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Author Crush Friday: L.E. Sterling

Glitter girls, you have pressing questions for your favorite authors and we have their answers. Welcome to our  weekly segment, Author Crush Fridays.

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We love asking questions and we love the answers from some of our favorite authors. Today we’re talking to LE. Sterling, author of  True Born (May 3, 2016; Entangled Teen).  Thank you for talking to us today, L.E.! We’re honored!

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GLITTER: How would you describe True Born to a new reader?

L.E.: My hope is that True Born is the kind of book you want to read twice. As an avid reader, I can definitely say this is the book I wanted to read! With True Born I tried to create something new for readers. I didn’t want to pen just another dystopian sci-fi novel – I think a lot of readers are a bit tired of that. Instead, I opted to explore a very elaborate, nuanced vision of the future. And it turns out that in this world there is some crazy stuff going on! Paranormal types – but when you get into the science, it seems not just plausible – it seems inevitable.

 

GLITTER: What three words would you use to describe this novel?

L.E.: Intrigue! Chaos! Heat!

 

GLITTER: Will we see your books on the big screen soon?

L.E.: Stay tuned for news! I can’t say anything more than that at present.

 

GLITTER: Did you always want to be an author?

L.E.: Yes I did! It’s really strange. I wasn’t that kid who wanted to be a vet or ride horses for a living. I wanted to write books – specifically, the kind of books I’m writing now! When I look back at my first novel (I was eleven when I penned this little treasure in a spiral notebook) I’m actually amazed at how true I’ve been to that version of me. That novel was a dystopian sci-fi/fantasy as well, and just like in True Born, there are some very strong elements of environmental disaster at play. Nevertheless, it was atrocious!

 

GLITTER: Did you ever feel like giving up?

L.E.: There was a period of time, a few weeks before I received the publishing offer from Entangled Teen for the True Born series, where I sat myself down and really thought: okay, this is it. After two decades of real effort, this is your writing career: over.

You see, I currently fit in writing around a full-time job. It’s an exhausting way to live – especially when you get nothing back but rejections!

But here’s the thing: prior to this period of giving up, I had first posted the story as a novella on Wattpad and it went crazy. It was number one in its genre on the site for weeks. I just couldn’t figure out how so many people seemed to love the book (I received literally hundreds of positive comments from readers) but I couldn’t seem to publish it. That didn’t make any sense to me. But the adorationTrue Born received from these readers really did make a difference – it literally kept me going.

 

GLITTER: Did you receive rejection letters in the beginning? How did you get over them?

L.E.: I was rejected I think by about 40 agents and multiple presses for my first and my second novel (both of which I ended up publishing with a small press without an agent!). And even with an agent going to bat for it, True Born was rejected repeatedly! The moral of the story is that you’ve got to keep going! James Joyce’s Ulysses – considered one of the most important novels in English literature – was rejected over 100 times before it was published and became an almost-overnight literary classic!

 

I once received the most amazing rejection letter from a top small press in Canada for my second novel, Pluto’s Gate, that really made a difference. The letter was so lovely – the editor essentially told me that the press had held on to my submission for an abnormally long time because it was a very close call on publishing it. Whether or not she was being honest, I was truly grateful for such a gracious, generous rejection.

But to tell you the truth, I think it was connecting with readers on Wattpad that really has kept me going through the rough business of trying to get books born.

 

GLITTER: What are your favorite words to use?

L.E.: Like sweets, I actually try to steer clear of favorite words because they can drag down a novel. On the other hand, there can be self-conscious repetitions in novels that I think are important, but these tend to be specific to individual books. In True Born, for instance, the characters share nuances of speech. Many of them use the word “reckon” in conversation and inner dialogue. As in: “I reckon the dead don’t care any longer.” I have some other repetitions in the novel that are vital to the world-building as well as the plot. “Evolve or die” appears quite often – I love a good, blunt turn-of-phrase!

 

GLITTER: What one thing do you have on you at all times when you’re writing?

L.E.: Pants?  No, seriously. Not always. A lot of times I write in pajamas (it is typically 5 am when I start). I always need a glass of water and hand cream on my desk, though. I actually get distracted if I don’t have these two things handy! And then there is the requisite “It’s 5 am, I need strong coffee” coffee.

 

GLITTER: What book are you currently reading?

L.E.: I’m on a Jennifer L. Armentrout kick right now! I’ve just finished Every Last Breath (The Dark Elements series, Bk. 3), and about to start Opal (Lux Series, Bk. 3). I’ve also got on the go Tanya Huff’s Blood Price (Vicky Nelson series, Bk 1) and Patricia Brigg’s Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson series, Bk 9) – it’s so, so good! … and then I’m on to Cassandra Clare’s Lady Midnight. Yay!

 

GLITTER: What are you working on next? 

L.E.: I’m finishing Books 2 and 3 of the True Born series. Then I might explore some novel manuscripts I haven’t published yet (I have two that I think are promising). Then…I’m not sure yet. We’ll see how people take to this series before I decide!

 

 

 LE Sterling

L.E. Sterling had an early obsession with sci-fi, fantasy and romance to which she remained faithful even through an M.A. in Creative Writing and a PhD in English Literature – where she completed a thesis on magical representation. She is the author of cult hit Y/A novel The Originals (under pen name L.E. Vollick) and the urban fantasy Pluto’s Gate. Originally hailing from Parry Sound, Ontario, L.E. spent most of her summers roaming across Canada in a van – inspiring her writing career. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

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