MEET ARMEN POGHARIAN, AUTHOR OF "PENNY PRESTON AND THE RAVEN'S TALISMAN"

Because writing is a very competitive field, ​I do my best to promote those authors I admire. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-fi Writer Armen Pogharian. Not to worry: we complied with social distancing—approximately one-thousand miles' worth.

His novel, Penny Preston and the Raven’s Talisman, is published by CamCat Books and hits the shelves later this month. Here’s a brief synopsis:

Eighth grader Penny Preston is worse than suspended. She's misaligned: that means she exists in more than three dimensions at once, which gives her the power to fix and prevent dimensional rifts. She must embrace her special powers when dangerous higher-dimensional beings threaten to invade Piper Falls.
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D. B.: I’m intrigued, Armen! Now that we have a good idea of what the new book is about, let’s talk a bit about your process. But before we start, tell me about your greatest influencer, whether a teacher, favorite author, or a loved one.

ARMEN: As someone who’s been on this planet a long time, there are quite a few people who fit this description. From my fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Windt, I learned the excitement of discovery. She just had a way about her that made me enjoy learning more than I had before. Mr. Taylor, one of my high school English teachers, taught me how to write. Not just the rules of grammar, but how to approach writing as a process. I use both of those skills whenever I write.

D. B.: I’ve been around for quite a few years myself, long before the concept of social media, which, in my day, consisted of either passing notes or two Campbell soup cans and a string. On average, how long does it take you to write a novel?

ARMEN: For me, writing a story starts off quickly, often bogs down, and finishes with a bang of productivity. When I’m working on a story, I write every day. I typically set a goal of 500 or 1,000 words. Many of those words may get cut but grinding through helps me avoid long bouts of writer’s block. As for how long, from story outline to first draft usually takes 4-6 months.

D. B.: Four to six months is quite remarkable! Some authors spend as much as a year on a first draft. Unless you’re one of the lucky ones, most authors suffer a negative review now and again. How do you deal with both constructive and malicious criticism?
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ARMEN: Fortunately, for me, my dating life prepared me well for rejection.

D.B.: Hilarious and unfounded, I’m sure!

ARMEN: That doesn’t mean I don’t feel hurt by negative feedback; I do. That’s just the way it is. One thing I never do is confront anyone over a negative review. If you put your work out there, you have to accept that some people won’t like it and they’ll want to share their dislike.

D. B.: So true; like most everyone in the public eye, writers typically develop a thick skin.  Negative reviews are pretty much a rite of passage! Many authors find writing from the opposite sex’s perspective a challenge. Do you agree and how would you suggest they get over that hurdle?

ARMEN: Both of my series are YA friendly, so there’s no mature audience stuff, i.e., explicit sex or really much of any sex. So, I think that helps ease the burden quite a bit. That said, I do feature many female characters, including the lead in the Misaligned series. I think the bigger challenge for me in that series is getting the characters to act appropriately for their age. Yes, they’re dealing with super amazing events, but they’re still 13 years old.

D. B.: It definitely requires a specific approach. How much time do you devote to writing each week? What requirements, if any, are vital?

ARMEN: I don’t write on a regular schedule, unless I’m actively working on a new title. When I am, I write every day. Sometimes for as little as an hour and other times for every waking hour. It really depends. The discipline of committing to every day is what works for me.

D. B.: I agree . . . even if time constraints allow less than an hour. Do you consider an outline a necessity? If you answered yes, did you adhere to it or allow the manuscript to meander? If you answered no, why do you think the application ineffectual?

ARMEN: Yes, I’m a firm believer in an outline. I’ve used one for every book except my first one. It’s usually 1-2 pages long. Sometimes, it’s a plot outline; other times, it’s character ideas or a mix. It’s really just a way for me to get things out of my head and down before I lose them. I think of it more as a guide than a strict recipe. Some of my favorite scenes were never in the story outline.

D. B.: I know what you mean. It often seems like the story chooses the path and the writer simply follows behind, occasionally tidying things up. What drew you to your particular genre?

ARMEN: I’ve always been a big fantasy and science-fiction fan. It’s also a genre that my children enjoyed. So, it just felt natural to me.

D. B.: How important is pacing to a novel?

ARMEN: I find novels that careen from one rip-roaring event to the next to be a bit too jarring for me. I’m the type of reader who enjoyed the Council of Elrond chapter in the Lord of the Rings. So for me, it’s important to strike the proper balance.

D. B.: It sounds as if you strike the perfect balance. During the editing/revision process, many writers read their work aloud. If you’re one of them, why do you find this component important?

ARMEN: I might read the occasional bit of dialogue aloud, but in general, I’m a silent writer and editor.

D. B.: I’ve been known to read parts of my novels aloud. If my dog whines and covers her face, I assume a rewrite is in order. How important is marketing to a book’s success? Is this something that comes naturally for you, or do you consider it a dreaded chore?

ARMEN: With over ~1,500 books published every day, and the vast majority being sold through one store, you’ve got to find a way to stand out. I generally consider myself an introvert, but I enjoy meeting readers one-on-one. I’ve had decent success in settings like libraries or book signings. Of course, those types of activities don’t scale all that well and have been non-existent for the last eight months. I do maintain a social media footprint where I average more than 1,000 monthly visits to my website/blog, but I don’t know if I move many books that way. Bottom line, I do what I can, but I’m sure I could be doing more.

D. B.: William Faulkner once said, “In writing, you must kill all your darlings,” a reference to deleting unnecessary characters, storyline, or poetic but unclear sentences, despite the writer’s enormous attachment. Do you recommend following this advice or exploring a remedy less drastic?

ARMEN: I don’t know that I’ve ever thought about this explicitly. However, when I finished my first novel it clocked in at 120K words. The latest edition comes in under 80K words. I’m pretty sure some of those 40K lost words were favorites of mine.

D. B.: I’ve deleted my share of favorite components and equate tossing those perfectly executed phrases or treasured scenes to snatching an ice-cream cone from a screaming toddler. What novel did you find exemplary but critics/readers did not?

ARMEN: Most of my reads come from friend recommendations. I can’t remember the last time I read a critical review of book.

D. B.: Tell me about your first novel and your most recent one.

ARMEN: Oddly enough, these two books are one and the same. My first novel was Misaligned: The Celtic Connection. It was published by SynergEbooks in 2012. When CamCat Publishing acquired all of those titles, they offered me an opportunity to re-release that book. As part of the process, I agreed to quite a few changes, including a new title – Penny Preston and the Raven’s Talisman. Along with a new cover, the book will also be released in hardcover, large print, paperback, as an ebook, and eventually an audiobook. If this were a movie, I’d call it the director’s cut. Here’s the blurb:

When Shadow-monsters attack in the cafeteria, eighth-grader Penny Preston panics, starts a food fight, and unknowingly creates a trans-dimensional rift. Summoned to the counselor’s office, she expects suspension, but instead discovers that she is misaligned – she exists in more than three dimensions. Unless she immediately begins training to learn to handle her powerful abilities, she risks losing her sanity. She agrees to secretly train with her counselor and his friend Master Poe, an exile from the seventh dimension trapped in a raven’s body, to keep her hometown, Piper Falls, safe from higher dimensional beings seeking to gain god-like powers in our universe.
Together with Simon, her telepathic multi-dimensional cat, Penny struggles to save her relationship with her best friend, protect her universe, and uncover her connection to Arthurian myth.

D. B.: That sounds like the perfect gift for YA readers and just in time for Christmas! Thank you for taking time away from the keyboard, Armen, and the best of luck with the new novel.

Purchase Penny Preston and the Raven's Talisman
Get to know Armen!

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