Alexandra Ott is living her dream. She’s the successful middle-grade author of the Rules for Thieves and Seekers of the Wild Realm fantasy series. Reading and writing have been pillars in her journey since she was eight years old. Penning stories in a notebook and reading stacks of books inspired her to create the adventures that line bookstore shelves today. She wrote Rules for Thieves in college and landed a publishing contract with Aladdin, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. When she’s not writing, she helps other storytellers fulfill their ambitions. Her freelance editorial services are sought after by aspiring authors looking to prepare their manuscripts for publication. And if there’s any downtime in between, you might find her playing the flute, reading, and hanging out with her canine overlord.    

 

I chatted with Alexandra to ask eleven questions that will give you an inside look at the author behind the books.

 

1.  If you could bring one of the magical creatures you created in Seekers of the Wild Realm to live with you, who would it be and why?

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I love all of the creatures of the Realm, but most of them would not make for very good pets. I don’t think my neighbors would appreciate a dragon setting things on fire! So I’d have to pick a gyrpuff, the tiny puffin-like birds of the Realm, because they’d be the most practical choice. Not to mention that they’re adorable!

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2.  As a traditionally published author, about how long does the process take to be on bookstore shelves once you finish the first draft of the book?

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It depends on a lot of different factors, especially whether you already have an agent or not. The process of finding an agent can take months or years, and it’s different for everyone. Once you have an agent, they then submit the manuscript to publishers, and again you could be waiting months or years to receive an offer. And then, once you’re working with the publisher, it typically takes about two years for the book to actually hit shelves. For me, it was a total of five years from when I first started writing to when it was actually published!

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3.  In Seekers of the Wild Realm, why did you choose Iceland to model the geography after?

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I knew that I wanted the Wild Realm to have lots of different types of magic creatures, which meant it would also need to contain varied environments that would be suitable for those creatures to live. At first, I wasn’t exactly sure how to build the geography of the world in a way that would make sense while also allowing the characters to explore so many different environments. So I did some research, looking for real-life examples of diverse geographies and animal ecosystems around the world. Ultimately, I realized that Iceland had exactly what I was looking for—tons of interesting geographic features and gorgeous landscapes, all contained on a single island. It was a really useful point of inspiration in figuring out the geography and environments of the Wild Realm.

 

4. What is the best piece of advice you can give an author when writing a query letter to prospective agents?

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I used to read a lot of query letters back when I worked as an editorial assistant, and, in my opinion, the trick to a good query is managing to be succinct but also detailed at the same time. I’ve seen a lot of queries that used really vague language to try to describe the story, like “the consequences are life or death” or “everything will change” or “secrets will be exposed.” That kind of phrasing could be applied to a lot of different stories, so it doesn’t tell the person reading the query what’s unique about this one. The more you can provide specific details about your story, the more unique and interesting it’s going to sound. Of course, it’s tough to include detail in such a short pitch, but for authors struggling with this, I’d suggest writing out all the detail first and then paring it down, rather than reaching for vague summations that aren’t as meaningful.

 

5. What are you currently reading?

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I just picked up A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser. I’ve always been a huge fan of her Vanderbeekers series, and I’m so excited for this one. It’s a middle-grade dual-perspective narrative about two children living in a homeless shelter and bonding over classical music. Karina Yan Glaser is so good at tackling tough topics in ways that are still hopeful and accessible to young readers, and I highly recommend her books!

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6. Where do you get the inspiration for your stories?

 

For me, inspiration almost always comes from other forms of art—mostly books, but also music, film, TV, theater, ballet, visual art, anything that can tell a story. The more I engage with other stories, the more inspired I feel to write my own. Both of my published book series were inspired by the books I loved as a child. With Rules for Thieves, I was thinking about how much I’d always loved heist novels, and how I might write one with a twist ending. With Seekers of the Wild Realm, I was inspired by the many magical creature books I’d loved as a young reader, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how much fun it would be to invent some magical creatures of my own.

 

7.  What time of day are you most creative?

 

Late at night! I’ve always been a night owl, and I find that I work best at late hours, though I couldn’t tell you why. I get most of my story ideas at night, to the point that I am often jotting down notes or even entire scenes before I can fall asleep, knowing I’ll forget it all in the morning!

 

8. Did your writing process change at all from writing Rules for Thieves to Seekers of the Wild Realm?

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Yes, it was different in several ways. I wasn’t under contract yet when I wrote Rules for Thieves , so it was a much slower process in general, and I took several years to finish it. I often had to write frantically over the summer or other breaks from school because I was in college at that time. With the Seekers series, I sold it to my editor before the full manuscript was written, so I had to figure out how to write most of the book on deadline. But in addition to the difference in timelines, it was just a completely different writing process from one book to the next. Rules for Thieves was too short in my early drafts, and much of the revision was figuring out how to develop the material more and where to add substance. But the first draft of Seekers was incredibly overwritten and far too long, so most of that revision process was spent trying to figure out what to cut and how to better streamline the story. It was like learning to write a book all over again!

 

9. What is the best room in your house for writing?

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Over the years, I’ve gotten used to writing in many different locations, and I’ve tried to learn to be productive in any space. Most of Rules for Thieves was written in my college library and dorm room, and most of the Seekers series was written in the tiny corner of a small apartment. But, as of last year, I’m lucky enough to have a proper home office, and it’s become my favorite writing space. I’ve lined the walls with my bookshelves so that I can be surrounded by stories, and I have multiple dry-erase boards for jotting down outlines and notes. Most importantly, there’s a window that’s low enough for my little dog to look outside, so she’s endlessly entertained barking at all the people, dogs, and squirrels passing by while I work.

 

10.  If you weren’t a writer, what would your desired profession be?

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Honestly, I have difficulty imagining myself doing anything else! Even if I weren’t actively writing, I’d still want to work with books in some capacity. I love doing editorial work to help other authors strengthen their stories. I also very seriously considered becoming a librarian. Anything where I can surround myself with books!

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11. What are you working on now?

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I have a lot of projects I’m really excited about! I can’t share details right now, unfortunately, but I have more than one middle-grade novel in progress, and hopefully I’ll have news to share about them soon. :)

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To find out more about Alexandra's books visit https://alexandraott.com

Connect with her on Instagram @alexottbooks

On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alexandraottbooks

 

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