New interview with MG mystery author C.L. Colyer

Mystery author C.L. Colyer returns today to chat about her new middle grade action-adventure novel, Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor and Monster Hunter?

During her virtual book tour, C.L. will be giving away a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
C.L. Colyer found her love for writing in first grade when her class was sent to the library and asked to find a book for their first book report. While she doesn’t still have this book report, she’s very proud to say she got an A on it. Her favorite thing about the book was that it had no words. That’s right, not one! That gave her the freedom to interpret the pictures in any way she wanted and write her own story.

This sparked her love for writing essays. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she sat down and penned her first novel. This story has a special place in her heart because it’s the story that helped her discover her passion for writing. She has since written several books, many of which may never see the light of day, but all of which helped her learn to combine her passion for writing with her fascination with all things mythical. You’ll find examples of this in her novels.

Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews.Please tell us about your newest release.
Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor and Monster Hunter? is about a boy who must overcome his fear of monsters to help a friend and earn the money he needs to replace the book he accidentally ruined. This middle-grade fantasy is Hotel Transylvania meets Sherlock Holmes and is likely to appeal to fans of Bruce Coville, Ursula Vernon, and Jill Murphy.

What inspired you to write this book?
An upcoming writing workshop taught by an agent who I heard speak at other conferences. I wanted to attend, but the workshop was on revising a middle-grade novel. I had two middle-grade books written, but they didn’t need the type of deep dive revisions the workshop was for, so I got to work plotting something new.

Excerpt from Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor and Monster Hunter?:
“What?” called Atticus to his retreating student.

He had to have heard wrong. Drago hadn’t said, “dead.” He’d said, “red.” No, the color didn’t make sense either. “Fred.” That’s what Drago had said; it was probably short for Frederica.

Feeling better, Atticus made a mental note to clean the wax out of his ears when he got home, then jogged up the stairs after Drago.

“Please take the spelling test! We’re supposed to be studying!” Under his breath he added, “You don’t struggle with lessons, do you? You’re easily distracted.”

Drago had a shorter attention span than Evie, and that was saying something. Atticus’s littlest sister bounced from subject to subject faster than his father surfed TV channels.

“Look, take the pretest, and then you can introduce me to your grandmother.”

“I’ll take it after you meet her.”

Atticus tripped over a step, caught his balance, and continued his ascent, keeping one hand on the railing. Would Drago’s mother fire him if she found out that Atticus hadn’t taught Drago a single word? Was it Atticus’s fault? He had tried to choose easy words, but home did have a silent e. There’d been a time when Atticus had forgotten about it too.

“Is home too hard? How about batty?” said Atticus, throwing out the first word that came to mind. Batty described his student. B-a-t-t-y, meaning nuts, wacko, cuckoo.

What’s the next writing project?
I’m working on a contemporary paranormal romance. At the same time, I’ve been jotting down ideas for a possible sequel to Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor and Monster Hunter?

What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
Lately, I’ve been finding the middle of my work-in-progresses to be tricky. I start second guessing what I’ve written and what needs to happen. The middle becomes muddled, forcing me to back up and re-evaluate what I’m writing. Thankfully, I’ve been able to fix the muddled-middles, usually after taking a short break from the story so that I can see it with fresh eyes.

If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
Yes, yes, and yes! Even with fantasy, there is research to be done. Before starting Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor and Monster Hunter?, I brushed up on what I knew about Dracula and other classic monsters and then put my own twist on these old favorites. While writing the many drafts, I often found myself on Google looking up this or that. And then, after the novel was complete, I did more research to fill in some blanks. I’ve done this with all my books.

What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
I do most of my writing in the family room. I have a favorite spot on the couch that is close to the end table where my coffee, notepad, pen, and snacks can be easily reached.

What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
I have so many, and the list keeps growing. Some of my favorites include T.J. Klune, J.K. Rowling, Jeaniene Frost, and Maggie Stiefvater. A few recently discovered middle-grade authors whose books I enjoyed include Leah Cupps, Heather Fawcett, and Lee Fodi.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
I love hearing from readers, so drop a comment below or reach out to me through the contact form on my website.