Writers are an interesting community. We bicker, compete, support each other and also draw inspiration from one another. It's my great pleasure here to interview Celina Summers, who I had the good fortune to meet when I was part of the Musa Publishing family. She's not only a savvy writer; she takes a scholarly and detailed approach to creating her fiction. Frankly, if you're not inspired after reading this you need to go and read it again!
Q1 Tell us about your recent work and what inspired it.
Right now, I’m
playing around with multiple genre mashups. Probably the best way to describe
what I do is literary fantasy. My recent work has been set in 18th
century Europe, Asia, and America, with time traveling, magic realism,
mythology, and swords and sorcery combined with historical fiction. It’s a lot
to keep straight. Greco-Roman mythology is a huge influence in my writing,
having studied classical authors like Ovid and Vergil since I took Latin in
high school. So while I have immortal entities that are based upon mythology,
my main characters are having to confront 18th or 21st
century problems, which creates fascinating conflicts for them.
This kind of
multiple genre work is more difficult than the straight-up epic fantasy I used
to write. The historical aspects of the story requires a lot of research, for
one. I have huge storyboards on Pinterest with images of everything from
costumes to knickknacks to architecture and art. All the details must be
correct in order for such a world to work. So crafting the world is far more
difficult. And the consequence, naturally, of writing something so different is
you (or your agent) finding a publisher who is willing to take on your
literary/historical/time travel/magic realism/mythological/romance/swords and
sorcery fantasy novel. They can’t immediately see how to shelve such a novel in
bookstores, and that makes them hesitant to take on a project that complicated.
So it’s
definitely a challenge on many levels, but I love what I’m doing so I keep
plugging away at it.
Q2 What is your take on the publishing industry at the
moment?
The publishing
industry is once again in transition. For indie authors and small presses who
rely primarily on e-publishing, the options are narrowing fast. Amazon’s KDP is
convenient and easy to use, so the market is getting flooding with really bad
books. The other platforms like Barnes and Noble or Smashwords aren’t any
e-pubbed writer’s top selling site. So authors who are self-publishing have one
real shot at breaking through and that’s Amazon.
But not so
fast—the Amazon sales algorithms are skewed. Preferred product placement occurs
only if a book has enough ratings and reviews. Well anyone can get all their
friends and co-workers to run off to Amazon and review their books, and many
authors do just that. So it’s frustrating when you see books that should never
have been published getting so many sales and reviews and popping up on your
sales pages as suggestions.
That being said,
the pendulum between traditional publishing and digital publishing is swinging
back to a more balanced market. While the Big Five are still controlling the
lion’s share of the book market, e-books are here to stay. Many writers (and I
include myself in this) are learning how to use both routes professionally. I am
self-publishing my backlist of small press-published books and adding new
sequels to those stories, while my agent is representing my new work. The
arrangement works well for us both.
Q3 What are you currently working on?
The primary
project I’m currently working on is a series entitled Danse Macabre. In this world, Death isn’t the Grim Reaper, but a
conglomerate of immortals who each are assigned a specific group of mortals
whose lifespans they monitor. When a civil war breaks out among the immortals
for control of humanity’s future, Morgaine, the Death of Art, is faced with a
series of adversaries that are not only targeting the mortals in her domain but
threaten existence itself. What results is the ultimate Danse Macabre, and neither the mortal nor immortal realms will ever
be the same.
At the moment, I
have several projects on my desk. But I just finished Symphony of Death, the
first book in the Dance Macabre, so it’s uppermost on my mind. In fact, my
agent received the manuscript yesterday.
I’m also working
on a sequel to the two series I self-published in 2016—The Asphodel Cycle and The
Black Dream. (By the way, publishing eight books in eight months looks like
a really great idea on paper. But it’s a lot harder than you think it is and
you have to work your rear end off to make that happen. Trust me.) The new
book, which may turn into a series as well, is the story of the Asphodel heirs.
The world of Asphodel is the retelling of major classical myths like the Trojan
War or the Titanomachy using traditional fantasy characters and settings. So
there are endless possibilities for future stories there. The Asphodel Cycle was my first published series, and coming back
to the world after ten years away was a lot of fun.
I’m tinkering
with an idea that’s a riff from my Harlequin
Theater literary fantasy series. That world is set in contemporary American
theatre, and revolves around a company that uses magic to integrate the
audience into the performance. Think The
Phantom of the Opera meets Something
Wicked This Way Comes. That world is a lot of fun to play in.
And I’m building
a couple of other fantasy worlds, revising my horror series, Red Ink, which is
based on Jack the Ripper, freelance editing and sports writing. Safe to say I’m
extremely busy. But I love it.
Q4 Ebooks or paperback, or both?
I don’t write
with a particular medium in mind except for the Asphodel series. Unless you’re
self-publishing or writing for a specific publisher, this isn’t a question a
writer should really worry about. All my books that are currently published are
available in both digital and paperback formats.
Q5 Name two books that changed the way you thought about
your own writing, or even changed the way you write.
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey, and Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E.
Feist and Janny Wurts. Both books revolve around female protagonists who find a
way to succeed despite their gender.
Carey’s world is
lush and voluptuous and vivid, having based her story in a world where a
courtesan who’s been taught how to be a spy is the key to changing her society.
Carey’s descriptive powers are incredible—probably the most intricate and
extravagant world building I’ve ever seen—and her heroine is unforgettable. She
is deeply flawed and superior at the same time.
Feist and Wurts
set their heroine in a lavish, intense world with Oriental settings, culture,
and traditions—which needs to happen more in fantasy. The story is about a girl
who has always followed traditions having to take the reins of a once powerful
house after her family’s rivals kill both her father and older brother. She
learns that in order for her and her house to survive, she must play the
political game better than any man in the Empire—and she cannot afford to
unquestioningly follow the traditions that usually bind the players.
Both books
feature heroines who don’t need to be saved. They are intelligent, cunning, and
strategic. They use their minds to outplay their foes, and I appreciate the
incredible stages those heroines have been provided as well. Both books changed the way I looked at
my heroines, and how I can give them the same stage without having to beat the
reader over the head with, “She’s a bad ass. Get over it.” With both books, the
writer in me was able to dissect how to establish a strong, victorious heroine
without having to make her unfeminine.
Q6 How do you know when your characters have 'come to life'?
When they won’t
shut up. I’m one of those writers who ‘sees’ the story in my head and puts it
on paper. I never outline, but I always know where the book is going to end. I
just let the story play out—it’s basically like taking dictation for me, which
irritates some of my writer friends for some reason. And as I’m writing full
time now, I’m working 14-16 hours a day, 7 days a week. If the characters keep
talking while I’m working, then I keep working.
Hate to break
the flow. Don’t want to stop and then face a Samuel Taylor Coleridge “A maid
with a dulcimer” moment and forget where the story was taking me. Of course,
I’m not cranked up on opium so maybe it wouldn’t hit me the same way it did
him.
Q7 What are your top tips for acquiring and then working
successfully with an agent?
I’m a believer
in going to conventions and meeting them in person. That’s how I acquired my agent.
I went to World Fantasy Con, and hung out all week with a friend of mine (DAW
author of the Touched By An Alien series, Gini Koch) and her agent (Cherry
Weiner). Cherry asked me to submit my manuscript to her, and upon reading it
she signed me. Never underestimate the possibilities of establishing an
acquaintance with an agent first.
If cons aren’t
your thing, then query. But when you do query, make sure there are no spelling
or grammar errors. Learn how to write a great hook, which is more difficult
than it sounds. Present your work in a professional manner—don’t try to be cute
or clever. Use standard manuscript format. If you want literary representation,
you need to demonstrate your professionalism as much as your work.
Q8 Where can we find out more about your writing?
The best places
to find out more about me are my website and blog. I spend a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter, and for some reason
people really like my Pinterest storyboards. You can keep up
with my articles on writing and publishing (like my recent series on the
collapse of All Romance Ebooks and how they absconded with the 4th
quarter royalties due every single author and publisher in 2016) on Blogcritics. I enjoy
hearing from readers and writers both, and am happy to advise young writers who
have a question. So if you catch me between writing blocks, I always appreciate
the interaction.
