Being a fairy princess isn't all it's cracked up to be.
The Changeling Returns
by C.R. Merrill
Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy
I
hate being the new girl every school year. This time, the ‘queen
bee’ of Parfrey’s Glen High School has decided I’m the enemy.
Her mistake. Because like it or not—and it’s definitely not—I
have powers, dark powers. I’ve tried to deny them, but they are
getting stronger...
Fay
Smith was three years old when she was kidnapped by the two queens of
the Unseelie Court. For twelve years, she’s been moved from city to
city to avoid suspicion, wanting nothing more than to belong
somewhere and be normal. But she can’t remember anything about her
real life, real home, or real family.
Soon she’ll be
called to cast off her mortality and become a dark fey like her
captors, serving on one of the three thrones of the Unseelie Court,
trapped in an eternal power struggle with Mab and Titania. To escape,
Fay will have to control her change from human to fey and defeat the
two queens.
But she’s going to need help, which means
she’ll have to make a truce and establish ‘frenemy’ status with
the girl who hates her.
Christine Merrill wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. During a stint as a stay-at-home-mother, she decided it was time to "write that book." She could set her own hours and would never have to wear pantyhose to work! It was a slow start but she slogged onward and seven years later, she got the thrill of seeing her first book hit the bookstores. Christine lives in Wisconsin with her family.
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GUEST POST
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
Usually one book at a time, but I will admit to having two going right now, and a third one on the back
burner, waiting to pick up when I have time.
It helps when they are at different stages of development. I am usually doing editing on a finished book
after I start the next one, so there is overlap, too.
If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?
Pen or type writer or computer?
Definitely computer! I would die without spell check and used to think I could never become a writer at
all because I could not type well enough to get a clean page of manuscript.
Tell us about a favorite character from a book.
I love the Scarlet Pimpernel. I read that story in junior high and it really left a mark on me.
Basically, he is a mild-mannered hero with a secret, heroic identity. Batman before Batman. Superman
before Superman. He lived off his wits (and a ton of money, of course) and is romantically obsessed with
a wife he doesn’t think he can trust.
So, a frustrated romantic.
I think I tend to go back to that plot, heroes and heroines with secret inner lives, over and over again in
my work.
What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?
I took creative writing classes in middle school and high school and always liked writing and loved
reading and the feeling of being carried away by a story. I wasn’t a particularly happy kid and had a lot to
run away from, so books and making up stories in my head were a great escape.
Then, I grew up and tried to get practical. And I failed at that, big time. I majored in theater and English
in college and went to work in professional theater for about ten years, working in costume shops around
Milwaukee.
When I had kids and got burned out on theater, I got really practical, and got a library degree. But I ended
up working in a library that had very little foot traffic. It was just me, sitting alone with a bunch of books.
So, I started working on writing novels.
Eventually I sold, and gave up on real jobs, going total writer. None of my previous jobs had paid very
well, which prepared me really well for life as a writer. This is not a job for people who like money and
stability. But it’s right for me.
A day in the life of the author?
A day in the life of this author would be really disappointing to watch for a lot of people.
I get up late. I skip breakfast. I dress comfortably. I write a thousand words on a good day. Then, I can do
whatever else I want.
I tend to slack off promo work which is why my website is always out of date, but my resolution is to do
better.
Mostly, I live too much time in my own head. If I get out of the house, it’s usually to go to a movie. I try
to keep the TV off during the day, since it is a huge distraction to work. I’d rather write to music, and
sometimes create playlists for particular books. But not for this one, as I don’t think my heroine listens to
anything particular because of her sheltered upbringing.
Also, I am a night owl, sometimes because I put off writing until the end of the day. I usually stay up until
after midnight, and finish my day by doing Wordle, Quordle, and Cine2nerdle.
Advice they would give new authors?
Take time to work on your craft, since you want to be as good as you can be before you start to publish.
Don’t rush into anything before you’ve learned to tell a good story.
And don’t give up on yourself, just because of one bad review. If a bunch of reviews all say the same
thing, you should take a look at the book and see if people have a point. But it is impossible to get 100%
positive responses, even if you are brilliant. You have to learn to trust yourself and develop a thick skin
so the tough opinions don’t hurt you.
Describe your writing style.
I consider myself an emotional writer. If I can make my readers laugh and cry in the same book, I
consider that a win.
What makes a good story?
In a word, conflict. There has to be a push and pull between the main character and some other force or
person. It’s what keeps the story moving along and keeps the reader rooting for the protagonist to
succeed. I also like to have a wide array of emotions in a story, since they build empathy for the main
character, which bonds the reader to the story.
What are they currently reading?
Currently reading the Liz Danger series by Jennifer Cruise and Bob Mayer. After that, it will be the latest
Lady Sherlock book by Sherry Thomas and Above the Fold by Cory Lawson.
What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?
I write whatever strikes my fancy, in any order. I call it dessert first, because, if I think a chapter is going
to be exciting, or fun for me, or it’s extra vivid in my head, I sit down and start typing. I figure, this job is
supposed to be fun, and I indulge myself.
Then, I add to it. I generally keep things in the same large, messy file, sorted into a rough order. Then, as I
work, I go back to the beginning and start shaping things, moving scenes around to make the plot follow a
dramatic structure with highs and lows and increasing tension.
I don’t really like to outline, and I hate doing synopses, although my publisher requires those. I do them,
and pout and am miserable the whole time. And then, I go back to writing the story, and a lot of times it
does not go as planned.
It seems, the more freedom I have, the easier it is to write.
The current story I’m working on is a romance that’s due at the end of the month, and I am praying for a
revelation. I can feel there is something missing, and I won’t know what it is until it appears, without
warning, at the back of my brain. Waiting for it is making me crazy.
So, I really wish I could outline and make this problem go away, but the only thing that’s going to help me
out of it is freewheeling brainstorming.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Thinking they are going to do this job and make a lot of money. If that’s what you want, you should get a
real job, where the money is guaranteed. It will be easier and a lot less frustrating.
To be a writer, you really have to love the process, and forget about the sales. Sales is a whole other part
of the job, and the money doesn’t always go to the best book or the worthy writer. That can be really
frustrating.
I think it’s important that you keep the focus on craft and doing the best job you can as a writer. Your
readers deserve the best work you can give them.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
The afternoon nap. If I can take it after getting in my daily pages, it’s not a problem. But if I convince
myself that I can just doze off for a few minutes, I can blow the whole day under a blanket with a car on
my chest.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I figure, the readers that like me are satisfied with my doing what I want. And I find that writing is most
fun for me if I follow my instincts and make a smaller audience really happy then trying to write a book
that will please everyone.
I’d probably make more money if my plan was just to write to the majority, but I can’t do that.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Don’t waste time trying to fit in. Just. Give Up. Be yourself, and don’t worry about what other people
think. You’ll find friends. You’ll find like-minded people. You’ll be happiest if you just be yourself.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
Ha. Men are easy. Mostly because so much of society, books, movies, stories, are all written by men to
appeal to men. It is impossible to grow up in this society without learning who men are and what they
want.
The biggest danger in writing the opposite sex is thinking that they think the same way as we do. My
favorite analogy, given to me by a therapist, is that men are waffles and women are spaghetti. If you pour
syrup on a waffle, the syrup goes in all the little divots and doesn’t get mixed up. If you pour sauce on
spaghetti, it gets on all the noodles at once.
That’s the way men and women think. Men think one thing at a time. They solve one problem at a time.
Women are always relating one thing to another and getting complicated and multi-tasking. It’s a blessing
and a curse.
So, if I’m writing men, I try to be more direct, and not muddy things up with too many emotions and
feelings.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Around four to six months, depending on how much time I spend goofing off and avoiding work. I
usually do two full length novels and a novella per year, but lately, I am pushing myself to up that to three.
The excerpt sounds great. Thanks for sharing.
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