Friday, April 2, 2010

Author Success Story: Lisa and Laura Roecker

Have you been dreaming big? Have you gone forth and queried? Conquered? Feeling inspired this week by those who've suffered, er, endured this long and twisty road toward publication?

Dude, you know you have.

Click here for more inspiration: Lisa and Laura Roecker, Beth Revis, Leah Clifford, Victoria Schwab, Kirsten Hubbard, Susan Adrian, Dawn Metcalf, Kim Harrington, Carrie Harris, Amy Holder, Kathy McCullough, Suzette Saxton and Bethany Wiggins, Gretchen McNeil and Tiffany Schmidt.

I will be featured on Lisa and Laura Roecker's blog today! Please go check out mine--and all the posts--because you never know who's going to say exactly what you need to hear to keep moving forward.


Today I've got the sistahs Lisa and Laura Roecker.

LIAR SOCIETY in a tweet: When Kate gets an e-mail from her dead best friend she decides to channel Nancy Drew. A hotter, bitchier Nancy Drew, but you get the idea.

Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? Why didn't you?

Our first attempt at a novel was pretty wretched, but there were a handful of agents who found our voice intriguing enough to give us real feedback. When we finally laid that craptastic manuscript to rest (RIP The North Shore) we were so, so tempted just to throw in the towel, but we loved writing together too much. So, we gave it another shot and finished our next project within a few months. That project turned into LIAR SOCIETY. [Elana interrupts to say they only had to query for like, a day--so not fair. And they got three offers, and are repped by Catherine Drayton at Inkwell Management.]

What has been the hardest part of your road to publication so far? And why?

The hardest by far was being on submission to editors. It was hell. We basically spent 5 months living on pins and needles. We suck at waiting and that’s pretty much all there is to do while you’re out on submission. That and obsessively check Stat Counter. [Elana interrupts--ooooh! Stat Counter! Shiny...]

What's your best advice to aspiring authors?

Keep writing, keep reading, spend time getting to know other writers, find an amazing beta reader and never say die.

Super Secret: If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?

This is such a hard question and we always over think it because let’s face it if you go with a famous author or historical figure or whatever, chances are it’s going to be totally awkward, you know? I mean what the hell would we have in common with Marie Antoinette aside from a shared love of cake?

So, you know what? We’re going to say Libba Bray because we’ve already met her and we think she’s AWESOME and maybe if we start stalking her, we’ll all magically become besties.

Find Lisa and Laura online:
Lisa & Laura's blog
Lisa & Laura's website
Lisa & Laura tweet!
Add LIAR SOCIETY to your Goodreads list! Forthcoming from Sourcebooks in Spring 2011.
Read Lisa & Laura's journey--and their query letter--on QT.

72 comments:

TerryLynnJohnson said...

Liar Society sounds like such fun! Love the pitch line!
I'm adding it to Goodreads! Great interview and story of just trying again.

Anne Gallagher said...

Great interview. Good luck Lisa and Laura. Liar Society sounds like a fantastic read!!!

Susan Fields said...

I agree - love the interview, though I'm sooo jealous about the one day of querying!

Candyland said...

LOVE ME SOME LILA!!! Another great interview!!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Two authors for a book sounds challenging.

Matthew MacNish said...

Thanks Elana, Lisa and Laura, I just have to say: Sisters that can work closely enough together for as long as it takes to write a novel? Dude, that's awesome.

Best of luck in all your future endeavors!

Shameless promotion:

Please visit my blog and comment today. I have a post by guest blogger Justine Dell where she shares an ACTUAL query letter of hers that found success.

She is a wonderfully lady, always willing to help another writer and I would really like her to get the recognition she deserves.

Thanks!

sarahjayne smythe said...

Great interview. So upbeat. I love it. Thank you for sharing it.

Kerri Cuev said...

Thanks for the fun week of interviews!

Have a great weekend!

Theresa Milstein said...

Who wouldn't love a mystery with a hotter and bitchier Nancy Drew!

Stephanie Faris said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've been on submission for five months and it's driving me crazy. I keep thinking I'm the only one who's ever gone through this (although I know I'm not). You just don't often hear about authors with agents who are stuck in this limbo of waiting for things to happen. Authors are either looking for an agent or already published. Waiting sucks!

Emily J. Griffin said...

Lisa and Laure are 15 kinds of awesome and so are you Elana!

This idea has been wonderful!

Zoe C. Courtman said...

Man. I love that we can attain the mythical one-day query process - but then be stuck for five months waiting while it's out on sub. What a ride, right? What's the best way to deal with those out-on-submission doldrums? I guess just dive right in to the next novel!

Linda Kage said...

Congrats to Lisa and Laura. You guys are so inspiring.

Elisa Dane said...

Congrats on only having to query for a day. That totally rocks!!!

Like the idea of a bitchy Nancy Drew too. Sounds like a fun read!

Christi Goddard said...

Hm. So far, Elana, you interject to say these authors got multiple interest from their queries. That's all fabulous, of course, but it makes someone like me say 'well, if they queried and got lots of interest simultaneously, and I've been querying the same work for two months and have zero interest... towel time.' It seems clear that agents have similar preferences, and mine's not on the list. Or maybe I'm just cranky and pre-caffeined.

Jemi Fraser said...

The pitch line is perfect - makes me laugh and want to know more right off the bat!

Can't wait unitl Liar Society is in print!! :)

Lydia Kang said...

Hey Lisa and Laura,
You guys rock! And Liar Society sounds awesome...

Christina Lee said...

YAY LiLa-- you already know I lurve you!
Can't wait for your moment in the SUN!
Although you shine pretty brightly already, without any help!

Katie Ganshert said...

That tweet about the story is awesome!

lisa and laura said...

Thanks so much for having us Elana! And for anyone who wants to be REALLY inspired, come check out our interview with Elana. She might be the most inspiring writer we've met in our entire life. Not to mention crazy talented, and an amazing friend. We love you, E!

Christine Danek said...

Great interview and great advice! You gals rock!

Ann Marie Wraight said...

How about calling yourselves;

THE DEVILISHLY-DELECTABLE DREW-LIKE SISTERS...?

Loved it - popping over to become a follower of your blog sisters!
Thanks Elana!

Talli Roland said...

Great interview Elana and I really enjoyed reading yours, too, on Lisa and Laura's site.

Thanks!

Christine Fonseca said...

Great interview ladies - Love it!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the interview, ladies. Liar's Society will be a must for my DD.

And I might I add, I love your spunk. If this carries over to your novel, I'm all over that like an ant on Miss 'Toinette's cake.

Tere Kirkland said...

Great interview, Elana, LiLa! Except for the shocking lack of mention of how many Twizzlers y'all consumed during submission. ;)

Natalie Aguirre said...

Great interview. I loved their query in your book.

PJ Hoover said...

The idea of joint novels is so intriguing. I'd love to try it someday.
Great interview!

Jude said...

a hotter and bitchier Nancy Drew? I'm sold.

Linda G. said...

I think it's so cool that you guys can work together like this! Congrats on you success. :)

Elana, I've loved this whole inspirational week. Thanks again to you and everyone who participated.

Stephanie Thornton said...

Elana, I knew combining you, Lisa, and Laura into one post was going to be awesome. You totally didn't disappoint!

I wouldn't mind meeting Libba Bray either- her books are great!

Crystal Cook said...

Elana I love your interruptions!

And another great post, never say die!! Huzzah!

erica m. chapman said...

Love.Love.Love LiLa - awesome writers and bloggers. Great job on the interview to all three of you!! Okay, off to read yours on LiLa's blog ;o)

Have a great weekend!

Kathy McCullough said...

I love these two. They seem like really fun, nice, smart and talented writers. I love reading about them.

Carolyn V. said...

*squeal* I'm so excited for LiLa's book to come out! They are so amazing! Great interview Elana! =)

Sara B. Larson said...

What a great interview, thanks for another great one ladies! LIAR SOCIETY sounds like such a fun read, can't wait! Congrats on the success. :-) I hope I won't have to wait 5 months on submission, but if I do, I guess I'll know who to talk with to get me through it! ;p

Alissa Grosso said...

Thanks for another great interview!

Jennie Englund said...

Another splendid interview. All this paying it forward HAS to go somewhere for you. Hoping, hoping.

Susan R. Mills said...

Thanks for another great interview. I'll head over to their place now to see yours.

Unknown said...

Those girls are such ROCKSTARS! ;) Awesome story! :)

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Love this Elana!! I've seen you two girls hanging around one site or another, wondering what was up with these witty girls. Nice to be informed now. Thanks for sharing, Lisa & Laura. You have a great story to share!!

Kayeleen Hamblin said...

Great interview. It's been a fabulous week. Very inspiring. Thanks for setting this up.

Also, I just noticed you passed the 1000 follower mark. Wow!

Happy Easter.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

First comes Elana Johnson and then come LiLa on the coolness scale - how do you NOT adore those two?! Love 'em! :-)

About Me said...

Thanks for sharing your road to pub story.

Voidwalker said...

I agree with Emily's comment... "15 kinds of awesome."

Hope is a good thing, don't stop spreading it. We newbies need all we can get. It's a tough road.

Unknown said...

Elana this was such a great idea! I loved all the interviews and everyone who participated it was amazing!!!

Lisa & Laura rock!

~Jamie said...

My favorite part about Lisa and Laura is that in my mind they are the SAME person :)

LOVE the interview and can't wait to read the book!!!

Jill Kemerer said...

What an exciting year! Congrats!

Amy Holder said...

Great interview! You two are so funny and entertaining, I have no doubt that I'll be in love with LIAR SOCIETY! Can't wait to read it!

Katie Anderson said...

Can't WAIT for the LIAR SOCIETY!!!!! Woo hoo!

Thanks for such a fun idea Elana - and a great interview Lila!

Unknown said...

Now I'm going to have to backtrack and read all of these! Awesome and completely fun interview. What a great week I've missed!

Shannon Messenger said...

Yay for LiLa. It's only a matter of time before they take over the world. Here's hoping they remember us little people when they do. ;)

Great week Elana. So many inspiring stories to read. You rock!

Little Ms J said...

I can't wait to meet this hotter, bitchier Nancy Drew. Just please tell me she doesn't have titian hair. That used to drive me nuts!

Yay for LiLa!

Unknown said...

Such a great interview! I can't wait to buy their book -- hell, every book the sell!

Thanks for the awesome week!!

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting this ... you're keeping my dream alive ;)

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting this ... you're keeping my dream alive ;)

Robin M said...

Great interview and look forward to reading their books. Thanks Elana - you rock for setting this up. Learned much and will persevere.

Unknown said...

Can't wait to read Liar Society (but kind of missing the old title...) I just stand in awe of LiLa's ability to write together. My sister and I would literally scratch each others' eyeballs out if we ever attempted such a venture.

Jessica Bell said...

'never say die' couldn't have said it any better!

Glynis Peters said...

Just catching up on your posts, Elana.
Great reads, thanks.

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

Oh man, I just adore these guys. Great interview, Elana. Liar Society sounds fantastic. I'm a bit jealous of their quick success...but they did have a rough go of it to start, and they persevered--so all is right with the world. :P

lisa and laura said...

Thank you guys for all of the fabulous comments. I can't tell you how much they mean to us! Thanks for letting us play on your blog Elana! You've got a great group of followers/commenters over here!

Arlee Bird said...

Greetings from Blogging From A to Z April Challenge

Thanks for your support!
Lee

Kristin said...

Love the interview! (And at least you guys had each other while waiting on pins and needles. And your Twizzlers.)

Thanks, Elana, as always!

Mary Aalgaard said...

The duel voices must be their secret weapon. It doesn't look like they had that long of a wait. Or, maybe, when two are together the motivation and support keep it alive so much easier. Bravo!

Melissa Sarno said...

Yay! Love the power sisters and love to hear about people who have 'made it'. Thanks for these inspiring posts. :-)

Jackee said...

ONE day of querying? You've got to be kidding me. You gals are good, very good (but I think I already knew that).

Thanks for the great interview, ladies!

Julia Phillips Smith said...

'Maybe if we start stalking her, we’ll all magically become besties.' - LOL!

Enjoyed the interview, Lisa, Laura and Elana. A great thing for me to stumble upon after a tough writing day.

Donna Gambale said...

Love LiLa! Can't wait to read Liar Society.

Donna Gambale said...

Love LiLa! Can't wait to read Liar Society.

Sherrie Petersen said...

I think if I could meet anyone dead or alive, today my choice would be the Roecker sisters :)

prashant said...

Great interview. Good luck Lisa and Laura. Liar Society sounds like a fantastic read!!!
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