Author Interview ? Tracey Garvis Graves ? Friends of the Rochester ...

An Interview with Author Tracey Garvis Graves
by Catherine H. Armstrong

Today?s the day!? The fairy tale-like story of Tracey Garvis Graves finally comes full circle.? After an exhaustive and disappointing search for an agent and publisher, and finally taking matters into her own hands by self-publishing in e-book format, Graves? Book ? On the Island ? finally hits bookstores today!? The single-minded determination of this author and her quest to be published is not only unique, but nothing short of miraculous.

Author Tracey Garvis Graves

In celebration of the release of her novel, On the Island, Tracey Garvis Graves has graciously allowed us the opportunity for an interview.? Those who know her story? are astounded at the nontraditional route she has taken to arrive at today?s book release, and further by the incredible success she has achieved in the process.? Her story is truly astounding and a inspiration to all aspiring writers.

To read more about Tracey?s route from aspiring writer to published novelist, see yesterday?s blog by following this link. Otherwise, read on for our exclusive interview with New York Times Bestselling Author, Tracey Garvis Graves.

CHA:? First of all, I want to congratulate you on the amazing success of your first novel. ?You?ve done what every aspiring author who?s been turned down by an agent or publishing house wishes he could do. ?You took a novel that you couldn?t get published through a traditional route, and you self-published it to an e-book version that has been so well-received that it?s been picked up by a major publishing house and is scheduled to hit stores today. ?I think I can speak for every aspiring writer and avid reader when I say ?Congratulations!? You?re an inspiration!?

Tracey:? Thank you so much! This has truly been a dream come true for me. I?m very grateful that writers have so many avenues for bringing their work to the readers.

CHA:? For those who haven?t read it yet, On the Island tells the story of 30-year old Anna Emerson and her almost 17-year old summer student, T.J. Callahan.? En route to a vacation destination in Maldives, their plane crash-lands in the ocean and leaves them stranded on a deserted island for nearly three years.? You?re currently a resident of Des Moines, Iowa, where the winters can be brutal and tropical weather is only a dream for those of us here in the Midwest.? How did you find inspiration for the story, and what kind of research did you need to do about desert island survival?

Tracey:? I?ve always been intrigued by the desert island premise. I begged my mom to take me to see The Blue Lagoon when I was thirteen, and I?m a big fan of the movie Castaway and the T.V. show Lost. I also love books and movies that have a survival aspect so I knew On the Island would be the type of story I?d enjoy writing.

It was, however, a very research-heavy endeavor. I spent hours on the Internet looking at aerial views of the Maldives. I studied the animals and plants that were common to the area, and I learned all about the heat, humidity, and weather patterns, especially the dry and rainy seasons.

CHA:? Your two main characters, Anna and T.J., are separated in age by some 14 years.? When they crash near the island, T.J. is just a 16 year old boy who very quickly leaves his boyhood behind in order to survive on the island.? Not surprisingly, Anna and T.J. are forced to rely on each other as equals in order to survive.? They first become best friends and eventually ? after more than two years on the island together ? they fall in love.? Have you received much criticism about the age difference between the two characters and, if so, how have you handled that criticism?

Tracey:? Surprisingly, no. I was really worried about it, but I knew I wanted to put two characters on the island that really shouldn?t be together and then see what would happen. I was careful to make sure T.J. was of legal age, but I still wasn?t sure if readers would understand ? and buy into ? their relationship. The challenge was in getting the readers to root for T.J. and Anna to be together; if I could pull it off then the risk would have been worth it. Many of my reviews state that the age difference was handled sensitively and that it didn?t bother the reader at all. Believe it or not, I actually received harsh criticism from a reader who felt I played it ?too safe? and that I shouldn?t have been so sensitive to the age difference. She felt I should not have made T.J. and Anna wait. That particular reader lived in another country where I think there is less of a focus on age than there is in the U.S.

CHA:? I?ve read on your blog that it?s always been a dream of yours to walk into a bookstore and see your book on the shelves.? You write,

??I?d linger in the vicinity and?see if anyone else checked it out. If they did, I certainly?wouldn?t swoop in and shout,??Hey I wrote that! That?s MY book! Are you going to buy that???while jumping up and down like a crazy person?I mean, I probably wouldn?t.?

Your quote made me laugh because I?m sure most of us would have a similar reaction.? Imagine for a moment, though, that you?re standing in that bookstore.? Next to you is someone holding two books in her hands:? a copy of On the Island and some other book on the bestseller list.? She turns to you ? clearly conflicted over which book to purchase ? and not realizing who you are asks, ?Have you read either of these??? What would you say?? What would you say about your own book to convince her that she should choose your book over the other?

Tracey:? I?m going to be honest: I really would start jumping up and down and I?d definitely recommend that she buy my book (hoping that my blatant enthusiasm would be all the convincing she?d need). I?d also whip out the Sharpie I always carry in my purse and offer to sign it.

CHA:? You?ve written a beautiful book about friendship, survival and love that ? as a reader ? I completely enjoyed. ?I?ve read that you were turned down by 14? agents prior to taking the situation into your own hands and going the self-publishing e-book route. ?Can you tell me whether any of those agents? gave you any usable feedback on why they rejected your book, or any advice regarding what changes they felt you needed to make for it to be ?publishable?? ?And, if so, was any of that information helpful to you and incorporated into the final product?

Tracey:? I received nothing but form letter rejections which meant that none of the 14 agents I queried ever requested the manuscript for On the Island. Some of the query guidelines allowed you to paste the first 10 pages of the book into the query, but I have no way of knowing if anyone actually read them. I did win a first-chapter critique from an agent on Twitter. She thought the first chapter was all ?scene setting? and that nothing really happened, despite the pilot dying and the plane crashing. She also knew from the synopsis I sent along that Anna and T.J. had a big age difference. She told me it would never work and that I should make T.J. much older. But that would have eliminated the main thing that was compelling about their relationship. I considered changing the ages ? I really did ? but ultimately I stuck to my guns and I?m so glad I did.

CHA: ? As a reader, I?m really glad you did, too.? You?re right ? the age difference between T.J. and Anna was exactly what made the novel so compelling.? Kudos to you for sticking to your guns!

Can you tell me a little bit about how you heard that your book was being picked up by a publishing house? ?When was the first time you realized that Plume was interested in publishing your book, and what was your reaction?

Tracey:? I was shocked. I was so happy with my self-publishing experience that it never occurred to me to pursue a traditional publishing contract after the fact. I had signed with a literary agent who sold the film and foreign rights on my behalf and when she presented me with offers from two different publishers I was a little overwhelmed. I really had to decide whether I wanted to remain self-published or take that next step. Obviously, the goal of seeing my book on the shelf played a big part in my decision to move forward with Penguin, and it?s a decision I couldn?t be happier with!

CHA:? Would you talk a little bit about the process you took to self-publish? What steps did you take?? Why did you choose to publish an e-book, rather than paperback?? What challenges did you encounter?? And do you have any advice for those who may wish to follow your example?

Tracey:? I actually did publish both an e-book and a paperback. I published the e-book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords, and then I published the paperback a month later via CreateSpace (a print-on-demand division of Amazon).

When I was unable to get an agent, I started researching self-publishing and it took approximately two months to prepare the manuscript for publication. I hired an editor, copyeditor, and a digital formatter. The challenge was making sure my book was on par with what a traditional publisher would produce. The best advice I could give anyone would be to spend a little money on your cover and definitely hire an editor and a copyeditor.

CHA: ?? I?ve read that the movie rights for On the Island have been optioned by MGM and the producers of the Twilight movies.? Congratulations!? If you could select any actors to play the parts of Anna and T.J., who would they be?

Minka Kelly

Tracey:? Initially, I thought Taylor Kitsch would make a perfect T.J. He played a high-school student on Friday Night Lights and I thought he could pull it off. Unfortunately, when I watched an episode of FNL on Netflix, I realized he is just a bit too old. Not old in general! Just too old to play T.J. So now I have no T.J.?? I?m certainly open to casting suggestions!

For Anna, I thought Anne Hathaway would be wonderful. But while watching that episode of Friday Night Lights I discovered Minka Kelly. She is absolutely adorable and would make a great Anna.

CHA:? On the Island is receiving a great deal of much-deserved hype at the moment, but I?ve read that you have a second novel scheduled to be published in 2013.? What can you tell us about that novel?

Tracey:? The title of my upcoming novel is Covet. It will be quite different from On the Island. First of all, it?s women?s fiction instead of contemporary romance. It?s set in a suburb instead of on a desert island (which is something I know a bit more about since I also live in a suburban neighborhood). Covet is about a married couple and the effects of the recession (including the husband?s job loss) on their otherwise fairly solid marriage. I think it?s a very timely premise and hopefully it will resonate with readers. It does share some similarities with On the Island though: it?s ultimately a very hopeful story with an uplifting ending. It?s just that the characters will experience considerable heartache on the way there.

CHA:? Is there anything else you?d like to tell our readers?? Anything you?d like us to know about you or any upcoming projects?

Tracey:? I?m very grateful to readers all over the world. On the Island has a risky storyline so when people reach out to me to say how much they enjoyed it, I get a huge smile on my face. As a self-published debut novelist I?ve had the massive good-fortune to experience something that doesn?t happen very often and it?s the readers who are 100% responsible for the book?s success. My gratitude is endless. I?m so fortunate that ? instead of working a full-time job and writing on the side ? writing will now BE my full-time job. When doing something you love becomes your career it is truly a wonderful thing. I wish I could personally thank everyone who made it happen.

CHA:? On behalf of the Friends of the Library and this blog, I?d like to give a heartfelt thanks to Tracey Garvis Graves for this interview.? We all wish you great success with this novel, and all future endeavors.? Personally speaking, I enjoyed the book so much that I can?t wait to see the movie version of On the Island, so I?ll be searching the internet for details of that project to be completed.

For more information about Tracey and her upcoming endeavors, check out her blog at www.traceygarvisgraves.com.? To read our review of On the Island, you can follow this link.? And remember:? as part of this week?s FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY, we have three new copies of On the Island to award to three lucky winners!? Check out yesterday?s author spotlight on Tracey Garvis Graves and complete the entry form at the bottom of the page.? And good luck!

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Source: http://friends4rpl.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/author-interview-tracey-garvis-graves/

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