Posted by Shea Berkley Oct 1 2010, 12:01 am in author interview, butterfly swords, jeannie lin, Ruby Release
Celebrate with us as we feature one of our own Ruby sisters, Jeannie Lin. Her debut, full length novel, BUTTERFLY SWORDS hits the bookshelves today! We’re thrilled she has the time to talk with us about her book and the process of writing.
Here’s a brief overview of Jeannie’s debut novel.
Butterfly Swords is set in 8th century Tang Dynasty. It’s a historical fantasy or alternative history that brings medieval swordsmen across the Silk Road into the Chinese empire. The heroine, Ai Li, is a sword-wielding princess who escapes from a pre-arranged marriage when she believes her warlord husband-to-be is a traitor. She meets up with a western barbarian and they team up to try to get her safely back to the capital.
The hero is a reluctant one. He’s dealing with the guilt of leading his men into an ambush. Stranded in a strange land, he takes on the task of protecting Ai Li as a way to redeem himself. And of course they start falling for each other.
Here are a few reviews for BUTTERFLY SWORDS :
The Season: 9.5 Top pick
This story is a must-buy, so immediately grab or download a copy of Jeannie Lin’s outstanding debut. By the way, it won the 2009 Golden Heart for Historical Romance. Can’t wait to see what this talented new author will serve up next.
Mrs. Giggles: 80
… for a quick breezy read, this one will do just fine. And as a debut effort, this one is actually an impressive show of hand. I’m intrigued about discovering what the author will do from here onward.
Jeannie Lin
SB: I’m sure this isn’t the first interview you’ve done regarding BUTTERFLY SWORDS. What’s been your process leading up to this moment?
JL: “Accept all requests” seems to be my mode of operation. I’m so stunned that so many people want to help spread the word that I’m game for anything. Each one seems to take on a slightly different angle so it’s been fun. Plus the interviews make me reflect on the whole process, and I’ve got a lot of reflecting to do!
SB: You’ve gotten amazing reviews already. What was it like, waiting to hear from the reviewers and those who are waiting to pick up your book?
JL: I’m going to be completely honest: I have filters on Twitter and check GoodReads and Amazon several times a day. And then I Google, just for good measure. Yes, I’m a bit antsy. I imagine more experienced writer buddies are laughing and saying, “Oh there’s Jeannie, with the first book jitters.”
The first reviews were the hardest. I knew that the ARC was getting requested because of NetGalley and because some reviewers are quite twitterific when they’re reading something. It’s like when I used to hand something over to Little Sis to critique and I’d sit there and try not to watch while she pored over it, but take that anxiety and multiply by a hundred. There’s so many weird little angles in the story, I had no idea what readers would latch onto.
At the same time, I was deliriously happy. “People are reading, people are reading!” I’d chant to myself.
SB: BUTTERFLY SWORDS is set in 8th century Tang Dynasty, a real setting challenge in today’s historical market. When you thought of the idea for your book, did the thought that you were stepping outside the typical setting worry you?
JL: I knew nothing about the market when I started. I actually didn’t even know there was something called RWA. My writing mentor Barbara Ankrum was the one who told me all of that. She told me the setting was going to be a challenge, but at that point writing a complete chapter was a challenge! I was too clueless to be worried. And then when I wasn’t so clueless, I was still more worried about the writing than the setting.
SB: So is BUTTERFLY SWORDS the first book you ever wrote?
JL: It’s the second manuscript. 
The first was finally contracted after a complete rewrite.
SB: That’s great! I know you wrote the novella, THE TAMING OF MEI LIN, sort of as a prequel to BUTTERFLY SWORDS, and it’s fantastic all on its own.
How much research did you do for your books? But more importantly, did the research lead you to unexpected twists in your story?
JL: Let’s just say, I am waiting for someone to challenge me on Tang Dynasty history. Bring it. *grins*
I like how you phrased the second part of the question. I like to do just a little research at the beginning of the manuscript before writing the first draft. Between the first and second draft, I research again. I find then that the story is the story. It’s about conflict and character arc, not about history. Then the research enhances what’s already there as I layer in details.
The discovery of the Jade Gate fortress, which figures prominently in the story, was actually done in a later round of research. In my follow-up story, The Dragon and the Pearl, I researched The Art of War between drafts to enhance the strategies employed by the warlords. The Art of War research subsequently got into Butterfly Swords as well, in a scene where Ryam fights on ‘death ground’.
SB: Your Heroine, Ai Li is a sword-wielding princess. I love that she can give as good as she gets. Would you have wanted to live in her time?
JL: If I had to pick an ancient dynasty to live in as a woman, I would have chosen the Tang Dynasty. There was wealth and beauty and a high standard of living, but the answer would have to be no. It was still very, very hard for women. You had to be fortunate enough to be born with power and influence to really have freedom.
SB: I’m with you there. History is nice to read, but I like living in the present, thank you very much. I have to say, the mixing of cultures in your story is a great idea. What kinds of issues did you have in dealing with their respective world views, or did that not present a problem?
JL: I think it took a lot of soul searching to find how to resolve issues with the manuscript. Sometimes I couldn’t quite take every critique at face value. They would point out things that were wrong and confusing, which is very good to know, but the solutions they’d suggest didn’t quite fit with the world or the culture I was trying to portray. That’s why I value CPs who have a strong understanding of story structure, character, and execution – regardless of the external window dressing of plot and setting. At the end of the day, you have to execute. You can’t confuse the reader.
On the other hand (this is going to sound egotistical, but I don’t mean it to be), I sometimes feel that my background makes me particularly suited to write this story. I don’t mean that I’m the only person with this background. Just that being Asian American and always having to think two ways gives me this Venn diagram sort of brain: Western circle, Asian circle, overlapping middle. I’d be very interested in how someone with a similar background to me reacts to the story.
SB: Can you take us through a day in the life of Jeannie Lin before she sold and compare it to your life after you sold?
JL: Nothing much changed until about three or four months ago when I started concentrating on promotion.
I wake up, hit the computer, and have about two-three hours of time before the day job starts. During that time I can write, blog, surf, etc. In the last month the first thing I do when I wake up is check for all those things I mentioned earlier. Before selling, the first thing I’d do was check my e-mail to see if any agent or editor requested. LOL.
I used to write every day, but now I don’t anymore. It does scare me. I’ve allowed myself to go into promo mode for the last several months, so my writing time is much more project oriented. I’ll block out specific things to do like a week for revisions or a week for a short story.
SB: Wow, you’re life sounds chaotic. It leads me to wonder if finaling in the Golden Heart Contest was instrumental in your publishing journey?
JL: Absolutely!!! I was getting a couple of requests here and there before finaling, but after the nomination, agents started reading. I signed my agent and then signed with Harlequin directly because of the Golden Heart.
SB: Tell us a little about your experience with the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood.
JL: Being part of the RSS has been one of the best experiences of finaling. It’s hard to find a more caring, talented, diverse and FUNNY group of individuals. And we’re classy dressers too. Whenever anyone needs anything, there’s such an outpouring of support and offers to help that it just fills your heart full up.
Barbara, aka Shea
SB: Here’s my Barbara Walter’s question, cause every interview should have something odd thrown in.
If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be and why? (I know, it makes no sense and it’s totally random, but it’s my interview so I get to ask the questions.)
JL: A ginkgo tree. It’s the first thing that came to mind. The leaves are fan shaped and they grow in temples. They’re ancient and unchanged since prehistoric times. A living fossil. They’re supposed to clean the air. You were asking about how much research I did earlier….
And it’s a healing tree. That’s how I view romance. It’s the oldest type of story – a story that has always had the capacity to heal the heart and soul of its reader.
Thank you, Jeannie, for letting us celebrate with you! This book is so special, and I just love the setting … and this is a celebration, one where we’re Jeannie is giving away the party favors. Yay! I love party favors! For those of you who leave a comment today, Jeannie is giving away a copy of BUTTERFLY SWORDS and a Tang Dynasty themed gift set!
So let the party begin. What does everyone else think? Is it wise to buck the trends and branch out into subjects and settings that others say are no go areas? What kind of stories are you dying to read these days?
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Buy BUTTERFLY SWORDS from Amazon
Posted by Autumn Jordon May 26 2010, 12:04 am in author interview, guest author, historical romance, new releases
Today we welcome 2008 Golden Heart® Finalist, 2008 Winner Preditor’s & Editor’s Readers Poll winner, 2008 Winner Preditor’s & Editor’s Readers Poll winner and winner of the Publisher’s Weekly BHB Reader’s Choice Best Books of 2009, Beth Trissel.
Beth, You recently had a new release. In fact today, right? Could you tell us a little about it?
Ah yes, my new release is a suspenseful light paranormal, *unique, Scottish time travel entitled Somewhere My Lass. Somewhere My Lass is Book Two in my ‘Somewhere’ series. The concept behind this series, of which Somewhere My Love is the first release, is that the story opens in the present day, although so far in old homes, and then the reader is transported ‘somewhere’ else. A pretty wide open theme.
![SomewhereMyLass_W5132_300[1]](http://www.rubyslipperedsisterhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/SomewhereMyLass_W5132_3001-150x150.jpg)
I was inspired by all the intriguing old homes I grew up living in and or visiting. Victorian, plus some 19th and 18th century. Virginia is a highly historic state. Also, interestingly enough, the British Murder Mystery series called Midsomer Murders, to which I’m addicted, fueled my inspiration. Their plots take place in modern times but in old manor homes, ancient chapels, quaint villages, sometimes with the added flashback to the distant past.
Did you have to do any special research for the novel?
I always research like a mad woman and obsess over every detail, but wasn’t actually able to visit Scotland. Being a British junkie, I watch PBS and rent British shows and films from Netflix and have done for eons as well as read many novels written by British authors, so that helps. And my family roots are English Scot’s-Irish, reaching well back into colonial America and far beyond to the British Isles.
I’m fortunate that our genealogy is well documented. We can trace lines back to Chaucer, a direct ancestor fourteen or so generations back, and some general who served under MacBeth. *Yep, that dude really lived. Our family has tie-ins to the Salem Witch trials and all sorts of fascinating eras. This rich legacy is a source of considerable inspiration to me.
Why do you write in the genre you do?
I write both historical and light paranormal with a strong historical element because I’m passionate about the past.
Visiting your website, I can tell this is so true.
What was the hardest scene to write?
That entire book was hard to write! I thought I’d never make it through, and now it’s my favorite book.
How did you become the 2009 Publisher’s Weekly Reader’s choice winner? (Tell us a little about the contest) And has this achievement opened any doors for you?
Fellow author and friend Mona Risk told me about Barbara Vey’s annual contest held at her niche of Publisher’s Weekly where she accepts nominations/votes for various authors. The titles I noted all fell somewhere in the romance genre. Then I alerted my internet fans/friends at myspace, facebook, etc, and people went to her site and voted for the three titles I had out on 2009. All three finished in the top ten. I noted that some of the folks logging into vote grumbled that I’d found ways to cheat because some of the names my fans registered under were odd, like Sock Puppet Monkey, but that’s because they weren’t required to use their real names if they didn’t want to and at Myspace often times people don’t. Their votes are still only counted once. It was a fair win. I’ve had these complaints before because I’ve never ever lost a contest that requires votes. People just can’t believe how a new author could have that many fans/friends, but I’ve worked very hard making connections at myspace, etc, and built a strong internet fan base. And I really value my fans, many of whom are now friends. They spread the word and help my base grow. An enthusiastic fan is worth their weight in gold.
Here’s the link: http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/beyondherbook/?p=29
I couldn’t agree with you more, Beth.
You have an amazing backlist. Would you like to tell us a little about it?
I’m rather eclectic. I love history and fantasy, can write straight historical or a blend of both. I started out with a focus on colonial American, including the Shawnee Indians and the colonial frontier, and the American Revolution, then branched out into light paranormal as well as exploring my English Scots-Irish roots. I’m currently working on a story set in England during the French Revolution, and am planning a sequel to Somewhere My Lass.
What is the best writing advice you’ve received?
Write what you love because if you don’t no one else will.
What is the worst advice you’ve heard, to you or an author?
To write for the market, focus on what sells.
Are you a goal setter?
Yes. Self-imposed generally although I do have some editors nudging me now.
Do you have a writer’s cave or are you able to write anywhere anytime?
I have a cave when I’m not buried under people and sometimes a troll in there with me. I feed it dark chocolate until the rumbling subsides.
Conferences: What advice can you offer to author’s attending them?
Make the most of your investment; they’re not cheap. Attend workshops, meet and greet, make some good contacts.
Write the book of your heart. What does that mean to you?
The book of my heart is the first book I ever wrote and rewrote until I finally got it right, coming out this fall, an American historical romance entitled Red Bird’s Song. Writing that book and the research I did for it, all that it encompassed, was the most amazing adventure ever. I literally put my whole heart into it. And when I finished, I realized, it’s all about the journey which is why I can’t imagine not writing what I love. Yes, I look forward to sharing my stories with other kindred spirits, but the true meaning for me was in the doing.
How can readers contact you?
bctrissel@yahoo.com
My website also has my facebook, myspace, twitter and blog info at: www.bethtrissel.com
Thanks so much for having me here. Blessings on you all. As the Shawnee say, Tanakia, until our paths cross again.
