! YA Heroines ! discussion

Hello all. This is an interview with Vrinda Pendred author of The Ladder & Mythos .


First of all:
Savoury or sweet or sour?
Can I have savoury AND sweet? Because all I can see now are images of apple pie, and it's looking REALLY good. Ooh, with custard, yes...

Books

What's your favourite book genre?
I've always been in love with science-fiction, fantasy and horror. For me, the more imaginative and outrageous, the better, as long as the characters are really strong. I get really involved in what I read and I love when the characters become so real in my head that I feel like I actually know them. Then, when the book finally ends, I miss them so much that I have no choice but to go back and read the story all over again so I can spend more time with the characters.

What got you into reading YA?
Well, I own just about every single Sweet Valley book ever written. I have read them all multiple times over and I will probably still be reading them when I'm 80. I'm also still a fan of 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer' and have read the graphic novels put out after the show ended. So when the 'Twilight' series came out, I was easy prey for the genre!

I love how much imagination goes into YA books these days. But I also like that because of the intended audience, you still get that sense of innocence that adult books don't have. I find a lot of 'grown-up' books very cynical and depressing, and I just don't think the experience of escaping into another world (reading) should be like that. Yes, it should make you feel something, but it should also be fun. YA does that - it has serious emotions, but it also has humour and levity, because the characters are kids.

Also, I think a lot of YA is about trying to find your identity, which is actually something you never stop doing, no matter how old you are - sorry to burst that illusion, for any teenagers out there! But it's very easy to relate to, even as an adult, and I've found writing about it myself to be really cathartic.

Writing

Which writers do you look up to?
I went through a long 'classics' phase and still think Edgar Allan Poe is one of the greatest writers of all time.

I am a HUGE Stephen King fan and have every book he's ever written. The Dark Tower series was one of the most incredible literary journeys I've ever gone on. I also love an English writer named Graham Joyce, who does supernatural horror that always ends up being symbolic for something more meaningful - 'The Silent Land' is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. On a similar note, one of my favourite books of all time is 'House of Leaves' by Mark Z. Danielewski -again, psychological symbolic supernatural horror.

I've also got really into the YA scene and love Neal Schusterman, James Dashner, Lauren Oliver and Michael Grant. And on a fun note, I loved 'The Mortal Instruments' series by Cassandra Clare, and Amanda Hocking's Tryll trilogy.

How long have you been writing?
I have been making up stories since I was about three. I started writing them down as soon as I knew how to write, and I still have all my old notebooks from when I was as young as six, with all those stories. I have a goal to do something with them, now that I'm older, because I think there are a lot of interesting ideas in there. Watch this space for my time traveling cat book! I promise it's not the same story as the other time traveling cat books I've read (there are surprisingly quite a lot!).

What was your inspiration for Mythos? How did the plot come about?
A bit like Itzy in the book, I grew up surrounded by books and documentaries about archaeology, philosophy and science, and I'm really interested in these things now that I'm older. I've also always loved science-fiction and fantasy, time travel, multiple dimensions, paradox, that sort of thing. The first story I ever came up with, when I was three or four, was about a time traveling cat from Mars. So I wanted to put all these things together into something that would be fun and intriguing, but would also say something real about people and emotions. I think the best kind of sci-fi is the kind that people can relate to on a human level.

I have approached the whole of 'The Descendants' series as a sort of puzzle. I'm one of those people who chooses the setting on Tetris where you start halfway through a game and have to work your way out of the mess. I started 'Mythos' with just a few loose ideas and some characters, and no set plot, and I just got to writing, hoping inspiration would guide me somewhere. Thankfully, it did! As I wrote about one thing, it got me thinking about another, so I would write about that, and so on. If the inspiration wasn't with me and I found myself trying too hard to think about what to write, I just didn't bother and tried again when the mood struck.

I would say the official plot only came to mind when I got to book 2 and the twist at the end suddenly hit me. I then had a very clear idea of what was going on, so I went back and rewrote a lot of the first book 'Mythos' to make it what it is now.

But there were a lot of questions I found myself asking about things that were going on in both books, and I was determined to find answers for them. That was how I got the idea for book 3, which I just finished writing. And again, as I was editing that book, I suddenly realised there was yet more going on that even I hadn't noticed yet, and that's what I'm going to explore in books 4 and 5. It might sound strange, but the twists in these books have surprised even me!

The overall story has gone in a direction I did not expect when I first sat down to write 'Mythos' and I'm really excited about it. It's a mystery that is unfolding with each book and getting increasingly complicated. I would say I've felt more like the story has written itself, than I have had any control over it. It's all already there, somewhere, and I'm just trying to pick up the clues and put it into words.

How long did it take you to write it?
I went into a writing frenzy and wrote draft 1 of 'Mythos' in 2 weeks. I wrote the second book in another 2 weeks. Then I had some friends read them both and give me a lot of feedback, which meant a few weeks of further edits to get them in shape. I have since read them numerous times to proofread them and get the language just right.

I'm aware that I have got through these unbelievably quickly - especially when it took me 14 years to write my first novel! But I got so involved in the story. I couldn't stop thinking about it - I was even dreaming of it - and the characters started to feel like real people. I was having so much fun with it, I found myself working on it with every spare moment I had, and I didn't really sleep. When I was at work, I kept clock-watching and counting down the minutes until my lunch break so I could get back to writing. I just couldn't wait to find out what would happen.

How did you get your book published?
I have been inspired by Amanda Hocking (who wrote the Tryll trilogy) and taken the route of self-publishing the ebook on Amazon Kindle. I have been offering 'Mythos' to anyone who would like to give it a try and review it honestly. I know I'm not a known author, so I don't expect anyone to fork out lots of money to give me a try. If they like the first book, I'll have sequels up on Kindle soon!

30 years ago, you were expected to send your writing to magazines, first, and build up a portfolio that you could show to literary agents. Nowadays, most of those magazines have shut down. I did get a short horror story published in an online magazine, but I think today you need to be more proactive than that. Getting published can be such a waiting game, and I'm impatient! So my aim is to build up my portfolio via Amazon and GoodReads reviews, finish my series, and then go to these agencies with proof that people already want to read the books.

Does all of your writing follow similar themes?
Yes - I think all writers probably have their own natural themes that pop up somewhere in all their books, whether they mean to do it or not. I love questioning how real 'reality' can be, and often thing wouldn't it be interesting we're all actually just characters in someone else's story. I also like the idea of accepting the 'bad' with the 'good', because if everything were perfect all the time, you'd take it for granted and get bored, so sometimes a little sadness actually makes you appreciate life.

These ideas have found their way into a lot of things I've written over the years, even if they don't form the actual plots. They are definitely really important to 'The Descendants' series. 'Mythos' deals a lot with the reality vs imagination. There is also a lot about Itzy trying to come to terms with the death of her father and the difficult the relationship she had with him, but it's ultimately really positive and she grows from it.

And lastly:
Any words of encouragement to give to young writers?
Read constantly, and make sure to study what you're reading - how have these books you love actually been constructed? What is it you like so much about them, and how did the writers do those things? Practise using those techniques in your own writing. For instance, if you really like the way an author alternates quick action scenes with quieter conversational scenes, because it makes the pacing really strong and interesting, then try doing that in your own writing. I think it's through this studying and practising that you eventually find your own personal style.

Also, don't be afraid to take on board feedback and criticism. I had two friends in particular, who are both avid readers and have written stories themselves, read 'Mythos' and give me their thoughts on it. I am really, really proud of what 'Mythos' is today, and I could not have done it without my friends' feedback.

They told me they really liked it...but then questioned every single little element of the story. 'If this, then why that? And are you going to explore such-and-such? And why did this character say this thing?' I wrote down every question in a notebook and spent a lot of time coming up with answers for everything. And then these same friends read draft 2...and gave me MORE questions, and I tried to answer those. One of them has now unbelievably read 'Mythos' about 7 times (!) - she painted the cover image for the book. After all those edits, they FINALLY ran out of questions. That was when we all knew the book was finished.

When I did the final proofread of 'Mythos' before putting it on Amazon, I could not believe how well it had turned out. And that was ALL down to accepting the feedback I received on those earlier drafts. This feedback was also what got me thinking of other ways to expand the story. I honestly don't think I could have got this far without that support.

My first novel 'The Ladder' took me 14 years to write. Part of that was just because I started it when I was 16 and it was bound to be immature then, so I just had to wait until I was old enough to do it right. But another huge part of it was that I tried to do it all on my own, and every time I got writer's block, I just felt defeated and left it for months and months. Then I'd go back to it and hate everything I'd written before, delete most of it and start again.

'The Descendants' series has been completely different - and so much more fun, as a result. I've learned from this experience that writing cannot be done alone. It's like music - you need backing musicians and producers to help develop your basic ideas. It's still your song, but these other people will see things you've missed and help you make it so much more powerful. Two heads are always better than one. Don't be too proud to listen to that input.

Once again thank you Vrinda!

Ohh and anyone who would like a copy of her book Mythos it can be provided!