Author Interview With CJ Daugherty

Firstly, I’d like to say that I feel honoured to interview you, having just finished your book, Night School, which I absolutely love.

THANK YOU! I’m so glad you liked it! J

How would you describe yourself in a short third person bio?

CJ Daugherty likes to say she’s written everything except poetry. She’s been a newspaper reporter, a journalist for Reuters, a magazine writer and editor, a typist, a web editor, and a travel writer. A native of Texas, she is thrilled every single day to live in England and write novels for a living.

What made you initially want to write? Has your motivation changed since then?

When I was a child and I was asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would say “Read”. And my parents, who were practical people, would say “You can’t read for a living. Maybe you should be a nurse.”  So I grew up believing that you really couldn’t read for a living. Because of that, the idea of writing for a living came to me late, when I was at university. Without telling my parents – who both still wanted me to be a nurse – I signed myself up for journalism courses. The rest, as they say, is history.

What do you think is the most important part of writing?

The answer is different for every writer, but for me, the most important part is being alone. You must let your mind drift to your characters and hear their voices in your head and you can’t do this when people are talking or the radio’s playing or the TV’s on. I do this in the morning when I first wake up. In the bath. On the train. While doing yoga. Walking the dog. Over coffee. My husband is getting used to that lost look on my face when I’m playing scenes out in my mind.

Tell us an interesting fact about you.

As a reporter, I interviewed both George W Bush and Jesse Jackson. One of them was a hero to me, and the other was George Bush.

Do you have a day-job, (other than writing)?

Not any longer. I quit my day job last May. Until then, I was writing travel books and editing websites for governmental agencies.

Do you prefer a physical book or an ebook? Why?

I’m ambidextrous on this issue – I like them both. I love a paper book when I’m home. But when I’m travelling, I prefer an ebook. If I read a digital book that I love, I always buy a paper edition for my shelves. I think there’s something ephemeral about ebooks – they don’t seem real enough to last. I collect old books, so I have books that are hundreds of years old. I can’t imagine ebooks lasting anything like that long.

Tell us a little about your novel, Night School.

Night School follows the experiences of Allie, a 16-year-old London girl, whose family falls apart after her brother runs away from home. Angry at her parents and the world, she rebels against her life. We meet her as she’s being arrested by the police for the third time. Her parents send her away to boarding school as punishment. But at Cimmeria Academy, Allie is soon caught up in the bizarre activities of a secret group of elite students. An attempted attack late one night sets off a series of violent and frightening incidents. Soon she finds out that nothing at Cimmeria is what it seems to be. And that she is not who she thought she was.

And, I hear you’re writing a sequel? Will you be writing a whole series?

I’m planning a series of five books altogether.

When can we expect to see Night School’s sequel in shops?

Early January 2013!

So, how long does it take you, on average, to complete a first draft?

A first draft usually takes me four to five months.

Tell us about the publication process of Night School. Did you get an agent? How did you choose a publisher? And how long did the whole process take, from start to finish?

Night School is a strange one, as I didn’t write it intending to get published. I wrote it because I was bored at my job. I’d been writing the same travel books and editing government websites for years and it was all feeling uncreative. After reading Twilight and Vampire Academy and some other YA books, I’d gone looking for a similar British YA paranormal series and couldn’t find it. On a whim, I decided to write one. So I started out writing a vampire novel, but as it went along it turned into a YA psychological thriller. When I’d finished, I sent it to some friends to read – to my surprise they liked it. After that, I felt like I should at least TRY to get a book deal. So I researched agents and found Madeleine Milburn online. Something about her bio struck a chord with me – she just seemed so positive and she had a great client list. I sent her a query on a Thursday. She called Friday and asked for the whole manuscript. She emailed me on Saturday to sign me. So getting an agent took a weekend! After that, I worked with Madeleine polishing the manuscript and then she sent it to Sam Smith at Atom, who signed me. I think the whole process from querying Madeleine to being signed by Atom took about three months.

Which projects are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently revising Book 2, working with Sam Smith.

How do you come up with the titles for your books? And do you have the final title before completing your book or after?

Titles are so hard! I agonised over Night School before deciding to go with it, because it’s simple and somehow dramatic. But for subsequent books I’m working with Atom. I make suggestions but they decide which one they want. For Book 2 I sent them a list of twenty potential titles, and they chose Night School: Legacy.

How has writing changed your life?

In many ways writing has been my life, as it’s the one constant. Where ever I lived, and whatever else was happening, I’ve always written. Fiction writing has allowed me to discover a new world inside my imagination, and fill my days with creativity. And that is an incredible gift.

Where do you get inspiration for writing from? Do you listen to music whilst writing or have a ‘writing cave’?

I find it hard to write while listening to music. I write well in quiet rooms or, paradoxically, in noisy cafes where none of the volume is directed at me. I like writing in coffee shops where teenagers hang out. The snippets of their conversations float around me, and inspire me, Dialogue is hard to get right, so listening to the cadence of their conversation is incredibly helpful.

Is there a particular form, style or genre that you’d like to have a go at writing? Why?

I really want to write an adult crime series. Because I have always loved those. I have an idea for one that’s simmering beneath the surface. I’d also like to write a spin-off to Night School set in either the 1920s or 2060. I can’t decide which. And I want to write a ghost story.

Favourite book and/or author(s)?

I love everything by Cassandra Clare, and I can’t wait to read her next book! She is my YA inspiration.
My favourite adult author is F Scott Fitzgerald, because he was AWESOME. I love Kurt Vonnegut for his subversive mayhem. And Douglas Coupland will always be my hero. There is an allusion in Night School to his book All Families are Psychotic, which I love. I think everyone from a difficult family should read that book. I find it comforting.

Do you think it’s necessary to have a high-level qualification in English to be a writer?

Years ago I asked this very question to a friend who had a masters degree in creative writing, and he gave me a piece of advice that has stuck with me all these years. He said “If you want to write, pick up a pen. Write what’s in your heart. You don’t need a professor to show you how to do that.’  I have a bachelors degree in journalism and that’s it for my formal education. But I read constantly – so I do my own research that way. And I have written every day for all of my adult life. .

What would you say to those who want to become a writer? Any advice?

Read constantly. Read everything. But particularly read the genre you intend to write. If you want to write crime novels, read crime novels. If you want to write YA, read everything YA you can get your hands on. Soak up the work of those amazing writers, and then come up with your own story idea. Brain storm with friends, and listen to their advice. If people you trust tell you something’s not working, don’t be afraid to hit that backspace button until it’s all gone. Then start over again. And always remember, this whole writing the same chapters over and over and over until you get it right? It’s the best job in the world.

Visit CJ Daugherty’s Website and Facebook.