Short Story Connect discussion

Please join us on Wednesday, June 10, 2015, for a very special discussion with bestselling middle-grade author Jaime Lee Mann!

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Jaime is the author of the hit "Legend of Rhyme" middle-grade fantasy series, and has recently released the second instalment, Into Coraira, the follow-up to Elora of Stone. If you have a question for Jaime, please post it in this thread, where she will be discussing her writing and experiences.

Remember - you can post questions here throughout the duration of the Featured Author Discussion at any time.

We are looking forward to the insightful questions and answers!

Hi Jaime!

Thanks for being our Featured Author this session; we are looking forward to a great discussion! We were wondering how you find inspiration for your characters. Do you ever base them off of people you know?

Hi Jaime!

"Elora of Stone" and "Into Coraira" are both such unique and arresting book titles! How do you select the titles for your books? Do they grow from your writing, or do you have the title in mind before you start to write?

Hello Jaime,

I am interested in the editorial side of your writing. In your opinion, what qualities contribute to an ideal editor?

Thanks!

Hi, Jaime,

What inspires your stories? And do you ever change the plot from your original idea as the story progresses?

Hi Jaime,

What have you found to be the most effective way to market your books? What tips would you give to another author to help promote their work? I am an author and am always trying to find new ways to spread my books. Thank you for any help you can give!

Sincerely,
Andrea Hintz

DigiWriting wrote: "Hi Jaime!

Thanks for being our Featured Author this session; we are looking forward to a great discussion! We were wondering how you find inspiration for your characters. Do you ever base them of..."

Thank you for having me!

I sometimes do base my characters off of people I know, like the Novah character in the Legend of Rhyme series. (I used mother's name for her, and the character has taken on many traits stolen from my mom, as well!) But in most cases, the characters are dreamed up, with little quirks and details taken from people I know in real life.

Talia wrote: "Hello Jaime,

I am interested in the editorial side of your writing. In your opinion, what qualities contribute to an ideal editor?

Thanks!"

What a great question! The ideal editor for me is someone who can really, REALLY, do a helluva structural edit on my stories. I am very creative and have no trouble with idea generation, but I need those ideas to be harnessed in, and to have gaps identified as necessary. My editor pushes me to make my writing as strong as it can be (like by saying things like: Jaime, I know you can write this better), and she is like a dog with a bone when it comes to having a story polished to perfection. The copyediting aspect is important too, but my editor and I have a wonderful collaborative working relationship and her willingness to stick with me for the bigger picture of the work is vital. The ideal editor makes you a better writer.

Thanks, Jaime!

What about setting? The locations in the "Legend of Rhyme" series are so vivid and magical. Does your physical location affect those that you create in your books? And, where in the "Legend of Rhyme" series would you most like to visit?

Hi Jaime,

Thanks for doing this. I'm sure the community will benefit from this discussion! I have two questions for you:

When you begin to write a story, do you know how it’s going to end?

Have you ever held a book signing or launch event? How important are these in your
overall marketing plan?

Adam wrote: "Hi Jaime,

Thanks for doing this. I'm sure the community will benefit from this discussion! I have two questions for you:

When you begin to write a story, do you know how it’s going to end?

Have..."

Funny enough, I always start my stories with the ending. I imagine the ending and then go from there. Usually it stays exactly as I thought it would, though the means by which we get there often changes several times.

I have had several book signings and I feel it's very important to get out to bookstores and to libraries so that the people who recommend books to keen readers have your titles in mind!

Hi Jamie,
What made you decide to start writing middle-grade fiction?
Thanks!

Katherine wrote: "Hi Jamie,
What made you decide to start writing middle-grade fiction?
Thanks!"

Hi Katherine!

Interesting question. I started out wanting to write contemporary fiction, but then along came my babies and I shelved the dream completely. My first story was a children's picture book, and I wrote that when my first born was just a toddler. As they grew up, the stories I would tell them grew up with them. Now that I have a little middle grader at home, that seems to be where my passion is!

DigiWriting wrote: "Thanks, Jaime!

What about setting? The locations in the "Legend of Rhyme" series are so vivid and magical. Does your physical location affect those that you create in your books? And, where in th..."

Ooooh I would most definitely like to visit the shoreline in case I could spot a mermaid!

Living in Prince Edward Island is kind of like living in a fairy tale land. It is so beautiful here that you just can't help but be inspired by the landscape. The fact that Rhyme is an island is probably because it's so familiar to me.

Thanks, Jaime! We can't wait to visit PEI ourselves.

There are some great questions from Margaret and Andrea near the top of the thread!

Margaret wrote: "Hi, Jaime,

What inspires your stories? And do you ever change the plot from your original idea as the story progresses?"

Hello Margaret! Thanks for your question :) The plot almost always changes as I write the story, but the ending always stays the same!

I find that the inspiration almost always comes when I'm making up stories for my daughters at bedtime. It's difficult to explain, but these ideas just seem to flow in the quiet of the evening!

I'm often inspired for details within the stories from nature. I'm a nature lover, so I tend to come up with many ideas while I'm sitting and watching the beauty that is Earth! :)

Andrea wrote: "Hi Jaime,

What have you found to be the most effective way to market your books? What tips would you give to another author to help promote their work? I am an author and am always trying to fin..."

Hello Andrea! I'm still learning what works with marketing, but I have found it most helpful to actually work with a book marketing team! They have great ideas for me involving social media, and book signings. I do think it's important to be very active on social media. For my target audience, I've learned that Instagram is most important!

We have to be comfortable with putting ourselves out there, which can be difficult for writers :)

I hope that helps a little bit!

Thanks for your answer, Jaime!

I am also curious as to what you are reading right now. Do you read in the same genre in which you write? Do you have any recommendations?

Talia wrote: "Thanks for your answer, Jaime!

I am also curious as to what you are reading right now. Do you read in the same genre in which you write? Do you have any recommendations?"

I do read the same genre in which I write! My girls and I are currently reading The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer and we're loving it. We've also enjoyed Rump, by Liesl Shurtliff. The Gift of Charms by Julia Suzuki is also excellent.

Thank you so much for answering all of our questions today, Jaime! We very much enjoyed having you as our featured author, and your thoughtful and detailed answers were appreciated. Hope to see you around the group!

Dear Jaime,

Thank you so much for your answer! I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question! I wish you the best of luck in all of your writing endeavors! God bless!

Sincerely,
Andrea Hintz