Interview with Denise Vega

Snacks: What are you reading now? Do you read more PB, MG, or YA?

Vega: I just finished Split by Swati Avasthi, a YA novel about two brothers who escape from an abusive home. I am currently revising my own novel about two brothers and a friend had recommended it to me. I tend to read mostly YA, then PBs (to learn this very difficult format), and middle grade every now and then. I tend to read what I am writing to keep me honest and to continue to learn from other authors.

Snacks:  Your Build a Burrito picture book is an English/Spanish counting book. Are you a grande chef in the kitchen or a call for takeout kind of cook?

Vega: I like to cook! My mother-in-law lives with us, so we divide up the cooking duties between us. Sometimes I run out of time so it’s more of a chore than a pleasure, but most of the time I like it (though the occasional option to go for take out or delivery is fabulous).

Snacks: Had you rather eat or write? Plan dinner or plan a novel?

Vega: Depends on how much I’m struggling with my writing! I do love to eat, but if I’m really into my latest book, I forget about food – no small feat for a food lover like me. I prefer planning a novel. I like to cook, but I don’t like to plan ahead for my meals (which often means I’m flying by the seat of my pants with the ingredients I have at hand).

Snacks:  You've written for the PB, MG, and YA markets. Do you do more PB, MG, or YA author visits? Which level is the easiest and why?

Vega:  My author visits are mostly at elementary and middle schools. I’ve never done a visit at a high school, but I’m definitely open to it! The younger kids can be easier sometimes because they are still wide-eyed and interested in everything, but I’ve found both groups equally fun, engaged, and engaging. There is the occasional middle schooler who is too cool to be listening to an author, but most of the time the kids are as excited as I am.

Snacks:  What marketing did you do before and after your books were published?

Vega: Before I had an agent, I poured over marketing books, attended conferences and workshops, and read tons of books and noted who published them. That was how I learned which publishers to target for my manuscripts. I still do some of that even with my agent, because she can’t know everyone, but not as much as I used to.

After Click Here was accepted for publication, I immediately started planning my website and that was up and running when the book came out. I do a lot of social networking – GoodReads, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc - and have contests and things like that for my readers. I usually will do a book party or signing when a new book comes out – had a great burrito bar set up at my house when Build A Burrito came out! – and I have bookmarks and other giveaways available. I also have a quarterly e-newsletter about writing and my news. Marketing myself and my books is a delicate balance between letting people know what’s going on and being a pain in the you-know-what. I tried to avoid being a pain as much as possible J.

Speaking of marketing, I’m running a contest on my website for folks to win a set of the new Click Here and Access Denied paperbacks if your followers want to enter:

http://www.denisevega.com/html/adcontest_form.html

Snacks: Did you get a contract for Access Denied, the sequel to Click Here, after it was published or before?

Vega: I had a two book contract with Click Here and we talked about a sequel, but they were interested in seeing what else I had going. I sent them another manuscript which they didn’t end up taking, and then I sent them Access Denied, which they loved.

Snacks: Did you have a sequel in mind when you wrote Click Here? What was most challenging about writing a sequel?

Vega: I did have a sequel in mind because I didn’t feel like I was done with Erin’s story. I had originally thought I might incorporate some kind of social networking into it, but that changed when I began to plan out Erin’s character growth in the novel. I decided she really need to experience something pretty big so that she could learn from it and be that much stronger and better as a person.

The most challenging thing about writing a sequel is the above - making sure your main character grows and changes once again or even more than in the first book. The second challenge was writing a book that would meet or exceed reader expectations. I had so many readers writing me about how much they loved Click Here and how much they could relate to it. Dozens of them told me they’d read it two, three, even ten or more times! When I finish a book I love, I want it to go on so I can savor the emotions and experiences I had while reading it. I knew that’s how my readers felt so I was nervous about creating an experience that was equally satisfying for them. From the looks of my reader mail, I’ve succeeded (whew!).

Snacks: Why did you decide to introduce a new character in Access Denied (and other eighth grade error messages)?

Vega: When in doubt during the writing process, introduce a new character! Seriously, once I started thinking about where Erin was at the beginning of the book (feeling like her parents treat her like a child, etc), I knew there wasn’t anyone in her current world who would be able to push her in the way she needed to be pushed. So Reede had to step in and help out.

Snacks: What's your favorite writing snack?

Vega: My favorite is any kind of chocolate (Dove chocolates, Butterfingers, and Rolos being some key faves), but I’m trying to be a good girl lately so I keep raw almonds or unsalted peanuts in my desk now and toss back a handful when I’m feeling a bit hungry. I also love a cup of hot chocolate every now and then in the winter months (I don’t drink coffee – love the smell, don’t care for the taste). Ruffles Reduced Fat potato chips would be great, but they are too messy on my fingers so I save those for lunch!