Tell me a about yourself. What got you
started in writing?
Growing up, my mother
always told us stories. We lived in Hawaii near my father’s family, but her
family was thousands of miles away. Her stories helped us to connect with
people she missed and we seldom saw. Reading was another love she passed on to
me. I realized very early on that stories had power and I could create my own.
How and where do you write? Do you
prefer a lap top or do you prefer writing freehand?
Most of my writing is
done on a computer, usually at my desk with the display font set to something
ridiculously large so I don’t have to wear my glasses. When I travel, I use a
laptop. Writing by hand is too slow for me and I break the cardinal rule of
editing as I write, so my handwritten pieces look like badly drawn maps with
all the arrows, circles, and crossed out sections. My best creative writing
happens very late at night from about 10 pm to 4 am. When I’m pushing a first
draft deadline on a book, I go into that mode. Editing or revising is usually
done in the early to late afternoon.
What's your favorite part about writing?
Your least favorite part about writing?
Even with complicated
novels, I seldom outline. I sit down with a general idea of what should happen
next, but the characters always take over and surprise me. They are much
smarter than I am, and I love discovering the story as they tell it. My least
favorite things about being an author are all the bookkeeping and legal aspects
like taxes and contracts.
How do you come up with your characters?
Why would readers want to get to know them?
I've worked as a
theater and television director, so I see the action, characters, setting, and
story roll out like a movie in my head. I just transcribe into book form what I
see and hear. My characters arrive on the scene fully-formed. While some
authors base characters on people they know, mine are all aspects of me. For
example, in the Niuhi Shark Saga, a speculative fiction series set in Hawaii
for MG/YA readers, the kid who was teased, the busy mom, the wise uncle, the
superstar athlete, the girl who wants to be one of the guys but also wants the
option to wear a little make-up, the smart-aleck dog who figures out how to get
her way, and even the scary man with too many teeth are all roles I imagine
myself playing.
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| Book One |
People care about these
characters because they demonstrate what life is like in a supportive, loving,
and typical Hawaiian family—as opposed to the Hollywood version where the kids
are uber smart, the adults dreadfully dull, and the locals all wear coconut
bras and warn about tiki curses. My characters are often ordinary people placed
in extraordinary situations who make choices for both noble and self-serving
reasons.
What types of marketing do you do to
promote your writing?
I do a lot of
appearances at writers’ conferences and bookstore signings,
speak at schools, hold drama workshops for teens, and participate in interviews
like this one. To keep in touch with readers between publications I've developed a strong social media platform that includes a blog, several
websites, a Facebook author fan page, and Twitter account.
How do you schedule your writing time? When
do you write?
Fortunately, I can
write full-time. My kids are all teens who are fairly self-sufficient with laundry,
feeding, and getting themselves to soccer practice, which frees me to write
when the muse strikes. Unfortunately, I can write full-time. This has gotten me
into the habit of writing, reading, editing, researching, marketing, and
critiquing my work and the work of other authors anytime there’s something
boring like housework to be done. I tend to binge with long hours in the
afternoons and then again late at night for four or five days, then take a day
or two off, rinse, repeat.
What are you currently working on? Do you
have a new book out?
Book 3 in the Niuhi
Shark Saga, One Truth, No Lie is
nearing completion and almost ready to turn over to the editorial team at Jolly
Fish Press. I anticipate it hitting store shelves in late 2015. Meanwhile, I've several short stories slated for anthologies and a one-act play I’m writing for
a spring 2015 high school drama competition. For the past 10 months or so, much
of my writing time has been taken up with editing books and short stories for
other authors. I also write articles for various blogs including a travel
series about my adventures in the Caribbean, Greece, Turkey, and Spain in 2014.
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| Book Two |
Do
you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.
Like most authors, I
have to work a couple of years ahead of publication. I have a lot of ideas, but I've learned to write what you sell, not sell what you write. This means that I
work with publishers to develop ideas and sell the work before it’s written. I
have many ideas for stories that I’d like to explore, but I’m not ready to
invest a lot of time in something that doesn't have a clear path to publication
and market.
What would you tell a beginning writer who
wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?
The beauty about
publishing today is that it is easier than ever to make your work available to
readers. Learn your craft. Join a critique group. Query and submit if you want
to go the traditional publishing route—you can’t get a yes if you don’t ask.
Listen to reader feedback. If you love to write for writing’s sake, then self-publish
your stories and send them out into the world to find their audience. But above
all, ask yourself why you are writing. That answer will set you on the
publishing path that’s right for you.
Connect with Lehua Parker
Twitter: @LehuaParker
One Boy, No Water
Barnes & Noble : http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-boy-no-water-lehua-parker/1112184898?ean=9780984880171
One Shark, No Swim
Barnes & Noble : http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-shark-no-swim-lehua-parker/1114940697?ean=9781939967107
