My Writer's Knowledge Base Interview

Tomorrow's the deadline to enter Giveaway #2. Don't miss out. Details in the Deals and Steals tab.

As I type this, I haven't left for Arizona yet. As you read this, I'm on my way home. Since Nicole hasn't run the Iron Man in "real time", I can't give you any results or trip highlights, so I thought I'd run part of an interview I gave to Elizabeth Spann Craig for the Writer's Knowledge Base newsletter in September.

ESC: You do a little genre-blending with your books. How would you categorize them and what are the pros and cons of genre blending?

TO: I like to think of my books as "Mysteries with Relationships" although the publishing industry calls them Romantic Suspense. I think with the explosion of the indie market, it's easier to blend genres. Readers like a wider variety of genres and subject matter than the NY print publishers are willing to risk money on. I have one 'straight' mystery that was rejected by publishers because they said it was a blend of police procedural and cozy. I'm seriously considering publishing that one myself, because I think readers won't mind the crossover.

ESC: You’re not a plotter, but you’re writing complex mysteries. Can you tell us a little about how far you plan ahead in a story or what your writing process is?

TO: I don't normally know what's going to happen more than a few scenes ahead of time, although I have a very (VERY) broad, general idea of the framework for the story. If I can write without needing to know specifics, I plow ahead. For example, in When Danger Calls, I knew Ryan had a disc that held some Very Important Secrets. I didn't know exactly what they were, or how they were encrypted until I learned more about Frankie's talents – because it made good "writing" sense for her to be the one to decipher the code. In Danger in Deer Ridge, I knew my heroine had taken something from her husband, but I was probably 2/3 of the way through the book before I knew exactly what it was. And if I don't know, then I certainly can't be dropping brazen hints to my readers.

Counting Down To South Africa T minus 7

What's been going on:

I was interviewed by another blogger -- check it out: http://www.annycook.blogspot.com
Or the direct link to the post, for when it scrolls down the page.

My Point of View handouts are printed.

And now, back to my normal panic. After a relatively calm weekend, it's time to get back info countdown mode for real.

A week! I definitely have to start a list. I found out I had one of my all-to-frequent ditz moments when I sent my 22 chapters of When Danger Calls to my editor. Like forgetting to hit 'attach' before hitting 'send.' So, whether or not she works on weekends, she couldn't have looked at my changes and answered my questions. I sent it last night at around 10 PM. Hope she has a chance to look at it.

I also touched base with one of my writing research sources (Thanks, Major Tom!) who gave me some ideas for things to put into the scene where my editor said, "Show these 7 minutes on the page, please). So much for trying to duck around writing combat scenes, things I know little about.


List thoughts.

My husband has accepted responsibility for investigating if we're going to need yellow fever shots. I still have to get more socks, but we got him some shoes more appropriate for the closing banquet at the conference. I went through our American Express charges. Ouch! Packing. Money. Work. Of course, the Treasurer wants to be prepared for the report he has to give at the conference board meeting. Who's got the data he needs? Who do you think. There go a few more hours. Arrange a ride to and from airport. Lights on timers. Water heater off. Turn off hoses to washer & dryer. Air conditioner off. All doors locked. Paper and mail stopped. Transfer bookmarked URLs to husband's laptop. Compare packing notes -- we don't both need camera cables to download pictures, do we?

Is it real yet?

What I'm reading: Sweet Revenge, by Diana Mott Davidson

What I'm writing: Chapter 23

I got my very first advance check the other day. It wasn't anything remotely resembling what those NYT Bestselling authors get, but it made me feel one step closer to being a 'real' author--especially since the check came from my agent, with her cut subtracted. It motivated me to pull out the book that's been sitting around waiting to see where it might find a home. It's a kind of spin-off to When Danger Calls, but I'm editing it so it can stand on its own.

Then, in another reminder of what this business is like, I got a request for a partial for When Danger Calls from an agent who saw the first chapter in an on-line contest I entered several months ago, before I'd found an agent or had my contract offer. While it's nice to know the work is strong enough to garner attention, it's total frustration to get this request because that same agency had the first three chapters of the book for over six months and turned it down. Not only that, but when I had my contract offer, they turned me down because they didn't love the work enough (at least that's the reason they gave --- although there's this niggling suspicion that the low advance helped make their decision.) Felt kind of strange being on the sending end of a 'rejection'. But nice, too.

On the other side, I'm one of the featured authors at The Romance Studio, so that must mean I'm a real author, right?