An Interview with Paranormal Romantic Suspense Author Maureen Fisher

The skirl of bagpipes still brings a tear to Maureen’s eye. An only child torn from her beloved Scotland by well-meaning parents at age seven, she sailed to Canada where she immersed herself in the imaginary world of books for ten years, surfacing only to eat and attend school. Unfurling her wings at the University of Toronto, she studied Fine Art between social engagements. Shortly after graduation, her first marriage precipitated a move to Ottawa where she succeeded in convincing the federal government to hire a Fine Arts specialist as a computer programmer. After a rocky start in the world of bits and bytes, she discovered bridge, downhill skiing, and women’s canoe trips.

Three years later, Maureen graduated again, this time to full-time homemaker and mom, raising two wonderful sons, orchestrating countless dinner parties, playing bridge, and reading romance novels. Eight years later, she plunged back into the business world to start a thriving management consulting business in partnership with her second husband. This marriage survived because she and her husband pledged never to work on the same project again. Ever.

After a century in the consulting world, Maureen grew weary of wearing snappy power suits, squeezing into panty hose, and fighting rush hour traffic. She still didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up, but was certain it wasn’t a consultant. An avid fan of romantic suspense, she announced to her husband, “I’m going to write a book.” After a five-day course, she quit her day job, rolled up her sleeves, and started to write. Fifteen rejections, six tons of chocolate, and ninety-five re-writes later, Lachesis Publishing acquired her prizewinning paranormal romantic suspense and first book, The Jaguar Legacy.

Between trips, Maureen and her husband live in Ottawa where she volunteers for an addiction family program, plays bridge, and slaves several hours a day over her computer to improve her writing skills.

You can visit her website at http://www.booksbymaureen.com/.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Maureen! Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?

Thanks. It’s great to be here. I am a first-time author.

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

My first-born literary baby is called The Jaguar Legacy. I am delighted to announce it is also my first published book.

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

I stopped counting, but I would guess around fifteen to twenty. That’s not counting the editors and agents who did not respond.

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

Initially, even though I knew better and vowed that this time I would act in a mature and sane manner, I felt terrible, lousy, like I had absorbed a body blow. Mainly, I ate chocolate. My writers’ group consoled me that a rejection did not necessarily mean that the editor thought my manuscript was trash. Theoretically, I understood what my friends were trying to tell me. In reality, each rejection felt like someone had told me my baby was ugly.

I soon discovered that the only way to survive the ego-crushing rejection process was to treat the entire process as an academic exercise—an advanced degree in novel writing, so to speak. Having said that, every time the long-awaited response arrived and I opened my rejection letter or scanned the standard rejection postcard, my first priority was to consume my entire body weight in chocolate. Sometimes I cried. My husband can testify to that.

After two days (all I permitted myself) of moaning, whining, wallowing, and generally driving anyone within earshot nuts, I shoved my ego out of the way, analyzed the editor or agent’s comments (if I was lucky enough to receive any), and absorbed the critique. After all, I had asked for this punishment and I wanted to improve my craft.

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

Lachesis Publishing published The Jaguar Legacy in March 2007.

I first caught wind of Carole Spencer from a friend. A local Ottawa editor who worked for a British publishing house, Carole also conducted in-depth critiques as a secondary business line. My decision took less than a second. I hired Carole to critique my three first chapters, and soon met her at a writers’ brunch, where we hit it off. Fast-forward two years. Jungle drums thumped in Ottawa. Rumblings reached my ears about a new publishing house called Lachesis Publishing, headed by, you guessed it, Carole Spencer. Long story short, I sent in the standard query letter, she remembered my manuscript (favorably as it turned out), and turned the final decision over to her Chief Editor, Giovanna Lagana. The rest, as they say, is history.

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

Selling my book was one of the most monumental accomplishments of my life. It’s hard to describe the emotions I felt — a combination of elation, excitement, vindication, closure, anticipation, and more than a touch of fear. Fear of what lay ahead, fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of success, you name it.

That night, my husband and I celebrated by ordering in a ginormous Hawaiian pizza with hot banana peppers and olives (no way, was this published author preparing dinner). We polished off the whole thing along with a couple of bottles of wine while sitting on our deck watching the sunset.

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

I had some great, professional-looking business cards made up — a pair of jaguar eyes against a black background — and paid a web guru to design and build a website. Also, I hired a publicist, LeeAnn Lessard, who has provided invaluable advice and suggestions.

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

I have never been a person who argued with success. My experience with Lachesis Publishing has been positive, and they took a chance on this first-time author.

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

I have not been published again — yet. I’m working on my second book, Fur Ball Fever, a romantic suspense with comic elements. I describe it as: Best in Show (with hot sex) meets The Stephanie Plum Series.

After a summer break, I recently re-read what I had written, and realized how much I have grown as an author since my first draft of The Jaguar Legacy. Turns out I had made every beginner’s mistake in the book. Over the course of the next ten to fifteen versions, I removed all head-hopping; I chopped the dreaded back story from the first five chapters; I ridded my book of pesky adverbs by making each verb as punchy as possible; I switched from passive to active tense; I threw away my first three chapters and started the story at what I thought was the beginning of the action, then repeated the exercise; I trashed some of my favorite scenes because they didn’t move the plot ahead; I addressed all five senses; I anchored all conversations to specific actions so there were no ‘talking heads’; I made sure I described the location of each scene; I switched to deep third person point of view. I nipped, I tucked, I tightened, and I never stopped learning my craft. I’m happy to say, my first draft of Fur Ball Fever reflects my growth as a writer.

On the business side, I have submitted a proposal for a workshop entitled Beginners’ Mistakes: Things Books Tell You and Many Things They Don’t.

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up? What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

I gave this question considerable thought before answering, and came to the happy conclusion that I wouldn’t change anything. Nada. Not one painful, gut-wrenching moment of despair; not one beginner’s mistake (and I made every one of them in the book and then some, but oh, how I learned and grew!), and not one glorious, miraculous moment of triumph. I must admit, though, that looking back at the bright and sunny June morning in 2002 when I made the fateful decision to hang up my hat as a management consultant to write romance, I had no concept of what lay ahead.

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

I returned yesterday from the Surrey International Writers Conference in B. C. and am so proud of myself. An introvert at heart, I stepped outside of my comfort zone in so many ways and it feels great.

The first stomach churning step I took was to pitch my second book, Fur Ball Fever, to an agent who was very interested and asked if the manuscript was finished. When I explained somewhat sheepishly that I was only a third of the way through my first draft, she told me, no problem. Simply email her when it’s completed. Now, all I have to do is sit down, write the sucker, and hope she still likes my pitch in a year or so.

But that’s only the beginning. The following morning, Diana Gabaldon, one of my all-time favourite authors and creator of The Outlander series, was mine, all mine, for a double Blue Pencil session. The person preceding me was a no-show, so I got twenty-five minutes of Diana’s undivided attention. She read my entire first chapter, laughed in all the right places, said I had a knack for writing humor, and made several very helpful suggestions to improve my work and tighten the suspense. Wow!

Next, I pitched my first book to a Vancouver film producer who was searching for Canadian material with international appeal. She said she was intrigued by The Jaguar Legacy, and walked away with my media kit and a copy of the book, promising to have someone read it to assess whether or not it was movie material.

There’s more. I forced myself to do more networking. I mean, I really pushed myself to socialize with STRANGERS. You extroverts out there probably won’t relate, but I find networking one of the hardest things to do at a conference. Not only did I meet some delightful people, six of them actually purchased a copy of my book at the Book Fair.

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

Long, long ago, I did choose another profession — management consulting in the Information Technology sector, but that’s not what you meant. The only other profession I considered was that of psychologist, but decided against the switch because I wasn’t sure I could maintain the necessary detachment in the face of all those issues, traumas, and anxt. I have enough of my own.

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

Here’s the thing. I’m a psychologist wannabe, a voyeur of the human psyche, an emotional junkie. I suck up internal conflicts like a Hoover sucks up dust –emotions, feelings, and emotional baggage that characters drag around, providing their motives and affecting their actions. Writing a romance novel is a psychological jigsaw puzzle that feeds my craving for an emotional fix. I feel that I am living the best of both worlds, only without the responsibility of curing a patient or the guilt if I failed.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

Career-wise, I see myself as a New York Times best-selling author with several successful books under my belt, merrily belting out riveting workshops and memorable keynote speeches in front of worshipful audiences — as long as nobody objects to a presenter whose memory for author names and book titles is woefully foggy, and who forgets the details of a plot as soon as she puts the book down.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

· Join a critique group.

· Don’t give up because of rejections or stinging critiques. Keep on writing.

· Mistakes are inevitable. Every writer makes them. Learn from your mistakes and keep on writing.

· Send that manuscript out. I was amazed at the number of authors who won’t submit their manuscript to an agent, editor, or contest because they fear criticism. And keep on writing.

· Pitch your book at every opportunity. Practice first on a fellow writer.

· Keep learning. Hone your craft. Attend workshops, take classes (there are lots of great online courses), read how-to books.

· Eat chocolate.

· Persistence, persistence, persistence. Did I mention keep on writing?

Tags: Beyond the Books, online book promotion, author promotions, author publicity, book publicity, Maureen Fisher, The Jaquar Legacy

An Interview with Author Pamela S. Thibodeaux

Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder/President & Treasurer of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.” Email: pthib-7@centurytel.net  Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com    

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Pamela. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)? 

I am multi-published with 4 titles and numerous short stories, articles and essays to my credit. Titles include: Tempered Hearts, Tempered Dreams & Tempered Fire (books 1, 2 &3 in 5-part series) published by ComStar Media, LLC available in Ebook & Print! And The Inheritance, published by The Wild Rose Press also available in Ebook & Print! I also have short stories (called Rosettes) published and/or coming soon from The Wild Rose Press. Some of my articles can be read at Associated Content and Helium Knowledge. 

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

My very first book is now known as Tempered Hearts and it is published.  For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it? Hundreds! Honestly I began submitting Tempered Hearts almost immediately after it was written in 1996. I submitted to agents and publishers. In Dec. 2000 the title was picked up by Writers Exchange E-Publishing Co. and in June 2001 Tempered Dreams was published also by WEE. Since WEE did not offer POD services, I paid for the print copies and worked with the Books-A-Million stores to distribute.

In 2002 I pulled my contract and signed with an “up and coming” new publisher that never got off the ground. Left floundering after 18 months in an unfulfilled contract, in 2003 I started over –pitching to both agents and publishers, and eventually signed the entire Tempered series with Com Star Media. In 2005 both Tempered Hearts and Tempered Dreams were re-released (edited/new covers) and in 2006 Tempered Fire followed. Tempered Joy will be out in 2008. 

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

Rejection always hurts. First I cry and threaten to quit and then I get angry and frustrated. Eventually I’ve learned to view rejections the way my husband always has—as “their loss.” J  

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

Tempered Hearts was initially published by Writers Exchange E-Publishing Co out of Australia. I had worked with Sandy Cummins, Editor and CEO of WEE when she published several of my articles in her Ezine; from there our trust in each other grew and when she announced that she would be publishing novels, I submitted and she accepted. One reason I chose to sign with WEE (and the publishers since) is that they understood my writing and didn’t/don’t adhere to strict, ultra-conservative, Christian guidelines. You see, although I do write inspirational, I write “Inspirational with an Edge!” I write “steamier and grittier” with a higher level of sensuality and “gritty realism” than found in traditional Christian romance. That said; please let me reiterate what I’ve said before: All things that give God glory deserve to be praised! My writing is not better than traditional Christian romance, it is just different. 

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

Getting those first –and subsequent- acceptances is a thrilling experience! I celebrate in different ways (though always with chocolate). J 

What was the first thing you did as far as promotion when you were published for the first time?

 Purchased a domain name and developed a website (well actually a cousin developed it for me). This is first and foremost the most basic form of promotion an author should have. 

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

Oh sure, I would choose for a Big Name, Traditional publisher to see the value in my writing and pick up my books and promote me straight to the Best Seller Lists! (Who wouldn’t?) J

However as recently as 2005 an editor from Steeple Hill (Harlequin’s Inspirational Imprint) informed me that the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) may never relinquish guidelines on sensuality it their romances…so the chance of that Big Name Publisher picking up my work is slim.  

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

Yes, I’ve been published numerous times with articles, essays and devotionals. Hopefully I’ve grown as an author in writing a better, cleaner and more concise story. 

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up?  What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

Other than change my entire writing style and voice to ‘fit’ the CBA guidelines of “chaste” romances, I’m not sure I could have done anything differently to speed things up. Believe me, I tried that! I revised and revised until I couldn’t even recognize my own story. Disheartened and frustrated, I quit doing that and just wrote what God gave/gives me to write. The one mistake that I deeply regret is signing with a company that was not well established. Even if it is a new publishing company, writers need to beware and be smart about signing a contract with someone who is not actively working toward the publication and advancement of their authors.  

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

Other than publications itself, which is a great accomplishment, I have co-founded a local writers’ group: Bayou Writers’ Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

My profession of choice is a stay-home wife/mother. I have worked in various professions all of my life but that one dream has escaped me. You see, all I’ve ever wanted from the time I was old enough to articulate it was to get married and have a family. Although I do have a wonderful husband, four great children (six if you count my sons-in-law) and two BEAUTIFUL grandchildren, I still have not attained the “stay home” part. Alas, it is what God desires of me –not my will that counts. J 

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

One of the great things about being an author is that you can combine the best of both worlds no matter what your profession; although I would dearly love to be a stay-home writer. 

How do you see yourself in ten years?

Hopefully still writing and possibly achieving the stay home status. Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day? Never give up! Writing is a gift and a talent….don’t bury your talent or hide your gift.   

An Interview with Intuitive Cooking Cookbook Author Dyan Garris

For many years Dyan Garris has been counseling clients in order to help them positively move forward in their lives.  She is clairvoyant, clairsentient, and clairaudient.   In addition, Dyan is also what is known as a voice recognition psychic and trance channel.  This means that she can help her clients via phone, which is how she conducted her readings throughout her career. 

Dyan became aware of her clairvoyance, and other gifts, at a very young age.  She spent years learning how to use these gifts to help others. 

In 2005 she created a CD series of music and meditation for self-healing, relaxation, chakra balancing, and vibrational attunement of mind, body, and spirit.

Her interest in music began as a child.  A blind piano teacher who taught her to “feel” music and “see” through different eyes influenced her at a young age. 

Dyan continued her music studies with the violin.  Through the violin she learned how easily music vibrates throughout the body and, hence, all of the chakras.  This was her first lesson of how the power of music and sound could be used for healing. 

In 2005, while sitting at the piano, she heard specific songs and titles coming from her psychic connections.  Writing them down as fast as she could, the result was “A Healing Journey – The Voice of the Angels” CD.  This is the first in the series designed for vibrational attunement of the mind, body and spirit.  There are six CDs in the series (all available separately) plus two radio version music-only compilations and two meditation-only compilations. The radio version music compilation “Spiritus Sanctus” Volume 2 was a 2006 NAR Lifestyle Award qualifier in two categories and is still charting well over a year and a half later.  Her new CD of instrumental relaxation music with the angelic vocals of award winning recording artist Amber Norgaard titled “Release” was released in September 2007. 

Dyan’s music can be heard nationally and internationally on numerous radio stations and was recently in the top ten on Music Choice’s “Soundscapes” cable TV channel.  

Dyan is also the author, developer, and artist of “Voice of the Angels-A Healing Journey Spiritual Cards.” These are a thirty card deck of angel cards based upon scenes from “A Healing Journey Guided Fantasy,” which is the guided meditation found on the last track of “A Healing Journey-The Voice of the Angels” CD. Each card has its own channeled message in verse from the Angels.  

Dyan writes a “Daily Channeled Message” which posts on her website every day. Recently, she authored “The Book of Daily Channeled Messages,” which is 180 uplifting, inspirational angelic messages. 

Her new book “Voice of the Angels Cookbook-Talk To Your Food!-Intuitive Cooking” is now available at the author’s website and Amazon.com.  This is an adventure in opening the creative centers and communicating with your food so it can transform from raw ingredients into what truly nourishes you on every level. The book includes twelve food-related channeled messages such as “The Secret Recipe of Life,” and “The Measure of Success,” plus several “Intuitively Speaking” paragraphs which explain how to prepare the recipe using one’s own unique creativity.   For more information log onto www.voiceoftheangels.com.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Dyan.  Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? 

Thank you for having me as a guest! I am a multi-published author.

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

The very first book I wrote is not published and probably never will be. It’s more of a family book now. I wrote it and illustrated it for my younger brother when I was nineteen years old. It’s called “The Adventures of Shaggy and Shannon” and is about two adventurous and quite mischievous sheepdogs. I had an Old English sheepdog at the time. My brother was fascinated by him. My mother had instilled a love of books and reading in us.  She read to us every night even when we could read for ourselves. There were no books commercially available for children at that time about sheepdogs, so I just wrote one for him. It was fun! I think he still has it. 

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

The first work I published was “Voice of the Angels – A Healing Journey Spiritual Cards.” I developed and drew them in 1993. Each came with its own channeled message in verse; and each card was based on scenes from “A Healing Journey Guided Fantasy,” which is a meditation I wrote and had put to music as a companion CD. They were meant to work together as an integrated “healing journey.” At the time there were no cards of this nature on the market and the publishing field was quite different than it is today. To get anything published one had to go through the appropriate channels. I wrote up a book proposal and began to shop the cards around. There was a book that went along with the cards and a journal as well.  This type of work was not considered mainstream at the time and producing decks of full color cards was expensive. I received at least fifty rejections.  In the meantime, eventually someone did come out with decks of angel cards with channeled messages and that was good because it opened doors that were previously closed.  Over the years I reworked the cards, instruction book, journal and CD; and when technology caught up I was able to showcase the cards as a free interactive angel card reading on my website. I also self-published them.  It  all worked out much better this way.  

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

I don’t think most people process rejection easily. The key is to not take it personally.  So I tried to gain an understanding of the bigger picture. It was still difficult and I did keep trying for thirteen years.  During this time I saw more and more cards of this nature come out into the marketplace.  I decided that there had to be more to my body of work because otherwise the publication of the cards through traditional channels would have all come about more easily. It would have just flowed if it was the right time.  So focusing on the big picture I knew that someday the entire plan would reveal itself. Now I can see how much larger in scope the whole thing is. My work is vibrational attunement of mind, body, and spirit and all of my products, cards, books, music, meditations, all work together with that goal in mind. It is so much more than developing decks of angelic spiritual cards. 

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

I self-published and I chose that route because over the years I came to be able to clearly define my goals. I thought about them for thirteen years. I came to realize that I really didn’t care if a large publisher picked me up or not. It wasn’t about money, fame, or prestige. It became a matter of being able to get my work out into the marketplace in the order that it needed to be in and in the timeframe that it needed to get out there. The way I did it allowed me to effectively accomplish that goal. It seemed the natural and easiest route.  

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

After waiting thirteen years to see my project come alive as an integrated “healing journey”, the feeling was indescribable. The cards were more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. It was a great feeling of accomplishment. I celebrated by being extremely grateful and thankful that after such a long birthing process they were finally here! It was very exciting and inspired me to greater heights in every other area of life.   

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

The very first thing I did was to print some flyers and I did some direct mail marketing. I can’t say that it was tremendously successful in terms of monetary return. However, I still do use the flyer in my press kit. I did other things along the way that worked better. Life is a learning process. You have to have a clearly defined set of goals and know exactly where you want to promote and why and know what you are trying to accomplish.  And then you figure out the most effective way to reach the goal.   

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

No, because I believe that without having traveled the route that I traveled in the journey of trying to get the cards published, my work would not be the complete body of work that it is today. And it certainly gave me the gifts of patience and fortitude. Also, I think my visions would have ultimately been limited by doing this the traditional way.  I didn’t understand all of this at the time. I do now though, and I can say that it has been an amazing journey.  

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

Yes, since that time I’ve published several books and am working on one more.  One of the books I’ve published since that time is “Voice of the Angels Cookbook – Talk To Your Food! – Intuitive Cooking.” That was great fun to create. I made and photographed all the food and then had a big party. Another book I just published is “The Book of Daily Channeled Messages.” It’s one-hundred-eighty messages for when one needs angelic guidance.  The book I’m currently working on is about money and how to manifest it.  Many people have challenges in this area and I think it will help a lot of people.  I’ve grown in so many ways as an author because once you realize that you aren’t limited in any way, you can create and produce and express anything that you can “cook” up!  

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up?  What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

I’m not sure that I could have done anything differently because the technology that I needed to complete the project in the way that it was supposed to be done was not there yet.  So much of everything is timing. I believe that mistakes are opportunities for learning in disguise. So I wouldn’t change a thing. Everything that happened, including rejection, led to where I am now. I don’t know that I could have avoided anything in this process by doing anything differently. To me it seems as if it’s a divinely inspired plan. However, it did require trust, patience and the willingness to go with the flow.  My journey required that I walk my own talk.  I did it.  

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

I’m not just an author. I’m a musician was well. The biggest accomplishments so far have been charting in the top 20 of the New Age music charts, qualifying for two awards there and being in the top ten on Music Choices “Soundscapes” cable TV channel; and I was #1 on another radio program.  It’s been very exciting.  I’m hoping to do even better with my new CD “Release.” And I feel there is always something new to accomplish in life.    

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

By profession I’m a psychic and clairvoyant. I did private readings for a lot of years. Growing up it was challenging to be so different at a time when the majority of people viewed these gifts as completely non-acceptable or frightening or evil. People have a natural fear of the unknown or the unexplainable. It’s better now, but still looked upon with suspicion sometimes.  I learned along the way how important it is to validate your own parking ticket rather than try to get the stamp of approval on yourself from the outside. These days I don’t make any apologies for just being myself. I just do my best.  I can’t change who I am or what my gifts are. So I accept them wholly and unconditionally, just as I accept wholly and unconditionally those who do not understand as well. If I really think about these gifts, they are really rather awesome. So I am grateful for having them and being able to use them to help others when called upon to do so. I do not know that I would want to be anything else. The only other thing I’ve ever wanted to be was a musician and that dream has already manifested. But you’re asking what else I would have picked, so I think I would probably have chosen the restaurant business, catering or personal chef. I’m a gourmet cook. It feels wonderfully relaxing to me to cook and it is a fabulously creative outlet. For me it’s a completely joyful experience and that’s part of the reason I wrote the cookbook. I tried to keep most of it easy, but I also wanted to try to translate some of that joy to others.   

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

I believe I’ve combined the best of all the worlds. I believe in taking everything you have in your refrigerator of life and making something wonderful with it all.   

How do you see yourself in ten years?

I see myself as pretty much the same. Hopefully I will still be creating, making music, and writing. I have no plans to sit and do nothing. I love to create and it’s when I am most happy.  

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

Yes. Any dream worth having is worth working toward. Don’t ever give up on yourself, your dreams, goals, and aspirations. Don’t limit yourself in any way. There is always a way to accomplish what you want to accomplish and often even more than one way to do that if one opens the mind to infinite possibilities. Even when we think we have a clear vision of what we want, we sometimes can’t see the whole picture. So we must step aside, put the wants, needs, and desires of the ego aside, and allow time for the universe to work its magic weaving process. Patience and faith go hand in hand on the path.

Tags: Beyond the Books, author interview, virtual book tour, Dyan Garris, Voice of the Angels Cookbook, intuitive cooking

An Interview with Crime Fiction Author Michael Simon

Born in Levittown, Long Island, the birthplace of mass-produced housing, Michael Simon is a former actor, playwright, and Texas probation officer. He has taught at Brooklyn College and New York University.

In 2004, Viking published his first novel, Dirty Sally, which introduced Dan Reles, a half-Jewish, New York Mafia-born Texas homicide detective. Dirty Sally was lauded by The Chicago Tribune as “A bloody and intriguing delight for noir aficionados.” The Seattle Times called it “the finest crime-novel debut since Dennis Lehane’s A Drink Before the War in 1994.” It was named one of the Top Ten Thrillers and Mysteries of the Year by Amazon.com.

In 2005, the second book in Simon’s Texas series, Body Scissors, was published, also to critical acclaim. The Rocky Mountain News called it, “Fast paced and suspenseful from start to finish.”

Viking signed on for two more Dan Reles thrillers, Little Faith (2006) and Last Jew Standing (2007).

To date, Simon’s works have appeared in Swedish, French, Italian, Japanese, and on audio tape.

He lives in New York City.

You can read more about him and his books at http://www.michaelsimon.info

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Michael.  Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published?  Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?

 

This is my fourth novel and my fifth significant publication. My novels are Dirty Sally (2004), Body Scissors (2005), Little Faith (2006), and the current book, The Last Jew Standing (2007.)

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

Dirty Sally was my first book. It was preceded by my first published play, Murder at Minsing Manor, which I co-authored with my brother Richard. The play was produced Off-Broadway in 1995 and published by Samuel French, Inc. in 1996. Like Dramatists Play Service, Samuel French publishes plays in paperback, in order to make the plays available while they still linger in the theatre-going public’s memory. For me, it meant my first publication, and hence, my immortality.

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

I’m pleased to say I have no idea how many publishers rejected my book. My agent took it to auction and Viking made a significant offer for the book and the first sequel (then unwritten,) allowing me to quit my day job.

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

I’ve had many rejections before and since. I either drop the rejection letters in a file for future reference, or keep a list somewhere on my computer, and never look at it. I figure I need to hear the word “no” a certain number of times before each significant “yes.” Each rejection is one more “no” out of the way. Also, I compare my rejection to that of actors. When an actor is rejected, he’s often standing right there. When my work is rejected, I get word by mail and I’m safely at home hiding under my bed where I belong. I take the blow, sulk for an hour or so if it’s a big one, and get on with my work.

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

Viking. They made the best offer, including, as I said, the book and the sequel.

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

I experienced a level of excitement so intense it became problematic. I struggled to calm down just to experience the sheer joy. I had been struggling for six years with that one book, and the payoff was, I felt, something I deserved but might not have gotten.

 

Oddly, I celebrated with my sweetheart the afternoon I got the word that the book had been sold, but went to my proofreading job that night and pretended nothing had happened. I wasn’t really letting loose until the contract was signed. My most purely joyful moment was when my editor called me a year later to tell me the book had come back from the printers. I ran to his office and stared at it, making incoherent exclamations of joy.

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

There was a meeting with my editor, my publicist, and the head of marketing before the book came out. They told me I needed to have a web site. I said that was fine, as long as I didn’t have to have anything to do with it. They set me straight. The site was entirely my responsibility. I had to hire a designer and provide content, which I’ve updated annually. Publicity has gotten more and more challenging since then.

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

No, but I’d want to know how much the publisher was going to invest in publicity. There’s no substitute for a publisher really getting behind an author.

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

Three more books and I like to think I’m better, but all I’m sure of is that the books have changed. The first book had the greatest number of points of view, and the most violence. The fourth book had a single point of view. Whether this makes it a better book, I can’t say. I write what I have to write, and I don’t write what I can’t write. Case in point: a high-concept thriller might do wonders for my bank balance, but so far, it hasn’t come to me.

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up?  What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

I probably would have tried to find a greater number of trustworthy readers, though I found several who helped me through the first 15 drafts before I submitted the book to my agent. Ultimately I wouldn’t have waited a year for notes from any one reader, a mistake I made at the expense of a year of my life.

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

Nothing beats getting published, but I’d say the fact that I was able to follow up the book with three more means the publication of the first book wasn’t a fluke, and that I’m really a writer.

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

When I was a kid I wanted to be an actor. As an adult, I’ve often wished I’d become a doctor, if only for the steady income and the respect. I’ve yet to come up with a field that balances the magic with the practical concerns but I’m open to suggestions.

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

As far as acting, I think I made the right choice. I’m using the parts of my brain I like using. As for medicine, if I’d become a doctor I’d have spent my life in a nice house regretting the dreams I abandoned. Everything is a trade-off.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

The serene, wealthy author of ten more novels.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

The process of writing is reading and writing. Read and write. Read more, write more. Don’t expect your first drafts to be any good. First drafts suck. Quality, even genius, comes in revision.

Tags: Beyond the Books, virtual book tour, author interview, author promotions, online book promotion, crime thriller, crime novel, mystery detective, crime fiction, Michael Simon, The Last Jew Standing, Viking

Interview with Romantic Comedy Author Diana Holquist

Diana Holquist loves to write. That’s pretty much all she does. Ask her family about the undone laundry, the un-bought groceries, and the fact that she rarely finds time to get dressed in the morning. Holquist believes that if you train your family right, they won’t notice any of these things. “Popcorn for dinner again, mom! Cool!” is often heard shouted around the Holquist household by her filthy children. 

Holquist’s first book, Make Me a Match, came out in September, 2006 from Warner Books.  Her second book, Sexiest Man Alive, was released October 2007.  You can visit her website at www.dianaholquist.com. 

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Diana. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published?  Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?  

I have written two romantic comedies. My debut romantic comedy is Make Me a Match, published in 2006 by Warner Books. My second, Sexiest Man Alive, is out in 2007 also from Warner, which has changed its name now to Grand Central Publishing. I just sold them two more romantic comedies. The first, Hungry for More, will be out in 2008 and the next, still nameless, will be out in 2009. The first three books are romantic comedies written in a series.  I’m still not sure what the fourth will be.  Any ideas?  

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why? 

The very first romantic comedy I wrote I called My Kind of Crazy. I stole that title from a country music song I heard on the radio. I’m still in love with that title, but my editors shoot it down every time.  That manuscript is now under my bed, waiting for really bad, too long, unpolished romantic comedies with awesome titles to come back in style.  Might be a long wait… 

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it? 

Make Me a Match, the first romantic comedy written in the one true love series,  was rejected by 37 agents before I found an agent. Then, it  was rejected by about six editors, before two mainstream New York publishers wanted it.  That was fun. I went with Warner Books (now Grand Central Publishing) because the editor there really seemed to get the book and she had some wonderful ideas about how to fix it.  Plus, they had a huge gap for a romantic comedy writer in their stable, so I thought I’d make a nice fit there. 

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows? 

Lousy. Awful. Fetal-position-terrible. But I had a lot of experience in rejection because before I got into writing romantic comedy novels, I was an advertising copywriter in New York City.  It was terrifically competitive, and the rejections there were much harsher than what any agent or editor ever handed down. When your creative director at an ad agency tells you for the tenth time, “It’s not funny. Do it again and don’t come back here till it’s funny,” well, you develop a tough skin. You learn to just trudge back and do it again. And again. And again….and make it funny, darn it! After ten years of that, publishing novels was a walk in the roses.  

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them? 

Make Me a Match was published by Warner Books (now Grand Central Publishing). I had two offers on the table, and both publishers promised a two-book deal, which was terrific. But the editor at the other house, who was very senior, wanted to publish Make Me a Match as is. She loved it. The editor at Warner was very junior, and she wanted MAJOR changes. She wanted me to pull out the entire motivation for the hero—about 150 pages of subplot. But her ideas were so smart and right-on, I just knew that if I re-wrote those 150 pages, the book would be so much better. I think that my background in advertising, where every ad is a collaboration between at least five or six people, made me very open to her point of view. I love collaborating—it’s much more exciting than actually writing. So it was an easy choice for me. So far, I’m delighted. Warner (Grand Central Publishing) has done a great job with the books, from editing to distribution to publicity. It’s been a pleasure.  

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate? 

Oh, it was great.  I was at a PTA meeting for my kids’ elementary school when I got the call that the deal was done, so there wasn’t much celebrating right away.  But once I got out of there, I called everyone I knew. I had little kids, so my husband and I opened a bottle of champagne at home. I’m still celebrating. Every day, I can’t believe my books are published and out there.  

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

Well, my instincts for promotion were all about advertising, since that was my background. I bought an ad in Romantic Times for Make Me a Match that was edgy and different. It totally flopped. It took me a long, long time before I understood that advertising wasn’t the way to go for books. I had to learn publicity, which wasn’t easy.  I’m still struggling with figuring out how to promote my books. It’s not easy, but it’s essential.  

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

Um…that’s hard to answer in a public forum.  I was so anxious to get published—and I think that this happens to a lot of people—I spent more time on working toward that then I did writing. I can see now that I’m falling into the same trap with publicity. I probably spend half my time promoting my books. That takes a toll.  But I don’t know if there’s any way around that. Live and learn.  

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author? 

I’ve gotten two two-book contracts in a row from Warner (Grand Central Publishing) to write four romantic comedies in all.  I’m getting faster (important!). Also, I’m learning to edit as I go, which takes a lot of practice. I’m also getting better at layering. What I mean by that is that I write the first draft for plot. The second for character. The third for humor….and so on.  It still takes writing a lot of drafts to get it right, but now at least I have a system for writing romantic comedy that I know I can count on. 

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up?  What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

The hardest part for me in getting published was to see the forest, not the trees. I think that beginning authors think, “this is a great sentence!” Or, “ooh, look at that beautiful turn-of-phrase.” But readers don’t care about that kind of stuff—and neither do most editors or agents. If you want to get published, you have to look at the big picture: the plot and the characters. Does it make sense? Do you like the characters? This is really what matters when it comes to getting published.  I spent way too long perfecting first chapters and penning beautiful but superfluous sentences.  

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published? 

Since becoming published, I think my biggest accomplishment was staying published. I still don’t know if I’ll make it past these four books. I just have to keep writing and keep working. It’s never easy to get published and it’s even harder to stay published. Once those first numbers come in, you’re competing against yourself with every book. It’s terrifying. 

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be? 

Oh, I’d love to paint. But I’m terrible at it. Geez, I really ought to wish for a profession that actually made a little money, huh? 

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds? 

I wouldn’t give up being an author for anything. I love my job. When I get old and can’t type anymore, I’ll paint.  

How do you see yourself in ten years? 

I hope I’m still writing romantic comedies that people love to read.  I get e-mails from folks who say, “your books are so fun!” To me, that’s the greatest compliment.  I hope that in ten years, folks are still saying that. I hope I’m showing readers a bit of fun.  

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

Keep at it. Never give up. Ugh, those are terrible, unhelpful clichés, aren’t they?  Here’s some real advice: never ever use clichés! (Just kidding.) Okay, here’s my advice: As a writer, you can either spend ten years crafting a beautiful novel of substance and wisdom, every sentence carefully crafted and sweated over. Or, you can sit down, give yourself a deadline, and just have fun.  You know what? When you’re done your funny, fast, fun novel, you’ll find that it’s actually full of substance and wisdom.  Plus, someone will want to publish it.  Don’t sweat the small stuff—go for the story and characters!  Good luck!

Tags: Beyond the Books, virtual book tour, online book promotion, Diana Holquist, Sexiest Man Alive, romantic comedy