It's been too long since I've had a Writer Spotlight post so I am beyond thrilled today to have aspiring writer, Carla Luna Cullen (no, she's not related to THOSE Cullens) here to tell us about her YA fantasy, PIPER GIRL.
And for anyone who wonders if agents ever read any of these blogs - the answer is, YES. Two other Writer Spotlight interviewees (that I know of) as well as myself were contacted by an agent who requested partials of our completed manuscripts. So if you're interested in stepping into the spotlight read the guidelines on the Writer Spotlight page and contact me.
Now, back to Carla. WELCOME CARLA!!!
Carla is a former
archaeologist, turned stay-at-home Mom. She's originally from Los Angeles, but
grew up in Canada, on Vancouver Island. She now lives in a small town in
Wisconsin, along with her husband, two kids, and a feisty cat named Allegro.
What manuscript would
you like to tell us about today? (genre, title, word count)
Piper Girl is a 68,000 word YA fantasy, set in the
near future, in a walled slum outside downtown Los Angeles. I like to think of
it as an ‘urban twist’ on The Pied Piper fairy tale.
Sounds great!!
Can you give us a
three to four sentence pitch?
Still reeling from the tragic circus accident that tore her
family apart, seventeen-year old Marisa has survived by flying under the radar.
But when an explosion at Dyna Corp, a nearby research facility, releases
infected lab rats into the slums, Marisa can’t hide her unique talents any
longer. While playing her silver flute, she has the ability to charm animals,
especially rats. If she agrees to help Dyna Corp, she could earn enough to escape
the ghetto forever. But when she learns the truth about the rats—and the deadly
disease they carry—she must decide if she should risk helping her community,
even if it means taking on Dyna Corp.
How original. Lots of great twists going on – I’m definitely
curious to know more.
Would you care to
share the opening line or paragraph (up to 250 words)?
The
sirens sound like they’re right outside my door.
No chance
of going back to sleep. I reach over to turn on the lamp, but nothing happens.
The electricity’s out again. Fumbling in the darkness, I grab my flashlight and
twist it on. A few roaches skitter away into the shadows.
I slip on
flip-flops, but hesitate before unbolting my door. Do I really want to leave
the safety of my room? Cops in Brea Village are a rare occurrence. If they’ve
ventured into the Dumps, then the situation must be serious. But I haven’t
heard any gunfire. Yet.
Maybe
just a quick peek.
Before I
go, I shine my flashlight around the room. There’s nothing visible worth
stealing. The most valuable item I own—my precious silver flute—is tucked
behind a loose cinder block in the wall, covered by an old calendar.
I lock
the door, pocket the key, and navigate the narrow stairwell to the ground
floor. Out on the street, a blast of hot, dry air hits me in the face. The
Santa Ana winds have been relentless all week.
Luis, one
of the neighborhood sentries, sits on a rusted lawn chair near the end of the
block. Across his lap is an automatic rifle. He looks up when I approach.
“Evening Marisa. Everything okay?”
“Yeah.
What’s up with those sirens?” I glance around. No cop cars. Not even an
ambulance.
What!!?
You’re leavin’ me hanging here, Carla. Great opening, sets up the tone nicely.
How would your main
character describe you? If you entered into a scene in your manuscript, how
would you be introduced, how would the MC perceive you? (Give us a scene of 250
words or less : )
When the show ends, Dad and I go out into the audience, for
our customary meet and greet. After I pose for a photo with an elderly couple
from Texas, a mom approaches me. Next to her are two kids—a teenage girl and a
younger boy.
“I was impressed with your Pied Piper act,” the mom says. I
like her outfit—a cool embroidered top and silver hoop earrings. Otherwise, she
looks like a typical tourist—middle aged, pale, probably from the Midwest.
“Your act was just like the fairy tale,” she says. Then she
grins. “Although I’m glad you didn’t lure the children out of the audience and
whisk them away.”
I return her smile. Not everyone knows about that part of the fairy
tale. Then I wait for her to ask how I did it. Everyone wants to know what my
secret is.
The boy speaks up first. “You used magic to attract those
rats, didn’t you? Was it a spell or are your flutes magic?”
The girl rolls her eyes. “Duh, James, there’s no such thing
as magic.”
“Of course there is,” the mom says. “Magic is everywhere.
You never know where you’ll find it.”
Oddly enough, I get the feeling she isn’t saying this to
make her son feel better. “So you believe it’s magic?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “Sure. Stranger things have happened. But I’m
pretty open. I believe in ghosts, too.”
Ghosts, not so much. But definitely magic. Because there’s
no other way to explain my gift.
Haha, that’s great, Carla. I believe in magic, too : )
What is your least
and most favorite word? Use each in a sentence, writing in the voice of one of
your characters from any of your manuscripts.
My favorite word is archipelago. I love the way it rolls off
my tongue. But, sadly, there are no archipelagos in Piper Girl. So, this quote is from my medieval-set YA, The
Fallen Princess (which is mentioned below):
At
every turn, I saw musicians, jugglers, and masked performers. Nimble acrobats
leapt across the lawns, dazzling the guests with their flips and aerials. In
another area of the gardens, veiled dancers from the Archipelago of the Winds
held a large audience in their spell.
I don’t have a least
favorite word, although my grammatical pet peeve is unnecessary apostrophes.
For example, signs that read: “Video’s” or “Hot Dog’s.”
Haha, yes. My
favorite (recent) man-made sign I spotted on the side of the road said, “Free
firewood for sale.” Hmm.
What else are you
working on while you wait?
I have another manuscript that I’ve been querying for about
four months, entitled The Fallen Princess. It’s a YA romance, set in a
land resembling medieval Persia, about a headstrong young princess who runs
from an arranged marriage, only to fall in love with her intended groom when he
captures her.
LOL, love it! Good luck!!
What book have you
read in the past six mo that’s inspired you and why?
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I’m a total 80s geek, so I loved the pop
culture references. What impressed me the most about the book was the great
storytelling. Our whole family listened to the audiobook on a road trip and we
drove seven hours without a break, just to get to the end of the story!
I drive a lot for work, I’ll have
to pick it up (though by the sounds of it, I may drive right past my destination). Thanks for the recommendation.
Do
you have (if you were a teen, or had when you were a teen) a literary-character
crush?
Hmm . .
. definitely not anyone who’s secretly a vampire or a werewolf. Maybe Valek from Poison Study by
Maria V. Snyder (not a YA book, but a great fantasy). And I really liked Day,
from Legend by Marie Lu.
Any random fun-facts you’d like to share about yourself?
As an archaeologist,
I’ve had the chance to travel a lot, especially in the Middle East. I’ve worked
on projects in Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Cyprus, and Spain. My family also lived
in India for five months, in 2009, when my husband was a Fulbright exchange
teacher in Chennai.
I love acting, and
did children’s theatre when my kids were younger. Most of the plays were fairy
tales, so I’ve been a fairy godmother, a shoemaker, a frog prince, and an
emperor (mainly guy roles, for some reason!). But I never got a chance to play
the Pied Piper.
My maiden name is
Carla Luna, and I always thought I’d use that as my pen name, until I found out
there’s a famous Flamenco dancer by that name.
Speaking of names,
when our family went to visit Forks, WA, three years ago, we got special
treatment whenever we mentioned that we were the “Wisconsin” Cullens.
THAT is too funny. And yes, everyone, I did ask Carla if she was related to those Cullens when she first contacted me. You must get that a lot, sorry : /. And wow, you’ve had an interesting life so far. Thanks so much for
stepping into the spotlight today and good luck with both manuscripts!!!
Keep
us posted.
Visit Carla's blog
here for contests and great posts. Follow her on Twitter by clicking
@casacullen
