Diana on Her Books

Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: Everywhere! A snippet of conversation, a current issue, a dream. Ideas are all over. It’s the weaving that makes them stories. For specific inspiration, check out the “between the lines” section.

Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m hard at work on the third book in the Secret Society Girl series, which will be released in summer of 2008.

Q: Did you know that this part of your book is wrong?
A: Well, actually, it isn’t, and I can tell you why (because I’m a know-it-all like that).

Q: Did you know that that part of your book is wrong?
A: Huh. Live and learn.

Q: Did you know that this part of your book is wrong?
I actually know that--
A: Poetic license, bub.

Q: What parts of your book are true?
A: My book is a work of fiction. It says so right there on the copyright page. What parts do you think are true?

Q: Were you in a secret society?
A: I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.

Q: Actually, I already know the truth, because I bshglrpasdflrutbsnvbnbtlkdmdmd....
A: Mwahahahahahaha! Next?

Diana on Herself

Q: Um... hi. I was wondering what you can tell us about yourself.
A: Other than the stuff listed “here?” Well, let’s see. My first job was in a CD factory. That was fun. I love caves and bats. My ears are not pierced, and I’ll probably never pierce them. I’ve memorized the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice. All six hours. I wrote my senior thesis at Yale on James Hilton’s Lost Horizon, which was, I might add, the first book ever published by Pocket.

Q: How did you like Yale?
A: I loved it! Best time ever. Most of my friends are from school.

Q: What were your college and major?
A: I was in Morse College (10 points if you can figure out what I call it in my books) and double-majored in Geology and Literature.

Q: Is Diana Peterfreund your real name?
A: Do you think I’d make something like that up?

Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Near Tampa, Florida.

Q: Are you married?
A: No. Are you asking?

Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: This changes daily, I think. I can pick novelists I've loved for a decade or more, though. Lucy Maud Montgomery, C.S. Lewis, Lois Lowry, Alexandre Dumas, Gene Stratton Porter, Jane Austen, Douglas Adams, Christopher Pike, Edgar Allen Poe... I'm sure there are more.

Q:What's a typical day like for you?
A: Get up, go to work, come home, make dinner, watch Netflix, go to bed. Constant checking of email.

Q: What do you do when you're not writing?
A: Contemplate the meaning of life and work towards the discovery of the unified theory. Seriously? I crochet. I blog. I do yoga. I read a lot. I love Netflix. I hang out with Sailor Boy. I hang out with friends. I read wretched, brain-rotting gossip magazines about Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. I pick up hobbies and then drop them. I’m totally obsessed with Panda-Cam.

Q: Is it really cool to be a cover model? 'Cause it looks really cool.
A: Yep. It's really cool. Really, really, cool.

Q: How much do you make?
A: Writers get paid a bit differently than other people. When we agree to write a book, a publisher pays us a certain amount of money called an “advance.” This is usually the amount that the publisher knows they will be able to earn back with the book. The advance comes in several parts. When the book is published, an author gets a percentage of the cost of every book sold – but here’s the rub. The author doesn’t get any of those percentages until they’ve added up to the amount in the advance! (But if they never add up to that amount, the author doesn’t have to pay the publisher back. However, if that happens, the publisher might not want to buy any more of the author’s books!) Once the same amount of money as the advance has been reached, the author starts getting those percentages. They’re called royalties. Authors only get paid once or twice a year, unlike most jobs where you get paid every two weeks or so. So authors need to learn to budget.

Q: When are you going to write a real book?
A: Right after someone explains to me why mine are fake. Hey, is this a writing question?

Diana on Writing

Q: How long had you been writing before you sold?
A: That’s a tough question. Going by one count, it was decades. I wrote short stories in grade school when other kids were using their spelling words in sentences. I wrote my first novel in 6th grade. It was about a pair of girls who get lost while hiking and spend the night alone on a mountain. I won a short story contest in high school (actually, tied for first with a friend who will never let me live it down), and wrote a ton of short stories in college (including one I turned in in lieu of a term paper, for which the teacher awarded me an A+ and said I should be a novelist). Going by the other count – how long was I writing novels I attempted to publish, I’d say it was a little more than three years. I wrote four full novels in that time, and a few false starts. I finished my first book for publication in the summer of 2002. I sold in April of 2005. I hear that's about average.

Q: Is Society your first book, or do you have unpublished manuscripts?
A: See above. I have four unpublished manuscripts. Two are category romance, one is an action adventure, and one is a single title, kinda paranormal romance. Only one is definitely unpublishable, but that does not mean I'm seeking publication for the others at this time.

Q: How did you get an agent?
A: I wrote her a letter about me and the book I was writing. This is called a “query” letter. She asked to see the book. I sent it. She rejected it. I started another book, then asked if she wanted to see that. She said yes. I sent it to her. She read it, fell in love with it, and emailed me to ask if she could represent it.

Q: How did you sell your first book?
A: First I got an agent (see above). Then she sent my book out to publishers. Because there were a bunch of publishers that wanted to publish the book, we held an auction for it and then sold the book to Bantam Dell.

Q: What's your writing schedule like?
A: Schedule? Surely you jest!

Q: What I mean is, how often do you spend time writing?
A: Not often enough, unless I'm on deadline, and then, every day.

Q: How much writing do you do per day/week/month?
A: Anything between 0 pages per month and 90 pages per month, depending on circumstances. One of my new goals is to write more regularly.

Q: Are you a plotter, or a pantzer?
A: Plotter. And I hate the term "pantzer."

Q: What the heck is a pantzer?
A: Apparently, someone who “writes by the seat of their pants” (i.e., someone who doesn’t’ know in advance where their book is going). But I always thought it meant a person who came up behind you and pulled your pants down.

Q: How do you write a book?
A: One sentence at a time.

Q: No, really.
A: Really. A lot of the people who say they want to be writers or write a book would really rather “have written a book” than actually go through the process. Writing a book is really, really, really hard, and if you have the slightest idea that there’s something else you’d rather do with your life, then do that instead. There are also as many ways to write a book as there are books. I write each of my books using a different method, because that’s what the book requires. Usually, I get an idea, in the form of a premise or a character, then I think about it for a while. This could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few years. Then, once I’ve thought about it sufficiently, I write a chapter or two, just to see if there’s chemistry between the two of us. Sometimes, the idea sounds really good in my head, but doesn’t work out so well on paper, kind of like a guy that seems to have a lot in common with you, but you don’t work out as a couple. If there is chemistry, I plot out the rest of the book in a loose outline form. Then I write it.

Q: I have a great idea for a book. Will you write it and we can split the profits?
A: No, thank you. I have plenty of ideas. Why don’t you write it?

Q: But this one is really good.
A: I bet it is. Still not interested.

Q: You’ll be sorry.
A: Most likely. Good luck, though! When you’re a bestseller, I promise I’ll buy a copy and kick myself.

Q: Will you read what I’ve written and tell me if it’s any good?
A: I’m sorry, but I don’t respond to individual requests. I already have several critique partners with whom I exchange work. I also often auction off critiques for charity events or give them away at writing conferences. (If you are interested, I usually announce those things on my blog). In addition, I judge a lot of writing contests. I highly recommend joining a writer’s organization such as Romance Writers of America or the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, or finding a group of fellow writers to critique with. They don’t have to be published, either. Everyone was unpublished some time.

Q: Will you tell me how to get a book published?
A: Write a very good book. Revise it very well. Write a very good query letter and send it out to very good agents. Make sure they are very good agents by researching the heck out them (the main thing you are looking for is a record of recent sales of the types of books you write to good, royalty-paying, non vanity houses). When they ask for the book, send it to them (you’d be surprised how many people skip this step). Wait patiently. Sign with a good agent. Wait even more patiently while your agent sends out the book. Sell it. Wait even more patiently while the book goes through all the steps. Meet all of your deadlines.

Q: Do you have any other advice for writers?
A: “Plenty!” Also, head over to my blog for more rants and raves about the writing industry, and if you haven’t learned enough, check out my appearances page. I give lots of writing workshops.

Q: Can you recommend any good books on writing?
A: Yes! On Writing Well, by William Zinsser, is the best book on writing I've ever read. On Writing by Stephen King is pretty good too. I love the intro to Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card. Great characterization info. But in general, I recommend articles over books. Some of my favorites are on http://julieleto.com

Q: Is it really necessary to have an agent?
A: Necessary to have an agent to do what? To sell a book? No, not necessarily. Extremely good idea, but not vital. But to have the kind of career that I want to have? Undeniably necessary.

Q: What promo are you responsible for and what does your publisher do?
A: This answer is completely based on my own experience and it couldn't possibly vary more from author to author, publisher to publisher, and book to book. I maintain my website, blog, MySpace site, Amazon plog, and arrange conference appearances. I have arranged a launch party in the town where I grew up. I ordered bookmarks and a few other promotional goodies. Most of my publisher's efforts have naturally centered around promoting my books to booksellers and other industry types, including an ARC (that's "advanced reader copy" run) sent to bookstores and reviewers, a signing at the Book Expo America, and an opportunity for me to meet with local booksellers. As the book release approached, there was more focus on the reader with print and radio ads, interviews, booksignings, and even a launch party in New York City.

Q: How do you suggest a new or aspiring author promote themselves?
A: I suggest aspiring authors promote themselves by writing the best book possible, submitting it wisely, and working on the next book. Also, if you have the ability and capital, attend a writing conference or two, or enter high profile writing conferences, such as the Golden Heart. But that’s not a big deal. Write the best book possible, and submit it wisely.

Diana on Random Trivia

Q: Why does the Kool-Aid package tell you not to mix it in a metal container?
A. Kool Aid Mix contains dried citric acid. Citric acid dissolves enough metal to give the kool aid a metallic taste. If you make kool aid in a metal container, it will taste like metal.

Q: Do you know where the term “cotton to” comes from? As in “I don’t cotton to this pantzer approach?”
A: Why, yes, yes I do. Because cotton threads tend to, well, stick to stuff, “to cotton to” something means to take to it.

Have another question for Diana?