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Seven Questions for Harlequin E’s Claire Chilton

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Claire Chilton’s got an interesting background for a writer–her grandfather was a bookbinder! But it’s her love of great stories that brought her to Harlequin via last year’s SoYouThinkYouCanWrite contest with Wattpad!

Seven Things Writers Want to Know:  

 What got you interested in writing?

I’ve been around books my whole life. My grandfather was a bookbinder, so I grew up playing in his workshop, which was a magical realm of stories to me. It was home to ancient rare volumes, gold leaf and old iron presses. As a child, I discovered magic and adventure in literature at an early age. When I became a teenager, I went from being a reader of those stories to writing some of my own.

What has been the most useful thing you’ve done to get to this point?

I think it’s a combination of a few things, but the most important things that made a difference to my success were learning to edit my stories and joining Wattpad. Editing is hard work, but it makes such a difference to the quality of the story. I don’t think my stories would have as many readers if I hadn’t learned to structurally edit them. How you tell the story is just as important as what the story is about. I think that getting over that editing learning curve is a rite of passage for most authors. After I’d done that, I joined Wattpad, and my unheard of stories became amazingly popular. Wattpad readers are wonderful, and the site provides an excellent platform for you to reach those readers. It also offers many opportunities to its authors, like the Harlequin competition, which I was lucky enough to win. I think a combination of those two things can account for my successes so far.

What is the one thing you wish you’d learned sooner?

It has to be editing. It makes a massive difference to how you tell a story and how a reader will read a story. It’s the difference between seeing a boring page or imagining a movie in your head. Ideally, you want the reader to feel as if they are starring in their own adventure. If writing a story is the art, then editing is most certainly the craft. I wish I’d learned the craft of writing sooner.

Don’t miss Claire Chilton’s HUSTLE in June’s box set–and available as a standalone in September!

Which book or blog or site or conference or contest would you recommend for new writers?

I’d recommend Wattpad for new writers for many reasons. Writing is a hard gig, and there are harsh criticisms online for all writers. When a new writer joins a writing community, it can often be a daunting experience, sometimes a devastating one because we’re all sensitive about our first books and the criticisms online don’t pull any punches. Wattpad is a place where you can learn your craft, and it is home to a supportive and nurturing community. There are also tons of great opportunities for new writers there. I find that on Wattpad, people can make new friends, learn more about writing, meet new readers and in some cases land six-figure book deals too. It’s the perfect place to start out, learn about the publishing industry from more seasoned authors, and to present your stories to the world.

What drew you to Harlequin?

I discovered the competition on Wattpad by pure accident, and it seemed like an amazing opportunity. I’d heard of Harlequin as being the largest romance publisher in the world, so I really wanted to win a chance to work with them. Of course, because I’m one of those people that never does anything the easy way, I discovered the competition thirty days before the submissions closed, which meant I had to write and edit the book in thirty days if I wanted to be in the competition. It was a crazy October, but I just made it in time before the submissions closed by writing a new chapter every day. I also set a new record for the fastest book I’ve ever written.

What did you do when you got the call?

I didn’t believe it. I’d already prepared my poem titled ‘The Ice Cream of Pain’ and had a large tub of ice cream on standby for when I lost the competition, so when I was informed that I had won it, I went into shock, but I still ate the ice cream. I went through several stages of denial, starting with: ‘It’ll be an admin error,’ and leading up to: ‘Maybe I’m just delusional and actually writing books in yellow crayon in some kind of institution?’ Everyone else around me was cheering. Meanwhile, I was sitting in the corner convincing myself that I hadn’t actually won. The reality that I had won a book deal with the largest romance publisher in the world sank in about a month later, where I danced around my house, cheering. However, by then everyone else had already celebrated it, so they just thought I’d gone crazy.

What is the elevator pitch for the book?

Ellie only has one more job to do before she gives up her life as a hustler. But when she steals Jacob’s heart, he doesn’t plan to let her escape that easily.

To see what Claire’s up to, follow her on her blog, on her website, through Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and of course Wattpad, where she loves to get feedback from readers!

Thank you, Claire, for sharing your journey with us!

 

 


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