Starting with a tough one. My web designer, who I like to call dear, has been distracted of late. Although we have plans to revamp the website - make buy links more obvious, sort information in a more friendly manner - we didn't have plans to change the style per se.
Your first title was geared to Young Adults. Is Thickness of Blood the same?
No! And by that I don't mean that it is unsuitable for younger readers, but it does deal with very dark subject matter, sexual abuse and rape. While some teens might be able to handle that, I wouldn't offer it to them as a group.
If it's not for young adults, do you worry about them finding this title?
Not really. As I said, it's not 'bad' for them, it just isn't intended for them. It's not...erotica for instance.
Right. wink and nudge For that you would need a pen name. The cover art for the novel is interesting, a paper doll family. Wouldn't that be more fragile than blood?I suppose so. More important than the material is the way the man cradles it in his hands. Just like the main character, George, this man is able to buffer and support his family.
What changes have you made to your approach of marketing Thickness of Blood based on your experience with your earlier novel?
Not pulling any punches... I'm still stumbling my way around marketing. I'm hoping that because Thickness of Blood isn't YA, I might have an easier time reaching my target audience electronically. I found teens like hard copies that they can share and trade. I also found I couldn't find them. I went to a few junior high and high schools to read to students and got a warm reception, but when I try to find YA bookclubs (for instance) they are frequented by adults who enjoy the genre. That isn't to say that I can't market to them, but the lion's share still belongs to the youth.
What part of Thickness of Blood are you most proud of?
The tertiary plot line. I find my works tend to be rather shallow with secondary and tertiary characters there for plot advancement and little more. In Thickness of Blood, I was able to build a tertiary plot out of the truckstop folks that help George track down his daughter's rapist.
Well, I wish you the best of luck on your new release. Thickness of Blood is published by Martin Sisters Publishing.
