Archive for the 'Interviews' Category
July 19, 2007 • 15 Comments
I am so thrilled to be interviewing my very good friend and crit partner Amanda Ashby. I watched her story evolve from being just an idea to a real live book. Let me tell you, I couldn’t be more excited if it was my own. And as for the cover and the title… both are absolute strokes of genius.
Please will you tell us about your latest book.
My debut novel, You Had Me at Halo (NAL August 2007) is about a young dead girl who gets sent down from heaven to sort out her earthly issues. Unfortunately, to do this she has to share a body with a computer geek, who isn’t too happy about her presence. A book of love, death and body sharing. What’s there not to like?
How long have you been writing and what made you start?
I had been writing for about six years before I sold (yes, I know, the words ‘slow learner’ do spring to mind!!!). I truly don’t know what made me start. I literally woke up one morning and decided to try writing a book. It was aimed at Mills and Boon and while it was probably the most dreadful thing ever written, I had the most amazing time writing it and from then I was hooked.
Many people spend a long time finding an agent, can you tell us about your agent hunt?
While I was living in the UK I tried to get an English agent and though I came close a couple of times it wasn’t until my Very Very Clever cp, Sara Hantz gently suggested (aka nagged and nagged and nagged) that I try US agents. At the time I thought this was crazy, but the minute I started sending things out the response was amazing. Where as in the
When I wrote Halo the requests came immediately and
I spoke to the agent and she was lovely and very confident. Also, she didn’t want any revisions. However, the revisions
Everyone loves a good call story, what was yours?
Hehehe – unlike my agent story, my call story is short and sweet.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Gawd, I’ve made so many blunders over the years that I’m not sure where to begin on this one!!! I think the most important thing is to remember that one book is not the sum of you. If your manuscript isn’t getting the response you want, then start on the next one because nothing is wasted. You’re honing your writing skills and you’re exp
Can you tell us about what you’re working on now and what books are coming out in the future?
I’ve just sold my first young adult novel called Zombie Queen of Newbury High and it truly was so much fun to write that I’m fairly sure it should be illegal!!! I’ve got a few other projects that I’m working on now, but for fear of sounding like an insane person, I’m not going to say what they’re about!!
Biography
Website: www.amandaashby.com
Blog: http://amandaashby.blogspot.com
Posted by Sara Hantz in Interviews @ 8:55 am
June 13, 2007 • 11 Comments
Please will you tell us all about your latest book?
My first young adult novel, REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN, from Berkley Jam will be in stores on July 3rd. The entire country will be celebrating with fireworks the very next day! 
My novel is the humorous tale of a homecoming queen that goes a bit psycho when she thinks her tiara has been disrespected.
How long have you been writing and what made you start?
I have been writing for about 3 1/2 years. I have always loved to read but never even considered trying my hand at writing until my first son was born. I realized that I didn’t want to spend anymore time in cubicles so I started writing. Eventually I got laid off, had another son, and kept writing and getting better. This is the first job I’ve ever loved! I just wish I would have figured out what I love to do a little sooner!
Many people spend a long time finding an agent, can you tell us about your agent hunt?
My first novel was an adult chick lit. I got personal positive rejection letters but nothing came of it. Next came my first young adult novel, which I realize now is probably more middle-grade, and the rejections were even more positive, but they were still rejections. When I started sending out queries for REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN, several agents immediately requested fulls. I knew it was going to be different this time. From the beginning I had my sights set on one particular agent,
Everyone loves a good call story, what was yours?
My sale happened pretty fast, so luckily I hadn’t had time to stress about it. I got home from Target (the best place on earth) one day and had a message from
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
I think knowing when to abandon a certain project is important. At some point if you’ve received a hundred rejection letters, and you’ve revised, revised, revised, it might just be time to move on. You are only going to get better on your future novels so keep pressing forward and never give up!
Can you tell us about what you’re working on now and what books are coming out in the future?
I am currently working on a sequel to my first novel. It’s called TWISTED SISTERS, and I believe it will be coming out in January 2008. After that I have a notebook full of ideas!
Biography
Stephanie Hale was born, raised, and still lives in the middle of a cornfield with her wonderful husband and two adorable little boys. She is pretty sure she was reading a book while she was still in the womb. She has been a cashier at a hardware store, a bartender, and has had several horrific jobs as a customer service rep. One day she decided to try writing a book herself. Then she had another thought, what if I could relive high school? After she stopped screaming, she started penning young adult novels. High school is much better the second time around when you can make your characters do and say whatever you want!
Her second YA, REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN, quickly won first place in a contest, got the positive reinforcement she was craving from agents, including her DREAM agent who happily took her on. Soon her novel, and a sequel, was bought by Berkley Jam and she lived happily ever after! When Stephanie isn’t busy working on her next novel she keeps busy chasing boys (see above).
Thanks so much Stephanie, it’s been a pleasure interviewing you.
Posted by Sara Hantz in Interviews @ 9:59 am
May 3, 2007 • 4 Comments
I was so thrilled when Allison agreed to be interviewed. I’m an avid reader of her blog, which you simply must check out.
Please will you tell us about your latest book
The Department of Lost and Found is a story about a 30-year old who faces a life crisis and is forced to reevaluate everything that she once deemed important, and in the process, is also forced to reinvent everything about both her concept of success and her concept of herself. Ultimately, it’s about finding your own way and prioritizing things that matter because, as my heroine, Natalie, realizes, life is fleeting and you have to take responsibilities for both your successes and failures.
How long have you been writing and what made you start?
Well, I recently found my childhood journals, so I guess I’ve been writing all of my life! But writing for pay? About eight years. I’ve been very fortunate to have found success in the magazine world, and then to see that translate over to fiction.
Many people spend a long time finding an agent, can you tell us about your agent hunt?
I’ve been on the hunt twice. I landed an agent with my first manuscript, which ultimately didn’t sell. After I wrote The Department of Lost and Found, she decided she didn’t think it was a strong enough book to go out with, and asked me to start working on another one. Clearly, I disagreed. So I took the leap and got back on the agent go-around again. I was terrified that maybe I had more faith in my work than I should have, but really, I DID have that faith: I truly knew it was an amazing book (um, you know, if I do say so myself!), and that just because this agent didn’t think so, it didn’t mean others would agree. Indeed, I got several agent offers within a few weeks, and instinctively knew that my current agent was the right one for me. I couldn’t wait to accept her offer and did so rather quickly, even pulling the manuscript from agents who were still reading because I wanted to go with my gut and sign with my agent.
Everyone loves a good call story, what was yours?
Well, mine is more of an email story! But, as I said, I knew right away that I wanted to accept my agent’s offer. I queried her via email and heard back from her within an hour, asking for me to email her the full. I did. By that afternoon, she sent me a note back saying that she couldn’t believe how wonderful it was, and to please not do anything before she finished it. Well, I received an offer from another agent the next day, so I let my current agent know. She called me immediately, said she’d stayed up until the wee hours reading the previous night, and even though she still had 50 pages to go, she wanted to rep it, saying she’d pretty much do anything to land me! Of course, I didn’t make her do anything special to sign me, though she did take me out for a celebratory lunch!
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Write, write and write. I think that too many writers get attached to what they’ve written and refuse to believe that there’s room for improvement. The truth of the matter is that writing a book is hard, but not that hard. Writing a GOOD book is extremely difficult. And the only way that you learn to craft a good one, in most cases, is to keep writing - to set aside the manuscript or manuscripts that are dead in the water and start over. It’s so daunting, but each time out, you’ll learn from your mistakes and create a better story (and book) the next time.
Can you tell us about what you’re working on now and what books are coming out in the future?
I’m working on my next novel, but it’s slow going. I’ve found it much harder than The Department of Lost and Found, which I think is pretty standard for second books. But I’m trying to plug away at it. I’m also juggling my magazine assignments, and two small kids, so, well…life is full! But full is good. There’s never a quiet moment in my house!
Bio:
Allison Winn Scotch is currently a frequent contributor to numerous consumer magazines including American Baby, American Way, Arthritis Today, Bride’s, Cooking Light, Fitness, Glamour, Hallmark, InStyle Weddings, Lifetime Television, Men’s Health, Parents, Prevention, Redbook, Self, Shape, Woman’s Day, Women’s Health, as well as American Airlines Custom Magazines and American Express Custom Magazines. Her debut novel, The Department of Lost and Found, will be published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, in May 2007.
http://www.allisonwinn.com
http://www.allisonwinnscotch.blogspot.com
Thanks for taking the time out to be interviewed, Allison. It’s been a pleasure.
Posted by Sara Hantz in Interviews @ 7:52 am
April 22, 2007 • 2 Comments
I’m so excited that my very good friend Emily Gee has agreed to let me interview her. Her debut book is incredible, and already selling huge numbers on Amazon, despite it not being due for release until April 30th.
Please tell us about your latest book.
Thief With No Shadow is a dark and romantic fantasy adventure. It’s set on a world where the ordinary and extraordinary co-exist and magic runs in certain bloodlines. The heroine Melke is a wraith and can become unseen. In exchange for her brother’s freedom she is forced to use her magical gift to steal.
Melke’s theft has devastating consequences. The stolen necklace was strung with tears, and without it Bastian sal Vere can’t break the curse that is destroying his family–a curse that will reach its brutal climax at the next full moon. He strikes a desperate bargain with Melke: a healer to save her brother’s life, in return for the necklace.
But undoing her crime may cost Melke her life. The necklace is deep within a salamander’s den, a place of flame and pain that no thief has ever returned from. And time is running short. The moon grows full, and someone must face the creature that laid the curse and suffer its terrible vengeance.
How long have you been writing, and what made you start?
I was overseas travelling in the mid 1990s when I first thought about writing fiction as a career, but I didn’t start seriously until four or five years ago. And as for why I started: I’m a daydreamer. My head is always full of stories. Writing allows me to justify all the daydreaming I do!
Many people spend a long time finding an agent. Can you tell us about your agent hunt?
I found my agent (Richard Curtis in
Richard liked my work, but it took six months of re-writing to turn the manuscript into something he wanted to represent. That manuscript didn’t sell, but the next one (Thief With No Shadow) did.
Everyone loves a call story. What was yours?
It’s an ‘email’ story, and not at all exciting. My agent emailed me–and I almost didn’t see it because I was running late for work. It wasn’t until I was in my car and driving down the street that reality hit. Would you believe I started crying? (Totally not the reaction I ever thought I’d have.) I work mainly with men, but fortunately it was vintage and they were all out harvesting grapes, so none of them saw!
Do you have a writing routine?
My routine is to walk, then write. Weekday mornings, I go for an hour’s walk and then sit down at my laptop until it’s time to go to work. In the weekends I go for longer walks up the hills, and I write for more hours. The walking really helps me to write. By the time I get home I can see the next scene clearly in my head. And if I ever get stuck, I go for another walk. Usually the problem is sorted by the time I get home!
(And if I’m writing in the evenings, I have another routine–one involving a glass or two of wine. It makes the words come more easily!)
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Firstly, don’t give up. Secondly, be prepared to make changes to your manuscript. Often my first reaction to suggested changes is a flat-out No. But usually after a day or two of reflection–or a week or two–I realise that the changes will make the story stronger.
Can you tell us about what you’re working on now?
I’m writing another dark and romantic fantasy adventure. It’s not set on the same world as Thief With No Shadow, so isn’t a sequel. The main characters are spies. One’s a poorhouse foundling and the other is a nobleman. Magic doesn’t play such a large a part in this book, although it’s still pivotal to the plot. The working title is Witch-Eye.
Emily Gee is the daughter of award winning
Posted by Sara Hantz in Interviews @ 5:08 pm
April 17, 2007 • 1 Comment
I was delighted when Maxine Sullivan agreed to be interviewed.
Please will you tell us about your latest book:
My debut book “The Millionaire’s Seductive Revenge” was a February release in the
I’m thrilled to say that on its release in the States, it reached #3 on the Waldenbooks Bestseller List for two weeks in a row.
How long have you been writing and what made you start?
I’ve been writing forever. Actually, it’s well over 20 years because I have a rejection slip from Mills and Boon dated 1986. But I was writing even before that, though back then I had no idea I should keep records so I could talk about it twenty years later. J
As to what made me start, it’s my mother’s fault. Yes, she willingly takes the blame for this. She’s an avid romance reader, who got me hooked on all those early romances back in the seventies. I can still see those covers and remember my favourite authors, and how excited I was when it was time for a new supply of books to be released.
Everyone loves a good call story, what was yours?
I decided to enter the eHarlequin Desire logline contest, where I submitted a couple of sentences about my story and won the chance with 9 others to do an online pitch to the senior editor of Desire, Melissa Jeglinski. So I did an online pitch to Melissa on
Not quite two weeks later I was sitting down having my first cup of coffee, reading through the writing digests, when I got an email from my agent saying that she hopes I get her email before going to work and to please call her. I froze. I told my husband and he said to get on the phone. I said I couldn’t and that it was probably a rejection anyway. Talk about fear of success!
But I bit the bullet and picked up the phone. My agent said she had some good news for me - that Melissa had called her and she loved my manuscript and wanted to buy it. I was stunned, then I said I had to tell my husband. I threw open the study door to tell him but he was already waiting on the other side and had heard me talking. So we were laughing and talking and I was saying I couldn’t believe it. I’m not one to scream and shout but you can bet I was happy, if not a little numb.
Then my agent and I got down to the details of the sale. I had some minor revisions to do first, but thankfully the senior editor was interested in a second manuscript, and also in a third one that I hadn’t completed at the time. Those three manuscripts ended up being the “Australian Millionaires” miniseries.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Believe in yourself and in your stories and don’t ever let anyone take that faith away from you. And whether you get enough rejections to kill a tree or not, it doesn’t mean that you can’t write or that your stories don’t have value. But also be prepared and know that most writers need to ‘pay some sort of dues’ first and accept that’s the way of the universe. So take that time and learn all you can about publishing and the writing itself. It will come in handy one day.
Can you tell us about what you’re working on now and what books are coming out in the future?
In 2006 I sold 4 books to Silhouette Desire. The first three are all set in tropical
My second book in the series, “The Tycoon’s Blackmailed Mistress” will soon be published in May 2007 in the States, and then Down Under in July 2007. The third book, “The Executive’s Vengeful Seduction” will be published in August 2007 in the States, and October 2007 in
And I’m very excited about my fourth Desire, which is part of the “Diamonds Down Under” continuity series with five other Australian and New Zealand Desire authors. The first in the series is due to be published in January 2008 by Bronwyn Jameson, followed by Tessa Radley in February 2008, myself in March, Jan Colley in April, Paula Roe in May, and the final book in the series by Yvonne Lindsay in June 2008. It’s an exciting series that is going to be something really special.
Bio:
Maxine Sullivan’s dream came true in January 2006 when she sold her first book to Silhouette Desire. Maxine currently lives in
Thank you so much, Maxine. It’s been an absolute pleasure.
Posted by Sara Hantz in Interviews @ 12:29 pm
April 7, 2007 • 2 Comments
I’m thrilled to be interviewing international best-selling author, Anna Jacobs.
Please will you tell us about your latest book
I’ve got two paperbacks out recently, one from each publisher. One is a modern novel, “The Corrigan Legacy”, a family relationships story with a few twists. The other is a historical saga ‘Bright Day Dawning’, one of a series set against the background of the early days of the music hall in the UK, before the fancy theatres, when there were singing rooms or music saloons attached to pubs. It was very interesting to research. The stories in this series are all separate tales, each with a complex set of plots and sub-plots linked to the embryonic music hall in a small, imaginary town. Well, actually, all my books have lots of plots and sub-plots - the minor characters just seem to insist on joining in the fun
How long have you been writing and what made you start?
I’ve always loved writing. I wrote French textbooks first, back in the 70s and 80s, and had 9 published. But no one reads those for pleasure and I always wanted to write novels more than anything else. It was difficult finding the time, with children and a full-time job, but I used to get up at 4am to write. Writing should come with a health warning: Beware, this is addictive stuff! Once I started writing seriously, I couldn’t stop. I’m still addicted to it.
Many people spend a long time finding an agent, can you tell us about your agent hunt?
I spent five years finding one, because I live in Australia and I wanted one in the UK or USA. This was before the Internet became so helpful and writers’ groups so well organised, so it was like hunting for an agent in a dark room. In the end I settled on the UK and joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association there, intending to enter a book in the New Writers’ Scheme. But before I could do that I’d had a book accepted, still without an agent. I attended a talk by a UK agent put on by the RNA and later on, he took me on. I’m still with him and he was worth waiting for.
Everyone loves a good call story, what was yours?
It was a double call story, actually.
First stage was: I’d been getting rejections for a few years, nicer and nicer ones but not ‘the call’. Then I saw a writing competition put on by Random House publisher and New Idea magazine in Australia. I only had one manuscript not submitted so I entered that. The months passed and I forgot about it. Then, one day at work the phone rang and a woman told me I’d finalled in the competition. Tears of joy started trickling down my cheeks because I knew the three finalists of the previous year had got published. My colleagues in the office were looking at me in dismay so I put my hand across the phone and said in a tearful voice, “It’s good news.” You’d never have thought so to see me.
I was flown to Melbourne and put up in a suite at a posh hotel, then taken to a glittering function that evening. My husband paid his own way. Bryce Courtenay presented the prizes and I came second out of over 800 entries, winning $10,000 and publication. I thought I’d taken off as a novelist.
But the publisher produced the book in hardback only, which isn’t a good thing with a new author and it didn’t sell well. However, I got a call from the editor saying she was recommending the next book I’d sent her for publication. And then the management changed and the new people abandoned the competition and my second book with it. I came down with chronic fatigue syndrome, too, and life seemed very bleak for a few months.
Second stage of ‘the call’: I remembered the agent I’m heard talking in London and wrote to him, enclosing two chapters and a synopsis. He wrote back to send the whole manuscript and I did. A month later it was accepted by the first publisher he’d sent it to, Hodder & Stoughton (now Hachette). I’d also sent off a fantasy novel myself before getting the agent and five weeks later an Australian publisher accepted that.
To add to that incredible year, I was contracted to write two more historical novels and two more fantasy novels, making it six sales in all. I was tap dancing on the ceiling!
Since then I’ve been producing two or three books a year and loving it!
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Don’t send away your first novel straight away. First novels are rarely good enough. Set it aside and write another whole book - yes, really! Then come back to the first one and you’ll see how to improve it. If it gets rejected a couple of times, then set it aside again and write some more, then come back to it again. Each book you write will develop your skills and if you don’t give up, you’ll get there. It was my sixth novel that got the call, since when I’ve had four of the other five published - one has too trite a story and I’ve not attempted to sell it.
It takes longer to develop professional standard writing skills than people realise.
Can you tell us about what you’re working on now and what books are coming out in the future?
I write historical sagas for one publisher and modern novels for another. This is very stimulating and refreshing for me as a writer. I’m nearly at the end of another modern novel, which is set in both Australia and England. After that, I’ll be working on a historical.
I have another historical saga coming out in paperback in July in the UK, a couple of months later down under. ‘Heart of the Town’ is the fourth and final (for now) in the music hall series, set in the 1840s. At the same time the next historical ‘Tomorrow’s Promises’ comes out in hardback. This one is set just after World War I and focuses on the women who did men’s jobs during the war and then were chucked out of them to let the men back. My heroine drove a motor bike and buys it, then returns home to face hostility and an unexpectedly dangerous situation.
The paperback of my modern novel ‘Family Connections’ comes out in September in the UK.
I’ve also gone back to my old love, fantasy, and have a fantasy romance coming out in the US in December - ‘Tenebrak’ is under my Shannah Jay name.
So it’s all very exciting.
BIO:
Anna Jacobs writes historical sagas, historical romances and modern novels for two
mostborrowedauthors/top100/2005-2006.htm
She has abiding passions for her husband (of course!), writing stories, social history especially women’s history, and reading. She doesn’t have any housework genes at all, but happily works long hours at her writing, producing three novels per year. Visit her web site for more information: www.annajacobs.com
Posted by Sara Hantz in Interviews @ 4:03 pm
