe I should have looked for the eBook. I don’t object to anything that makes it easier for people to read.

I’d say I’m more worried about what eReaders can do, whether you have a dedicated device or you’re reading from your phone, tablet or computer. I don’t think people realize just how much information is being tracked when you use them to read. The most popular eReaders know whether you’ve finished something, how long it took you, where you stopped, how long you stayed on which page and what search terms you looked up. That information is then used to figure out what else you’re likely to buy.

As an author, great! It is now that much easier to find and sell to someone. As a reader… I don’t know if I want that much information about me in anyone’s database.

MC: What other plans do you have in your writing career? What can readers expect more from you?

DNK: The Smartest Girl In The Room is the kick-off book for The New Pioneers series. I have three more full-length sequels already written, and those are coming out as soon as I can get them spiffed up by my editor (and as soon as my fabulous designer can come up with something that’s as gorgeous as this cover). I also have a number of short stories that fill in some of the time gaps between the novels and delve into some of the backstories of these characters. This is definitely romance/women’s fiction, so expect a strong female focus, but there are a couple of fascinating male characters who inhabit this little universe too.

I might delve out of this universe eventually, but everything that follows is probably always going to have a connection to The New Pioneers, if only in my own mind.

Find out more about Deborah Nam-Krane:

My writing blog
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook Page
Pinterest
Google +
 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

24 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by Megan in Miscellaneous

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

A Look Back, books, Christmas, Kindle, publishing

Well, it is that time of year again where many of us gather with our loved ones to exchange presents, feast for hours, listen to Christmas music and watch traditional Christmas movies. I’ll be getting ready for the annual Christmas snacking with my parents later tonight, and then have the big dinner tomorrow with my parents and my older sister.

I know during Christmas some people take the time to look back on the year that was, but I honestly don’t like doing that. Yes, the year is over in so many ways, but there’s still a week to go and anything can happen. I know the days after Christmas are sort of like lame-duck days, but it doesn’t mean 2012 is over.

That being said, I do want to take the time to thank all of you who come to this blog to read about my thoughts on writing, critiquing, censorship, and of course vampires 😉 It’s great to share my thoughts with others and to read about other people’s opinions.

But I most especially would like to thank all of you who have supported me this year – the year I published my first book, the NA Urban Fantasy, The Dark Proposal. Ever since its September 14th publication on Amazon Kindle, the book has been sold/downloaded for free 700 times. I am so amazed and excited that many were interested in my book, and I hope they will be looking forward to its sequel which I hope to publish next year.

Yep, I have a lot to be grateful for.

Again, Merry Christmas to everyone and enjoy!

Blog Tour Schedule via Dark Mind Book Tours!

11 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by Megan in The Dark Proposal

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

blog tours, eBooks, publishing, self-publishing

Here is the schedule for my 5-day blog tour next week, courtesy of Dark Mind Book Tours. I would like to thank Franny and Silvia for putting this together and I am really looking forward to this!

September 17th, 2012
Mind Reader
(Excerpt)
September 18th, 2012
Picked By Poison
(Review, Author Interview, Excerpt)
September 19th, 2012
The Bunny’s Review
(Character Interview, Guest Post, Excerpt)
September 20th, 2012
My Chaotic Ramblings
(Guest Post, Excerpt)
September 21st, 2012
Read-A-Holicz
(Review
Hope to see you on the tour!

Is There Still Room for Vampires?

07 Monday May 2012

Posted by Megan in Vampires

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

authors, books, opinion, publishing

I think most people have an interest in vampires. Whether for erotic reasons or their version of evil, the fascination with the undead is as old as time.

As of late, vampires have been very popular, thanks to the Twilight saga, HBO’s True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. The bloodsuckers are everywhere, and some are wondering when they will return to their coffins and stay there.

But, there may be a chance vampires will continue to remain popular for some time, and I certainly hope so. After all, I will be releasing a vampire book this coming summer as an E-book. If all goes well, I’ll write two more books, thus making a trilogy.

When asked what my book is about, I tend to say: “The bad news is, my book is about vampires. The good news is, the vampire is the villain/antagonist”,

Sounds humorous, but will potential readers roll their eyes, complain of yet another vampire book on the market and move on to something else? It’s highly possible, and I might be taking a risk releasing my book to the world.

However, I don’t believe all is lost. I believe there’s still room for vampires to be read about by readers. This is because there are some people who read that genre religiously, and not just teenagers going through a phase. I actually know a few who collect books by Anne Rice, obsess over True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. It is because of those people that the vampire genre will not die (pardon the pun), even when the fad fades.

Yes, trends come and go, and I remember vampires being huge when I was in junior high. Interview With The Vampire had come to movie theaters and it was a big hit. My friends and I developed an interest in the undead and started reading not only Ms. Rice, but also YA books by R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. The latter’s series, The Last Vampire was popular among us, and it had an effect on the vampires I wrote about in my novel.

But eventually, the vampire fad calmed down after a few years. Then in 2009, it erupted again with Twilight and vampires seem to be everywhere – though it does feel like the genre will calm down again until it rises ten years from now. I think that because the last Twilight movie will be out in November, and after that, vampires will officially come passe – although how True Blood and The Vampire Diaries do on the Nielsen ratings will determine if the fad really is over.

So, whether the vampire trend will remain alive for some time or go to sleep remains to be seen. I really think those two shows I mentioned will signal the end or the continuation of the fad. Personally, as a fan of True Blood, I hope it will continue because the show is funny, sexy and exciting to watch.

Anyway, passing fad or not, vampires will always strike the imagination of the general public. They represent immortality, sex, and unlimited powers and freedom. They are creatures of the night, a time of seduction and mystery. As long as most people see that, vampires will be around for as long as they have been already. Whether they are enormously popular or have a cult following depends on the time period.

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