The Crossroads Tour: Day 7 Jeri Smith-Ready

Thanks for meeting us at The Crossroads! Today we're featuring YA paranormal author, Jeri Smith-Ready. Jeri is one cool lady and we know this for a FACT as we hung out with her in NYC during Book Expo America in May for the Class of 2k10 book tour. She's a prolific author, with more on her plate than we can fathom....and she's a wonderful person, willing to share info and support her fellow authors. 2k10 wouldn't be the same without her!

1. Road to publication story?

Mine is very convoluted. Short version: My first book was bought as an e-book as a result of a contest. A woman read it who later became an editor at Luna Books, Harlequin’s fantasy imprint. She asked me to submit a proposal, and while my first proposal didn’t sell, my second one (for the ASPECT OF CROW trilogy) did sell. With an offer in hand, I had my pick of agents. Eventually my agent sold my vampire series and then my YA series.

As far as timelines, I wrote for five years before selling that first book, then it was another five years before I sold my second. But ever since then I’ve had one or two books out every year. I feel very lucky—and grateful to readers who have let me keep doing what I love!

2. Best writing advice you've heard?

The moment you submit one novel, get to work on something else. This is wise for two reasons: 1. You’ll be less emotionally attached to the submitted book, so if it sells you’ll be better able to edit it, and if it doesn’t, you’ll be less sad. 2. If the editor loves your writing but doesn’t want that particular book for whatever reason, and they ask, “What else do you have?” you’ll have an answer.

3. You write both adult and young adult fiction. What is different in how you approach writing YA?

Honestly, nothing. Each book gets a unique approach based on the demands of the story and the characters. And when I say “a unique approach,” I mean I fumble around trying to write the book the same way I’ve written other books until eventually the book completely balks and says, “No, this time around you need to write scenes out of order,” or “I need to be written super fast and heavily revised later.” Every book is a different kind of struggle. That’s part of the fun!

4. Other projects in the works?

In November, I’ll have a short story in a YA vampire anthology called ETERNAL: MORE LOVE STORIES WITH BITE. Then SHADE’s sequel SHIFT comes out in May. My fourth vampire book for adults, LET IT BLEED, comes out in August. In the fall, Logan Keeley from SHADE and SHIFT gets to tell his story in an anthology called ENTHRALLED, which is a collection of stories by the authors on this year’s Smart Chicks Kick It Tour.

After I finish LET IT BLEED, I’ll be starting the third SHADE book, part of which will take place at Newgrange in Ireland (and maybe, just maybe a bit in Scotland as well). And then the fifth and final book in the vampire series. I’ve also started brainstorming a brand-new idea for a big stand-alone YA.

5. Describe your office/workspace/writer’s cave.

My laptop lets me be a nomad. I’ll sit in one spot for weeks or even months until one day it just doesn’t work for me anymore. I’ve spent the summer in the family room in the basement at the end of the couch. It’s very cavelike, which I find helps me concentrate. As winter comes I’ll move back upstairs to the dining room, living room, or even--*gasp*--my office.