Debra Webb | Writer’s Independence Day

July 4^th is most always associated with independence.  It’s an important day in American history and has been the subject of many novels and movies.  Since today is July 4^th I hope that all are enjoying this national holiday with family and friends. My family is coming together for the annual cookout and just some plain old fun and relaxation.

Since Fresh Fiction was so kind to allow me the opportunity to talk to you today, I decided that it was important to reflect on “Independence Day.”  As writers, most folks believe we have this incredible freedom to do as we please. Work when we please, write what we please, etc.  But that’s not entirely true.  Like any other job/career, we not only have immensely high standards to keep, we have schedules, deadlines, reader and market expectations just like any other retail/entertainment business.  The business of staying employed as a writer can get pretty darned stressful despite the seeming “independence” we have from the usual career routines of going to the office or annual job performance evaluations.  And, like numerous other aspects of business today, writers have not been immune to the less-than-optimal economy.

I wanted to focus on one aspect of what we do, true “independence.”  Because we love to tell our stories (love to be paid to write them and then see them in print too), it’s very easy to end up in a frightening financial situation.  I remember when I first leaped into this business and I heard many authors talk about not giving up your day job too soon.  That remains a very valid point and one which all authors otherwise employed should consider carefully before changing.  I’ll take this advice one more step: DO NOT CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE (new car, house, etc) TOO SOON!  This is a monumental mistake and can cause immense stress.  I know this from experience.  Since I was very fortune right from the beginning and had the opportunity to write many books (number 72 is out this month after only 10 years!), I got caught up in the “I can certainly afford this now syndrome.”  Big mistake.  One which required much self-discipline and many hard choices to rectify.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting that new monster TV, or a newer, better vehicle, or even a bigger house as long as it doesn’t put you in a position to make a quota--in this case to write a certain number of books and/or get a certain number of contracts each year.  This is a trap of your own making and can snuff the fun right out of what you love to do: Write.

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Marie Force | In the Hero’s Own Words

I’m so excited to be here today to visit with all of you on Fresh Fiction. I love the name of this site. As a romance writer, I probably view the “fresh” part a little differently than some of your other guests. ;-)

My new release, Love at First Flight, out this week, opens in the Baltimore airport when Michael and Juliana are on their way to visit their significant others in Florida. Both relationships are beginning to buckle under the strain of the distance, and they share their worries about what’s waiting for them at the other end of their trip. After they each endure a disastrous weekend, they meet up again on the flight home, striking up an unlikely friendship that leads to love.

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Sandra Marton | ESCAPE FROM REALITY… and it’s non-fattening!

The Chinese have an old saying: “May you live in interesting times.” Well, we’re certainly living through interesting times right now, don’t you think? Of course, whether those times are good or bad is up for discussion.

Life can be a challenge. There are small challenges: How to get one kid to dance class and the other to swim class at the same time. What to make for dinner when it’s 6 o’clock and you’ve just come through the door. How to do three things at once before you leave your desk for the day. And there are big challenges: Losing a job. Serious illness. Relationships gone bad. Whatever happens to us, we can all use a bit of escape at the end of a long day. A book is perfect. And, unlike chocolate, It’s calorie-free!

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Tracy Madison | A Little Quirk Equals A Lot of Character

I love the word “quirk.” I like how it looks, I like how it sounds, and I even like saying it. Quirk. Quirks. Quirky. See? It’s a fun little word. Just saying it forces your mouth into a pucker, which is sort of quirky on its own, but beyond the oh-so-coolness of the word’s actual phonetics, I also like what the word means.

Quirk has several definitions, but the one I’m talking about today comes directly from dictionary.com and it is:

“A peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality: mannerism.”

Why do I love that so much? It’s simple, actually—because we all have them. And sure, one person’s quirks might be more pronounced than another person’s, but I stand by my pronouncement that every one of us has at least one quirk. And ohhh can they be interesting! For one thing, quirks tell me a lot about a person, just as mine tell a lot about me. And secondly, well some quirks are cute—funny, even—while others are downright weird and possibly even a little scary. I like to call this variance the “quirk quotient.”

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Emilie Richards | Which comes first, the novel or the title?

There is no question that authors are odd. We hear voices in our heads. We stare blankly at walls for hours, leaving those around us to wonder if we have, without fanfare, passed away. We save things other people toss out or never possess in the first place. Real estate circulars. Missing children inserts. Photographs that show nothing except, perhaps, the curve of a cheek or the shape of an eye. We keep files. Oh yes, we keep lots and lots of files. Jotted notes of overheard conversations. Newspaper articles about mortgage fraud. Three word phrases that might vanish in the night.

Authors are almost always asked where our ideas come from. No matter how many times I'm asked, I'm not annoyed by this question. In fact I can relate. Myself, I wonder about architects, particularly those who design hotel lobbies and airports. Where did those ideas originate, and can we please extinguish the source? Or artists. Take Jackson Pollock. What possessed the man, other than an urge to pour lots of paint on lots of canvas?

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Lori Brighton | The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Writing about the publishing process sounded like a good idea until I realized I could write, well, a book. The process and the emotions I’ve experienced so far have been more than overwhelming and so to make it somewhat easier, I decided to write a simple timeline of my journey into the publishing world. So sit back, grab a bag of popcorn, and enjoy The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of getting published.

Summer of 2008— I get word from the Golden Acorn writing contest that my most recent manuscript, To Tame His Heart, has come in first place in the historical category and has been requested by Hilary Sares at Kensington. Although I’ve finaled before, this is the first time I’ve gotten first place and a request! Could this be my big break?

September— Months have gone by and no word from Kensington. I’m just about to give up when I get a call. Its Hilary Sares, she wants to buy my book! Attempt not to hyperventilate and immediately start emailing agents. Go with Helen Breitwieser from Cornerstone Literary because she seems the most excited about my book and my future career. Helen changes my book title from To Tame His Heart to To Tame His Wild Heart.

First set of edits—Hilary mentions that she wants the prologue gone and some minor characters removed. Do this in one day, then wait….and wait…and wait…

Hear from Helen who has recently talked to an editor at Avon publishing. Apparently there is another book coming out with Avon that is very similar to mine! Horror! I thought my plot was unique. Guess it’s true, there are no unique plots.

October— My editor Hilary changes book title from To Tame His Wild Heart to Wild Heart. I prefer my original title, but at this point too excited about selling to care.

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Sandi Shilhanek | Vacation Packing...what's in your bag?

I have decided that since the mountain won’t come to Mohammed then Mohammed must go to the mountain. Roughly translated this means that since my mom won’t come to Texas to see me I must head to Chicago to see her.

Planning a trip requires a lot of thought and attention to details. First you have to decide a destination (easy for me because if I’m going out of Texas it’s usually to see mom), then you must decide the best time of the year to go, and whether or not your budget can really afford the trip. Let’s not forget about the wardrobe that might be required for your trip, and then packing said wardrobe without making your suitcase exceed the airline weight limits. Last but not least is the hardest decision of all…which books to take and how many of them.

Before I owned an e-reader (I have a Kindle in case you care) I took a book per day of the trip. I didn’t really expect to read them all, but needed to have a variety to choose from because who knew what mood I would be in when I finished one. There was also that slight chance that I could get them all read while I was gone.

Since I now own that Kindle I can take hundreds of books to Chicago with me, and because of the wireless feature and lack of need for a computer should nothing appeal to me Amazon will gladly provide me with a new book for a small fee! My carry on is going to feel extremely light, and in fact might not be truly needed as I don’t plan on taking my computer.

Are you planning on a summer getaway? If so, where are you going? Are you worried over the books to take or are you one of the lucky people who own some type of e-reader and can take a library with you? Regardless of where you go or the books you take I hope you have a safe and fun summer vacation.

Until next week I wish you happy page turning.

Sandi Shilhanek

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