INTERVIEW: Tracey Martin

mood: baffled
pandora/ipod: "jump" by the pointer sisters (see above)

Tracey Martin is one of those writers who you want to see succeed. I remember when I first read her work, thinking "Damn, she's got VOICE just nailed." That's a high compliment coming from me. Tracey is repped by Suzie Townsend at FinePrint.

1. What is your novel about? If you pitch it to me in iambic pentameter you get bonus points.

TRACEY: Can I get partial credit? It's mostly in iambic meter, and it rhymes. I think that ought to count for something given the short deadline I had.

‘Twixt is the YA story
Of a girl named Gabrielle,
Who hit a patch of black ice
And her life went straight to hell.

She once had Olympic dreams;
Now her back is torn asunder.
She once had a younger sister;
Now Katy sleeps six feet under.

But everything is about to change,
When buried in the library’s dark nooks,
Well-hidden from mortal eyes,
Gabrielle discovers a book.

In there lie the underworld’s secrets--
The spells for reincarnation.
They were so long ago stolen,
But are they Gabby’s salvation?

The underworld wants the book back,
And they don’t care if they have to kill her.
All Gabrielle’s got for help
Is the underworld’s brewmaster.

Now she’s dodging psychopomps
And demons and ghosts, oh my.
And with the brewmaster’s help,
She’s just barely staying alive.

The book for her sister’s soul--
That’s the plan Gabrielle has formed.
But after all her trials,
It’s Gabrielle who will be reborn.

Holy crap, that is awesome. You get MORE than partial credit!

2. What do you love most about your main character?

TRACEY: I love that she’s not your typical YA heroine. Gabrielle is broken and battered, mentally and physically, when the story starts. She lives with chronic pain, pops ibuprofen like candy, and frequently needs a cane to walk. And her physical issues interfere with her ability to navigate through the world. Ever try running from a demon when the pain in your back is so bad you can barely stand? That’s her reality. And yet she powers through every obstacle out of love for her sister.

Plus, the cane makes a handy weapon for fighting off those demons.

3. What's the one think you wish you'd know at the beginning of the writing/querying/publishing process?

TRACEY: Just how slow and painful it could be! Seriously. I don’t think it would have deterred me, but I might have had more realistic expectations going in. Also, that the whole “write what you love” idea is great, but if you want to get agented and published, it really helps to love what’s popular. Oops, that was two things, wasn't it?

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PAY IT FORWARD PARTICIPANTS:

Elana Johnson
Lisa and Laura Roecker
Beth Davis
Leah Clifford
Victoria Schwab
Kirsten Hubbard
Carrie Harris
Kim Harrington
Suzette Saxon & Bethany Wiggins
Amy Holder
Kathy McCullough
Tiffany Schmidt
Susan Adrian
Dawn Metcalf