
Thank you for joining us today, Jan. As we begin, why don’t you tell everyone a bit about your book?
Hi Charlie, thank you so much for having me. My new book, VEILED VIRTUES, is scheduled to be published in February 2012 by MIU Publishing. It is a young adult light fantasy novel, but has plenty of mystery, romance, and paranormal/supernatural aspects as well. VEILED VIRTUES is set in modern day England, where our heroine, American teen Paige Stewart, finds herself pulling house sitting duty for family friends.
While in England, Paige meets Nathaniel Brightmore, a young, handsome shopkeeper who owns a store in town that sells an eclectic mix of products, including crystals, tarot cards, amulets, Wiccan items and books on paranormal and extrasensory phenomena. The word around town is that Nathaniel is not as angelic as he looks, and the more macabre items in the shop, like pentagrams, swords and books on Satanism and demons, seem to support the notion.
Paige runs into Nathaniel a little too often for it to be a mere coincidence, and Paige wonders what dark side Nathaniel may be harbouring. However, the odd paranormal occurrences at the home where Paige is staying lead her to Nathaniel for answers. She soon becomes aware that she is not your average teen, and that a dark group, the Brotherhood of Cerberus, wants her for their own devices. Luckily for Paige, the Rosetta Guard, a group of modern day English knights, has her back.
You’ll have to read Veiled Virtues to find out why modern day knights still exist and how the Rosetta Guard and the Brotherhood of Cerberus become involved in Paige's life.
Ohhh, Sounds lovely! Where did the concept for your book come about?
I was somewhat tired of vampires and tried to think of something fresh I could write about. I asked myself what type of fantasy guy would draw me in like no other. Since I’ve always been a bit of an anglophile, I thought about those knights in shining armour with their massive horses. It was intriguing, but I wanted a modern story. So, I came up with the mantra, “Yes, modern day English knights do exist,” and proceeded to roll with it!
How long did it take you to finish VEILED VIRTUES, from concept to final product?
The first complete draft of the book took me about six months to write. Once I found an agent, I worked on it with her for about another year.
Are there any authors that have influenced your own writing?
I swear, I am the most mainstream reader you’ll meet. I completely admit that I love JK Rowling and Stephanie Meyer and I’ll take a pass on Shakespeare! Sorry, it’s true!
Do you have any favourite place where you feel your Muse is more apt to come and play while you write? Or perhaps you listen to music? If so, what do you listen to?
I normally have to have total peace and quiet when I write. Having two small children and two feisty Irish Setters made the atmosphere at home difficult to concentrate in, so I would often sneak off to the grocery store parking lot and write in my car (my husband staying with the kids of course)! Half the time I write on my laptop and half of the time in a plain old notebook, then transcribe later.
When I am driving in my car, I do listen to lots of music to help me think of ideas for the VEILED VIRTUES series. Some examples:
I can visualize the knights sparring to Rob Zombie’s “Feel So Numb.”
Metallica’s “Hero of the Day” from their S&M CD is what I picture as the Rosetta Guard’s theme song. I just love that song – its slow beginning and then the thundering parts where you can picture the group racing out on horseback to save the day.
Nickelback’s “Kick Out Every Light” has become the song I associate with the Brotherhood of Cerberus members – the evil group. I can picture them going to the pubs, doing shots, smashing windows and terrorizing others to this song.
As a writer, what is your greatest fear?
Failure is an obvious answer, but I think another fear I have had lately is that when I am working on book number two or three in the series, that I’ll have messed up a great plot line for myself in the first book after it has been released! Or, maybe it is the fear that once my book is released there is no ‘going back’ – no more changes, no more fixes, etc. It’s done!
What normally occupies your desk while writing? Silly question but mine is always littered with pop cans and post-it notes.
A Diet Pepsi, black and red pens, a laptop or my trusty paper notebook, and a print copy of the manuscript I am currently working on – for easy hard copy reference. I am pretty utilitarian! I have to put my cell phone and ipad away, otherwise they easily distract me.
Do you have any new projects that you are working on?
I am currently working on the next book in the VEILED VIRTUES series, and starting an outline for the third. I also have about 35 pages of a screenplay written, but that is going on the back burner for awhile.
What tip would you offer to a new writer who is just beginning their submission journey?
Once you have your final draft, create the perfect synopsis and query. These represent your manuscript and must grab the reader before they will even look at the first chapter of your work. Draft them and then recruit some friends and family to review the pieces and offer suggestions of what they want to see that would grab their attention. I feel a strong title is also key.
Please tell our readers where they can find you.
www.veiledvirtues.com and www.janfischerwade.com
You can follow me on Twitter @VeiledVirtues
Visit Jan at MuseItUp Publishing
http://museituppublishing.com/musepub/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=212&Itemid=82