1. What drew you to writing in the fantasy genre?
My favorite reading as a child was fantasy (especially Arthurian fantasy–one of my all-time favorites is T. H. White’s The Sword in the Stone ), fairy tales, and historical novels. My first novel was a historical, set in the Middle Ages. After that, I gravitated toward fantasy–always with a historical bent (people tell me that my books read like historical novels about places that never were). Apart from the ability that fantasy gives me to explore interesting themes, I love the sense of wonder that rises from magic and adventure in imaginary worlds. It’s my goal to share that with readers–really, to write the kinds of books that I myself would like to read.
2. Do you consider yourself a YA or an Adult fantasy writer?
Both (I also read both, with equal enjoyment). The level of imagination, craft, and commitment you bring to either kind of book is exactly the same. I hate the idea that many non-writers seem to have, that writing for teens is somehow “easier” than writing for adults. As any YA writer would tell you, this is completely untrue. I started out in YA–my first three novels ( The Lady of Rhuddesmere, Worldstone , and Guardian of the Hills ) were for teens. But this was many years before YA became such a hot market, and you were somewhat restricted in what you could write about and how you could write it. I switched to adult fiction because I wanted to do longer books with darker themes and more complex plots. While I was working on my next four books (the Stone duology– The Arm of the Stone and The Garden of the Stone , and the Way of Arata duology– The Burning Land and The Awakened City ), something amazing happened: J.K. Rowling. The success of Harry Potter identified an under-served and very enthusiastic audience, and the flood of wonderful literature that has resulted has completely changed the face of YA publishing. YA is so much more sophisticated than it was when I first started writing in the genre, and there’s almost no limit now to the themes and subjects YA writers can address. It’s an incredibly challenging and satisfying field to be writing in, and I’m thrilled to be returning to my roots with Passion Blue .
3. Can you give us a sneak peek into Passion Blue? What is the release date?
The ink on the contract is barely dry, so I don’t have a firm release date. The publisher is Marshall Cavendish, and I’m guessing the book will be out in Fall 2012. “Passion Blue” is a novel of art, astrology, and romance set in Renaissance Italy. Seventeen-year-old Giulia is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy nobleman. When her father dies suddenly, she discovers she’s to be packed off to a convent against her will. In desperation, she visits an astrologer-sorcerer, and begs him for magic that will bring her-her heart’s desire: her one true love, who will rescue her from the convent. The sorcerer gives her a talisman, with a celestial spirit sealed inside. He also gives her a warning: Be careful what you wish for. You may not get what you expect. At the convent, Giulia’s talent for drawing is discovered by the mistress of an unusual workshop of nun-artists, and Giulia becomes an apprentice painter. Giulia has drawn ever since she can remember, but she never imagined becoming an artist–in the world of her time, such a thing was all but impossible for a woman. She begins to learn the mysteries of the painter’s craft, including the source of the workshop’s fame: An extraordinary, luminously beautiful paint color known as Passion blue. Passion blue’s formula is a closely-guarded secret, for its coveted by many artists, some of whom would steal it if they could. For the first time in her life, Giulia is part of something, accepted by her companions and valued for her talent. A whole new world of possibility seems to be opening up before her. But the magic of the talisman is at work, and she meets Ormanno, an artist in a rival painter’s workshop. He’s handsome and clever–everything she ever dreamed of. Yet as they meet in secret, Giulia begins to suspect that he’s hiding something. Is Ormanno her one true love, or is he something darker? Is the magic of the talisman more dangerous than Giulia believed? How much is she willing to sacrifice to find her place in the world? In the answers to these questions lies a shattering betrayal–and the key to Giulia’s true heart’s desire.
4. How would you describe Giulia?
She’s someone who has never really had a place in the world. Because she’s illegitimate, she has grown up a servant in her father’s household, but because of her noble blood, she has never really been accepted by the other servants. She has always felt alone and out of place, and wants more than anything to find somewhere where she belongs. She believes the only way to do that is to fall in love and get married–because although she has a huge artistic talent, the limitations of the time made it almost impossible for a girl to become a painter. Once she reaches the convent, she sees that women /can/ be painters–but only if they’re willing to accept a different kind of limitation, that of becoming nuns. It turns everything she’s always believed on its head, and forces her to make some very tough choices.
5. Why did you choose Milan, Italy 1487 as the setting for Passion Blue ?
The Italian Renaissance is one of my favorite historical periods, and I love Renaissance art. I wanted to write a novel that combined those two things. Despite the severe cultural restrictions on what women could do and be, there actually were a few female painters during that time. The leader of the nun-painters is based on a real person, a nun who had her own workshop in a Florentine convent and became locally famous during her lifetime. Researching the workings of a painter’s workshop was fascinating. The formulas for paint colors, for instance, were trade secrets, and stealing them was akin to industrial espionage. There’s also a strong element of astrology in the book, and I think readers will be surprised by some of the details. Renaissance astrology wasn’t at all like the kind of astrology we’re familiar with today–it was all about predicting the future, not about self-discovery–and the astrological magic of Giulia’s talisman is both spooky and strange. The hardest thing to research was the convent. There’s not a lot of literature on the subject (and much of it is in Italian, which I can’t read). I really had to dig for sources. But it was worth it, and I think readers will enjoy spending time in a setting they may not have seen before.
6. Is Passion Blue a planned series? If so, how many books?
I wrote it as a standalone novel. There’s much more to Giulia’s story, though, and my publisher has an option on my next book, so stay tuned…
7. For those not familiar, can you tell us a little bit about Writer Beware ?
Writer Beware website is a publishing industry watchdog group that collects information and provides warnings about the many schemes, scams and pitfalls that threaten writers. We’re sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, with support from the Mystery Writers of America. We’re a 100% volunteer effort. Our website ( http://www.writerbeware.com/ ) identifies common schemes and scams, and gives practical advice on how to avoid them. There are sections on literary agents, independent editors, contests, copyright, print-on-demand and electronic publishing and self-publishing, writers’ services, and more, as well as a page of writers’ alerts, case studies of actual scams (some of these are pretty bizarre), and our famous Thumbs Down Agent and Publisher Lists. We also maintain a popular blog ( http://www.accrispin.blogspot.com/ ), which provides up-to-the-minute news on specific scams and schemes, along with advice for writers, publishing industry updates, and a special focus on the weird and wacky things that happen at the fringes of the publishing world. Behind the scenes, Writer Beware maintains a huge database of documentation on questionable literary agents, publishers, and others, which we’ve assembled thanks to the hundreds of writers and publishing professionals who’ve contacted us to share their experiences. We also run a free advice and research service–writers can contact us with questions about agents, etc., and we’ll let them know what’s in our database–and we’ve shared information with law enforcement agencies. Writer Beware has been instrumental in helping to convict several literary scammers.
8. What spawned your passion for helping other writers avoid scams? Were you scammed in the beginning of your career?
People often ask me if I got involved with Writer Beware because I was scammed. The answer is no–my publishing experiences have mostly been positive. Naively, I thought I was typical. When I first went online in the mid-1990′s and began checking out writers’ forums and chat rooms, I was amazed to see how many writers had gotten mixed up with disreputable agents, publishers, freelance editors, etc. Here was a whole slimy publishing underworld that I had no idea existed. I began to follow the scam stories, and to take note of the names of agents and publishers that popped up over and over again. One day I was checking out the “help wanted” section of the website of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and saw a call for a volunteer to create a section of the website to warn about literary scams. Given my interest in the subject, I jumped at the chance. Around the same time, Ann Crispin, another SFWA member, was working on establishing a SFWA Writing Scams Committee. Neither of us had any idea what the other was doing until a mutual acquaintance put us in touch. Our activities seemed to dovetail perfectly, and we decided to join forces. That’s how Writer Beware was born. Writer Beware is a great deal of work, but corny as it sounds, I like the idea of paying forward. When Ann and I started Writer Beware, we hoped that we’d eventually put ourselves out of business, but the number of sharks that troll the literary waters has only increased, and now more than ever, writers need reliable information on how to protect themselves. With Writer Beware, I feel I’m actually making a difference for people–and that’s an incredibly good feeling. I also have to admit that I’m fascinated by the psychology and methodology of scammers and schemers. The shadow-world of fraudulent and amateur agents and publishers–whose only point of connection with the real publishing world is the authors it entraps–is an endlessly bizarre and wacky place. Every time I think I’ve seen it all, something new comes along. It certainly keeps things interesting!
9. Do you have any upcoming signings/book tours scheduled in 2011?
I recently re-sold my Stone duology (which had gone out of print from the original publisher) to a small press, and I’m running some contests and giveaways on my website. Other than that, I’ve nothing planned for 2011–but 2012, when Passion Blue comes out, will be a different story. I’ll be posting those details when I have them on my website and blog.
10. What advice would you offer an aspiring fantasy writer?
The same advice I’d offer any writer: Experiment! No one writing method works for everyone. Every writer has his or her own process, and it can take a lot of trial and error to discover what’s best for you. Don’t force yourself to stick to a process that doesn’t feel natural or comfortable just because some expert told you it was the “right” way of doing things. Read–critically and often. Apart from actually writing, reading is the best possible learning tool. Seeing how other writers handle plot and narrative and dialog, and analyzing structure and technique, can teach you a tremendous amount about how to deal with those things yourself. Plus, especially if you’re a genre writer, you need to know what others in your genre have done so you don’t duplicate it. Educate yourself! If you want a writing career, you need to know something about the nuts and bolts of the profession before you embark on it. Publishing is a hugely complicated field, with customs and processes that don’t exist anywhere else, and a thousand schemes and scams just waiting to prey on the uneducated and the unwary. You can’t just plunge in and expect to learn on the fly–you need to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible ahead of time. Knowledge is your best ally, and your most effective defense.
Victoria Strauss is the author of eight novels for adults and young adults, including the Stone duology (The Arm of the Stone and The Garden of the Stone) and Passion Blue, a YA historical fantasy coming in 2012. She has written hundreds of book reviews for magazines and ezines, including SF Site, and her articles on writing have appeared in Writer’s Digest and elsewhere. In 2006, she served as a judge for the World Fantasy Awards
An active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Victoria is co-founder, with Ann Crispin, of Writer Beware, a publishing industry watchdog group that provides information and warnings about the many scams and schemes that threaten writers. She maintains the popular Writer Beware website (www.writerbeware.org) and blog (www.accrispin.blogspot.com). She received the Service to SFWA Award in 2009 for her work with Writer Beware.