J. M. Hochstetler graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Germanic languages. She was an editor with Abingdon Press for twelve years and has published four novels. Joan is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Christian Authors Network, Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, Nashville Christian Writers Association, and Historical Novels Society. She and her husband, a retired pastor with the United Methodist Church, live near Nashville, Tennessee.

You can visit Joan online at www.jmhochstetler.com or at this book’s blog http://americanpatriotseries.blogspot.com.

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

A: I have published four novels. Daughter of Liberty, Native Son, and Wind of the Spirit, the first three books of the critically acclaimed American Patriot Series, are set during the American Revolution. One Holy Night, a retelling of the Christmas story set in modern times, is the 2009 Christian Small Publishers Fiction Book of the Year and was a finalist in the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year contest.

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

A: The title is Falkenberg. It’s an epic medieval tragedy set in Europe during the time of the Holy Roman Empire, and it hasn’t been published. When I finished it, I submitted it a number of places and got a bunch of rejects. Meanwhile I was working on my next project, so I shelved it and moved on. I am going to resurrect it someday, though, and see if I can’t get it published. It’s a powerful story. I believe in it and I’d love to see it in readers’ hands.

Q: 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?

A: Daughter of Liberty was rejected by just about every Christian publisher and a number of secular publishers before Zondervan finally accepted it.

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

A: It never feels good to get a rejection. With every one you really question whether you’ll ever be good enough to succeed. There were a lot of times when I felt that I’d reached a dead end and should simply quit. And there were long periods when I didn’t write or wrote only sporadically. One thing that helped me the most in persisting was joining American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). That enabled me to develop a circle of writer friends who understood what I was going through and kept on encouraging me. I also finally admitted that writing is as natural as breathing to me. I held onto faith that I was called to do what I was doing, that there was a greater purpose in my work, and that the right doors would open at the right time.

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

A: I really didn’t choose them—they chose me. My agent submitted my proposal to Zondervan, and they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

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

A: I was on top of the world, that’s for sure! I told everybody I knew, and then threw a party at a local venue.

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

A: I made contacts with all the local news media and churches and sent out a bunch of promotional mailings.

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

A: No. Although my first experience ended up not being a good one, it was a tremendous learning experience. I benefited from it.

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

A: Subsequent volumes in my series are scheduled to release in the next few years. Crucible of War is next up and releases in 2011.

I feel that I’ve become stronger at the craft of writing and have developed a more distinct voice and style. As I’ve gotten older, I find myself thinking more deeply about life, which I think is typical of most of us. I have insights—and questions—I didn’t have in my younger days. I think that reflects in my stories.

Q: 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?

A: Attending more writers conferences would have helped a lot. It would have allowed me to make direct contacts with editors and agents while learning the craft and the business. If I’d been able to find a writers group in my area, I’d have grown as a writer more quickly. Looking back on it, I also wish I’d done more careful market research and persisted in sending out those proposals instead of setting the project aside and moving on to a new one after I got a few rejections. I’m convinced I would have gotten a contract sooner if I’d kept at it.

I made some of the typical mistakes new writers make in paying for a critique by an agent and paying another agent up-front money to take me on. Don’t ever do that! Once I joined ACFW and got on the e-mail loop, I learned a lot of things that helped me to avoid subsequent pitfalls.

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

A: Founding my own small press, Sheaf House Publishers is undoubtedly the biggest one. Now I can see things from the other side of the fence, and that has informed my own writing. I also have the privilege of publishing some truly excellent authors who inspire me to work even harder.

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

A: Something in the field of art or interior design. Or maybe archaeology.

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

A: I really think I have the best of both worlds. I can incorporate all those elements in my stories, and I have total control over!

Q: How do you see yourself in ten years?

A: By then I hope to have most of my American Patriot Series published, and I’ll be on to some projects that have been lying about for a while, including Falkenberg. And Sheaf House will be prospering.

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

A: Never give up. If all the doors slam in your face, find a way to make your own door. If Plan A doesn’t succeed, try Plan B and C and D and on and on. The race doesn’t always go to the swift. But it always goes to those who persist.

Mary Balogh grew up in Wales and, after graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, on a two-year contract to teach high school English. She stayed to marry and raise a family. She was first published in 1985 and quit her teaching job three years later to write full time. A Precious Jewel, first published in 1993, has recently been republished by Bantam Dell as part of a commitment to make her backlist available to her current readership. Read more, including an excerpt from A Precious Jewel, at www.marybalogh.com.

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

A: I am multi-published, with over 70 novels and over 30 novellas published.

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

A: A Masked Deception, 1985

Q: 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?

A: There were no rejections.

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

A: NAL. The book was Signet Regency. A number of publishers had a Regency romance line at the time. I chose NAL Signets because I thought that on the whole their books were the best.

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

A: Quite euphoric. I was at home alone when the “call” came and for some reason I can no longer remember could not call either my husband or my children with the news. I called my mother in Wales. I had not told her, or anyone else for that matter except my husband, that I had written a book, so the news of the acceptance came as quite a surprise to her!

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

A: I didn’t, apart from telling everyone I knew. That was not very many. There was no internet in those days.

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

A: No. I did everything wrong, but it worked for me. I knew nothing about how to get published. When I had finished my manuscript, I bundled it up with a very short letter and sent it off to an address in Canada that I found inside the cover of a Signet Regency romance. It turned out to be a distribution center. But someone there read the manuscript, liked it, and sent it on to New York. Two weeks later I was offered a two-book contract. If I had gone about things the correct way, the manuscript might still be sitting on a slush pile somewhere!

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

A: Numerous times. I still write basically the same type of books, but I hope and believe they have improved over time. I believe they are stronger on action and dialogue, a little less given to lengthy interior monologue.

Q: 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?

A: I suppose I might have tried to get out of the small Regency sub-genre and into the mainstream historical genre faster. I might have reached a larger audience and climbed the bestseller charts far sooner if I had. On the other hand, the almost forty books I wrote for the sub-genre still exist and are being republished, as A Precious Jewel is now. And so far the repubs have been well received by my newer readers.

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

A: The new Huxtable quintet (First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Seduction, At Last Comes Love, Seducing an Angel) has been very successful so far. The first four books came out in the spring of 2009 and spent a combined total of thirteen weeks on the New York Times bestselling list. At Last Comes Love debuted at #2 on the mass market fiction list. Book 5, A Secret Affair, will be out in hardcover at the end of June, 2010.

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

A: I was a high school English teacher for twenty years before I quit to write full time. It was a career I loved.

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

A: I gave up teaching to write, though I did both for five years. I had always wanted to write, though, from childhood on. When I thought I could risk giving up teaching to devote myself full-time to writing, I didn’t hesitate, though I suppose I did quail for a while at the risk I was taking.

Q: How do you see yourself in ten years?

A: Alive, I hope. Still writing, I hope.

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

A: Write! That might seem rather silly advice on the face of it. I am always amazed, however, when in company with groups of writers, to discover how many will find any excuse imaginable to stop themselves from actually sitting down and writing—the need to get their lives organized, do some research, read some how-to books, attend more conferences, consult their critique group, etc. The only way to learn to write is to write. The only way to finish a book is to start it and keep going with it. The only way to get published is to write a book that may be publishable.

Kathye Quick has been writing since the sisters in Catholic School gave her a #2 pencil and some paper with ruled lines.

From stories about her family for Writing Week in fifth grade, to becoming editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper, The Blueprint, to 1999 when she realized her dream of being published, Kathye’s love of the written word span numerous genres.

She writes contemporary and career romances for Avalon Books, romantic comedy and historicals for Wings Press, urban fantasy for Cerridwen Press, and most recently medieval historical romances for Wild Rose Press.

Kathye is one of the founders of Liberty States Fiction Writers, a group launched in January 2009 to help writers of all fiction genres in their journey to publication. She had been a member of New Jersey Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America since 1988 and considered it an honor to have been NJRW President in 1992 and 2001.

Kathye’s fifth hardcover romance for Avalon books, ‘Tis the Season, a holiday romance complete with Santa Claus, a sleigh ride and a New England snowfall earned a 2006 HOLT Medallion nomination.

Her debut historical romance, Daughters of the Moon, from Wings e-Press has been heralded as a flawless glimpse into the world of the ancient Greeks.

Writing as P. K. Eden with writing partner, Patt Mihailoff, Firebrand, an urban fantasy based on the fall of the Garden of Eden, has won two Reviews Choice Awards and many five-star ratings.

In August 2009, Avalon Books will publish her three-book contemporary romance series entitled Grandmother’s Rings. The books, Amethyst (August 2009), Sapphire (December 2009) and Citrine (early 2010) follow the Archer family siblings in their quest to find their soul mates using rings given to them by their Grandmother. Kathye used the birthstones from her family for her inspiration for this series.

While writing romances has been her dream for many years, the book of Kathye’s heart, is a non-fiction work entitled, Hi Mom, How Are Things in Heaven, a book that developed after the death of her mother and deals with coping with grief though humor. She is currently still working on the concept for this book.

In her “other” life, Kathye works for Somerset County government. She is married with three sons. You can visit her website at www.kathyequick.com.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Kathye. 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)?

It still seems strange to me to consider myself multi-published, but I am so blessed.

I write for a few houses.

For Avalon I write contemporary and romantic comedies. My first book was actually considered a Career Romance (that line has since been rolled into the Contemporary Romance Line) entitled BLUE DIAMOND. It was followed by JESSIE’S WEDDING, STEALING APRIL’S HEART, FALLING FOR YOU and ‘TIS THE SEASON.

‘TIS THE SEASON is a holiday romance in which Santa quits the family business. It was a HOLT (Honoring Outstanding Literary Talent) Medallion finalist.

Coming out beginning in August 2009 is my GRANDMOTHER’S RINGS series for Avalon. The three-book contemporary romance series follows the Archer Family siblings in their quest to find their soul mates after being given their Grandmother’s Rings by their mother. I used the birthstones from my family as inspiration. AMETHYST will be out in August 2009, followed by SAPPHIRE in December 2009 and lastly, CITRINE in early 2010.

I also write romantic comedies and historical romance for Wings ePress. Those titles are ONE RAINY NIGHT, my first book, and DAUGHTERS OF THE MOON, my favorite book an ancient Greek Historical

Most recently I was fortunate to have the Wild Rose Press publish a historical romance set in Arthurian times entitled CYNTHIA AND CONSTANTINE. Second to my love of Greek myths and legends, I am totally caught up in Camelot.

Finally, with writing partner Patt Mihailoff, I write as P. K. Eden. P. K. writes urban fantasy for Cerridwen Press. FIREBRAND, a book based on the fall of the Garden of Eden came out in 2008. FIREBRAND has won two Reviewer’s Choice Awards and many 5-star ratings. In giving us a Review’s Pick from Affair de Coeur, the reviewer said that FIREBRAND was “a story worthy of the Hobbit series and Harry Potter.” Patt and I were blown away with the compliment.

Patt and I are both lovers of sci-fi/fantasy and had a great time with this book.

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

OMG. My First Book – what a disaster!! It was called DUTY OR DESIRE and I thought I was the most prolific writer in the world. I quickly came to find out that I knew NOTHING about writing or publishing.

It was never published. It was a train wreck on paper.

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?

Rejection? I think I had the ultimate rejection.

I’ve been writing since crayons and Catholic School lined paper, but didn’t really set my mind to anything until the 1990’s. Being a voracious reader, I decided to try my hand without any guidance. I wrote a book I thought was wonderful without any chapter breaks, without any page numbers (if you could believe it) and without any advice. I just picked a publisher and sent it off.

That was on a Friday.

On Wednesday it came back.

Well, I thought to myself, it must have been mistake, so I put it in another envelope and sent it back out. That was on the following Friday.

That weekend, I ran into Barbara Breton, a romance writer of note who was writing for Harlequin at that time, and we got to talking about writing. She told me about a local writing group that was meeting the next day and invited me to go to the meeting.

At that meeting, I learned exactly why my manuscript had come back so fast. I had done everything wrong. I was no where near ready for submission let alone publication.

Needless to say the manuscript came back again. On Tuesday this time!

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

Rejection is awful. Anyone who ever got a rejection notice knows that. It’s like someone looking at your baby and telling you the baby is ugly.

But you have to go on if you really love to write and are serious about it. It’s much easier to give up if you were only dabbling.

I wanted to have a book out, so I kept on writing. After learning more about the right way you do things, and after finally getting a book that was at least ready for submission, I just kept sending it out and growing a thicker and thicker skin.

Writing is a humbling process. For everyone who loves your work, there is someone who thinks it is the worse thing he or she ever read.

But if you keep it at and keep perfectly your style and technique, you’ll not only find your voice, but also your audience.

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

My first book was published in 1999. It was called ONE RAINY NIGHT and was about a hero and heroine who met during a Hurricane. I got a few rejection letters from the New York houses like Harlequin and Silhouette, but I believed in the story and kept submitting it around.

Then Hurricane Floyd hit the east coast. The foundation of my house collapsed and I lost just about everything I owned up to four feet on the first floor.

But I also got a call from an eBook publisher – Starlight Writers – who said they wanted to publish my book. I think that call helped me through the next eight months of rebuilding.

Starlight Writers does not exist any longer, but the book was then placed with Wings ePress which is going strong today. In fact I still get some small royalty checks for ONE RAINY NIGHT because it is an eBook and Print on Demand. I will be forever grateful for that call. It helped me through some pretty dismal times.

But if I thought my first book would have been sp prophetic, I would have written about a lottery winner instead of a hurricane!

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

There is nothing in the world like getting “the call.” Writers know it; non-writers cannot really relate.

Because I was in the center of a disaster at the time, there was no time to celebrate. I had to rebuild my house so I could get my computer room back and write book two!

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

ONE RAINY NIGHT came out in time for a writers’ conference the following year. I purchased magnets in the shape of an umbrella with the book title and website address on them, and gave them to each conference attendee. I think they were 50-cents each at the time and there were 400 conference attendees. I did make up the promotional cost in sales, although it took a lot longer than I would have liked. EBooks were in their infancy at the time.

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

I may have tried to get an agent, but I think it would have taken more books and a few more years.

I am very comfortable in the ay things have turned out since that first book. I am very happy with small press and eBooks right now because I have a high-powered day job I love and am not ready to give it up. Especially in today’s economic climate.

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

I am fortunate to have become quasi-successful in the small press and eBook market. I don’t think I have submitted to a large house since I was first published, but I may have in the early years.

Patt and I, writing as P. K. Eden our fantasy alter-ego, are planning on securing an agent for our urban fantasies, however. Based on the success of FIREBRAND, we have a series planned that we would like to see in a larger house to get more exposure. We are in the planning and first draft stage of that process and are excited about the concept. We both love the sci-fi channel and are voracious about it. We sometimes do a MST3 (Mystery Science Theater) commentary when we watch it.

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 think my post on rejection covered this to the fullest. Doofus me!!

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

I think that meeting my writing partner, Patt Mihailoff, has made the biggest difference in my life and my writing. My weaknesses are her strengths. With her, I can write way outside the writing box and write the story that had been stuck inside my head for years.

With her, I have won two Reviewer’s Choice Awards. Having someone else like your writing besides your family (which was my biggest fear) has been the most rewarding thing ever. If I did this without the help of Patt, I know it would have taken years longer to accomplish.

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

Both my professions seemed to have chosen me. If I wanted to be a successful writer or find the job I have in government, it would not have worked.

I can’t imagine not being in government now that I have been for over 18 years. It’s an ever-changing job with nothing scripted or the same every day beings a new challenge that requires insight, forethought, creativity, networking skills and the ability to find answers. There is nothing routine or mundane about it. Who could want anything more?

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

I do believe I have the best of both worlds. In my ‘daytime’ job I have met so many people and discovered so many resources that I can call upon them it I get stuck in a writers block or write my character into a corner.

I can find law enforcement professionals if I need to find about how the system works or how to MacGyver someone out of a jam. I’ve worked with environmentalists, lobbyists, researchers, lawyers, medical professionals, senators, you name it, and have a vast wealth of information, both valuable and useless  locked inside my head or my computer.

More than once something I have remembered has ended up bridges scenes in one of my books.

I am totally grateful for those opportunities. So what I’m saying is keep your eyes open and keep a journal. Writer everything down from a quirky name to an unusual fact or source. You never know when you’ll need it.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

I’d love to be on my 50th book with one or two as Lifetime Movies. Hey, we can dream, can’t we?

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

Never give up polishing your work and submitting it. I can’t remember who said it right now but one of my favorite quotes is “Failure is simply not knowing how close you were to success before you gave up.”

I truly believe that.

Elaine Levine first dreamed of becoming a published author while she was still in college. As a new wife and mother, she wanted nothing more than to build a challenging career she could do from home while she raised her kids. Two grandchildren, a programming career, and 25 years later, that dream came true with the publication of her first book, RACHEL AND THE HIRED GUN. Currently, she’s serving a term as President of her local RWA Chapter, Colorado Romance Writers, where she hopes to help her chaptermates achieve their writing goals in far less time. You can visit her website at www.elainelevine.com.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Elaine. 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)?

Thanks so much for having me here! I’m a first time author. My debut novel is titled, RACHEL AND THE HIRED GUN.

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

That dreadful piece of fiction was called, LOVE’S HIDDEN HONOR. It was a romance about American Revolutionary War spies. It was my first serious attempt at fiction and was riddled with all the errors a beginner can make.

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 probably had 30 agent rejections and 5 editor rejections in a period spanning 15 years.

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

It’s hard not to take those rejections personally–even now. I always have to remind myself that this is a business. Yes, it’s my creative work of fiction, but it’s also a paycheck to an editor, a copy editor, a blurb writer, a cover art team, a sales rep. It’s building rent and utilities and all the overhead costs involved in running a publishing business. It can’t just be the right book for me, it has to be something that someone else will want to read because it has a huge infrastructure to fund.

Though rejection doesn’t get any easier the more I experience it, I try to remember that my work is a piece in a puzzle that’s much bigger than me.

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

Kensington was my first publisher (and my only publisher at the moment). My story, then titled, SAGER’S PASSION, won the 2007 Golden Heart award in the Long Historical category. I got to pitch it to Kate Duffy at Nationals that year. Kate asked for some edits. A few months later, she liked the changes I made and made an offer for the story in February of 2008.

If Kate hadn’t taken it, I would have continued searching for one of the larger publishing houses–not an easy thing to do without an agent. The Golden Heart final and subsequent win gave me the confidence to know the story was viable. Had I not been able to sell it, I would have repeated the cycle… Set that book aside. Write something else. Put the new work on the contest circuit. Look for agents at the same time as editors (this isn’t something agents want you to do, by the way!). Write something else. Repeat.

The trick is to NEVER GIVE UP. Every step is a step forward, even if it doesn’t seem so at the time.

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

Honestly, it felt strange. For so very long, my entire mental process was tied up with finding a path to publication. Every spare brain cell was put to work improving my fiction, finding ways to network with other authors and industry professionals, searching for the key to that locked door.

Then, suddenly, the inner dialog telling me I wasn’t what I wanted to be had ended. I didn’t need to think that way anymore–except I will always continue to work on improving my fiction.

To celebrate, my husband and I took our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter out for Chinese food at our favorite restaurant. For years, when the fortune cookies came, my husband always let me pick mine first. My hand would hover over each one, as if I could tell which held the fortune I dreamed of–“You will soon be a published author!” That night, I realized I didn’t need to do that anymore. And would you believe, the fortune in my cookie (and only my cookie at the table) was blank? I didn’t need one anymore–the fortune had come true!

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

Promo is a tough nut to crack. It took me the better part of a year studying the various approaches and options. My editor said that there was little I could do to actually affect my book’s success (beyond, of course, writing the best book I could). Kensington has fantastic distribution. They get their authors into Walmart, Target, grocery stores, as well as all the independent and chain bookstores. Plus, they give readers a price break on their debut authors, selling the first two books for $3.99 and $4.99 respectively. Price and distribution are the best things for a new author.

But I did do some things, such as build a new website and set up a MySpace page. I started a monthly html newsletter for the published authors in my local RWA chapter. And I found this wonderful site that so generously conducts these interviews!

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

Absolutely not! I adore Kate. I’ve learned so much about writing and the publishing industry from her. And I’ve had a wonderful experience at Kensington. I’m not sure how I got so lucky!

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

My first contract was a two book deal. My editor has the second book, tentatively titled, AUDREY AND THE VIRGINIAN. I’m hard at work on the option book…we’ll see what the future brings!

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?

That’s an excellent question. I should have studied the craft of writing more thoroughly. I should have listened to the lectures recorded each year at National. I should have found my way to my own authorial voice much sooner. It doesn’t take an intelligent person 25 years to see her book on the shelves at stores–I made things harder for myself than they needed to be.

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

I think regaining my focus so that I could write again. Without good stories, an author’s out of the game. That has to come first–always!

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

I would have loved to have been a dog trainer. Or a member of the Coast Guard. Or an archeologist. Or any of a dozen other fun things!

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

Being a published author is a dream come true. It’s without a doubt the best profession for me right now. I’m going to relax and enjoy the ride!

How do you see yourself in ten years?

Hopefully slimmer! And multi-published with lots of happy readers clamoring for more stories!

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

Study. Write. Learn. Write. Practice. Write. Network. Write. Listen. Write. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Never give up.

Carole Whang Schutter was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She graduated with a degree in Psychology from the University of Hawaii and is an evangelical Christian. Carole has been a motivational speaker to live audiences, and on TV and radio shows. She now occupies her time writing, skiing and hiking in Aspen.

Her enduring interest in religion and passion for history led her to write “September Dawn,” her first screenplay written in collaboration with Director/Producer Christopher Cain which inspired the novel “September Dawn.” Currently, she is working on several screenplays, and a historical novel about her home state Hawaii.

You can visit her website at http://www.cwschutter.com/  or the movie’s website at http://www.septemberdawn.com/ .

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

Published for the first time. If one doesn’t count my first book which I did for myself and friends that I’m now redoing called Miracles Happen.

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 was something I wrote when I was a 13. The second when I was a senior in college. I don’t even remember the names. They were destroyed in a fire in the days before computers. The first book that I actually have is called “The Ohana,” which I am reworking. I was 29, didn’t know anything about publishing, sent a thousand page unsolicited ms. to Scott Meredith because I read he was the top agent in the US. He actually wrote back to me. Told me no one would publish a 1000 pages from an unknown writer but that he liked the books so much he encouraged me to write a 250 page book and become established, and then he felt with credibility behind me, he could get it published. In those days, it didn’t take much to discourage me, and I was a newly wed with a baby. So, I gave up writing for a long time.

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?

Maybe a dozen or more rejections. Then my agent suggested I self publish because no one could get the book out in time for the movie.

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

I was very disappointed. But I just encouraged myself in the Lord and didn’t let myself get too down.

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

Authorhouse. My editor, Kathi Macias suggested them. They had done a good job for her and she made money on her books.

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

I felt wonderful when I saw the final copy. No celebration though.

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

I hired a publicist that Kathi recommended.

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

I’m not sure. It’s easier to self-publish and the % is greater. But if I were offered a huge advance, it would be hard to turn down.

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

No, but I’ve sold another screenplay which hopefully will go into production next year.

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 would have read Kathi’s book Train of Thought before my first edit. I don’t know what I would have done differently except for that. I think one has to polish one’s book and write the way publishers want you to write. I think I’m more of a screenplay writer, put the important things in, make the story move quickly without leaving out the important stuff and pay a lot of attention to dialogue and script the action in an interesting way.

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

Getting great reviews. Except for one review by someone of a certain religious persuasion, my reviews have been great. It is satisfying.

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

Nothing. I love writing. I’ve always loved writing. Maybe I prefer screenplays, but not necessarily. It depends on the story. For me, everything is the story. My characters become very real to me. I laugh and cry with them. But it is the story that moves me to write.

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

I think I answered the question.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

Still writing movies and books.

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

Never give up. Persist in all that you do. And although only 1.1% of all screenwriters actually have a movie made, many screenwriters make a living selling scripts that are never made. You could consider screenwriting. There are far less people you have to convince. Everything is the story, unless you are writing non-fiction. But whatever you do, write with passion. Be completely involved in what you write. Sometimes even great writers sometimes fall into a conundrum of formula writing and it shows. Be honest and real. But most of all, be persistent.

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Marisa Chenery was always a lover of books, but after reading her first historical romance novel she found herself hooked.  Having inherited a love for the written word, she soon started writing her own novels. After trying her hand at writing historicals she now also writes paranormals. Marisa lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and four children.  Check out Marisa’s website at www.marisachenery.com.  She would love to hear from you, so drop her a email while you’re there. 

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

I’m published for the first time.  My very first book, The Blue Lotus, came out September 10<sup>th of this year at Liquid Silver Books.  But I do have a second book called A Tournament Knight coming out sometime this November at New Concepts Publishing.

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

The name of my very first book is Lady Knight.  It isn’t published yet, but it’s sitting at Ellora’s Cave waiting for an acquiring editor to look at it.  So I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

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?

Actually with The Blue Lotus I was very lucky rejection wise.  I tried submitting it to a mainstream publisher only to have it sit there for a year with no response from the publisher.  I had submitted A Tournament Knight to Liquid Silver first and it didn’t fit exactly with their line, but they expressed interest in The Blue Lotus.  So I wrote a letter to the other publisher that I was withdrawing my submission then sent it off to Liquid Silver who in turn offered me a contract for it.

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

I have had more than a couple rejections for the first two books I wrote.  I will admit it is depressing when you get turned down.  I almost gave up writing altogether.  If it wasn’t for a very dear friend of mine who read my first book and told me I had to keep writing, I wouldn’t have any of my books published.  She wouldn’t let me give up.

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

My first book was published by Liquid Silver Books.  Actually they were the first epublisher I submitted to.  At the time I knew to nothing about epublishers, so I based my decision on the quality of their website and the type of books they already had published.

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

I was ecstatic when Liquid Silver offered me a contract.  I have been writing books for the last 10 years, and to finally have a publisher want to publish one of them was one of the best things to ever happen to me.  To celebrate I had a party and invited my family over.  We had champagne for the adults and sparkling grape juice for the kids.

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

The first thing I did was set up my own website shortly after I signed my contract.  This was something I was able to do easily since I know how to do HTML and I love designing web pages.

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

Absolutely not.  I think epublishers are going to only get bigger as time goes on.  I’m thrilled to be just a small part of this flourishing business.

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

My second book, A Tournament Knight, will be coming out sometime this November at New Concepts Publishing.  I think I have grown as an author since having a book published.  I feel more confident in my writing.  That I no longer have to wonder if what I’m actually writing is good enough for a publisher to accept.

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 think my one mistake was not trying to submit to epublishers earlier than I did.  They are more likely to give an unpublished author their big break compared to some mainstream publishing houses. 

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

I think my biggest accomplishment would have to be finally being able to call myself a writer.  I always felt that I had to have a book actually published before I could say I was a writer.

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

I probably wouldn’t choose another profession since I’m a stay at home Mom, as well as an author.  So I really already have two rewarding jobs.

How do you see yourself in ten years? 

I hope to see myself in 10 years still enjoying writing books and have people enjoy reading them.

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

The best advice I could give would be to never give up on your dream, keep writing.  If one book doesn’t get you published then write another.  Eventually one of them will be the one a publisher won’t reject.