How Authors Write- Tammy Lowe

Today, MuseItUp author Tammy Lowe share's her writing process with us. Welcome, Tammy!

What do you write?

I write Tween/YA. THE ACADIAN SECRET is a time travel, action adventure.

Do you use 1st person, 3rd person, multiple POVs?
I like to write in 3^rd person and use multiple POV’s.

How did you come up with the idea for this book?

As a kid, I loved to read books and watch shows like Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables. I loved anything set in the “olden days”. [Two of my favorite shows to watch. I have to admit, I never read the books, though!]

When I was about ten years old, I began to wonder about time travel. My biggest wish was that I’d end up back in the pioneer era. I wanted to go and hang out with spoiled Nellie Olsen. I don’t remember why I wished for Nellie over Laura Ingalls, but I think it had something to do with the fact that her parents owned the candy shop.

I had it all figured out. I didn’t want to live in the 18th or 19th century; I’d miss my family too much. And I can’t live without modern comforts. I wanted the freedom to travel back and forth through time.

My wish to time travel was so strong; I even dressed the part, as much as I could, without raising anyone’s suspicions. I wore dresses to school every day, when all my friends wore jeans and t-shirts. I had to be prepared just in case it worked and I was whisked through time. That summer, I even begged my mom to buy me a bonnet. She did. I wore that white bonnet everywhere. If I ended up in Walnut Grove or Avonlea, I was prepared. [I love this!]

By the sixth grade I was old enough to realize that time travel probably wasn’t going to be a reality for me, so I decided when I grew up, I’d write a story about a girl who could travel back and forth through time.

Do you draft quickly?

I am very detailed with my drafts and spend quite a while plotting the timelines. I have notebooks and spreadsheets and post it notes scattered everywhere. This story is like a big puzzle with different eras and storylines. In a sense, it was written in layers and woven together.

Do you do a lot of research?

Since much of my novel is based on historic events that took place in both Nova Scotia and in Scotland, I did a LOT of research from beginning to end. I love that part though.

A few years ago, we brought our son on an adventure across the Scottish Highlands. We stayed in the stone tower of a fifteenth century castle. We wandered the glens and sailed across Loch Ness in search of Nessie. That’s the best kind of “research”. [Sounds wonderful and exciting!]

Scotland will always hold a special place in my heart. I swear there is a magical quality you can feel in the air. It’s not surprising that so many legends spring up from that part of the world. After being there, you start to wonder if maybe there’s some truth to them.

Do you name everything up front when you are drafting or do you leave comments for yourself to go back and fill in later so you don't lose the flow of what you are working on?

I do name everything up front, but I also have no problem changing things at a later point. I believe four of my main characters were renamed in later drafts.

Many of my characters were real people in history. There was one young lady I needed to include in the story, but I was having trouble finding her real name. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah kept floating around my brain, so I called her Sarah, with the intention of changing her name once I discovered it in my research. When I finished writing, and I couldn’t imagine my Sarah being called anything else, I discovered her real name. It was Sarah. That gave me goose bumps. [Now that is cool!]

What books/websites have you found most helpful to helping you write your best?

I highly recommend On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King. It’s as entertaining as it is helpful.

What do you have out now, or coming out? Any upcoming events? A website we can find you and your books at? An author photo? A booktrailer? Anything else you want to share? 

My novel, THE ACADIAN SECRET  is out April 5^th, 2013 with MuseItUpPublishing. [Congrats!]

Elisabeth finds she can play in the past;

when bosom friends, treasure hunters and tormented alchemists are still the norm. 

Elisabeth London is keeping her new friends a secret from her parents. Not only do they live on the other side of the world in the Scottish Highlands, they lived more than three hundred and fifty years ago. Her mom and dad would never allow her to go gallivanting about seventeenth century Scotland. They won’t even let her go to the mall by herself yet.

Twelve-year-old Elisabeth is old enough to know there is no such thing as magic, but when her quartz crystal necklace has the power to transport her back and forth in time, she no longer knows what to think. The only thing she is certain of is that she loves spending carefree days with Quinton, the mischievous nephew of a highland warrior, and sassy little Fiona, a farmer’s daughter.

However, Elisabeth’s adventures take a deadly turn when she is charged with witchcraft. At a time and place in history when witch-hunts were common, those found guilty were executed, children included. Elisabeth must race to find her way back home, while trying to stay one step ahead of the witch-hunter determined to see her burned at the stake.

You will find me at www.tammylowe.com and you can purchase The Acadian Secret at MuseItUp Plublishing