Three Times A Charm with AC Land

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love to introduce readers to the people involved in children’s publishing. Today we welcome young adult author, AC Land. AC, can tell us a little about yourself?

Ever since first reading about escaping to Neverland and a slew of wild creatures hiding in a Mitten, I dreamed of telling stories. Growing up in the rural sticks of
Missouri, not five miles from the Meramec River, I always wanted to write about people just like me.
Big stories about small towns.

So that's just what I did.

I remember the magical feeling of completely falling into a story. I still fall, but not as entirely as I did as a child. Tell us about your young adult book, A Shot of Bourbon.

Shot centers around Luke and Charli, two teenagers who are struggling in their own ways. Though Charli has grown up having everything she could possibly want she’s never known who her father is, and has always been curious as to why he’s never wanted to be part of her life.

Luke’s life hasn’t been so great, and he’s known around town for being the son of the infamous Bourbon Butcher—a man who robbed the Bourbon Bank eighteen years earlier. Luke and Charli come together over their shared patriarchal issues and discover they may have more in common than they ever dreamed possible.

I recommend my book to readers who like:

Bully, Penelope Douglas.

Very Bad Things, Ilsa Madden-Mills

Fallen Crest High, Tijan

It sounds really great. Now for the threes. Give us your top 3 responses to the following to help us get to know you better.

• Top 3 books you recommend reading and why you recommend them.

1.      I stumbled onto Katie McGarry in the middle of winter, probably two years ago. I was snowed in and crabby, and I just wanted something to read. I didn’t realize I was reading her Pushing the Limits series out of order, but it didn’t matter. She saved my terrible snowpocalypse. Ever since then, she’s one of three authors I one-click without asking questions, and I would recommend Nowhere But Here to everyone.

2.      My next one-click? Colleen Hoover (obviously). I tell everyone I know about Hopeless. This book changed me. I didn’t know it was possible to feel so much hatred and love all at the same time.

3.      But on a lighter, more happy note, I’m in love with Cora Carmack’s words. I couldn’t pick just one of her books. I wear sweatshirts splattered with Rusk University (yeah, I have more than one) and when people ask me if that’s the college I went to I betray my own college to start a conversation about these books. She has written my ultimate book boyfriends (Sorry Dean Holder).

• Top 3 things you learned about the business after becoming a writer.

1.      There’s a lot less times for writing now. I had written the entire Bourbon Series before ever submitting it, so I don’t know how it would be for other people, but for me it has been a continuous push to get one book after another out to the world (which is awesome! I can’t wait for everyone to read these). But it has really cut into my writing time. Currently, I’m in the process of editing two books. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for writing. I make time because my brain would explode if I didn’t seive the words out of there.

2.       I have to think about what other people want. When I wrote the series I wrote it for me. Now, during editing, I have to trim the things that won’t please readers. As much as I want my book to be my book, I know that I’m providing a service to other people. It’s a difficult balance.

3.      I don’t know if any of these count as being about the business as much as they are my own personal learning experiences, but I’ve learned there’s always more than one opinion. Especially when it comes to editing and grammar. It may seem like there’s one steadfast rule but I grew up in Missouri. Shot is set in Missouri. I made the grammar like everything I’ve been taught my whole life (with some added exaggerations). My editor from Illinois/Iowa completely got the slang. My editor from Canada…not so much.

• Top 3 places you find writing inspiration.

1.      That place between awake and sleep—when I have to be up really early the next morning. It seems like when I’m trying to force myself to fall asleep is when I have the best ideas. I used to keep a pad of paper beside my bed so I could jot them down. Even before I wrote books I did this. I never wanted to forget anything. Now, thanks to technology, my Notes app on my iPhone is full of half asleep garbled nonsense that I sometimes remember to look at the next day.

2.      In the shower. This is probaby hereditary. Or maybe everyone is like this. My grandma and mom always claimed they had their best ideas in the shower. So when I’m feeling stuck on my WIP I leave it, take a walk, and then take a shower. Something about the relaxation just gives me the inspiration I need.

3.      Under the oak tree in my parent’s back yard. The first book I ever loved was Bridge to Terabithia, and my tree reminded me of the tree on the cover (of the version of the book when I was a kid). I used to climb up on a low branch and read. I probably read Bridge a hundred times during the summer between second and third grade. When I got a little older I’d climb up and write. After that I buried a time capsule out there. I buried my first dog under the shade of that faithful oak’s branches. Life has passed by around it and that tree remains the same. When I need a breather I go out there with a pen and paper and sit down. 

Here at Strands of Thought, we have some tech savvy readers. Where can they find you and your book online?

www.authoracland.com

www.facebook.com/authoracland

Twitter @authorACLand

Instagram@AuthorACLand

AC, it’s been a pleasure getting to know you. Best of luck to your book and with those edits.

THANKS!

GUESTS WELCOME!  I’m always looking for guests for Three Times A Charm. If you are an author, illustrator or book reviewer, an agent or an editor, if you have something related to children’s publishing that you’d like people to know about, feel free to contact me about a future appearance.