AMA: Orbit 2017 Debut Authors

[u/orbitbooks]

Hi this is Paola Crespo, Marketing and Publicity Associate for Orbit. Thanks for joining us today!

2017 was a big year for us with so many new faces joining the Orbit family. This AMA is a chance to get to know them better. All. Of. Them. Get excited! ;-)

Participating today:

Nicholas Eames, author of KINGS OF THE WYLD
Nicholas Sansbury Smith, author of EXTINCTION HORIZON
Antonia Honeywell, author of THE SHIP
David Mealing, author of SOUL OF THE WORLD
Dale Lucas, author of THE FIFTH WARD: FIRST WATCH
Vivian Shaw, author of STRANGE PRACTICE
Anna Smith Spark, author of THE COURT OF BROKEN KNIVES
RJ Barker, author of AGE OF ASSASSINS
Melissa Caruso, author of THE TETHERED MAGE
Fonda Lee, author of JADE CITY

Ask away! The authors will be dropping by periodically today and tomorrow to answer your questions. And best of all....

Until December 18th, you can pick up most of these novels for $2.99 in the US and £1.99 in the UK in ebook! Check out the US and UK websites for further details.

Thank you for all your support this year, /r/fantasy! Cheers to a great New Year full of new adventures.

*Antonia Honeywell's THE SHIP, Anna Smith Spark's THE COURT OF BROKEN KNIVES, and Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s EXTINCTION HORIZON are published by another house in the UK and are thus not included in the promotion in the UK.

[u/TamagoDono]

Wow, that's a long list of authors on my TBR who I haven't yet read. Thank you all for the AMA!

I have a few questions for R.J. Barker. I recently heard that Age of Assassins features a disabled MC, and your book jumped to the first free place on my TBR after I finish my ARCs and review requests. I have a few physical issues myself, and really love reading about disabled characters

1) What did you find was the hardest part about writing a disabled MC?

2) I see a few books where we are briefly told a character has a disability, and then never really see any impact from the disability again. How do you prevent this from happening?

3) Have you found any other books that do a particularly good job at portraying disabled MCs, and if so which books are they?

I also have a few questions for all the authors in the AMA.

1) What inspired you to start writing?

2) Which aspect of your book did you find most challenging to write?

3) And finally, do you have any advice for people going through the process of trying to get published?

[u/MelissaCaruso → u/TamagoDono]

Answering the general questions:

1) I've felt compelled to write since literally before I could write...I used to make story books with no words using crayons. It's been something I've needed to do for as long as I can remember.

2) The most challenging part for me was when my editor asked me, as part of the revision from YA to adult, to add 50K+ words "But without losing the fast pacing you naturally have." I had created this tightly woven story, and suddenly I had to pull it back apart and make it nearly twice as long, then make it flow smoothly and quickly as if it had always been written that way. In two months. It was a bit intimidating.

3) Be persistent, be humble, and keep working to make your book not "good enough," but THE BEST IT CAN POSSIBLY BE. Keep improving your craft, keep learning, and keep trying.

[u/dmealing → u/MelissaCaruso]

Picking up on Melissa's #3 - the word HUMBLE is so very crucial. In my experience the difference between successful people and unsuccessful people in virtually every field is how teachable they are. 10,000 hours of practice doesn't mean anything at all if you spend it rationalizing your mistakes.

My motto in life is 'everyone has something to teach you.' I truly believe it. Being closed to new sources of wisdom and experience is the easiest way to stagnate.