Interview with Connie Lansberg, author of 'The Perfect Tear'
Connie Lansberg is a
singer/songwriter and now author based in Melbourne Australia. She’s had her original songs placed in some of Australia’s best loved TV shows that play around the world and The
Connie Lansberg Quartet is a fixture in the Melbourne jazz scene. Her most recent original musical project,
Alone with Bees, performs her songs written especially for The
Perfect Tear. This is Connie’s first novel and the movie is coming
soon.
She also received several grants from the Victoria Council
of the Arts for the development of mobile phone games that she created.
Connie joined the Melbourne Writers Group in 2010 to work
on ideas and scripts and during this time the idea for The Perfect Tear began
to develop and take shape. She continued her education by taking scriptwriting
classes at the Australian Film and Television
School in Melbourne and later, worked extensively with Marcy Kennedy on the
book. She has two more stories to complete The Perfect Tear Trilogy and is
hoping to have the second book finished by 2016.
"The first thing anybody tells you about this business
is to say what makes you unique and different, but I couldn't and the very idea
of it never sat well with me and after much deliberation, I finally realized
why.
Because, I'm not unique or different – I'm exactly like you
and I love that.
We each have a unique filter through which we interpret the
world, and with this filter in place, I write stories and songs and you might
find them surprising or intriguing or confronting, you may relate or you may
not. They may make you laugh and sometimes, even cry.
You may or may not understand what I'm trying to say and
you may not understand me, however, rest assured, once we get past the filters,
at our core, we are wonderfully and beautifully, exactly the same."
For
More Information
- Visit Connie Lansberg’s website.
- Connect with Connie on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about Connie at Goodreads.
About the Book:
Title:
The Perfect Tear
Author: Connie Lansberg
Publisher: Rockit Press
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Fantasy
Author: Connie Lansberg
Publisher: Rockit Press
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Fantasy
The Perfect Tear begins with the Singers of the world who, during their
initiation by a multi-dimensional being, are
given a magical three-pronged hair comb to use as tuning forks to help keep the
world in harmony. They are a special
breed of women, able to connect their voices to the vibration of the earth in
order to create this needed balance and equilibrium for all.
The story follows the main character Eleanor, from age six
to sixteen. She is a good natured and
dutiful young girl, with a profound ability to interact with both animals and
nature. Like her mother, she is a powerful
Singer
but has not yet been initiated because she has not reached the age of
maturity. After the unexpected death of her mother, a grey mist descends upon
the earth and the world fails to thrive, forcing this innocent child into a
course of action that she had never asked for, nor had ever envisioned.
Set against a backdrop of abandonment, loss and betrayal,
Eleanor is determined to find her way through strange and dangerous landscapes
in her desperate search for the Perfect Tear, a dark and powerful
crystal that contains the Third Vibration, which she must find and release in order to heal the land – and
save her world. Just like the notes of a
song must connect to create a perfect melody, Eleanor has to discover the
proper associations needed to create this special harmony.
For More Information
Q: Welcome to The Writer's
Life! Now that your book has been
published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the
beginning? Where did you come up with
the idea to write your book?
A. The story of The Perfect Tear actually started with
ten original songs, then a play, then a movie and now a book and it took a very
long time to distill the movie into something manageable and then I had to
expand it again with the book. It’s been a crazy process. After really working
hard to get the story down to 110 pages for the script, my LA manager
suggested, since it’s high fantasy, that I write a book as well. So I did.
Q: How hard was it to write a
book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make
the journey easier for other writers?
A. It took me several months to
get out of the very succinct style needed for film and into the heads of the
characters, which isn’t allowed in a film script. What a luxury it is to be
able to relay what a character’s thoughts are as well as their dialogue and
actions. Not to say it was easy, by no means. The style is still very
cinematic. I had to start from scratch and I found an editor who was patient
enough to guide me through the techniques needed. I followed an outline of 15
major beats, both for the movie and the book. Then I wrote a full draft. I read
as much as I could about technique, my style emerged by itself, but I brought
the editor in very early to guide me as I went. Don’t hire a friend. I believe
you should find the best editor you can afford. I also feel if you have your
story laid out in these beats–Blake Snyder Beat
Sheet–you won’t get lost or give up. For all the hard work it was so much
fun to do it. However, these gun for hire editors will never be as invested in
your success as much as one working for one of the big five traditional
publishers, so revise a couple of more times after the editor signs off.
Q: Who is your publisher and how
did you find them or did you self-publish?
A. I’m with a hybrid in America
but I’m not thrilled with the level of service. It’s my own fault though.
Because the book is a companion to the movie, we wanted to get The Perfect Tear out as quickly as we
could (it still took 2 years!) and though I was offered three traditional
publishing deals, I decided to do most of the work myself in a trade off for
getting it out there. I’ve learned my lesson and that side of it isn’t for me.
I really will never go down that path again. I need more pampering than that! I
love writing, not selling. Selling a book is full time job and I’m terrible at
it.
Q: Is there anything that
surprised you about getting your first book published?
A. I’m laughing here. From the
traditional publishers it was the 90-10 split–10% to the author and no advance.
All that work and they want to give you 10% and then take it back if sellers
return the books. It’s kind of crazy, but now I might do it! With the hybrid,
the surprise was how long it took to proof read the manuscript–over 120 hours.
Anyone who writes anything, text to speech is your best friend when proofing.
And also, I don’t think Hybrids know the first thing about selling books nor
are they willing to learn.
Q: What other books (if any) are
you working on and when will they be published?
A. I’m writing the sequel to The
Perfect Tear, The Living Library, which moves the characters nine months ahead.
When I finish the screenplay, I’ll start on the book. I will be looking for a
traditional publisher for that one. Hoping to get that finished by the end of
the year.
Q: What’s your favorite place to
hang out online?
A. I have to say Facebook. It’s
like an online magazine. I find lots of things to save for later or repost.
Then Good Reads–so many great books. I love Youtube because I can find any song
I need to learn. And I like making videos too. I’ might start a little channel
for the book, answering questions and such.
Q: What’s your nightly ritual
before retiring for the night?
A. I am in no way, a morning
person. Because I also sing jazz here in Melbourne,
I’m up late. But I do try to read and I usually have a few books on the go. I
just finished Ken Follett’s Fall of
Giants and I’m about to read All the
Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders.
Q: Finally, what message (if any)
are you trying to get across with your book?
A. My message is a powerful one
especially for girls, but also for boys. I feel the dystopian narrative is all
too real and we all need to learn how to dissect fear into manageable
components. Anger and violence are both just fear in bigger chunks than we can
handle. It’s also about connection and
how my heroine must use her intelligence and her instincts to defeat what
appear to be overwhelming odds. She’s a girl with a great connection to the
earth but she certainly, like most girls, can’t and doesn’t want to, fight.
Q: Thank you again for this
interview! Do you have any final words?
A. I want to say thank you so
much for allowing me talk about my book. I love my story and my characters and
having someplace to express that is a delight. Thank you.
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