Lynn Carthage, author of AVENGED, on practice makes progress

by Jocelyn Rish

AVENGED is book 3 in the The Arnaud Legacy, and we’re excited to have Lynn Carthage here to chat with us.

Lynn, what advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?

Perseverance is important, both in bettering your writing and in pursuing publication. As with any other endeavour, practice makes perfect (or as elementary schoolkids now say, “practice makes progress” 😉 ), and to become a writer one has to sit down and actually build the words, build the world. Anyone can have great ideas and plots, but it’s the actual transformation into scenes that make a book. Try creating a daily or every-other-day practice and try to get at least 500 words down. Someone once said famously that if you write a page a day, then in a year you’ll have a novel.

Perseverance is also necessary when trying to get a book published. Haunted, the first book in this series, was represented by three different agents before I managed to sell it to my editor by myself. This was a process that took years but I never gave up. I believe some authors would have given up, would have thought, “This book just isn’t going to find a publisher,” but I wouldn’t let it go. I had faith in the book, and it paid off.

What are you working on now?

I’m writing a novel about Lizzie Borden, a woman who became famous in 1892 Massachusetts because her father and stepmother were killed with multiple hatchet wounds to the head: and she was accused. She went through a trial and was acquitted (found not guilty), but to this day people study the trial transcripts and the evidence and feel that the jury made an incorrect decision. I’ve been fascinated by this case for a long time and am excited that the book, titled The Murderer’s Maid, will be published in October 2017. Those of you who like the dark aspects of the Arnaud Legacy series will appreciate the same aesthetic for this novel.

What do you hope readers will take away from AVENGED?

I love the aspect of the book that people can work together to find answers when they set aside pettiness and truly root for each other. I remember in high school that my friends were not true blue all the time (nor was I), and I’m proud that in my adult life my friends are genuine. True friends want each other to succeed and experience joy when their friends do well, and feel brought down when their friends don’t succeed. I think the characters in the Arnaud Legacy series struggle with wholeheartedly supporting each other, and eventually find a way to feel that connection, which makes everyone ultimately more powerful.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Avenged
by Lynn Carthage
Paperback
Kensington
Released 2/28/2017

Long ago I was a servant girl at the great manor house in the quiet English village of Grenshire. My mistress, Madame Arnaud, proved cruel, and many died at her hands. To stop her, I tried to kill her.

I failed. And I lost everything.

But that was then. Now, Phoebe Irving’s family has moved into the Arnaud Manor. Phoebe, her friend Miles, and I crossed paths and discovered a powerful connection. Together we might be strong enough to untangle an ancient prophecy hanging over this troubled place where old, deep magic mingles with greed and revenge. We might save Phoebe’s baby sister and other innocents. We might even save ourselves.

Purchase Avenged at Amazon
Purchase Avenged at IndieBound
View Avenged on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynn Carthage is a novelist living in Sacramento, California, near where the Gold Rush launched. Under her real name, she was a Bram Stoker Award finalist. Born in Vermont, Lynn has lived in Maine, Ireland, and Arizona. She reads voraciously, loves anything French, gets “itchy feet” to travel on a regular basis, and finds peace in the woods, in meadows, in nature. She has always been fascinated by how history allows us to imagine how people of the past lived and breathed and felt. HAUNTED is the first book in the Arnaud Legacy trilogy. The second is Betrayed, and the third is Avenged.

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Have you had a chance to read AVENGED yet? Are you writing at least a page a day? Do you have faith in your book? 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: Mar 4, 2017

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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← Previous: Free 1st 5 Pages Workshop Opens Today! Next: Peternelle van Arsdale, author of THE BEAST IS AN ANIMAL, on magic, lies, and betrayal →

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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