Liz: Yes. I have several trusted critique partners who are not afraid to give me constructive feedback. Good timing helped too.Īmy: Do you have beta readers and/or critique partners? If so, how important are they to your writing process? Fortunately, Carina Press was interested in CAPTIVE SPIRIT after they read it and they happened to be looking for more historical fiction. Despite having a decent query, however, you still need to sell an editor/publisher on the book itself, of course. In other words, you have to entice an agent/editor/publisher with just enough information that they’re practically begging you to read your manuscript. I think the best queries sound like the back of a book jacket: concise and leading with a great hook. By that time, I had had enough practice with query writing. Liz: When it came time to query CAPTIVE SPIRIT, the query and synopsis went straight to Carina Press. When I wrote it, I was already represented by Holly Root at Waxman Leavell Literary Agency.Īmy: Did the query come easily for CAPTIVE SPIRIT or did it go through many drafts? CAPTIVE SPIRIT was the third novel that I had written.

However, since it is historical fiction, Carina Press was able to market it as women’s fiction. Liz: CAPTIVE SPIRIT was initially written as a YA-the protagonists are teens. As it turns out, my writing voice is very much YA so it was an easy transition.Īmy: Was CAPTIVE SPIRIT your first manuscript? If not, how many novels had you written before one got agent attention? Teens live in exclamation points and I adore those highs and lows in YA stories. Liz: I read so much YA that I decided to try my hand at writing it. Many thanks to Liz for sharing her writing journey today…Īmy: You began your writing career penning adult fiction, but your latest book, HOOKED, is Young Adult. But what is inspiring is her drive to “keep writing.” I also adore the fact that she admits that, “it’s just not in her personality to give up.” It’s that kind of persistence and perseverance that have made her a successful writer. As she shares her writing odyssey, she includes times where her book didn’t sell to editors and how rough that kind of rejection can be. Liz does not sugar coat anything, but is honest and forthright about how difficult it can be to navigate the world of publishing. interview with Liz Fichera today is her honesty. One of the things I love most about my W.O.W.

Played by Liz Fichera