Waiting for my dose of caffeine I sneak covert looks—okay, not so covert. I’m no Bond girl—at the woman.  Don’t go over there. Go over there. Hey, she deserves her quiet time before she has to stand there fielding questions from crazy fans like yours truly.  The little war raging in my head is cut short as she gets up to leave and comes to a complete halt when one of the librarians escorts her away.

Shoes Rachel Caine Tweeted About

With a sigh of relief, I silently thank the librarian for taking her away before I make a complete dork out of myself.  Problem is they don’t take her far enough.  They’re gathered at the front desk chatting and that’s when I notice she’s wearing the ankle boots she tweeted about.

There it is again no longer lurking in the shadows, but pushing to the surface.  Fangirl!  I fight the urge to squeal and point for that would surly turn into clapping and jumping up and down as I giggle.  I’ve got to get a hold of myself, no woman my age should be acting like this!  Hell, I didn’t act this childish when I was in my twenties and met Kip Winger.  And he kissed my hand.  Luckily the librarian leads her away.

With yet another sigh of relief I start watching for Cheryl.  Yes, that Cheryl.  Oops sorry I forgot you can’t see me pointing to my fellow SW buddy.  You can read about her take on our night out at Learn To Write Fiction.  I promise it will be a lot more polished, professional and educational too.  As I wait for Cheryl and her beau I wander the magazine racks and guess who is sitting just beyond them.  The little war starts again but I side with the little angel on my right shoulder and make my way toward the doors.

Now that little sigh of relief is triggered by the arrival of, oh so calm, Cheryl.  If I were her I’d head for the hills at the sight of my glazed eyes and flushed cheeks.  Instead she grins and shows me what I kick myself for not thinking of, her camera.

Five on the dot the doors open and we enter the conference room.  This is where Fangirl shows up again.  Rachel is doing a PowerPoint presentation and her desktop is projected onto the wall.  ‘Damn,’ I say to Cheryl, ‘I’m looking into a real writer’s computer.’  She laughs, but I feel like some big secret has been revealed to me.

When the program begins I manage to stop gawking and pay attention.  I even take notes.  The Hammer Films retrospect hits a soft spot, Fangirl of course is screeching in my ear, ‘She likes Hammer Films too!’  I’m a little more than tired of her and her antics, it’s become easier to ignore.  Then Rachel decides to do the drawing for the door prizes.

Fangirl & Rachel

One guess as to whose number she draws for the grand prize.  Fangirl…I mean mine.  Walking over to accept my prize—the audio of Glass Houses—I attempt to hold my breath.  Yeah, that works.  Instead of keeping my cool I stand there like a moron and try to hand her my ticket.  The librarian looks at me a little strangely, but hey I deserve it.

Once the program is over I get the extreme pleasure of meeting the people behind bringing Rachel to Iowa.  Rockwell City Librarian Sarah Weiss and her partner in crime Cosmetologist Angel Crouse. These girls are a delight and not only does one work in a library like yours truly, but the other is a stylist my previous profession!  Talk about a cowinky-dink.  The girls as well as Rachel graciously agree to let us post their picture and even their real names, none of that changing the names to protect the innocent stuff.  After all the only thing they are guilty of is bringing the magic that is Rachel Caine to Iowa and writing damn good books!

Angel, Rachel & Sarah

And with that we put Fangirl back in the shadowy recesses of my mind where she belongs.  Call her out at your own risk.  Pointing, clapping, jumping and much giggling will ensue.  Not to mention incessant babbling!
Amy

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It is my pleasure to introduce a friend and local poet, Dennis Maulsby.  I know Dennis because we both belong to the Border’s writing group.  This group has been around for over 10 years.  It started out at the local Barnes and Noble but migrated to Borders a few years back.  Because it is a public group, our demographics change frequently. Dennis has been a great addition.  The group has been a success story, in that several members have published.  So if you happen to be in the Des Moines area around 7:00 PM on a Tuesday night, feel free to stop by and join us.

 Dennis has published in several publications and I think of him as our local poet laureate.  He writes mostly about his experiences while in Vietnam and I felt this would be appropriate so close to July 4^th.  Click on the audio piece below and you will hear Dennis reading a poem to music.  He has a great radio voice.

 Virginia – Where are you from?

 Dennis – If I was to respond typically, I would say: I was born and raised in Marshalltown, Iowa, graduated from Marshalltown High School (1960), and Grinnell College (1964), Grinnell, Iowa.

 Responding as a writer, I would say: I was from war.  I was driven to writing after a year in Vietnam that featured the battle at Kai San and the Tet Offensive.

 Virginia – What do you write?

 Dennis – Most of my poems and short stories deal with that experience.  All my Vietnam poems spring from the personal emotional impact of that war and its relentless memories.  Some of the poems have some elements that I did not experience directly, but relate to veterans’ common experience, both as soldiers and civilians.

 My memories of Vietnam have not dulled with the years.  At night in dreams, or in pensive moments, they have refreshed themselves too many times.  Perhaps, this is the way it is with all veterans.

 There is no question that PTSD plagued me.  My first six months after being dumped back into civilian life were hell.  I learned that this was an affliction that must be worked constantly, like an alcoholic – once scrabbling day at a time.  In casting around for ways to cope, I discovered creative activity pushed the demons back.  Writing has been the best.

 Virginia – How long have you been writing?

 Dennis – Ten years ago, I joined a writers’ group and the creative writing process has been the most successful therapy.  I can only speculate on the reasons.  However, I believe writing to have an almost limitless canvas, especially in English.

There are over a million words in the language, as compared to French, for example that gets by with somewhat less than four hundred thousand –pauvre Francais. The various combinations, arrangements and permutations of a million words with new ones being added everyday must be almost infinite.  Certainly, enough to last my creative lifetime – so, I am a poet, a short story writer and perhaps, a novelist.

 I started building a literary resume by submitting individual works, both poetry and short stories, to journals I thought matched my style.

 Virginia – How many books/poems have you published so far?

 Dennis – There are lots of rejections, but sometimes lightening would strike.  My writings have been published in the last eight volumes of Lyrical Iowa, the annual anthology of the Iowa Poetry Association.  Others have appeared in the Des Moines Register, The Hawkeye, Peregine, The North American Review, Tapestries, Types and Shadows, Fiele-Festa, and The Hawai’i Pacific Review.  Some on Internet sites including Writetherapy, Speaking Leaves, Words on a Wire, Brick & Mortar, Voices in Wartime  and the International War Veterans’ Poetry Archives.  In May 2004 my poem 6 June, Omaha Beach  was featured with a musical background on National Public Radio’s Themes & Variations.  Listen for yourself: http://iwvpa.net/maulsby-d/omaha-be.php 

 My first book of poetry, Remembering Willie, and all the others was published in 2003 and won the Military Writers Society of America Silver Medal Award.

 Remembering Willie is included in the Veterans’ archives of The Library of Congress and is on display at the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum. From Remembering Willie:

             Memory of a Eurasion Working Girl

             I hope she knew why I was so quiet,

            When we held hands at night in her strange land,

            Uninvited and lost.

            It must have made her uneasy, watching for cues

            From this twice her size round-eyed male creature,

            So large pored and hairy.

            Blood-warm breeze felt so comfortable.

            Her perfume riffing in the air,

            Set time for the music.

            That evening she pierced my blind stare,

            And helped me lay down my mountain of stored up death,

            So weary with the weight.

            Whether she was aware or not,

            She did what women have done for soldiers

            These thousands of futile years.

            Fingers entwined our primal spirits touched

            And I remembered

            What my soul should look like.

 I write often – both poetry and prose – because I must.

 Virginia – What is your writing day like?

 Dennis – Most of my early ideas come from 3:00 to 4:30 AM sweat-soaked dreams about my experiences or nightmarish variations on them, some from daydreams or flashbacks.

 At this time, the process is more normal and poetry/story ideas come from the observation of people and places, imagination and research flesh out the details.  I have recently completed drafts of a book of linked short stories and a book of poetry.

 Virginia – What are you working on now?

 Dennis – I’ll be retiring from my day job on July 31^st, 2009 and plan to work on the drafts until they are ready to submit.  I have a list of 147 small presses.  Do you think those will be enough?

 I also have developed a one to two hour (your choice) workshop.  In a relaxed group setting, participants discuss some very old forms of Japanese poetry (Tanka, Haiku, and Senryu) and how they evolved.  Once grounded, we examine how they impacted American poets and how American poets have impacted them (The American Sentence). We practice writing a few lines while simultaneously looking for ways the forms can give us insight into the poetic moment.  And, how looking for these moments may improve our other poetry and our prose.  Email me, if you are interested.  (dennismaulsby@yahoo.com)

 I have had great good fortune of being supported by several exceptional local writers’ groups. 

 Virginia – Do you have some words of wisdom for us unpubs?

 Dennis – Writing the material was good therapy, but reading to a group increased the healing value by several orders of magnitude.  My first group encouraged me to assemble my book and helped with the editing and layout.  I owe them a lot.

 Don’t be afraid to write honestly.  Sometimes that requires you to go mentally naked with friends or relatives, or to violate the restrictive cultural codes we were taught.  I would also recommend the summer workshops at the University of Iowa.  They have a Summer Writing Festival consisting of one week or weekend workshops on most every type of writing (poetry, novels, short stories, screenplays, memoirs, children’s books, etc.) all taught by experienced authors.  People come from all over the world for these sessions.  Check it out (http://continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/iswfest/).

Virginia’s Note -  I will be posting numbers soon in the 90 day writing challenge.  I have been working on developing my characters and plot.  I’m somewhere between an outliner and a seat of the pants writer but I guess I haven’t found exactly where I am with it.  I have decided to Write a Book with Holly Lisle.  If you haven’t seen her site, she is trying to help writer’s like me who have a difficult time completing a novel.  I have re-set my goals to something I know I can do.  I have to do at least 250 words per day/ five days a week.  If you miss a day, you don’t have to make it up.  Just keep going forward.  If I follow along with her at this speed, I will complete a novel the same time she does.  If it sounds like something you’d like to try, just google Holly Lisle and check it out.  Until next time, keep writing.

Virginia 

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Here is our interview -

Virginia – Where are you from?

Cheryl – I’m a Midwest girl, born in Iowa, but raised in Nebraska.  I live in a big city, however, so don’t ask me about cows or corn-unless it’s Cornhuskers, and then I’m all over that.  Go Huskers!

Virginia – How long have you been writing?

Cheryl – I’ve always written in one form or another.  As a child I wrote stories, drew the covers, and stapled them into mini-books.  My first rejection came at age fourteen when I submitted a romantic short story to Redbook Magazine.  I still have the form rejection.  I was crushed.

I wrote long hand off and on after that, occasionally typing a story on my Grandma St. John’s manual typewriter.  For years I pretty much dedicated myself to my family, and raised my four kids.  I used to read only horror, mystery and mainstream novels, but I read a few Victoria Holts I’d received from the book club and found them appealing, yet somewhat unsatisfactory in some way I couldn’t define at the time.

On a whim one day, while browsing the store shelves, I bought Lisa Gregory’s The Rainbow Season and LaVyrle Spencer’s Hummingbird.  Imagine that out of all the books available, I chose those two classic romances for my first taste of romance!  Needless to say, I was hooked from that day forward.  I devoured everything either of those two authors ever wrote, and went on to Janelle Taylor, Jude Deveraux, Johanna Lindsey, Francine Rivers, and Kathleen Woodiwiss.

When my youngest daughter went to Kindergarten, I was lost without her.  In retrospect, it was empty nest syndrome, but instead of having another baby, which many women do, I decided it was time to write the novel that would launch me to stardom.

Yeah, right.  The rest of the process took a little longer.  And I’m still not sure about the stardom part.

Virginia – What do you write?

Cheryl – I’ve written several contemporaries, but I love writing historical romance set in the American West or Midwest, and I love cowboys.  I love stories with an underdog, and those in which a character is pretending to be someone he or she is not.

Virginia – Tell us a little about your publisher and agent.

Cheryl – Harlequin publishes my books.  I’ve written for several lines and worked with a few different editors over the years.  My agent is my intercessor and the left side of my brain, so to speak. She handles money and contracts and leaves the creative side to me.  She believed in me from the beginning and sold my very first book for me.

Virginia – How many books have you published so far?

Cheryl – See, now this is a tough question- because I am so not a numbers person.  I always have to go count when someone asks me this.

The Preacher’s Wife is my thirty-second published book.  I’ve written number thirty-three and it’s scheduled for next year.  I’m working on two more right now.

Virginia – What is your writing day like?

Cheryl -  It’s changed over the years as my life has changed.  I went from dropping off kids at school to having an empty nest, and am now back to dropping off one child-my grandson-at school most mornings.  I get up and feed him and get him ready and drop him off at school. Sometimes I stop at the grocery story or if it’s Thursday or Friday, I scope out every garage sale in the vicinity on the way back.  It inspires me.  That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.

Once home I make a fresh pot of tea–chai is my preference–and read through my email, take care of the things that are pressing that day, and then open my Word file.

I read over what I wrote the day before, edit a little as I go, and then continue forward.  Many nights after supper and my favorite evening shows, like American Idol and Bones, I go back to my desk and work.  If my brain is too tired to write much past 11 or 12, I do promo work and blog.

I teach an online class each month, so the night I need to prepare lessons, I’m sometimes up until 2 or 3.

Bookmark my workshop: http://cheryl-stjohn-workshop.blogspot.com/

Virginia – Can you tell us how you found a publisher and/or agent?

Cheryl – The really stupid way, I assure you.  I was clueless, unlike the beginning writers today who have the Internet and online communities.  I didn’t even know any other writers to ask about the process.  Looking back on my amateurish manuscript preparation, all the stories with no plot or conflict, and the volume of editors I sent the manuscripts to is a humiliating, yet laughable experience.  I can’t believe I did that!  I wrote in a vacuum for years, reading how-to books from the library and sending stuff out to everyone in The Writer’s Market.  Those early books are still on a shelf in my basement, along with a few others, and rightly so.

Virginia – Do you have anything that just came out?

Cheryl – My December HER MONTANA MAN was picked up by Doubleday and Rhapsody Bookclubs in hardcover, and I was excited about that!  It has a stunning cover–one of my all time favorites.

June 2009 is the release of my first Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical, and I couldn’t be more pleased with this venture into the inspirational market.  It’s a story I wanted to tell for a long time, and then this wonderful venue opened up for me to leap into.

Virginia – What are you working on now?

Cheryl – I’m writing a Love Inspired Historical novella for a two-in-one anthology for Mother’s day of 2010.  And putting together a sequel to THE PREACHER’S WIFE – it’s Elizabeth’s story.

Virginia – Do you have some words of wisdom for us unpubs?

Cheryl – Believe in yourself and your ability.  All the techniques of writing are learnable, so stay open to those, but the gift of storytelling and the desire to write are talents you were born with.  Your talent doesn’t up and desert you when life is difficult or you’re struggling.  Some of my best work was done during times of emotional upheaval. Let those times be a catharsis for your work.  Stories are about feelings.

I’ve just launched a brand new website and I’d be delighted for you to drop by and visit.

Visit me on the web: http://www.cherylstjohn.net/

Look who’s blogging: http://cherylstjohn.blogspot.com/

Thanks Cheryl for taking the time for this interview and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Virginia

As you can tell, I am participating in the 90 day challenge with the other Saturday Writers.  I had been doing so well until the past two days when I let life get in the way again.  Don’t you hate when that happens?  But I will put in extra time this weekend and get caught up.  Watch for future word count posts and send me some good vibes to make it to the finish line.  My goal is to finish a novel, get it revised and start sending it out before the end of this year.

Happy Writing Everyone!

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“My worlds are Darkness and Light.

For one requires the other for balance.

Mundane and Magic.

Without one, the other is meaningless.

Historical and Contemporary.

To exist in one, we must learn from the other.”

                                        -Francesca Hawley

This month’s author is a member of one of my writer’s groups.  She is the type of person who can walk into a room and light it up. I think she carries that gift over into her books. I attended a program where she explained the different steaminess levels of sex scenes in the romantic genre, from the sweet romance that usually stops at the bedroom door to the explicit scenes needed for erotica. She had a lot of information and if any other writing groups are looking for a speaker for this subject, I would highly recommend Francesca.

The following is our interview:

Virginia – Where are you from?

Francesca – I was born in Minnesota and raised in Iowa.  I’ve lived in Iowa since I was about three.

Virginia – How long have you been writing?

Francesca – I’ve written stories all my life.  I used to spend my lunch hours in high school writing fiction – bad fiction – but I was trying.  I’ve been writing with the intent to publish since 2002 or 2003.

Virginia – What do you write?

Francesca – I write erotic romance.  Most of the time I inject paranormal elements into a story, but that isn’t always the case.

Virginia – Tell us a little about your publisher and agent.

Francesca – At this time I am un-agented.  My publisher is Ellora’s Cave.  They’ve been around since the early 2000’s – last November they celebrated their 8^th birthday.  I started reading EC books about the time I started writing seriously because my dream publisher was Ellora’s Cave. I loved the books I read and I wanted to write books as good as those I read.  EC published Romantica® which are stories that must be both erotic and romantic.  I was thrilled to bits to have an opportunity to pitch to Raelene Gorlinsky, the publisher, at the RWA national conference in 2007.

Virginia – How many books have you published, so far?

Francesca – I have a short story, Alpha v Alpha, published in an anthology called Paranaughty.  It was published by Draumr Publishing in 2005.  This short story launched my shape shifter world.  In January 2009, my first novel Protect and Defend, was published by Ellora’s Cave.  Protect and Defend is an urban fantasy.  My short pitch is “CSI meets shape shifters.”

The blurb for Protect and Defend is:

Mikaela Laughlin discovers a whole new world, and an entirely new species, when she tours the crime lab to meet Lieutenant Diarmid Redwolf while researching her next book.  She’s lusted after “Delicious Diarmid” from afar for a long time, but meeting him sets her body on fire.  It doesn’t take long for Mikaela to discover there’s more to him than meets the eye.  Diarmid is far more delicious up close than she ever dreamed.

Diarmid has bad guys to catch, but one look at the voluptuous writer has him wanting to catch her instead.  His shape shifter blood recognizes his True Mate and he wants her naked body arching beneath his.  Now.  But with a cold-blooded serial killer on the loose, Diarmid has one shot at his future and he will not fail.  Because this time, the killer wants Mikaela.  (This was a 2006 Stroke of Midnight Finalist for Passionate Ink).

I recently sold my second book to EC too.  Seeking Truth is a medieval, paranormal, erotic romance set during the troubled reign of King Stephen in the 1100’s.

Virginia – What is your writing day like?

Francesca – Well I work as a librarian, so during the day I answer reference questions and plan programming for my library.  I also write a weekly column in the local newspaper.  When I get home from work, I sit down at the computer and read over the last chapter or two I wrote so I can “get into” the story again.  I may make some edits if I see things that need adjusting then when I reach the point I stopped I start typing.  I work for a few hours in the evening.  I may do some research on the internet or in the collection of books I have about a topic.  Sometimes I hit a point in my writing where I need a quick answer so I research on the fly then keep going.

Virginia – Can you tell us about how you found a publisher and/or agent?

Francesca– With my first publisher, Draumr, I happened to be on a critique list with other authors who like to write BBWs (big, beautiful women) as heroines. The group was writing short stories to pitch for an anthology with Draumr, a small independent press.  Rida Allen liked my story and included it.

            For my second work, I had Ellora’s Cave in mind when I was writing it.  To me it was kind of a pipe dream… a pipe dream that came true.  I kept thinking. “Wouldn’t it be great if the leading publisher of erotic romance wantedto publish my book?” I joined RWA in late 2006 and decided to attend the national conference in 2007 – primarily because I knew Ellora’s Cave, Looseld, and Samhain Publishing would be present.  I was in PRO (because I’d completed my first manuscript and proven it to RWA) and so I had a jump on the general attendees and secured a pitch session with Raelene Gorlinsky, the publisher of Ellora’s Cave.  Raelene was way cool, and her hats totally rock any outfit she wears.  I tried to keep my cool – or at least keep my sweaty palm from grossing her out – and pitched my little heart out. She liked the concept for my book and told me to send it as a submission.  I sent it in August of 2007. In January 2008, I knew an editor had pulled it to read.  In April, my editor Mary Moran, offered me a contract for the book.  I was thrilled. Since this was my first novel, I hired a literary lawyer – Elaine English – to vet my contract.  Elaine was amazing and well worth the attorney fees.  She negotiated a contract that I liked and was wonderful to work with.  I completed edits last fall and my book was released in January of 2009.

Virginia – Do you have anything that just came out?

Francesca – Protect and Defend, my first novel with Ellora’s Cave was released in January 2009.

            I recently sold a second book to EC. Seeking Truth will be released on May 29, 2009.  I’m thrilled they liked this book.  Here’s my blurb for Seeking Truth:

            Baron Eaduin Kempe, a man of intense passions, seeks a healer at a nearby abbey.  When the abbess introduces convent-raised Lady Verite de Sauigni, he knows he’s hell bound for desiring her.  He wants to tie her to his bed until she sobs with the pleasure of his touch.

            Eaduin offers Verite marriage in exchange for easing the pain of his dying foster mother.  Years ago, Verite secretly watched Baron Eaduin arouse a lover and has dreamed of him ever since.  She desires him enough to risk exchanging the imprisonment of convent life for that of marriage.  On their wedding night, Eaduin craves dominance and Verite submits with enthusiasm.  Each heated encounter thereafter binds them closer together.

            When Verite’s father accuses her of witchcraft because she won’t use her psychic gift of seeing truth to aid him, she begs Eaduin to kill her so she doesn’t suffer.  Instead, Eaduin challenges her father to trial by combat, determined to save her because she owns both his passion and his heart.

Virginia – What are you working on now?

Francesca– I’m developing two ideas right now. The first is another book in my shapeshifter universe which I’ve tentatively titled. Leader of the Pack.  And the second is a follow-up to Seeking Truth, entitled Seeking Peace.

If readers would like to share your opinions about my work, please visit my Web site at http://www.francescahawley.com and send me feedback via my contact page.  I’m always interest in hearing from my readers.

Virginia– Do you have some words of wisdom for us unpubs?

Francesca – Never give up.  Never ever give up.  It takes perseverance even in the face of rejection.  You have to believe in you because if you don’t, no one else will.  I know it’s really hard when those rejection letters come in, but don’t let them get you down.

Find a critique partner or critique group.  They’ll tell you the truth when your work is crap and when it’s good.  My crit partners have helped me brainstorm and patted me on the back to say “it’ll be all right.”

Never ever forget that this is a business.  Think like the entrepreneur that you are.  Save your receipts so you can write off expenses on your taxes.  Find a trusted person to do your taxes (if you aren’t a financial whiz kid). Attending conferences, paying for organization memberships, the cost of classes and books are all a part of the cost of doing business. To be sure what qualifies, talk to your tax preparer for information. Start now.  This year.

If you are offered a contract but you’re not represented by an agent, good for you.  If you’re unable to secure an agent to handle negotiations, all is not lost.  Before you sign on the dotted line, ask a literary lawyer to vet the contract for you.  I was so glad I contacted Elaine English about vetting my contract.  Not because I don’t like my publisher or don’t trust them, but because it’s just smart business. Contract clauses are negotiable.  Not all of them, but the worst that happens when you ask for a change is that they’ll say no.  A literary lawyer specializes in literary contracts.  They know what’s typical, where you can negotiate, etc.  They also do not need to live in the same city you do.  Elaine English practices law in Washington D.C. but her Web site is out there. She’s also a literary agent, so for me she was the perfect person to ask for assistance.

Finally, start promoting YOU as a brand before you’re published.  Buy an internet domain name and get a Web site going.  If you have the time and energy, start a blog.  Make contacts.  Network.  It helps… a lot.

As a final note, Francesca’s novel, Protect and Defend was recently reviewed and rated 4 ½ out of 5 stars by Romantic Times magazine. The reviewer even called the book “a keeper.”  

Thanks to Francesca for taking the time to give us a little insight into her experience as an author. 

Virginia – I am still plugging along with the first draft of my story – Finding Faith a women’s fiction novel I hope to complete this year. It is the story of a young woman who is in an abusive situation and how she escapes. In escaping her past, she finds herself.

Until next time, keep writing!

Virginia

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Carla Cassidy’s newest release titled – Last Gasp.  It will keep you breathless with each twist and turn.  If you haven’t yet read Carla’s books, I’d like to introduce you to this multi-published author.  She has been kind enough to grant me this interview.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed visiting with her.

Virginia – Where are you from?

Carla – I was born in Lawrence, Kansas but spent the first twelve years of my life in the small town of Lansing, Kansas.  At that time we moved to Kansas City and that’s been my home.

Virginia – How long have you been writing?

Carla – I started writing when I was in junior high school, but I didn’t get serious about a career in writing until I’d married and had children.  My first book was published in 1988, so I’ve been doing this for a while.

Virginia – What do you write?

Carla – Right now I’m almost exclusively writing romantic suspense.  It’s a genre I love, but I’ve also written straight romance and a couple of paranormals.

Virginia - Tell us a little about your publisher and agent.

Carla – I write for Harlequin, Silhouette and NAL and my agent is from the Curtis Brown Literary Agency.  I love writing the shorter formats for Harlequin and Silhouette and then exploring longer stories for NAL.

Virginia - How many books have you published so far?

Carla – To be honest, I’m not sure of the exact number, but I think it’s just over a hundred.

Virginia – What is your writing day like?

Carla – My writing day starts about fifteen minutes after I roll out of bed.  I make the coffee, then sit down at the computer.  The computer stays on and I work until bedtime with breaks for the usual cleaning and cooking.  My office is my cave and I’m rarely out of it for any length of time.

Virginia – Do you have anything that just came out?

Carla – On April 7th my latest release from NAL hit the stands.  Last Gasp is a romantic suspense novel set in western Kansas.

Virginia – What are you working on now?

Carla- At the moment I’m working on a new book for Harlequin Intrigue entitled, Scene of the Crime: Brightwater, Texas.  Next month I have a release from Harlequin Intrigue.  Interrogating The Bride is the frist of a three book series.

Virginia- Do you have any words of wisdom for us unpubs?

Carla - I wish I had the magic secret for getting all writers published, but unfortunately I don’t. You need to educate yourself, attend conferences, study the markets, join a writers’ group.  Probably the most important thing a writer needs to survive to get published is patience and perseverance.  I know writers far talented than me who never got published because they received a couple of rejection letters and gave up.  So, my advice would be if this is your dream, write, write, write!

Now go check out Last Gasp. 

Carla Cassidy is the award-winning author of more than one hundred books.  She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with her husband.  Visit her Web site at www.carlacassidybooks.com.

Finding Faith, the working title of the story I’m currently writing is coming along.  I finished 10,000 words this past month of my first draft.  The characters are starting to feel more real and I do look forward to spending time with them each day.  With my real job as a Realtor, I find it hard to spend as much time on my book as I need to but in this real estate market, I have to be thankful for all my business and besides, who needs sleep.

Keep writing!

Virginia

Find future author interviews at www.virginiasviewonnovelwriting.wordpress.com

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In case you haven’t noticed, I like quotes.  I decided recently to open each of my blog posts with one.  You’re also probably wondering who the heck is Glen McMullen?  Well, Glen McMullen is a character created by Lois Greiman and he lives in her (Unzipped, Unplugged, Unscrewed, and Unmanned) series.  Picture Chrissy McMullen, a thiry something, single psychologist, who is treating a famous football player for impotency and ends up having him chase her around her desk … unzipped… and discovers that he definitely was lying about that little problem.  She doesn’t have time to worry about it though because he has the bad manners to drop dead at her feet.  Next thing she knows, a sexy police detective with an attitude is determined to prove that Chrissy had a more intimate relationship with her dead client and is out to prove that she killed him. 

Unzipped

Lois writes more than just mysteries, If your into steamy romances, do check out her website for the full list of books she’s written.  In the meantime, she was kind enough to allow me to interview her for this blog site. 

First of all, I’d like to thank Lois again for taking the time for this interview.

Virginia: Where are you from?

Lois: A cattle ranch in North Dakota.

Virginia: How long have you been writing?

Lois: I started seriously writing in about ‘87.  Wow.  that’s a long time ago.

Virginia: What do you write? 

Lois: Mostly mystery and historical romance.  But I’ve written some contemporary romantic comedy and children’s fiction.

Virginia: Tell us a little about your publisher and agent.

Lois: I write historicals for Avon Books and have since about ‘91.  I’m writing my mystery series for Bantam/Dell/Random House.  I also have a new faerie anthology coming out from St. Martins Press. As for my agent, she’s my fifth…but my first true love.

Virginia: How many books have you published so far?

Lois: About 30. I used to think authors must have to be a little retarded in order to lose track, but well… maybe I’m a little retarded.

Virginia: What is your writing day like?

Lois: Right now it’s nuts cuz I have a book due in three weeks and the book hates me.  But usually I feed my horses, get some exercise, check my blog, then write from about 10-4.  Sometimes it’s more like 10-10:25. And sometimes it’s more like 10-10, depending how things are going.  For the first draft I write about ten pages a day.  For the other drafts I edit 20-50 pages a day.

Virginia: Can you tell us about your 5 draft system?

Lois: For the first draft it’s just kind of a mind dump.  I write as quickly as I can so my internal editor doesn’t have time to get too outraged by all the mistakes I make.  I just get down the story and don’t worry about names, typos, or even logic really.  I just write.  Second draft I begin to make it make sense.  I know the characters a little bit now, so I can figure out why they do what they do.  By the third draft it should start showing some promise.  Or at least some hope.  Then I start fleshing out the characters, making changes as needed to sentence structure, character, logic, etc. Fourth draft is mostly about fixing the flow.  I read that draft out loud to myself and let the characters tell me what I’m doing wrong. Fifth draft is all mechanics and last minute hysteria.

Virginia:  Do you have anything that just came out?

Lois:  Seduced By Your Spell, which has been getting really nice reviews (thanks everyone) was just released Feb. 24th and One Hot Mess will hit the shelves on March 24th.

Virginia: What are you working on now?

  

My progress on my own book is slow.  I have been working on a synopsis and have two chapters so far.  I decided my first chapter needed a scene that described my protagonist’s situation a little better so have been writing another opening scene for my first chapter.  Now that I’ve got my tax stuff done, I intend to spend my non-working hours focused on my book.

Until next time,

Virginia Gruver

Find future author interviews at www.virginiasviewonnovelwriting.wordpress.com

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