Colleen Houck, author of THE LANTERN’S EMBER, on being inspired by her love of Halloween

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re thrilled to have Colleen Houck swing by to share more about her latest novel, THE LANTERN’S EMBER.

Colleen, what was your inspiration for writing THE LANTERN’S EMBER?

THE LANTERN’S EMBER was inspired by my love for Halloween. My birthday is in October and I love chocolate above all things, so as a kid I always looked forward to the fall. I was born in Arizona so a break from the heat was nice too. I must have watched Ichabod Crane run from the headless horseman on the Disney cartoon dozens of times. It was so memorable. I loved being scared but without the gore that comes from traditional horror. Halloween monsters and paranormal creatures are among my favorite characters of all time so imagining them in this new steampunk world was very fun for me.

What scene was really hard for you to write and why, and is that the one of which you are most proud? Or is there another scene you particularly love?

The ending of the book was probably the most difficult. I’m more of a panster when it comes to writing and I didn’t have everything quite figured out yet. Usually I am pretty good at writing myself out of corners but this one was a bit of a challenge. I need to know the whys and the hows even when it comes to imaginary technology so the final conflict took a bit longer than I anticipated to fine tune.

There are several scenes I really love. One of the most memorable for me is when my characters are on the airship and Ember has to wield her witchlight to overcome a storm of ghosts. The stakes are high and every character is involved in the battle. Each one of them has a secret no one else knows and everything is going to come to light soon after the storm is over so there’s a lot of tension in the air.

How long did you work on THE LANTERN’S EMBER?

THE LANTERN’S EMBER took about four months to write. Other than my novellas, it was the fastest book I’ve ever written. This was partly due to a looming deadline and partly due to my love of the story.

What do you hope readers will take away from THE LANTERN’S EMBER?

I hope readers have a renewed sense of interest in the classic monsters. They are all magical and amazing. Like Dr. Farragut says in the book, “Are we not all monsters at heart?”

What’s your writing ritual like? Do you listen to music? Work at home or at a coffee shop or the library, etc?

I wrote this book entirely at home just before moving to a rental. In fact, all my previous books had been written in my West Salem, Oregon home except the most recent that I’m editing right now. For that one, I worked a lot in coffee shops and my favorite grocery store, Roth’s that has an awesome place to sit and write on the second floor overlooking the produce and bakery. I can’t listen to music while I write but it seems the noise of shopping is fine.

What are you working on now?

I just turned in the aforementioned book. It’s my first attempt at science fiction, but it inevitably ended up with some mythological ties. Also, I just realized that it is a potential bridge for all of my worlds. Maybe someday, I’ll write something where all of my universes can overlap.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Lantern’s Ember
by Colleen Houck
Hardcover
Delacorte Press
Released 9/11/2018

Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.

Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern–one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal–or not-so-mortal–soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare.

Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire–and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.

Purchase The Lantern’s Ember at Amazon
Purchase The Lantern’s Ember at IndieBound
View The Lantern’s Ember on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she’s not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.

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Have you had a chance to read THE LANTERN’S EMBER yet? Are you good at writing yourself out of corners? Have you tried writing in a grocery store? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy Reading,

Jocelyn, Halli, Martina, Erin, Susan, Shelly, Kelly, Laura, Emily, and Lori Ann

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Sep 12, 2018

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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