Brett Battles lives in Los Angeles and is the author of two acclaimed novels in the Jonathan Quinn series: The Cleaner, which was nominated for a Barry Award for Best Thriller and a Shamus Award for Best First Novel, and The Deceived, which was nominated for a Barry Award for Best Thriller. He is at work on the fourth book in the series.

You can visit the author’s website at www.brettbattles.com.

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

Thanks for having me. My latest, Shadow of Betrayal, is my third published novel.

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

This is where blog interviews suffer from not being able to accurately represent any vocal reaction. As soon as I read this question, I started laughing. The reason is that my first finished novel was never published because it was, in a word, awful. But that’s okay. It was a training novel, and without it I would have never been able to write a novel that did get published. Oh, and the name…Shifter. Don’t ask.

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?

Believe it or not, I think it was between 60 to 70 rejections, most to agents. The rejections ranged from no response at all to my query to nice letters saying they weren’t looking for new clients at the moment.

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

I actually decided early on that any time I got a rejection, it was just an opportunity for me to cross that name off the list. I tended to send queries out in groups of 10 to 20, so once I’d heard back from everyone in a group, or if a reasonable amount of time had passed without a reply, I’d moving on to the next group. I was all about keeping things moving forward. I should also say that while this was all going on, I would be working on a new novel with the thought that if the novel I was shopping didn’t sell, then I’d go out with the new one as soon as it was ready.

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

Okay, this is a loaded question. My path to being published is not even close to being a normal one. So bear with me here, but I guarantee you it’s entertaining. The book we’re talking about, my debut, was entitled The Cleaner. As I mentioned earlier, I’d queried somewhere between 60 and 70 agents (and a few publishers) with no luck. In fact, I had gotten to the point where I was thinking it might be time to put The Cleaner on the shelf, and concentrate on finishing the next one. This wasn’t the first time this had happened to me. The Cleaner was actually the third novel I’d written, the previous two eventually finding homes on my closet shelf. (One was Shifter, and the other was a techno-thriller called Encryption.) I was a little bummed, though. I really liked this book, and had a good feeling this would be “the one.”

I ran into an author friend of mine and expressed my frustration. His name is Nathan Walpow, and he was being published at that time by a small Los Angeles publisher called Ugly Town, and he suggested I just send my whole manuscript to them. He also said he’d put in a good word for me. So, of course, I did. That was in February, 2004. Nearly a year later in January, 2005, I had heard nothing from them and had basically written them off.

One evening, I was in a coffee shop at work on a new novel when my phone rang. It was Jim from Ugly Town, and the gist of the conversation was that they were going to buy my novel. As you can imagine, it was Cloud Nine for me. I’d finally got my foot in the door! Things were going along well until late July. Suddenly they weren’t answering my emails or phone calls. A week went by when they finally gave me a call. They had to suspend operation because of financial issues with a distributor that had gone bankrupt. My heart sank, knowing I was back at square one.

Only I wasn’t. Jim and Tom of Ugly Town did not abandon me. They couldn’t publish me, but what they did was send my manuscript to an editor friend at Bantam Dell. And come October, Bantam bought my contract from Ugly Town, and had given me a new 3 book deal.

Okay, that’s probably more detail than you wanted, but it’s kind of a hard story to condense. Hope I didn’t put anyone asleep.

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

I was elated, of course. I went out to dinner with some friends, and had a big launch party that following weekend after my pub date at my local mystery bookstore, which, ironically, is the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles. It was a great day and a great week!

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

I started a blog about a year before my pub date, and had a small following. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing then. But it did lead me to something else. I met a few other authors who were also going to be debuting the year I was (2007), and we hit upon the idea of joining together with some other mystery and thriller debut author to form an organization to help promote us all. That group was called Killer Year. We ended up with 13 debut authors including JT Ellison, Jason Pinter, Marcus Sakey, Sean Chercover, Robert Gregory Brown, Gregg Olsen, Derek Nikitas, Patry Francis, Bill Cameron, Dave White, Toni McGee Causey, and Marc Lecard. It was a great success. Even better than any of us had hoped. We even got St. Martins to publish an anthology (called Killer Year) of short stories by all of us, and edited by Lee Child.

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

Well, something a little less stressful might have been nice. But, honestly, I don’t think you can choose your route. It kind of chooses you.

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

Yes. A year after The Cleaner, the second Jonathan Quinn Thriller, The Deceived, came out. And this summer has seen the release of the third book in the series, Shadow of Betrayal.

I think I grow each time I set down to write. As an author, I believe part of my job is to make each book better than the last, to always look for ways to improve my craft. In my mind, that never ends. Whether it’s my first book or my fiftieth, I always want to be learning and improving.

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 what I could have done differently, and I’m not really sure I would have done anything differently. The reason is that good writing takes practice and experience. Baseball players don’t just walk onto a major league team and play their first game ever. They’ve been practicing for years, working hard for that moment. And many never make it to the bigs. It’s the same for novel writing. We need to work hard at it, and that takes time and work. Sure, a few people make it with their first novel, but the majority of authors don’t. We need to make mistakes, so that we can learn from them.

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

Nothing tops being published, itself, and seeing your books in the bookstore. But I’m also very proud to have been nominated for both a Barry Award for Best Thriller and a Shamus Award for Best First Novel for The Cleaner, and just recently being nominated this year for another Barry Award for Best Thriller for The Deceived.

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

Maybe travel photographer. I love to travel and I love to take pictures, so it’s the perfect combination.

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

I’ll stick to being an author. It’s what I’ve wanted to be since sixth grade. Besides, since I write international thrillers, I still get to travel to do research, and I always take a lot of pictures.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

Still writing, I hope. Still waking up each day, sitting down in front of my laptop, and being excited about what I am going to write that day.

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

The most important trait you can have, the thing that should be tattooed on the inside of your mind, is persistence. You just have to keep going. There will be setbacks. There will be delays. But you can’t stop. You need to write ever day, even if it’s crap. If a story doesn’t sell, don’t get mad. Look at it, try to figure out why. Learn from your mistakes, and improve your craft constantly. If this is what you want, what you really want, never, ever give up.

Check http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ during the month of August to see where Brett Battles and his virtual book tour stop next.

Linwood Barclay is a former columnist for the Toronto Star. He is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including Too Close to Home and No Time for Goodbye, a #1 bestseller in Britain. He lives near Toronto with his wife and has two grown children. His website is www.linwoodbarclay.com.

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

I have had several books out prior to Fear the Worst. 

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

I don’t think I’ll count those I wrote when I was in my teens. My first real book was Father Knows Zilch, a book of tongue-in-cheek advice for dads. I was determined that none of it actually be helpful. This was in the mid-90s and wasn’t at all like the kind of thing I do now. 

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 was fortunate. The first publisher I approached took the proposal. 

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

Okay, let’s go back to when I was in my teens and early twenties, when everything I wrote was rejected. It was a reality check. I wasn’t good enough, didn’t have enough life experience. So I decided to get a different kind of job where I could get paid to write every day: Newspapers. A good decision. 

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

It was Stoddart, a Canadian publisher that no longer exists. They had published other humor books similar to mine, so it made sense to approach them. 

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

It felt wonderful, very hard to believe. It hadn’t really occurred to me to do anything special, but my wife quietly arranged for a huge balloon-o-gram to be sent to the door. 

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

Next to nothing. My book was not a high priority for this publisher.

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

I wouldn’t do a thing differently. It was all part of the learning curve. 

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

I had three more books published just in Canada, but my first novel, Bad Move, was published in 2004. Since then there have been six more books, including my most recent one, Fear the Worst. 

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 sometimes wish I had started writing crime fiction – the thing I am known for now – earlier. But at the same time, I was busy writing three columns a week for the Toronto Star, and I had an outlet for that creative bent.

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

In 2008, my novel No Time for Goodbye was the single bestselling novel in the United Kingdom. 

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

My other profession was journalist. But if I couldn’t be an author, or a journalist, well, cutting lawns in kind of satisfying. 

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

I’m right where I want to be. 

How do you see yourself in ten years?

With any luck, still doing a novel a year, but getting better at it. 

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

Stick with it. Keep writing, even if the only one who reads your stuff is you. And read. Reading a variety of authors is the best way to learn. And don’t give up. All I wanted when I was in my teens was to write crime novels. It finally happened at age 48. Some things are worth waiting for, even that long.

Check http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ during the month of August to see where Linwood Barclay’s virtual book tour stops next.

Journalist Lisa Sweetingham spent four years following in the footsteps of DEA agents and Ecstasy traffickers to bring Chemical Cowboys to life. Previously, she covered high-profile murder trials and Supreme Court nomination hearings for Court TV online.

Sweetingham is a graduate of the Columbia University School of Journalism and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Parade, Spin, Time Out New York, Health Affairs, and many other publications. She resides in Los Angeles.

Chemical Cowboys is her first book.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Lisa!  What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

Chemical Cowboys: The DEA’s Secret Mission to Hunt Down a Notorious Ecstasy Kingpin is my first 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 know that the submission process can be agonizing, but I’ve been extremely fortunate to have a very talented agent, David Halpern, of the Robbins Office, who is almost scientific about these things. From what I recall, Halpern only submitted the proposal to a small group of editors that he knew would get the material and also see beyond the true crime–genre label to the larger story Chemical Cowboys hoped to tell. I don’t recall how many passes we received at first. But how it worked was that if we were getting the same feedback from editors—and if we agreed with that feedback—then I would go back and revise the proposal before we submitted again. So, maybe, a half-dozen or so No’s was all we needed to get to a Yes.

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

It’s certainly disappointing, but I prefer to gather information rather than dwell on rejection. If there’s something I can learn about why it’s a pass that only helps me to revise the material—to make it cleaner and more compelling. Sometimes, of course, there is no good reason. It’s just not the right fit and that’s all there is to it.

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

The deal for Chemical Cowboys was with Random House, and it was published under the Ballantine imprint. It was the passion and interest of Random House executive editor Will Murphy that made it a perfect fit. He understood the material and was as excited about the subject matter as we were.

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

When I wrote the proposal for Chemical Cowboys, I was a senior staff writer for CourtTV.com, and had been traveling around the country covering murder trials and high-profile court cases. I loved that job, but I’d always wanted to write books. When my agent called to tell me that Random House made an offer, I was at the airport in Houston, on my way home to Los Angeles, and had just interviewed a man on death row who’d exhausted all his appeals and was soon to be executed. I’ll never forget him—Willie Shannon. Gentle, soft-spoken, and resolute. I liked him. And I recall thinking on the plane home: His life is coming to an end, and my life is about to open up. I was excited about the book, but it seemed incorrect to celebrate at the time.

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

It was a strange transition, because for several years I was reporting, writing, and editing. And then, when all of that was finally done, I had to take off my journalist hat and put on a saleswoman hat. I really resisted it at first. But it must be done. Basically, I got in touch with everyone I knew who worked in TV, print, radio, and Internet and asked for their help to publicize the book. My publicists at Ballantine also sent review copies far and wide. I threw a book party in New York, and set up readings in Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Hollywood.

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

Not at all.

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

Now that Chemical Cowboys is out, I’ve been devoting more time to freelance writing and reporting assignments and I have a couple of new book ideas I’m developing. It’s hard to say yet how I have grown as an author, but I think I’d like the next book to be simpler. Chemical Cowboys was a tremendous undertaking: nearly four years of reporting and traveling around the world following in the footsteps of drug traffickers and DEA agents. It also was a challenging structural puzzle, as I had to weave the stories of about a half-dozen main subjects into the narrative. Plus, I wanted readers to really see and feel what the agents, dealers, mules, and other main players saw and felt, which meant spending years digging for details and convincing people to share their very personal stories with me. I hope some of that came through. I also hope to tell a smaller story for the next book.

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?

Again, my successes in this realm are largely owed to my agent, David Halpern, who has consistently steered me away from potential pitfalls and mistakes. But, when it comes to speeding things up? I don’t know if that’s the wise way to go about getting published. For non-fiction works, the reporting has to be solid and the writing has to be clear. To achieve that takes a lot of editing, rewriting, and time.

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

Having a life again! When I was in the final writing stages, I spent several months working until 3 a.m., avoiding friends, family, holiday events, and sunshine. People would call to ask if I needed hot meals or a walk. I was obsessed!

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

I’m infinitely interested in human and animal behavior, in fact my undergrad work was in psychology. As a teenager, I once considered becoming a primatologist, but today? If I absolutely couldn’t be a journalist, perhaps I’d be a criminologist. A friend who was baffled by my subject interests once said to me, “You are in a conversation with evil.” Maybe so, but I think that what I’m really interested in is understanding is what motivates “evil” behavior and how to mitigate it.

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

I suppose I’ve combined the best of both.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

Professionally, I hope to be writing about the same sort of non-fiction subjects—crime, drugs, mafia, police work, international investigations—while also expanding a bit into sports journalism. I’d like to learn how to deliver those stories through documentaries, feature, and TV.

Marilyn Meredith is the author of award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series as well as other novels. The latest is, Judgment Fire, from Mundania Press. Under the name of F. M. Meredith she writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, the latest, Smell of Death from Tigress Press. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, EPIC and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She was an instructor for Writer’s Digest School for ten years, served as an instructor at the Maui Writer’s Retreat and many other writer’s conferences. She makes her home in Springville, much like Bear Creek where Deputy Tempe Crabtree lives. For many years, she lived in a beach community much like Rocky Bluff.

You can visit her website at http://www.fictionforyou.com/  or her blog at http://www.marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/.

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

I’m along way from my first time. I’m not exactly sure which published book this makes, over twenty. It’s just as thrilling now as it was then.

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

Trail to Glory was my first published book. The two I wrote before that I threw away when they were rejected once. (Something I definitely regret.) Trail to Glory was an historical family saga based on my family’s genealogy.

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 received nearly thirty rejections before I received a contract. However, I must tell you that I rewrote the book several times. After I joined a wonderful critique group (one I still belong to, by the way) and they gave their input and I rewrote it for the final time, that’s when it was accepted for publication.

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

Different from how I’d acted from previous rejections, I just kept sending the book out. Of course I was busy writing another book at the same time.

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

Dorchester published Two Ways West. I picked them out from the publishers in Writers Market.

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

I walked out to the mailbox and got the envelope from Dorchester. I opened it on the way back from the house and started jumping up and down and screaming. I’m sure the neighbors thought something bad happened. When I actually held the book in my hand, it was absolutely thrilling. I can’t really remember what I did to celebrate. Probably husband and I went out to dinner. It was back in the days before email so I’m sure I made a lot of phone calls.

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

Unfortunately, I had no clue what should be done for promotion. The free books that the publisher sent me I gave away. I knew nothing about reviews. I did have a booksigning at our local bookstore and gave a talk at a writers group. I sent out notices to people. This was all in the days before the Internet. No one I knew had a clue about promotion and the publisher didn’t give me any suggestions.

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

That was my first and only experience with a New York publisher. What I should have done differently was to get an agent before I signed my contract.

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

I’ve been published many, many times since then—and many bad experiences along with the good. I was published by two publishers who turned out to be crooks—one even spent some time in jail. I’ve had two publishers who died and publishers who didn’t pay royalties like they should.

As far as growing as an author, I’m definitely seasoned. I know that no matter how good I think a manuscript might be, besides running it by my critique group, I need an editor who knows what she is doing to go over it before I sent it off to my publisher. I also expect the publisher’s editor to make changes.

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?

Except for being an avid reader, I didn’t know much about the rules of writing. I learned the most from my critique group and writing conferences and also an agent I had for awhile. If I had known more about the rules of writing before I started sending my manuscripts out, I might not have received so many rejections.

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

I’ve won some great awards for several of my books. Probably one of the most fun things was being asked to be an instructor for the Maui Writers Retreat. Whenever I finish a book, I feel like I’ve made a big accomplishment.

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

I’ve had several different professions: Telephone Operator, Pre-School Teacher, and for twenty-two years, my husband and I owned and operated a licensed facility for the developmentally disabled.

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

Because I always wrote even while I was employed in other professions, I definitely combined the best of both worlds. Even today I have other side jobs that I do—mainly to help pay for the promotion of my books.

I’m a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and I do enjoy being around all of my off-spring. My husband and I do a lot of fun things together. We love going to movies and he almost always goes with me to mystery cons and conferences.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

I hope I’m still able to do what I’m doing now.

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

Never give up! But also, make sure your manuscript is as good as it possibly can be before sending it off. Have someone check it over who knows about editing and writing. Be sure you follow the publisher’s guidelines for submission.

My latest book is Smell of Death written as F. M. Meredith. My son-in-law was a police officer and always mentioned how phony police TV and movies were because the police never have one case they are working on. We were friends with may police officers and there families and I saw first hand how the job affected the family and what was going on in the family affected the police officer. I tried to portray this in all of the Rocky Bluff P.D. novels. To learn more about me and my books, visit http://www.fictionforyou.com.

Marilyn’s virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion and choreographed by Cheryl Malandrinos.

Leave a comment below and you can win a free copy of Smell of Death!

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.

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