Michelle McKinney Hammond ~ Interviewed

Michelle McKinney Hammond, a writer, singer, and speaker who focuses on improving love–driven relationships, is the founder and president of HeartWing Ministries as well as the co-host of the Emmy–nominated show Aspiring Women. Michelle is the bestselling author of The DIVA Principle®, 101 Ways to Get and Keep His Attention, Sassy, Single, & Satisfied, Secrets of an Irresistible Woman, What to Do Until Love Finds You, A Sassy Girl’s Guide to Loving God, and The Power of Being a Woman.

Time to crow: What new book or project do you have coming out?

My newest project is my second novel entitled “Playing God.”

You've written 28 books of non-fiction and two fiction books. How does writing fiction compare for you?

Fiction is an entirely different animal! With self-help or non-fiction you know where you’re going and can basically plot your course per your outline and the points you want to make. In fiction the characters come alive and take over as you go along so even I was surprised by the time I got to the end of the book. It’s a bit scary, talk about losing control, which is a feeling I don’t necessarily like!

How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment?

I was just thinking one day what a mess we make when we don’t trust God and literally take our lives back into our own hands instead of waiting for and following His instruction for our lives. The different situations that arose popped up as I went along. There are several ‘what if’ moments where the characters have the chance to do the right thing. Tamara has the opportunity to continue to choose purity? Jamilah comes to a crossroads with letting go and trusting God to work out her situation and that’s just two of the dramas in this book.

Every novelist has a journey. How long was your road to publication? How did you find out and what went through your mind?

It was already contracted before I wrote it. Harvest House felt it was time for me to do a follow up after my first novel “The Last Ten Percent.” It took me about six months to complete the manuscript and another three months to do the edit. My publisher was patiently waiting for it, they are such nurturer’s.

Do you ever bang your head against the wall from the dreaded writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?

I don’t bang my head against the wall. I stew… as in germinate. I find something fun to do that totally takes my mind off of it and then I get a spark and return to it. I’m never hard on myself because I’ve learned that if I get stopped it’s because I haven’t heard or experienced something that I need to draw from to finish the piece so I wait until I do and then I move on. It happens every time.

Novelists sometimes dig themselves into a hole over implausible plots, flat characters or a host of other problems. What's the most difficult part of writing for you?

Because it was a totally different experience that I couldn’t control, I would find myself stopping out of panic. As I became more aware of how the process worked, I let go more and then I would find myself in a rhythm, so I would have to say the most difficult part of writing a novel for me is letting go and allowing my characters to tell their story.

Also I don’t like anyone to suffer (smile) so I have to concentrate on not bailing them out of their problems too soon and not tying up all their struggles with neat little bows. Lets face it that’s real life, sometimes there are happy endings and sometimes there aren’t.

How do you climb out?

As far as plot goes you have to be cognizant of the big picture message. That will keep you on track and moving forward. Then be willing to let the story unfold and go where it must in order to take your reader on a journey that will hopefully not just entertain them but engage them and teach them a life lesson along the way. I am always returning back to my point to keep myself on track.

Where do you write: In a cave, a coffeehouse, or a cozy attic nook?

On my bed early in the morning between the hours of 2-6 am and in my office in the late afternoon. These are the times I get my spurts of creative energy.

You're an author, speaker, singer, and TV co-host. What does a typical day look like for you? Are you able to switch hats easily?

There is no typical day! The only thing that never changes is I have to walk my dogs. Other than that I am not a morning person because I work late into the evening or early in the morning and then go back to sleep so my engines don’t really kick in until about noon unless I have morning radio interviews.

After that a host of responsibilities await me from writing, to following through on details in my office, preparing for a speaking engagement or a taping, answering emails, brainstorming an event for my ministry… whew! You name it I’m doing it!

Some authors report writing 5-10 thousand words a day. Do scenes flow freely from your veins or do you have to tweeze each word out?

I write an average of five to ten pages a day. Once I get in a flow words come pretty easily to me. If I get stuck I go back and read what I’ve written. That usually gives me the impetus to continue past the point I got to when I stopped.

Briefly take us through your process of writing a novel—from conception to revision.

I usually get the concept in a title. Then I begin to get a vision of my characters and their dilemmas. That is usually all I have when I first begin. The first five chapters are usually the time when I am “painting” as I like to call it. This is where I acquaint my readers with the characters and lay the foundation for everything that is about to happen.

After that I write a sentence about what is going to happen in every chapter to give myself a roadmap moving forward. I don’t know what else is going to happen or why but I have the basic direction of where I’m going. As I get that particular chapter the character then takes over and tells its story. I reread the chapter when I’m finished add flourishes if I got bored or additional information that I think will help the story.

When I’m finished I close my eyes and send it off to my editor. They send me back their overall comments, directions for improvements and questions where they didn’t understand what was happening? I especially like that part because if they didn’t get it that means someone else won’t either. That lets me know I need to elaborate and clarify so the reader isn’t left guessing.

After I’ve made my changes and fixes it goes back to the editor. After they give it the okay a copy editor takes over to find anything we may have missed. After that round it goes to the galley stage. That is the actual printing of the manuscript. I read through it again to check for errors or anything else that is screaming at me for a fix and then off it goes for its final printing. The next time I see the whole thing it’s wrapped beautifully in its cover and hopefully in the hands of a captivated reader.

What are a few of your favorite books (not written by you) and why are they favorites?

Anything my Francine Rivers, but especially her Mark of the Lion series, “A Voice in the Wind,” “Echo in the Darkness” and “As Sure As the Dawn.” Just juicy! That’s all I can say. Her writing takes you on a ride that you don’t want to end even after the story is finished. I want to write like her when I grow up. Also “Blue Like Jazz” and “Searching for God Knows What” by Donald Miller. Pure genius, lyrical, funny, deep and profound… definitely food for thought that resounds with my heart. I think I have a crush on him.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

Never assume your reader knows what you’re talking about. But don’t assume they are foolish either.

What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?

I have to say I’ve been blessed in my experience with writing as well as publishing. I say find a home you’re happy in and stay there. It’s important to have a good support system when it comes to entrusting someone with what you write. You want them to be excited about your project and promote it. After all at the end of the day you want people to read all those words you bled for.

Be careful not to over commit yourself is the one thing I would warn any writer about.

It is difficult to write when the joy is gone or you’re writing something outside of your calling or expertise. Always write what resounds in your heart.

How much marketing do you do? What have you found that particularly works well for you?

I do a lot of marketing between my publisher and myself. Of course there are the radio and TV interviews. I also do e-blasts online and run promotions on my website michellehammond.com. I am hosting a tea party book club event to launch “Playing God” in a couple of cities. I feature my books when I speak. You have to do the work and create the buzz if you want your book to make it.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

So many people say they want to write a book. If you choose to write a book it can’t be about the money because the average author doesn’t make that much. It has got to be because the words in your heart are like fire shut up in your bones and you feel you won’t be able to breathe until you get them out. Your writing has to be birthed from a passion to inform, help and heal people otherwise it can be hard work. It has to be a calling you were created for as opposed to a chosen profession because it requires a special grace from God. The bottom line is writing can be a very lonely profession, but so totally fulfilling the hours of isolation become a faint memory because the reward is so great… kind of like childbirth I’ve been told.

Interview ~ Megan DiMaria

Megan works in the marketing department of an upscale Denver portrait photography studio. She is also a freelance writer, crafting magazine articles and advertising copy. Her second novel, Out of Her Hands, will release from Tyndale in October 2008.

Time to crow: What new book or project do you have coming out?

I’m thrilled that Searching for Spice is now available, as they say, “everywhere books are sold.” Searching for Spice tells the story of Linda Revere, a married woman who decides she wants to have an affair—with her husband. As usual, life doesn’t go according to plan, but throughout her journey to a sizzling marriage, Linda learns some valuable lessons.

How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment?

Searching for Spice was written as a response to a running joke I had with some girlfriends. You know, despite being long married, women still want romance in their lives. God hard wired us to crave closeness and a special connection with the men we love. Unfortunately, some times we need to remind them of that.

Every novelist has a journey. How long was your road to publication? How did you find out and what went through your mind?

In one sense, my road to publication was decades long. I first knew I wanted to write when I was in elementary school. I’ve always loved words and got my degree in Communications. Many years later, as a new mom, I went out and bought pens and paper (yes, it was about 26 years ago!) and sat down and prayed about a writing career. God clearly told me that was not my season to write a novel. In the early 1990s, I worked as a freelance writer and stringer for a local newspaper, but I still yearned to write a novel. In 1995, I prayed again and got the go-ahead. I began to write my first novel, completing it in 2001. Of course, it was awful. But I didn’t know that until I started getting more involved in the industry.

In 2001, I joined ACRW (I’m member # 94) and attended my first writers conference, the Colorado Christian Writers Conference in Estes Park, Colorado. Although I didn’t do a lot of writing in the next few years, I maintained my ACFW membership.

In 2004, I decided to make a solid effort to become published. I continued to attend conferences, CCWC and ACFW in 2004, 2005 and 2006. I joined a local writers group and an ACFW critique group. I studied books on craft, hung out with other writers and wrote and wrote and wrote. Oh, I also submitted and received rejections.

I started writing Searching for Spice in early 2004 to enter it into the ACFW Noble Theme Contest (now called the Genesis Contest). I would write and then ignore the story for months and then write a bit again. I was 99% finished with Searching for Spice when I went to the 2006 ACFW conference. During the last meal of the conference, I sat at a table hosted by Tyndale’s acquisition editor Jan Stob. Because of that unplanned meeting, she requested a proposal. I had five requests for proposals as a result of that conference. I went home, finished writing the story and sent out my proposals in October. I immediately got four rejections. A few months later Jan requested a full manuscript, and I got “the call” in March of 2007. I was at my day job when she called, and I actually jumped for joy.

Do you ever bang your head against the wall from the dreaded writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?

I get frustrated at times, but the best way for me to overcome writer’s block is to push through it. I may run an errand or take a walk to let an idea percolate, but I can’t run away from the problem for long. Unfortunately I don’t believe there’s a magic answer. My solution is to simply work at it.

Novelists sometimes dig themselves into a hole over implausible plots, flat characters or a host of other problems. What's the most difficult part of writing for you (or was when you first started on your novel journey)?

I’m an intuitive writer (that’s my professional term for SOTP), and writing is a journey of discovery. Fortunately, it’s not often that I write myself into a corner.

How did (or do) you climb out (overcome it)?

When I realize I’m going in the wrong direction, I’m able get back on track without too much trouble. Usually I haven’t written myself too far into the corner. It always helps me when I realize I can trust God to give me more words when I have to delete “unusable” words. One of my first prayers for myself as a writer was for God to bless me with words. Sometimes I envision them raining down on me. It’s a wonderful image.

Where do you write: In a cave, a coffeehouse, or a cozy attic nook?

I write on a laptop, so I can pretty much go wherever I want. If the weather’s nice, 90% of the time I’m sitting outside on my shady patio. Inside, I bounce between the kitchen, living room, dining room and my bed. I’ve been known to write in a local tea café, Panera Bread and my all-time favorite quirky place, Grease Monkey.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I usually pray before my feet hit the floor. I have breakfast with my husband and two days a week, rush off to my day job. On Tuesdays, I go to Words For The Journey Christian Writers Guild. On my other days, I try to get to the keyboard by 9:30, but I don’t have a very structured work day. Most evenings I spend some time at the keyboard as well.

Some authors report writing 5-10 thousand words a day. Do scenes flow freely from your veins or do you have to tweeze each word out?

I can usually write about 1,500ish words a day without being stressed out. If I write 3,000 words, I’m happy.

Briefly take us through your process of writing a novel—from conception to revision.

My stories are character driven. I start with a feeling or goal that my character is experiencing. In Searching for Spice, my initial “feeling” was when Linda was kneeling on the floor, scraping cream cheese off her carpet and longing for a more exciting life. Of course I had to write a few chapters to lead up to that epiphany. I work my way through the novel adding one complication after another to prevent my characters from reaching their ultimate goals.

What are a few of your favorite books (not written by you) and why are they favorites?

When I was in college, I had to read Forever Amber for a course I was taking. I recall freaking out because it was soooo looong, but once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. That book totally transported me to another world. It was 900+ pages long, and it’s been called the first historical romance. It was written in 1944, and I haven’t read it since the 70s, but I still recall the sensation of sinking into the life of another woman. Wonderful. Another of my favorites is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I felt the heartbreak of Michael as he tried to love Angel, and I experienced Angel’s joy when she accepted that love. I also enjoy books by Maeve Binchy, they take me into a world I want to visit again and again.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

The best advice I chose to take to heart is that writers don’t fail, they quit. I believed that if I put my head down and took a good run at being published, I might succeed. My version of doing this was to read books on craft, attend conferences, read, write, hang out with writers and join a critique group.

What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?

I wish I would have joined the community of writers sooner. I wrote for a few years before I even met another author. I think part of the problem was that I was timid about publicly acknowledging that I was a writer. I was afraid people would laugh or ask, “Who do you think you are?” It almost seemed too lofty a goal for me. But after I started hanging out with other aspiring writers, I began to believe that I could reach my goal of being a published author. I think it really helps your career to spend time with other writers. They are a tremendous source of encouragement, education and support.

How much marketing do you do? What have you found that particularly works well for you?

I’m always looking for marketing opportunities. My day job is in marketing, so I’m always thinking of ways to increase awareness of my books. I have a website and a blog. I always carry around bookmarks and am not timid about passing them out. I’ve cast a wide net in my marketing and I’m not afraid to try something new.

I’m one of those people who have stayed connected to the people I’ve met through the years. Those connections are now helping my career. A friend I had when we lived in a small town in Pennsylvania in the 1980s is now manager of a Christian store. I found out last week that not only did he stock my book, but he called the women who used to be my friends and hand-sold the book. My husband and I met while both working at the same radio station in the 1970s (I was the six to midnight newsperson and he was the disc jockey who went on the air at midnight). When I got my contract, I emailed an old radio friend who’s doing a morning show in Albany, NY, and he agreed to interview me on the air. My first job in publishing was as a 17-year-old intern for the local newspaper. I dug up an old newspaper clipping with my photo from that time, scanned the image and sent it to an editor of that paper.

I hosted a book/career launch party and invited every writer, editor and literary agent I know, as well as some I’ve never met. I invited representatives from every bookstore and library within a 20-mile radius of Denver. I invited editors of local magazines and newspapers that I’ve written for. I understand that the book launch is more about generating publicity than having fun with family and friends, so it was held it in one of the coolest venues in Denver, in hopes that some folks would come simply because they want to be in the historic D&F Tower overlooking the city.

I mailed out influencer books to celebrities who I think may be intrigued by the concept behind my book. I’ve donated the opportunity to name a character in a contracted book to a non-profit organization’s silent auction, and I’ve put an article about my book in the newsletter published by my employer. I’m having a book movie trailer created that will be available online. I join online communities to network. I joined classmate.com and have had many hits on my profile because I post photos. My husband is connected with Christian radio, and I arranged for an air personality to do a 30-minute interview that is airing on several stations. I’m creating some 30- and 60-second radio commercials that will air on those stations. I compiled a fairly comprehensive media list, and I sent press releases and requested interviews in newspapers, magazines and on local television and radio. Our county library district director hosts a community cable TV show about local authors, and I’ve contacted him to be a guest on the program.

I schedule book readings and book signings. I’ve offered to speak to school children and adult study groups. I speak to local writers groups. I’ve lined up appointments to speak to local book clubs after they read Searching for Spice, and I schedule telephone conference calls with long-distance book clubs.

Another thing I think is very important is to present yourself in a professional manner. Before I ever got my contract, I purchased professionally designed business cards. I put my image on the card, and that image was created by a professional photographer. As soon as Tyndale designed my book cover, I had a graphic designer create a bookmark and printed them myself. I also had professionally designed invitations for the book launch. I could go on and on. I have more ideas than time to implement them—but I’m going to try to do the best I can. I believe the enthusiasm I have for marketing and the ideas I generate about possible marketing campaigns is one of the qualities that made me attractive to my publisher. As writers, we can’t sit in our study and generate words, we also need to get into the community and generate publicity.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

Yes, write regularly, read regularly, join a writers group or two, hang out with writers, have your work critiqued and attend conferences if you can. I confess, many times in my writing journey I was tempted to throw in the towel. But the moral of the story is, don’t give up. Hold on to your dreams. Press on. Trust God.

YA Author Interview ~ Gary Schmidt

Gary Schmidt is the author of The Wednesday Wars, which won this year's Newbery Honor, as well as Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, another Newbery Honor book. He is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Tell us about your current project.

The new book is called Trouble, and it tells the story of a kid who, because he is wealthy and well-connected, believes that he is absolutely immune to trouble—because everything in his experience tells him that he is. He is paired with a kid from Cambodia (it is 1978) who is newly refugeed, and who has lived his entire life with nothing but trouble. The story is about their journey together.

What are the highlights of your journey to publication?

I heard about the first contract for a book titled The Sin Eater when Virginia Buckley called me during office hours during an advising day at Calvin College. I had had about fifty calls that day, and so picked up the phone expecting it to be another student—and was amazed when it was Virginia. I was stunned, to say the least. That began our long relationship.

Why do you write for young people?

A difficult question. On one level, you write what you like to read. I also write the books I would have liked to have read when I was younger. But most importantly, I write to young people because I want to suggest the wealth and beauty and glories of a world, when our culture seems to be settling for the cheap and glitzy and tawdry.

What fiction most influenced your childhood, and what effect did those stories have on your writing?

I read fantasies and myths when I was a child—and I don’t write any of those now. But I am interested in the heroic—what makes a character into a hero? In an age when we have no more heroes—we have only celebrities—that seems to me to be an important question to ask.

What prepared you to write for children?
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Being a child.

Your novel, “The Wednesday Wars” won this year’s Newbery Honor from the American Library Association, your second Newbery Honor in four years. How has that award changed the way you write, market and live?

I’m not sure that an award such as this—which is indeed an amazing experience, for which I will be forever grateful—should in fact change the way I write and live. Isn’t the award, in a way, affirming those things? So why should it encourage the abandoning of them? I once heard Avi say that awards are wonderful and affirming when they come, but you have to go on and write what you are supposed to write, as if they didn’t exist. I think he’s absolutely right on that. Though, on the other hand, it is wonderful and amazing to receive this kind of affirmation and support from the writing community—and that must have an impact on you. It says, You’ve done well. Keep going.

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What are a few of your all-time favorite books?

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Lois Lowry’s The Giver. Christopher Paul Curtis’ Bud, Not Buddy. Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia. John Christopher’s The White Mountains. Lloyd Alexander’s The Book of Three. Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising. Linda Sue Park’s A Single Shard.

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What’s the best or worst advice (or both) you’ve heard on writing for young adults?
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Best advice: Read, read, read, read, read everything.
Worst Advice: Write what you know. That’s too limiting. You write what you are desperate to know.

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What is the first thing you do when you begin a new book?
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I have to figure out the voice of the narrator—whether it’s first or third person, how limited it will be, how idiosyncratic it will be. I have to hear that voice before anything else—certainly before plot comes. That voice will then tell me a great deal about the character, and about how the book will picture that character.

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You spoke at Calvin College’s Festival of Faith and Writing this past April. When leading workshops, what is the primary idea you want writers to walk away with?
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That writing is hard work. Too often there is this sense that there is a magic formula, and there isn’t. The only formula I know is that offered by Jane Yolen: BOC—Butt on chair.

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Do you have a favorite quote related to writing?
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“There are no laws for the novel. There never have been, nor can there be.” Doris Lessing.

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What aspect of a story is most challenging for you: strong setting, vivid characters, engaging voices, delicious prose? How do you develop your weak areas?

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Well, all of those. It takes me about a year to write the first draft—sometimes more than that. I write slowly so that I can work on all of those elements at the same time, because none of those elements—for me—are divorced from each other. Setting has to respond to character has to respond to plot line has to respond to prose has to respond to setting. So I work very slowly so that the whole ecology of the novel is developed together.

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Can you give us a view into a typical day of your writing life?

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I work on three projects at a time—all at different stages of development. I do two pages—about 750 words—on each project each day. I work in a study outside of the house, with no phone and a woodstove for heat, surrounded by books and books and books. And I work at a typewriter—a 1953 Royal, with lots of scrap paper that I can burn.

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If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?
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I would want to have Avi’s strength in creative memorable, vivid, amazing characters whose inner nature and outer appearance are so interestingly combined. I don’t know if he would enjoy this comparison, but I don’t think anyone has done this so well since Dickens.

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What is the importance in today’s society for well-written books that boys can enjoy?
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Huge. It’s too bad that as new technologies have come along, that these have replaced, instead of added to the possibilities for engagement with art. It’s reading, and not the quick video game, that presents the reader with questions that demand an answer. It’s reading, and not a Playstation, that helps someone to grow, to have more to be human with.

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Your current work in progress is …

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It will either be a western—which I have always wanted to try my hand at—or a companion book to The Wednesday Wars that follows Doug Swieteck. I’m working on both, and one will eventually demand full attention.

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What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of, and why?
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I suppose any writer, to be honest, is proud of each piece of writing. Each one represents a different battle, a different problem, a different approach. So it’s hard to compare any one work to another.

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Do you have a dream, something you’d love to achieve with your writing?
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I hope that I keep getting better. I hope that each novel is different. I hope that there will always be the next one to write, and that the same joy and pleasure and excitement in the writing process is always there.

Sunday Devotion-Christa Allan

Christa Allan

God spoke to me this morning. Okay, not in one of those Charleton Heston burning bush in the middle of Paramount (or whatever) Studio kind of ways or my phone ringing with an unidentified caller ID. No, it was during my morning Bible study that I experienced one of those "aha" moments that could only be defined as God speaking to and through me because I'm just not that dern smart.

I woke up school-day early for a Saturday because Ken was leaving for an out-of-town-semi-business trip, and I wanted to be conscious when he kissed me good-bye. He increased the odds of that by bringing me a cup of coffee before I was fully vertical; you gotta love that man!
Anyway, after he left and after one of the cats threw up three times on the newly cleaned wood floors (I know, TMI), I snuggled into my reading corner with a fresh cup of coffee and my new Women's Devotional Bible .

This morning's devotional was Philippians 1-4 and, in my reading, I'm stuck on this line about how--if I think differently from what I should be thinking, "...that too God will make clear..." to me. So, why that seemed so profound to me, I'm not sure. But, I felt reassured that God is busy fashioning just the lenses I need for my short-sightedness, and He's not going to let me wallow in my own stupidity. Of course, my brain knows He's God, and He knows that I know that He knows , but this morning it just felt so much more clear in my heart.

Anyway--that's not even the epiphany. What happened next was such a moment of clarity that it was as if God had angels on instant FedEx deliver a new pair of glasses. Paul talks about God transforming our lowly bodies so that they'll be like His glorious body (3:21), and I'm about to giggle thinking what a joy it will be to see my thighs transformed (assuming God is not built like JLo), when--SMACK--OUCH--WOW.

What if, Christa, you spent all the time, money, and energy on your spiritual body as you did on your physical body?

Time spent exercising, thinking about exercising, money spent on food and dieting and books about food and dieting, and energy spent on hair and nails, and then there's that whole cooking thing to feed the body, and do I really need to mention all the clothes issues?

How much of my life do I devote to a physical body, not even counting the emotional angst? God looks at me and sees Calista Flockhart or pre-mommy days Nicole Ritchie, shakes His head and wonders why I continue to ignore all that good spiritual food He makes available for me--and catch this--free.

If Bible study's my appetizer, then heaven's going to be the best cheesecake ever.

Author Interview- Andrew Peterson

Andrew Peterson is a natural-born storyteller, being a preacher’s kid (mostly) from the South. He wrote and produced the acclaimed epic song cycle Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tale of the Coming of the Christ (awarded the 2004 Best Album of the Year, World Christian Music’s Editors Choice), in part of which inspired his children’s book The Ballad of Matthew's Begats: An Unlikely Royal Family Tree.

A singer-songwriter and recording artist, he’s just released a new album, Resurrection Letters, Vol. II, having written and recorded seven others over the last ten years, including Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies (with Randall Goodgame), The Far Country, Love and Thunder, Clear to Venus, and Carried Along.

Andrew and his wife Jamie have two sons (Aedan and Jesse) and one daughter (Skye); they live in the Nashville, Tennessee, area on a wooded hill in a little house they call the Warren, where they’re generally safe from toothy cows. You can find Andrew online at his web site www.andrew-peterson.com or visit The Rabbit Room [www.rabbitroom.com], an online writer’s collective inspired by the Inklings (C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and other friends), for more fun facts and delicious details.

Crow, time. What book or project do you have coming out?

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: The Wingfeather Saga, Book One

Why children’s novels instead of adult?

This particular series of novels is being written with my own children in mind. It was the joy of reading to my sons in their bunk bed that finally got me out of talking about writing a novel and into actually sitting down to do it. But there’s also the fact that I’m a sucker for a good adventure story, and most of the time those kinds of stories are called children’s novels. I haunt that section of the local bookstore. But that’s only because I have kids. Honest.

Tell us about your journey to publication. How long did it take before your novel was published?

This is where I got lucky. I’ve been in the music business for more than a decade, which means that I’ve spent a lot of time around creative people, many of whom are authors. Five years or so ago when I first started working seriously on this story I had several friends and acquaintances to whom I could turn for advice and encouragement. Later on, once the book was well underway, some of those people helped me to get the book in front of a couple of agents, and then a couple of publishers. I had to write a few proposals, but no actual query letters, thank goodness.

But even with a good music career, I wasn’t a shoe-in for a publishing deal. I think my publisher would’ve passed on the book if it looked to them like I was resting on my laurels, humble though they may be. I didn’t want readers to get the sense that I was mainly a songwriter who was toying with writing a novel. My love of words informs both jobs, and though there is some overlap, song writing and book writing are vastly different.

So when I got word that I was offered a publishing contract, I danced around the room. Seeing the contract envelope in the mailbox was gratifying to the extreme. Even more gratifying was opening a box a year later and fishing the finished product out of the packing peanuts while my wife and children looked on. I might have cried, but I’m not saying.

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

There were times when I worried more about getting published than writing my story. I bought all these books on novel writing, subscribed to writing magazines, the whole bit. Those things may be helpful to some people, and they may have been helpful to me in some ways that I can’t see. But after trying to ingest as much practical advice and as many writing formulas as I could, a successful novelist friend of mine told me that I should pile all those books up and set fire to them. Every minute I spent reading those books was a minute I could’ve been writing, and writing is the best teacher by far. The second-best teacher is reading--not books on writing (though there are some that are excellent), but simply great books, written by people who are much better at it than you. The corollary is true of songwriting, too.


What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

Anne Lamott said something like, “In order to get to the good final draft, you have to be willing to write a bad first draft.” Only she didn’t use the word “bad.” Her word was much stronger and smellier, and reminds me much more of my writing before it’s revised.

What is the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?

“Always write in a bear’s den while wearing a meat-suit.” This is a terrible idea.

What is something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

I wish I had known that there is no magic formula. Sit down, write the story. Figure out your own way of doing it. Don’t ignore good advice, but don’t expect it to write your book for you. Also, don’t write in a place where you have internet access. It’s amazing the things you suddenly need to learn about on the web when you’re supposed to be writing.

How would you say having been part of music industry helped/hurt being in the publishing industry?

As I said before, it helped being in Nashville, a city full of artists and writers--not to mention publishing companies and agents. It prepared me to be patient, too. After this long in the music business I’ve seen plans come together and suddenly fall apart; I’ve seen sure things up and vanish like smoke; I’ve felt the frustration of seeing good work go largely unnoticed. All these things teach you to find joy and satisfaction in the work itself, not in its apparent success. Your song may be heard by a relatively small number of people, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth writing. Five years ago when I started writing this book I had no illusions (or delusions), no expectations. Just the thrill of creating a world from the ground up, and the hope that the story would bring someone joy, even if that someone was just me.

What are a few of your favorite novels?

Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson
The Book of the Dun Cow, by Walt Wangerin, Jr.
Watership Down, by Richard Adams
Jayber Crow, by Wendell Berry
Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger
Godric, by Frederick Buechner
Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis
Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry

Can you give us a view into a typical day of your writing life?

I used to write late, late at night after my wife and children were fast asleep. I’d stay up until three or four in the morning, relishing the solitude and the quiet. In a house full of small children, those are rare commodities. But I don’t think that’s the best way to do it anymore. These days I try to make it a 9 to 5 job so that when I close my computer at the end of the day I can really be present with my family. If I’ve worked hard all morning and afternoon I can feel like I’ve earned my supper and family time. Work is put away until the next morning. I still have a hard time writing at home, though, so I usually head to the local coffee shop (where there’s no internet access to distract me).

Of course, all that is thrown out the window when I’m working on music.

If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?

Today I’d want Michael Chabon’s discipline. He said that writing is 5% talent, 5% luck, and 90% discipline. Discipline is the only one of the three that you have any control over, so cultivate it. He writes 3,000 words a day, no matter what. And that’s the main reason he’s so very good at what he does, I think. Me, I’m prone to distrac—look, a butterfly!

Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?

I want to finish the Wingfeather Saga and see it in a leatherbound omnibus on my bookshelf. I have lots of other ideas for books rattling around in my noggin, and I hope that I’m able to flesh them out. I don’t ever want to stop playing music and writing songs, but writing books scratches the same itch.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

Pushing through a dry spell is hard work. The blank page is a most intimidating thing, moreso even than a toothy cow—oh, the horror! But my favorite part has been hearing kids in the neighbourhood talking among themselves about the Wingfeather Saga. I saw a kid with his nose in my book last month and I got an immediate lump in my throat. I recently visited a school where I read from the book and talked to the first through sixth graders about On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. After answering two hours’ worth of very serious questions about the nature of the Fangs of Dang, and Gnag the Nameless, and the dreaded horned hounds, I was more excited about my own book than ever before.

The headmaster of the school caught me just before I drove away and said, “A student had a question for you but didn’t have a chance to ask it.” “Oh, well certainly. What was it?” I asked. “If a toothy cow and a Fang of Dang were to fight,” the headmaster said very seriously, “who would win?”

That day at the school has been the highlight of this new part of my career.

How much marketing do you do? Any advice in this area?

I think it’s a good idea to have a website, as long as its well-conceived. Those new-fangled things are the wave of the future, I say. The wave of the future. But be careful because they can monopolize your time, too. I’m not sure that investing all the precious minutes of your day in a website would be a more effective use of your time than, say, honing your craft. Making excellent, beautiful art will have rewards that can’t be quantified the way book sales can. It may be fifty years from now that you see the real fruit of your labor, and if your work is good and meaningful, if it’s light-giving, then it won’t matter if you had a good internet-marketing campaign.

But that’s not to say that it’s wrong to be savvy about such things.

Industry Interviews Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists Part 2 - Tolly Moseley and Amy Currie

Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists is a full-service literary publicity firm that specializes in serving the unique publicity needs of authors and major publishing houses. Founded in 1994, Phenix & Phenix has publicized more than 27 best sellers and has implemented successful publicity campaigns for books across every major genre.

From front-list releases at top publishing houses to novels by first-time authors, our firm was founded on the belief that books change lives, and we seek to represent only those titles with the potential to make a positive impact on society. For queries, please visit our website at phenixpublicity.com, or check out our blog with regular tips for authors and literary publicists: phenixpublicity.blogspot.com .

Do you see a measurable difference in book success between an author who lets the house publicity department handle the details of promotion vs. an author who works to make their book known? Explain.

TM: I typically see a tremendous difference when an author is proactive about hosting book signings, speaking engagements, book festivals, etc. It is always to an author's advantage to do events where they have a local hook and let as many people know in advance as possible. For example, a St. Martin's Press author recently invited our whole company to his book signing at a local bookstore. Even though we don't know him, a few of us attended because we got advance notice, and his book sounds really interesting! That was very clever on his part: finding out who the book publicists are in this city, and then inviting every last one of them.

It's important for authors to remember that in-house publicity departments will work as hard as they can, but they've also got a zillion things on their plate—including other authors to take care of. You only have yourself. It never hurts to arrange live appearances where you know you'll have friends, family, alums, etc., to come out to support you.

That being said, an author who wants to make their book known to the media might have a tougher time getting journalists/producers’ attention if they're a first-time author with no platform. The media is typically more comfortable working through a third party, such as a publicist, to set up appearances and interviews.

Are there any personal touches that you can recommend to authors who might be very introverted and begin palpitating at the thought of crowds?
TM: I've found that many authors are introverted, so those types certainly aren't alone! At our company, we host media training sessions, where authors can practice honing their message with professionals. They also develop solid sound bites that they can pull out whenever they need them. This in turn helps many authors not just with their media interviews, but with their book events as well.

If you don't have the opportunity to attend a media training session like this one, though, here's a tip: Host book readings for your first few events. That way, you don't have to be cleverly off-the-cuff in front of a bunch of people, like with a Q&A session. You're literally just reading your own writing. Also, write out a couple of sharp observations about current events that tie into your book, and keep those in your pocket. If you're pressed for lively small talk, or if you really are hosting a Q&A, it'll help you feel more prepared if you've got some witty "asides" already planned.

What kind of results do you see from Internet promotion vs. traditional?

TM: The Internet does reach a younger market. I'm working on a YA sci-fi book right down written by a teenager, Isamu Fukui, and his readers are an extremely active online community: they've written a ton of book reviews about his book already and participate heavily on his homepage forum. So if you're writing for a younger crowd, the Internet is one of the first places you should go.

However, I think a good dose of Internet publicity can truly help everyone, since journalists/producers use Google every single day. If your name and book comes up on a search, you might very well be the source they contact for a story. And, keep in mind that many traditional media outlets have an online extension: magazines that post issues online, radio shows that keep podcasts online, etc. If you get a story on a heavily trafficked site, it might be "syndicated" around the web: one of my personal finance authors did an interview with Bankrate.com, and that story got picked up by Yahoo! Finance, MSN Money, and FOX Business. I booked that interview in 2007, and it's still popping up on different sites! That's the great thing about the Internet: stories have longer staying power than radio, or even TV, so a key web booking can generate more buzz than some of the more traditional outlets.

Describe today's reader based on your observations.

TM: That's a tough question! Today's reading audience is so incredibly diverse: what appeals to the minivan mom wiping baby food off her forehead will be totally different from the golf-playing boomer who's loving retirement. In general, though, I would say the fiction books that do well tend to speak to current, collective concerns. Here are a few examples: Should successful women leave the workforce to raise their children? Is the public school system working for Gen Y? What are the long-term effects of the War in Iraq? All of these questions relate to books I'm currently working on, and all have been picked up by large New York publishers.

If you're not a fiction writer, the options are endless. News-you-can-use books like finance advice, diet / cook-books, etc., tend have great publicity opportunities because they provide easy excerpts for print and web. Chauncey Mabe at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel posted a great article recently (March 2008) about the difference between good and bad self-help books: good ones offer solid pointers, tips, grounding in well-known philosophies and research, while bad ones offer generic, motivational platitudes. If you're a self-help writer, it really pays to bolster your work with solid research.

What changes have you noticed in publishing recently? Do you find these changes good or not so good?

AC: Everything is going digital! Whether it’s online retailers, author blog tours or the new Amazon.com Kindle portable reading device, the publishing industry is relying more on the Internet and digital technology every day. This is why it’s so important for authors to establish a web presence as part of their book’s publicity campaign—more and more people are going online to search for book recommendations, to discuss their favorite books and also to purchase them. In fact, a recent consumer survey cited in Publishers Weekly found that online booksellers could become the largest channel for book sales by 2009.

We recommend that authors not only set up a web site, but also start blogging and include as much interactive media on their sites as possible, including links to any media coverage, video clips and podcasts. Some authors I’ve worked with in the past really had the right idea in creating their web presence. One maintained a message board on her site and responded to readers’ questions, creating an online fan base for her books. She also made sure to post information for any local book signings she was hosting and also posted pictures from these events. Another author actually blogged as the main character in his novel, which was a great way to extend his book’s content onto the web.

What one or two things could you share with Novel Journey readers that might surprise them regarding book promotion?

AC: I think for many new authors, it’s surprising that the media isn’t necessarily clamoring to interview you about your book, or to review your novel. This isn’t to say that your book isn’t a fantastic piece of work that everyone is certain to enjoy. But book review sections in daily newspapers are disappearing fast, and the fact that you wrote a book alone isn’t exactly breaking news. This is where creative publicity comes in.

A big part of a publicist’s job is brainstorming newsworthy angles that will make an author a useful resource to the media. You’ve written a novel about a homeless Iraq veteran? Your publicist may pitch you as an expert source to discuss the epidemic of homeless soldiers in America today. Or, perhaps your book is a science fiction novel about aliens taking over the U.S. government—you would be a great source to discuss the recent resurgence of sci-fi entertainment in popular culture. In these instances, you would be credentialed as “author of…,” getting your novel coverage, even if the entire article or interview segment isn’t all about your book. This may be the most surprising thing about book publicity: it often isn’t about the book.

Personally, what are your favorite genres? Favorite books or authors?

AC: I’m personally a big fan of all kinds of fiction. My favorites include J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and his Lord of the Rings trilogy, Rebecca and Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne de Maurier, and Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. My all-time favorite, however, is a holdover from childhood—A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.

If you could say one thing to aspiring authors what would it be?

AC: I would encourage new authors to tell the story they want to tell with their book, while also looking ahead to its marketability if they truly want it to be a widely read success.

What about your own personal story would make a compelling news item for a feature or credential you to discuss a certain subject? What are you willing to do to support your book leading up to its pub date—hire a publicist, set up a book tour, host speaking engagements, write contributed articles or op-eds? If you’re not willing to do these things, you may find it difficult to get your book into the hands of readers. In today’s publishing world, it isn’t always enough to tell a good story—writing and publishing a successful book takes a lot of publicity and marketing savvy as well.

Author Interview ~ Nick Taylor

Nick Taylor is the author of The Disagreement (Simon & Schuster, April 2008). He has received fellowships from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the William R. Kenan, Jr., Trust for Historic Preservation. A graduate of the MFA program at the University of Virginia, he is Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature at San Jose State University and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit him on the web at http://www.readthedisagreement.com/.

Plug time. What new book or project do you have coming out?

My first novel, The Disagreement, was published in April by Simon & Schuster. It’s the story of a 17-year-old medical student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville during the Civil War. UVA was turned into a hospital complex during the war, and the protagonist is pressed into service as a doctor when the war goes on longer than anyone expected.

How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment?

Between my two years of graduate school (I did an MFA at Virginia), I needed money to pay for daycare for my daughter, who at eleven months old was ready to be with other children. I figured I could try to go back to my old job doing computer programming, or I could get something temporary, like waiting tables, but my preference was to do something academic. So I found this grant program, sponsored by the William R. Kenan Foundation of North Carolina, to fund research projects about the history of the University of Virginia. I had never written any historical fiction, but I thought I’d give it a try. I wrote three short stories about residents of a particular dorm room – one story set in the 1820s, one in the 1860s, and one in the 1940s. I had so much material left over from the 1860s story that I decided to turn it into a novel.

Tell us about your publishing journey. How long had you been writing before you got a contract? How did you find out and what went through your mind?

The Disagreement is my third novel manuscript. I tried long and hard to get an agent for the first two, but it didn’t happen. I think I queried forty agents for the second novel. Anyway, I had a much smoother ride this time out. I found my agent, Jennifer Carlson, fairly quickly. She sent the manuscript to publishers, and I was fortunate to land with the world’s greatest editor, Denise Roy at Simon & Schuster.

Do you ever struggle with writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?

I’m a big believer in setting daily word quotas and sticking to them. There’s no way you can get writer’s block if you force yourself to sit in the chair until you have a thousand words, or five hundred words, or whatever. It doesn’t matter if the words are any good – you just have to get them out. Chances are they’re not as bad as you think, and besides, you can always write another thousand the next day. Writer’s block is a form of self-criticism – you’re criticizing the work you haven’t done – so the trick is to deactivate, or desensitize, the self-critical impulse. I just swamp the internal critic under a flood of words. One thousand, two thousand, three thousand. I drown that little b*****d.

What is the most difficult part of writing for you (or was when you first started on your writing journey), i.e. plot, POV, characterization, etc?

Physical description has always been the most difficult part, especially characters’ physical appearances. When I’m writing a character, I usually have a sense of him or her, but it’s not always a physical portrait. I have to force myself to give the character some physical traits so that the reader can see him or her more specifically.

Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated office or a corner or nook in a room?

Currently I write at a desk in my dining room. It’s a big room, so there’s space for a good-sized round table and my desk. It’s the best setup I’ve had so far. In the past, I’ve written in the living room, the foyer, the public library, the airport – pretty much anywhere I can plug in a computer. For me, time is more precious than space, so I try not to be picky about my surroundings. It’s a valuable skill, I’ve discovered, because you can’t always choose when and where you’re going to have time to write.

Do you have a word or page goal you set for each day?

When I’m writing I try to produce a thousand words a day. Some days I do a little less, some a little more. It depends what I’m working on. For instance, the nineteenth-century language in The Disagreement was more time-consuming than, say, the responses to these questions.

What does a typical day look like for you?

When I was writing The Disagreement, I was working eight to five, so I wrote at night. My wife was getting her MBA at the time, so she worked all night on her laptop. That made it easy for me to sit down and write – it was either write or hang out by myself after our daughter went to bed. I fell asleep at the keyboard several times, but it was a very productive time for me. Between the two of us (my wife and me), we must have gone through ten pounds of chocolate that year.

These days I’m teaching at a college, so my schedule is more flexible. I have time to write while the sun shines, which is a real luxury.

Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly—from conception to revision.

If I’m writing a historical novel, I start with research. For me, that means reading secondary sources first, in order to familiarize myself with the time period. Then I delve into primary sources (journals, letters, etc.) to get a sense for what it was like to live at the time. Then I begin writing the first draft. I usually don’t stop and read what I’ve written until I get to the end. Then I re-read and revise as necessary. It’s not too glamorous, really.

What are some of your favorite books (not written by you)?

The Known World by Edward P. Jones
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

Make your reader feel smart. This applies especially to surprise endings. I once received a rejection for a novel manuscript in which the agent claimed I had tricked her at the end. I believed I had merely written a surprise ending, but the more I thought about it, the more I understood what she meant. By giving the book a totally unforeseeable ending, I was breaking a compact between author and reader, which is that the reader should be able to say, “Aha!” when the solution is revealed, no matter what it is. Even if they couldn’t have possibly figured it out, you need to create the illusion that it was possible.

What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?

In order for a plot to work, you need to put your characters in some kind of danger. Too often we write (or read) stories in which nothing much happens and the action seems to drag along. Normally the culprit is an author who is afraid to put his characters in danger. No surprise there – we spend a great deal of time creating these people, and we don’t want to see them suffer. But readers are danger junkies – they read about car wrecks and horrible murders so they can feel what it’s like without having to put their own lives (or emotional well-being) at risk.

I remember being blown away when I read this formulation in a book called Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain. It’s been in print for something like fifty years, and the prose is a little purple, but Swain wasn’t afraid to break it down. I think literary writers – and especially young literary writers – could benefit from his kind of advice. I certainly could have.

How much marketing do you do? What have you found that particularly works well for you?

I have been lucky to have the excellent marketing and publicity teams at Simon & Schuster helping me with The Disagreement. In addition to what S&S has done, I paid some friends to do my website, http://www.readthedisagreement.com/, and I have sent out dozens of Advance Reading Copies and postcards. It’s kind of early to see how well this all plays out. I’ll let you know in a few months!

Do you have any parting words of advice?

It is absolutely true that a career in the arts is one of constant rejection. Even the most established writers get rejected. And the more famous you become, the more visible your rejections get. Yes, it would be nice to be reviewed in The New York Times …. if the reviewer has nice things to say! But we all know that doesn’t always happen. My advice is to develop a thick skin. The MFA program I went through did that for me. In fact, that was one of the most valuable benefits of the program. You have to let rejections roll off your back and keep working even when it seems that no one is interested in what you have to say but your sister and your dog. Eventually your time will come.

What are you reading?

Every now and then we like to ask the question: What are you reading? Why? Because we're book people and love to talk books of course!

I'm reading Silvers, The God of War. The imagery is fantastic, not sure of the message just yet. I'm also rereading Charles Martin's Chasing Fireflies because it inspires me in my own writing. For non-fiction I'm reading the Bible of course and Word Painting.

So, what are YOU reading and is it worth US reading?