Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am Fred Tippett, II, author of THE WOMEN IN WHITE, which is my debut novel. I grew up in Alabama and live there currently, though I was away extensively while I attended college in Georgia and law school in Pennsylvania. I am a Washington-DC-barred attorney, and I primarily use my legal education to bolster the credibility of police procedural elements for my novels.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is also my debut. It’s called THE WOMEN IN WHITE, and it was largely inspired by my childhood fantasy of writing titles for my then-favorite mystery series: The Hardy Boys. Approaching it with the perspective of adulthood, however, I decided that I wanted to write a mystery series that would appeal to Young Adults. I also wanted the approach to crimes and the detecting procedures used to solve them to be a bit more realistic. And I ultimately chose to use ONE male protagonist–in this case, a sixteen-year-old boy named Greg Chase–because I saw it as the easiest path forward for the purposes of character development and story plotting. This was, after all, my first novel. I wanted things to be as uncomplicated as possible for me while I was writing.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so–but then again, I also understand that “unusual” is a relative word.
For me, it always starts with an idea for what I think could be a book.
From there, I tend to outline the whole of the book before committing to writing any of it. (I will say that I tend to have more ideas than time to write them into books, which usually makes for my spending more of my time outlining books than actually drafting them.) I want to be sure that my idea is strong enough to sustain an entire book as opposed to, say, just a short story. If I’m unable to outline what I know will fill up a book, then I’ll just leave it alone. If not, then I’ll usually finish up with the outline then edit it once or twice, just to ensure that it’s tight enough. I want the book’s plot, character development, etc. to be believable and entertaining enough to sustain reader interest throughout the whole of the story.
Once I’m satisfied with my outline, I’ll write my book to fit that outline.
And once that’s done and I have a good first draft, I’ll put the draft away for a while (anywhere from one month to three), then I’ll come back to it and begin the REAL work of properly editing it for grammar, story beats, etc. The time away helps me to not be too close to the story–and, accordingly, strong enough to edit it WELL when I come back to it, even if that means killing some of my darlings along the way.
After I’ve edited the book a first time, I’ll edit it again, generally with a partner. After that edit, I’ll begin to think about shopping it around for representation by an agent or even just direct indie publication.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Way, Way, WAY too many to name. I have read a TON of books, and I’ve been INSPIRED by two tons more. Even so, a few names do stick out. During childhood, I read plenty of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys titles (both the original stories and the brach-off books). During young adulthood, I got into James Patterson’s Maximum Ride Series, Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Mysteries, Mary Higgins Clark’s thrillers, James Frey’s I Am Number Four Series, and almost all YA works produced by Anthony Horowitz. As of right now, I think that my writing has been influenced quite a bit by Michael Connelly’s works.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently doing final edits for my next novel–which will also be a YA Mystery story, though one featuring a primarily female leading cast.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve really taken more of a scattershot approach to marketing my book than relying on any one “best” website or method. I make use of Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, my own Author Website, and my Author Promotion Page on Amazon. I also do my rounds on the book blog interview circuit–and regularly ask popular book bloggers to review my work. That being said, I do think that my Twitter posts regarding my debut novel have gotten the most attention of late.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
You cannot honestly expect to improve your craft unless you’re both reading and writing MANY books, preferably in the genre(s) in which you want to be known as a writer. Reading in the genre(s) will give you an idea of what other readers (and thus agents and publishers) enjoy and what they will read consistently. Writing in the genre(s) will give you much-needed practice in producing art in your chosen area(s). Even if you’re writing stories that you have no intention of actually publishing, by virtue of the fact that you are indeed getting in that practice of writing them, YOU’RE STILL LEARNING from every last one.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Best? Ever? It’s actually a passage that I read quite a while ago in the Bible. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… and love your neighbor as yourself.”
What are you reading now?
I’m currently enjoying plenty of Michael Connelly and Mary Higgins Clark, though I’m also reading some works by C.S. Lewis and Karen McManus. Plus, I hope to soon read Barack Obama’s newly released memoir A PROMISED LAND
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am actually already in the process of applying final edits to the next novel that I intend to publish. This one is also going to be a YA Mystery novel, though it will have a strong female lead–as opposed to THE WOMEN IN WHITE’s Greg Chase. This upcoming book was loosely inspired by the Nancy Drew Mysteries, in the same way that WOMEN IN WHITE was inspired by Hardy Boys Mysteries.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Favorite? Of ALL time? The Bible.
Author Websites and Profiles
Fred Tippett Website
Fred Tippett Amazon Profile
Fred Tippett’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account