Though I had laid out the bounds of the story in advance, the characters told me who they were and what they were going to do as I sat with my yellow pad and laptop. 

Cheryl Grey Bostrom – 7 August 2021

The Back Flap

Northwest Washington State, 1985

For years, Harris Hayes has taught his daughter, Aggie, the ways of the northern woods. So when her mother’s depression worsens, Harris shows the girl how to find and sketch the nests of wild birds as an antidote to sadness. Aggie is in a tree far overhead when her unpredictable mother spots her and forbids her to climb. Angry, the ten-year-old accidentally lights a tragic fire, then flees downriver. She lands her boat near untamed forest, where she hides among the trees and creatures she considers her only friends—determined to remain undiscovered.

A search party gathers by Aggie’s empty boat hours after Celia, fresh off the plane from Houston, arrives at her grandmother’s nearby farm. Hurting from her parents’ breakup, she also plans to run. But when she joins the hunt for Aggie, she meets two irresistible young men who compel her to stay. One is autistic; the other, dangerous.

About the book

What is the book about?

A ten-year-old girl, angry at her unpredictable mother, accidentally lights a horrific fire, then flees into Pacific Northwest forest, determined to remain hidden. A teen girl, heartbroken over her parents’ split, joins the search for her, where she meets two young men—one an autistic savant, the other an irresistible narcissist. It’s a story about family failures and healing, tragedy and redemption, hope and forgiveness. About the search for meaning in suffering and choices people make because of pain—all set in the astounding natural world, which plays both antagonist and healer in the story.

When did you start writing the book?

About five years ago, I submitted a sketch to a writing group about a young girl who hid in the forest after she accidentally lit a devastating fire. The group wanted to know more, and so did the girl. She showed up everywhere in my mental terrain, until I acquiesced and began writing her story.

How long did it take you to write it?

About three years. I spent  a year on the first draft, a YA piece, then worked with an amazing editor to rewrite it for the adult market. Those revisions took two years, counting interludes to let the manuscript cook.

Where did you get the idea from?

Everything except the fire arrived unbidden, as composites of life experiences and people I’ve known. Though I had laid out the bounds of the story in advance, the characters told me who they were and what they were going to do as I sat with my yellow pad and laptop. I truly felt like a scribe much of the time—listening, recording. Having spent a lifetime in the rural PNW, the setting and interactions with nature came as naturally as breathing.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Tossing much of the first manuscript was tough, but rewriting it for the adult general market required exactly that. The struggle eased as the new manuscript deepened thematically and bloomed.

What came easily?

All the characters’ interactions with wildlife and the landscape showed up in full detail, based on my familiarity with the story’s world and personalities. Even Aggie’s movement between trees was familiar. Though we didn’t travel as fluidly through the canopy as Aggie does, when we were children, my sister and I climbed old firs to ridiculous, dangerous heights. We passed between trees, too, cavalier about fall risk.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Both. No character represents a single person from the real world, but every one of them is a composite of people I have known.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Oh, there are so many I admire. But when the prose sings? When the natural world breathes and speaks in the story? When intimate characters reveal the human condition and truth with poignant beauty? Those books—and their authors—are the ones I love, authors who have inspired me to find my own voice and story. A few come to mind: Annie Dillard (The Living); Wallace Stegner (Angle of Repose); Eowyn Ivey (The Snow Child); Leif Enger (Peace Like a River); Marilynne Robinson (Gilead, Lila).

Do you have a target reader?

Nature lovers. Parents. Grandparents. Readers with life experience who still hope. STEM/STEAM teens. Readers of upmarket fiction. Christian readers of mainstream fiction.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I begin a book building detailed familiarity one or two characters in a specific setting, then rough out the growth arcs for those protagonists. From there, I flesh out the major events in the storyline, write sketches for supporting characters, and turn them all loose. While they need to live within the story’s rails and each scene needs to move the story forward, they tell me how they’ll behave as I write them.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I outline like a someone driving in fog. I know my destination, and I steer toward landmarks I know are ahead of me. That route holds my focus as I write, though I only can see near terrain within a few hundred feet. When it comes into view, I both plan and listen to my characters for that next immediate segment or scene. As the novel progresses, I complete a plot plan to be sure I’m on track for a well-paced, balanced story arc.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

On writing days, I reach my word count for new material, then set it aside and edit the prior day’s work. Once I finish that first draft, I comb the manuscript, often rewriting passages, scenes, and chapters multiple times until they’re right. I also let my manuscript rest between revisions. Fresh eyes after a time away always yield new insights for me.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Yes, yes, yes, regardless of my publishing format.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No . . . music distracts me. But I always sit in front of a window.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

After my YA manuscript won two first place awards, I submitted it to a few agents. One offered representation, but the overall response from my queries told me the book wasn’t yet ready for publication. I chose not to sign with the offering agent and instead sought the help from a marvelous editor who directed my arduous revision. Once the book was ready for the adult market, an acquisitions editor at the Christian arm of a big house requested it. (I pitched it to her at a writing conference.) She loved the book—and championed it all the way to their pub board.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Having written two non-fiction books traditionally published by big houses, I originally thought I’d go that route again. But this was my fiction debut, and though the Sugar Birds explores faith themes, it’s not traditional genre Christian fiction. Since the story appeals to a broad reach of literary/upmarket readers of general fiction, and since I wanted to retain more rights to creative control over the book, I withdrew it from the traditional publisher’s Christian division and chose to sign the contract I had in hand from She Writes Press. I liked their business model, had far more input in design, and retained many rights. The clinchers were their access to the same distribution as that used by traditional publishers (IPS: Ingram Publishing Services), active sales teams, and award-winning design teams who worked collaboratively with me. I couldn’t be happier that I made that choice.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

The award-winning design team at She Writes Press designed Sugar Birds’ cover. I caught my breath when it arrived. Gorgeous.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Yes. She Writes marketing team is handling placement and distribution. My publicity team at Book Sparks is getting the word out about the book.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite. Edit. Edit. Edit. Engage pros to help you. No matter how lovely your presentation or how extensive your publicity, a novel’s fire ignites through word of mouth. Make the book as good as it can possibly be.

About You

What are you working on now?

I’m up to my ears in a sequel to Sugar Birds, set in Washington State’s breathtaking Palouse country (where my husband and I lived during graduate school at WSU). The new book is another character-rich, suspenseful, nature novel. Working title: Because of Burnaby, but that name’s written in pencil. Other projects? Poetry, always. And quarterly photo-essays for God and Nature Magazine.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Sugar Birds from Amazon US or Amazon UK.