Laura Grossman graduated from Lehman College with a degree in English literature and won several awards from poetry contests. She is the author of The Sighing of Winter Trees, available from Publish America. You can visit her website at www.geocities.com/Lauragrossman51.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Laura. 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)?

My first name is Laura. The title of my book is The Sighing of the Winter Trees and I was never published before.

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?

Before my first published book I went through rejections just like any other author.

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

The rejections made me feel sad but I had to persist any way.

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

My first book was published by Publish America. I choose them because they are a worthy and good publishing company.

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

For the first time being published I felt elated and I celebrated by having a dinner party.

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

I attended poetry readings and read my book of poetry aloud.

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

If I had to do it over again I would have chosen the same route to being published.

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

I have grown as an author in the sense I am more confident with my work.

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 had to take my time in getting published and there is nothing I could have done to speed things up.

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

My biggest accomplishment I have achieved since becoming published was a degree in English Literature from college.

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

Another profession I would have chosen would be a pastry chef.

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

I would have combined the best of both worlds without giving up being an author.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years perhaps I’ll be writing for TV.

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

For writers who dream of being published one day –never give up!