Today we are sitting down with author Kory Shrum, whose debut novel “Dying for a Living” has sparked a massive following and her follow up novel “Dying by the Hour” is showing signs of doing even better. Both of these books are wildly original and filled with fantastic characters and complex, interesting plots.
Let’s get right down to it: what motivates you to write?
If we are going to be honest here, respect. I love stories and admire writers who are good at what they do. I want to be recognized as being good at what I do, and I acknowledge that it will take decades to hone my craft—So I write, knowing I get better every time I do.
If we are talking craft, the POV and tone have changed. Dying for a Living focused on Jesse and her experience, but Dying by the Hour alternates between Jesse and Ally’s POV. You get to see Jesse from someone else’s perspective, which I think deepens the story. You also get inside Ally’s head, which makes her more “real”—or so I’ve been told ;) Also, the tone is darker. Jesse comes face to face with the series “bad guy”, whereas in the first book (Dying for a Living), he was mostly causing trouble from afar.
I love Jesse’s sense of humor; her voice throughout the narrative is great! How much of Kory went into Jesse?
Where did the idea for “Dying” come from?
I wanted an interesting occupation for my character who I’d “failed” to write properly for a couple of manuscripts, but I hadn’t found the job yet. Then I was hiking up the Italian mountainside, hauling all my luggage, sometime in August 2008. It was hot and I was pretty sure I was going to die on this dirt path just outside Cinqua Terra. By the time we located our little bungalow and I fell panting into my bed—that was for some reason in the kitchen—I was half delirious. The next thing I know, I was panting “She dies for a living. She dies for a living.” I’m told I was laughing hysterically. But delirium or no, the idea stuck—and I built Jesse’s world around it.
Would you give us a little insight into your writing process? Do you Outline, or “pants it”. Do you take extensive notes prior to drafting?
You’ve produced a mixture of novels and short stories over the last year; do you have a favorite medium?
You forgot poetry! :) Yes, I write a little bit of everything. And I wish I could say I have a “favorite” but that’s a tough call. I like the way a novel is complicated and involved. For me, it offers more depth than short stories. You can enter into the world of a novel and really stay there. But recently, my love of shorter pieces has grown. From a writer’s perspective it is a great way to capture an interesting idea before it’s lost. And it is less demanding than a novel. I cry and wrench my garments over a novel for months or YEARS, but I can wrap up a short story in days or a week—so there is something really powerful, creative, and liberating about short stories—though they don’t have the payoff that novels do. As for my poetry, I don’t write it as much as I like—and though short, I think they are harder than short stories. The attention to language and imagery in poems can be maddening—but in a good way. Like falling in love.
What drove you to writing?
The possibility of attending medical school. I needed a reason not to go ;) But really, what drives the blue jay to build nests or the carrion to pick at road-side carcasses? Hunger—just a hunger that I don’t fully understand.
Stephen King. Neil Gaiman. Laurell K. Hamilton. Octavia Butler and TV…I’m trying not to feel shame as I admit that last one, but it’s true. I find certain TV characters just as stimulating as those on the page.
Do you have any advice for new writers out there? What would be one or two things you know now that you wished you would have known when publishing your first book?
Write. A Lot. And don’t stop for ANY reason. It gets harder if you stop writing—the muscles get cold.
I was mistaken in thinking that publishing one book means I’ve “done” it! All the greats (most famous writers), have DOZENS of books under their belt. Name an author who is famous having written only one book? They are the exception, not the norm. The first book is just the beginning.
What’s on the horizon for Kory?
Be sure to check out all of Kory’s Amazon Authors Page and pick up all of her books. Show her your support by following her on Facebook and Twitter and let her know how much you like her work!
Well, after a few weeks’ hiatus, we are back at again! This week Samantha LaFantasie drops by to share her thoughts on the Indie world-at-large, writing, editing and how she finds time for it all!
For release. I’ve always said writing is my therapy, and it’s so true. Writing is my release, my stress relief, my vacation, my happy place. It’s everything to me. I’ve written off and on for most of my life, either songs, poetry, fan-fic (before I knew it was a thing), but I never got serious about it until after my daughter was born and then even more so when I had my third child. That was the point when I decided that I was going to do this for publishing.
I wouldn’t be writing fantasy if it weren’t for Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. They are my author idols. My spouse is one of my biggest supporters and influences. The ideas that we get to talking about really help me break through my blocks and open up other creative pathways. I love that we can be a team on my dream. My children are influences in the sense that they help me see the world through different eyes, and not just how they perceive the world but how they understand it as well. I also have a few friends who have been there for me since practically the beginning. They are who I lean on the most and can go to any time of day or night to bounce ideas off of.
Obviously one of the cool things about being an Indie Author is the ability to write whatever you want, your debut novel Heart Song is a fantasy and your Nepherium Series are science fiction. What’s your favorite of the two and is one more difficult to write than the other?
Believe it or not, both of them were incredibly difficult. Yes, I’m an indie author, but not because I can write whatever I want. Lots of authors, even traditionally published ones, write in several genres. And I think I’ve made a name for myself as a speculative fiction author more so than just fantasy or sci-fi. With that being said, both were equally difficult in their own ways. But I think writing a series is worse because there is so much you have to keep straight and pull through the entire series and answer questions that were posed in previous works and hope and pray that nothing was left out or forgotten about.
As far as which one is my favorite? That’s actually a lot like asking me which one of my kids is my favorite. I love them both. They are both my fave!
Any particular reason for going Indie rather than Traditional Publishing?
Besides that I’m a person that enjoys instant gratification? I like the idea of being able to be in control of everything I do. I’ve actually blogged about that. You can find it here.
Each WIP is different. I’ve done the blog tour thing about that twice now. You can read about how each WIP is different here and here. Sometimes I do a very basic outline, other times I pants the hell out of a story only to go back and outline for plot holes. There are even times when that doesn’t happen.
As far as the medium I use to push out these works? I’ve done pen and paper and my trusty laptop. I even have a tablet that I can edit/write on if necessary but I don’t like the formatting it has so I try not to use it if I can help it.
A couple of weeks ago you put up a post on your website about outlining, having you always been an outliner and if not, why start now?
No. I’m a pantser at heart. I only outline when I think the story will benefit from it. Usually that’s done after the first draft is out. I tend to write the skeleton first, then go back and fill in the holes and change what needs to be, etc. To help me see where I should do that, I outline. Most of my issue is I tend to get to know the characters better and more organically (so to speak) if I just pants the first part. If I do end up outlining before the first draft, it’s to get the basis of the story down, so it’s not as specific as most authors who do outline first can be.
On top of being a full time wife, mom and writer, you also beta read and edit, what made you decide to get into editing?
Some of the authors that I’ve beta’d for told me that I was good at it and should really get paid to do it. I was hesitant for the most part, but eventually, they talked me into it. Editing has helped me as a writer and also afford my own edits and things that I need such as covers, book trailers, formatting, etc.
What is the biggest mistake you seen during the editing process?
The biggest mistake? Hmmm. That’s a good question. Probably trying to get edits too soon. Some of the most common mistakes I see are passive voice, tense slips, PoV slips, and aversion to contractions—particularly in dialogue.
Any particular things that make you want to pull your hair out while editing or beta reading?
Not really. I’m not a snarky person (sarcastic, maybe), so I don’t tend to get bent out of shape with edits. There are stories that I’ve edited/beta’d that didn’t really hold my interest as a reader, but nothing that pulled my hair out. If I get a MS (which I’ve had a few) that is so rough I can’t make heads or tails of the plot and feel like I’m practically rewriting the MS for the author, I’ll send back what I’ve done and tell them they need to clean it up more before I can continue.
Write. I know it’s been said and repeated as if we’re all drones operating on the same battery, but it’s true. Write. If you really want to write, you will. I’m not going to say that you will make time if you want it bad enough because I’ve been in places where it’s impossible to write and not for the lack of want or trying.
Don’t listen to naysayers. There are ALWAYS going to be those people who see that you are achieving a dream and it’s going to irk them or rub them wrong in some way. Ignore them. Keep your dream and goal in sight. You’re not writing for them and if they have a problem with you or your process it’s on them. You don’t have to own it.
Get critique partners and beta readers. You’re going to want to form relationships now so that when you need them, you’ll have them. Plus, it’s great practice to see different writing styles and voices so that you can know what works and what doesn’t.
Read. You can’t know if what you are writing actually works for readers if you don’t read in the first place. And particularly in the genres you are interested in. Read both indie and traditionally published authors. Get in deep. Volunteer on groups to do reviews in exchange for free copies.
Don’t take shortcuts. I’m talking editing on your own, doing your own covers, trying to go as cheaply as possible. Yes, these things can be expensive, but in the long run, it will make a difference. And believe me, readers WILL know and can (and often does) result in negative reviews which is damaging to future sales.
Join writing groups. Be it on Facebook, Goodreads, interwebs, in person, anywhere, do it. You’ll make connections and network with other authors that will prove invaluable to your growth as a writer and future author.
Heart Song is going to have a facelift, edit, revision, and rerelease. Date is to be announced.
The Dark Ones, Paranormal fantasy, is due out October 2015. I’m shooting for Halloween because the date is important to the story.
Blood Awakening, Paranormal fantasy, is set to release sometime 2015 or 2016.
Thanks for hanging out and best of luck on your new novella!
Thank you so much for sitting down with me for this interview! I appreciate it! Good luck with your projects as well!
Be sure to check out all of Samantha's book here!