Interview with ... Anna Jacobs

This is an interview I conducted with Anna Jacobs for a feature article in the Romance Writers of New Zealand's Heart to Heart magazine (May 2010 issue). I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing it!

Anna Jacobs

R*BY finalist and multiple Golden Web Award winner, Anna Jacobs writes historical romances and sagas and modern family relationship novels, science fiction/fantasy as Shannah Jay and the occasional book under her own name Sherry-Anne Jacobs.

Born in Lancashire, UK, Sherry-Anne Jacobs emigrated to Western Australia in 1973 where she now lives, south of Perth, with her husband of 30 years, a computer and a library of several thousand books. Kept busy with her writing schedule, Anna also enjoys holding workshops to help fellow writers.

Working with Hodder & Stoughton, UK and Severn House for nearly 20 years, and with almost 50 books to her credit, Anna takes time out from her busy schedule to share her thoughts with us.

Thanks for agreeing to be one of our feature author, Anna!

What inspires you to write?

I don’t think ‘inspire’ is the right word. It’s rather that there’s something inside me welling up and I have to let it out ie the stories. And of course, by now I’m addicted to story-telling, which is how I think of what I do mainly. Has anyone warned you that writing is addictive?  Very. 

You write Lancashire sagas, modern novels and futuristic. Do you have trouble skipping from one genre to another? Do you have a favourite genre you like writing the most?
I love writing all of them, though I’m not at the moment writing futuristic. I had 5 futuristic novels published as Shannah Jay and would love to write more, but just don’t have the time. I alternate between modern novels and sagas. The sagas are not just set in Lancashire now. Quite a few of them are set in Western Australia. Actually, I love writing both sorts of story and I NEED the variety of writing both sorts, too, to keep my mind stimulated and active. It’d be boring to do the same sort of thing all the time. I’ve seen authors grow stale and write same old, same old, and I’m terrified of doing that, which is why I have two ‘wise readers’ who read my stories before I ever send them to my agent or publisher. My wise readers are sworn not to mince words!

What does your writing day consist of?
I get up about 5.20 am, not because I’m being virtuous, but because I wake naturally at that time. When I wake, I’m fully alert, so it’s a waste of time lying in bed. I answer emails, which is part pleasure, part business and part networking. Then I get breakfast and shower, after which I play cards on the computer. For some weird reason, this settles my brain into writing mode. (It’s something to do with left and right sides of the brain. One needs a very relaxing activity to foster the creativity.) I then dive into writing by re-reading and polishing what I wrote yesterday. I love doing that. Polishing is my favourite writing task of all. Afterwards I carry on telling the story and add about 2,000 words in a typical day.

I break at regular intervals to do odd household chores eg the washing but I don’t have a housework gene, so I don’t take it to excess. I do not iron or dust. One has to have standards!  I’d move anyway because it’s very bad for the human body to sit in the same position for hours on end. I never stay still for more than an hour and so far (touch wood) in spite of doing writing and writing-related ‘stuff’ for about 10 hours a day, I’ve not got any repetitive damage to my body.

I also, if I’m lucky, wake regularly in the night and ‘see’ scenes, which is very helpful. It’s as near as I come to plotting.

I don’t think there is any time when I don’t have a story simmering in my mind. My husband is a musician and it’s the same with him about music. It’s always there.

My agent and three publishers (I just added a new one) are in England so they are 7 or 8 hours behind in time difference. Business emails come in overnight or after teatime. So I don’t switch off the computer until 7 or 8, well after teatime. I never know when I’ll get something that’s urgent to reply to, you see.

And then there’s research. That too is always with me, whether it’s for historical or modern stories. And reader emails - I get more than two a day.

You mentioned on your website that you read at least 3 novels a week. Do you have an author you like to read? What are you reading right now? How does this help you as a writer?
I have a lot of authors I like to read. I enjoy a variety but not gruesome or nasty stuff. And it has to have a happy ending. Quirky is nice, too. Georgette Heyer is my favourite and I re-read her books every now and then. From today’s authors, I like Nora Roberts (but not her gruesome ones, nor JD Robb), Sherryl Woods, C J Cherryh, Barbara Delinsky, Robyn Carr, and the new Aussie author Bronwyn Parry. Her two books are fabulous. I hope she writes a lot more. At the moment I’m reading a research book about Fremantle and Jill Mansell’s ‘Thinking About You’, but am waiting for ‘Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand’ a quirky English book that my husband got hold of when it arrived and as he’s a slow reader ie.takes a week or so to read a book, I’m waiting impatiently for him to finish it.

As well as entertaining me, reading a lot of books helps feed my imagination, which is essential. It also shows me what’s been done to death as a plot and what sorts of plots are popular now. This is market research. 

You have a number of sagas among your booklist. What methods do you use to research your novels (eg. online, travel, personal experience etc.)?
I did a university unit covering my period in history before I started - there was a particularly good history lecturer here at the time. I buy and read a lot of research books. I have notebooks full of notes eg a file for each century and a page for each year on which I write notes about ‘titbits’ of history that I can follow up if I write a book set then.

Nowadays I research on line a lot, but you have to be careful whose web site it is ie. credibility. I sometimes write to website owners asking for further help. In the book that’s coming out in July in the UK (Beyond the Sunset) I had a cart crash and I did that via the Novelists Inc website. (This is an international organization for multi-published authors.) Someone on Ninc always knows the answer or where to find the answer. My ideas of a cart crash were not at all correct, but with the help of some great people in the US, whom someone on Ninc sent me to, I redid the cart crash. It’s correct now. Took me three days to crash that cart.

I start collecting research material well before I write a book. With modern novels, it’s often pieces from newspapers or articles I’ve found on line. There is always something to check out. I try very hard not to make mistakes. I often get story ideas from my non-focused research. For example, many years ago, I read about a shipload of Lancashire cotton workers being brought out to Western Australia as maids, because the American Civil War had stopped supplies of cotton and therefore there was no work in Lancashire. I filed that away mentally for future reference. Some time later I found a book of memoirs, written in the 1870s by a lady who came to Western Australia on the same ship, so it seemed meant to be that I told the story that begins in FAREWELL TO LANCASHIRE and is continued in BEYOND THE SUNSET.

What themes do you like exploring in your books?
I don’t think about them as ‘themes’ but stories. I write about relationships and families mostly, whether it’s historical or modern or futuristic, and always with a romance included, or even two or three romances, because I don’t like to leave my minor characters lonely. I don’t write ‘pure’ romances, where the romance itself is the plot, but rather ‘romantic’ books where a romance is integral but something else is the plot. They’re complex tales with several sub-plots usually.

And another on the same topic - what influences how many books make up a saga – your fans, your editor, you, a combination of all three?
The editor always has the final word about what will be published. But . . . the story itself is the main decider as to whether I suggest a series or not. I start some stories with the intention of having 2 or 3 books, because there’s a lot of material around. Other stories suddenly seem to beg continuation, so I carry on writing when I hadn’t intended to. I try not to go beyond 3 in a series, but with my first series my agent said I could get two more books out of it, making 5, and I did. Phew! Talk about baptism of fire as a writer!

Nowadays the editor and publisher’s marketing teams combine and have a big influence on what I write. I tend to submit a story idea and discuss it a little - I can’t do outlines because I don’t know what happens after the setup. The book I’m currently writing features a secondary character from DESTINY'S PATH (book 3 and final of my current series).  Bram was so vivid I just had to write his story afterwards.

I don’t tend to do series of books for my modern stories, though I’m thinking about it for a current idea. 
 
From your experience, what conventions have the most potential career impact for writers – conferences, workshops, writing groups, critique partners etc.? Have any of these affected/helped you?
For me, it’s my inner self that has the most impact. I can’t not write. But it’s the readers who make the most difference to a career, and I never forget that. If they don’t like you and your stories, you can go to every conference on earth and it’ll make no difference.

That said I do go to conferences and greatly enjoy networking. I meet some wonderful people - I still remember the conference I went to in NZ with great fondness.

Workshops - well, most conferences don’t have workshops suitable for authors of nearly 50 novels. Novelists Inc does, but they’re in the US and sadly it’s just too far a trip with my bad back. The Romantic Novelists Association of the UK does, as it’s primarily an organization for published authors. I can go to their conferences now, since we’ve just started living part of the year in the UK.

My critique group is very important indeed to me. They’re a wonderful, perceptive bunch of women and I was very lucky that they turned up out of the blue when I was starting up a new group in my home town. We’ve been together for a while now and I value their opinions greatly. The online email lists are very helpful too.

People working towards publication should be aware that it’s quality of writing that counts most of all and focus on that, and what will improve their work. Only they can tell, because everyone has different needs as a writer.

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
Um . . . I can’t think of one. Every interview has its own flavour and I enjoy that. Really, it’s best to let the interviewer ask, as she/he knows what she’s looking for and knows her audience.

What new books are due for release this year?
I have four books coming out in July in the UK, a little later elsewhere unless you buy them (post free) from www.bookdepository.co.uk . Two of them are paperbacks whose hardbacks have been out for a while, the other two are brand new stories, hardbacks:

1. BEYOND THE SUNSET - hardback, new story, historical set in 1860s, second in the Cotton Lasses series, following on 'Farewell to Lancashire'. It’s in NZ shops now in a trade paperback.
2. FAREWELL TO LANCASHIRE – is now a mass-market paperback, book one in the Cotton Lasses series.
3. LICENSE TO DREAM – available in hardback, and is a modern novel, new story, set mainly in Western Australia. Meriel has wanted to become an artist, but her mother forced her to become an accountant. When she wins Lotto she can realise her dream. Ben wants to landscape a big country block next to his - only Meriel owns it now.

4. IN FOCUS – is a trade paperback, modern story, set in the UK. Beth sees a TV show where a computer program regresses people to what they were like as a child. She's shocked to realise the host is her baby brother, who vanished without a trace 38 years ago.

Keeps me out of mischief!

Lastly, what’s next for Anna Jacobs?
Who knows? Hard work, certainly. I’ve got a new publisher, so now have three publishers in the UK. I’m certainly writing faster. Much faster. By the end of April I’ll have written two books since 18 December, long books, though the second one will be only in ‘dirty draft’ and will still need polishing. Maybe I’ll need a new writing name if I continue to speed up?

This will be our third year of living 5 months in the UK, 7 months in Australia, so my UK life/PR/etc is changing. I’m doing more PR over there, making more contacts, am able to do more research and am able to interact personally with my agent and editors. It’s all very exciting.

And of course, we’re all going to be affected by the rapidly expanding sales of ebooks, aren’t we? Life never stands still. Thank goodness or it’d be boring. 

Thanks for this interview, Anna, it’s been a pleasure having you here! 

If you'd like to learn more about Anna you can visit her website. 

Anna’s latest book, BEYOND THE SUNSET, available in hardback, is her new historical set in the 1860’s, the second in the Cotton Lasses series, and follows FAREWELL TO LANCASHIRE.

BEYOND THE SUNSET is also a milestone in Anna's career - it's her 50th published novel! Congratulations!

Interview with ... Keri Arthur

This is an interview I conducted with Keri Arthur for a feature article in the Romance Writers of New Zealand's Heart to Heart magazine (Feb.2010 issue). I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing it!

Keri Arthur

Melbourne born and bred author, Keri Arthur grew up sharing her life with dragons, elves, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters and talking horses. That fertile imagination set the scene for a career as an urban fantasy/paranormal author.
First published by ImaJinn in 2001, this DownUnder author now writes for Bantam Books. She’s received a "Perfect 10" from Romance Reviews Today and was nominated for Best Shapeshifter in PNR's PEARL Awards and was voted best Contemporary Paranormal category of the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards for her books.
Her highly successful Riley Jenson Guardian series has hit the NYTimes best-seller list numerous times and her new Mercy Burns series will appear on the shelves in January 2011.

Hi, Keri, thanks for joining us here at Heart to Heart!
Thanks for inviting me. :-)

Your books delved into vampires and werewolves seemingly well before they became “popular”. Thinking back over your journey as an author, did that make it harder or easier to get where you are today?
It was harder. At the time I started writing paranormal romance and urban fantasy, the Buffy movie had just failed, Mercedes Lackey’s Diana Tregarde series and Tanya Huff’s Blood series had only just been released,  and Laurell K Hamilton had yet to unleash Anita Blake onto the world. All of which meant that publishers had absolutely no idea just how popular the genre would become, and therefore weren’t really interested in books of that type. Especially from an unknown author from Australia!
MOON SWORN, book #9 in the Riley Jenson Guardian series, will be on the bookshelves in mid-2010.

Is this where you wanted to finish the series? Was it time to move on to something new?
It was definitely where I wanted the series to end--the publisher actually wanted more books. But I figure Riley as a character has been through more than enough, and she deserved an ending. And to be honest, I wanted to write something new (and torture new characters. *lol*)

As a full time author how do you break up your day?
I’m actually a horrible planner, and I have a brain like a sieve, so I tend to forget things or do them at the last moment. I usually answer emails over breakfast and tend to do my blog/website either then or at the end of the day. I write every afternoon (I go to the gym in the mornings) and I aim for a minimum of 5 pages. I don’t actually have much in the way of meetings with my editor or agent--if my editor wants some information, she’ll email me and I do it straight away. I tend not to do much in the way of workshops and I only guest blog occasionally. I do Twitter and I am on Facebook, but I actually think some authors spend too much time concentrating on publicity, and not enough time on the actual writing.

Is changing publishing companies and finding an agent something you’ve dealt with in your career? What has been the most challenging for you in making this transition (between publishing companies)? What factors or sorts of issues should one consider if faced with this decision?

I haven’t actually changed publishing companies. ImaJinn still publish 13 of my books (they sold the English rights to Piatkus, which is why the books are now available here). But if you are considering changing publishing companies, read your contracts carefully--understand what rights you’ve given away, and realize there may be clauses and contractual obligations that could make the switch difficult. Especially if you didn’t have an agent when you signed the contract--agents may not always get better money for authors, but they sure as heck get better terms and conditions.

Which is why I always recommend writers get agents. Agents are worth every single penny you pay them - trust me! And yeah, it can be as difficult to get an agent as it is to get editor interest, but it’s worth persevering--especially if mainstream publishing is where you want to be. Although with the rights grab e-publishers are now attempting in their contracts, it still might be worth getting an agent--or at least a contracts lawyer--to look them over. You may be giving away more than you think.

Do you have any particular regrets or positive memories that have helped shape you as an author? Are there things you’d do differently given the chance to go back and do it again?
I think the many rejections I got during the long years it took me to get published taught me that perseverance pays off and that, in the end, you can get there, no matter what else happens. And you need perseverance to get through the sometimes demanding schedule publishers can hit you with. Are there things I’d change? Well, I sure as heck wish it hadn’t taken so long, but maybe if it hadn’t, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

I can remember at an Author Chat at an RWAustralia conference you commenting on series, in particular the world building that goes with it. What processes do you go through when developing your series and characters? How do you keep track of arcing plots and details?
My process of developing series and characters begins by writing the book--I don’t pre-plot or plan, I just sit down and write. But once the world starts developing and I know it’s going to be a series, I starting keeping track of the world building and characters by creating files (on my computer and in a notebook) about each. Over a series, these notes become very important.

Do you think an author’s style changes over time? Has yours? Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Well, I don’t think authors ever stop learning their craft, so yeah, I think it’s logical that an author’s style keeps growing and changing. Mine certainly has--if you read DANCING WITH THE DEVIL (my very first book) and BOUND TO SHADOWS (the latest Riley), you’ll find two very different books. As for what challenges me as a writer--I still think sex scenes are the hardest thing to write (especially if you write a lot of them). I mean, there’s just so many ways to describe the basic act. *lol*

If you had to choose, which author would you consider a mentor?
I’ve never really had a mentor as such, but I would consider the crits groups I’ve belonged to over the years my mentors. They’ve helped guide me and advise me, and they’ve shown me what works and what doesn’t. I certainly don’t think I’d be where I am today without the help of my current group (The Lulus). They’re a fab (and talented) bunch of ladies.

Now, if I had to actually choose a mentor, I’d love either Dick Francis or James Herbert. DF because he writes fabulous characters and stories that drag you in from the very first line, and JH because he not only writes fab characters, but because he writes truly scary books.

You have a new book coming out in 2011. Can you tell us a little about Mercy Burns and what readers can expect from this series?
Mercy Burns is actually the long awaited sequel to DESTINY KILLS. It deals with Trae’s sister, and tells what she was actually getting up to when Trae was looking for her in the first book.
I was intending my dragon series to be much longer, but Mercy Burns will now be the last book. I think Bantam would prefer it if I concentrated on werewolves and vampires. *lol*

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
I’ve been asked some pretty weird questions over the years, so I don’t really think there’s anything I haven’t been asked!

Keri, thanks for taking time out of your schedule to answer our questions.
Thanks for having me! :-)

To find out more about Keri and her books you can visit her website .

Interview with ... Sherrilyn Kenyon

This is an interview I conducted with Sherrilyn Kenyon for a feature article in the Romance Writers of New Zealand's Heart to Heart magazine (June 2010 issue). I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing it!

#1 NYTimes best-selling author,

Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sherrilyn Kenyon lives a life of extraordinary danger...as does any woman with three sons, a husband, a menagerie of pets and a collection of swords that all of the above have a major fixation with. But when not running interference (or dashing off to the emergency room), she's found chained to her computer where she likes to play with all her imaginary friends. With more than twenty million copies of her books in print, in over thirty countries, she certainly has a lot of friends to play with too.

Writing as Kinley MacGregor and Sherrilyn Kenyon, she’s the author of several blockbuster series including: The Dark-Hunters, The League, BAD Agency, Lords of Avalon and the forthcoming Nevermore and Chronicles of Nick. Her Lords of Avalon novels have been adapted by Marvel and her Dark-Hunter novels are now a New York Times bestselling manga published by St. Martins.

Her books always appear at the top of the New York Times, Publisher's Weekly and USA Today lists. She’s one of only three authors in the last eighteen months to claim seven #1 slots on the New York Times bestseller list. During the same time, she's claimed eight #1 slots on Publisher's Weekly.

Hi, Sherrilyn, it’s great you could be a part of this issue of RWNZ Heart to Heart!
Thanks so much for inviting me. I really appreciate it.

What significant milestones have marked your journey to publication?
The fact I think I’ve racked up more rejections than twenty authors put together and that I survived the single worst rejection of any writer I know or have heard of. “No one at this publishing house will ever be interested in developing this author. Do not submit her work to us again.”

Honestly though, every book is a milestone and I cherish each one.

What has been the most surprising aspect of your publication journey?
That is was so hard and that I kept going. I always say there are two things you never want to ask me about. Childbirth and pregnancy because I’ll scare you off both.

What’s a typical working day like for you?
A case study in Murphy’s Law. I don’t really have a typical day because of the above :) I get up between 6-7 am. Help hubby get the boys off to school. I answer emails and usually hit the gym between 8-10 (yes, I do workout for this body LOL- can you imagine what I’d look like if I didn’t?). Then I take business calls, answer emails and write. But the majority of my writing time is done after 8 PM when the house is quiet. I usually work until 2-3 am and then get up and start over. Sometimes I stay up for a couple of days in a row.  

What is it about your books that makes them so popular?
I have no idea :) But fans tell me that they like the fact that they laugh and cry in every book. That the characters seem real to them and that even when a character is bad, they understand and feel for them.

I’ve read several interviews where you’ve commented that whenever you see a copy of FANTASY LOVER, the book manages to make you smile in amazement. Could you tell us a little about the origins of the Dark-Hunter series (I believe you originally submitted a list of over 40 synopses to your editor for this series) and why FANTASY LOVER took so long to find acceptance in the publishing world?
Publishing doesn’t like things that are different as a rule. At the time I sold FANTASY LOVER, there was no paranormal market at all and hadn’t been one in years. Same for the Dark-Hunter novels. The reason why the vampires are called Daimons is that no publisher would even consider a vampire novel.

When I sold the series no one, other than Anne Rice, had ever put one on a major list so no publisher was interested. I tried from 1989-1994 to sell the Dark-Hunters as novels. I wrote FANTASY LOVER hoping that since it didn’t have the Daimons in it, that I might entice a publisher to take a chance on the series. I submitted it from 1994 until 1999 when it was finally bought.

The novels come from the Dark-Hunter short stories that I published in small press magazines from 1985-1990. I got the idea while working as an editor for an SF magazine, Cutting Edge. My boss wanted an ongoing serial that could boost our subscription rate. I asked if I could write vampires. He was a little reluctant, but finally told me I could write whatever I wanted.

At the same time I was taking a class in mythology and also working for a local paper (I had to work three jobs to pay for school). Since it was Halloween, I was doing a series of articles on the origins of various legends such as vampires. While interviewing my professor, I asked the question why he thought no one had ever done a vampire series based on Greek myth since Apollo was both the god of the sun and of plagues and voila, the entire idea for the Dark-Hunters was born in that one instant. The rest they say is history. 

Your world building – the mythology and complexity of your characters – in the Dark-Hunter series are as detailed, and can be compared to, epic fantasies. Was the DARK-HUNTER COMPANION a way of keeping the world building details straight for you and us? How do you keep track of the details in all your series?
I keep everything in my head. I don’t ever look at the Companion. Alethea put that together for the fans, based on information I had on the site to help the fans keep it all straight. I have no idea how I keep it straight, but somehow I do.

2008 was the Year of ACHERON. His story was one of the most highly anticipated and significant in the Dark-Hunter series. The writing of the book, the build up and promotion of it and finally its release – did you feel any pressure while writing the book, and how did you cope with it while staying true to his story, yourself and living up to reader expectations?
Not at all. I write for the sheer enjoyment of it. For the character exploration. While I definitely care what readers think, I don’t sweat that until after I’m finished with a project and am waiting on it to come out. I’m always fine during the writing. It’s after it’s done that I sweat.

Zarek & Acheron’s stories make me cry every time I read them. They’re such scarred, incredibly complex heroes who struggle to come to terms with their difficult pasts. The same can be said of some of the perceived “villains” in this series. How hard or easy is it to develop heroines who equal your heroes? Has the “matching” ever been a challenge?
Not really with the one notable exception of Kyrian. The first draft I tried to hook him up with Tabitha. That was a disaster. It was while working it over that I realized I had him with the wrong sister.

I read in an interview that you tend to relate more to the heroes in your books. Why is that?
Probably because I’ve been surrounded by men my entire life. I was raised in the middle of eight boys and have three sons. Most of my friends growing up were male and I worked in male dominated fields such as computer training and programming. While I’m definitely female, those experiences have given me a lot of insight into the male mind and how they think. I adore men and love to write about them.

You started off writing paranormal in the early ‘90’s before the genre was hugely popular and switched to writing historical romance under the name Kinley McGregor. What draws you to this genre and can you tell us what’s next for Kinley?
I actually started off writing horror for publication. My first pubbed story in 1978 was a horror short story and I focused on those for many years before publishing science fiction and then fantasy and romance. It’s all basically marketing labels anyway. As I’ve said repeatedly, the Dark-Hunters were first pubbed as horror, then fantasy, then science fiction, then romance and now they’re classified fiction even though it’s the same series and style I’ve always written. Everything I’ve written from the beginning has been cross-genre stories. I’ve never liked to color inside any lines or to be confined.

I go wherever my muse takes me whether it’s the Middle Ages, Arthurian fantasy, science fiction, suspense, mystery, whatever. I don’t believe in limiting myself or my muse. As for Kinley, the next one out is DARKNESS WITHIN which is Arthurian Fantasy. It should be out January 2011.

The LEAGUE series isn’t new, you released them as e-books back in the ‘90’s. Where did the idea for this series originate and how is it the stories are being re-released?
Not ebooks, all but BORN OF FIRE was a novel first and BORN OF FIRE was the first ebook published by a New York pubbed author. One book was released by Dorchester and the other by Kensington. This was the original series I started writing when I was seven years old. Yes, you read that correctly. I was seven. Nykyrian and Syn (then called Rachol) were my imaginary playmates when I was a kid. Since I was raised on Star Trek and Star Wars in addition to horror, it was my other love. While I pubbed the horror stories, I diligently worked on the novels over the years. I don’t remember exactly when or how I came up with the universe and characters- it was too long ago. It just seems like they were always there. Probably had something to do with the fact that my older brother was obsessed by ninjas and I saw them as ninjas in space.

I completed the first draft of what would become BORN OF NIGHT when I was twelve and my best friend still has a copy of it. The next draft was finished when I was twenty-one and that was the one I’d intended to submit to New York. Tragedy struck and it would be another three years before it would make the rounds.

The series sold in 1992 (in my early twenties at the time, I was the youngest writer then published by both Kensington and Dorchester) and the books came out 1994-1996. The books won numerous awards and landed on a couple of bestseller lists, then my career and personal life plummeted. It would be over four years before I’d sell again and some of that time was spent homeless with my children. It was horrible.

Even after the career finally took off again, I never got the books out of my heart or the desire to return to them. Last year, St. Martins allowed me to completely rewrite the books from scratch and rerelease them. They instantly became #1 New York Times bestselling novels, driving my number of NYT bestsellers to over 50. It’s also the first time a futuristic has hit #1 since 1992. Thank you fans!

Your non-fiction book EVERY DAY LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES is a fantasically concise and great introduction for a writer for that time-period. How did this book come about?
While I was still in college, my editor at Writer’s Digest asked me if I’d like to write it. Many of the sources were from the bibliography I was using for my dissertation. However, I would caveat any researcher that the information in that book is now twenty years old and extremely dated. There have been many, many more and better resources put out since then. 

You have an eclectic variety of interests – restoration and rebuilding of classic cars, boxing, computers and web design, marksmanship – are these a result of research for your books?
Not at all. Gets into the fact that my father was a drill sergeant and I was raised with all boys. I was actually the sparring partner for two Golden Glove boxers and am the only one whoever knocked one of them out. Since they were my playmates, I did things like play quarterback and learn to flush out radiators and rebuild trannies. As for shooting, my father had me on a range as soon as I was old enough to hold a gun. He was an avid collector and passed that gene on to my brother and I. 

You’re website is complex and fascinating – its potential as a promo tool is huge. Is a website a must for an author? What works to connect you with your readers? What advice can you give those thinking about promotion?
Do only what makes you comfortable and don’t fake it. Like dating. Readers can tell when you’re being fake and they don’t like it.

Sites help, but plenty of authors have made careers without them. I think it’s just up to the writer. Stay in your comfort zone and don’t do anything that seems unnatural or strained to you. I like people, all people, so it’s easy for me to go out and embrace them. I like web design so it’s easy for me to expand my site and play around with it. But that’s definitely not for everyone.

Promotion is an ongoing venture and there’s not one thing that will make or break your career. The only thing that is universal is to respect and like your readers. Never take them for granted.

What do readers tell you that they enjoy the most about your books?
That’s as varied as my readership. Some love the humor, others the emotions, the action, the depth of world building, the realness of the characters... it just really depends.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to write but haven’t had the chance to yet?
Not really. I’ve pretty much pubbed in all genres.

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
What is it like to win a hundred billion dollars?
Well, it doesn’t suck.

And lastly, what can we look forward to reading next from you?
The Dark-Hunters Volume 2 manga, SILENT TRUTH and the paperback editions of BAD MOON RISING and WHISPERED LIES are out now.

INFINITY which tells how Nick met the Dark-Hunters and was sucked into their world hits the stands May 25th.

July 6th is the release of IN OTHER WORLDS which combines a League story (Adron’s), a Were-Hunter (Dragonswan) and an unrelated short story that tells my personal view on what happens to characters when writers don’t write about them.

August 3rd bring NO MERCY which is the story of Dev Peltier and a Dark-Huntress.

Sept 14th is the hardback gift edition of NIGHT EMBRACE.

Sept 28th is the Dark-Hunters Volume 3 of the manga.

And the year finishes out with BLOOD TRINITY up Oct 26th. It’s a new urban fantasy series Dianna and I are writing together. Excerpts, covers and information on all of the above as well as the 2011 books can be found on my website.

Thanks for a great interview, Sherrilyn!

Interview with ... Tracey O'Hara

This is an interview I conducted with Tracey O'Hara for a "newbie author" article in the Romance Writers of New Zealand's Heart to Heart magazine (late 2009 issue).

Have you ever had a conversation with friends about what life would be like once you receive THE CALL? Have you wondered what happens next? What lies beyond that magical moment?
I thought it was time to ask some of our newly published about their experiences and see if they can shed some light on what to expect and how they’ve begun to build their careers now that they’re published.

Tracey O’Hara
(Harper Collins - EOS Books)

Please share a little bit about yourself and your writing.

I'm a full-time Urban Fantasy author writing for the HarperCollins Sci-Fi/Fantasy imprint Eos Books in the US and have another full time job as an IT consultant. Seriously - I work 36-40 a week at my day job and just as many - if not more at my "other" job as I call it now. You can't be part time, not if you want to succeed. Besides my family, and even they have to take a back seat at times, writing is the most important thing.

How authors are “discovered” is as diverse as the brands of chocolate we consume. Please tell us your CALL story.

I’ve had many contest finals and placings over the last few years with NIGHT'S COLD KISS (or NCK as it has become known amongst my writing friends), including a third in the RWAustralia Emerald Single Title and the being a finalist in the RWAmerica’s Golden Heart Award for paranormal romance.
After finalling in the Golden Heart, I sold a short erotic Spice Brief to Harlequin in a 2 story deal, so I actually have had two “calls”.  After attending the San Francisco conference for the Golden Heart, I returned home with no gold locket, but still rather pumped as I had talked an editor interested in my story.
However 2 weeks later, while attending the Australian conference in Melbourne I woke up to several excited emails from my agent, Jennifer Schober saying “ring me”. The news - the executive editor at Eos wanted to buy NCK, and not only that, she wanted a three-book deal. Lots of squealing and celebrating ensured but I had to keep it under wraps until the deal was accepted. The hardest thing ever – wanting to tell everyone and having to keep it quite.  The following day I got the nod from my agent and Anne Gracie announced it to a room full of fellow romance writers. I got to accept my first sale ribbon. Best place ever to be when you receive the call story.
One of the best things though is my good friend Erica Hayes sold a month after me and we have been able to share this journey of ups and downs together.
At the moment I have my husband and a dear friend, Cathy, as my critique givers. They actually got me through the bulk of the first book, so I have gone back to the formula that works.

I just have to ask the-chicken-or-the-egg question. What happened first  – agent or an editor? How did you go about finding one/both?

I do have an agent, the BESTEST in the world - Jennifer Schober of Spencerhill Associates. I am a slush pile success I guess you can say. I had a list of agents that I was querying - Spencerhill was number 17 on the list. I queried Spencerhill on a Tuesday and by Friday I had been accepted. Jenn and her associate Karen Solem offered representation on the strength of my first three chapters. I had had several requests for full with other agents, it was weird and quite satisfying to have to write to the others and say, “sorry I’d like to withdraw my manuscript from consideration.”

What’s the name of your book scheduled for release and can you tell us something about it?

My book is called, NIGHT'S COLD KISS (A Dark Brethren novel) and is due to be released August 25th in the US. Here is what my publisher has to say about it:-

For centuries war raged between the humans and Aeternus vampires—until courageous efforts on both sides forged a fragile peace.
But the rogue Necrodreniacs will never be controlled—addicted as they are to the death-high . . . and bloody chaos.
Since witnessing the murder of her mother, Antoinette Petrescu has burned with fiery hatred for the vampire race—even for Christian Laroque, the noble, dangerously handsome Aeternus who rescued her. Now an elite Venator, Antoinette must reluctantly accept Christian's help to achieve her vengeance—even as he plots to use the beautiful, unsuspecting warrior as bait to draw out the bloodthirsty dreniacs.

What’s the most exciting thing about writing for you? The most boring?

The most exciting is seeing a page of utter first draft crap (and I do write a real dirty first draft) start to really shine after some re-writing. Honestly – I LOVE doing edits. The most boring is reading through your ms for the hundredth time looking for grammatical and punctuation errors when you are as grammatically challenged as I am.

At the chat sessions during conferences we hear favourite authors telling us that things really change once you publish. What differences, good or OMG (oh my goodness), have you experienced since getting THE CALL?

Life gets crazy. If you were busy with writing before – times that by 10. I had an email from one of my fellow Eos authors Vicki Pettersson who basically said enjoy life as you know it now because can’t you hear the train coming through the tunnel. I thought my life was insane enough as it was since selling, but I don’t have my first book yet.
No matter how much you think you are prepared for selling, you’re not. And selling is the easy part. I used to listen to published authors say this, and think “Yeah right, but your sold, you’ve made it.” But it really is like jumping on the back of a tiger. You have to work hard to stay on his back, because one slip and you could fall off and be devoured by the beast.

One of the worst things is the lack of time you have for others, well at the moment it is for me because I still work full time. My support group the go-gos, full of wonderful and inspirational women, goes on without me because I just have nothing left. I miss them terribly and get to see them once a month at the Canberra Romance Writer’s meeting. But I miss the fabulous times we used to have.

Is there any other advice, “lightbulb” moments or comments you’d like to share about getting/being published? 


Once I sold my story is was no longer mine alone. It now belongs to me, my editor, my publishing house and my (future) readers. I’ve had to learn to be flexible within limits and to trust my editor. It’s no good saying “I can’t possible change that – it’s integral to the story,” especially when your editor is the Executive Editor of the line and has multiple New York Bestsellers like Kim Harrison and Vicki Pettersson under her belt.

Tracey, thanks for your time. 


NOTE: Since this interview, Tracey has been working on DEATH'S SWEET EMBRACE, the second book in her Dark Brethren series (to be released in Jan.2011), and her alter-ego, Tracie Sommers will be releasing BLAME IT ON THE MOONLIGHT, a new Spice Briefs novella.

Tracey also blogs regularly at LoveCats DownUnder with other Aussie HM&B authors.

You can find out more about Tracey and her books at her website.

Interview with ... Mel Teshco

This is an interview I conducted with Mel Teshco for a "newbie author" article in the Romance Writers of New Zealand's Heart to Heart magazine (Feb.2010 issue).

Have you ever had a conversation with friends about what life would be like once you receive THE CALL? Have you wondered what happens next? What lies beyond that magical moment? 

MEL TESHCO
(Ellora’s Cave & Nocturne Bites)

Share a little bit about yourself and your writing.
I live on a small rural property amongst rolling green hills and tall gums, ex-dairy country, in South-East Queensland. I’m a full-time mum after having my third daughter, Miss Whirlwind-On-Legs who is now two. Miss eleven is a huge paranormal fan and reads anything I let her get her hands on. My eldest daughter lives with her boyfriend and made me a proud grandmother recently at the ripe old age of thirty-nine. I also have three stepchildren, though only one lives with us now and he has just finished year twelve.
I started my writing journey with the failsafe plan to be a sexy/presents author. I also dabbled with the idea of becoming a Desire author (If only it was that simple!) Actually, ‘dabbling’ is how I discovered my love for writing paranormal. Comparatively speaking, I’d read very little of that genre until I decided to write it — and the same could be said for my erotic reading experience — a bit topsy-turvy, I know. In both my Ellora’s Cave gargoyle story, STONE-COLD LOVER, and my upcoming Nocturne Bites vampire story, Blood Chance, (yet to be renamed) I can still detect an underlying ‘category’ voice.

Our readers love a good story - please tell us how you received THE CALL.
I’d had a bit of success in U.S. comps with my paranormal story Shadow Hunter. In fact it’d garnered a request from Nocturne’s editor, Ann Leslie Tuttle. Shortly after, I fell pregnant, so writing took a backseat for a while and I didn’t really make much progress during those ‘pregnancy’ months. I didn’t get a ‘call’ with Ellora’s Cave, everything was done via email. But I was thrilled the editor loved it as the story was originally aimed for Nocturne Bites.

Actually I’d sent STONE-COLD LOVER to Ellora’s Cave at about the same time I sent Blood Chance to Nocturne Bites. STONE-COLD LOVER was published for three months before I received an acceptance email from Shawna Rice at Nocturne, and then the phone call a few days later! That was one nerve-wracking experience! But she was lovely.

I just have to ask the-chicken-or-the-egg question. What happened first  – agent or an editor? How did you go about finding one/both?
For me it’s the chicken before the egg!
In the earlier days with Shadow Hunter I had a couple of agents interested and wanting to see more work. But since concentrating on shorts, at this point of time there isn’t a need for an agent – not until I finish Believe - my single title work with co-author, Kylie. Then I’ll have to brush up on my query letters and go through that process again!

Can you tell us about your debut/current book up for release?
My current release is my debut Ellora’s Cave book STONE COLD LOVER.

Heiress Loretta Shaw is notorious for her loose morals and sexual needs. Trouble is, it’s taken her one too many one-night stands to realize that no man can extinguish the sexual fire she feels toward her guardian, Cray Diamond.
A long-ago curse made Cray immortal—a gargoyle, a guardian, who is impelled to protect a human chosen by the curse. He is imprisoned in stone during daylight hours but dusk returns him to flesh and bone to carry out his immortal duty.
That Cray can shift between human and living gargoyle at night bothers Loretta not one bit. She’s seen him naked many times and her desire for him—in any shape or form—knows no bounds. She’s tired of his resistance. He’s her gargoyle…and she wants him in her bed.

The Nocturne Bites story, Blood Chance is set in Sydney, in the seedier parts of Kings Cross and my imagination. (g) The heroine, Kia – is born a part vampire after her mother was savagely attacked by a nightwalker in the very early stages of her pregnancy. Unfortunately that same attack on her mother has years later triggered a terrible disease. Now Kia is on a mission to save her dying mother, a mission that requires her to track down the Ancient One. The healing properties of this elder vampire’s blood may very well contain a cure.
Last but not least I have a short story in with Ellora’s Cave, tentatively titled Kallie Revealed. This is a contemporary short about a woman exploring her fantasy of stripping after a personal tragedy rocks her world. Sexy, but a little emotionally confrontational. The hero in this story senses that stopping her from living her fantasy could mean losing her. And how hot is a hero who’d do anything to keep his woman?

Writers’ tend to have strengths and weaknesses. Can you identify them? What’s the most challenging thing about writing process for you and how do you strive to overcome it?
Weaknesses – where do I start!? I’m rather chuffed to say the other day I wrote a short story (will eventually be an EC freebie unless I lengthen the word count) from start to finish after the visuals of it played through my head. That was a one off! Normally I can’t plot; my brain just won’t allow me to push beyond that first scene, and definitely rarely beyond the first chapter. Hmm. Does that make me shortsighted?
I’m also a ‘checker’ who can’t write more than a paragraph or two before having to go back and edit it to my satisfaction. I have hellish trouble moving on to the next scene if I haven’t perfected the last scene! Believe me, I’ve tried! Freehand writing helps a little with this, but I haven’t completely overcome it yet.  I’ve been toying with the idea of participating in NaNo to see if I can push past this annoying habit!
My strengths are probably perseverance and a great imagination. Like all of us writers, I love to write! And it’s beyond fascinating watching a character come to life on the page!

Is it fair to say getting published takes you on a steep learning curve in the next stage of your career as a writer? What’s something you’ve learnt since getting THE CALL?
For me that steep learning curve is probably the promo involved. Actually I enjoy the promo side (guest blogging, interviews, articles, blog writing etc) but it does eat into the writing. Oh, and there’s another of my weaknesses – procrastination!

Is there any other advice, “lightbulb” moments or comments you’d like to share about getting/being published?
Don’t give up. Don’t lose your voice. Weigh up critique and judges comments constructively not emotionally. Don’t give up. Did I mention, don’t give up?

Thanks for your time! 

NOTE: As you can see by the range of book covers, Mel has since published other works. Her latest is CARNAL MOON, an Ellora's Cave Quickies novella. You can find out more about them on her website.

2009 - The Year of Competitions

After the incredible fortnight of conferences I’m naming this year - 2009 - The Year of Competitions. While the boost to morale and affirmation of faith in my story-telling is great, I can’t claim all the credit. The success of 2009 has been a cumulative process of milestones and events over the last few years.
The honing of my skills as a writer is the direct result of the incredible workshops offered at the annual conferences, the feedback provided by so many judges in the competitions and the support I’ve received from friends on both sides of the Tasman.
My two most amazing “lightbulb” moments came from the wonderful Debbie Macomber and incredible Margie Lawson, both guest speakers at conferences past. Debbie spoke about setting goals - realistic or fanciful - & made us define 5 during her lecture then challenged us to achieve them over the next year. I discovered the dangling carrot scenario works for me.
The second AHA! moment was using the EDITS system and Empowering Emotion lectures presented by Margie Lawson. I’m a visual learner and so the idea of using highlighters to identify dialogue, narrative, conflict, setting and emotion was a powerful tool. It’s one I now use regularly when I edit my work. (Margie’s website offers more information on these tools and I highly recommend you check it out)
The hunger for learning the craft and absorbing the information on offer hasn’t eased and I hope it never does. I love getting my scoresheets back from competitions and the hour after I open the envelope I devour the comments, reading, analysing and assessing how best I can use them to improve my writing.
I do the same the day the Hearts Talk or Heart to Heart magazines arrive in the mail - the contents page gets a quick skim then I dive right in knowing the knowledge contained in the articles will be valuable, like gold. I don’t know how many times I’ve gone back over past issues looking for that certain bit of information or to find an article to pass on to a friend.
Another tool I found valuable in honing my skills was volunteering to be a contest judge. It’s a great way to develop your own writing and critiquing skills and you’ll be helping other writers during the process.
Without the emotional attachment associated with my own work, I found it so much easier to identify what worked well and what needed improvement as I read other people’s stories. As a judge it helped me “get my eye in” and when I edited my own work I was able to identify my own strengths and weaknesses that much easier.
So, if you want to fine tune some of your writing skills, and help our hard working competition coordinators and give back to the organisation that’s helped you then volunteer to judge.
Believe me, you won’t regret it - oh, but a word of warning, you could end up addicted!