Interview with Rie Sheridan Rose: ‘It isn’t a job for the faint at heart’

Rie Sheridan Rose has been writing professionally for the last ten years or so — though she has just added the “Rose” on the end. After putting up with her for the last eight years, she figured her husband deserved the recognition. Prior to last year, her work appeared under “Rie Sheridan.”

In that decade, she has published 4 novels, 1 short story collection, 2 chapbooks of collected stories, and five poetry collections as well as contributing to several anthologies.

Her stories have also been published in The Eternal Night, ShadowKeep and Verge ezines, as well as the EOTU and Planet Relish websites.

Her poetry appeared in the print magazines Mythic Circle, Dreams of Decadence, and Abandoned Towers as well as the Electric Wine and Tapestry ezines.

The Half-Price Books 1999 “Say Good-Night to Illiteracy” Anthology contained her children’s story “Bedtime for Benny”.

Both her short story anthology RieVisions and poetry collection Dancing on the Edge were finalists in the 2003 EPPIE awards. Poetry collection Straying from the Path and Young Adult novel The Right Hand of Velachaz were finalists in the 2004 EPPIE awards.

Her most popular stories to date are the Adventures of Bruce and Roxanne, humorous horror shorts several of which have been collected into two print chapbooks by Yard Dog Press.

She has also written the lyrics to several songs for Marc Gunn. Their “Don’t Go Drinking With Hobbits” CD is due out in August.

Rie lives in Texas with her husband Newell and several cats, all spoiled rotten.

You can visit her website at www.riewriter.com.

“Like” Rie at Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/riesheridanrose.

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

Rie: I am multi-published. :) I’ve been contracted by more than a dozen small presses in the last ten years or so.

Q: When you were published for the first time, which route did you go – mainstream, small press, vanity published or self-published and why or how did you choose this route?

Rie: In my “professional” writing (in other words, not counting all the writing for the trunk or friends, I’ve been mostly small press published, though I have self-published some short pieces at various times. Quite frankly, I didn’t so much choose small press as it chose me. I was having no luck with submissions to the larger, mainstream presses when it was suggested to me that I submit to my first small press publisher. I did, and the rest is history. Sure, I might like a mainstream notch on my belt someday, but the small presses have been good to me, and I enjoy the closer interaction with the publisher/editors that you get with a smaller staff.

Q: How long did it take you to get published once you signed the contract?

Rie: Oh, wow…like I say, it’s been 10 years since the first one…not terribly long. Less than a year. The Luckless Prince, my most recent major contract, was accepted last August, edited in March/April, and available by the summer. Now, that isn’t necessarily common. I hit the desk at a time when there was an opening that needed filling. Often, it is a matter of luck how long your book will take to see print — but it is usually less time than it takes for a newcomer to see print in a big house. (I say newcomer, because once you have built an audience waiting breathlessly for your next series entry, I think the gears move a bit faster. :) )

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

Rie: I was so excited to be accepted the first time. And when I received my first physical copies of the actual book, it validated all the years I had added “…and a writer” to the end of the “What do you want to be when you grow up?” answer. While the beginning of that answer might fluctuate, the ending had been constant. Now, I was a “real writer.”  As for how I celebrated…I honestly can’t remember — there has been a lot of water under the bridge since then. I do know that I made everyone and their dog look at it. ;)

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

Rie: I think the first time, I told everyone I knew about it. This was before Facebook was all the rage. I didn’t know about as many free avenues for mass publicity. This time, I’m pasting all over Facebook and my blog in advance. :)

Q: Since you’ve been published, how have you grown as a writer and now a published author?

Rie: I have learned so much as an author from working with my publishers and editors. I have learned to see more of the pitfalls before I come up to them. I have lost some of my shyness — still working on that — and can now converse with people that I would have considered with awe fifteen years ago and call them friends. I have learned something about marketing and how to get your name out there. But there is more to learn daily, and each new project has its own curves to throw.

Q: What has surprised or amazed you about the publishing industry as a whole?

Rie: It has surprised me how wide the division is between the small presses — not vanity or subsidy, but just independent — and the large presses is. As a small press writer — no matter how many publishers have been willing to spend their hard-earned money to publish my books — I still find myself looked on as “lesser” by some traditionally published authors (not all, just some) and it stings. I had to jump through my share of hoops too, just slightly smaller ones. ;)

Q: What is the most rewarding thing about being a published author?

Rie: Holding a copy of my newest book in my hands. That is always a great feeling. And watching the shelf of physical copies grow, even if some are available only as ebooks. This was what I wanted all my life. Now, it is a reality.

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

Rie: It isn’t a job for the faint at heart. I am not as diligent as I should be on many aspects of the profession. I am not one of those who writes a certain number of words or hours a day. But unless you actually do write something, sometime, you can’t be a published author, because there will be nothing to publish! One of the most productive pieces of advice I have heard is keep going until you finish something. It doesn’t have to be good the first time through — but if you prove to yourself and others that you can actually finish a project, you are miles ahead of many aspiring authors. Good luck!