Inquiry XI: Jill Santopolo

Today I am delighted to welcome Jill Santopolo to The Day Job.

Jill is author of two middle grade mysteries: Alec Flint, Super Sleuth, the Nina, the Pinta and the Vanishing Treasure, and The Ransom Note Blues: An Alec Flint Mystery. She is also the accomplished executive editor at Philomel Books a Penguin Young Readers Group. Jill holds her MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College. She lives in New York where she likes to read, write, run and do an occasional cartwheel. You can find out more about Jill Santopolo and her books at www.jillsantopolo.com

Let's get started!

EEM: Did you always want to be a writer?

JS: I always wrote stories—I actually just came across a box of my earlier works this weekend (kindergarten and first grade mostly)—but I never really thought I’d be someone who would write stories as a job. I just wrote because I liked writing. Luckily for me, I got the chance to make some money doing something I loved to do.

EEM: When you began writing, was it instant success and riches or did you find you had to work other jobs in order to continue your dream of being a writer?

JS: I’m still working other jobs! I edit books and teach fiction writing. Truthfully, I’m not sure I’d ever write full-time. I like switching things up and concentrating on different aspects of the writing and book-publishing industry.

EEM: What jobs have you held, current or in the past, to help sustain your writing career?

JS: Right now I’m an executive editor at Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, and I edit everything from picture books to edgy teen novels. I’m also an adjunct professor at McDaniel College where I teach an online fiction writing class.

EEM: Which job was the most challenging or strange to you?

JS: I think both jobs are challenging in that I have to figure out ways to give feedback—to students and to authors I edit—that help them to realize their true potential. In both cases, I want the people I’m working with to become the best writers they can and make their stories the best that they can, and (hopefully) my comments will help them get there. I take that responsibility very seriously, and because of that, I find it challenging.

EEM: What was your favorite thing about this job?

JS: My favorite thing about being an editor is seeing a book an author worked really hard on succeed and sharing in that happiness.

EEM: Least Favorite?

JS: I hate, hate, hate having to reject manuscripts. A ton of submissions I get just aren’t right for me for one reason or another, and I know I have to pass on them, but I feel bad about doing it because I know that the authors have spent a lot of time creating those pieces.

EEM: Did your day job(s) allow you to write regularly? Or did you have to get creative to get those word counts in?

What other effects did it have on your writing?

JS: Getting the regular writing in is hard. I’ve become a bit of a juggler and have had to accept the fact that some weeks I just might not be able to get the keyboard time in. But because my time is limited, when I do sit down to write, I’m very focused and get a ton done. I also have figured out ways to pre-write in my head so that when I sit down to put fingers to keys I know what I’m going to say.

EEM: Have you ever based a loved protagonist or an evil villain on one of your co-workers? Wished you had?

JS. Ha! I have. But that’s all I’m going to say about that.

EEM: What are you working on now and is the process any easier than your first work?? If so, in what capacity (people noticing it, the writing itself, the confidence?)

JS: I just sent a manuscript off to my agent that’s pretty different than the first two books I have out. And I just started something that’s different than all three of the stories I’ve written before. So in some ways the process is easier because I’m more confident that I can make it work, but it some ways it’s just as difficult because I try to challenge myself to grown and stretch as a writer with each project I tackle.

EEM: Would you change anything if you could begin your writing journey over again?

JS: Hmm, I’m not really sure. I think everything happened the way it happened because of the people I knew and the places I’d been up until that point. I’m not sure if things would’ve worked out any other way…

Hrm....So Jill is just about the only author/writer that I have ever interviewed to admit to adding a co-worker into her work as a protagonist or villain. How about you?

Inquiry XX: Lori Calabrese

Happy Monday! Today, I would like to introduce children's author Lori Calabrese

Lori Calabrese is an award-winning children’s author. Her first picture book, The Bug That Plagued the Entire Third Grade, was awarded DFP’s Best Children’s Book Award. She writes for various children’s magazines, is the National Children’s Books Examiner at Examiner.com and enjoys sharing her passion for children’s books at festivals, schools and events. Visit her website to learn more, www.loricalabrese.com.

EEM: Did you always want to be a writer?

LC: I never imagined I’d be a writer and if you had told me I’d be a children’s author, I never woulda thunk it! I’ve always been a reader, but didn’t realize my passion for children’s books until I had my own kids. Having the opportunity to share stories with them night after night is a time that I really cherish. I think that’s why it’s so important to me to write the best book a child can read.

EEM: When you began writing, was it instant success and riches or did you find you had to work other jobs in order to continue your dream of being a writer?

LC: You mean you missed my episode of MTV Cribs? Just kidding, of course. I’ve quickly learned that writers write because they have a passion for it. Unless you’re Stephanie Meyer or J.K. Rowling, chances are you’re not going to be able to quit your day job. Children’s authors love creating stories and making words sing and the ultimate payoff is seeing children enjoy your books.

EEM: What jobs have you held, current or in the past, to help sustain your writing career?

LC: After graduating high school, I attended Pepperdine University, Boston University, and St. John’s University. I might not have known where I wanted to go to school, but I did know that I wanted to work in television. I graduated from St. John’s University in Queens, New York with a B.S. in Communications and had a ten-year career as a TV producer. When I decided to become a stay-at-home, I made the leap into full-time freelance writing and to sustain my writing career, I write for children’s magazines, write work-for-hire books, and write for web content sites.

EEM: Which job was the most challenging or strange to you?

LC: The most challenging was working as a TV producer. You’re under tight deadlines, under the pressure of live television, and you often work long hours.

EEM: What was your favorite thing about this job?

LC: My favorite part of working as a TV producer is really hard to pinpoint. I loved the pressure of live television, making sure everything went off without a hitch, and working with some fascinating people. But I also loved post-production and the editing process, too.

EEM: Least Favorite?

LC: My least favorite would have to be the travel. I’ve been on one too many bumpy flights!

EEM: Did your day job(s) allow you to write regularly? Or did you have to get creative to get those word counts in? What other effects did it have on your writing?

LC: Fortunately, I was able to write as a TV producer. Although I was writing scripts for TV shows and DVDs, I was constantly able to hone my writing skills and creativity. I think as an author all your life experiences influence your writing style and contribute to finding your voice. Even though my experience writing scripts for television shows and DVDS was completely different than writing children’s stories, I think it’s definitely influenced my style and helped get me where I’m at today.

But it wasn’t until I left my job as a TV producer that I started to freelance and focus on getting those word counts in. Today as a freelance writer, I’m able to write regularly, and although I might have different projects going on, I do my best to focus on my Work in Progress whenever possible.

EEM: Have you ever based a loved protagonist or an evil villain on one of your co-workers? Wished you had?

LC: I haven’t based any of my characters on one of my co-workers. These days, I get most of my inspiration from my two boys. They constantly crack me up and have such a fresh take on the world. In fact, the idea for The Bug That Plagued the Entire Third Grade came to me when one of my sons had the flu. When everyone asked how he was doing, I would say, “He caught the bug.” It made me stop and wonder why we say that. Something clicked, so I expanded on the play on words of getting sick and catching an insect. Hence… “The Bug” was born.

EEM: What are you working on now and is the process any easier than your first work?? If so, in what capacity (people noticing it, the writing itself, the confidence?)

LC: I’m currently writing a contemporary young adult novel and, although it’s the second novel I’ve written, I don’t find the process any easier than the first because the subject matter is different, the characters are different and it’s a lot like starting from scratch. Although I constantly learn from what I read and write, I think as a writer you’re always learning.

EEM: Would you change anything if you could begin your writing journey over again?

LC: You live and you learn and everything you do stems from experience. I don’t know what I would do differently. I always say after the fact that I wished I did this or didn’t do that, but the truth is everything I’ve done so far has gotten me to this point and I definitely look forward to the road ahead.

EEM: Thank you for taking the time to answer these interview questions!

LC: Thank you so much for having me!