Interview with Linda Gerber

When I discovered on a Yahoo YA Writing Loop that a fellow writer lived in Tokyo, I knew we had to meet. In a Roppongi Starbucks we sat down for coffee and talked about writing, balancing it with family, and our goals. Linda is as warm and personable as she comes across in this interview below. --Patrizia

How long have you been writing and how did you discover your true fit lay in the young adult market?

Part one: I’ve been writing forever, but only professionally for a few years.
Part two: I’m still channeling my inner teenager so I naturally gravitate to YA.

Describe your journey to being published. What were some of the high points and low points?

Long, long ago, in a kingdom far away, a wannabe writer set out on a quest. Trusty books at her side and computer at her fingertips, she wrote and wrote and wrote. Queries were sent. Rejections were received. Still she wrote. Then, one bright and sunny morning, she received an email. ‘Would you like to write for S.A.S.S.?’ an editor said. ‘Yes!’ cried the writer. And she wrote and wrote and wrote. The end… no! The beginning!

Tell us about being a part of a publisher-driven series. What limitations
did you have to work with? Did you feel those limitations interfered with
the story?

Writing for a publisher-driven series is like building a house with the frame already in place; you know it’s going to have four bedrooms and two and a half baths - everything else it up to you. Does this place limitations on the house? Yeah, if you want to put in a basement but zoning restrictions prevent it. If you’re a good contractor, though, you can work around that. Finish the attic instead.

Your first book Now and Zen came out in Fall 2006. What’s it about?

Nori Tanaka is thrilled to be studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan, but it isn't exactly what she had imagined. She expected tranquil gardens and swoopy-roofed houses, not concrete and neon. And everyone assumes that, with her traditional Japanese features, she's a native instead of the naïve Japanese-American that she really is. Even Erik, a gorgeous German student, mistakes Nori for Japanese, and treats her like a personal tour guide. Nori is sure that he'll like her for who she is once he gets to know her, so what harm can come of temporarily pretending to be Japanese? It doesn't take long to realize that she has a lot to learn about Japan, and about herself, before she can pass for a native. But after exploring the karaoke clubs in Tokyo, the peaceful temples in Kyoto, and the tranquil heights of Mt. Fuji, Nori knows she has a good chance of finding the hidden Japanese spirit and Zen mindset within herself.

What books do you have scheduled for release this year? Can you give a brief description? And what are you currently working on?

My second book in the S.A.S.S. series, The Finnish Line, will be released in September. It’s the story of a girl from Park City, Utah – a competitive ski jumper - who goes to Finland for her semester abroad and works to become one of the first female jumpers allowed to jump at the Lahti Ski Games.

My new baby is a mystery series for Puffin’s sleuth imprint. I just completed the first book and am diving headfirst into the second.

Any suggestions on how writers can learn about publisher driven series that might be open to new authors?

Keep up on the market. Watch Publishers’ Lunch. Haunt your local bookstore. Check out the new series books coming on the market and pay attention to who the publishers/distributors are.

Join a writer’s organization such as SCBWI and take advantage of their market updates.

Network, network, network. This is how I first heard about the S.A.S.S. series.

How do you stay in touch with your target audience? Aside from a website or My Space page, is there anything else a children's writer should do to stay current with trends?

Hang out with the people you’re writing for. You had better like kids if you want to write for them – they can smell a phony a mile off. Read what they read. Watch what they watch. Let them download their playlists into your iPod. Have fun!

What do you find to be most difficult writing for the YA market? Easiest?

Difficult? The competition. There are some great YA books and authors out there. Easiest? Getting caught up in the stories and characters. I love writing YA!

In your opinion, how important is it to have an agent to break into the YA market? What are some of the considerations a YA writer should think about when searching for an agent?

I have a navigation system in my car. I also have a printed map. I can find my way around Tokyo using either one of them. The navigation system just makes it a whole lot easier.

In shopping for agents, I say go for one who A. represents (and LOVES) the type of book you write and B. has a proven sales record C. his/her clients aren’t ripping said agent apart on their blogs…though some of those should be taken with a whole shaker full of salt…

YA has been hot. Do you see that trend continuing? Do you have any
concerns about the direction of the market?

Pull out your fan, baby, ‘cause YA ain’t cooling down any time soon. I think the market’s moving in so many different directions, you can find whatever you want to find. I’m looking at the good stuff. No concerns there.

What are some of your favorite books? Your favorite authors? In YA and in general.

“Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other is gold…” I’m always adding to my favorites list. The latest additions are Kate Coomb’s Runaway Princess, (which is a whole lot cooler than the title makes it sound,) and Ally Carter’s I’d Tell You I Love You, but Then I’d Have to Kill You, (which, yeah, is just that cool.) My favorite authors list is always growing, too. In YA, I love Meg Cabot, Sarah Dessen, Ioin Colfer, Phillip Pullman, Donna Jo Napoli, Jonathan Stroud, Kate Coombs, Marsha Skrypuch, K.C. Dyer… I could go on and on. My ‘grown up’ favorites include Brad Meltzer, Lee Child, Gayle Lynds and Tess Gerritsen.

Where do you get your ideas from? How much influence has your
international experience had on your writing?

I order my ideas online at www.bestsellers.com. If that doesn’t work, I eavesdrop on people and steal their looks, their mannerisms, their personalities and anything else that isn’t nailed down.

The International thing, of course, provided the opportunity to write the S.A.S.S. books. I also think it’s broadened my perspective. I mean, I now know how to dress like a Harajuku girl. My life and my writing are enriched.

How do you juggle family life and a writing career? Any tips for the writing parent?

I send my progeny out the door at 8:30 and play… er, write until they return at 3:00. (When I’m not scrubbing toilets, shopping, cooking, cleaning the turtle’s tank, doing laundry, volunteering at school, running errands, and all that other annoying mom stuff that takes up my writing time!)

Advice to writing parents? Gather your family together let them know you are going to make writing a top priority. Carve out some time for yourself. They will not understand this. Show them, with love and patience, that you mean business. Don’t back down! If you don’t take your writing time seriously, no one else will.

What advice would you give the unpublished writer trying to break into
the childrens and/or YA market?

Read. Write. Send your stuff out. Don’t stop.


To learn more about Linda Gerber and her books, please visit her website at www.lindagerber.com