Author Interview with H.L. Carpenter
Introducing H.L. Carpenter
H.L. Carpenter is a mother daughter writing team who have chosen the self-publishing route for their middle grade and YA novels. Below is my interview with both women about their writing and publishing process.
Book titles:
Jack and The Fountain of Youth
Dream Stealer
The SkyHorse
Pirate Summer
Genres: Middle grade, young adult
H.L. Carpenter
The Interview
1. What made you decide to become an indie author? What do you like to write about?
We like being in control of every aspect of our work. We've been published traditionally, and we've butted heads with editors who have a different vision of our work than we do. We write clean, family-friendly books that are suitable for ten-year-olds and kidults of all ages.
2. How did you publish your first book?
Our first middle grade/young adult novel, The SkyHorse, was published by Musa Publishing in 2012. Musa has since gone out of business, and they turned all rights back to us. We updated and republished under our own imprint.
3. Did you ever try to submit to traditional publishers? If so, what was your experience like?
We have, and we're not averse to submitting the traditional way again in the future. We just enjoy the entire process of going indie.
4. How did you market your first book? Has your process changed with subsequent books?
We participate in blog hops, share on social media, write guest blog posts, and maintain our own website. Early on we scored a free half hour with a publicist in a contest. We decided we were on the right track when her advice was essentially the same as what we'd figured out for ourselves.
5. How do you support other indie authors?
We like and share and include other authors in our guest posts when appropriate. We also do a lot of support behind the scenes. Indie authors have dark days occasionally and are tempted to give up. That's our cue to step in and let them know the journey is as important as the destination.
6. What responses have you received from telling people that you are a writer?
"You'll never make any money."
"That's interesting! A mother/daughter writing team?"
"How do I get started selling books on Amazon?"
"Do you make a living from your books?"
7. What/who has been your biggest support as an indie author?
We are fortunate to be a writing team. We support each other.
8. Quote from a positive review of your work.
From a review of The SkyHorse:
The story is a unique blend of real-life issues and mythology-don't let the cover lead you into thinking this is merely a story about a winged horse.
Tovi is a newcomer to a small town and struggling to fit into high school and her peer group. When she finds an egg containing a winged horse, it complicates her life even more.
This book does well at showing a character who struggles with doing the right thing, even if it means not fitting in with the "popular kids." And it does so without being preachy or cliche. The author is gifted at descriptive writing and the story will grab you from page one. I read it in one sitting! I don't know if the authors plan to write a book two, but it would be quite interesting if they did.
