#FridayGuest: Spine Chillers: Big Bad Wolf by Nancy Gray

Nancy Gray has published a number of works including her middle grade series Spine Chillers. She also published her YA fantasy series Blood Rain. Her short story “Chosen” appeared in Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Author Quest: a Penguin Special from Grosset & Dunlap. Her work also appears in various anthologies.

Nancy Gray has been writing for over ten years. Gray lives in South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys books, video games, anime, manga, and horror.

Her latest book is the mid-grade horror, Spine Chillers: Big Bad Wolf.

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BOOK BLURB:

Jane is ecstatic when she gets the role of Red Riding Hood in her school play, but she didn’t realize that they’d be using the stuffed wolf prop as the Big Bad Wolf. That tattered old prop has always scared her and, lately, she has been having strange dreams about it that make it seem like it’s something more.

Jane will have to get help to save herself from the hungry spirit that has haunted her people and her nightmares before it consumes her, or worse, escapes the prison of the last creature it took to sate its horrible appetite.

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What’s inside the mind of a middle grade horror author?

I can’t speak on behalf of all middle grade horror authors, but what I specifically want to do is to show my main characters to be courageous in the face of something that frightens them. I want to inspire others that they are capable of enacting great change in their lives and their minds.

The monsters in my stories depict different aspects of archetypical fears, and often the characters have to overcome a flaw in their own personalities to survive against them. Basically the monster in the form of a primal fear is also symbolic of the challenges that the characters have to overcome.

Much like many other authors, I love my characters and my monsters. I also enjoy seeing the results of the conflict between the two when the story is finished. I don’t think the mind of a middle grade horror author is much different than that of any other author of fiction. We like to tell a good story and by doing so entertain and allow the reader to have a glimpse into something that they wouldn’t otherwise get to experience. The only difference is how this is executed. In my novels I try to give my readers a good, safe scare.

What is so great about being an author?

For me it’s great to be an author because it allows me to really exercise my imagination. I feel as though I’ve breathed life into a character or a story that didn’t exist until I thought it up. It makes me feel wonderful to know that I’ve created something that makes other people happy as well.

Even though I might not know what an individual gets from my writing, I know that I’ve given them a story that might help get through some difficult times. At the very least, I’ve been able to entertain them and help them escape into something they love. Reading is something that I’ve always loved, and being a writer helps me understand more about what goes into making a good story. It makes me appreciate what I read even more.

When do you hate it?

I’ve never hated being an author. I really enjoy writing. There are times that I’m disappointed. Most of the time facing a rejection makes me feel a little down. Some writers actually stop writing if they face too many rejections, but I haven’t let that stop me. Facing rejection is just another part of writing, and if you can get over the initial disappointment it improves your writing in the future.

Even when other people haven’t liked a certain story of mine I never regret that I wrote it. There are some pretty poor examples of my writing that I don’t like to share with others, but writing a story that isn’t any good and being able to recognize why shows how much you’ve grown as a writer. I have felt embarrassed for sharing a story that I realized later was mediocre at best, but it isn’t ever enough to make me hate writing. 

What is a regular writing day like for you?

To be honest I have a great deal of responsibilities that don’t have anything to do with writing. Just like a lot of people, I have to get up early and take my children to school. I need to have some coffee to wake myself up enough to function throughout the day. I do chores to keep my house clean, read a book or the news, and sometimes take a short nap if I’m lucky. However somewhere in my routine I make time to write. I usually have a window of about three hours to write while my children are in school or taking a nap. 

My family comes first in all things, but a satisfying writing day for me is if I’m able to type up at least two thousand words. If I’ve managed to do chores and write my quota for the day, I feel accomplished in a way that makes the rest of the evening very good. If I don’t get to write at all it generally puts me out of sorts, but I try to make up with it by writing more the next day. Every now and again I have a day that I can write the entire day, such as if I have a deadline to meet and someone I trust is watching my children. If I have that opportunity I take it. Sometimes if I feel particularly inspired during one of those days I forget to eat, so I have to police myself and force myself to stop and take breaks.

How do you handle negative reviews?

That depends on the type of negative review. Even though I want my work to be seen, I write what I feel. I know that I can’t please everyone. Why a person likes or dislikes a book is a very personal thing based on their experiences. When I get a negative review, if it is constructive and gives me a good reason why the story didn’t work for the individual in question, I take it seriously. A writer can always improve, and sometimes a negative review can help you see the flaws in your writing and can make it better. A review that is bad but helps me as a writer might even be one that will prompt a response from me. If the review makes a very good point possibly even an apology.

However there are sometimes reviews that are not constructive. These are scathing reviews that simply insult the author and aren’t useful. Usually they are really hurtful. Honestly while I have had negative reviews before, I haven’t ever had one that wasn’t constructive, but I know others who have. A bad review that isn’t offering constructive advice is probably one I would ignore. Biting back at that sort of thing doesn’t help, and in cases like that usually that’s what the reviewer wants you to do because they probably wanted to get a rise out of you in the first place. 

How do you handle positive reviews?

I try to remember what caused the reviewer to like my work so that I can incorporate what they liked into other books as well. I write a response thanking them if this happens. A good review really helps a writer to know what they do well. It also goes a long way in increasing the confidence of a writer and generally making their day. When I have a good review it makes me feel good about what I do, and it makes me want to write more knowing that I have a fan looking forward to it.

Positive reviews are very useful to an author in many ways because it never hurts them, it makes others want to look at their book, and it shows them where they excel. If you want to write a positive review for the author the best place to write it is on the store page. A good review on the store page helps a writer sell more copies of their book, and it makes the book come up more often on search engines. Either way though, on a store page or on a personal page, I appreciate a good review.

What is the usual response when you tell a new acquaintance that you’re an author?

Usually the acquaintance then asks what genre I write about. This can be a bit of a problem for me because I’ve written many different genres. Usually I tell them the genre I am currently writing. Right now I would say that I write middle grade horror and tell them a little bit about the Spine Chillers series. 

Generally speaking people seem impressed by the idea. They tend to say that they’ve thought about writing a book before. They say they don’t have the time or the talent, but if it is something you really want to do you make time. Talent or lack of talent can be made up for with hard work. 

If there is someone reading this who wants to write a book, then try it! If there is something that you think would be beneficial for your intended audience to hear, then you should at least try. Becoming a good author takes patience, time, and practice. I believe there are many potentially great authors out there that have never even written a short story.  

What do you do on those days you don’t feel like writing? Do you force it or take a break?

On the days I don’t feel like writing I usually take a break. I might try for a few minutes but if I’m not “feeling it” in my case I know it’s better to stop. I try not to take a break that lasts over a day, but what I generally do is switch to writing something I feel like writing or doing something else for a little while and coming back to it. 

I’ve found that if I don’t feel like writing and I try to force the issue my writing hurts for it. I make more mistakes, write something that is subpar, or end up forcing the characters to do something that isn’t in their nature. Also breaks can be inspiring. I get inspiration from reading books, playing video games, or even just leaning back and thinking for a little while. Giving myself time is usually how I push through feeling uninspired.

Any writing quirks?

I’ve tried to get over my writing quirks for the most part. There were mistakes that I used to make consistently, particularly with repeating words. I have test readers read my work and tell me if there is a word that I say too often or if there is a comma usage error that I’m particularly prone to stumble over. I feel that grammatical mistakes are particularly bad if writing fiction for children, so I have people proof my work for grammar. 

In terms of quirks in my work that aren’t bad, I’ve been told I have a very straightforward writing style. I try not to make my descriptions of the setting too long, and I let the reader use their imagination to fill in the blanks about where the character is or what the characters look like. I allow the characters and their interactions drive the plot, and I try not to let my narrative voice explain away anything. Keeping my “voice” in the background is what I’m trying to do to simply to move the story along to the next scene. 

I also prefer not to switch to the perspective of another character unless it is only once in the beginning (the prologue) or at the very end. Even then I don’t do it very often. I like to keep the perspective of the main character throughout the whole book.

What would you do if people around you didn’t take your writing seriously or see it as a hobby?

Well to be honest, I do know people who don’t take my writing seriously and think that I do it as a hobby. I don’t hold it against them. Sometimes friends don’t like to read your stories because they’re afraid that they won’t like them. I respect that decision, and I while I talk about my writing when I’m enthusiastic about it I try not to make it the only thing that I talk about. 

Also some of my friends don’t like the genre that I write. Many of them prefer science fiction, so I can’t expect them to want to read something that they probably won’t like for personal preference. I wouldn’t want them to try if they wouldn’t enjoy it. As for others who I don’t know that think of my work as being only a hobby, I pride myself in being a professional. I don’t need the approval of others to act that way.

Some authors seem to have a love-hate relationship to writing. Can you relate?

I can’t really relate to this. I don’t think I’ve ever really hated writing. I enjoy coming up with new stories and creating characters. Something that I’ve observed is that people have a natural desire to create. Writing is another medium for creativity, just like drawing or painting. I can’t think of many people who have a love-hate relationship with drawing or painting so I don’t know why it should be different in writing. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I don’t like something that I’ve written. There are also times when I get frustrated if I’m not inspired enough to write or recognize that what I’m writing is of lesser quality than I would like. During those times I take a short break from writing, but I still don’t hate it. I think some people hate the things they’ve written previously, but recognizing that something isn’t your best work isn’t the same as hating the process. 

Do you think success as an author must be linked to money?

Lots of people have different definitions about what makes a successful author. In my opinion, success as an author isn’t measured in money. Granted that making money through writing is an author’s dream job, but the real question is would you still write if you didn’t make any money from it at all? In my experience, the answer is yes. 

I write because I enjoy it and because I have stories I want to tell. Even if I only wrote as a hobby and shared my work only with my friends and family I would still do it. Many people in creative fields don’t pursue them as a career in the hopes of making lots of money. Most of the time people don’t make much money in the arts, but attempting to do it allows them to try to make a career out of something they are passionate about. 

What has writing taught you?

Writing has actually taught me a great deal about myself. It shows me that I am capable of finishing a project and taking constructive criticism. I used to have trouble finishing anything that I started, but writing has given me more patience and perseverance the more that I do it. It’s very rare now that I start a story and don’t finish it. 

The characters in my books have aspects of my personality that I have identified only by writing them out. I’ve learned a great deal about my own flaws and the ways that I’ve grown. Looking back at my work over the years shows me the things that I value and how I’ve changed. 

Leave us with some words of wisdom.

Never give up! It can be frustrating starting out as a writer, but the only way that you won’t become one is if you give up on it after any rejection. Keep working hard, and only write what you feel. Don’t force yourself to write something that you don’t want to write because your readers will be able to tell. Also keep reading. Reading will help you grow as a writer.