Interview with Literary Fiction Author Linda Merlino

Life is our daily teacher. One lesson begets another and then another.

Once-upon-a-time life kicked me off my writer’s path and led me to pursue a more practical profession. My childhood dream of becoming a journalist was silenced.

Years later, I became a single parent, not by choice but by necessity, and my most trustworthy partner became a ballpoint. The fiction in my head turned into words on yellow legal pad. I wrote anywhere, any time, on my dining room table, and on my lunch hour. No place was my sacred space. I wrote in my car during soccer practices, under an umbrella on rain drenched sidelines, in fast food restaurants and in chain hotels. I wrote during championship after championship in cities and states, from Jersey to Phoenix.

The quieted yearning to be a writer reawakened onto the pages of a novel. My first was self-published after five years of juggling work, kids and day-to-day. A flawed but beautiful story emerged onto paper and “Swan Boat Souvenir” enjoyed local acclaim and success.

I knew there was more to do, more to write and that the next book would be published traditionally, that the next manuscript would have the benefit of an editor and the advice of professionals. After months of writing, Belly of the Whale went from paper, to computer, to draft after draft and finally into the arms of Kunati Publishers.

My children are grown. My passion to write remains a constant. Each book I complete is dedicated to the magic of believing in my dream, to my son and to my daughters.

You can visit Linda’s website at www.lindamerlino.com.

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

Belly of the Whale is my debut novel in mainstream publishing. In 2003 I self-published a novel. This gave me the inspiration needed to pursue another project, this one focused on mainstream publishers.

Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?

The self-published book is still available through Amazon; Swan Boat Souvenir is the story of twin souls. My debut novel: Belly of the Whale released April 1, 2008 by Kunati, Inc is about a young woman with breast cancer.

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

Swan Boat Souvenir was published by First Books Library, currently renamed: Author house.

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?

Since I did not attempt to query or seek out professional help for Swan Boat I can only use my current experience with Belly of the Whale. It took about three months to find an agent and a publisher.

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

No matter how thick skinned we say we are, rejection stings. When those letters or emails came my stomach would ache for a short time and then I’d resource more and tell myself, wrong way and moved on to another possibility.

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

I will refer to my debut novel Belly of the Whale to answer these questions. Kunati, Inc is my publisher. The three men that make up this publishing house are geniuses. Formerly from Simon & Schuster Derek Armstrong and Kam Wai Yu invented the book trailer concept in the 80’s. James McKinnon is their editor and a brilliant one at that. I liked Kunati’s New Voice mission statement, they were not afraid to take a chance on first-time authors.

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

When the email came, December 18, 2006, I stood on a chair and screamed at the top of my lungs. I’ve been celebrating ever since, every day. I wake up and say to myself, how blessed you are Linda, your dream has come true. Yes!!!

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

Promotion has been a learning curve. Kunati is a strong resource for all its authors and they have hand-held us through the process. Internet marketing was the first step to promotion and continues to be huge.

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

No, mainstream is the way to go; one can only go higher from here.

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

Since Belly of the Whale just released I am still very focused on what needs to be done to promote and get the message out there. I have taken the leap from writer to author and have begun giving-back to other writers. I could not have succeeded without the support and encouragement of the writing community.

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?

Honestly I do not see the way to speed things up. I believe that there is a season for everything. My life was on course, not perhaps the way I might have planned it to be, but on course. I tell groups and writer’s workshops to do their researching, do their homework, don’t query until you have a completed clean manuscript don’t add anything that isn’t requested…if an agent wants only a query then send only a query. Stay true to yourself and your belief in your gift as a writer. It will happen, be patient, keep writing.

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

My best so far has been to stand in front of a writing workshop class of 4rth and 5th graders and see their eyes go wide when I tell them I am a published author, that I wrote a book.

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

I have been in another profession for decades…that profession served its purpose, I am a writer, and I am ready to be that exclusively.

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

Beyond my steady job profession, I am also, a professional astrologer, this accomplishment blends well with my writing…it is time to be a writer, it is what I always dreamed I would be…

How do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years, I see myself in a house not far from the water with a generous backyard, gardens of flowers, herbs and vegetables. There is a separate structure on the property, perhaps a barn with a loft where I write everyday…

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

Writing is an act of faith…don’t give up or give in…never.

ATTENTION: This interview is being brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion. As a special promotion for Linda Merlino’s novel, BELLY OF THE WHALE, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away one FREE virtual book tour or $25 Amazon gift certificate to one lucky person who comments on her blog stops during her virtual book tour in June. Leave a comment below to have a chance to win one of these prizes! For more stops on Linda’s tour, visit www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com.

Author Interview: Women’s Fiction Author Sheila Roberts

Sheila Roberts lives in the Pacific Northwest. She’s happily married and has three children. She’s been writing since 1989, but she did lots of things before settling in to her writing career, including owning a singing telegram company and playing in a band. When she’s not speaking to women’s groups or at conferences she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate. You can visit her website at www.sheilasplace.com.  

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Sheila. 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’ve been published many times under different names. This is my second book for St. Martin’s Press.

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 called “The Phoenix Rises.” How impressive is that? I was certainly impressed with it. Never found a publisher who was, though. As to why it was never published, well, it wasn’t very good. That could have had something to do with 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?

Actually,none. It was a fun premise, so I didn’t have trouble getting it published. But I paid my dues later in my career. This is not an easy business.

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

I’ve had my share of rejections. I just kept writing.

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

I didn’t choose my first publisher. They chose me. In fact, I didn’t really have a clue what I was doing. My agent brokered the whole thing.

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

Talk about exciting. I live in Washington. I’m sure people in Florida heard the scream. It would have been wonderful to have gone out for dinner, had champagne. But we had young kids at the time and were on the budget. So . . . who knows what we did? I can’t remember. Just remember my very unprofessional and excited screeching. My poor agent. I don’t think she ever did hear well out of that one ear after that.

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

Organized a book signing. Sat around all dressed up in a goofy outfit (which was what I thought celebrity authors did.) Told customers where to find the restroom. Sometimes reality doesn’t match up with the vision.

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

No.

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

Yes. I hope I’m growing as an author with each new book I write. I don’t know if a writer ever “arrives” – it’s a constant growing experience.

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?

My process was pretty speedy, so I don’t think I could have made it go any faster. In fact, I had agent interest before I’d finished typing up that longhand first draft. I wish I’d known more about the business to begin with – what sold, how to write a bigger book. That sort of thing. I think I would have saved myself from many experiencing many painful bumps on the road to success.

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

Ask me that in ten more years.

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

Songwriter. Who knows? Maybe some day. There were only twenty-five thousand entrants in the “American Idol” songwriting contest. So what are the odds of winning and getting discovered?!

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

I think I really have the best of all worlds. I still do music as a sideline. Life is good.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

Rich? Famous?

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

Keep writing! The only way to find success is stay on the road to it.

An Interview with Women Fiction Author Sheila Roberts

Sheila Roberts lives in the Pacific Northwest. She’s happily married and has three children. She’s been writing since 1989, but she did lots of things before settling in to her writing career, including owning a singing telegram company and playing in a band. When she’s not speaking to women’s groups or at conferences she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.

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

This is my first women’s fiction book. I’ve published all kinds of things under different names, including magazine articles and content for gift books. But, sadly, they’re out of print now. Maybe that’s just as well.

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 called “The Phoenix Rises” and it was based on my mother-in-law’s life in Australia. I thought it was terribly brilliant and was convinced I was going to get it published and make us both a fortune. Although the book had potential, it wasn’t good enough to see the light of day. So it didn’t get published and I didn’t make that fortune. But my mother-in-law and I had a good time working on the project together. And how much was that worth? Like the charge card commercials say: priceless.

I had barely finished that book when I got an idea for another one. That was the book that sold.

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 didn’t go through any rejections on that book. Everyone loved it and everything went smoothly. Great even . . . until later. I have this theory about rejection: if you’re a writer, it comes with the territory. You may get it at the beginning of your career, you may get hit with it in the middle, or you may encounter it at the end. But you’ll experience it. And on the threshold of rejection is where we separate the writers from the talkers. A person can talk about writing all she wants, but in the end, the writers who survive are the ones who keep writing, no matter what. At least, that’s my theory. So far, it’s proved true in my own life and I’ve certainly seen it proved out in the lives of my published friends.
How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

They made me feel awful. I had gotten my identity so wrapped up in my writing that I found myself experiencing some bleak moments. I had to take a step back and reassess who I was, who I would be if I never again got published. And that was when I realized that, whether we publish or not, whether we’re successful or not, we all have value and we all have a contribution to make to our world. As for overcoming the blows, what did I do? I kept on writing. And writing. And writing. Two completed books and five book proposals. I kept trying new things to see what fit, kept learning and evolving as a writer. It was hard. But I love to write. What’s a girl to do? You have to keep going, so I did.

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

The line my first book was part of is long defunct. And I didn’t choose them – my agent did. I was thrilled that anyone wanted me so I didn’t exactly interview the publisher to see if they were up to my high standards. Not that I had any standards. I was completely clueless. My first book came out with Pageant, an imprint under the Crown Publishing umbrella.

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

I was so excited. And so unprofessional. I screeched like a mad thing when my agent gve me the news, probably made her deaf in that one ear.

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

I did book signings like crazy. Wore outrageous outfits. Pretended I was a celebrity. People would stop by my signing table and ask me where the bathroom was.

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

I think I chose the best route for me. I started with a literary agent, who helped me make my book better and then marketed it for me and negotiated a contract. A good agent is worth her weight in gold. I can’t imagine trying to have a writing career without one.

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

Yes, and I certainly hope I’ve grown as an author. I hope I’ll continue to grow. The more I write the more I realize how much I still have to learn.

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?

My case is a little odd. I stumbled into publishing right through an open door, and then proceeded to learn all my lessons the hard way, and publicly. Looking back I can see many places where I took wrong turns as a writer – hindsight is 20/20 – but I’m not sure if I could have avoided any of my mistakes. It was all part of the learning process. As for speeding things up, I think a common mistake many writers make is being in a hurry. We want things ASAP. We want to sell that first manuscript, we want to get published, we want to become famous. I think it’s not a bad idea to first want to become a really, really good writer, and to enjoy the process.

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

Let’s tackle that question in about 5 years.

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

I would have been a songwriter. Since songwriting is even harder to break into than publishing I probably made the right choice to pursue a writing career. But hey, I’m not dead yet. Who knows what the future holds?

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

I think a person can juggle more than one creative pursuit.  I’ll always write. I hope I’ll also do many more interesting creative things.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

Maybe as that household name every author wants to become.

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

Don’t give up. Keep writing. Don’t settle for less than what you want. Study the different publishers, choose yours and keep getting good until that publisher absolutely must have you.

 

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