GUEST BLOGGING: Over at Jennifer Jakes blog...(busy week!)

I'm guest blogging over at Jennifer Jakes' blog today (The Ramblings of a Sleep Deprived Romance Writer) - don't you love the tag line? She's a fellow Golden Heart® "Unsinkable" & TWRP published historical author.

Jennifer posed questions about driving down bumpy roads and smooth highways, what troubles me, and oh yeah, some about writing!

Come on over and say hi if you have a spare few...

Who's that GUY? Interview - Kenneth Zak

A break from the ladies of RWA®, RWOz & RWNZ.

Today, please welcome my fellow Unsinkable "classmate" and the only man to be a 2010 Golden Heart® finalist.

Name? Kenneth Zak.

Where are you? San Diego, Californa, USA.

How many years have you been a member of RWA®? Just celebrated my 1 year anniversary. Where are my gifts? Everywhere.

What genre do you write? Novels with strong romantic elements (set around islands & water).

Who are your favourite authors? Garcia Marquez, Paulo Coelho, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Michael Ondaatje, Milan Kundera, Rumi, Pablo Neruda. 

Koh Chang, Thailand

What inspired you to write romance? Life.

What's the best thing about going to conference? So many wonderful storytellers gathered in one place.

And lastly, finish these statements...
My greatest strength as a writer is...wonder.    
A sexy hero/heroine needs...soul.
My latest WIP (work in progress) is about...a son discovering secrets of his late father's life, and his own, through his father's lovers.
When I write I like to...lose (and find) myself.
My best writing milestone to date is...my debut novel, THE POET'S SECRET, being a 2010 RWA Golden Heart® finalist.

Steps to Amoud

Thanks for answering my questions, Ken! Thank you for including me!

Click on the link if you'd like to visit Ken's website or feel free to "friend him" on Facebook (Kenneth Zak, San Diego).

GUEST BLOGGING: Over at Regency-Seductions

You can find me guest blogging over at Regency-Seductions.

I'm talking to Kensington Brava author, Bronwen Evans, about my upcoming Light Blade series with Berkley Sensation, the first of which will be released in February 2012.

If you feel like learning more about the first two books in the series, drop on over! Bron and I would love to see you there.

GUEST AUTHOR: Darynda Jones

My guest author today comes all the way from the USA. She and I first met up on stage at the Romance Writers of America® Awards dinner. As the 2009 Golden Heart® winner (for the paranormal romance section), she presented me with my 2010 Golden Heart.

Please welcome St.Martin's Press paranormal romance author, Darynda Jones.

Welcome to my blog! Let's start with an easy question - who is Darynda Jones?
Winner of the 2009 Golden Heart® for Best Paranormal Romance for her manuscript FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, Darynda was born spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike.

After the Golden Heart final, she pimped herself as best she could, landed an amazing agent and sold to St. Martin’s Press in a three-book deal. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of more than 25 years and two beautiful sons, aka the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com

So, that’s the official story. The real one, the story behind the story, is much more interesting. It involves murder, car chases and random explosions. Just kidding. I’m about as boring as a girl can get, but I sure have fun pretending I’m not. Except for that one time I was thrown out of a restaurant for impersonating a CIA agent. That took some explaining.

You impersonated a CIA agent?!? I bet you won't be doing that again in a hurry. LOL

When did you start to write and how long did it take you to be published?
I started writing when I was five. Yep, a born storyteller. Not, however, a genius. I didn’t actually learn to read and write until I was six. No way was I going to let that stop me. I would scribble on a paper and swear it was a romantic play or a story about a boy and his duck. (Long story.)

I wrote on and off for decades, taking breaks with kids, school, and career, until I finally got serious and started writing toward publication in 2002. It took me seven years to sell.

So, what's been happening in your world since the RWA conference in Orlando?
My first book, FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, just came out from St. Martin’s Press, so I’ve been super busy with promo and socializing. I’ve been amazed at how intricate and involved the process it.

I've been following part of that journey via some of your blog interviews. Phew! What an exhausting process!

It's always interesting finding out what sparks a writer's creativity. Is there anything that helps yours?
Anything and everything, but mostly music, movies and other books.

Hmm, a lot of my guests speak of similar interests. Now, onto one of my favorite questions - what do you think it is about your genre that readers find fascinating?
The impossible coming to life.

Part of my job as a writer is to make the unreal real. I have to make it so believable, so everyday, that you jump into the story and never doubt it’s possibility for a minute. If you do, then I haven’t done my job. The men are powerful and surreal, the woman strong and clever, and the stories are so much fun and inventive that the reader just loses him- or herself. Pure escapism. Pure entertainment.

Are you a panster or plotter? Is it your characters or your plot that influence you most? What's your writing process from start to finish when writing a book?
I plot like there’s no tomorrow, but the characters definitely influence everything about the book. The characters always come first. It’s their story, after all. If they are not at the wheel, then the story loses its soul and I am telling a story for the sake of plot. I am giving directions to the nearest gas station. Not something I want to read, nor would I expect my readers to put up with that.

Please, tell us about your new release!
Absolutely! This is from the publisher:

Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper.  Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light."  But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice.  

Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all.  In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley?  And why can’t she seem to resist him?  And what does she have to lose by giving in?

With scorching-hot tension and high-octane humor, FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT is your signpost to paranormal suspense of the highest order.  

Whoo-eee! What a story, I can't wait to read it! So, what's next for you? What are you working on now?
With books two and three of the Charley Davidson series, SECOND GRAVE ON THE LEFT and THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD, safely with my publisher, I am now working with my editor on a young adult series that also sold to St. Martin’s, the first of which is titled GRIMSIGHT and slotted for an April 2012 release date.

Congratulations! It must be incredibly satisfying to have another series on the go with three books coming out! I wish you well on its success, Darynda.

For those looking forward to reading Darynda's debut series (with St.Martin's Press), here are the US release dates:

FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT-Feb 2011
SECOND GRAVE ON THE LEFT-Aug 2011
THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD-Feb 2012

All right, last question, I promise! For those out there on the long journey to seeing their work in print, do you have any advice/handy tips/craft skills you'd like to share with unpublished authors?
Just this: Finish the book. And as soon as it’s finished, start the next and finish it too. Practice makes perfect.

Thank you so much for having me, Kylie. I was so honored to present you with your Golden Heart® in Orlando and can’t wait for your book to hit the shelves! 
It was a pleasure meeting you too, Darynda. That's a night I won't forget in a hurry. Thanks for visiting my blog, it's been a hoot!

If you'd like to know more about Darynda or want to read the excerpts from her books (*spoiler alert, proceed at your own risk!), click on this link for her website. You can also follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Darynda's other books:

Second Grave on the Left

Third Grave Dead Ahead

Home Is Where The Bark Is - winner!

Thank you, everyone, for dropping by and saying hi to Kandy on Monday!

For those of you who left a comment or question, Kandy drew out a name for the give-away copy of HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS.

The lucky winner is...

Clare Scott

Congratulations!

Please contact Kandy - kandy(at)kandyshepherd(dot)com - and she'll arrange for the prize to be sent you! 

TOPIC: Searching for the Holy Grail...umm, Agent! (part 1)

Back by popular demand - another post on finding an agent.

I’m sure we’ve all asked the questions – Should I get an agent? Where do I start? How do I know if they’re reputable? Who do I aim for? What should I include in a query letter? Do I go snail mail or email?

It seems a daunting process, and yes, hunting for an agent is time consuming. No bones about it, but I think you’ll find the end reward satisfying.

The first question to ask yourself is - do I need an agent? Consider this, agents have a better idea of the industry and contract law not to mention the contacts and knowledge of wheeling and dealing – so unless you’re prepared to learn the business side of representing yourself in detail then it’s probably a good idea to find one.

There are authors in our organization who don’t have an agent and deal with that side of the business themselves – the decision of “do I or don’t I?” really is a personal choice.

So, what’s next, if you do decide you need an agent?


Step 1 - Research. This is where the Internet comes in handy. Typing in a search for literary agents/agencies will get you a screed of sites to look through. Some are more helpful than others.

Personally, I found Agent Query excellent. Other sites you might like to browse include Absolute Write (www.absolutewrite.com) or Preditors & Editors. They’ll also give you information on whether they’re legitimate agents/agencies.

*Rule of thumb – agents never charge up front for their services. If you come across one that does, steer clear of them.

Alternatively, ask your critique groups or other writing friends about agents/agencies. Check out your favourite authors (the ones you most write like) and see if they have an acknowledgments page. They might thank their agent. It’s simply a matter of then searching for them on the internet.

Most agents & agencies these days have a website and they tell you the genres they do/don’t represent. They also have guidelines of what to send them and how they prefer it sent.

Step 2 - Make a list. Twenty’s a good number to start with. Once you’ve trawled through agent websites, pick the ones you most like/want/dream of representing you and prioritise them in order of personal preference.

Divide them into email and snail mail submissions. Obviously, email is going to be more cost effective for you and a lot of agents are now using this environmentally friendly method (it may not always be “quicker” in terms of a response but there is that slight advantage to email submissions).

This begs the question – do I target a big agency/agent or a small one? After asking some of my friends who have agents (yes, there’s networking for you), there are pluses to both.

The big name agent of a large agency will always be difficult to crack, their lists are usually full. That doesn’t mean you cross them off your preferred A list just because you’re a new up-and-coming author (case in point, Gracie O’Neil recently signed with Nephele Tempest and Bronwen Evans signed with Melissa Jeglinski, both from The Knight Agency). Don’t take it personally when they pass on your query. Move on to someone else.

Junior agents at large agencies could also be a great opportunity - they're learning from the best, and they have to build up their experience and contacts before they open lists of their own. Once they do then they’re going to be keen to build them. Larger agencies also have staff - they've got more time for tasks like doing their website, promotions etc. from which authors can benefit.

Smaller agencies are often run by an agent who used to work for a large agency before going out on his/her own. So it’s a matter of researching the agent's history to determine their level of experience. Newly formed or smaller agencies can be a good choice because the agent will be building up their client list and willing to take on new clients.

Whether you give preference to a big name agent/agency or a small one, what seems to matter is the agent's track record, reputation and resources; how well connected they are and what kind of experience they have etc. These are things to consider when deciding on your list.

Once you have an agent interested in signing with you then the all important compatibility factor comes into play - personal chemistry (in that initial phone call to discuss representation), the alignment of goals concerning your work, how you hope to operate within the parameters of the author/agent relationship etc.

Next post I'll look at query letters, formulating lists of agents and dealing with rejection.

Who's that girl? Interview - Serena Tatti

My next guest comes from Down Under and is last year's RWAustralia Lyn Wilding Meritorious Service Award winner. She also comes baring...umm, bearing a gift - a gorgeous hero from her current novel... :-)

Name? Serena Tatti

Where are you? Tullamarine, Victoria

How many years have you been a member of RWAustralia? I've been a member of Romance Writers of Australia for 13 years and it was RWAus that led me to the Melbourne Romance Writers Guild.

What genre do you write? Currently, I'm targetting Mills & Boon Sexy Sensation.

Who are your favourite authors? I mostly read category romance but, oooooh, where to begin! Maxine Sullivan, Fiona Lowe, Robyn Grady, Nicola Marsh.

What inspired you to write romance? I've always had a romantic streak and I believe in love. It seemed like a natural progression to write about it. If I could, I'd write legal thrillers like John Grisham, or fiction based on science fact - like Allan Eckert's The Hab Theory (one of my all-time favourite books!) -  but I find writing stories with yummy heroes, sympathetic heroines, emotional turmoil and happy-ever-after endings very satisfying.

Who's your dream publisher? It would have to be Mills & Boon/Harlequin. I've been reading most of their lines for, ahem, over thirty years.

What's the best thing about going to conference? Truthfully, I love catching up with friends and writers I've *met* online through the loops like ROMAUS. I also love doing the workshops - and no matter how much you know (or think you know) you can always learn something new. Nothing beats a lightbulb moment in a workshop!

Serena's vengeful hero

And lastly, finish these statements...
My greatest strength as a writer is...being able to see what is wrong with a manuscript - but it really only happens with someone else's story :)
My latest WIP (work in progress) is about...a heroine whose family business is about to go under. Enter the hero to save the day, but his intentions aren't at all honorable. He's there for revenge.
When I write I like to...immerse myself in the story. I concetrate so completely that outside noises don't permeate and if you want me to reply to something, you really need to grab my attention first.
My best writing milestone to date is...having my manuscript held over for publication for the following year by Premium Press America...unfortunately they closed the romance line before my book was published :-( But on a positive note, they loved my book!

Serena, thanks for answering my questions! If anyone would like to know more about the Melbourne Romance Writers' Guild you can check out their website or their Facebook page.