Carie Juettner joined the Writer’s league in September of 2013. She makes her home in Austin Texas. She will attend the Agents & Editors conference in June.
Scribe: In what genre(s) do you write?
Carie Juettner: Thanks for not making me pick one, because I dabble in a lot of them. I write poetry, short stories, blog posts, and I am currently working on the first draft of my young adult novel. My short stories are mostly horror, and have been published in Darker Times, Dark Moon Digest, and Writer’s Weekly. My poems (which are not scary at all) have recently appeared in the Texas Poetry Calendar, Red River Review, and Kind of a Hurricane Press. My novel is my current focus.
Scribe: What authors would you like to have coffee or a beer with and which beverage?
CJ: I’d like to have a beer with the ghost of Ray Bradbury. I think I’d need a beer to calm my nerves, not because I was talking to a ghost but because I was talking to Ray Bradbury, who was a genius with words and perhaps the only person in the world who loved Halloween more than I do. I’d like to have coffee with John Green. I’ve watched his vlog, so I know how fast he talks and I know I’d need to have some caffeine in me to keep up.
Scribe: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
CJ: I’m tempted to say the manuscript for my book– then I would have no reason not to finish it. But an eternity in which to revise does not sound like something that would keep me “sane”, so I’ll go with Life of Pi, by Yann Martel instead.
Scribe: What have you learned from your association with the Writers League?
CJ: I’ve learned that I should have joined sooner! I am impressed by the number of workshops and networking opportunities that are available through this organization. I have not been able to attend any yet, but look forward to participating in 2014.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
CJ: Ideally? Ideally, I’d love to publish a collection of poetry, and a collection of horror stories, and a few novels, and maybe a children’s book, and of course a memoir. Realistically, in the next year my goal is to finish my YA novel and seek representation for it, while also finding time to finish a few short stories, whose characters are impatiently waiting for me to save them and/or kill them off.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? CJ: My advice to new writers is to find a support group– a critique group, someone to write with at the coffee shop, or just a really good friend who lets you babble on about your latest ideas and character conundrums. Don’t try to do it all alone. Surround yourself with people who love words. Also, feel free to follow my blog at: http://cariejuettner.wordpress.com/
