Georgina Havoc’s dream of a happily-ever-after falls apart when her boyfriend blindsides her with a pause. She is determined to pick up the pieces of her previously perfect life, but with the reappearance of her troubled twin sister, plus the presence of a ruggedly handsome ex-sniper, she’s left facing not only her shattered future but also her past. Author Carmen Schober talks with us about her new contemporary Christian fiction novel, Pretty Little Pieces.

Interviewer: Christina Hamlett

**********

Q: From start to finish, how long did it take you to write it?

A: I wrote the first draft in about six months. After my publisher told me to drastically reimagine it, I wrote the second version in about eight months.

Q: Plotter or pantser?

A: I figure out the major plots before I start Writing, but I don’t decide on many details until after I get started. I find that it’s helpful to spend time with the characters before setting certain things in stone. 

Q: What is a typical writing day like for you?

A: I typically Write for about 2 hours a day and then I spend about 30 minutes the following day editing what I wrote before starting on the next scene. Once I hit about five chapters, I edit all of those chronologically before moving on.

Q: What governed your choice to make Georgina’s sister a twin rather than a sibling younger or older?

A: The book has a recurring theme of “opposites” working together, so making her a twin (the same but very different) created an interested dynamic.

Q: Who or what has had the most influence on your writing style and manner of storytelling?

A: Francine Rivers, Syd Field, and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

Q: What do you feel makes your writing stand out in this genre?

A: I write in the third person present tense (how screenplays are written) so my books have a cinematic feel.

Q: Agents are notorious for not responding to query letters or for sending form letters which are singularly unhelpful. So how did you get an agent to respond to your inquiry?

A: I’ve met every Agent I’ve had in person at conferences before I signed with them. I believe that helps a lot—putting a face with a manuscript.

Q: What’s your advice on crafting a compelling “hook” for agents and, more importantly, prospective readers?

A: Think of something that you like and everyone knows and likes (Rocky, HGTV, etc.) and then build a project around that.

Q: What is something you wish you had known sooner about the publishing process and the industry in general?

A: I wish I’d know about genre-specific writing conferences instead of attending more general ones.

Q: For you, what’s the hardest part of writing a book and what helps you the most in getting past that?

A: The hardest part is just the daily discipline of sitting down to write. You get past that by rejecting perfectionism and just letting what you write be imperfect and unfinished in that moment.

Q: What would readers be the most surprised to learn about you?

A: Often times I don’t feel like reading or writing, even now. It’s like exercising. You just need to make the decision to do it whether you feel motivated or not, and the results will come.

Q: What’s next on your plate?

A: I’m working on a new project about the Cuban mafia in Little Havana, Florida. It will be another novel or a screenplay.