Author Interview: Laura Preble Author of Anna Incognito #interview @laurapreble
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: www.preblebooks.comTwitter: www.twitter.com/LauraPreble
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laura.preble1
On this germ-infested dirtball called Earth, creatures called humans eat, drink, shit, and otherwise play elaborate games of hide-andseek. All of these things carry with them enormous risks. Food-borne illnesses account for a significant number of deaths each year, and those don’t even include water. Heard of cholera? Typhoid? Flint, Michigan? Water. Can’t live with it, can’t live without it. And don’t get me started on shit. Hence, the game. Hiding, seeking, hiding again…on and on, an endless cycle.
--From Anna Incognito
Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?
I have several books published. Some of them I did the traditional way (through Penguin, a major press) and for this book, I tried something different. I found a site called Publishizer. I mounted a campaign for the book, and after obtaining more than 250 presales, they pitched my book to hundreds of indie publishers. I had 10 reach out to request the book, so I was able to choose from those 10. I chose Mascot Books.
Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?
My first published book was Lica’s Angel, and I did that through iUniverse on my own. Not great success. Then I met an editor at the San Diego State Writing Conference. I had a 1-1 meeting with her, and she loved my writing. So, my first traditionally published book was Queen Geek Social Club. That was a very surprising experience because the editor was looking for ‘chick-lit’ , which I did not write. Because of the great rapport with her, though, I took a stab at it and wrote 20 pages, then sent them in. I got a two-book contract based on those 20 pages, which is unheard of, really.
Do you believe a book cover plays an important role in the selling process?
Yes, I do. We’d all like to think that marketing doesn’t matter, that covers don’t matter, but we all look at the cover and it often determines whether or not we pick up a book to check the back matter or read the first paragraph. For the cover of Anna Incognito, I had an idea that I really loved, the vision of my main character’s wig head, which plays an important part in the story. I found the wig head I envisioned on Mercari and sent the publisher a photo of it. Their designer rendered a drawing of it, and that’s how the cover was born.
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?
Writing, to me, is like a puzzle. It always starts with strong characters. Even if I have a vague plot idea, my characters always drive the action. I firmly believe that an author needs to do a lot of pre-writing work in order to write honestly. What I mean is that with Anna, the main character of this book, I did a lot of research on her OCD conditions (trichotillomania, dermatophagia) as well as on the trauma she suffered. I did this research way before I started writing, so I would know her before I started.
What other books are you working on and when will they be published?
I always have multiple projects going at once. Currently, I’m really focusing on marketing Anna Incognito and also pursuing leads to the film and TV industry. The book was the Runner-Up for the Screencraft Cinematic Book Competition, so quite a few industry leaders saw it as a great match for film/TV production. I’m also working on a book about autism since I have a son who is on the spectrum. Sometimes I work on a project and after a couple of months, I decide it’s not honest enough and I bail on it. I just did that on a book I was writing…I thought it was too focused on my trying to be funny and clever, and not on the character.
What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?
How funny life can be when you have a mental illness. I don’t mean to imply that mental illness is funny, because it’s not. I have a couple of the conditions Anna has in the book, and I understand how serious it is. Still, it does color your reactions to things, and honestly, most of my favorite people have some kind of mental illness, and they’re really hilarious people. I also think it’s really important to portray people with mental illness in fiction. It’s been stigmatized a lot in American culture especially. I think if more people saw mental illness from the inside out, they’d understand more why there is a great need for more treatment options, for more sensitive law enforcement, and for greater resources in schools.
Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?
I try not to be heavy-handed with messages, because no one likes being preached to. I guess if I were to pick a message, it would be that people can be resilient and heal no matter what circumstance. This may not be true for everyone, but I know it is true for me, and for many people I love. Also, that family is not necessarily those with whom you share blood—your family can be the people you choose to be in your life.
Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?
I do have to brag a little – I just received a silver medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and that felt really good. It’s a big chunky silver medal too.
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