Author Interview:   Roberta Olsen Major

by Anne Carter

Hi Roberta!

Q:  Roberta, your historical romance, BOUND, has been selected as a launch book for Wings ePress, Inc. I know just what a thrill that can be! However, I understand you are also the author of young adult novels. Tell me a little about the challenges of writing in two genres

A: Chronologically, I think YA came first, unless you’d count the research I did for an early fantasy as vaguely historical… But there was actually a contemporary romance back there in the shady past somewhere, too…  Hmmm… Tough call. Old age’ll do that to you…

As for the challenges of writing in two genres, I have to say, Only two? I’ve never been successful when I’ve tried to write to a specific genre. The story comes first. A writer I truly admire, Orson Scott Card, once said (and I’m paraphrasing) that you have to write the stories you are passionate about. As you hone your craft, you will eventually find a niche for them. In other words, it’s probably not that great an idea to sit down at your computer and say to yourself, “Today, I am going to write a book that is historical fiction with paranormal elements…”

Q:  I've never ventured into the realm of historical work, but I am planning a young adult time travel-historical next year. What advice would you give me about writing historical novels, what pitfalls should I avoid, etc.

A: I think the biggest pitfall in writing historicals is the desire to foist modern-day sensibilities onto characters from the past. I struggled with this in BOUND, which is set during pre-Civil War Texas. I wanted my characters to accurately reflect the slave era—but I was very leery, for example, of casual use of pejoratives.

Other pitfalls include falling into contemporary language cadences, thrusting characters right into the middle of pivotal historical events (as in, “If I’d just tied John Wilkes Booth’s shoelaces together ninety seconds faster…!”), and, of course, being ever watchful for any pesky infiltration of anachronisms. The copy editor for BOUND, for example, caught my inadvertent use of “egocentric”, which term wasn’t coined until several years after the 1852 setting.

Q:  What are your biggest challenges with regard to the "writing life?" How much time would you say you spend, per week, writing, editing, etc.?

A: I put in at least two hours a day (except Sunday) on some aspect of the writing process, though there are days when it’s in twenty minute chunks—and other days when the minimum two hours stretches out to five. So, per week, I spend at least twelve hours. 

The biggest challenge is balancing the needs of my elementary school age children with my rabid urge to go full throttle on a writing project. 

Another challenge for me—a techno-phobe who had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the twentieth century—is getting the most out of technology. I have at least one serious computer spat a week. (“What do you mean, invalid command?! All I want to do is save the darn file!”)

Q:  Is there a story idea lurking in your head that you'd like to try but haven't been able to start? A different genre into which you would leap if you had the nerve/time/push? 

A: Actually, I have two recent projects that you might call a “leap”. One, TIES, which will be published by Wings next summer, has a bit of a mystery element to it. It’s set in a town neighboring the one I created for BOUND, a few years later, but still pre-Civil War. I’d like to write a full-fledged mystery—but I’m not sure I’m smart enough!

And I just started a “scary” YA—a psychological, contemporary suspense novel with a teenaged protagonist—that’s kind of a departure from the other YA subgenres I’ve explored in past stories.

I think each project should be a leap. It’s a great cardio-vascular workout!

Q:  Tell me about BOUND. Those shackles on the cover intrigue me! What kind of research was involved for this book, and what prompted you to pick this particular slice of history? 

A: I’m not a Texan by birth, but I have a lot of history here. There are great local resources. While the setting, the town of Williams Trace, is fictitious, I drew a lot of inspiration from both the Brazos River and the smaller towns southwest of Houston. I read a lot of books, took a few notes, and then, when I had properly “steeped”, I poured myself into the story.

I didn’t want to write a Civil War story. In fact, I’m not fond of war stories in general. I’m a “pots and pans” history buff—old family recipes, pioneer-era tools, music, clothing, and fire instead of electricity for heat and light.

There’s a great living history museum near where I live, a working ranch with areas depicting several eras in local history. I hung out at the pioneer homestead a lot!

And there are a couple of references to incidents from my own family history that I used.

Q:  Everyone has a "first book" sitting around gathering dust. When did you pen that first book, and what was/is it about? Now that you are published, will you revive it?

A: Funny you should ask that! I have three “first books”— manuscripts that sat around gathering dust for a couple of decades. 

One was a YA fairy tale—which I reworked last year and which will be published by Wings as THE PRINCE IN THE FLOWER BED in December of this year. I started it in college, finished it four years later, turned it into a play two years after that, and then, last summer, pulled it out and beat it into submission!

Another one was a contemporary YA—based on my high school experiences as a member of the competitive speech team. I started this one in college, too, but didn’t finish a first draft until almost eighteen years later. Parts of it are almost uncomfortably autobiographical—a sure sign of a “first book”! COMPETITION has been contracted by Wings also.

The third “first book” was also written in college. (Seeing a trend here?)  I keep revisiting this one. I love “governess stories”—in fact, I worked as a nanny for a short time after college—and this one is a contemporary governess romance. Unfortunately, the original draft was awful. I keep trying every few years, though, because I really like the characters. But reworking this one isn’t high on my list of priorities. Contemporary romance has changed a lot in the past couple of decades—and I’m old-fashioned at heart.

Q:  Finally, electronic books and print-on-demand publishing are both new frontiers. How do you feel about the opportunities, the possible drawbacks, and the future of these new formats? 

A: I think e-publishing is wonderful! There are so many great stories out there that don’t fit into the little boxes dictated by the big publishing houses—and e-publishing provides a great venue for fresh, non-formulaic stories. 

I’m especially excited about POD technology—providing quality paperbacks without the huge financial risk that makes big publishing houses think twice. This allows smaller publishers to take chances on offbeat or specialized stories that might never find a home in a New York publishing house.

The drawback is the flip-side of what I just said—the technology makes it easier for inferior products to get into print, bringing an air of illegitimacy to the whole industry.

I have a fondness for pioneers and settlers—but I thank God I live in an era where I can write about them and then see publishers like Wings take those stories, edit them, copy edit them, format them, and then release them in electronic and paperback form.

The past is a great place to visit—but I wouldn’t want to live there!

Looking forward to reading more from you soon, Roberta! Best of luck to you and all the Wings authors.

Anne Carter

And visit Roberta's webpage at www.authorsden.com/robertaolsenmajor ....