We’ve talked to L.E. Green who has released her debut novel Flutter this year.
First of all, can you tell us a bit about Flutter?
This story begins at the end. The setting is the Boston Metro area. Abigail, the main character, is standing at the edge of a building contemplating the various events that lead her to the moment where she is ready to jump from the ledge to end it all. She jumps.
There is so much going on, its hard for me to sum things up without referring to the synopsis. It’s my crutch. I will try not to give away too much. This story is about a young woman named Abigail Paige who is loses her memory due to an injury. She is taken in by a pub owner named Frankie and befriends his employee Roger Atkins. Abigail is traumatized at night by recurring violent nightmares and her defense mechanism is to disconnect emotionally with the world. It takes a traumatic event for Abigail to realize she has a bigger purpose when suddenly the incident reveals she has superpowers and markings on her body. When the memories begin to trickle in slowly, Abigail fears for the lives of the only people she somewhat trusts- Frankie and Roger. In the mean time, A CEO is murdered and Abigail becomes the likely suspect for another missing executive, Robert Benson being investigated by Detectives Meghan Finch and Sydney Brown who also share a secret of their own. Now Abigail has to find a way to learn the truth about her abilities without being detected by the man responsible for who she is and avoid arrest by Meghan Finch.
I think for me this story is about a young woman finding herself in a world she does not trust and that lack of trust extends beyond the confines of the tangible world that she can feel and touch- the spirit world. She also has to accept who she is and come to terms with suppressed emotions that are beginning to resurface as she struggles through this turbulent time. Like many women, we don’t really know our own strengths until face to face with adversity. I think what makes this special for Abigail is that much of the turmoil she went through was coming from within, physically effecting her forever.
What inspired you to write this story?
I am an action film junky so, I originally thought I had a great idea for a movie, which led me to write Flutter as a movie script years ago. I even drew about 80 pictures for a storyboard, I was on a roll, but got tired of that. So, the story was complete and time passed. As Flutter collected digital dust on my laptop, I realized the story would never be read in this fashion. I didn’t have the slightest clue of what to do with it. Taking a friend’s advice, I wrote it as a novel, which was a lot more work and stressful process.
I did some Google searching a found out that a novel would be classified by about 90,000 words so, I made that my goal. On Facebook, every time I reached another 1000 word milestone, I posted it on Facebook. It was my way of adding pressure to get it done. People would inbox me every time the number went up. Some I would tell what it meant while others had to wait. The movie script has so much less detail. I realized that I had some serious work to do. I started a a Facebook page, Flutter the Novel, and invited people in on what I was doing. I would take screen shots of the writing and post it. I also posted preliminary cover designs to spark people’s interest. It really helped to receive encouragement from family and friends.
This story is a culmination of the things that interest me, the people I love and the things that drive me insane at the same time. I love fishing, shooting my guns and working out (not that I am in the best shape) but I like to be active. I think some of the things I have desired to be or do, even my own ongoing battles with spirituality inspired me to write this.
You have very strong female characters in both Abigail as the main character and Finch, even Rogers mother. Are strong female characters important for you?
Definitely! Most of the women in my life I would classify as strong women, in their own right, very resilient and passionate. I couldn’t see creating a character any other way. I think having a strong female image is important to all women. I wanted Abigail to be the young woman who wasn’t raised to think because she was a girl, it was okay to cry. We need to change how women see themselves and how society sees women. Not to say that being emotional makes one weak, but I we will see how Abigail handles reconnecting with the emotions she had suppressed.
You have both a scifi and spiritual element. Without giving too much away what is it with this combination you find intriguing?
In someways I don’t think anyone can put spirituality into anything without somehow connecting with science fiction. A friend of mine said about this interview, “Maybe they will ask you who your favorite sci-fi author is or your favorite sci-fi book. What will you say?” I told her, “The Bible.” Of course I laughed my butt off when I sent that response.
I’m really intrigued with the “unexplained” and how we try to use our finite understanding to depict the “unexplainable” experiences of man. People are blindly dedicated to things we cannot understand, see, feel nor touch. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it’s a powerful thing I wanted to touch upon. I want to believe in something greater than myself. In some ways I feel like I have to, but it’s a constant struggle for me to dive any deeper into spirituality than praying daily or saying “Thank you, Jesus.” When I get a good deal at H&M. I’m sure coming from a very religious background and my current protest to not go back to church has much to do with my writing as well. I want to believe that we are connected to a spiritual world somewhere out there. I cannot deny my religious roots, so therefore it was inevitable to resurface in this story.
Tell us about the cover and how it came about?
I’m not sure if you have seen the back of the book, but a part of Abigail’s breakthrough is attached to these markings she has on her body. I created the markings from drawings that I did and traced them again digitally in my computer. I have a graphic design background, so I did the cover design and elements myself. I left Abigail as a silhouette because I wanted any reader to be able to see themselves as this person. It was also easier to do that than to find a model. (wink) That was the final cover after about six preliminary designs I came up with, which didn’t have a character on the front. Something at the last minute said, “ADD A GIRL!” So, I tried it and like it.
Can you tell us a bit about the experience of self-publishing?
SHAMBLES! (lol) It was really annoying at times. I finished the book in August of 2012 before I started my new job. After that, I was referred to a woman to edit my book. Well, four weeks later, there were more mistakes than I gave to her. I was not very happy about that to say the least. I even paid her, I was frustrated beyond belief and was completely discouraged. After a few weeks passed, I passed the book around via Google Drive and just had three people go through it and edit as much as they could. They helped out a lot. Still, I was very insecure about typos and grammar, because they were hardly copy editors. I combed through it a few more times. Then I realized I had to let it go. I didn’t want to come off to the readers as if I didn’t care about the quality of the product, but I had to move on. I spent Christmas break figuring out how to convert the word document into epub. UGH! What a mess! I obviously, chose start by doing this the hard way but eventually figured out an easier way using Sigil and another program. Not perfect, but it worked.
The next issue was choosing how to distribute the book. I did some research for about a week and decided to do the ebook on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and just use Createspace for the paperback. I got tired of looking at royalty percentages and profit margins and what not. I made the decision and went with it. Then I bought 10 ISBNs and published. So with using Facebook, Instagram and a few emails, I sold my first 100 books quickly. All sales after that had been a slow trickle. I really didn’t have any money to pour into advertising so, I decided to take the book off Barnes and Noble and enroll into the 90 day KDP program on Amazon, giving the book away for free for three days. I had about 1700 downloads in that time period. Most in the US, but downloads in Italy, Japan, Canada and couple other places. I was excited. I figured giving away 1700 free books was cheaper than posting ads on the internet. More sales came in after that. It was pretty cool to have so many people read it.
I didn’t want to bother with the process of finding an agent, then shopping it around. I had a story I wanted to share fast so, self-publishing was the way I chose to go.
You leave the door wide open for a sequel. When can we expect the next book following Abigail?
So, let’s go back to that point where I said I finished the book before starting a new job. I wanted to be finished with the sequel by this Christmas, but that is going to be difficult because of the new demands on my time and mental capacity. I am currently writing little by little. Some nights I wake up and want to write. Some days I open the file just to read it and close it back up. I will say that writing the sequel is HARD! Keeping up with all the details of the characters and places from Flutter is difficult. I will get it done, and I will add that I have two in the works at the same time.
Any other plans?
Maybe just a few dreams like seeing this on the big screen. I plan to keep writing and finish this up. I have so many other ideas I cannot contain myself. I write notes in my phone all the time. I need to get this done! I know where I want it to go. We will get there hopefully soon.
What kind of books do you read, any favourite authors?
I don’t read a lot and I read slowly- sometimes reading the same line a few times to make sure I am gathering all the details. It’s really hard to focus sometimes because my mind runs all over the place all the time. I love to read Dan Brown, not because of the biblical stuff, but because he makes people so mad by using fiction to provoke people’s curiosity about their beliefs about God, government and other belief systems.
What do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?
Too many hobbies. I love fishing. I paint, I draw, better than I paint, but drawing takes much more effort. Painting is soothing. I love anything outdoorsy. Which is why I have three bows and arrows, four guns, a bike hunting equipment I plan to use this year and I love to watch movies! Thank God for digital downloads now because I have too many DVDs!
Anything you’d like to add?
Just another thank you. I hope you enjoyed the book and I hope you keep in touch. I appreciate honest feedback and plan to complete this next one soon. Please… no pressure(smile). You will be one of the first few to be informed. I have a blog I am not very great with, legreenartandliterature.blogspot.com, where I like to rant here and there. I hope more people read the book and give feedback and share with others. Thanks again for checking in with me about my first novel. More to come.
