Host MarPerez : I'd like to welcome Niki Burnham, author of Royally Jacked and Spin Control. I'll ask Niki a couple of questions and then I'll open it up for questions. Niki, if you could type GA for Go AHEAD when you've finished your answer.

NikiBurnham: Will do. GA :)

Host MarPerez : Can you tell us how your career as a writer started. I think I heard you went to school with someone many of us know and love, Cynthia LS and studied to be a lawyer, correct?

NikiBurnham : Yep--Cynthia Leitich Smith and I lived across the hall from each other in law school one year, and her apartment was on the floor below mine another year.

NikiBurnham: After law school, I clerked for a federal magistrate and briefly practiced with a firm in St. Louis. I knew--even during law school--that it wasn't something I wanted to do forever.

NikiBurnham : So I quit my job and spent a summer at the NYU publishing program, thinking I might become an editor. (I do love books!) I ended up working for both Boston Magazine and Inc. magazine as a freelancer, but started writing fiction during my off hours.

NikiBurnham: I also did freelance articles for several bridal magazines. (I still do those, on occasion.)

NikiBurnham: Once I sold my first book, I started writing full time from home--balancing the book income and the freelancing income.

NikiBurnham: So that's it...long story short :) GA.

Host MarPerez: Royal Jacked was your first young adult novel?

NikiBurnham : Yes. It came out in January 2004. Spin Control was second, in January 2005. I have three other books coming in the near future.

NikiBurnham : Sticky Fingers will be out in August (there's a cover and blurb on my website.) It's a little different than RJ and SC. It's not a romantic comedy, as those books are.

NikiBurnham : After SF, I have two more romantic comedies coming out. Scary Beautiful will be out just after Christmas, and then I have a third book about Valerie Winslow (from RJ and SC) coming out in the summer of 2006.

Host MarPerez : And Royally Jacked is Valerie's story, a girl who moves to an obscure European country because of her dad's job and Spin Control is the sequel. What was it like carrying the characters through two novels.

NikiBurnham: I've also written six romance novels for adults. Those came out under the name Nicole Burnham. GA.

Host MarPerez: Wow! I definitely want to know about your writing process. Do you write every day or in short bursts of time?

NikiBurnham : When I wrote about Valerie, I had two books already in my mind. So for me, the challenge wasn't 'coming up with a sequel.' It was making the first book a story that stood on its own, and then doing the same with the second book. I wanted readers to be able to read one or the other, or to read them both in reverse order, and still feel like they had a satisfying experience.

NikiBurnham : As to the writing process--I write on Tues, Thurs, and Fridays. And then catch-as-catch can on weekends. (I have family obligations on Mondays and Wednesdays...so those are non-writing days.) GA

Host MarPerez: And do you write one book at a time or are you able to work on multiple projects?

NikiBurnham : I am *mostly* writing one book at a time. However, I sometimes will work on a proposal for one book while I'm in the middle of another. It all depends on my deadlines. I like to have something out at all times so I don't end up with long lulls between contracts.

NikiBurnham : And right now, I'm working on one book, but just received the copyedits on another. So I'll need to put the first book aside and do the copyedits on the second book.

NikiBurnham : But I really prefer to work on one project at a time. That way, I can keep the flow of the story in my brain, and my characters' voices from one book don't seep into the other :) GA

Host MarPerez : Thanks, Niki. I'm going to open it up for questions now so if you have a question, go ahead and post ? and we'll take them in order.

Catherine Atkins: You mentioned Sticky Fingers was different from your other books--was the writing process different too on that one?

NikiBurnham : No--the writing process is essentially the same. I have a semi-formed idea of the plot (I generally have the characters in my head first--though sometimes the plot and the character pop into my head at the same time). And I put my rear in the chair and make myself write.

NikiBurnham : I really wish I had an on-command muse. Preferably one that looks like Matthew McConaughey. But I don't. I have to push the words out on every book--though once I get going, I really enjoy myself! GA

Dani257 : Do you think there's something about YA lit that attracts law students? I know Franny Billingsley and Louis Sachar were also law students. Or, is it just a coincidence?

lindasue: Alex Flinn too

Catherine Atkins: And Debby Garfinkle.

NikiBurnham : I think it's probably coincidence. I also write romance, and am very active in the Romance Writers of America. Through that group, I've met a TON of lawyers. I'm often surprised at how many. My theory is that people who are attracted to law school are usually also good writers--and so they're more likely to end up writing eventually than folks who, say, work in a chemistry lab.

NikiBurnham: And no offense to chemists. My husband is in the sciences--this after law school, though :) GA

kathleenjeffriejohnson : What is the tie, or connection, between lawyerly-type thinking and creative writing? ( Dani stole my question, so I'm trying to modify it quick!) Ack.

thingschange: how and why did you make the shift to teen fiction and how do find it different than writing adult fiction

NikiBurnham : Well--I do think law school teaches you (if it's not already in your nature) to work through a problem from beginning to end and to pick it apart, looking at each aspect, and then working to rectify the entire problem. Writing a book is the same way--you have so many different aspects/threads/plots and subplots. Having a logical mind helps you to smooth that out in your writing.

NikiBurnham: But on the creative side? Beats me :) GA.

NikiBurnham: I should add--I don't even think of myself as a lawyer anymore. GA.

NikiBurnham : Well, I still write adult fiction as well--it's more a broadening for me than a shift from one to the other. Mostly, I was waiting on my romance publisher to approve things and had some downtime, and Lynda Sandoval (a YA and a romance author) kept bugging me to write YA. She kept telling me I had the perfect voice for it. I wasn't so sure. I thought, "Okay, I'll TRY it...but this is just for me, just to see if I really can do this."

NikiBurnham : I knew after writing about three pages (on Royally Jacked) that this was definitely for me--that book almost wrote itself, I had so much fun with it.

Sharon : It seems that YA has suddenly become popular after years of slow/nonexistant growth. What do you attribute the resurgence of YA too.

NikiBurnham: As to the differences--it's largely voice, IMHO. GA

lindasue: Romance and romantic comedies--do you write the kinds of books you like to read?

NikiBurnham: Sharon --you know, I'm not sure YA has had THAT much growth. YA romance certainly has--but I think it's one of those cyclical things. For years. Sweet Valley High was huge. THen that fell out of vogue, and other subgenres became more popular. Now romantic comedies seem to do well for the young adult market--but so do paranormal stories (Tamora Pierce, for example.) I can't say why. Wish I knew!! GA.

NikiBurnham : Linda Sue--I read all over the map. I just finished reading a meaty historical romance, and now I'm reading the ARC of Stephenie Meyer's upcoming book Twilight...a young adult book about a girl who meets a vampire.

lindasue: Cool, Niki. Maybe you'll be writing all over the map too. :-)

NikiBurnham : But next on my pile are Fast Food Nation and a Larry McMurtry book. And I grew up completely hooked on Jack Higgins, Helen MacInnes, and Alistair MacLean. GA

CrystalizeThis: Is there any advice you could give to aspiring writers?

NikiBurnham : For aspiring writers, I think the first thing to do is to figure out where your voice fits best in the market. As I said, I read very broadly--and though I adore Agatha Christie, I know writing a book in that style would never work for me. It's not my voice. So that's the first thing.

NikiBurnham : Then, I think it's important to focus your reading in the area in which you wish to write. Study those books--why did a particular book work (or not work) for you? What did the author do?

NikiBurnham : And if a number of books "speak" to you, see if they're all put out by the same publisher or couple of publishers. Chances are, that's where your voice is likely to fit, once you have a book written and you're ready to start marketing it. GA.

NikiBurnham: Oh--more advice--trust your gut above all else. You know if what you wrote is your best work. You know if it

Catherine Atkins: Do you feel there is a prejudice against lighter books? If so, does it bother you?

Catherine Atkins: (great advice for aspiring--or current--writers, Niki, btw)

NikiBurnham : There probably is. But it doesn't bother me at all. Really, I'm writing what I enjoy--again, where I think my voice fits. And I think readers want quality "lighter" books just as much as they want quality "literary" or "issue" or whatever you want to call them type of books. GA

NikiBurnham: It's all about a good read :)

Catherine Atkins: True--I was thinking of Jennifer Weiner's(sp) column today re: (sorry) "chick lit".

Sharon: I agree

Host MarPerez : Niki, I completely agree with you on that. It seems like humorous books often get dismissed or overlooked. I think that's changing a bit finally.

Debby Garfinkle: That was a great column by J. Weiner.

kathleenjeffriejohnson: who's j. weiner?

lindasue: Where is the column?

Debby Garfinkle: She wrote Good in Bed and In Her Shoes. It's on her blog.

Catherine Atkins: Lara Zeises has it on her blog, LSP.

lindasue: Thanks, Cathy.

kathleenjeffriejohnson: what does good in her shoes mean?

NikiBurnham: BTW--I really enjoyed Good In Bed. Fantastic read.

Catherine Atkins: Did you see the column, Niki? Good reading.

kathleenjeffriejohnson: nicely painted toenails, maybe

Debby Garfinkle : She pointed out that women writers should stick together, instead of denigrating chick lit or insisting their work isn't chick lit.

lindasue: I think 'light' v. 'literary' is an entirely artificial division.

NikiBurnham: I haven't seen it, but I'm going to find it now!

NikiBurnham: (The column, not the toenails...though mine are actually very nicely painted at the moment.) GA

Debby Garfinkle: It makes me mad that male writers aren't looked down on for writing entertaining books.

Catherine Atkins: Yeah--"light" probably isn't the right word--I was trying not to say "chick lit" :-)

kathleenjeffriejohnson: let's start looking down on them right now!

NikiBurnham: Kathleen, Good In Bed was one of her books, and In Her Shoes was another.

thingschange: So how is Stinky Fingers different (and do the Stone get a cut?) ?

NikiBurnham : The Stones do not get a cut :) Sticky Fingers isn't a romance--it's about a very driven teenager named Jenna, and how her relationships with her friends and her boyfriend change when she gets early acceptance to Harvard.

Dani257: Do you see different challenges in writing YA books than adult books?

NikiBurnham: It's Sticky Fingers :)

NikiBurnham : I think, overall, teens are much more critical of the books they read than adults are. But since I'm more critical of anything I write than any reader could POSSIBLY be, it doesn't change how I write.

Host MarPerez: Niki, did you have the same editor/publishing house for both the Valerie books and Sticky Fingers?

lindasue: Niki--I knew it was sticky. Just thought the typo was cute. :-)

thingschange: thanks

NikiBurnham: And I make the assumption that teens are reading my romances and that at least some adults pick up my books for teens.

Host MarPerez: lindasue has a potty mind--I'd never have guessed.

NikiBurnham : Yes--I have the same publisher and editor for all my teen books. Julia Richardson at Simon & Schuster. And for the record, she's one cool chick :)

Catherine Atkins: you thought it too, mar!

NikiBurnham: It's okay--I have a potty mind, too!

Host MarPerez: well, yes I did, but it's EXPECTED of me.

Debby Garfinkle: Has anything surprised you about publishing YA compared to publishing adult stuff?

Sharon : What are some things your editor tells you to beware of when writing your YA for example does she want you to take out all reference to pop culture that may be extinct in a few years?

lindasue: (shocked and insulted) pure as the driven snow, that's me

kathleenjeffriejohnson : I'm not asking for numbers, but do you get paid more for your adult romances than for your ya? Probably an obvious answer . . .

NikiBurnham : I don't think there have been any surprises. I know this sounds overly simplistic, but for me, it's all about the story, YA or adult. Though I will say, writing YA allows me to tell people that the copy of CosmoGirl on my office floor is work-related. And a tax deduction!

NikiBurnham : As to my editor's advice--so far, she's made no comments on pop culture, etc. I have more in some books than in others (more in the romantic comedies than in Sticky Fingers, which has very little.) It's really whatever fits the story.

Host MarPerez: Sharon , that's a great question. I personally love song references in books especially, but editors alway want to take them out (I guess different songs mean different thing to different people, etc.)

NikiBurnham : On numbers--it's hard for me to say so far. I'm new enough that I'm still waiting to see how books earn out over the course of a few years. I think, generally speaking, there's more money to be had in the adult market, simply because it's so much larger. There are more adults who will buy a book (looking at the population as your potential readership) than teens.

lindasue: a tradeoff. References to pop culture draw the current reader in, but date the book really quickly.

Catherine Atkins: Niki, any preference, audience-wise? Is one more fun to write for?

Dani257: I don't mind a dated book if the story is good. But, I'm not exactly young adult:)

Sharon : Niki, do you brainstorm ideas with your editor or just present her with a ?proposal which she either accepts, has some input to make it more acceptable or rejects

Host MarPerez : Niki, I've heard (and felt it sometimes myself) that there's actually more RESPECT for adult writers, which really ticks me off sometimes, but I'm wondering if that's something you've experienced, like that your adult books are somehow 'better" because the audience is older.

NikiBurnham : On the audience--I have to say, it's a blast interacting with teens. I have a message board on my YA website and love it. And e-mail from teens is fabulous. But I don't really have a writing preference--it all depends on my mood at the time (which is dictated by the contract and the deadline!!)

Dani257 : I've heard that too, and it ticks me off as well. I'm not published but I still have an aunt who asks me why I don't want to write for adults.

NikiBurnham : Once I have my head in a book--one I'm writing for adults or teens--that's really where my focus is, and I have fun either way.

NikiBurnham : You know, respect is a funny thing. Ask any romance writer if she's been asked, in public, "when are you going to write a real book?" or "so you write that smut, huh?" and I bet all of them can say, 'Yep, heard that one..."

lindasue: It's culture-wide. Look at any field. Teaching--who gets more respect, a grad-school prof or a preschool teacher?

CrystalizeThis : this isn't especially relative, but i read somewhere that you moved around the world quite a bit when you were younger. have you ever been to Canada?

NikiBurnham: I frequently have to tell people that, "NO, my romance novels are NOT 'true confessions'."

lindasue: It's also any field dominated by women. 'Secretary' used to be a prestigious position, when secretaries were mostly men.

Debby Garfinkle: And yet more romance novels are sold than any other kind of book.

NikiBurnham: CrystalizeThis...I'm an Army brat. My dad is still active duty, in fact. I'm originally from Colorado, but lived in Germany for six years (and travelled all over Europe and to Egypt while I was there). I've also lived in Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Michigan, Missouri, and now in Massachusetts.

NikiBurnham: And yep, I've been to Canada! Never lived there, but have been there. (Oh, and I lived in New York, too.)

Debby Garfinkle: Did you and Cynthia Leitich-Smith both decide to write novels while in law school? Did you "scheme" together?

Debby Garfinkle: (I practiced law for 9 years, and then started fiction writing.)

NikiBurnham : No--both of us started writing (separately!) a few years after law school. It was one of those coincidental things--but we both get a huge laugh out of it.

Debby Garfinkle: That's funny!

Host MarPerez : okay, all, time to wrap it up. It's been fun! You're welcome to stay and chat, but some of us have to leave. Niki, thanks so much for joining us this evening. It was fabulous!

lindasue: Thanks, Niki! I'll look for your books!

NikiBurnham : And people who knew us in law school now think that writing must be soooo easy...look, they know three of us who do it just from our small circle of friends! (Me, Cyn, and Cyn's husband Greg...who I also knew in law school quite well!)

lindasue: Thanks, Marlene!

Dani257: Thanks, Niki

CrystalizeThis: thank you!

kathleenjeffriejohnson: Niki, it's been great meeting you! Gotta go put myself to bed. Bye everybody! Bye!

Debby Garfinkle: Thank you, Niki and Marlene

Host MarPerez : Thanks for coming everybody! We're starting our Ask an Author series on June 21st with Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson and Amy McAuley

NikiBurnham: Thanks, everyone! This was a blast! (And went very quickly...)

Debby Garfinkle: Getting my first book published was a LOT harder than graduating from law school or passing the law.

Debby Garfinkle: i mean, passing the bar

NikiBurnham: I hear you there! Lots more work to write a book, for certain.

NikiBurnham: Okay--I need to go, too. But again, thank you, everyone! And thanks, Mar!

Host MarPerez: Niki, I've got to run, too. But I really appreciate it and I hope you'll stop by again.