To those who do not know what this is, here's a brief summary. The Grand Masters Archive Category of the Coalition Community Awards is for past winners. While the past year's winners cannot enter the same book into the Coalition Awards, they can enter their wining stories of the previous year into the GMA and all the stories in this category are judged based on a very different rubric that doesn't dwell on what genre the book is.
We do not outsource judging for this category, our Community founders judge this category themselves and decide on what book stands out the most, with four finalists and the one winner.
However, two books stood out this year, and we had five finalists. They were amazing books, find them and a link to the stories here.
Now we've gone ahead to interview the two winners of the GMA this year. Our winners are;
Alan Leuthe - The Willow Rise Six
Rebecca Johnson - The Unnamed
Our interview with Alan Leuthe, writer of The Willow Rise Six. A Western story only available on Inkitt.
What inspired you to write The Willow Rise Six?
Alan Leuthe: Honestly, I had just finished reading The Six of Crows Duology and thought it would be fun to write a heist book. And when I sat down to write there was a video game being played on my TV, and it was a western. I decided to combine the two and here we are.
What is your writing process like?
Alan Leuthe: It's all over the place if we're being honest. That's probably one of the reasons I haven't finished writing it yet. I write on Google Docs, and the first page is the mood I want the book to have, a very brief plot, and the setting. The second page is a list of the main characters, their physical traits, their backstories, their issues, and personalities. And then I just kind of take it from there. The characters lead the way. Whatever I feel Bill Daniels' group of outlaws would do I write.
Are your characters based on real people or are they fictional?
Alan Leuthe: They are fictional. However, if you read it you can definitely see relations to Kaz Brekker, Jesper, and the Wraith from Six of Crows. Definitely didn't want to copy any kind of character fully, but I thought the way they interacted with each other was amazing, so they have some of the same traits. Leigh Bardugo is a master at characters, so I try to learn from the best. Oh, and I also picture the characters' physically as the Hollywood actors that would play them.
Tell us about yourself.
Alan Leuthe: I'm a California boy (well, hardly a boy at 33 years old). I like to read. Loved writing ever since I was a youngling. I absolutely LOVE sports. It's really how I spend most of my time, which doesn't make me a very efficient writer.
What was your hardest chapter to write in Willow Rise Six?
Alan Leuthe: I think chapter 19 or 20. Both have characters who deal with situations and emotions that I have never had to deal with. Emotional abuse, the loss of a parent, the guilt of murder. I honestly had to ask people on Inkitt to let me know what they honestly thought after reading.
To those who haven’t read your book yet, how would sell it to them?
Alan Leuthe: Somebody posted this in their review of my story, and it was the nicest thing I've ever heard: "A mix between The Magnificent 7 and Six of Crows." If that doesn't do it for you then I really don't know what will. (Can you tell I'm obsessed with Six of Crows?)
What advice do you have for your fellow writers?
Alan Leuthe: Read your story out loud. You will find so many issues when you hear your words out loud, whether it be sentence flow, word usage, punctuation/grammar, or you just don't like what you wrote. Oh, and write what you want. I'm definitely not writing a genre that does well in sales and popularity, but I'm enjoying myself, and it turns out there are a few people out there who like it too.
Here's our interview with Rebecca Johnson, writer of The Unnamed Beast of The Cold Mountain, a horror thriller only available on Inkitt.
Tell us about the Unnamed. What is the story about, and what was your favourite part of writing it?
Rebecca Johnson: The Unnamed is the product of binge-watching the television series Alone and asking the question, “What if…?” The basic premise of the story follows a young independent filmmaker, Kerri, during the production of a survivalist T.V. series. When one of her least impressive candidates starts showing major behavioural changes and performance well outside of his capabilities, she begins investigating and finds a hidden history to the mountain her partner has chosen to film on. Kerri then finds herself in a race for her life to escape the mountain and the sinister changes that are taking place there. The Unnamed blends Native American folklore with shape-shifter folklore from all over the world, tracing it all back to one ominous source.
How long have you been writing, and what inspired you to start writing?
Rebecca Johnson: Asking a writer how long they’ve been writing always comes up with a muddy answer. Usually it’s “I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember.” And that’s somewhat true in my case as well. I can remember wanting to write elaborate stories in kindergarten art class on that funky brown language arts paper—you know… the kind with the giant handwriting staves and the dotted line through the center, so you know where the middle of your letter is supposed to land? I can remember winning my first “writing contest” when I was in 4th grade with my essay If I were Principal for a Day.
I got to sit in the principal’s chair and everything for that victory. But as for hardcore “writing,” the calling came in high school. I remember clearly not being able to get this one story out of my head (which now, 15+ years later is The Silence is Lifted) Countless spiral-bound notebooks were sacrificed to this cause (especially the ones with black paper that I could write on with fluorescent gel pens). I did everything wrong, of course, trying to get it published, but writers, as a breed, are born, I think, and the draw never really leaves you. It took me fifteen years to get over my disaster of a failure, but this is me, here now, doing it right this time, and hoping for a better outcome.
What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Rebecca Johnson: Attention to detail, of course (no one likes a story that only puts a wishy-washy image in their heads). Aside from that, the ability to keep your reader’s attention from line one and a good storytelling ability. Grammar and spelling can all be fixed with enough practice and editing, but being able to hook a reader and keep them fascinated is a talent not everyone has, or maybe, just one that they don’t always think of. But if you can’t attract readers, then your writing is never going to take off.
What comes first, the plot or characters?
Rebecca Johnson: Plot is necessary. It builds your story from the bones out and creates a path to follow. But any true fan of Downton Abbey, or even Seinfeld, could tell you that strong enough characters can completely carry a story in place of a classic plot. It’s rare… but not impossible. That being said, even the best plot will feel flat and lifeless if your reader can’t relate to your characters. There has to be a balance.
How do you deal with literary criticism and poor reviews?
Rebecca Johnson: I’m lucky enough to be early enough in my writing career to never have suffered from a stinging review (not since my disaster of a pitch my first time around, but I deserved them, in retrospect. I really had no idea what I was doing). I’m sure they’ll find their way to me one day, but as of yet, all of my reviews have been incredibly constructive. I try to be critical of myself first before I post or release anything to hopefully stave off the worst of the critics, and that has so far proved to be effective. For the criticism I do receive, I take it with enthusiasm—with the knowledge that, “Hey, they just read my whole book and cared enough about it to help me improve it.” I mean, when you really think about it, that’s pretty big. Even a nitpicky review is 100x better than no review at all.
Do you have a favourite character from the Unnamed? Who and why?
Rebecca Johnson: I absolutely loved writing Kerri, mostly because she’s super-smart and frankly, a kick-ass woman. It’s always a dangerous thing writing characters who are smarter than you, because you don’t want to sound like you’re trying to convince people that your character is as smart as you want them to be, but you also don’t want to fall short in their development. Kerri was an exercise in this, and I’d love to think I’ve done her justice.
Share something your readers don’t know about you.
Rebecca Johnson: Outside of writing, I am a full-time dermatology nurse and a classically trained soprano.
Any advice for your fellow writers?
Rebecca Johnson: A bookfull! I realized not too long ago that I was much farther along in my writing career than many others, and people were suddenly asking me questions! After a few eye-opening conversations, in which I realized I actually had advice to give, I began writing down my trials and tribulations in becoming a Published Author: Roadmap to Rejection, on Inkitt. My strongest bits of advice, though, boil down to: 1 - Never release a rough draft. 2 - Don’t rush in your production. And 3 - Take the opinions of others seriously. Writing is a craft, an art form, and you can do nothing but become better by listening to the advice of others and taking the time necessary to make sure that you are producing quality work.