Guest blogger, Angela Kay Austin

For as long as I can remember, I’ve written. Poetry, women’s fiction, romance, whatever pleased my heart flowed through my pen, pencil or the click of my keyboard. But, now, I have my first book—LOVE’S CHANCE—coming out, and writing has suddenly gotten harder. I’ve finally accomplished my dream. So, let’s not mention that, now, there’s a standard out there. Something I have to live up to or at least there will be, and now, there’s the whole what will reviewers and readers say anxiety.

But this post isn’t about any of that. It’s about emotion. Emotional writing blocks. My company has recently gone through cutbacks, the holidays are here, and well, just about any old number of things has halted my writing every other day. How many times have I sat at my computer, and ended up surfing the web verses writing anything worth anything. I have pieces that are in various stages of completion, but little energy to complete them. So, what do you do?

Once, a friend of mine said, “write around the block.” Yeah. Easily said, right? But, not easily done. When I have a block, it affects everything. I don’t ‘feel’ like doing anything. Often, I find myself lumbering around my house from couch to bed and back again eating ice cream, and being extremely unproductive. But, then his words echo in my mind. And, then I get a little spark. A little flicker of light pops in front of my eyes. I make a journal entry. Then, I write a poem. Then, I find myself blogging. And, believe it or not, it builds until I sit and write a scene that makes sense.

Write something.

It might not be your best work, but there will be words on the paper. This post isn’t about self-editing, but we all know that self-editing is one of an author’s biggest Achilles hills. National Novel Writing Month (Nano) taught me that getting the writing done is the goal. Correcting grammar, and layering in setting, emotion, and action after you get the thoughts on paper can be done on revision. But don’t hinder your flow by critiquing every single word choice or plot point. For God’s sake, don’t beat yourself over the head with a stick. Follow your characters, your muse, and let the ideas flow. Don’t stifle them.

Holidays are a time of year, when so many of us reflect upon the year that’s ending, and we place such high expectations on ourselves for the year ahead, that we feel unsuccessful because we believe we fell short. Don’t look at what you didn’t achieve, look at what you did. If you set goals, I am certain you accomplished something on your checklist. Look at it. Mark it off. Feel good about what you did do, and if there’s something you didn’t complete, then begin a new list to get you to a point of success for that goal.
Start a new project. I’ve found this to be a great point of success. Now, if I find myself in a situation where nothing I do works, then I will sit that project to the side, and do something else. I follow the emotion that’s blocking me. If I’m sad, and I can’t do happy, then I write sad. If I’m in love, and I can’t do breakup, then I do love. But there are so many things that can put me in the right mindset: music, movies, TV. Have you ever tried making a soundtrack? Remember when you were in high school or college, and you made that perfect CD for the man or woman of your dreams? Do that for your hero or heroine.

Become your character.

While living in Pennsylvania, I played a lot of ‘what if’ games. Those games became LOVE’S CHANCE.
I had a lot of time on my hands between rock painting, shopping, and endless movie watching. I’d sit at food courts at area malls, and write stories to the people walking past me. They had no idea what my little pad and pencil were for. I attended some of the functions in my story, and observed. I interviewed co-workers and friends. I became Sinclair Mosley.

Think about your characters. What would he or she do to get through what you’re feeling? Now, write it. Your personal situation just became a plot point. For a story I’m writing now, my heroine is going through a lot of what I personally am living. Isn’t that one of the reasons we’re writers, anyway, to be able to tell stories that draws our readers into the world we’ve created? The emotions we experience help to create that world. If we can’t write through what we feel or use it how can we ever pull the reader into our worlds? How many times have you heard that comics laugh at their pain? How many can you count on your hand that you’ve heard were suffering some great pain, you’ve read articles or heard stories about their lives and thought…oh my god. But what did they do? They kept working. They used it. And, we have to do the same.

Don’t let emotion become a road block. Let it become your fuel.

Meet Ron Adams

Ron has been a good cyber friend for several years now and I am too excited to be able to help him promote a tremendously fun book, Key Lime Squeeze. Here is the interview done with Ron recently.

Tell us about yourself. Please share a short bio with us.

I have always loved a good story. Growing up around an extended family, I learned to appreciate the stories told by my great grandfather of “the old days” in Boston, of the family histories related by my grandparents, by my aunts, uncles and parents. And then there was the assortment of characters that always seemed to be around my parents home. Priests, cops, bar owners, bikers, Marines, cross country hitchhiking cousins, and even international animal rescue workers all provided their own unique stories, and a base for my imagination.

Based on a lifetime of colorful individuals and a love of the mystery and crime fiction genre, I published my first novel, Lake Effect, in 2003. I am active in several online writing communities, and has written several short stories, as well as article on topics from rehabilitation to fitness and health to poker basics. My latest novel, a sequel of sorts to Lake Effect, was just picked up by Charles River Press and is due to be released sometime in mid-2010.

I live in a beautiful town on the shores of Lake Erie just south of Buffalo, NY, with my wife, Trish, and my son and daughter.

Tell us about your book and where it can be found.

Key Lime Squeeze follows Buffalo P.I. Joe Banks as he tracks runaway husband and insurance executive, Robert Boothby, all the way to Key West. But this is no ordinary midlife crisis victim, because he runs away with the money he helped his criminal in-laws steal from his own company, and Banks finds himself saddled with the family’s enforcer for a traveling companion. They discover they aren’t the only ones looking for Boothby, leading to a confrontation with Banks’ old mentor-turned-mercenary who is looking not only to recover the stolen money, but also to blackmail the Cantolinos at the same time. The job becomes a game of cat and mouse with the Cantolino crime family, as allies become enemies, and enemies turn to allies, with help coming from a most surprising source. Even the police can’t be trusted when there’s so much money at stake. The story twists and turns to the very end, as Banks discovers who to trust, and who’s in on the squeeze.

My first novel, Lake Effect, can be ordered through your favorite book store, from the publisher, (PublishAmerica), and from many online bookstores like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, etc.

What age did you discover writing? What is your earliest work about?

That’s a great question. I have been writing all my life, starting with really bad poetry for my wife, my girlfriend at the time. I have written journal articles for a rehabilitation publication, and then really started to take fiction seriously when I turned 40. My first novel, Lake Effect, is about the carjacking and murder of two small children in the dead of winter in the Buffalo, New York area. Private investigator Joe Banks, himself a father of two, is called in to help find out what happened when it turns out the victim’s own family may have something to hide. It was a lot of fun writing this character and his family, and is the start of what I hope will be a successful series.

Who has inspired you as an author?

I have been inspired most by my favorite authors, notably Robert B. Parker, Harlan Coben, Janet Evanovich, and most recently I’ve become a big fan of David Baldacci. I also gain a lot of inspiration from my family, my wife being my biggest supporter, and from my writing friends I’ve met in person and online. I owe a lot of my approach and knowledge of writing, promotion, and publishing to my friends Kim Smith, Henry Gravelle, Stephen Clark Bradley, and Suzanne James.

What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?

The most interesting comment I’ve ever received about my writing came from a Marine stationed in Iraq a few years ago. He got his hands on a copy of Lake Effect as part of a CARE package sent from his family and friends. He wrote and thanked everyone for the goodies, and that the book gave him a taste of home. He also told his mother it was the first book he ever read cover to cover, and was planning on keeping it with him as he is re-deployed to Afghanistan. I may never have a bestseller, but that was the best review I could ever hope for.

Do you have a specific time or place that you write?

The truth is I write whenever, wherever. I have note pads I keep close by for ideas and information, and I use a Toshiba laptop to write. It lets me work in my family room after homework and kid’s bedtimes, at the office during my lunch time, at my son’s karate dojo. I guess you could say I am a very opportunistic writer.

What’s next for you?

Primary for me right now is getting Key Lime Squeeze released and out to the public. After that, I have a third Banks novel currently in progress, with a working title of Crossing Midnight. A lot of the characters people liked from Key Lime Squeeze are back as Banks takes on human traffickers, a street gang, and corrupt politicians in an attempt to find a missing Chinese prostitute.

Thanks a lot for the opportunity to share all this with your readers, and I hope they take the time to check out Lake Effect, and look for Key Lime Squeeze sometime this spring/summer.

Interview with Yvonne Walus aka Eve Summers

Tell us a little about your latest novel and when and where we can get it.

“Murder @ Work” was published by Echelon Press in August 2009 under my own name (Yvonne Walus). It’s set in the “new free South Africa” of 1994, where men are still boss, women still carry handguns for self-protection, and some mistakes can change your life forever. When a body is found during their weekend away with friends, Christine Chamberlain must use her brilliant mathematical mind to prove her husband’s innocence… whether he’s innocent or not. Every marriage needs honesty, but when it comes to your loved ones, is it possible to know too much?

How do you balance the creative process of writing with the demands of public appearances, maintenance of your website, and your family?

In a word, badly. “Balance” doesn’t come into it. Try “run around like mad, dropping the balls and falling on my face with exhaustion”. I have a day job and two children in primary school, so if I want to find time for writing, something has to give – and it’s usually household chores. I look at the dusty furniture, the carpet that has forgotten the loving touch of the vacuum cleaner, the creases on my blouse and I pretend that I don’t care (come to think of it, at 3 A.M. I really don’t care).

One thing I’ve noticed is that I can’t do creative writing and publicity at the same time: it’s either making more pages of my book appear on the word processor, or it’s making more sales happen by blogging, chatting and book signing. Partly it’s due to time constraints, but mostly it’s because my brain can’t switch between book-writing and book-selling fast enough.

Give us an example of a day in the writing life of. Do you stick to a schedule of X amount of hours writing, editing, answering email, etc.?

It’s summer holidays here in New Zealand, so my schedule is disrupted, but I usually have time to write when the children are in bed. When I’m writing the first draft, I like to get about 1000 words a day down – good words, bad words, as long as they are words. It helps when I tell myself I can’t go to bed until I’ve hot target.

About the great ‘rule’ debate: we are told you can’t do this and you can’t write that. But it is stepping outside the lines that gets many authors noticed and eventually published. What are your opinions on the rules?

My only rule is to write responsibly. I try to think of the kind of message I’d like to send to the reader. Do I want to tell them that atheism is ok, or make them think about the wonders of the world? Do I want to be controversial? Do I want to give a potential murderer a great idea on how to use poison? How will I feel when my children read my books? And what do I want to leave as a legacy for the generations to come?

What music do you listen to when you write?

When I need inspiration, I listen to REM’s “Losing my religion” – there’s just something in the beat that fires up my brain. But mostly I need the silence of the sleeping house and the knowledge that nobody will interrupt.
Has a song inspired you to write?

One of my Red Rose Publishing releases, “Safe Sex Incorporated” (written under the pen name Eve Summers), was definitely inspired by Mike Batt’s “Love makes you crazy”. The lyrics go like this:
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I was reading in a history book,
Before the seventh war,
They used to have a thing that they called love,
That we don’t have any more.
I don’t know the feeling,
But I’m told it was an evil thing,
It used to make you crazy and fall down,
No one knows what it could bring.
My book’s all about that.

Do you have a favorite show on TV that helps in moving your muse?

When I write my Eve Summers romances, I always cast Sawyer from LOST as the hero, even if my leading man is black. Sawyer looks good with dark skin and hair….

If you could collaborate with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Anybody famous and bestselling, but I would only do it for their name on the cover, but the book would have to be all mine or all theirs. I can’t write as a joint project. Don’t get me wrong: I love brainstorming, and I think it’s a great idea to get someone in the know to edit my work… but ultimately I need to be the boss of what goes on in my book.

What are your thoughts on promotion for books?

I honestly don’t know. Sometimes I feel as though all the promo effort is wasted, kind of like a tree falling in a forest without making a sound. Other times it looks like the more online presence I have, the better the book sells (“Like a Virgin” is at number 10 at Red Rose Publishing at the moment, and climbing).

Fortunately, I really love talking to my readers, so author talks and interviews are always fun, regardless of whether or not they sell any books.

What advice do you have for authors who haven’t quite gotten their manuscript to the next level, which for most is publishing?

Write the kind of book you’d like to read. Write what you’re passionate about. Write – simply write.

Meet Pat Brown

LA BONEYARDRecently, Book Madness interviewed author, Pat Brown about her latest release. We are happy to share that with our readers!

Tell us a little about your latest novel and when and where we can get it.

L.A. Boneyard is my newest release. It’s the third book in the L.A. series featuring LAPD homicide detective David Eric Laine. This time around 2 dead Ukrainian women propel David on a journey that takes him and his new partner from the bucolic streets of West Hollywood to the gritty drug warrens of South Central L.A. in search of a human trafficking ring smuggling Ukrainian women into the U.S. and forcing them into prostitution.

Information, links to reviews, excerpts and where to buy L.A. Boneyard can be found at my web site

How do you balance the creative process of writing with the demands of public appearances, maintenance of your website, and your family?

I live alone, so my time is pretty much my own. At this time I make very few public appearance, mostly because it’s difficult to travel. I’m hoping to do more next year. I maintain my own web site and with it in place, adding books or updates to existing pages takes very little time. Since I can write pretty much when I want, I feel free to go out and socialize whenever I’m invited.

Give us an example of a day in the writing life of. Do you stick to a schedule of X amount of hours writing, editing, answering email, etc.?

I don’t have any type of schedule. I will get up, check my email and depending on what I’m working on, I’ll get to it. It might be proofing a ms I got back from my editor, working on a first or second draft. I usually have a couple of stories on the go at any time. I just finished one up that I’m shopping around to agents, I have a sequel I’m working on and I just started a new novel, my second shapeshifter story. And I just took some books out of the library to look over with the idea of doing a story dealing with RCMP officers to add more content to my Canadian novels.

When a story is going really well I will often get up really early – 4 or 5 in the morning and write most of the day, staying up until 2 or 3, then up again early the next day. I get very little sleep when I’m deep in the creative mind-set. My mind literarly won’t shut down.

About the great ‘rule’ debate: we are told you can’t do this and you can’t write that. But it is stepping outside the lines that gets many authors noticed and eventually published. What are your opinions on the rules?

I think rules are often hobbles that can keep writers from stretching. My suggestion is to learn those rules, understand them, then break them when it suits your story. It’s not always easy. Once you start selling, it can be scary to break away and do something bigger or different. I’ve done that with that recently finished book. I stepped way outside my comfort zone. It’s not a romance, it’s not really a crime novel, it has some literary components and is semi-tragic. Plus it’s set in a Latino barrio in South Los Angeles, and deals with a young man and his fragile family that he is struggling to keep safe from the criminal elements around them. He meets up with an LAPD patrol officer and there is romance between them, but it’s only a small part of the story. I’m hoping to get a larger audience for it, which is why I want to go the agent route. Only time will tell if my gamble will pay off. But I’ve taken the chance to write it, even knowing it might never find that audience. Sometimes you can’t stay safe. Take chances.

What music do you listen to when you write?

I’m very partial to rock: Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Supertramp, Good Charlotte, Nirvana, The Killers, and U2 among others.

Has a song inspired you to write?

Good Charlotte’s song The River inspired me while I wrote L.A. Boneyard. I played it over and over again. I even posted a link to the video on my web site. That and Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Californication which I also linked to.

Do you have a favorite show on TV that helps in moving your muse?

I loved Southland until the idiots at NBC canceled it. I also like Numb3rs and Castle. I enjoy watching various documentaries on different things. I never know when inspiration will strike. I saw a show on the History channel about the underground city in L.A where speakeasies used to operate. But what was really interesting about it was that unlike eastern cities where the mob ran those things during prohibition, in L.A it was the cops and city hall that controlled them. This is the main reason LAPD had the reputation of ‘being hard’ on organized crime. Whenever they tried to break into L.A. they were told by the boys in blue to get lost, this was their town, so it had nothing to do with protection of the citizens, it was protection for their own money making ventures.. The LAPD had their men acting as doormen to keep people from bringing their own booze in. They were all in these elaborately set up rooms under the main city, with secret entrances. The image of all these gin joints being run by crooked cops and politicians fascinates me.

If you could collaborate with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?

It’s a toss up between Michael Connelly, Joseph Wambaugh or James Ellroy. With Ellroy we could write about those corrupt cops in the 20s.

What are your thoughts on promotion for books?

That it’s hard. The Internet is a great way to find readers and promote all over the world, but it’s also so full of other people trying to do the same that I think a lot of people get burned out with overload. Coming up with ways to get people to notice you gets harder and harder. It’s really important I think to build up a fan base, they’re often the best ambassadors for my books. I love talking to people who have read my books, it’s a lot more satisfying to get an email from someone who just read one of my books and had to tell me how much they liked it. I’ll take that over a good review any day.

What advice do you have for authors who haven’t quite gotten their manuscript to the next level, which for most is publishing?

Read, read, read. Then write, write, write.

Develop a thick skin. Make sure your story as polished as you can make it – and that means you have to get someone to independently review it, someone who can give you an honest appraisal. In other words find a good crit group online or in person. And learn to listen to what they tell you. It does no good to get into a crit group and get defensive or shut your mind to suggestions. If you ever put your story in front of an editor you can’t expect them to be gentle. Nor will they ‘fix’ your book for you. These days that’s your job. The days when an editor would see something good in your manuscript and take it and work with you to make it into a good novel are gone.

Don’t stop at one book. Write another. And another one after that. It’s rare that one’s first book is successful or published. I wrote something like 8 books before I wrote the one that got me both an agent and a publisher. None of those 8 have ever been published. Only one of them still even exists. But with each book I learned. I had some of them critiqued and learned from those critiques. After I had a publishing contract I went on and wrote more. Stories, books, whatever I could. Experiment. Read a lot. Read in your genre. Read outside your genre. Pay attention to what works and try to figure out why it works. Take writing courses if you can afford them. There are some good ones online that don’t cost a lot. Expand your mind with knowledge and your ideas will get bigger.

Thank you Pat for this great interview!

Interview with LARA ZIELINSKY

THANK YOU LARA ZIELINSKY FOR BEING ON BOOK MADNESS TODAY.

1. Tell us about yourself. Please share a short bio with us.

Thank you for having me on today, Kim! I’ve been a writer all my life, but I first ventured into publishing my work only a few years ago. My first novel, Turning Point, received the 2007 Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Award. That same year I was a finalist for the Debut Author award from the Golden Crown Literary Society.
Half a dozen of my short stories have appeared in a variety of anthologies. Several book reviews and articles have appeared in the Boston Bisexual Women’s Network (BBWN) newsletter as well as a Canadian bisexuals newsletter. I host the bi-weekly show “Readings in Lesbian & Bisexual Women’s Fiction” on Blog Talk Radio.
I am a member of the Golden Crown Literary Society, and Florida Writers Association, and a regular participant at Saints & Sinners each year. I identify as bisexual and live in Orlando, Florida with my husband and son.
Website: http://www.lzfiction.net/
Email group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lzfiction2

2. Tell us about your book and where it can be found. this can be a blurb, an excerpt etc.

My latest novel, Turn for Home, is the sequel to my first novel, Turning Point. It continues to tell the story of two women who fell in love despite having never been in love with women before, set against the backdrop of their lives as actresses on a television series together. The first novel was about their feelings, reactions, and growth as they fell in love. Turn for Home picks up the story with the reactions, feelings and challenges to their relationship by people like their coworkers, ex-husbands, boyfriends, and children.
Flush with new love, Brenna Lanigan and Cassidy Hyland set out to make a family together. The women struggle with conflicting needs for openness and secrecy. When an evening out together alerts the paparazzi to their relationship, Brenna and Cassidy face a greater threat to their happiness. Mitch, Cassidy’s ex-husband, refuses to allow his son Ryan to be raised by lesbians, and he intends to stop it – by any means necessary.

(begin excerpt) Turn for Home:

A reporter stopped Cassidy on the walk outside requesting “a few minutes.” Taking him at his word, she took him to her trailer steps, sat down, and gave a simple interview. She was spotted half a dozen more times.
Finally she entered her trailer to get a few hours of memorization done. Just near the end, as she heard her stomach rumble suggesting she find some lunch, Cassidy heard a knock at her trailer door. Maybe it would be Brenna, she hoped.
Cassidy definitely wanted to go find something to do together off set. Just not too far away. Maybe some clothes shopping afterwards.
However the visitor introduced himself as Peter Murray with the Virginia Dispatch newspaper.
“Ms. Hyland?” he asked.
“Yes?”
“I’d like to ask you some questions about the series and the final wrap. Do you have a few minutes?”
Hoping it would be only a few minutes, she didn’t invite him inside. Leaning against the railing of her trailer steps she said, “All right.”
He started off simply asking if she had been enjoying the work. She answered by rote until a question came out of the blue.
“Do you have a favorite designer shop in the mall?”
Since she had just been thinking about clothes shopping with Brenna she wondered if she had said something out loud. “Excuse me?” Cassidy gave him her full attention.
“I was picking up a gift for my kids at the mall, and I spotted you at the food court.”
“Me?”
“You are quite recognizable. So is she.”
“She?”
“Lanigan. This is her right?” He held out a small photograph. It had been taken at the food court at the mall when they all were there the day after Christmas. Centered in the frame, she and Brenna leaned over a table, passing out food. “Who are the kids? Yours or hers?”
“The two teens are hers,” she supplied evenly, knowing lying would be stupid. She began thinking of ways to convince him to give up the picture and any ideas to sell it. “The youngest is mine.” She hadn’t even seen a flash go off. Well, she reasoned, I was distracted. At least it wasn’t when they had their heads bent together discussing Thomas and James.
“Ms. Hyland, the general line is the two of you hardly speak. I’d like the scoop if that’s changed.”
“Working hard together creates friendships in the toughest situations, Mr. Murray.” Vaguely she recalled Brenna saying something similar months ago.
“So you were just Christmas shopping together?”
“Yes,” she answered. “Mind if I show her?”
He stepped back. “That’s all I needed,” he said hastily. “Thank you for your time.”
Cassidy watched him leave then feeling a presence, spoke to the shadow off her left shoulder. “I was waiting for the right moment to get the picture,” she said. She did not have to turn to see the hard look Brenna had offered the reporter go slack.
“Picture? All I saw was your face go pale–”
“How can you tell under the makeup?”
“You’re not wearing any, and neither am I.” Brenna’s expression turned tender as her voice became softer, private. “I learned to pay attention. I care.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.” There was silence as their gazes met. Cassidy swallowed. “I was thinking about doing something with you. Now I’m not so sure.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t get the pictures from him.”
“Pictures of…?”
“Us at the mall with the kids.”
“We can explain that easily, right?”
“But how many more are out there?”
“Would it really harm anything to be seen out shopping together? Or dinner?”
“Bren…”
“Why don’t we go out after work? It might be fun. Nothing intimate. Just shopping, a little dinner. Someplace nearby.” Brenna shook her head, her hair in disarray enough around her features when she looked up she had to brush the locks behind an ear to see Cassidy.
“Why don’t we go back to the set, work on some walk throughs and then we’ll call it a day?”
“I’d like that.”
“You need to meet Max,” Brenna said as she took Cassidy’s hand.
“Do I?” Cassidy asked, hoping her jealousy didn’t show in her voice.
“He’s got a wicked sense of humor.”
Cassidy smiled as Brenna’s gaze was all for her. “All right. Let’s go.”

(end excerpt)

3. What age did you discover writing? What is your earliest work about?

I’ve been writing as long as blank paper was put in front of me and I knew what words were. I was a voracious reader as a kid. I didn’t start writing my own stories though until middle and high school. These were all “high fantasy” with magic, gods, and goddesses, and replica tribal/feudal societies. I loved sword and sorcery. I kind of fell out of love with the genre in my late teens and twenties and started writing more romance (though there were romantic components in my fantasy novels). I think I finally turned on the gas and started writing a lot of contemporary or recent historical setting stories in the last ten years. Romance continues to feature heavily, and erotica. Fantasy has been sporadically revisited but nothing has stuck around yet.

4. Who has inspired you as an author?

I can’t say any one author inspired me to write. There are a lot of individual works that I admire, mostly classics from school, but other than a single book of “inspirational quotes” from authors on my bookshelf, I don’t idolize any authors.
There’s no author of whom I’ve said, “I’d really like to have his/her career.” I don’t want to be “the next Johanna Lindsey” or “the next J.D. Robb.” I want to craft my own career, make my own mark however small, or big, it might eventually be. I love the choices I’ve made in my life and I’m quite happy with the path I’m on.
I do like to talk with other writers about writing, methods, inspiration and story crafting. That’s one of the primary reasons I began my radio show “Readings in Lesbian & Bisexual Women’s Fiction.”
But I definitely craft to my own voice. Even when I was writing “fanfiction” I worked hard to have stories that fit the universe in which I was writing, but that didn’t sound like every other story out there. I am very wary of sounding like any other writer. I want to sound like me. Do I occasionally admire an individual writer’s turn of phrase? Of course. I’m a student of the literature I write. I make myself well-informed about what is being written in the genre. Then I strike out on my own and try to put my own voice out there among the others.

5. What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?

My favorite comment I get about my books is about how visually they play out for readers, and how they seem to gradually grab hold and there’s this point after which they just can’t put it down. I don’t write action or suspense thrillers, so I really appreciate that a romance, even when you know (or at least expect) it’s going to end up HEA, can make readers anxious enough to be sure that’s really what will happen.
I definitely love when I get email from a reader who picked up the book though they might have not thought it was something they would read, and tell me how much they enjoyed the universal themes.

6. Do you have a specific time or place that you write?

I prefer to write in the mornings. That’s when I’m freshest. For the longest time I didn’t have a desk, then I didn’t have a computer for a long while, so my “place” has had to be extremely flexible. I do need relative quiet, or at least a way to block the “outside” from coming in. Without a door to close I need a way to put up a mental wall with noise that can become “white noise” whether it’s the backdrop conversations/buzz of a cafe, or the drone of a radio playing 80s pop or soft rock. I can also work in absolute silence (though that is hard to come by).
I tend to edit on the contract jobs I do, and do “business side” writing like articles, reviews, and designing promotional flyers, in the afternoon and evenings. I try not to work on more than one fiction project at a time. Short stories however will slip into my afternoon routine sometimes even in the middle of a novel project.

7. What’s next for you?

Currently I am draft writing my third novel, a murder mystery. I had hoped to have the draft finished at the end of 2009, but it wasn’t to be. I’m about one-third of the way at the moment. I’ll be looking for a publisher for it probably by the end of 2010. Somewhere in 2010, I also hope to finish a novella that I’ve been kicking around for a couple years, and a couple short stories for a few anthology calls as the mood strikes. I’d like to meet more of my readers, so I’m trying really hard to schedule in a lot of festivals, conferences, and a few bookstore stops with Turn for Home’s release.

Christmas is coming!

Introducing WRITERS! radio show is on hiatus through the Christmas holidays. We will return on December 29th with our end of the year shows, then we will be off again until after New Years.

Merry Christmas to all our fans!

COMING SOON!

I am happy to announce the arrival of some special guests to Introducing Writers! On December 15, Wade Rouse will be with us, and in January we will have Lou Berney and Robin Burcell. If you haven’t gone out and found IW on BlogTalkRadio, I hope you will! The address for the show is : HERE and I usually have the segments up a few days before. You can also find out about our guests on the show page.

I hope you are having a lovely December!

Jane Beckenham, romance author

Meet Jane Beckenham, author of fabulous romances.

Tell us the title of your book and where we can buy it?

Well I’m really excited because my ebook, Desperately Seeking Santa is going into print for Christmas…and you know that’s only 13 weeks away – scary thought!

What is your book about? What genre is it and will you be writing another one in that same field?

It’s a holiday romance, contemporary. My heroine, Mandy Brookes who works as assistant manager of an upmarket store, is required to dress as Mrs Santa for the store’s Santa Grotto. Trouble is the normal 90year old Santa is drunk, so there’s a replacement. Then, they get locked in the store, and Santa isn’t who he appears to be, but the man she dumped at the altar five years earlier.

What inspired you to write your book?

I love holiday stories, and I wanted to write something fun and flirty, and Desperately Seeking Santa is the result.

How long did it take you to write it?

I normally take about 2-3 months, depending on what other writing stuff is going on, edits etc, for my other books.

How much time do you spend editing and what is your method?

I write a really quick first draft, and then do at least five full read throughs, editing, editing and more editing. I also have two great critique partners who will read chapters for me.

Do you belong to a critique group? What is your opinion of critique groups?

Yes, as I mentioned above I have two partners, we swap a chapter a week mostly, but more if required when we’re in deadline mode. I like having crit partners, but I must say that you have to have the right ones that work for you. And I personally believe that I need to have partners who are aiming at the same line as myself, or at least have a very very clear understanding of the that line.

How do you market your book?

I mostly do yahoo groups, a little bit of advertising, but do public appearances, libraries etc. And I’ve been asked to speak quite a few times at different writers’ groups, so that’s nice. I’m in New Zealand, so it’s a small market and very difficult. All my books are in ebook format first, then print, but NZs for the most part don’t even know what an ebook is, so that does make it harder on the home front.

Do you have an agent? Was the process you went through to gain an agent difficult?

No agent at the moment, but I am trying. I recently pitched to Melissa Jeglinski of the Knight Agency and she requested a partial – that went off yesterday actually, so fingers crossed.

Who are some of your favorite authors? Do you believe reading is important for writers?

Love Sandra Hill, Sophia James. Yes, I think writers must keep reading, but that said, I’m struggling to keep up with that at the moment.

Do you have any advice geared toward the writing, or publishing of a book for our members?

Only that try and remember when you’re deep in edits, and it’s midnight, why you do this. It’s because you love it. Because you have to. It’s kinda funny, because this morning I just finished edits for my book Hiring Cupid – Samhain – and I sent them back then found myself sitting at the computer, thinking, what now? I feel lost without a writing project on the go.

Thought I’d give you a small teaser for Desperately Seeking Santa

DESPERATELY
SEEKING SANTA

Jane Beckenham

Mainstream
Holiday/ Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1-60435-249-8

Santa leaned against a railing of silky teddies and thongs, all pink fluff and feathers along with black lace and faux fur. Mandy blinked several times. The guy didn’t move. The look on his face, humor and downright daring indicate he knew exactly what he leaned against. But still he stayed there. His arms crossed his chest, pulling the red suit across his broad shoulders. The fabric stretched and Mandy’s eyes widened. This was no weasely old man Santa and she wondered for the first time, what lay beneath all that fake Santa stuff?
“The phone lines are down,” he said, suddenly breaking into her heated thoughts.
Mandy shook her head, tendrils falling loose across her face. It tickled and she roughly brushed it away, tucking it behind her ears.
“Don’t do that.”
Her hand stalled, a strand of hair still between her thumb and forefinger. “Pardon?” Had she heard right, the guys voice was kinda muffled beneath all those whiskers.
“I liked it like that.”
Her brows puckered. Liked? Mandy snapped her thoughts closed. “The phone,” she prompted.
“The phone lines are out. Must have hit the mobile phone tower too, because can’t get a signal on my phone. The storm has struck so it looks like we’ll have to stay the night.”
“You want to what?” Shocked, Mandy gaped at Santa. “Sleep here?” She took a quick inventory. Not a bed in sight. “You’ve got to be joking. Besides, it’s Christmas Eve.”
“Got anywhere else to go?”
Mandy’s jaw dropped, but no words came out while a stain of heat scalded her cheeks. She didn’t have anywhere else to go No family. No life. Christmas as far as she was concerned was a non-event. But she wasn’t about to admit that. She tucked her suddenly fidgeting hands behind her. “Don’t you?” she questioned as a counter-defense.
“Nope.”
Desperation hiked up ten-fold. “But we’re locked in, everyone’s gone home. What’ll we do?”
“Told you. Sleep.”
Mandy stared into the dimness all around them, expecting, praying a security guard would walk out of the increasing darkness. “”You can’t sleep here. This is a department store.”
“Sure I can. There’s a bed, isn’t there?” he said pointing towards the Santa grotto.
“That’s Santa’s sleigh!”
“Bed, sleigh, what’s the difference?” He shrugged and his bushy white brows wiggled. “You’re a mite picky for someone stuck in a department store, don’t ya think?” He strode towards the sleigh and without thinking she found herself following him. Santa was in full force tossing out presents…well boxes of various sizes and colors intended to grant every child’s desire, as she side-stepped the elve’s mushroom stand.
“Which side do you want?”

Happy reading everyone and many thanks to Kim.
Jane Beckenham

http://www.janebeckenham.com

Interview with Diana Rumjahn

Diana Rumjahn received her bachelor’s degree in social science from San Francisco State University and has worked at the university for over the past two decades. She is currently an administrator at College of Creative Arts, where she received the “Star of the Month Award.” She wrote, directed, filmed, produced and edited the international award-winning film Going Home, which has been shown worldwide. Charlie and Mama Kyna won The Best Short Story for Children Award from 39th Annual Marin County Fair, Marin County, California, USA, 2009.

THANK YOU, Diana, FOR BEING ON BOOK MADNESS.

Tell us about yourself. Please share a short bio with us.

I am a filmmaker and published author. I have been writing ever since I was 5 years old. The book is about stuffed animals so I must share with you that I just love stuffed animals. They are so cute and bring a smile to me. I like films of different genres such as comedy, drama, action, documentary, science fiction, fantasy, and special interest.

Tell us about your book and where it can be found.

Charlie and Mama Kyna is a charming book with beautiful illustrations for children. The story and illustrations are based on my internationally acclaimed film, Going Home, which was shown worldwide, including 45 film festivals and London Film Festival.

The story is about a little stuffed animal frog, named Charlie who runs away in fear after accidentally breaking his mother’s favorite vase. Charlie makes his way to the city and meets a stuffed animal Lion, named Leo and a stuffed animal giraffe named Joe outside Mrs. Cupcake’s Bakery. The three become best friends and live inside a little orange tent outside the bakery.

After awhile, Charlie becomes homesick, misses his mother, Kyna, decides to go home and invites Leo and Joe to live with them. On the next sunny day, Charlie, Leo and Joe, journey to find Mama Kyna’s home.

Charlie and Mama Kyna can be found on Amazon.com.

What age did you discover writing? What is your earliest work about?
When I was very young, I was interested in writing in biographies and romance novels. My earliest work is unpublished.

Who has inspired you as an author?
I think many authors over the years have inspired me. I really can not say just one.

What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?

One comment said that my book is similar to the story of the prodigal son which I have not read. Another comment said that it’s a very childlike interpretation of an adult world filled with guilt, justice and punishment.

Do you have a specific time or place that you write?

I write whenever the thought enters into my mind.

I am currently working on a new film.

Meet Caridad Pineiro

Until after I sold my first book, I thought the hardest part of the publishing process was writing and selling the book. Little did I know about all the hard work that came after the sale — revisions, galleys, new proposals and the promotion and publicity necessary to establish and advance a career as a writer.

Many aspiring authors don’t understand the entire process and in all fairness neither did I when I sold my first book. But I soon found out just what was involved in not only taking a book from sale to publication, but what was needed afterward to try and make that book a success.

For starters, the book that you sell to a publisher is oftentimes a diamond in the rough. It will take the editor’s skills to polish it and make it as bright and shiny as it can be on the shelf. After the sale, the editor will read your manuscript and generally offer up a number of revisions for you to undertake. The one rule I always tell writers about this phase – Don’t be a diva. Editors are there to help you make your product more marketable so listen to the comments they have to offer and work with them. There are some authors who think of their creation as being untouchable. That their vision is one not to be tampered with but the bottom line is, if a book doesn’t sell your vision will reach no one.

Having a successful book will also take the involvement of the art, sales and marketing departments to produce that final product and try to make it sell. The art department will work with your editor, executive editors and maybe even the publisher to decide on the look for your book cover. The marketing department may also have some input into the cover as well as the title. Another rule to remember – don’t get married to your title. Titles will often be changed to make the book more marketable. Finally, the book, cover and title may be discussed with the sales department to see if they envision any problems. For example, there are certain titles and covers which will not fly with some retailers, such as Walmart. Changes might be made to make sure your book will be bought by all of the important retailers.

It will also be up to the sales department to sell your book to distributors and retailers. During the process of selling the book, there may also be discussion of “coop” money. “Coop” money is the money paid by the publisher and/or agreed to by retailers in order to give your book prime placement in a store. For example, all those books that you see on the tables, end caps or face out as well as “dumps”. “Dumps” are those free-standing cardboard display boxes you see in stores. Not all books will receive “coop” dollars to help get them in premiere locations in a bookstore.

During the process of selecting cover art, sales, etc., you will receive copyedits. The copyedits are additional changes being requested by your editor and/or a copyeditor. These changes may be just grammatical, but they could also involve revising plot issues, issues with the timing in the novel or even fact checking.

Once you review the copyedits and send them back, the book will move on in the next stage of production and you will eventually receive what is known as the “galley”. The galley is the proof copy of the book that will be printed. Your contract will provide that you are supposed to review the galley for any errors and return the pages with errors to your publisher.

Revisions, cover art, sales, galleys . . . So how long does that entire process take? In general, about a year from the time you first deliver your full manuscript to when your book will hit the shelves.

But I did leave out an important part of the process – promotion and publicity. Many many months before the book is released, you will need to decide what you will be doing to promote and publicize your book. In most cases, the bulk of the work will rest with the author since many publishers will not do promotion on behalf of an author. But before you embark on a promotion and publicity plan, make sure to coordinate with your publisher to see if they are doing anything and if so, what they are doing so that you do not duplicate efforts.
What are some things that you can do to promote? Ads in trade magazines, press releases, newsletters, contests, giveaways, conferences, sending out review copies, a website, blog, social media sites and video trailers are all ways in which you can promote and publicize your book. You should discuss all of these things with your agent (if you have one) and/or your publisher. You may also wish to engage the services of a private publicist to assist you with all of these items.

And while you’re doing all of the above, don’t forget one very important thing – always be preparing your next book and/or proposal. Publishers love writers who always have something ready because it’s important to have regular product on the shelves so that you can build a following and increase your book sales with each release. So, always be writing!

Thanks for having me visit and I wish you all the best of luck in your writing careers!