Camille Faye's new book, Voodoo Butterfly, is now available on Amazon as an ebook. She found the muse for this novel during a family trip to New Orleans where she dreamt of a woman who had the
power to change evil people good. I asked her some questions about her writing process, and what's next!
1) What is your writing process? Do you have
a routine, or does it vary according to the limited time you have available
with two kids at home?
As a busy mom, I have to write things down. That
goes for my fiction writing too. I keep notepads everywhere: in my bedside
table, my kitchen junk drawer, my desks in the living room and basement, and in
my car. Whenever a scene, plot twist, or bit of dialogue comes to mind, I jot
it down. This method has eliminated writer's block from my life. (Hallelujah!)
I always have something to write because I have a gazillion pieces of paper
with ideas on them.
My routine is to commit to 15 minutes a day of
writing time, which doesn't sound like much but I was able to, over the course
of one year, write a draft of Voodoo
Butterfly that was ready to submit to New York editors and agents. Normally
the 15 minutes will stretch into an hour, but sometimes I could only make time
for the 15 minutes.
The best
times to work are during my toddler's nap time or after the kids go to sleep.
Now that school's in session, my son goes all day and my toddler goes to
preschool two mornings a week, so I try my hardest to make those two days my
"work days." But I'm a SAHM, so many times I will have to use the
preschool time to make appointments, run errands, and catch up on
housework.
The support of family and friends is crucial. My
husband is amazing at stepping in to cook a meal or watch the kids so I can go
on a weekend writing retreat. My good friend, Karla, watches my toddler one day
a week so I can write and catch up on mom business. My parents live four hours
away, but they'll come watch the kids so my husband and I can get a weekend
away. Happiness at home and connection with my husband is essential so that I
can focus on my work when it's time to work. Sometimes I'll try to force myself
to work at every free moment and then I really get no rest, so I don't think
that's productive.
2) Are you an outlinter or a pantser? Do you
plan or fly by the seat of your pants? Why does that work for you (or not!)?
For Voodoo
Butterfly, I was a pantser. A scene would flash in my mind, I'd jot it
down, and then deal with it during my writing time. When I had enough of these
bits and pieces, I worked them into a loose outline.
With the second book in the series, I decided to try
an outline. I like knowing the overall structure, but I give myself flexibility
to move chapters and scenes around. And if I'm working on chapter 6 and then
get an idea for chapter 17, I allow myself to bounce around. I must be more of
a holistic thinker rather than a linear thinker, but that's okay.
3) Do you edit as you go, or write a draft
or two before the editing process begins?
During the first draft, I really resist the internal
editor. When I feel a bit stuck, I'll do a freewrite, which is a technique I've
taught as a university Composition instructor and when teaching to writing
groups. Basically, you write for 1-5 minutes and there are only two
"rules":
1) Don't stop writing
2)
Don't edit
When I have a chapter ready, I'll submit to my critique group, The Lit Ladies.
Being a part of a critique group helps you grow so much as a writer, plus we
help support the careers of the others in the group when one of us has a book
published. So far, 3 out of 6 of us have earned traditional publishing
contracts, and all of us have had submission requests from agents and editors
who work in NYC.
Based on The Lit Ladies' critiques, I'll revise the
chapter. When I've worked through every chapter in the book, I'll do one final
revision of the book as a whole. Then it's ready to submit.
4) How long did it take to write this book?
What would you do differently now, knowing what you know?
Five years from the start of writing to publication.
I began writing Voodoo Butterfly in
October 2009 and submitted the manuscript to an NYC agent (at his request) in
late 2010. Since then, I've been learning everything I can about the businesses
of writing and publishing from books, attending writing conferences, and
joining writing organizations (in person and online). As well as getting about
a dozen partial or full requests (for submission of the manuscript) from agents
and editors.
In October of 2013, I became a finalist in the
paranormal category of the Northwest Houston Romance Writers of America writing
competition. One of the judges of my submission was Debby Gilbert, who owns
Soul Mate Publishing out of New York state. She offered me a contract, I
accepted, and we got the novel out for the Halloween season of 2014.
I don't know that I could have done anything
different. In the midst of writing the novel, our family moved twice, my son
and I had surgeries, my husband took a new job, and we had a baby. So life was
carrying on. My hope is to be able to feel comfortable churning out a book a
year. I think as my kids grow, that will become more realistic.
5) Where can we buy it?
Voodoo
Butterfly is available
on Amazon as an ebook for $2.99. If you don't have a Kindle,
you can still download the Kindle app on your smart phone or e-reader and get
the book that way. It will be available as a print book at a later time, but I
don't have that release date yet.
6) What’s next?
Right now I'm working on book two in the Voodoo Butterfly series while balancing
home life and marketing the first book as well. It's a roller coaster, but I
love roller coasters!
----------------
About
Voodoo Butterfly:
When twenty-five-year old Sophie
Nouveau inherits her grandmother's voodoo shop she knows nothing about voodoo.
Or her family's history of Mind Changers who have the power to change evil
people good. To complicate matters, someone doesn't want Sophie in New Orleans
and sends a series of death threats to scare her away from her new enchanted
life.
Tipped off by her grandmother's
ghost, Sophie realizes her mind changing spell's been missing one magic
ingredient: true love. If Sophie cannot experience transformative love, she
cannot make her spell work, and she will be powerless to fight back when
confronted by the one who wants her dead.
About the Author:
Camille Faye lives in Missouri, loves on her family,
and writes during the baby’s nap time. She grew up in a haunted house, which
sparked her fascination with the paranormal. Before becoming a writer, she
reported for an NBC affiliate and taught writing at universities in Missouri
and Illinois. She found the muse for her debut novel, Voodoo Butterfly,
during a family trip to New Orleans where she dreamt of a woman who had the
power to change evil people good. The Northwest Houston RWA named her novel, Voodoo
Butterfly, a 2013 Lone Star Contest finalist. Camille's stories are
inspired by her travels to 27 countries and counting! Follow her journey at www.camillefaye.com.
