I'm back with another Chat With Me Thursday! This week the author of Kenji and Yuki: A Japanese Tale, Hailey Sawyer.
1. Can you tell me a little about yourself?
My name is Hailey Sawyer and I've been a fan of Japanese culture since I was about nine or ten years old. Other than writing, one of my hobbies is learning how to code. Through online college classes and classes out in the community, I've learned how to code with programming languages such as C# (C Sharp), C++, Java, Python, HTML, XML, and so on and so forth. The reason why I love learning to code is because it encourages me to have a sharp eye and try more than one way to fix a bug. I also feel great when the code comes together and the bugs are eliminated. Another hobby of mine is reading. I like how it allows me to travel without leaving my house and I like how it lets me learn about perspectives I may not have been aware of otherwise.
2. When did you realize you wanted to write a book? I think it was a little while after the idea for Kenji and Yuki just popped into my head one day. Because I wasn't really sure if this was an idea I actually wanted to turn into a novel at first, I had to really give it some thought. Thankfully, I was eventually able to make a definite choice.
3. How have you found the self-publishing route? Was anything surprising to you? Was anything easier or harder than you thought it would be?
I think I found the self-publishing route through researching different kinds of publishing options. In February of 2018, I joined this site called Goodreads. What absolutely blew my mind and still blows my mind to this day is that, just on this site alone, there are tons of resources available for those who want to go the self-publishing route. For example, there's several groups like Support for Indie Authors dedicated to helping out... well... Indie Authors and at least a few groups dedicated to things like Beta Reading. There are also tons of marketers, editors, cover designers and so many others for free or for hire that can help you out.
What I found easier than expected was choosing the right place to publish my upcoming novel. So for Kenji and Yuki, I'm going to publish it with Draft2Digital, a platform that quickly won me over. Why? Well, even though I've never published a book before, Draft2Digital was still easy for me to figure out how to use. Not only that, but Draft2Digital seems to really care about authors. For example, they have no fees for things such as making updates or other changes to or formatting a book and the like, only take ten percent of the retail price per sale, allow an author to set a book's price to whatever they want, allow an author to sell their books on multiple platforms, and so on. One time, I had a question about their service and their support staff gave me a helpful and insightful answer rather quickly.
What I found harder than expected was creating a great blurb. Now you would think that all you have to do to make a great blurb is to describe what your book is about, right? Well, not exactly. See, based on the research I've done and the feedback that I've received from the people of Goodreads on the previous blurbs for Kenji and Yuki, you have to make sure that your blurb doesn't exceed one hundred and fifty words in length, hooks the reader in, doesn't include too many spoilers, fits the genre that your book falls under, and so on. With Kenji and Yuki, it's a largely character driven book, so on top of what I'd just mentioned, I also had to figure out how to write its blurb beyond introducing the characters. By the time I came up with a blurb that I felt was up to snuff, I had written at least twenty different blurbs.
4. What was your favourite scene to write in Kenji and Yuki: A Japanese Tale?
I would have to say the ending. I don't want to spoil too much, but it's the kind of ending that wraps things up without a single bit of dialogue.
5. Do you have any weird writing habits that help get your creative juices flowing?
I'm not really sure if this is a weird writing habit or not, but I'll talk about it anyway. Sometimes, when I need to get into a specific mood or capture a specific mood, I'll listen to certain kinds of songs in order to do so. I also listen to sound effects to get a better idea of how to describe a certain sound.
6. How do you deal with writer's block?
A: There's this list called Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling. One of the rules on that list talks about writing down or making a list of stuff that wouldn't happen next and honestly, for me, I think it's one of the most effective ways to combat writer's block.
7. Are you writing anything new right now? If so, how's it going?
Yes I am. I'm working on the ninth episode of a fan fiction series called Pokemon: Johto Quest. The series follows a five year old girl named Emily Hawthorne who goes on a journey with her Mareep named Eddy to win all eight Johto league badges to get into the “Nidoran Region” where her father is said to be living. At this point in time, the episode is in the plot outline phase.
8. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
I suggest looking at the rest of that 22 Rules of Storytelling list. For me, it's some of the best writing advice I've ever seen. In addition to the rule about listing or jotting down what wouldn't happen next, some of my personal favorite rules are "You admire a character more for trying than for their successes" and "Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle."
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And that concludes the interview! A big thank you goes out to Hailey for allowing me to feature her. Remember to look out for her novel Kenji and Yuki: A Japanese Tale, and don't forget to add it to your
Goodreads TBR!
