Author Interview: Rachel Stibner

I had the immense pleasure of sitting down with author Rachel Stiber and talk about life, writing and Miley Cyrus.

BGP: Please introduce yourself to the readers.

           

RS: Who is Rachel Stiber? Well, I’m a wife, a pet owner, a teacher, and a writer. I have lived in Poplar Bluff, a town in southeast Missouri, all my life. My husband Sean and I have been married for almost seven years. Although we have no children (yet), we are the proud “parents” of a lovable dog and three rambunctious cats. I teach English Language Arts (a combination of literature, spelling, and grammar) to a group of amazing seventh graders. As of August 25, 2014, I achieved my life-long dream of becoming an author.

BGP: Does life in Poplar Bluff (your husband/cats/the town/the kids you teach) ever make it into your novel?

            RS: Since Poplar Bluff is a small town, I used it as a guide for creating the central village in my novel. Also, one of my students has a unique name, and I received her permission to use it as a character’s name for the novel I’m currently writing.

            BGP: What first inspired you to become a writer?

            RS: Oh, goodness, that’s difficult to answer. I have wanted to be a writer since I was four years old. I guess my grandfather who sat me on his knee and told me impromptu stories that he created inspired me to create stories of my own.

BGP: Do you remember any of the stories your grandpa told you?

            RS: They were always about a little boy getting stung by a bee. The setting, situation, and ending changed with each telling.

BGP: Any thoughts about writing your own version of that story to share it with the world?

RS:  I have definitely considered it. Maybe someday!

            BGP:  What do you do to prepare for a story?

            RS: Outline! First, I outline the overall story. Then, I outline the first two chapters. After that, I no longer outline individual chapters. My outlines are more for guidance. Nothing is totally “set in stone.” If my characters take the story in a different direction than I plan, I am okay with that. If there is any research that I need to do, I prepare with that as well.

BGP: So on the opposite end of the coin, what’s your editing process like?

RS: I edit each chapter after I complete it. Then, I send it to my peer-editing group. When they finish with it, I immediately look over their suggestions. Sometimes I edit at that moment while other times I wait until I have a moment of writer’s block.

            Once the novel is complete, I edit and re-edit. I edited Elise’s Choice at least ten times before I submitted it for publication.

BGP: How do you create your characters? Or do they hijack your brain like mine do? LOL

RS:  Well, I begin with an idea of how I want a character to behave. I also take into consideration the events that I plot and decide what type of person would find him/herself in that situation.

            For example, the protagonist in the story on which I am currently working was orphaned as an infant and raised by grandparents. Her parents were influential people in the village; thus, she is the village “pet.” Therefore, she’s a little bit of a brat.

            As for physical appearance, I reflective on the character’s personality and simply see what appears right to my mind’s eye.

BGP:   Who is/was your biggest support for your writing career?

RS: My husband, my mother, my in-laws, my friends . . . the list could go on for a while! I am extremely blessed to have such support.

BGP: What’s the best advice you’ve gotten?

RS: Never give up.

BGP: What advice could you give other writers?

RS: Write, and write often. It doesn’t have to be perfect or serious. It doesn’t have to be something you will ever share with anyone. Don’t be afraid to write silly stuff simply for fun.

BGP:  What genre do you write and what lead you there?

RS: I typically write medieval-style fantasy. I love the medieval period, but I didn’t want to remain within the confines of history. So, I created my own “world” complete with seven kingdoms. However, I have only developed one of the kingdoms. The others are name-only at this point.

BGP: What was the process like of creating your own world?

RS: The process was a lot like outlining. I penciled a very basic map outline (similar to the continents) and wrote notes about each kingdom. I named them Ogden, Trekoria, Santobei, Damir, Thorth, Uern, and Katkylm. Then, I used a Roman numeral simple outline to write detailed notes about the one kingdom (Ogden) I focused on for Elise’s Choice.

BGP: What research did you do and what did you decide to add to create your own world?

RS: I researched the medieval time period and kept my world similar to what I discovered through research.

BGP:  Tell us about your books.

RS: So far, I have only written one, Elise’s Choice. Here is the blurb:

A stranger

A legend

A choice that will change Elise’s world

Elise and her best friend Anton grew up in the medieval village of Petheralm, where life, though hard, is good. When a stranger arrives in her village injured and unconscious, his handsome face and sweet demeanor capture Elise’s heart.

However, according to ancient legend, the forest surrounding their small town is enchanted, and any stranger unworthy to enter the village would be stopped there. The village is leery of this stranger and wants nothing more than for him to leave.

Elise pays no mind to the silly legend, and is shocked to discover that he’s no ordinary peasant as everyone first thought. Before the stranger is strong enough to leave Petheralm, she is forced to make a startling choice between following her dreams and following her heart. Although Elise feels strongly that she made the correct choice, the day soon comes when she and everyone she loves must deal with the repercussions of her choice.

I am currently working on the next book in the series, which I call Maidens of Petheralm. It isn’t necessarily a sequel since all of the books will be stand-alone stories. However, they will share a setting and many of the characters.

BGP: This sounds amazing! Where did you get the inspiration for this story/this series?

RS: One evening as I hiked a walking trail at the University of Missouri-Columbia, my mind began to toy with the familiar Disney version of Cinderella. I questioned, “What if Cinderella hadn’t fallen in love with the prince? What if she wasn’t beautiful?” The answer to these questions and more weaved themselves into Elise’s Choice. But it’s not a retelling; the answers led the story in an entirely different direction.

            As I wrote Elise’s Choice, several characters begged for their stories to be shared as well. Thus, the idea for the series Maidens of Petheralm arose.

BGP: Was there a particular author/movie that made you want to write fantasy?

RS: The authors that inspired me to write fantasy are Gail Carson Levine, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien.

BGP: Let’s back track a little bit. In your bio, you said that you achieved your goal in August 2014 of becoming an author. First off, congratulations on that. Secondly, tell us about that process. How did you decide on your publisher and how long did it take to get your Elise’s Choice on the shelves?

RS:The idea for Elise’s Choice came to me twelve years ago in 2002. However, it did not take me that long to write the story. I immediately plotted it, wrote two chapters, and set it aside to attend college. It never left my subconscious and in late 2011, two colleagues encouraged me to return to it. I completed it, edits and all, January 2014, and immediately searched for agents and independent publishers. I queried at least a dozen agents; only two responded, and offered no reasons for their rejections. I never heard from the publishers until June 2014 when I queried Creative Prose Publishing. They responded quickly; within a few weeks, I signed a contract.

BGP: How long did it take to get the book ready to put on the shelves once you signed the contract?

RS: I signed the contract in June 2014 and my book was released in two months later.

BGP: Do you have any advice for those that are starting the “finding a publisher” process?

RS: Be persistent. Read submission guidelines carefully and only submit to the companies that publish the specific genre of one’s work.

BGP: What is the advice on how to handle the dreaded rejection letter?

RS: Don’t take it personally because it certainly isn’t a personal letter. Most are a template with individual author’s names added in the salutation. Prepare yourself for A LOT of rejection. If you’re lucky, it won’t be as bad as you expect.

BGP: What’s next for you?

RS: Since I am only able to write part-time, it takes a little longer than I would prefer to finish a novel. I hope to finish my second book by the end of this year and submit it to my publishers.

So this is the part of the interview that I call rapid fire. I’m going to ask you random questions and I want you to give me the first answer that pops in your head.

Coke or Pepsi?

Definitely Coke! I will only drink Pepsi if I am totally desperate for a soda.

If Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus were dangling off a cliff and you could only save one, who would it be?

I would create a human chain. I would reach for Miley and save her first so she could reach for Justin and save him.