Talking with Holly Schindler about FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS by Deborah Lytton
Today, as a special feature, I am happy to share with you my interview with the immensely talented Holly Schindler about her contemporary, comedic adult novel, Fifth Avenue Fidos. Holly is the author of four traditionally published books; her work has received starred reviews in Booklist and Publishers Weekly, has won silver and gold medals in ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year and the IPPY Awards, respectively, has been featured on Booklist’s Best First Novels for Youth and School Library Journal’s What’s Hot in YA, and has been a PW Pick of the Week. Fifth Avenue Fidos is her first independently published book. She is owned by a Pekingese named Jake and can be found working on her next book in her hometown of Springfield, Missouri.
Here is a little bit
about Fifth Avenue Fidos:
Once upon a time, in a magical
metropolitan kingdom…OR: When a mutt from Queens meets a purebred Upper East
Side New Yorker, it takes man’s—and woman’s—best friend to convince them what
they feel is more than puppy love.
Mable Barker, a
hilarious, good-natured sweetheart who is always the pal but never the
girlfriend, endures nine horrendous months of bouncing between lackluster jobs in
Manhattan (and suffering unrequited love) in her unsuccessful attempt to find
her one true talent. So when she meets Innis, the ill-tempered Fifth Avenue
Pekingese, she assumes her dog-walking days are numbered, too; soon, she’ll be
heading back to Queens brokenhearted, tail tucked between her legs. But Innis
belongs to the adorable yet painfully shy young veterinarian, Jason Mead, a man
whose awkward ways around women have him dreaming not of finding love for
himself but of playing canine matchmaker—breeding Westminster champions.
When Mable and Jason
meet, romance is officially unleashed: they find an instant connection and
shared goal, as it appears that Mable could very well have what it takes to be
a professional handler, soon to be seen holding Innis under a banner labeled,
“Best in Show.” As Jason and Mable get closer to putting a new twist on the
term “dog lovers,” outside forces—Mable’s overprotective brothers, a successful
wedding planner with her eye on Jason, even the theft of purebred pups from
Jason’s Fifth Avenue apartment building—all threaten to come between them. Will
Mable and Jason simply let their burgeoning love roll over and play dead? Or
will they rally to make sure Innis emerges as the leader of the pack?
Brimming with humor
and endearing characters, Fifth Avenue
Fidos offers more than a simple, sweet romance. Conventions of love stories
and fairy tales merge to illustrate that each modern-day princess has her own
happily ever after—with a prince, another princess, a four-legged furball, or a
brachycephalic dragon…Schindler weaves a heartwarming story about the loves
that help us realize our dreams, and vice versa, about the dreams that bring us
to our lives’ most powerful loves.
Deborah: Holly, can you tell us a little
bit about your new release Fidos--and how you came up with the idea for
the book?
Holly: I started writing the book shortly
after my own Pekingese came into my life. (I’ve had Jake now for eleven years,
so this is a book I’ve long wanted to get out into the world.) I also wanted to
write a book about where I was at that point in my life: I was a woman in her early
twenties trying to make her way in the world. Mable is definitely in the same
place.
Deborah: Your dog inspired the story--I love
that. Which character most resembles you and why?
Holly: You know, they always say you
gravitate toward breeds that have personalities like your own. If that’s true,
then it’s Innis! (Innis was actually modeled after my own Jake, to some extent.
Jake’s smart, he’s pretty stubborn, he definitely has his own opinion of the
world. Hmmm. Sounds like qualities every writer needs to have, actually…)
Deborah: You might be right about that:) For
readers of your other books, what similarities can we expect from Fidos?
Holly: I think all my books show some sort
of humor—but the humor’s more up-front in Fidos.
Deborah: I have to ask you about the indie
experience. Can you share some insights?
Holly: With the explosion of hybrid authors,
the line between what is traditionally and independently published is no longer
the line between what is good and what is bad. There are some truly fantastic
indie books out there.
Fidos was on sub a few times—editors
consistently said it was well-done (a few even said straight out, “This needs
to be published”), but no one had a place for it. Wasn’t YA, wasn’t adult. This
was before NA, of course, but even after New Adult became a well-read age
category, Fidos was still breaking the mold. Unlike most New Adult
books, Fidos is sweet (not sexy), and it’s not about college, but about
the “real world.” It still didn’t fit the traditional publishing agenda. Which
made it perfect for independent publishing.
Indie releases also teach an author so much about publishing that they wouldn't learn otherwise. I've already done some remarketing for FIDOS; I find that New Adult is still a lesser-understood category, and the readership for NA expects steamier reads, for the most part. Once I began circulating directly with NA readers, I felt FIDOS was a better fit for the adult readership--which meant a new cover, tweaked jacket copy, etc.
That's one of the beauties of indie publishing: nothing's carved in stone. You can experiment. You can learn and try new things with an existing book.
Indie releases also teach an author so much about publishing that they wouldn't learn otherwise. I've already done some remarketing for FIDOS; I find that New Adult is still a lesser-understood category, and the readership for NA expects steamier reads, for the most part. Once I began circulating directly with NA readers, I felt FIDOS was a better fit for the adult readership--which meant a new cover, tweaked jacket copy, etc.
That's one of the beauties of indie publishing: nothing's carved in stone. You can experiment. You can learn and try new things with an existing book.
For those interested
in the technical aspects of getting started doing indie, I highly recommend
Scrivener (you get a discount if you’re a member of SCBWI), which will help you
format .mobi (Kindle) and .epub files. I also recommend Ed Ditto’s book on
using Scrivener to format e-books. You can upload the book yourself to the
copyright office (just $35), and ISBNs can be purchased through ISBN.org.
Deborah: What was the best part of the writing
experience for you with Fidos?
Holly: I already had the manuscript, but
once I knew that I was going to put the book out independently, I edited the
book globally in accordance to my own vision for what I truly wanted the final
product to be. I’d say that’s the biggest “plus” so far for independent
publishing: complete control over the final version of your book.
Deborah: You have books now in YA, middle
grade and adult fiction. What's next for you?
Holly: I’m doing the sequel to my YA
romance, PLAYING HURT. I’m so excited about this project!
I’m thrilled to get a chance to hang out with Chelsea and Clint again. The
official release date--as well as sneak peeks, etc.--will be included in my newsletter. To get the
announcement, sign up here.
Fifth Avenue Fidos is available at Amazon (currently a free read through Kindle Unlimited). To find out more about Holly, visit her website.
Great interview! This sounds like another winner from you, Holly! Your are an inspiration to all of us, having been successful in so many genres and levels. Good Luck with FIDOS!
ReplyDeleteCongrats all around, Holly! Both books sound fabulous.
ReplyDelete