Linsey Miller, author of MASK OF SHADOWS, on pitch contests being her thing

by Jocelyn Rish

We’ve had so many amazing authors provide interviews lately that we’re spreading them out to Tuesdays and Thursdays rather than overwhelming our readers with writing wisdom on Saturdays.

We’re delighted to have Linsey Miller join us to chat about her debut novel, MASK OF SHADOWS.

Linsey, what book or books would most resonate with readers who love your book–or visa versa?

My time has come. For young adult readers, I would suggest OTHERBOUND by Corinne Duyvis, THE UNINTENTIONAL TIME TRAVELER by Everett Maroon, LIZARD RADIO by Pat Schmatz, WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS by Anna-Marie McLemore, LABYRINTH LOST by Zoraida Córdova, OF FIRE AND STARS by Audrey Coulthurst, IF FOUND RETURN TO ASTROPOP by Lucas Hargis, SHADOW RUN by AdriAnne Strickland and Michael Miller, TIMEKEEPER by Tara Sim, THE READER by Traci Chee, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi, THE ABYSS SURROUNDS US by Emily Skrutskie, PANTOMIME by Laura Lam, TERRIER by Tamora Pierce, THE TIGER’S WATCH by Julia Ember, EMPRESS OF A THOUSAND SKIES by Rhoda Belleza, NO MORE HEROES by Michelle Kan, REBEL SEOUL by Axie Oh, WANT by Cindy Pon, HUNTRESS by Malinda Lo, and GRACELING by Kristin Cashore. Most of those are science fiction and fantasy, and all of them share similarities with MASK OF SHADOWS in some way. Some of them don’t come out for another year, but they are definitely worth the wait.

If you like adult (some of it short) fiction, maybe try Michael Matheson, Scott Lynch, Kameron Hurley, Claudie Arseneault, RoAnna Sylver, Ursula K. Le Guin, N.K. Jemisin, Austin Chant, and Rose Lemberg.

How long did you work on MASK OF SHADOWS?

It started out as a too long, too complicated adult fantasy in my head, and then during the eight-hour drive to my very first YallFest in 2014, I plotted it out and realized it worked much better as a young adult novel. I didn’t start writing it until 3 months later. The first draft took a month, and that was in 2015.

All in all, it spent about two years being revised and edited.

How long or hard was your road to publication? How many books did you write before this one, and how many never got published?

I wrote two books before MASK OF SHADOWS. Both were YA fantasy, and the first was absolutely dismal, but I was lucky enough to win a full manuscript read from an agent early on during a pitch contest. The agent was then nice enough to include reasons for the rejection, so I spent the next year improving the issues the agent had highlighted before writing my next book.

The second book was much better but I always felt it wasn’t the book. Then, when I was trying to phase it out and wipe the query slate clean for MASK OF SHADOWS, I got a very unexpected (but loved) offer of representation from Rachel Brooks during a pitch contest.

All in all, I wrote two books before MASK OF SHADOWS and those two haven’t been published (though I’d love to revisit them in the future).

Also, apparently pitch contests and I get along swimmingly.

What are you working on now?

My next book! It’s a YA fantasy that’s getting written with a lot of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels playing in the background, and I’ve wanted to write it for a while. But I also write short stories weekly for school, so at any given time, I’m writing a lot of different things.

Lots of murder, magic, and science in all of them, though.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mask of Shadows
by Linsey Miller
Hardcover
Sourcebooks Fire
Released 8/29/2017

Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender-fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class―and the nobles who destroyed their home.

When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand―the Queen’s personal assassins, named after the rings she wears―Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge.

But the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. And as Sal succeeds in the competition, and wins the heart of Elise, an intriguing scribe at court, they start to dream of a new life and a different future, but one that Sal can have only if they survive.

Purchase Mask of Shadows at Amazon
Purchase Mask of Shadows at IndieBound
View Mask of Shadows on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A wayward biology student from Arkansas, Linsey has previously worked as a crime lab intern, neuroscience lab assistant, and pharmacy technician. Her debut novel MASK OF SHADOWS is the first in a fantasy duology coming in September 2017 from Sourcebooks Fire. She can be found writing about science and magic anywhere there is coffee.

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Have you had a chance to read MASK OF SHADOWS yet? What sort of success have you had with pitch contests? Do you feel they help you build up your pitch style? Have you figured out your entire story but put off writing it immediately? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy reading,

Emily, Jocelyn, Anisaa, Sam, Martina, Erin, Susan, Shelly, Kelly, Laura, 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: Aug 31, 2017

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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