Q: How long did it take you to publish?
Ugh. Ten years!

Q: How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?
I’m sorry to answer this, but it’s probably close to 7. I did, however, recently, “recycle” one of them—SOUTHERN KNIGHTS was reincarnated into HARD IN THE SADDLE in my second cowboy anthology, ONLY WITH A COWBOY. BTW, I do not plan to EVER do that again! It was much more difficult than writing a new manuscript. I think of it in sewing terms—it’s always much easier for me to make a whole new outfit than to attempt to alter one that didn’t fit.

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?
I wish! I do write every day, but much as I would love to say I have set office hours, it’s more of an “Oh, I’d better get derriere in chair and do some work!” kind of thing.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?
I’ve had the pleasure of being part of several critique groups over the years since joining RWA, but, at present, I’m flying solo.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?
Wow, that’s difficult to answer! Usually I get a very vague idea, then come up with the title and characters. I always have a title and characters before I begin plotting and writing my synopsis.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/separate word file, etc?)
LOL! I’m not anywhere nearly so organized! It I get a new story idea, I usually scribble it on whatever is handy, then stick it in a file folder marked PLOT IDEAS in my filing cabinet.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how
did you handle it?
More times than I’d care to admit. I don’t think it’s really boredom, though, as much as it being finished in my mind before it’s technically finished. Once I realized this, I was able to push onward. I’d like to add, too, that having a contract and deadlines are great motivators! Sheer terror is very powerful.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would see, it would be…
Probably what I’m writing—although I’d love to branch out as well. Branch out to what? Ah, that’s the problem. I have more ideas for more genres than I could possibly write for in this lifetime.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?
Don’t give up! I swear, I’m the poster child for perseverance. I always liken it to the Lottery—if you don’t buy a ticket, you for sure won’t win!

Q: What is the worst?
Not everyone is meant to be a published author. Bull! If you have the drive and determination and stick to it,honing your craft, eventually you WILL sell.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
That’s a difficult question to answer. When I first started writing, I’d have said the actual writing. Then, when I first sold, I’d have said plotting and then being able to hold your published book in your hands. Now? You know, I really do enjoy all of it—even editing! Of course, it helps that I usually have no revisions. I probably wouldn’t be crazy about doing revisions. Then again, that’s part of the process as well.

Q: What is your least favorite part of the writing process?
Having to finish writing a book I sold on synopsis sometimes a year earlier when my mind is finished with it and ready to move on to the next one.

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?
The agent. Actually, I found my first agent at the West chapter when I was assigned an appointment with her. My current agent was as a result of querying.

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?
I’ve lost track! Hey, I’ve been in deadline dementia for so long, sometimes it’s hard to remember what I had to eat the previous day! Seriously, I entered a lot of contests early on and found most of the comments invaluable. As I wrote for submission longer, I became more subjective. I think I only finaled in about 4 or 5 contests in all those years, but I consider the advice priceless.

Q: How do you promote your books?
Word of mouth for the anthologies I do with other authors—the first couple of them, the authors shared advertising
costs and bookmarks etc, and I decided it didn’t really make a difference in sales. For my own books, I usually at least do an ad in Romance Sells, booksignings and the occasionally guest blogs/interviews.  I know I need to utilize the internet more and plan to do that as soon as I turn in the deadline books currently breathing down my neck.

Q: Free Form: Here’s your chance to tell us anything you’d like—tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet
peeves, hopes, dreams, etc.
Years ago, Sandra Hill told me not to write a time travel I was plotting if I didn’t sincerely feel I had several of them in me b/c if I sold it that’s all the publisher would want from me. The longer I’ve been published, the more I think about that valuable piece of advice. I loved my “reverse time travel”—it was about a Confederate soldier who was tossed into the 21st century—and would love to see it reach print someday, but I truly don’t see myself writing more than one more time travel. So, who knows? Maybe someday…maybe not. I do, however, think of her advice with each book I write and I think it’s something every writer needs to seriously consider.

Pet peeves? There are so many! The first is the eye roll romance writers tend to get—especially when someone asks what kind of romance I write and I tell them erotica. And it doesn’t really get easier to keep my big mouth shut. And don’t even get me started about the narrow minded people who assume all romance is porn! And my last big pet peeve is people who assume published authors live in a rarified atmosphere and rake in tons of money for relatively little effort.

At my first booksigning, a little pre-school aged girl picked up my book while I was signing a copy for her mother and leafed through it. Deciding it was safe b/c she was too young to be able to read, I continued signing. Then she dropped the book in disgust and told her mother “This book is dumb! It gots no pictures!” All I could think was how grateful I was that it didn’t have any pictures! Yikes!

I’d like to add something here. I was extremely fortunate to have my first book featured in USA Today and a couple of days later on Geraldo Live—it helped sales, big time! But my biggest thrill, to date, was seeing someone reading one of my books at an airport. And a close second was having a radiology tech ask me if I was an author and then proceed to gush about how much she loved my books. It made my abdominal scan almost pleasant!

Q: How long did it take you to publish?
I sold my first manuscript to Silhouette Books.

Q: How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?
None!

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?
Yes. Start at 10:00 a.m., break for lunch, hit my stride mid-afternoon. I work at night only when on deadline.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?
Not a critique group, but a wonderful brainstorming group. Four other multi-published authors and I meet once a year where we brainstorm the work-in-progress of each.

Q: If this is not the only critique group you’ve participated in, how many others did you have before finding the one that worked?
I never had another. And I only discovered the joys of brainstorming in the last four books I wrote. I can’t
say enough about the value of meeting with and talking about what I’m writing with knowledgeable friends.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?
The plot always. The germ of an idea comes to me and then I “what-if” a lot.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook
by the bed/separate word file, etc?)
I jot them down and put them in a file labeled “story ideas.” The truth: I almost never use them. When it’s
time to write another book, I somehow come up with a fresh idea.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?
I don’t usually get bored, but I often get worried in the middle of a book. I think keeping the reader interested in the middle of a story spells success. I have lost momentum, which is another problem. Stuff happens in our lives and I’m no different. I usually get back in the groove when it’s over and sometimes the interruption actually proves helpful.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would see, it would be…
I am so incredibly blessed to be writing exactly what I want to write. From time to time, I have gotten bored
with the particular genre I was stuck in, but I then moved to a different genre. In looking back over my career, that is obvious. I wrote traditional romance, then Superromances, then single titles, then thrillers, then back to single titles and now inspirational fiction. Which is exactly what I want to write now. I guess I’ve never had a “book of my heart” that I longed to write and didn’t.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?
Don’t pay attention to what other authors are writing, getting paid or how they manage their careers. Focus
on writing the best book you know how. Told to me by a Harlequin Editor years ago.

Q: What is the worst?
Leave Mira Books and go to a different publisher. Told to me by someone who shall be nameless.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
That’s easy! Thinking up the story.

Q: What is your least favorite part of the writing process?
Writing the story.

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?
Editor. After four books at Silhouette, my editor said, “Karen, you need an agent. You could be making more money.”

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?
Nary a one. Ever.

Q: How do you promote your books?
I have an incredible publicist who does that for me. I never particularly liked that part of my career and I could have been more successful if I had. I have now remedied that neglect. Some things we do: Send postcards via US Mail. Send eBlasts when the book is launched. Seek speaking engagements at various events where the audience is women who read/buy books. Approach newspapers with a well-written press release. Volunteer to conduct workshops at other RWA chapters. And finally, schedule book signings.

Q: Free Form: Here’s your chance to tell us anything you’d like— tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet peeves, hopes, dreams, etc.
I didn’t think my grandsons had ever read any of my romance novels. I guess I was wrong, because after signing a nice contract to write inspirational fiction, one of my grandsons (age 16 then) asked, “So, Mimi, after you take out the sex and the cussin’, what’s left?”

Visit Karen’s website for more! www.karenyoung.net

Q: How long did it take you to publish?
10 years

Q: How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?
2 complete; probably 6 partials

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?
Yes, Monday-Friday, 7:30-5:30 (sometimes later if deadlines loom) and Saturday-Sunday as needed.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?
Yes. I work with several different people, though we’re not part of a group. Generally four people read my
work.

Q: If this is not the only critique group you’ve participated in, how many others did you have before finding the one that worked?
I’ve worked with several different groups. Some just didn’t fit right.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?
The characters.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/separate word file, etc?)
It depends on how strong they hit me. Sometimes I might jot them down. Most of the time, I just file them away in my head. I figure if they are that good, I’ll remember them.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?
I think most writers do this. For me, I go back and reread the earlier chapters. When I start feeling bored, I’ve generally taken a wrong turn. If I can find that oops, I usually can reconnect with the energy of the story.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would see, it would be…
I love ghost stories. So a good ghost story with romantic elements is really my cup of tea.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?
Don’t compare yourself to others and follow your heart, no matter what others might say.

Q: What is the worst?
Number 1: Only write in one genre. I know this probably works for many writers, but I found I grew as a
writer as I tried to explore different genres. 4umber 2: Stop entering contests. I sold my first book back in
’94 due to contests. And my second step back into publication happened as a direct result of a contest. And I signed with an agent as a result of contest. I know contests are not for everyone. But for me, they were my path to publication.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
The last three of or four chapters of a book when I’m tying it all together. I always get so excited.

Q: What is your least favorite part of the writing process?
Rewriting/polishing. The right side of my brain doesn’t work very well.

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?
I sold my first book in ’94 without an agent. When I sold again in 2006, I had an agent. I had submitted a
manuscript to my agent, but after finaling with four manuscripts in the Golden Pen, a published judge, contacted her agent and told her about me. The agent recognized my name as having a submission in her to-beread stack, so she pulled it out, read it and she signed me.

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?
Oh, lordie! I don’t know the exact number. I think the last years before I sold I was entering one to two contests a month. And I finaled in seven out of ten contest that I entered.

Q: How do you promote your books?
Website, blogging, guest blogging. I do some promotional items, but I target more booksellers and book buyers than just the general public. I also do a lot of workshops for RWA chapters and organizations.

Q: Free Form: Here’s your chance to tell us anything you’d like—tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet peeves, hopes, dreams, etc.
I’m a big believer in what I call the “Make it Happen Process.” The principles are easy. Work your ass off.
Never give up. 4ever, ever stop improving. When you think you know it all, you’re only fooling yourself.
Writing is the entertainment business and it is always changing. Don’t compare yourself to others. We all
have our own paths and schedules. Jealously is a human emotion, and it’s fine to wish you had what others
have, but when you start wishing other’s didn’t have their accomplishments, jealously becomes a an ugly
emotion and can bring on many negative effects. Do what you can do, do it the best you can do it, and don’t let the outcome dishearten you. Just because a book didn’t get bought, doesn’t mean that the editor reading it won’t remember you. Just the opportunity to have been read by this editor may be what leads you to greater things later on. This has happened to me so many times. And it would have been easy to see the outcome as a failure and give up. Reach out to others. I’m a big believer in Karma. Don’t keep working on the
same book. Write it, polish it, and then move on the next one.

Q: How long did it take you to publish?
Once I started writing for publication, about three years. One year on my own, and two years after I joined the WHRWA.

Q: How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?
I have about five unfinished manuscripts tucked away in files on my computer. Most of them are at least the first 5-6 chapters. And I have about three finished manuscripts that are looking for homes.

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?
Yes, I write for about two hours each day after work, when the kids are doing homework and before dinner. Later in the evenings, I edit. I go to work before 6am and get home around four, so I have time. And on the weekends, I write as much as I can around family activities. And I have every other Friday off, so I try to write all day. It averages about 20hrs a week.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?
Yes. Currently, we have four members, but we’re hoping to have a fifth join us this month. Each of us writes something different, and I love that. It exposes us to more genres than what we write in or what we read. And as far as I’m concerned good writing is good writing. If you can tell a story that captures my imagination, pulls me in, and makes me care about the characters, it doesn’t matter to me if it’s YA, inspirational, romantic suspense, or paranormal.

Q: If this is not the only critique group you’ve participated in, how many others did you have before finding the one that worked?
When I first started I was in another critique group and it was truly wonderful. There were four of us, most new to writing, but we had one multi-published author and she was so generous with her comments and criticisms. I learned so much from her and the others, no matter what our levels were. A good critique group is
worth its weight in gold. If you respect and trust the members, they can be your support group, keep your writing honest, push you to excel and help you to find your voice, not lose it.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?
For me, it varies. Sometimes it’s a title, sometimes a scene that plays in my head or a song. Most of the time, the characters step forward and say, “Write about me!” On my website it says, “It’s all about me,” but really, it’s all about the characters. Plot usually follows. Once I know the characters, they guide me to what
the plot should be, according to their situations or their needs.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/separate word file, etc?)
That happens all the time to me. I stop, write down the scene(s) and then go back to the other piece. If not, I can’t get it out of my head, and it affects what I’m writing, or my sleep, because I can’t let it go until I write it down. I do all my writing on the computer, except edits. I do my edits on paper. It’s easier for me to catch mistakes on paper, and to quickly write changes or additions in between the lines. I always use a red pen. And it has to be a certain brand of pen, too. Yeah, you could say I’m just a tad obsessive/compulsive. But only a little. But it pays off, my editors have said I have some of the cleanest manuscripts they’ve ever seen.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?
Not really, and if I do, I skip it and write the next scene or the ending to get past it, then go back and fill in. Usually, I work on more than one project at a time. Right now, I’m writing the third story in my series, In The Company of Men. It’s a medieval m/m romance that continues the story in the second book, Jackson’s Pride. And I’m also working on finishing McCallan’s Blood, a werewolf story, and I’m going to start a new novella this week for a deadline in May. When you jump from one to the other, they seem to stay fresh. I’ll write one, then suddenly, something for the other story will pop in my mind and I’ll jot that down and then go back to the first, second or third.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?
“Keep writing”. It’s really simple, but if you don’t w rite, you can’t grow. The more you write the more you learn about writing, your voice and what it takes to tell a great story that people want to read.

Q: What is the worst?
“If you write that, you’ll never get published”. If you write from the heart, it shows. A good writer can write anything and make it sing. And there are so many options open to writers now that we don’t have to get pigeon holed into one genre or another. I can write both gay romance, ménages (which are super hot right
now), sweet romance, romantic suspense or paranormal, and I do. Whatever I want, the sky’s the limit. There is always a demand for good writing, no matter what the genre.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Getting lost in the story. Breathing and sleeping and living the characters so much that I can talk about them as if they are real people. It sort of creeps my friends out, but my writing buddies just nod and smile. My husband listens to me and makes hysterical suggestions, most of which I don’t take, but he knows me and supports my writing. And he’s extremely well read, so when he has a critique, I grumble, but in the end, I listen. Usually.

Q: What is your least favorite part of the writing process?
Editing. I do a lot of editing. I write a chapter or two, and then I make several passes checking for grammar, spelling, word choice, word repetition, sentence structure, etc. #ot to mention, additions, changes or deletions. I use a LOT of paper this way.

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?
The editor. I had pitched so many stories at numerous conferences, sent off tons of requests, even won a few contests, but nothing ever came from it. So, by the time I signed up for the nationals in Dallas in 2007, most of the agents/editors were taken. Only a few were left, and one of them was Treva Harte from Loose Id, an epublisher. I checked out their sight and what they were looking for, downloaded a few books that peaked my interest and fell in the genre of gay romance, and checked their reputation out on some loops. Then, a month before the conventions, I began writing The Mercenary’s Tale. It was more than half done when I pitched it to her. She loved the premise and asked for the full. I went home, finished it and sent it to her a month later. She accepted it in October, asked me to expand it to full length, and in February of last year it was published. Turn around time, less than five months. Since then, I’ve had six other books published with Loose Id. And a het paranormal romance with Liquid Silver. This year I’m contracted for two more at Loose Id, and have just signed contracts for two books at another publisher, Amber Quill, and invitation only e-publisher. My goal is to publish eight books this year, one more than last year, so I have a lot of writing to do.

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?
Dozens. Literally. It was costing a fortune to enter, print and send copies, but I looked at it as an investment in my career and tax deductible. I finaled in two of those- third place in TARA’s inspirational category, with a request for a full from Steeple Hill, and a first place in the Lone Star, in the paranormal genre, with no requests from editor or agent, which was such a disappointment. It was the last contest I entered. I really searched myself about what I wanted to write, what would make me happy and hold my interest, and although there is always a touch of faith in my books, I didn’t want to write inspirational. I knew I wanted to write erotic romance. And I knew I was tired of waiting to hit the lottery with my writing going the conventional path to publication. I wanted to be published and start to make money right away and for me, e-publishing was the right thing to do. I’m glad I did it and I couldn’t be happier with my success. Or with my publishers, editors, cover artists and all the people who run those businesses.

Q: How do you promote your books?
Since I sell through my publisher’s websites, I have a website (which anyone, even before you sell a single thing, should have) and I joined several loops, including those that deal with gay romance. One of those loops reaches over three thousand readers/writers, most of them gay men, who are now just beginning to catch on to gay romance, believe it or not. Most gay romance is sold to women, not men. I have my calendar marked with the days of the weeks that certain loops allow promos and excerpts and I post on those days.

I’m active in my publisher’s loops where we interact with other writers and readers and my publishers send my books to internet romance review sites. I’m lucky, and that I have several reviewers who’ve requested that I automatically send them a copy of my latest to review because they don’t get it from the publisher and love what I’m writing. I also have postcards of all my covers printed with the blurb and websites on the backs to hand out, and of course, business cards. This year, I’ll be attending the RT convention in Orlando, where I’m going to do the e-book book-signing event. And my first book with Amber Quill, David’s Dilemma will come out in paper two weeks after the e-print version and it will go to Amazon also.

Q: Free Form: Here’s your chance to tell us anything you’d like—tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet peeves, hopes, dreams, etc.
My best story – One of my good friends (a fellow girl scout mom) who knows what I write (several of us meet for dinner to celebrate each book that comes out), was at her Galleria beauty salon, very upscale, getting her hair down by “Mr. Phillippe.” At the next chair, “Mr. Raoul” was doing another woman’s hair and the two stylists started to chat. One said, “Have you read the new Lorenz book? It’s to die for! So hot! You’ve got to read it!” My friend nearly fell out of her chair and said, “That’s my friend. I know her!” And after all the squeeing was over, they treated her like a princess, getting her wine and making sure she was happy, just because she knew me. She called and told me she was going to drop my name more often! Wow! That just made my month! I’m still grinning about it.

Q: How long did it take you to publish?
No time at all. Did I mention that I’m a sophomore in high school right now? Okay, honestly…I was not an overnight success. I became serious about trying to get published in 2002. I attended a writers’ retreat that focused on craft, and I rewrote a manuscript several times to practice what I’d learned about storytelling. It took me three years to generate a book that I felt was ready to send to agents. Would-Be Witch and a sequel sold to the Berkley Publishing Group in June 2007.

Q: How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?
I have two in the closet that will never see the light of day. I also have a lot of partially finished/different versions of projects on my laptop.

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?
I don’t have a writing schedule.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?
Not presently. I was part of a critique group for about five or six years. It was a mixed genre group, and I really liked it, but the way I write and edit my work is different now and not really amenable to using a critique group. I tend to do some brainstorming and then write the entire manuscript without showing much to anyone. When I’ve polished the first draft and have fixed any problems that I find, I give it to my two critique partners. They do a very detailed critique for me and then I revise the manuscript with their comments in mind.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?
Often I’ll start with a premise, then I do some exploratory writing to get to know the characters and at the same time I’ll brainstorm the plot a bit. I have a terrible time coming up with titles. Titles usually come last.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/separate word file, etc?)

I jot notes in a writing journal or sketchbook…or on scraps of paper. Sometimes I’ll indulge myself and write four or five thousand words on something new just to scratch that itch. If I’ve written scenes, I’ll keep the story notes and the loose manuscript pages in a binder or folder. When it comes to the actual creative process, organization and routine aren’t a high priority for me.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?
That hasn’t happened recently, but when I was learning to tell stories in novel form, it happened several frustrating times. I later realized getting stuck in the middle of a book was a symptom of not knowing the story’s ending. Now when I begin a book, I figure out the climax so I can write toward it.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would sell, it would be…books that don’t fall easily into a genre or subgenre.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?
Keep writing, and you’ll be published.

Q: What is the worst?
Vampire fiction is passé. (It was the summer of 2004, and the paranormal market for vampires was not even close to saturation. I regret that I abandoned the urban fantasy that I was working on in favor of a project that I liked less.)

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
I love that “in the zone” writing where the characters do their thing and I just trail after them writing about what happens. When I’m deep enough in their world, I don’t even exist. I find that very cool.

Q: What is your least favorite part of the writing process?
Re-writing.

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?
The agent.

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?
I entered one contest, but I didn’t final. It was when I’d just started writing romance and I was hoping for helpful feedback, which I got.

Q: How do you promote your books?
For Would-Be Witch, since it’s my debut, I’m doing a little of everything. My website, of course. Also, bookmarks & brochures, a couple ads and book signing events, teaching workshops, a blog tour, and MySpace. It’s overwhelming, but I wanted to feel like I’m doing something to help the first book succeed. I definitely plan to spend less time on promotion after this month. I’m looking forward to just getting back to writing books! My favorite days are always when I get lost in a story and don’t have to come out.

I’ve been writing romance for ten years — the same age as my son. I started reading romance novels while I was on maternity leave, and made my first attempt at writing one about six months later.

Q:How long did it take you to publish?

Six years. I sold my first book in 2004.

Q:How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?

One horrible Georgian historical titled, DRAGON’S KISS. The hero was very dark and very tortured, only I never actually figured out why…

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?

I’ve got a 6 and 10 year old, and I also work a part time job from home for an accident reconstruction firm. Between all of that, I generally write 2-3 hours a day — usually from about 11 – 2. When I get
closer to my deadline, I start to get up an hour early to edit pages, and start writing at night after the kids go to bed, usually from 9-11. During the last two or three weeks of my deadline, I usually get up to write around 5:00, and get to bed around 2:00 a.m. I’m a very slow writer, and my
work requires a lot of revision.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?

No, I don’t have a critique group. I worked with a critique group for probably the first seven years, and now I prefer to work with no feedback until I’ve finished the book. I have three writer friends who act as “final readers.”

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?

The characters, and usually the opening scene or inciting incident.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/separate word file, etc?)

I scribble new story ideas into journals and notebooks.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?

Yes, that’s certainly happened! Usually when I lose sight of the conflict and everyone starts being too
nice and happy. Boring! So I have to go back in and analyze each character’s GMC, and get them back on track. Another thing that helps me is to ask myself the question, “Why do I love this story? Why do I love this chapter? Why do I love this scene?” If I don’t love it, then I need to do something differently.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would sell, it would be?.

Oh, easy! I’d write a historical set during the French and Indian War. Think LAST OF THE MOHICANS. I
love that time period.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?

To make every word count. That’s a deceptively simple statement but really — every word, every
phrase we write should have purpose.

Q: What is the worst?

You’ll never sell that book. (I did!)

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Writing “THE END”. That’s very true! I love my characters, and my books, but writing is very difficult
for me. Lots of blood, sweat and tears. But I’m so proud of the end result. I love having written a book.

Q: What is your least favorite?

I’d have to say getting the first draft onto paper. I enjoy revision so much more.

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?

Agent

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?

Over the course of six years, I entered about nine or ten different contests. The first two or three, I
scored very low, and in retrospect, I understand why! That was with the under-the-bed book. But
with my second manuscript, I finaled in four contests, and received three requests for fulls. That’s
when I queried agents, listing out the contest finals and the requests, and that’s how I got an
agent.
Q:How do you promote your books?
Primarily through my website. I also send out
postcards and bookmarks to reader events and
bookstores. However, I think a great book brings
the best promotion — word of mouth recommendations.

Q:How long did it take you to publish?
My first rejection letter is dated 1981.

Q:How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?
At least eight, but I don’t count anymore.

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?
I write from 8 am—Noon, then go swimming. I may write or edit a few hours in the afternoon. I do this at least six days a week.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?
No. I write too fast to work with a critique group and, for many years, I lived fifty miles from other writers. I have two friends I critique with online.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?
The first line comes first and then the first ten pages.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/ separate word file, etc?)
I keep a notebook by the bed for ideas that pop up at night, but usually I keep a file on the computer filled with ideas. I write everything I can think of—sometimes as much as thirty pages and a sketchy synopsis—to get it out of my brain so I can keep writing on the WIP without being distracted.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?
ALWAYS! By the middle, I always hate the book I’m working. It gets so hard to write about then. I force myself to keep writing and begin to like it again during the last fifty pages.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would sell, it would be…
My two paranormals—one humorous, the other a fantasy.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?
Keep writing! If I had stopped, I wouldn’t be published.

Q: What is the worst?
Stick to one genre. I’ve been published in Regency, contemporary, and inspirational and currently am working on a romantic suspense. I wouldn’t be published if I’d kept with one genre.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
The first chapter.

Q: What is your least favorite?
The rest of the book.

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?
Editor

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?
I entered probably sixty contests over ten years. In the last two years before I published, I probably
finaled in twenty-five.

Q: How do your promote your books?
I do interviews, write guest blogs, remind people that my book is coming out, make gift baskets.

Q: Free form – your chance to tell us anything you’d like – tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet peeves, hopes, dreams, etc.
I always disagreed with the advice to sit down and write every day. As a high school Spanish teacher, I worked 50-60 hours a week. I didn’t have the energy to write everyday. What I did learn was to write fast every time I had the opportunity: weekends, vacations, during boring teacher workshops. I also learned to set a schedule I could keep and allow myself time off when I needed it.

Oh, off and on since I was a teenager. So I guess about twenty years. Although I never completed a book until college.

Q:How long did it take you to publish?

Just shy of two years.

Q:How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?

Er, don’t throw eggs at me, but I only have the one that I wrote in freshman year college stowed away somewhere. It’s a godawful book set in the post Civil War South that doesn’t know if it’s a romance or a coming of age novel : mostly because (at nineteen) I was still embarrassed to admit I read and wanted to write romance. I think I titled it SOUTHERN REMNANTS and thought it was the best title ever! Snort.

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?

I write most every day, but the page count varies. Basically I know when the book is due and I figure how much I need to write as each month looms before me. Sometimes it’s 80 pages a month (fairly easy) or a crushing 200 pages a month (a bit trickier).

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?

I have people I brainstorm with: four super-smart-findplot- holes-in-the-dark-ladies (Big wave to Tera, Ane, Robyn and Christy!), any of which will look at pages for me. But my writing schedule is so tight that I push straight through a book, revising very little as I go. That being the case, I don’t think it’s very productive for others to critique material that I already know needs drastic changes anyway. By the time I finish the book and finally know my characters and plot, I know where changes need to be made, and quickly make them: because the book is usually due that week or the next, leaving me no time for anyone else to read through it.

Q: How many other critique groups have you participated in?

I’ve been with some of these ladies from the start – or near start, anyway. I’ve drifted apart from a few other cps, but that’s the reality of life. We all change, grow, evolve : and choose different paths in life. Writing is a tough business. It’s a huge investment of time, work, etc. And it does not always come with a paycheck at the end of the day. That said, I begrudge no one from deciding to prioritize other areas of their life.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?

Ha, NEVER the title. My new release, SURRENDER TO ME, is the first title I ever got to keep. The plot always comes first, or at least some slice of it. Sometimes I just have a scene in my head, a single event, which I then build an entire plot around.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/separate word file, etc?)

I’ve filed naughty little intrusive ideas away, but I’m usually so focused on my current project and making deadline that those kinds of distraction don’t happen. As I near the end of the book, I start thinking of the next book and that enthusiasm helps me finish the current book.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?

Well, that does happen, and that’s usually when I take a step back and say to myself, “This is boring!”. I then decide to make something BIG happen. I think of Donald Maass’s “tension on every page” adage and do what I can to make that happen.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would sell, it would be:.

the book I’m writing right now. While it is certainly savvy to write what’s marketable, if you don’t love what you’re writing, then it’s just not going to be that great. So why bother? I firmly believe you can write something “saleable” while also writing to your heart.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?

Hmm. Tough question. There is a lot of good advice out there, but I’ve learned it does not apply to everyone. Just when you hear one “rule of thumb”, you hear a scenario of someone breaking it and succeeding. That said, I suppose the “have a good agent” is pretty standard, but true. I credit my agent with a lot of my success. She’s tenacious and fights me.

Q: What is the worst?

“You don’t really need an agent”.

But I also hear about people who stick with an agent through thick and thin when maybe they should have gotten out while things were “thin”. So make sure you have an agent who a) knows what the heck they’re doing, and b) really is looking out for YOU.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Writing the last fifty pages when I finally “get” my book and know the characters and where it’s all going : and I can finally REVISE the sucker! I love, love, love revising the book. It’s a time of high hopes for me, when I see everything fairly objectively and suddenly believe the book may not be horrible, but actually pretty good!

Q: What is your least favorite?

The first 100 pages. Groan. Confession time. The way I’m contracted, I basically need to write a book in four months. Get this: I use 3 months to write the first 100 pages. I know, so unrealistic for me! That means I get a month to finish the rest of the book!

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?

Agent!

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?

Sheesh! I probably averaged 2 contests a month for 18 months. I did not start finaling until the last year though.

Q: How do your promote your books?

I usually try something different with each book, other than the standard website, bookmarks, arc distribution, and blog “tour” at the time of release. I also buy extra copies of my books, as much as I can afford, and give them away. I believe the book itself is the most powerful tool at an author’s disposal (assuming it’s good, of course!). The more people you can hook, the more people who will remember to buy the next one.

Q: Free form – your chance to tell us anything you’d like – tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet peeves, hopes, dreams, etc.

I guess, my biggest realization upon selling was that I felt different, changed, and I was — but no one alerted the rest of the world. I’m still a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend who now annoys her friends when she doesn’t call as often as before.

And that’s why being a part of a writing community is so important — to have people in my life that GET me. That said, thank you to WHRWA for all you’ve given me : and for “getting” me. I’m lucky to belong to such a wonderful group.

In the late eighties I started writing longhand in a spiral notebook, playing with plot and characters to see if I could write a book.

Q:How long did it take you to publish?

I never planned to be an author. I went to college to become an RN. In my first year at Sam Houston I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I was eighteen and this hit me out of left field. When I could no longer walk to class, I had to come home and deal with thiscrippling disease. Through many surgeries and hospital stays I became an avid Harlequin romance reader. I loved those happy endings. I took up art and painted for a while. When I could no longer do that, my family encouraged me to write a book. I thought they were insane, but I did try. I spend a lot of days writing in that notebook. Didn’t have a clue what I was doing, but I was busy. And I enjoyed it.

The book was rejected over and over, so I put it away and started another. By this time my husband had bought me a computer and I was off on this adventure of writing. I read how-to books and studied Harlequin romances over and over and over.

The Truth About Jane Doe sold to Super Romance on April 19, 1999. I’d say it took about ten years of sporadic writing to sell.

Q:How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?

I have two partials.

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?

In the mornings I read emails, do mailings or whatever. In the afternoon I write from 1-4:30 p.m. and from 7 to whatever time I can’t see anymore or my husband says it’s time to stop.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?

Not at this time. When Harlequin showed an interest in my second manuscript, I joined Brazos Writers in my hometown of College Station. They read the first three chapters and offered advice on what I needed to do to make the story stronger. That’s the only critique group I’ve ever joined. Those ladies, Pam Litton, Christi Hendricks and Naomi Giroux, were wonderful guiding me in the right direction.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?

It’s usually a scene. In The Truth About Jane Doe, my first book, it was a baby left on someone’s doorstep. I developed the plot and then the characters. I basically still do it that way. A scene pops into my head and I go from there.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/ separate word file, etc?)

I still have a spiral notebook on my desk where I jot ideas or notes.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?

I’ve gotten stuck a few times where I felt I was writing pure garbage. I stop. Take a break. Talk to a friend. My favorite is to sleep on it over night and think about where I’ve gone wrong, what’s causing the problem. A nap works, too. But some days I don’t have the luxury of time so I get my mind on something else and then go back to it. That has worked so far.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would sell, it would be….

Oh, an epic like Lonesome Dove. I’d love to write a western saga.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?

The best advice came from my husband. All those years ago when he was bugging me to write one of those books I was always reading, I told him I wouldn’t know where to start or what to write about. He said write what you like to read. Smart man. I did just that. And still do.

The next is don’t let the bad reviews get to you. It’s only one person’s opinion. And it doesn’t affect sales.

Q: What is the worst?

I haven’t received any bad advice. Everyone has been nice and helpful.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

When I receive the book and hold it in my hand. It’s still hard for me to believe I’m an author–I wrote this book. But it is the most uplifting feeling and my favorite part of the writing process.

Q: What is your least favorite?

Deadlines!!!

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?

The editor. Still don’t have an agent.

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?

I never entered a contest before I sold. I’d heard of RWA, but I didn’t know anything about the organization and all that it offered. Sad. Sad!

Q: How do your promote your books?

Web site, bookmarks, Romance Sells. Sometimes an ad in RT or RWR.

Q: Free form – your chance to tell us anything you’d like – tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet peeves, hopes, dreams, etc.

My call story.

In January 1999 I had my 15th surgery, a total hip replacement. I spent 3 months in the hospital because it was very involved with bone grafts and a specially designed implant that would support my fragile bones. When I was ready to go home, I was at the end of my patience, my endurance and my strength. But it wasn’t over. The doctor said I now had to go to a wheelchair. I could no longer walk with my crutches because my joints would no longer support me. All I heard was WHEELCHAIR and FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. I did not take this news well, but I came home with an electric scooter. I sank into deep depression and the pain from the surgery was still severe. I was there at the end and I knew I could no longer keep fighting this disease that was slowly destroying my body.

I’m a very religious person and as I realized I was giving up, I started to pray. After a lot of tears and several minutes, the phone rang. The last thing I wanted was to talk to anyone. My mother-in-law answered and took a message. When I saw Paula Eykelhof’s name, I was surprised. I had totally forgotten about my book with her. The last thing I needed that day was a rejection, but I needed something so I returned the call. I’ll always remember her words, "Congratulations, I just bought your book." That afternoon I was back at my computer. I hadn’t touched it in months. I haven’t left it since. I tell Paula she saved my life and in a way that’s very true. Writing gave me the incentive to keep fighting, to keep going. In a WHEELCHAIR. I go to conferences in it and I’ve adjusted rather well to the blasted thing.

Remember that story I wrote in longhand that was rejected so many times. Paula was one of the editors who had read it and while we were working on rewrites she asked about the manuscript. I was stunned she had remembered that awful book. The lady has a phenomenal memory. She said she remembered the plot and would like to see another proposal on the book. I wrote a new proposal and she bought it. The Christmas Cradle became my first book for the Harlequin American line.

I don’t usually share so much about myself, but I wanted to let you know that dreams do come true. Sometimes a little different than we plan. Just NEVER give up. I have no credentials for writing these books except reading, reading, reading. With every book I’m still learning. Always A Mother will be my 20th book for Harlequin.

If I can do it, anyone can. God bless!

I joined RWA in 2002, but didn’t really get serious until I entered the Golden Heart the following year.

Q:How long did it take you to publish?

Just under four years.

Q:How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?

OH. MY. GODS. was my fourth complete manuscript, so there are three others tucked away until the day Chick Lit resurrects or my historical voice returns or I
get tired of writing young adult (aka never).

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?

That depends on how close I am to deadline. On an average day, I’ll get up, check email for an hour or so, and then head to Starbucks for 3-4 hours (I so cannot write at home). If deadline is looming, I might be at Starbucks for 6-8 hours. Yeah, they know me by name.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?

I have a few casual critique partners I can send stuff to when I need a quick read or a fresh pair of eyes. What I use more is my brainstorm buddy, West Houston’s own Sharie Kohler/Sophie Jordan. If I’m stuck or uncertain or just trying to work things out in my head, I’ll give her a rundown of the situation. Her fresh perspective almost always pinpoints a missing element or the right direction.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?

It’s different for every story. For my debut novel, I came up with the working title (GROWING UP GODLY) and had to come up with a story to fit. For the sequel, e story built from the existing characters. Of the three YA proposals I’m currently working on right now, one began with a title, one with a character, and one with a plot premise.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/separate word file, etc?)

I live and die by the spiral-bound notebook–the pretty, smallish ones with flowers or frogs or candy hearts on the covers–and use a different one for each book. If I come up with an idea while working on a book–which always happens, by the way, and it’s always a way better and more interesting idea, too!–I jot down a few notes in a new notebook and move on until I’m done with the current project.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?

Not bored, really, but I’ve definitely gotten stuck. That’s a danger with pantsing. Usually it’s at a point where I need a twist, a new conflict, or a scene dealing with the subplot. Once I figure out what’s missing, I can move on.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would sell, it would be…

Exactly what I’m writing. I love writing young adult
and I love mythology, so putting the two together
is my perfect book.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received in regards to your writing career?

Get the agent first. Without my agent I would never have sold my first book and I would have had a nervous breakdown long before I ever got to contract.

Q: What is the worst?

Anything that starts with "Never…" or "Always…." There is no such thing as an unbreakable rule–as long as you know the rule and why you’re breaking it, then everything is fair game.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

The beginning–where everything is still new and fresh and exciting–and the end–where it all comes together.

Q: What is your least favorite?

Everything in between

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?

The agent. I never submitted to editors because I wanted to keep the slate clean for my future agent.

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?

Oh, thousands. I finaled in probably a dozen (including the Golden Heart). I won two (I think). I got one request … after I sold.

Q: How do your promote your books?

Since my main readership is teens, I put a lot of time and effort into MySpace–there are tons of librarians and booksellers on there, too. I’m part of a YA group author blog at BooksBoysBuzz.com and I have a pretty extensive website with bonus resources for students, teachers, librarians, and more.

Q: Free form – your chance to tell us anything you’d like – tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet peeves, hopes, dreams, etc.

While there is no formula for getting published, I firmly believe that anyone who keeps writing, keeps learning, and keeps growing as an author will wind up holding the umbrella in a thunderstorm–getting struck by lighting is only a matter of time.