Cole recently had some very good news to share - her novel Katana will be published by Flux in early 2012! I have been privileged to read this book and cannot wait for it to hit the shelves!
To kick off our Author Spotlight Week, I asked Cole to answer a few questions for us about herself and her writing.
MM: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
CG: Always. Unfortunately, I had a step-dad who was fond of telling me how stupid I was so I didn’t believe I could do it and never tried. Lucky for me, when the economy started to sour four years ago, my small business folded. I know that sounds like a bad thing, but being jobless gave me the opportunity to really think about what I wanted to do with my life. It was the kick in the pants I needed to pick the pen back up.
MM: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
CG: How therapeutic it is! My husband says he can always tell when I haven’t written in a few days because I’m on edge. (That’s a nice way of saying I’m a Snarky Von Crankypants.) When this happens, he kicks me out of the house with my laptop and coffee money. (I’m a very lucky girl.)
MM: You recently sold your book, Katana, in a two-book deal with Flux.
Congratulations!! Can you tell us a little about your book?
CG: Thank you so much. I’d love to! KATANA is the story of Rileigh, a seventeen year-old girl who, after surviving an attack in the mall parking lot, gets possessed by the spirit of a fifteenth century samurai warrior. When a lover from her past life appears along with a mysterious enemy, her problems only increase.
MM: Who is your favorite character in the book, and why?
CG: Oh wow. I don’t know that I have a favorite because I love them all. Even my villain holds a special place in my heart. If I have to choose, I guess I’d say Rileigh because she’s sarcastic, addicted to shoes, and can disarm an attacker wielding nunchaku with a window squeegee.
MM: LOL Sounds like my kind of girl :D What about you? Who is Cole Gibsen ? What do you love to do, besides writing?
CG: Uh, I don’t think there’s enough room on the internet. LOL. But seriously, I’m a hopeless nerd. James Marsters touched my hand at Dragon Con and I almost died. I can talk comics with the best of them and spot all the inaccuracies in any Marvel movie. I love to sew and quilt. And I’m a diehard Harry Potter fan. There’s a group of us that dress up as characters from the movies to attend the HP premiers. This year I’m working on Bellatrix’s dress. It. Will. Be. Epic.
MM: Okay, seriously, I wish I lived closer to you because I would so be right there with you! :D Tell us a little about finding your agent and your road to publication –
CG: I can tell you it was a lesson in patience. It took two novels, two years, and over a hundred rejections before I landed my agent, Chris Richman. From there it took another year and several revisions before we landed our deal with Flux. Totally worth the wait!
MM: What was the hardest part of this journey for you? The easiest, or most fun?
CG: The hardest part, but also the most gratifying, was overcoming my own self-doubt and proving to myself that I could write a novel and get it published.
The most fun has been meeting all these incredible writers online and at conferences. I’m very lucky to now have friends across the country and even around the world. Writers are amazing people and I’m blessed to have so many in my life.
MM: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
CG: Hmmm…I guess I’m not too quirky in that department. I do, however, always wear my noise reduction headphones and if a caramel frappuccino is within arms-reach, that’s even better!
MM: Thanks so much for the interview and for being our Spotlight Author this week! And congratulations again on your sale!!
Cole will be with us all week, so come back tomorrow for a few words of Gibsen wisdom :D
Linkage!!! If you'd like more information on Cole, please check out her links.
Cole's Blog
Cole's Website
Cole on Facebook
Cole on Twitter
Awesome Cole Youtube Video
9 comments:
I am honored to be the first commenter on here to congratulate the awesome Cole (aka Senshi) who was one of my original homies on Querytracker. Yay, Cole! You are an inspiration (and never fail to crack me up).
A couple of things:
Eff your stepdad, except who cares? He was obviously dead wrong.
DragonCon? Where does Cole live? I've never been but I live right outside ATL, maybe we'll have to meet up.
Boy your book sounds fun. Samurai, Katana and humor? AWESOME.
You rock Cole (so do you Michelle)!
What a great interview! I can't wait to read Katana! It sounds amazing!
And I love QueryTracker - I'm not very active in the forums, but I think I'm going to have to start!
Aw, Thanks everyone for your support! You all rock.
BTW - I live in St. Louis, but every so often I try to make it up to Dragon Con. I was too late in registering this year and all the hotels were booked - but I'll definitely be there next year!
Can't wait to read Katana! I'm glad to have bumped into you at last year's DragonCon. Nothing like driving 10 hours to meet someone who lives 30 minutes away!
Great interview! Funny enough, I started writing full time when our business went kaput! It's funny the way things happen just like they're supposed to! :D
Great interview! It's so great to hear success stories, and this one is particularly wonderful after her step-dad told her she couldn't do it. Go Cole!
I love this interview! So fun!
Great interview! I have the same self-doubt thing, I'm so glad to read her experience! =)
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