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JESSICA HAIGHT AND STEPHANIE ROBINSON INTERVIEW AND THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW GIVEAWAY

Happy Monday Everyone! Hope you're having a great start to the week.

Today I have a special treat for you. Debut author and follower Jessica Haight and her co-author Stephanie Robinson are here to share about their MG mystery THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW that recently released. It sounds like a fantastic mystery that has me intrigued.

Here's a blurb from Goodreads:

Fear Not the Unexpected.

Eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow is less than thrilled that her family is moving thousands of miles from civilization to the quiet country town of Ashpot, Connecticut, where she’s absolutely certain she’ll die of boredom.

As if leaving New York City and her best friend, Lizzy, the only other member of the elite Detective Mystery Squad (DMS), weren’t bad enough, Fairday is stuck living in the infamous Begonia House, a creepy old Victorian with dark passageways, a gigantic dead willow tree, and a mysterious past.

Before she can even unpack, strange music coming from behind a padlocked door leads Fairday up a spiral staircase and into a secret room, where an ancient mirror, a brass key, and a strange picture of a red-haired lady are the first in a series of clues that takes the members of the Detective Mystery Squad on an amazing adventure.
 

Hi Jessica and Stephanie! Thanks so much for joining us.


How did you write a book together? 

A question often asked of authors who decide to collaborate on writing a story. The underlying truth
of what they are really asking is, “How did you manage to not end up hating each other during the
process?” The answer to this is simple, it’s not about the ego; it’s about the book. We decided this first.

What was a surprising thing you learned while writing your book?

Jessica: I learned a lot about myself and about discipline in writing. I am sort of a free-form writer, and it's absolutely essential to keep everything in tune and orderly to progress. Stephanie is the master of organization, so I am very lucky to have her as my co-author. Most of the time, instructions and lists sound to me like the adults in Charlie Brown, whoh, whoh, whoh. However, after working on this with my awesome writing partner, I embrace the list.

Stephanie:  I have been surprised by the amount of time Jessica and I spend discussing Fairday and her friends and coming up with ideas. Most of our conversations center around our writing and blog. I never knew how exciting it would be to write a book with someone who shares my vision and makes work fun. Also, I have been pleasantly surprised to find support for my book in places I never expected. Thanks to all of our supporters.

What was the writing process like?

We started off brainstorming about our characters and the basic plot. Our daily conversations were about Fairday and the DMS. We flushed out characters, story lines, and everything else both in person and on the phone. Our meetings were always productive. Using Google docs for an online format allowed us to post a chapter or two at a time that we could work on together. What an amazing tool! Being able to make changes to our book from any location opened up our world of writing and our story was written in Poland, Yellowstone, from our town libraries, and the comforts of our own homes. Usually one of us would start a chapter and the other person would go in and start working their magic- adding, deleting, and crafting the writing until it was a blended expression of both of our ideas.

What's it like to receive criticism and revise a manuscript?

There were times when we threw away whole chapters and started over. This was painful, but we knew it had to be done. We wanted to write the best story we could, and so swallowing our pride became a common occurrence, which became easier to digest. Now when we receive criticism, we think of it as an opportunity to improve our story and hone our writing craft.

What advice would you have for new authors?

Be brave. Let yourself to be inspired. Enter contests, attend conferences, listen to other authors tell their stories, visit book fairs and events. If you commit to your work and take yourself seriously, you'll be surprised by what you find along the way. We've met some amazing people and made great connections all over the world. We've become better writers and had loads of fun learning about what it takes to bring a book project to life. 

Jessica Haight is a true New Englander, with a deep desire to be near the ocean and a love of the four seasons. She enjoys drawing while standing up and cultivating magic in her garden. She easily floats away in the pages of a good story and is still waiting for her owl from Hogwarts. Jessica lives in Connecticut with her charming fiancé, James.

Stephanie Robinson lives with her husband in a quiet town, though not as quaint as Ashpot. After teaching fifth grade for almost fifteen years, she is now enjoying her role as a school media specialist. One of the many benefits of her job is that she learns something new every day. When Stephanie isn't working, she spends her time creating stories, getting lost in books, and traveling to new places.

 You can find Jessica and Stephanie at:


Jessica and Stephanie have generously offered a giveaway of one copy of THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW. This is an international giveaway.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here's what's coming up:

I'm participating in the Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop on Sunday, December 20th.

Then I'll be on blog break for the holidays until January 4th when I'll start a new schedule of fantastic debut author interviews and guest posts--some with agent critique giveaways.

Hope to see you on December 20th!

63 comments:

Rachna Chhabria said...

Hi Jessica and Stephanie, your book The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow sounds intriguing. I am eager to read it. I always wonder how writers co-author a book. It must be pretty difficult to do so.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

With two people working on a story, one of you would have to be organized.

Your story sounds cute.

Greg Pattridge said...

I have enough problems working with myself so a collaboration would be super difficult. The result of this two author effort sounds fantastic. I have it on my future read list. Thanks for the great interview.

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

This definitely looks like a book I would enjoy! I love mysteries and creepy houses. The cover looks great!

Christine Rains said...

Congratulations to Stephanie and Jessica! It's neat hearing how the process of writing together was for you. Have a lovely week. :)

Anonymous said...

I love, love, love that advice for writers! Especially the words 'be brave' which should probably be written on the front of my brain. ;) Thanks for the awesome interview, and for hosting the giveaway!

Suzanne Warr said...

Whoops, sorry, mine is the comment above, but I was signed into the wrong google account! For giveaway purposes, please use this one--and thanks! :D

cleemckenzie said...

Hurray for Jess and Stephanie. Love their mysteries.

cleemckenzie said...

Hurray for Jess and Stephanie. Love their mysteries.

Stephen Tremp said...

Hi Jessica and Stephanie, I think it's great when people can get together and co-author a successful book. I have enough trouble getting along with myself. Me too.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I still can't imagine throwing away entire chapters.
And Stephen's comment made me chuckle!

Karen Lange said...

Congrats to Jess and Stephanie! It's interesting and fun to learn more about their process of working together. Wishing them well.

Thanks for hosting, Natalie!

Jessica Lawson said...

Wonderful interview~ loved hearing more about your collaborative process! And the book sounds right up my alley :)

Jemi Fraser said...

YAY for Jess & Stephanie!!!
Congrats on the release! :)

DMS said...

Rachna- We are so happy to hear that The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow sounds intriguing to you. We hope you get to read it soon and that you enjoy it. In order to write our book together we spent a lot of time talking out ideas and it was much easier than one might think. :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

L. Diane- Organization is definitely important when there are two people working. :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Greg- We are so happy you enjoyed the interview and that it is on your list of books to read. We hope you enjoy it when you get to it. We loved your comment about collaboration. :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Elizabeth- Nice to see you again! We are thrilled that our book looks good to you and we hope you enjoy the mysteries of the Begonia House! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Christina- Thanks so much! We are glad you enjoyed learning about our writing process. We hope you have an excellent week too! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Suanne- Being brave is definitely important! We are so glad you liked our advice and that you enjoyed the interview. Good luck in the giveaway! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Suzanne- Thanks for the above comment. We didn't see this until after we had commented up there. :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Thanks, Lee! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Stephen- We can understand what you are saying. Oddly enough- the other person helped to keep us on track and helped keep our spirits up. Your comment made us smile! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Alex- It wasn't easy! Stephen's comment made us chuckle too! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Karen- Thanks so much! We are glad you enjoyed the interview. We are thrilled to be on Literary Rambles! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Jessica- Thanks! It was such fun working together. We are thrilled to hear the book sounds right up your alley. :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Jemi- Thanks so much for the good wishes! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Natalie and Casey- Thanks so much for having us on Literary Rambles. We are so excited to be here today and we really appreciate your support. :) ~Jess and Stephanie

Beth said...

What a charming book! It sounds exactly like the kind of book I would have loved when I was a kid.

Jenni said...

Congrats on your release! It was great hearing about your process--and I love the sound of your book!

Mary Warth said...

Congrats Jessica and Stephanie. I love great old New England homes and a good mystery. But, to answer your question I have never seen a ghost.

Danielle H. said...

I've never seen a ghost. You make me want to co-write a book with someone who shares my same vision.

DMS said...

Beth- Thanks so much! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Jenni- We are so glad you enjoyed hearing about our process and that The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow sounds good to you! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Mary- We love great old New England homes too! So nice to hear from you. :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Danielle- We highly recommend writing a book with someone who shares your vision. :) ~Jess and Stephanie

Penny said...

Never seen a ghost, and that's ok. Thanks for the giveaway! I prefer my ghosts in books.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful collaboration. I'm enjoying seeing this book around. No, I haven't seen a ghost.

Crystal Collier said...

I'm excited to read their book, and excited to share it with my littles. Methinks it will make for a fun out-loud reading experience.

Cherie Reich said...

I enjoyed the interview, ladies! Congrats to Jess and Stephanie!

jpetroroy said...

Never! And congrats!

M Pax said...

I think it would be a blast to write with someone else. Major congrats to Jess and Steph! Well done!

DMS said...

Penny- Great answer! Good luck with the giveaway. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

DMS said...

Medeia- We are happy to have so much support and all appreciate all the bloggers who have helped share our story. So glad you have been seeing the book around. :) ~Stephanie and Jess

DMS said...

Crystal- We hope you all enjoy it! :) ~Stephanie and Jess

DMS said...

Thansk, Cherie! :) ~Stephanie and Jess

DMS said...

Thanks, Jpetroroy! :) ~Stephanie and Jess

DMS said...

M Pax- We do have a blast writing together! :) ~Stephanie and Jess

Unknown said...

What a great interview! I especially loved the part about swallowing their pride during the editing process. So hard to do and yet crucial to a successful writer. Wishing Jess and Steph loads of success! :)

DMS said...

Lexa- Thanks for your comment! We are so glad that you enjoyed the interview. Swallowing our pride isn't always easy, but you are right- it is crucial! :)
~Jess and Stephanie

Emily R. King said...

Cute sounding MG! Congrats to Steph and Jess!

DMS said...

Thanks, Emily! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

Tyrean Martinson said...

Wonderful!
Congrats to Jess and Stephanie!

Peaches D. Ledwidge said...

I read about this book on another sight. Congrats to the authors.

DMS said...

Thanks for the good wishes, Tyrean! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Peaches- Nice to see you on another stop on our tour. Thanks for the good wishes! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

Anubha said...

i have never seen a ghost

Unknown said...

Yes, my childhood home had 4 ghosts in the basement.

Jan Lee said...

I don't know if I've seen a ghost or if they were just strange shadows .

DMS said...

Charity- Wow! ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Jan Lee- It can be hard to tell! :) ~Jess and Stephanie

DMS said...

Anubha- We are sure that is a relief. :) ~Jess and Stephanie

Unknown said...

I entered