The Tara Tracks

Welcome to the fourth chapter in Road Trip to Publication, a series of interviews with authors at various stages in their careers. You can check out previous interviews here.

The fourth story features YA urban fantasy author, Scott Tracey. Scott and I went through the nail-biting process of having to choose from multiple agent offers together. An enviable process, perhaps. But it’s not easy to choose between great agents! His awesome premise caught the eye of up and coming agent Colleen Lindsay, and he couldn’t resist her enthusiastic offer. Scott keeps an informative blog relating to his path to publication–which isn’t over yet. Check out his latest post called Dealing With Voice. It’s very well-written, and I agree with every word of it.

His YA urban fantasy, Witch Eyes, is currently seeking a home at a publisher near you. His talent for delicious visual imagery will surely rope some lucky editor in. And it’s about boy witches–squeeee!

Synopsis: WITCH EYES follows Braden’s journey, as he tries to uncover who he really is, find acceptance, and deal with the perilous life that comes with his gift. Add in a pinch of demons, several cups of witchcraft, a couple of ounces of supernatural mafia, and bake to a golden crisp.

Boy witches, eh? Rock on! Tell me more about WITCH EYES and Braden’s gift. Does he get to turn anyone into nifty animals like hyenas or banana slugs?

Eww, banana slugs? Sadly, no, Braden’s too much of a nice guy to go around turning people into animals. Maybe in the sequel though.

Braden’s gift is an unusual, in the world of Witch Eyes. Not only is he a witch, meaning he has all sorts of fun magical powers, but his vision of the world around him is…unfiltered. The idea that everything that happens leaves an impression; a memory – those are the things Braden can see. Once he ‘looks’ he can’t shut it out – it comes hard and fast and all at once. So he wears sunglasses all the time – it’s enough of a filter to protect him. The witch eyes give him an edge magically, and makes him fairly exceptional. It’s a gift that a lot of people would kill to have on their side.

Braden starts out as a runaway, hoping to find answers to the secrets of his past. What he ends up finding is a town divided by two rival witch families that have feuded for generations, and how both sides want to use him for their own goals. Everyone in town seems to have an agenda, so he’s navigating not only a new school, but new friendships, his first real relationship, and the feud itself.

Some writers dream of their ideas, others let their characters dictate the plot, and some plan everything out via flashcards. How did you come up with the idea for WITCH EYES?

I provided only two pieces to the puzzle, and then the story developed on it’s own. I knew it was a story of unrequited, forbidden love – a more modern and gay Romeo and Juliet. From there, I kinda got a sense of Springfield. It’s a small town, divided by these families that have hated one another for generations.

On my way to work last summer, I’d always get struck by how bright it was outside once I left my apartment. From there, I started looking into people who were light sensitive, and those suffering from photophobia. And I wondered what it would be like if there was a supernatural cause, what would it be like? The two of those ideas were what I started with, and the rest just kinda came along on it’s own.

Not outlining was rough, especially at one point when I realized I was missing something crucial. For weeks, I lamented to my best friend about the Lost Day – a day in Braden’s life that I had completely missed. I knew it was important, and I knew that important things were happening there, but I couldn’t figure out what they were. That was probably the worst point of the writing process – trying to unravel what I was missing.

Once I finally got through the Lost Day, I realized the ending I had didn’t work the way I wanted it to. So I scrapped the last twenty thousand words and started over. And the whole thing came out stronger for it. At least I think so.

Pick a theme song for Braden—one that suits his personality. Good. Now, why did you pick that song?

This one is easy. I’ve known Braden’s theme song since I was about halfway through writing the book. “Unbreakable” by Fireflight. If they ever make a Witch Eyes movie, I’d want this to be the song they use in the trailer – it just screams Braden to me. It’s Braden’s song from the minute he steps off the bus in Springfield.

It’s a song that basically talks about personal growth – becoming the sort of person that can stand up against the things that held them down before. It fits for Braden because of the personal empowerment angle – Braden’s journey is one in learning to trust himself, and trust the powers that he has at his disposal. It’s his realization that he is, in fact, “unbreakable.”

The fact that Fireflight is a Christian rock band, and I write about gay witches, is a bit amusing. But I highly, highly adore that song.

World building is tough, and the bar is continually being raised in urban fantasy. What do you think makes your world believable to the reader? Can you think of any YA urban fantasy novels where the world building really impressed you? If so, why?

What I tried to do, with the setting I was going for, was to focus on this one town. I didn’t spend much time debating what was out there in the rest of the world, I wanted to show this one little snippet of supernatural life. I think narrowing the focus in that regard, and choosing to spend more time with my characters and their daily lives, is what helps the story come alive. I’m not trying to convince my readers that this is a world inhabited by vampires, witches, werewolves and darkness. I’m just trying to get them to suspend their disbelief long enough to see what Braden’s life is like. I think by straddling a line between the natural and supernatural worlds, it gives the readers a lot more to gravitate towards. You can see how this guy’s ordinary life is affected by the things he’s going through.

I think the urban fantasy novels that impressed me were the Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld. The world building in the trilogy is something organic. There’s all these weird things in town, but all those weird things have an underlying explanation, an origin. Not only do they all make sense in the larger story, but they’re all interlinked with each other. He crafted a world and a set of rules that consistently infects all these different aspects to the town, and anyone outside the Blue Time would never see it more than local legends and urban myths. I love that!

Let’s talk about the road that led to an agent offer or multiple offers in your case. What did you love about the agent hunt? What drove you nuts?

I equally loved and hated the agent hunt. Knowing that I was sending out a batch of queries, and then eagerly waiting the responses? So much fun! Actually having to wait on those responses? Horrible. I even sent a few queries specifically because I knew those agents had ridiculously fast response times. (Note – I still made sure those agents were a good fit for me, or at least I thought they were). During the agent hunt, I loved talking with other people about the querying process, crafting my own query and then helping others do the same. Having a support system was incredibly important – I had people there to celebrate the successes, and commiserate with my failures.

I think the most frustrating part, though, was the form letters and “I just didn’t fall in love with it” responses. I’m the type of person that, if something’s not working, I want to know what I can do to fix it. In those instances, there wasn’t a lot for me to go on, so I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Okay, I’ve got a rejection, but what does that mean? Is there something I can fix? Or is the whole thing just broken? Logically, I know that not everyone is going to love my book. It’s just hard to separate that part of yourself that’s going to take every rejection a little personally.

So, you got the first call on an unusual day. Did you have any warning beforehand (an email) or was it completely unexpected? Were you able to form coherent sentences?

I got the email stating Colleen wanted to offer on a Saturday night. I had just gotten done watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it was 2 am, and I checked my email just before bed. And there it was. She came right out and said she wanted to offer representation. Right off the bat, I knew she had gotten the book, and gotten where I was coming from. We scheduled the phone call for the next night, so I had almost a whole day to prepare. Even still, I don’t think I was all that impressive on the phone. On my end there was a lot of “uh huhs” and “rights” but not a lot of…genius caliber discussion. I’d done my homework on Fineprint, and I really didn’t have that many questions. Plus, I really couldn’t think!

I always thought getting to choose between agents was a rather enviable position. Until it happened to me. Is it harder than it seems from the sidelines?

It’s terrible! I knew, from that first conversation with Colleen, that she was going to be someone I could work well with. But I had a number of other fulls out there, and wanted to make the most informed decision possible. That was the toughest part, along with the waiting. I spent a little over ten days waiting to hear back from the other agents, most of whom dropped out. If anyone tells you ten days is nothing, that people waiting on queries will wait longer than that? The stakes are SO much higher at that point. You’re not waiting to get a request or a rejection – you’re waiting to hear back about the course of your career. It’s not open-ended anymore. You know that at the end of the wait period, you’ll have an agent. You just don’t know who, and you don’t know what your options are.

I was in a constant state of stress for the entire ten days. I had to pry myself away from the computer at many points, just so I wouldn’t go crazy with the waiting. It was even worse because I was on vacation that week, so I couldn’t even go to work and pick up extra shifts.

So I had another agent offer representation, and after talking to them on the phone, I sat down and made one of those lists. Y’know, pros and cons. Lucky for me I’d taken notes during the phone calls, so I used a lot of that to refresh my memory of what we’d discussed. It was a difficult decision, as I felt like I resonated with both agents in a different way. In the end, my gut instinct was with Colleen, and the fact that she had more Pros and less Cons, made the choice clear to me.

A lot of writers question whether or not an agent is necessary. Why did you choose to go the agent route?

All I really want to do is write and promote my books. Having an agent means that there’s potential for my book to reach editors it normally wouldn’t, and I’ve got someone who’s looking out for my best interests when it comes to signing on the dotted line. That frees me up to do what I love, and not get bogged down. The friends I’ve made who have agents all talk about how helpful it is to have someone there to help you along the way. That was what I was looking for, in the long run.

I read a story by an author who received an offer from an editor at a publishing house. She was ecstatic. But then, the agent haggled with the editor, and she ended up getting a MUCH better deal than she would have on her own. In effect, the agent earned far more than her commission rate at the end of the day.

Now that you have an agent, what are your concerns? Are you nervous about the next pit stop AKA the agented subs trench?

I’m one of those people that’s a worrier. So I’m always looking for the next big thing to panic over. What if editors don’t like my book, what if we can’t sell it to the perfect person, etc.

I’m not actually as nervous over the submissions trench as I thought I’d be. Honestly, I thought I’d be a wreck, and I’m not. I’m just kinda coasting around, dealing with everything else in my life. I suppose if the book sells, I’m going to feel a little differently.

I’ve actually done some Googling about the editors I know who have my book. Not only with Publishers Weekly, but just to see if there’s anything out there about them on the Net. It doesn’t really help or hurt, but it gives me something to do so I’m not staring obsessively at my inbox.

Are you working on anything new at the moment? If so, care to share?

I’m actually working on a couple of different ideas. Playing would probably be more appropriate. Since I haven’t settled on something that just screams to be written (yet), I keep flitting from idea to idea. Eventually, something will stick. I’m a big believer in the muse, and writing what the muse tells you. So when my muse is ready to rock and roll, I’m sure I’ll be looking for a coffee IV to keep me going.

I’ve made a few starts on a sequel to Witch Eyes, but one of the other ideas that really interests me is what I’m calling Souled for right now. It’s about demonic possession, old world ceremonial magic, and identity. What makes us who we are, and how much do other forces have input on who we really are? The protagonists I’ve got in mind are really interesting to me – on the one hand, you’ve got a guy that everyone thinks they “know.” But he’s not even sure he knows himself. And then you’ve got a girl who lives her life on the run, and everywhere she goes she picks up and discards personalities like it’s just another accessory.

If you could design your own book cover for WITCH EYES, what would it contain?

I’m partial to my LJ icon, which is just a picture I found online, cropped out the eyes, and then turned it into a photo-negative. Something with a surreal pair of eyes, giving that little bit of supernatural flair. Maybe a pair of those disembodied eyes hovering over a beach in the middle of night. Lots of pinks and purples in the sky. That’s what my dream cover would have.

Oh, and my name. Because that would be the coolest part. Walk into a bookstore and see my name on a shelf. It doesn’t even have to be in one of those cool fonts. It could be in Courier and I would learn to love it!

**Fun author factoids**

Which character in THE BREAKFAST CLUB were you in high school? And how did you totally blow that stereotype to shreds?

I was probably some mix of the Brain and the Basket-case. I was smart, but rarely applied myself, and I preferred to spend more time on my own than I did with the rest of my peers. Plus, the fact that it was a Catholic high school, and I spent a few years in the hall reading texts on Wicca, shamanism and other New Age texts. That went over well. As I’m sure you can imagine.

Name one thing that hasn’t changed about you since you were a teen. Come on, there’s always something.

I’m still just as obsessed with stories about magic. Yeah, I’m lame like that. Oh, and I love Buffy just as much as I did back in high school. I still watch old episodes all the time.

Uhm, and I’m probably just as sarcastic as I was in high school. But I’m sure that came across already.

Okay, so let’s say you get stuck in an elevator. But you get to pick one author to keep you company. Who would it be and why?

Easy one. L.J. Smith. She wrote a number of YA urban fantasy books in the mid 90s, and those books inspired me to actually write and make an effort at it. I wanted to write novels with characters that resonated with others the way her characters resonated with me. The fact that she’s finally back and writing again, after a ten-year hiatus, just as I finished my novel was an awesome surprise.

Thank you, Scott, for your eloquent and thoughtful answers. You were a pleasure to interview, and I’m itching to see WITCH EYES in book stores in the next couple years. I haven’t finished the book yet, but I’m already digging Braden

More author interviews to come, including best sellers Jay Asher, Melissa Marr and Lisa McMann. Stay tuned!

Tags: colleen lindsay, Interviews, literary agent, scott tracey, urban fantasy, witch eyes, ya author

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 9:31 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.