Open Book Society staff member, Autumn, recently spoke to the delightful and talented Aida Brassington about her debut novel, Between Seasons. She gave us some insight on her writing process, life after death and what the future holds.

Read Autumn’s review of Between Seasons here.

1. What inspired you to write Between Seasons?

You might roll your eyes and think, “Yeah, right,” but the simple truth of the matter is that there’s a ghost in my house. He doesn’t do anything scary, but every now and then he’ll appear on the stairs – almost like he’s checking in or something. When that sort of thing happens, I think it’s human nature to wonder who he is and what he does when he’s not hanging out on my staircase (if anything – I mean, I’ve heard a theory before that ghosts are really just a recording of something that happened in the past, almost like a record, rather than an intelligent entity). That’s how the idea for Between Seasons originated.

2. What is your writing process like? Do you outline the story extensively first or does it tend to flow freely?

I’m a strong believer in outlining first. I can freewrite, but it always requires extensive editing on the backend. I’d rather take the time before I start to carefully plan out my scenes. Even still, things do happen. Take Sara’s sister, Julie, for instance – in my original manuscript, she was nice and supportive. By the time I got the end of the story, she’d turned manipulative, and that required some major editing throughout the novel. Normally, though, I tend to stick to my outlines pretty closely.

3. What was the journey like to have Between Seasons published?

I think it’s probably pretty typical. I started out querying literary agents with the story. Of course, I didn’t get very far before realizing agents weren’t really jumping on paranormal romances like they had been in years prior – publishers were betting the paranormal craze would die out soon, so agents were taking on fewer clients who write in that genre. That was kind of disheartening, so I shelved the project and moved on to another idea I had for a novel. About six months later I took another look at Between Seasons and realized I really liked the story, so why not seek alternative publishing routes? And that’s how Between Seasons came to be published.

4. You have such a talent for dialog and banter between your characters. Is this something that you are conscious of? I loved the way it shaped Patrick as a character. His 1970’s slang was so endearing…

First, thank you!! That’s very nice to hear because it is something to which I pay careful attention. I usually say all of my dialogue out loud because if it sounds unrealistic coming out of my mouth, it doesn’t keep a place in my novel. As for the seventies slang, well…I’ve read a few articles and opinion pieces that encourage writers not to rely too heavily on slang because it dates the story, but that’s what I was going for. If you die when you’re nineteen in 1970, you’re going to permanently hang on to the vernacular of the time.

5. Do you believe in ghosts?

Yes, absolutely. I’ve seen them since I was a little kid, starting with the ghost of a second cousin killed in a farming accident in the field next to my house – he passed away before my parents had the house built there, but the first night we moved in when I was five, I saw him walking through the corn from my bedroom window. Of course, I had no idea he was a relative or a ghost, but that’s a different story. It’s sort of a weird thing to believe in ghosts – even though two-thirds of Americans say they do, if you admit to it in public people usually think you’re crazy.

6. Do you believe that there is life after death?

Not in the traditional sense. I’m not religious, and I don’t believe in the idea of heaven or hell. I like the idea of reincarnation, but I’m don’t believe there’s someone pulling the strings to make it happen. It’s an odd belief system for someone who sees ghosts, but there are all sorts of reasons a ghost could exist outside of the religious spectrum.

7. Who are some of the authors that inspire you?

I love John Irving and Kurt Vonnegut. James Baldwin. Margaret Atwood. James Morrow. I tend to enjoy well-plotted novels with memorable characters (who doesn’t, right?) with wit and something interesting to say. All of these writers have a very identifiable voice, and I’d really like to develop my own identifiable style, no matter what genre I write in (and the novels I’ve completed since Between Seasons are not paranormal romance).

8. How important do you feel the role of social media is to a new author?

Critically important. Whether you’re self-published, indie published, or traditionally published, the enemy of a new writer is obscurity (note: I did not come up with that). Even if you’re traditionally published, publishing houses usually don’t throw their resources behind new writers – it’s up to us to toot our horns. Yeah, we can fund our own multi-state tours to throw book signing parties and all that, but it’s expensive and often not possible. Building your virtual networks is important for creating name recognition and interest in your novel. I’ve met some really awesome people through Twitter and blogging (people I now consider close friends), so while it’s important to writers from a marketing perspective, it’s also become important in my personal life.

9. What is the most important thing that you would like your readers to know about you?

Hmmm. I don’t know – mostly that I write constantly, so there’s always going to be more on the way.

10. What can you tell us about the sequel to Between Seasons? What is in store for Patrick and Sara? Do you have a tentative publishing date?

My guesstimate on the sequel (as of yet unnamed) is March of April of 2012. It could happen sooner than that if I get inspired to jam on the writing (which gets it to editing sooner). We’ll have to see. I can’t tell you much about the sequel because it would totally give away the ending to Between Seasons, but I can tell you the follow-up novel ties up some loose ends and explains a few things in terms of what happens to Patrick. I will also say that there are consequences to getting your heart’s desire. Always.