Before she begins to write, how completely does she plan out her characters and her book? What does she enjoy most about writing? What is her biggest fear as a writer?
Was there any particular thing or event that inspired you to write these books?
I think the initial, fundamental idea of the story (revenge on the people who killed your parents) is a classic by this point. I saw a movie with that theme, but I thought it was all wrong. So I fixed it and retold the story entirely differently.
About how long did it take you to complete each book? When is the third book due to be done?
The first book took me two months on the first draft. I just wrote and wrote. The second took about four months—which seems to be my stride as I’m hitting book eight overall. So I’m hoping book 3 will be about the same. Then, of course there’s editing, etc. Justice should be available next spring (2015)
In Vengeance and Retribution, who are your favorite characters? Why?
I’m torn here. Everyone loves Sin and Lee, and I understand that. But in Vengeance, my favorite is Owen, because he didn’t exist at all until the moment before he turned up in the book. I got stuck on page four, walked around my house, and Owen was born, full character, family in place. He just made sense and he’s the anchor of that book. In Retribution, my favorite is Nick. I think he’s the easiest to love, then the hardest, then . . . Owen and Nick both come back in book 3, Justice.
Do you have some specific way to choose names for your characters?
Yes, I really do pay attention to the names. Cynthia is Cynthia because Lee’s misunderstanding of her name (Sin) is a key part of the story. And she’s Sin from the biblical ideas of ‘how able are we to wash away our sins?’ and the idea of ‘the sins of the father’ haunting the children. But many of the other characters are named by their name meanings. For example “Lee” is a word meaning ‘shelter from a storm,’ which is exactly what he is to Sin, even though she doesn’t know it.
How completely do you develop your characters before beginning to write?
Mostly, I know them very well. Sometimes though, they pop up at the last minute (like Owen in Vengeance). I do usually know them well before word one goes on the page, though.
Was there a point where your characters took control of the story?
Writers always say that . . . mine don’t take it over. I do add things to flesh out the character, and later I’ll be reminded that a character has a certain habit, or quirk and it will become essential to the story. For example, the fact that Sin and her sister Wendy don’t look alike was just a quirk that my dad and his brother have, but it became a major point in book two.
Do you plan the entire book before writing it? Or do you just sit down and write?
I’m a planner. I know all the major points before I start. I have to know how it ends or I can’t start writing. There are definitely detours and additional things that pop up along the way. But right now, I could write you the last three pages of the final book! I know them.
When did you first have a desire to write? How did this desire manifest itself?
In kindergarten, I didn’t make the advanced reading group and it really made me mad. I got ‘revenge’ by becoming a stellar reader. I devoured my school library and by second grade, I had finished most of Stephen King’s published works at the time, the entire Flowers in the Attic series, The Amityville Horror and many more things six year olds shouldn’t read. In third grade, I wrote my first book. It was 80 pages. I’ve been writing ever since.
What do you enjoy the most about writing?
This is a hard question. I love the adventure and I’ve found I love doing the research. For me, writing is necessary—it stops the story from bouncing around inside my head. So it’s almost a release. Writing, like reading, is essential. I have truly lived a thousand lives.
Do you have a set time to write each day? Do you wait to be inspired?
I don’t set time each day. Initially, I used my sister as a beta-reader and sent her chapters as I wrote them. She would hound me (often sending me rude texts to get the next chapter) and it kept me going until I could finish. These days (working on book seven) she’s used to getting one chapter at a time. I don’t wait to be inspired. Things bounce around in my brain—characters meet up with plots and they stick. I have about sixteen treatments registered with the Writer’s Guild, and we make decisions about what to write next.
Do you ever become bored with what you are writing? If you do, how do you get past that point?
I haven’t gotten bored with it. I think that may be because I know the beginning, middle, and end before I even start. While I tend to stick to the quasi-realistic (I think things are more tense when they could be real,) I don’t even start a story if it’s not fast paced and gripping. The slower plots hang out in my head longer until they become more interesting. So if something bores me, it’s much further back in the queue.
How many books have you written? Which one is your favorite?
I’m midway through writing book eight, which will be the third in the Sin Trilogy. I can’t choose a favorite! Though all are suspense, there’s a range in there: sci-fi, action, paranormal, sci-fi/paranormal, mystery, etc. They are each special to me, because they are each different. It really is like choosing between my kids.
Do you believe it is important for an author to read a lot? What types of books do you like to read?
I do believe it’s important for authors to read a lot. Writing is very much an activity in a vacuum—and reading is the pathway out. I read romance and fantasy like crazy, and some non-fiction though I don’t write any of that. I’ll watch urban fantasy on TV, and I love TV and stories that are partially true. I love when part of the story is real.
How do you manage to balance your time between family, friends, and writing?
My house is a mess! My friends are awesome at making sure we have designated times to be together and that we commit to being active friends. Because I work from home, I can be near my kids a lot. It means a lot of breaks from writing and a lot of days where writing is scheduled in between karate practice and getting the kids out the door in the morning. My husband is awesome. He’s happy to pick up any task so that I can finish a book or head out to a writer’s convention. That support has been crucial to my success. It’s chaotic; no two days are ever the same. But it works for me.
What opportunities have come your way because of your writing?
Before I was even a published suspense author, I got to write textbooks for the company I work for. That’s really cool, thousands of students see my work every year. I’ve also hit the point where I’m getting offered chances to teach classes on writing, and I really love doing that. I love answering the questions at the end—those things spark some amazing ideas for me. It’s great to be around other writers.
Are you successful enough to write full time?
Nope! Not monetarily, not yet. I only know a few writers who are. But my ‘regular paycheck’ work is piecemeal and I am scaling back on it as I go. Only part time now!
If you could spend one hour with just one person, dead or alive, whom would you choose? Why?
Nabokov or da Vinci. Hard to decide. I love that Nabokov could say so much with so few words. He didn’t need or use grand vocabulary, but he wrote so eloquently. Da Vinci simply because I think hearing his mutterings would be amazing. I’m the kind of person who would interrupt him and say, “Why did you put that support on the catapult? Why not here?”
What is your biggest fear as a writer?
Every time a book releases, I’m petrified. I have some fans who have become friends, and I wait to hear from them about the newest books. One of them sets aside vacation days to read my new books! When I didn’t hear from him for several months, I thought he hated the book and didn’t know how to tell me. Turns out he just hadn’t gotten his vacation request yet. But it terrified me!
Do you have any advice for writers who aren’t yet published?
Oh yeah. I think a lot of writers have the same problem I had for years—I never finished anything. I think too many of us are trying to write our dream book right out of the gate. And that’s ridiculous. Michael Phelps didn’t swim that fast for a long time. When I decided I was going to get published, I gave myself two goals: 1) finish 2) write and understandable plot with beginning, middle and end. That was it. Only two—that way I could measure if I hit them. I picked a story that wasn’t my baby, because I knew it was my first step. It’s a terrible book. But I’m really proud of it.
For my second book, I added two goals: 1) really flesh out the characters 2) write fluidly and creatively. Because I had simple goals, I could achieve them. Because I wasn’t writing the Great American Novel, I didn’t struggle with perfection. I felt I grew more in my craft than most do in the same time because I had measurable, attainable goals. I know writers who work for ten to twenty years on their first book. I did about a year and a half! Then I wrote Resonance, and I KNEW I could do it justice.
I also really recommend taking writing classes outside your chosen genre/style. I took prose poetry classes. It was easier to take criticism because hey, I know I’m not a poet! And I think I grew a lot more because of that ability to detach emotionally and not have to defend my work.
Where can your fans find you on the Internet?
My website: www.ReadAJS.com
Facebook: friend me! AJ Scudiere
FB Author page: https://www.facebook.com/ReadAJS
Twitter: @AJScudiere
Recommended Articles:
Vengeance – a Review
Retribution – a Review
How Not to Get Arrested Breaking Into Your Own Home – Guest Post by AJ Scudiere
Them’s Fightin’ Words – Guest Post by AJ Scudiere
