Today I'd like to introduce author Connie Huddleston.
Connie M.
Huddleston loves history and dreamed of writing a book even as a child.
However, she got sidetracked. She became an Army wife, a mother, an elementary
school teacher, an archaeologist, and an historic preservation consultant,
before publishing her first book! In
2017, she published her ninth and tenth volumes, all dealing with her first
love, our nation’s past. While four are written for children under the name
C.M. Huddleston, her other works are histories for adults on a variety of
subjects.
Connie resides in a log cabin near Crab Orchard, Kentucky,
with her husband and their Australian Shepherd Katie. They all enjoy the quiet
of rural Kentucky. Except when Katie barks at deer, turkeys, and of course, the
UPS truck!
Connie has written three fiction
books under the name C.M. Huddleston and six adult history volumes under her
full name. In 2017, she compiled a
children’s anthology with eight other authors, to which she contributed two short
stories.
Thanks for taking the time to share with us today, Connie. What brought
about the idea for your first book?
I wrote my first book while out of work as an archaeologist.
I wanted to tell children about archaeology and prehistory. I finished the book
and submitted it to about 15 publishers before finding a new position. I
received rejections, shelved the copy, and forgot about it for 20 years. Only
after my daughter self-published her book, did I think of looking at it again.
It was awful! The main character Greg was one dimensional, to say the
least. I spent about six months
rewriting and rewriting, found two editors, and self-published it as “Greg’s
First Adventure in Time.” The following
year, 2016, the book received a gold medal from Literary Classics (www.clcawards.org)
I also published the second in the series, which won a gold medal in 2017! I
have published the third in the series and am currently writing “Greg’s Fourth
Adventure in Time.”
What kind of
research do you do before you start a new novel?
Being an archaeologist and historian by trade, I try to make
all history in my books as accurate as possible. For Greg’s First, I wrote from
my archaeological experiences. For “Greg’s Second Adventure in Time,” I read
five books on the life of Daniel Boone and more than five on the early
settlements in Kentucky. When Greg time-travels to Kentucky in 1778, I wanted
him to encounter real people and experience real events. Currently, I am
reading my fifth book to research for Greg’s Fourth.
It's amazing how much research it can take to write a book. Tell us a
little bit about your main characters
Greg’s personality is based on my two grandsons. Both are
very intelligent, but a bit socially awkward. The youngest talks constantly! (I
really do mean constantly!) The oldest is very sensitive. By combining the two
boys, I created a sensitive young man, who talks when nervous and becomes
silent when worried or afraid. I also made Greg an avid reader, as both my
grandsons love to read. In the third book, a girl named Rose becomes a major
character, after having bit parts in the first two books. She provides Greg
with a time-travel companion, but adds that feminine touch. As the first two
books are written in first person by Greg, I have Rose write whole chapters of
the third book.
Connie, what are you
currently working on?
I am working hard on “Greg’s Fourth
Adventure in Time” but getting ready to launch my first teen/adult fiction book,
entitled “Leah’s Story.” Leah’s is the story o a slave born on a southern
plantation, and in the book relates her life from slavery to emancipation to an
unidentified person. The events in the book are based on my archaeological work
on Southern plantations, in particular “slave rows,” and the WPA Slave
Narratives recorded by historians during the Great Depression. The book could
be read by most middle-grade readers, but is directed more toward teens and
adults.
Congratulations! It's so exciting every time a new book is getting released. What has
been the best compliment you have received?
Realistically, my best compliment
would be my two gold medals. However, after the release my first volume, my
daughter recommended the book to her best friend’s children. Teresa and Joseph, mother and son, were
reading together, one chapter each night. Joseph was very hesitant as he
“didn’t want to read a book written by someone’s grandmother.” After reading
the first chapter, he asked, “can we read another chapter?” “So you liked it?”
his mother asked. Joseph replied, “well, it’s not awful.” What better praise can an author get!?!
That's too cute! Yes if they keep reading I'd call that a win. What has
been the most difficult thing you have struggled with since you began a career
in writing?
Marketing. As a self-published
author, I have to do everything myself, especially as I don’t have money to
spend on agencies to do it for me. I
have had to learn, read, experiment, and on, and on, and on. I hate it. It takes up too much of my time.
Who designed
the artwork for your cover? Or did you do it yourself?
I did my first two covers myself.
Then I saw my first cover on a website for the worst book covers ever. I immediately began looking for a
professional designer and found Jeanine Henning (http://www.jeaninehenning.com/). She does the covers for all of my Greg books.
I did do the cover design for “Leah’s Story” and my beta readers and reviewer’s
comments have been positive.
Sometime all we need is a little practice. Do you have
people read your drafts before you publish? How do you select beta readers?
I usually work with two editors. One
who gives me an initial appraisal while the second works with me on typos, etc.
I always use beta readers. I used four for “Leah’s Story.” Some are also
authors, while another is a librarian.
My mother also reads all my books before they are published. She is very
supportive and usually has questions about the plot and characters.
How many
times do you think you read your book before going to print?
I have an unusual way of writing. I
begin each day by reading/correcting/re-writing all the work I have already
done on the manuscript. This helps me find plot flaws, etc. Then I begin my
writing for the day. As the book grows
in length, I may begin only three chapters before where I am working. So this means that by the time I finish the
draft, I have already read the book about 20 times. I then send it out to one or two first
readers. Then after revisions, I read the book aloud, sometimes with a partner
if one is available. I then send it for
editing. After more revision I read it aloud at least two more times before it
goes to beta readers. My daughter, the author, codes my ebooks so she reads
it. I then usually read it one more
time. So what is the answer? About 20 to
30 times.
Thanks for sharing with us. Be Sure to check out Connie's amazing books. Happy Reading!!
Excerpts can be found at: http://cmhuddleston.com/childrens-books.html
Excerpts can be found at: http://cmhuddleston.com/childrens-books.html
Lesson plans
for each Greg book can be found at: http://cmhuddleston.com/lesson-plans.html
Website: http://cmhuddleston.com/
Twitter:
@MM_Indie
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9860539.Connie_M_Huddleston
No comments:
Post a Comment