An Exclusive CBA Interview with Author Morgan Kearns.

“This story has imprinted itself upon my heart and, in doing so, has remained on the forefront of my mind. I’ve been asked many times about the possibility of News To Me becoming a novel, and laughed at the question before shrugging it off. Lately, though, the idea has been brought up by my own thoughts, and, last night, I made an important decision.
News To Me and Moving On have been pulled from all fanfiction sites in hopes of making the story bigger, better and a real life novel.
Now the hard work begins… Wish me luck!”

With these words, Fan Fiction author, Morgan Kearns/Heartbroken1 pulled one of the great Twilight FF stories off the Internet and embarked on a dream. While many FF authors dream this same dream, most never see it come to fruition. Not Morgan Kearns, Her dream, Fade to Black is just about ready to be published. (Please see the end of this interview for a brief synopsis of the book..)

I recently has the privileged of interviewing Heartbroken1 and I think her experience will be an inspiration and a guide to many would-be authors.
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CBA: Tell me about Heartbroken1, Twilight, and how you first came up with the plot for the original fan fiction story, News to Me?
Morgan Kearns: I worked in the news industry for nearly 10 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. I loved it! It was exciting and fun and nerve-wracking. They say that the first rule to writing is write what you know. Well, I knew news.
CBA: I know you like Jacob, but where does that leave Edward in this story?
MK:I am a total Jacob girl, and usually make him the hero in my fanfics. But in News to Me, for some reason, the man I saw for ‘Edward’ wasn’t really Edward at all. He appeared differently in my mind. He was closer to Edward than Jake though and I had to go with it.
CBA: How long did it take you to finish the original story?
MK: All together I finished the entire story (the fanfiction, plus all the new stuff) in about a year. Although I must admit, I took time off because the characters weren’t talking for a while.
CBA: Your reviews were good,  I suppose?
MK: Yes, and no. Most people were awesome and loved the story. Most fans were frustrated that the story wasn’t progessing as fast or how they thought it should go. So I got to hear a lot of that. Also, there’s always some negative nellies that are just ticked off for some reason. They didn’t like me or the story or… Yeah, you get the idea.
CBA: Any stand out in your memory?
MK: Ha! It’s funny you ask that. There is one particular review/reviewer that stands out in my mind. It was a flame actually. The story wasn’t going at all how this person wanted it to go and she flamed the chapter. I then got an email from her apologizing and…as they say, the rest is history. She is now one of my nearest and dearest!
CBA: When did it first occur to you that this story could stand on its own, sans Bella and Edward, and you could try to get it published?
MK:I started writing News to Me with the characters I pictured in my head. Unfortunately, I had to describe them as Edward and Bella, but that’s not how I saw them in my mind’s eye. In the fanfic version, the characters were more mine anyway. First of all, they were all human. Secondly, they were seriously out of character with how we know them in the books. Kate is a take charge kinda girl.
CBA: You say in your ff.net post , “and, last night, I made an important decision.”  Tell us about the decision.
MK:  I knew that News to Me was popular…duh! The outpouring of support was insane! You guys are awesome! But I had serious doubts about it being a novel. So for a long time I just shrugged off the possibility. Then one day I seriously considered the kinds of books I read. Romance. Well, heck, News to Me was a romance and people liked it, what could it hurt? And with the support of my husband and my wonderful support team, I pulled the story and went with it.
CBA: What made you finally commit to getting it published?
MK: Taking it down. At first I wondered if it wasn’t an error. If I shouldn’t have left it up to keep people interested. But I’ve been surprised, even after this long, how many emails and pms I get asking when it will be done. I’m truly honored by the response.
CBA: Describe for us the steps you had to go through to bring this book to life.
MK: Most of the story was already written. It was hard though to change it from a fanfic to an original work. I didn’t realize how many references there were just to places that had to be changed.
CBA: Who did you contact?
MK: My friend, Lily Kleinman, Segolily, had done it. I spent a lot of time emailing her and getting her advice. I spoke with a few people who work in the industry and found out that FADE TO BLACK was just too long. Publishers are looking for 60,-100,000 words. FADE TO BLACK, all said and done, is over 150,000. I was told, “…it doesn’t matter how good it is, that length is a negative they can’t get over…unless you’re an established author.” I decided to go the self-publishing route. With this novel, at least.

CBA: Can you explain Self-publishing vs Traditional publishing?-
MK:The truth is that anyone can self-publish a book. There are no stipulations from the company. In fact in the contract I signed, they do not make any promises on how successful your book will be. Not that a traditional publisher can guarantee a best-seller, but they have a big screening process. They’re picky.
There are a couple of major reasons why I chose the self-publishing route. First was time. I didn’t want to wait the time it might take. It can take years to get a book from the author’s computer to the bookstore. People were excited for Fade to Black, and I was excited to give it to them. Secondly was the length. I’ve covered this before, but I was told that Fade to Black was just too long. An editor friend told me that her friend had a story that was a little shorter than mine. His was really good. (she outta know, she reads a lot of them for a living)

The biggest differences I’ve found are marketing and royalties. Marketing – SP, you are responsible for all marketing. T, they do it for you. Royalties – SP, the royalties are higher because there are less people to pay. In my case, BookSurge will get their cut (and if it’s sold online, they will take their cut) that’s it, though. I get the rest. Traditionally, the publisher gets theirs, agent gets theirs, store gets theirs.

With all that said though, I have every intention of going the traditional route with the project I’m currently working on. I think there are definitely benefits to both. You just have to make the decision that’s best for you and your specific project.

Coming tomorrow: Were there hurdles?

Fade to Black is the debut novel by award-winning short fiction writer and journalist Morgan Kearns. It is a tempestuous and witty love story, complete with dangerous twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very last page. Kate Callahan is a news reporter in Salt Lake City whose life seems to be perfect. Her attentive boyfriend, Jesse Vasquez, is determined to prove his love for her. But the day she steps through the doors of KHB as their newest reporter and meets photographer Rich Spencer, everything changes. There is something about the way he caresses her with his eyes, speaks to her without saying a word, and lights her skin aflame with a simple touch that makes her rethink everything she’s ever known. Ultimately, she is faced with an impossible choice—one that tears her heart in two—which becomes excruciating when fate steps in and decides for her. Walking along a mountain of heartache and regret, Kate struggles to find a world where love does conquer all.
Copyright©MorganKearns2009

Related posts:

1. Coming Monday! Interview with Award Winning Author Morgan Kearns
2. Part 2 of CBA’s Interview with “Fade to Black” author, Morgan Kearns
3. Re-post: Twilight Fan Fiction Author Bakes up a “Wide Awake” Story – Part 1
4. New Moon-Based Fan Fiction: Completely Helpless by Heartbroken1
5. Re-post: Twilight Fan Fiction Author Bakes up a “Wide Awake” Story – Part 3

[...] Part 1 here. CBA: Were there hurdles in bringing “Fade to Black” to publishing? Morgan Kearns: [...]

I’ve been following this progress of this story since it ended. I’m so thrilled that Morgan stuck through it and accomplished her goal. I’m so excited to read this reworking.

Cynthia, I promise you won’t be disappointed. This story is awesome!