Q: What was your biggest challenge in trying to get published in fiction?
A: Getting published wasn’t tough at all. I did my homework, followed the rules and, as they say, voila! Getting published again and again... now that is where the challenge came in: The thousands of writers who went before me — whose talents set the benchmark for my own work — were tough acts to follow. And each time a book is released, I’m faced with that same challenge!
Q: So... how’d you get your start as a writer?
A: In my 30s, a job transfer sent the family to Richmond, VA, where a local newspaper wanted someone to write newsy tidbits about my neighborhood. The pay? One free copy of the paper. But the editor liked my style, began making regular assignments, and paid me to write them. Soon, editors of other publications were calling, and in no time, I’d become a full-time freelancer with more work than I could handle. When a job transfer brought us back to Baltimore, I showed my ‘clip book’ to editors, who made assignments that were read by other editors, who made assignments, and... oh, you get the drift. By now, readers and editors alike were commenting on my ‘way with words’, some saying the people or topics I’d written about would make great novel plots. So I wrote Pocketful of Love, the start of my life-long affliction: Fiction Addiction.
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: Well, there’s a little elf who lives under my porch, and whenever I need an idea, I poke him with a stick. Once he finishes jumping up and down, and cursing in his teeny tiny voice, he’s usually good for an idea or two.
Seriously, I get my ideas from living life. Everywhere I go, anything I do, if I just take a moment to look around, potential storylines pop up: Standing in line at the grocery store, leafing through a waiting room magazine, dining at a favorite restaurant, visiting a friend in the hospital... ideas are everywhere!
Q: Do you ever pattern your characters from real people?
A: All the time (but I’m not naming names)! In real life, I’m drawn to people who aren’t afraid to roll up their shirtsleeves, who don’t whimper and whine, who never allow life’s traumas to permanently sideline them. Consequently, my characters are capable, independent, strong…and determined to acknowledge and overcome their flaws.
Q: How do you research love scenes?
A: That, my dearies, is something only my husband will ever know the answer to!
Q: How do you research the ‘bad stuff’ in your books, like illness and murder, historical events, the places where your stories take place and how your characters do their jobs?
A: My readers are intelligent, savvy, and extremely well-informed on innumerable topics. That means to satisfy them, I have to get my facts straight. All of my facts. The best way to do that is with deep research, which includes talking extensively with experts: Doctors, attorneys, cops, and any professional who’s actively performing the job I’ve assigned to my characters.
Q: What advice do you have for people who’d like to ‘get published’?
A: First, scrap the tired old nonsense that starts “Write the book of your heart”! or “Write what you know!” I’ve taught thousands of students who took that route... and only a handful were lucky enough to get published. Yes, you should read other writers’ books (preferably mine! ), take classes, pore over how-to books, and write, write, write, every chance you get. But if you hope to see your novels on bookstore shelves, you’ll have to figure out how to braid the theme of that ‘book of your heart’ with ‘what you know’ and a clear understanding of what readers — and publishers — want! So do yourself a huge professional favor... and study the market!
Q: Do you sing in the shower?
A: Nope. I’m one of those ‘in and out in five minutes or less’ people. I wish I could say it’s because I’m ‘thinking green’. But conserving water, electricity, and soap products have very little to do with my quick and quiet clean routine: I’m trying to save time, because there’s just too little of it in my days!
| Post a comment at LOREE'S BLOG and become eligible to win her latest release. |
