Getting Past the Imposter Syndrome: Author Interview with Melody Pendlebury

What made you decide to write books for children?

I started out my writing career with picture books centered around my corgi Gatsby. I am a teacher and have been teaching the same class for the last five years. When they were in first grade I decided to write a book so I could bring the stories I told them to life. Although I still write picture books (with one release at the end of September), I have focused my passion on writing middle-grade/teen novels. This has always been my favorite genre to read and I still believe at the heart of it, that I am writing for my now growing and maturing students. A Girl Called Ruthless is my first middle-grade/teen novel but I am currently in the process of writing another one.

When did you actually start writing your first book? Where do you draw inspiration?
I started writing my first book ever, The Prince and the Pupper, sometime in early 2018. My first novel, A Girl Called Ruthless, began in July 2020. My early picture books are all inspired by my corgi Gatsby and a modern take on fairy tales. A Girl Called Ruthless is inspired by the fiery kids that I teach and some of my favorite movies. I was largely inspired by movies like Jojo Rabbit and Moonrise Kingdom.

Your books are indie-published. How did you go about finding an illustrator for your picture books? How much of the publishing do you do yourself?
All my picture books are independently published. I have an illustrator that I used for all of my children's books. I found Winda through a freelance illustrator site. I design my own cover with the illustrations from my illustrator. I also format my self-published manuscripts myself.

My latest novel, A Girl Called Ruthless, is published by Darkstroke Publishing. For that book, my publisher had a cover designer in-house that designed my cover. I got a lot of say in my vision for my cover and I think that they executed it perfectly.

 
What’s the hardest part for you in publishing and marketing your own books?  
I have very different experiences with traditional and self-publishing. For me, marketing is probably the easiest and most fun part. Even with traditionally published books, there is still a bit of marketing that falls on the shoulders of the author. I like being able to interact with readers and create content for them, but I do find that it is sometimes difficult to find the time.

The hardest part of both my self-publishing and traditional publishing experience would have to be imposter syndrome. With self-publishing, you are working on your own so sometimes you doubt if you are doing the right thing. With traditional publishing, the querying process can be brutal and full of letdowns. I thought if I just had a publisher say yes to me I would feel completely confident in my abilities, but I still find myself doubting myself. I think imposter syndrome is just a part of the work of being an author. It takes making connections with other authors to really overcome it.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? 
The hardest part of writing for me is staying consistent in my writing routine. Writing comes pretty naturally for me and I do not have to plan much with the plot or my characters. Starting is probably the easiest part. I like to write quickly and then spend the time I need on edits and working with critique partners. I also give myself deadlines so I can help myself stay on track. But sometimes it seems that although I love writing, it's the hardest thing for me to make myself do.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
Having people read your work is scary, especially when it's the first few people reading it. One of my beta readers told me she read the book three times in two weeks. When I was on submission for my novel, I kept thinking about this whenever I felt my confidence dwindle.

We have all experienced writer's rejection. How have you learned to write past it?
Yes, I have experienced rejection. When I was out on submissions I had eight publishers and agents read my sample package and request to read my full. I was so sure that once someone read the book, they would love it and say yes, but that was not the case. The few rejections that I received were super nice and helpful, but they still hurt. It was hard to keep pushing forward after the first rejection, but I know that I didn't have another choice. I might as well keep trying to publish my book while I wrote my next one. I am so glad I had this mentality because it ultimately landed me a publishing deal.

What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
I wish I knew how fast everything happens and to really focus on enjoying the moments. Once I got my book deal, I immediately started thinking of how I could make this book the most successful it could be. I barely took a second to wallow in my joy and I wish I took more time for that. I think that was the case for the entire writing process as well. Once I finished the first draft of my book, I was so focused on working on the second draft. Ultimately it was good because it got me to where I am now, but I hope on my next books I can enjoy more of the process.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
Everyone writes differently and has more or less success with different practices. For me, what works best is writing quickly. I get distracted and discouraged easily so I don't allow myself to overthink it. I get the story out how it comes out, and then I worry about perfecting later. I always like to say, "You can edit bad writing, but you can't edit nothing."

Tell me about “Publishing Room,” your publishing company? How does it work? 
Since I have had so much success with self-publishing, I wanted to be able to help others do the same. I created The Publishing Room to help authors accomplish their writing dream. We have created an easily digestible self-publishing course so authors can learn the entire process of self-publishing in a manageable and cost-effective way. We also have different services to help authors who either do not have the time or the capability to self-publish the book themselves. We have helped authors find illustrators, cover design, manuscript format, and market their books.

In the future, I would love to offer writing boot camps so authors can pump out their books in a reasonable amount of time. I would also like to make other courses such as helping authors who are trying to navigate traditional publishing.

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
A Girl Called Ruthless was released August 21st and is available wherever you buy books. Eleven-year-old Ruthless will do whatever it takes to live up to her name. Slaughtering pirates, running an underground gambling operation, and intercepting Russian spies are just a few examples.

In true Ruthless fashion, she claims the title of student body president, but her aspirations are cut short after getting in trouble. Not letting that stand in her way, she runs for Mayor with the help of her incredibly strong best friend, Owen. Her town of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has no age requirement to run for the post. The chances of a child winning are slim, to say the least, so Ruthless and Owen disguise themselves as an adult with the good old ‘two kids in a trench coat’ ruse.

This seemingly harmless scheme has grave consequences that invite the turmoil of her mother’s past back to haunt her. When the dangers of the adult world come crashing down on Ruthless, she must learn how to live with her new reality, and ultimately use it to turn her life into a success story – and live up to her name.

I have co-authored a book with Amanda Young called Jumo the Unicorn and this book will be published on September 30th. Jumo is an ordinary rhino who lives at the zoo with all of his animal friends and his human friend, Manda, the Trainer. Manda is a magical animal trainer with the ability to talk to animals. Jumo doesn’t always feel ordinary and one day decides he feels like a Unicorn. With the help of his friends, Jumo learns to accept the way he feels even if everyone doesn’t agree with it at first.

I am currently writing a book titled, A Story Unfinished. Twelve-year-old Rose has never quite fit in. She has a hard time relating to others and is constantly writing in her journal. Although Rose is a talented writer she has never been able to finish a story because of her low self-esteem in her abilities. She is going through a hard time at home as her parents are splitting up and her father is becoming more distant.

During a horrible day at school, she notices a strange creature hopping into a forest nearby. She follows the creature and finds that there in the forest, are all of the characters she has ever written about.

Rose must now find a way to get her characters back to their stories or face grave consequences for her characters and herself. She must learn to believe in herself, finish her stories, and discover that her emotions are not the enemy.

There you have it - several books to choose from. If you'd like to learn more about Melody's writing, here are some links to get you started.

https://www.melodypendlebury.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Melody-A-Pendlebury/e/B0875YMP7X?

https://www.goodreads.com/melodypendlebury