My August started off with a bang, as I attended the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Summer Virtual Conference. This weekend-long writer’s conference featured keynote addresses by stellar children’s authors and illustrators, panel sessions on the state of the children’s book publishing industry, and a slew of breakout workshops. Pre-pandemic, this annual conference was held in person in Los Angeles, but in recent years it’s been offered virtually. I love the convenience of the virtual version, and have attended several times. One of the biggest advantages of the virtual conference is that all the workshops are recorded and are available for viewing up to a month after the conference. So while you can only attend a few workshops live, you can watch ALL the others at your leisure during the rest of the month. I made a list of the ones I still want to watch and look forward to catching them later. Although I am a writer, I find myself drawn (no pun intended) to many of the illustrator sessions. I love that you can learn about other aspects of the craft, even those that are not in your current wheelhouse. One session that stood out to me was an excellent breakout on “Creating Memorable Characters” presented by picture book illustrator Shamar Knight-Justice. An elementary school principal, Shamar is clearly a gifted teacher. He gave an engaging and informative presentation on his craft. I greatly enjoyed learning about his projects and illustration process. The drawbacks of a virtual conference are that networking is more difficult and there are fewer opportunities to make those coveted editor or agent contacts. The introvert in me didn’t mind the reduced social interaction. But the conference did offer dedicated Zoom hangouts and themed socials for those who crave more connection. Regarding editor/agent contacts, the large number of virtual attendees made open submission invitations impractical for the most part. If submissions are your goal, a smaller, in-person conference might be a better choice. Fortunately, many of the regional SCBWI chapters offer local gatherings and conferences. All in all, I found it to be a valuable weekend. You can learn more about the SCBWI and their Summer Conference at their website at scbwi.org.
I’m delighted to reveal the cover of my soon-to-be released debut YA fantasy, Bedlam Bewitched. Melissa Williams Design created this beautiful cover. Stay tuned for further details.
Today I welcome YA suspense author Jill Hedgecock to my blog. The third and final installment in Jill’s Shadow the Doberman Series, In Shadow’s Reflection, released last November. This standalone sequel continues the trials of orphaned teen Sarah Whitman and her ghost-seeing Doberman, Shadow. An earthquake releases the psychopathic Dr. Griffin from jail, thrusting Sarah back into imminent danger. But perhaps an even bigger shake up occurs when a DNA test awakens ghosts from her past that upend Sarah’s beliefs about herself and her family. In Shadow’s Reflection concludes the tension-filled, ghost-story series that began with Between Shadow’s Eyes and From Shadow’s Perspective.
What inspired you to write this series?
My three Doberman novels, Between Shadow’s Eyes, From Shadow’s Perspective, and In Shadow’s Reflection, were inspired by my dog Shadow who used to bark at an empty corner of my dining room. When we first moved into our house, the original owner came by and told me her teen son died in a car accident. I wondered if my Shadow might be seeing the ghost of this teen boy. Also, Shadow loved to be petted between his eyes. I pulled the two ideas into the premise that a dog could see ghosts and that if a human put their fingers in the space between the pup’s eyes, they could see the spirits, too. From there, my imagination ran with the premise.
Shadow the Doberman is a huge part of the appeal of these books. Tell us what inspired your choice of this breed for Sarah’s sweet canine companion.
Shadow wasn’t a Doberman in the early drafts. The dog character was a border collie mix like my own pet. But I like my novels to have an educational aspect, and the Doberman breed has been vilified by Hollywood. Having been around Dobermans in the past, I knew that when raised in the right environment, these dogs are very sweet. So, when a famous Doberman, Ruby, became the avatar for my dog rescue column in The Diablo Gazette, a local newspaper, I saw a way I could educate the public about the sweet side of Doberman breed in my novels.
Each book in your Shadow series contains a standalone mystery, but Sarah’s adventures continue and build with each successive installment. When you first released Between Shadow’s Eyes, had you planned for this to be a trilogy? When did the ideas for the second and third books come to you?
Great questions. I always envisioned the Shadow series to be a trilogy. From the outset, I knew that the second book, From Shadow’s Perspective, would revolve around teen relationships and that Kyle would be an integral character. I also knew before I finished Between Shadow’s Eyes that the third book, In Shadow’s Reflection, would be about Sarah’s mother. In the second book, Paul insinuated his presence as I wrote the first draft and I saw a lot of potential for growth in his story arc. He ended up shifting the focus of the novel away from Kyle. I also knew the basis for the set of rules (Game Plan Rules and Relationship Rules) would come from her dad in the first two books. In the third book, the idea for Paul’s Good Boyfriend Rules unfolded as I wrote the book.
Without spoiling the ending, there is a pivotal reveal at the climax of In Shadow’s Reflection. Looking back through the first two books in the series, I see places where you had been setting this up from the beginning. You had deftly dropped the bread crumbs. You must have had this in mind from the start. Do you have a system for keeping track of all these details?
Yes, I did plan for the twist in Book 3 from the outset of the series. I am mostly a “pantser”, which means I don’t typical do an outline, though I usually do a muse board (see below) in advance of starting a novel. I wrote the first two novels back-to-back, so keeping the plotting details straight for the twist was relatively easy. I published a second novel in my rhino series, Queen of the Rhino, between From Shadow’s Perspective and In Shadow’s Reflection, so I had to cross check the first two books for the “bread crumbs” and make sure the twist held together.
I know that you are a huge advocate of muse boards. Briefly tell us what a muse board is. How does it help you? Do you create a single muse board for the whole series? Or did you create separate boards for each book?
A muse board is a visual aid that I use to keep track of details and help organize my book. I developed the tool because I was tired of searching through text looking for someone’s eye or hair color and because it’s much easier to describe something if you’re looking at photo. Electronic muse boards are one option, but I use a standard 36- by 48-inch tri-fold presentation display board because it mimics the proper text proportions of story structure: a beginning 25%, middle (50%) and end (25%). The size also makes it large enough to give me a snapshot of the essential elements of an entire plot. I affix photos of my characters, bits of text, and I keep a spot open for my book cover, so that I can bring the board to book signing events. At events, my muse boards are great conversation starters and can pique the interest of a potential costumer. They take a bit of time to prepare, but the benefits make it time well spent. For the Shadow series, I only created one board for the whole series because it was mostly the same characters and setting. For my rhino series, I made a muse board for each book since each book takes place in a different African country and there were quite a few new characters between the two books.
All three of your Shadow books are now available as audiobooks as part of Amazon’s Audible subscription program. How did that come about? What did you think of the process?
Having the opportunity to create audiobooks was a total surprise. I received an email out of the blue that two of my books were eligible to be part of Amazon’s beta testing program. Unfortunately, Amazon had only created audio files for the second and third novels in the series, but when I reached out to Amazon, they agreed to add Between Shadow’s Eyes to the program. Amazon created the computer-generated audio files and all I had to do was listen to them and correct the pronunciation as needed. For example, there were times where some words such as “read” (as in I had “red” a book) and read as in (I need to “reed” that novel) needed correction. There were multiple voices to select from, and I was pleased with the quality. The computer voice isn’t perfect, but occasional voice inflections often made it seem like a real human was reading it. I really enjoyed the editing process. To hear a sample of the audiobook, click here: Between-Shadows-Eyes Audio Sample .
Muse Board for Jill’s Shadow series
I hope you’ve enjoyed this interview with Jill Hedgecock. Jill’s Shadow books are available in paperback, e-book, and now as audiobooks on Amazon. To learn more about these and Jill’s other suspense novels, visit her website at https://www.jillhedgecock.com. The Amazon link for In Shadow’s Reflection can be found here.
Pantser or plotter? This common question among authors reveals their dominant writing process. A “pantser”, as in “flying by the seat of your pants,” is someone who lets the story evolve organically as they write with little advance planning. In contrast, a “plotter” has a plan mapped and outlined from the start. By temperament, I’m more of a plotter. I inherited this tendency from my father, a former draftsman, who was perhaps the most organized person I know. He had lists for everything. He even arranged the tools over his workbench and always put them back in the same spot. When you removed a wrench or screwdriver from its hook, you knew exactly where to return it. You could see its outline left behind where the light had faded the pegboard around it. But in practice, I actually use a bit of both plotting and pantsing. When I begin writing a new project, I have a general idea of where I want the story to go and its theme. I know the big arc and the first few steps, but not all the details. Those emerge as the writing progresses. As the chapters develop, I try to leave room for my writing muse to shape the story – the pantser part. Is there a place for that funny idea that just popped into my head? Do I let my characters speak to me about what they would authentically do, instead of forcing them to fit my plot idea? What about that scene, playing like a movie in my thoughts? Or that fun secondary character that you know needs to have a larger role? But at some point in the creative process, when I have enough of the story and the characters down on the page, I just know what comes next. Then my “plotter” instinct takes over and I can outline the rest. So what about you? Do you have a process? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
Things seem pretty quiet on my website lately, but like the duck that appears calm on the water’s surface, underneath there’s some serious paddling going on. I have been preparing for the publication of my debut novel, Bedlam Bewitched, a young adult coming-of-age contemporary fantasy. In anticipation, my newsletter subscribers will get an exclusive sneak peek. When you sign up to receive my news updates, you’ll receive a free download of “Reading the Tea Leaves.” This short story takes place just before the opening events of my novel and introduces Cory Smyth, my “magically-gifted” teenage heroine, her quirky family, and her world of chaotically-enchanted bookshops.
Cory’s life is about to implode, but the plucky teen witch can’t read the omens.
After the family business goes belly up, seventeen-year-old Cory Smyth’s life spirals out of control. Can the book-loving witch read the signs to find her path to a new beginning?
This free prequel is only available to my newsletter subscribers, so click here to sign up.
My debut novel, Bedlam Bewitched, is coming out later this year. To reach this milestone, I took a twisty writing journey full of obstacles, starts, and stops. I conceived of this novel more than a decade and a half ago, and completed my first draft back in 2008. Over the next year, I workshopped and revised the manuscript, running chapters by my critique group partners and writing coaches. Then I queried agents and editors in search of a traditional publishing contract. Although I garnered several requests for the full manuscript and encouraging comments, I did not ultimately get an offer of publication in that round. Discouraged, I pulled my manuscript back in and focused on other writing projects. That was late 2011. But I still loved this story and believed that it had potential. My astute writer friends suggested that perhaps I had been targeting the wrong market, and that my novel would better suit a young adult audience. So in 2013, I began a major rewrite. I completely restructured the story around my teenage protagonist, and added new characters and plot lines. Then about two-thirds of the way through this revision, my life derailed. For the next seven years from 2014-2021, my writing remained on hold, while I dealt with major changes that upended every aspect of my personal life. Meanwhile, my finished chapters languished in a drawer and on my computer, the unfinished ones still waiting to be written. Then in late 2021, I pulled out my manuscript and reread those first 20 chapters. I loved it, and determined to finish this story. I completed my rewrite, penning the final 10 chapters and submitting them to my critique group for their insightful feedback. A few editing passes later, my manuscript was ready. Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing more details about my novel. I hope you’ll join me. Stay tuned for the cover reveal, release date, and other announcements. I can’t wait to hold my first published novel. You can’t control what life throws your way. But hold onto your dreams and don’t give up. Journeys, like any worthwhile endeavor, are traveled one step at a time. Purposefully and persistently, take that next step, despite the seemingly long and winding road ahead.
When I was a child, I would have told you that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. Although I didn’t end up pursuing art as a career, it was always somewhere in the mix. While studying computer science at Union College, a liberal arts and engineering school in upstate New York, I would intentionally fill out the electives in my schedule with art classes. In graduate school, I picked up painting to counterbalance my thesis studies, teaching myself from exercises in books. Nowadays, I dabble in watercolor, acrylics, and colored pencils. My favorite subjects are the flowers and plants growing in my garden. You can often find me out working in my garden and puttering around my yard. That’s a deadnettle in my photograph. With a name like that, you’d think it would look like a thistle, or at least more prickly and witchy. Its Latin name is Lamium maculatum. With its heart-shaped, serrated leaves and little hooded flowers in shades of pink, lavender, or white, it makes a lovely ground cover for shady areas. Cross-stitching is another of my hobbies. My current favorite designer is Just Nan. Her innovative patterns feature cleverly-constructed shapes and creatures. I’m especially fond of her mice. To date, I have stitched almost all of her mouse patterns (or at least the ones I can still find). Pictured above is Hazel Fun Witch. She’s a tiny little thing, only about an inch and a half tall. Speaking of little rodents, I can’t forget my guinea pigs. My guys have such different personalities. One is sweet and quiet and curious; the other vocal and somewhat bossy. But both my furry-toed friends will happily approach you and wheek for a bit of parsley or a veggie treat. Did someone say “Second breakfast?” These interests often inform my writing and make their way into my stories. Don’t be surprised if you find a cursed tapestry, a plant reference, a furry critter, or even a computer science nod somewhere in the pages of my books. So what are some of your hobbies? How do they inform your writing?
