Dear Reader by Christi J. Whitney
The Writer’s Life newest feature, Dear Reader,
gives authors a chance to talk to their readers - YOU!
Today's guest is Christi J. Whitney, author of the YA urban fantasy, Grey: Book 1 in the Romany Outcasts series.
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Dear Reader…
I’m delighted to chat with you about my debut YA urban
fantasy novel Grey, the first
installment of The Romany Outcasts Series,
published as an e-book with HarperCollins/HarperVoyagerUK.
Grey follows the story
of eighteen-year-old Sebastian who meets a secretive girl and finds himself
I think I’ve always wanted to be an author. As a child, I practically
lived in the imaginary worlds I created. I wrote stories down in notebooks and
journals, but I never actually finished anything I started. Looking back, I believe
it’s because I lacked confidence in my ability as a writer.
I went into the teaching field as an adult, and I had little
time for my own stories, so I put my writing on a shelf for many years. My
students were the ones kindled the fire once again. One day, after coming back
from a Christmas holiday, I shared with a few students an idea I’d come up with
for a story. They immediately encouraged me to write it all down. And I did. In
fact, my students became my first critique group. They would take my chapters
and read them during their own time – always coming back to me with pages of
notes in red pen.
I finished what became the first draft of Grey in 2009. From there began my long,
rollercoaster of a journey to publication. Countless rejections. Multiple
revisions. Several close calls. But always falling just short of the goal of
seeing my story in print. Then in 2012, I stumbled upon an article that turned
everything around. HarperVoyager – the global science fiction and fantasy
imprint of HarperCollins Publishers – was opening its doors to un-agented
submissions for two weeks.
Although I was working on other projects at the time, I
instantly pulled up Grey and sent it
off. For eighteen months, I heard nothing. And then came the moment I’d dreamed
about for so long. I received an email, followed by a phone call, from the
editor at HarperVoyager. My manuscript was one of fifteen they had selected
from the open submissions call out of almost five thousands entries. Not only
did they want Grey, but also they
wanted to sign my series.
An additional fourteen months later, and I became a debut
author. It has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life. It’s
sort of like swimming upstream. The world of books is enormous, and trying to
form your own glimmer in this vast expanse is a daunting task. But it’s also
been the most amazing journey, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
About the Author:
Christi J. Whitney is a former high school
theatre director with a love for the arts. She lives just outside Atlanta with
her husband and two sons. When not spending time with them or taking a
ridiculous number of trips to Disney World, she can be found directing plays,
making costumes for sci-fi/fantasy conventions, obsessing over Doctor Who,
watching superhero movies, or pretending she’s just a tad bit British.
Her latest book is the young adult urban
fantasy novel, Grey
(The Romany Outcasts Series, Book 1).
For
More Information
About the Book:
Sebastian Grey always thought he was a
fairly normal teenager – good friends, decent grades, and a pretty sweet job in
his foster brother’s tattoo shop.
But when strangers arrive in town,
Sebastian soon realizes that his world is nothing at all what it seemed.
Secretive gypsies surround him, shadowy figures stalk him, and the girl he’s
been dreaming about turns up at school.
Now Sebastian must protect this girl at
all costs, even if it means he will never be normal again.
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