Today I am interviewing fellow Spellbound River Press author, Chris Eboch. Chris is the author
of over 30 books for children, including nonfiction and fiction, early reader
through teen. Her Haunted series features a brother and sister who
travel with their parents’ ghost hunter TV show and try to help the ghosts,
while keeping their activities secret from meddling grownups. The fourth book, Ghost Miner's Treasure, released from Spellbound River Press last week.
When did you decide to
become an author?
I originally went to
college to study photography. I discovered I did not want to be a professional
photographer, but I got a great education in creativity and critiquing. I also
wrote for the school paper, which got me thinking about writing magazine nonfiction
as a career. After a couple of years trying to do that on my own, I went back
to college and got a degree in Professional Writing and Publishing. I worked
for a couple of magazines briefly before selling my first middle grade novel, The Well of Sacrifice. From then on, I
was a children’s book writer!
Tell us about your
journey. How did you get your first book published?
I had spent a summer
traveling in Mexico and Central America with a friend. That inspired The Well of Sacrifice, a novel set in ninth
century Mayan Guatemala. I started writing it while I was looking for work,
because I needed something fun to do in between temp jobs and sending out
resumes. I’d always loved middle grade fiction and had continued reading it
into adulthood. It seemed like a fun place to explore, and shorter than writing
an adult novel. It turns out my style, which tends to be fast-paced and tight
because of my journalism training, works well for kid lit.
Was there ever a point
when you felt like giving up?
I sold my first novel,
which in retrospect is astonishing. But I couldn’t sell the next half-dozen
novels I wrote. I did manage to get some educational work for hire. That kept
me active in the children’s book industry. Otherwise, I don’t know if I would
have had the stamina to keep going after so many rejections. I estimate I’ve
had at least a thousand rejection letters, if you count all the short stories,
articles, novels, and queries to work for hire companies. But the only way to
succeed is not to give up.
Is there anything about
being a published author that has surprised you?
I’ve been published since
1999, so I have had many surprises, but I suppose I have adapted by now. The
publishing business is wacky and outdated, which becomes very clear when you
try to explain it to an outsider. It’s slow to update, but fortunately, today
we have many different options. And most of the people working in it, from
authors and illustrators to agents and editors, are fabulous.
Your Haunted Series was
just released from Spellbound River Press. Will there be any changes to the
series that we can look forward to? What are your hopes for the series now that
it’s part of this new press?
Aladdin/Simon &
Schuster first acquired the series, but they dropped it when my editor left.
That was disappointing, because I’d hoped to have at least 8 to 12 titles in
the series. If The Ghost Miner’s Treasure
does well, I’d love to continue writing these adventures. I had plans to set
the next one at the Alamo, which has several associated ghost stories, and I
have notes for possible future books. Someday, I could even take the kids to
other countries!
I love how your character,
Tania, interacts with the ghosts in your book. Is it hard to write for an
invisible character?
I initially envisioned
older brother Jon telling the story, even though he can’t see ghosts. That does
make it more difficult to describe the scenes with the ghosts, since he only
hears about them secondhand. Then I debated whether Tania should really be the
main character/narrator, since she can see the ghosts and she drives much of
the action. But I like the complications that arise for Jon because he can’t
see what’s happening, and Tania isn’t always great about describing the
situation, which can add humor.
I also think the conflict
becomes more subtle and realistic this way. Tania’s goal is to help the ghosts
deal with whatever is keeping them in this world, so they can move on. Most
kids won’t face anything like that. Jon has to figure out when and how to
believe things he can’t see. He struggles with doing the right thing. On the
one hand, he has loyalty to his sister and helps keep her secrets. But he also
has a responsibility to keep her safe and a desire to be honest with others. He
has to figure out his role in all of this, in life. So I think kids will
identify with him more.
Any advice you would give
to a writer just starting out?
Don’t be in too much of a
rush to get published. It takes a long time to learn your craft, so take
classes, read books and magazines about writing, study other books, and find a
great critique group. Eventually you might want to hire
a professional editor to give you
personalized feedback.
You’ll definitely face
rejections, bad reviews, and more at some point in your career, so try to put
aside the concept of “failing” and instead focus on “learning.” Maybe your
manuscript was rejected by 50 agents. Are you a better writer now than you were
before you wrote it? Do you know more about querying? Have you developed a new
resistance to rejection? If you’ve made progress as a writer or as a person,
then that process was a success.
Also, it’s important to
remember that people have different obligations, training, financial resources,
and family support. All those things can affect your career path, and so can
luck. Do the best you can with what you have, but honor and celebrate your
whole self. You are more than just a writer.
Is there anything else
about you or your books you would like to tell us?
I’ve written several
other novels for ages nine and up. The
Eyes of Pharaoh is an action-packed mystery set in ancient Egypt. The Genie’s Gift draws on the mythology
of 1001 Arabian Nights to take
readers on a fantasy adventure. In The
Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan girl in ninth-century Guatemala rebels against
the High Priest who sacrifices anyone challenging his power. In Bandits Peak, a teenage boy meets
strangers hiding on the mountains and gets drawn into their crimes, until he
risks his life to expose them. Learn more at www.chriseboch.com, visit my Amazon page, or sign up for my newsletter.
I also have two books on
the craft of writing, You Can Write for
Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and
Teenagers, and Advanced Plotting.
Check out my writing tips at my Write Like a Pro! blog. You can also sign up for my workshop
newsletter for classes and
critique offers.
I also write for adults
under the name Kris Bock. I write novels of suspense and romance involving
outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure
in the New Mexico desert. What We Found
is a mystery with romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder
victim in the woods. Whispers in the Dark involves intrigue among
ancient Southwest ruins. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit my Amazon page.
Thanks so much for having
me!
Thank you for joining me! Here's how you can learn more about Chris and her books:
