Author Interview with Heather Manning

Hi Writers! Carilyn here. :) Today we are interviewing Heather Manning, a writer friend of ours that we met through Go Teen Writers!

Before we get started, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a young lady who loves to read—and write. I am a proud member of ACFW and I live in Kansas City, Missouri where I act in community theatre, eat donuts and read every Christian Historical Romance I can get my hands on.

Why did you start writing? Did you always want to be a writer?

Well, I have technically been writing since I was very young. Before I could write, I used to tell my sister or my mom stories and make them write them down for me. Later, I would write stories in a notebook for fun. I hadn’t really considered being a writer until a few years ago when I had an amazing English teacher. I realized how fun it was to write stories, and she encouraged my writing.

What do you do when you're not writing?

When I’m not writing, I’m critiquing, reading, or acting. I like to help friends with critiquing their writing and reading has always been a favorite pastime for me. I also act in community theatre and with a college, because my high school doesn’t have much for acting.

What was the biggest obstacle to getting published for the first time, and how did you overcome it?

For me, it has been just preparing for being published. It’s not easy to write. Well, it can be easy to write, but it’s not so easy to polish your writing and make it ready for publication. I’d been editing my book for almost a year before I submitted it to a publisher. To overcome it, I guess I’d say that I just kept going, no matter how difficult it got or how annoyed I was with my story.

What is your book about? Target age range?

My book, Swept to Sea, is about a young aristocrat woman who stows away on a pirate ship to escape marriage to an abusive man. My target age range is actually very wide, because I’d say it goes from 14 and up. It isn’t a young adult book, it’s probably meant for an older age range, but I would like to think that a wide variety would enjoy it.

Eden, the MC

Which are you - panster or plotter?

I’m a plantser. I do a little bit of both. :) I like to know where I’m going but not plan every little detail or it feels too dictated for me. I like to come up with the main idea for a book and then maybe some important plot points and then work from there.

Are you planning any other books?

Yes, I definitely am. I have lots of ideas, but what I’m working on now is a sequel to Swept to Sea currently titled Carried Home. I intend to make a trilogy.

Is there any part of writing that you don’t like?

I don’t love researching, although I definitely do it. I can get very frustrated when I don’t find what I’m looking for so that’s what I don’t particularly enjoy about writing.

Indie publishing or traditional publishing?

I have always liked traditional publishing and I am very pleased to say that I have a book contract now with a traditional publisher.

Congratulations, Heather!!

If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?

If I couldn’t be an author, my ideal career would definitely be something related to acting. I really enjoy it and I would love to be a professional stage actor someday. I would also like to teach acting.

What's the weirdest thing you've Googled?

Lately, the weirdest thing I’ve Googled is “treatment of bruises in the seventeenth century”. And oddly, I did not find what I wanted. :)

And finally, where can we find you online?

You can find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heather-Manning-Author/140994172751360

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherM_Author

Blog: http://heathermauthor.blogspot.com/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/HeatherMAuthor/boards/

From all of us at YAWA, thank you so much for being our guest today!

Thank you for having me!