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Archive for 'Interview'Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
I’m doing a guest spot at The Blackraven’s Erotic Cafe today. There’s an interview, some excerpts and a contest to win an ebook download from my backlist. The contest closes at 12:00 Noon (CST) tomorrow so there’s still plenty of time to enter. See you there! Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Today my special guest is agent Holly Root from the Waxman Literary Agency. Shelley: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you become an agent? Holly: I actually had no idea that “agent” was a job until after I’d already landed in publishing. When I moved to New York I knew I was interested in trying something a little different than the editorial work I’d been doing, and that led me to make my way to the agency side. Agency work allowed me to work with authors shaping their books but also shaping their careers. Shelley: What are the most recent books you’ve sold? Holly: This summer was busy with renewing contracts for clients at Pocket, Grand Central, Harlequin and elsewhere, and that’s always fun, seeing an author’s series continued. I have some great debut fiction heading out on submission soon too. Shelley: You’re going on holiday. What books do you take with you for your reading pleasure? Holly: If I were leaving tomorrow I’d take the four books at the top of my TBR pile: Jennifer Weiner’s Best Friends Forever, Sophie Kinsella’s Twenties Girl, Malinda Lo’s Ash and James Dashner’s The Maze Runner. Unfortunately there are no holidays planned soon! Shelley: A query letter is very important these days. What mistakes or problems do you see in the query letters you receive? Holly: Most are just not quite ready for prime time—clear first drafts, or letters that lay out the entire plot to less than stirring effect. I also see many letters that say, “Writing this was very therapeutic.” I find most authors feel that way, but it doesn’t affect the market appeal of the work so it doesn’t belong in your query. Shelley: How would you describe your ideal client? Holly: Crazy talented as a writer, thoughtful as a person, and cool-headed enough for the wild ride we’re about to go on together. Ideally we’d also have similar communication styles; nothing is harder than working on a subjective endeavor like fiction with someone who doesn’t speak your language editorially. Shelley: Do you offer editorial advice for your clients? Holly: Yes. We do at least some editing before every submission. Once there’s an editor involved, I defer to that person so as not to have extra voices whispering in the author’s ear while writing, but I am always available for advice, even if the advice is just “write it and see.” Shelley: A lot of aspiring authors struggle with high concept and the fact agents and editors are looking for a high concept in submissions. What is your advice to writers with regard to high concept and how would you define it? Holly: I actually did a blog post on just this question, so I’ll refer readers here: http://waxmanagency.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/recipe-for-success-high-concept/ Shelley: For authors who live outside America, one problem that comes up is setting. Is a US setting necessary or does it depend on the genre? Holly: That’s an excellent question. For contemporary genre fiction I think a setting outside of America is a bit tougher sell, but of course historicals (mystery, romance, general fiction) have often, even primarily been set outside our borders. If you’re in the more upmarket fiction market there’s more openness to settings beyond the US as well. Shelley: What is your best craft tip for aspiring authors wanting to submit to an agent? Holly: 90% of writing is rewriting. I don’t know that it ever gets easier, but I know that the more you learn to self-edit and polish, the stronger you’ll be at those skills. Shelley: Thank you very much, Holly! For more information about the Waxman Literary Agency, and up-to-date details of genres they represent or would like to see in the future, check out their website and blog. Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Last month, I did an online class with John Foxjohn through the Kiss of Death chapter. The course was called Eight Steps to Murdering a Manuscript and it covered all the things a writer should do during the editing stage. One tip I’d like to pass on related to dialogue. Characters shouldn’t chitchat about the weather or what they did last week at work. Dialogue should advance the plot. A tip to make sure your dialogue does its job is to delete everything from your scene apart from the dialogue (or just highlight all the dialogue) and read it out loud without all the narration. Does it give the reader new information? Does it advance the plot? If so, great job. If the dialogue is just a lot of chitchat then think about reworking. I’m blogging at Access Romance and giving away a print copy of Tea For Two. I also have a new interview with author Fran Lee at the Examiner. And finally, I got together with three other New Zealand writers to do free bookmarks. Readers can download the file and print it out. Here’s the link to download your free bookmarks. Please do let me know what you think of them! Monday, April 13th, 2009
I visited Jody Wallace and Meankitty today. Meankitty asked me some tricky and probing questions. My interview is here. Saturday, April 11th, 2009
I’m over at Book Talk with J & J today. The post should be up soon, and I hope you’ll have time to visit. I’m giving away a download from my back list as an incentive to chat with me. I hate to hang out by myself. Saturday, April 4th, 2009
Author, Selena Illyria is having a menage a trois week. I was really excited when she asked me to participate. Here’s the link for my post here. I also have an interview over at D. Renee Bagby’s The Multiverse’s Archival Chambers Pop back tomorrow to see if you’re the winner in my blog participation contest. Nothing like a little suspense! And finally, check out Maria Zannini’s book coming to a store near you in May… THE APOCALYPSE IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK Monday, March 16th, 2009
I thought it would be fun to do a few more short interviews, and since blog friend, Karen Erickson has a new release, I chose her to pick on this week. Her new release, Fortune’s Chance is available from Samhain Publishing.
Money can’t buy love. But it might just buy a second chance… Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
Friday, May 9th, 2008
I have a new interview up at Sensual. You can read it here. And in writing news I’m delighted to announce I’ve sold a book to Samhain Publishing. Tea For Two is a hot contemporary set in London and is the story of a Hayley, a woman who reads tea leaves and finds love along the way. I’m really excited about joining the Samhain family. Actually, color me very excited!! I’ve been reading a lot of m/m lately. I’m not sure why, but I’ve felt in the mood to read this genre. My favorite out of all my recent reads would have to be Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English series. Adrien owns a bookstore specializing in mysteries and has a habit of stumbling over dead bodies. His lover is a cop called Jake who is firmly in the closet and has no intention of coming out – ever. The books are not erotic and there aren’t many love scenes. They concentrate mainly on the solving the mystery and the relationship between the two. I’ve fallen in love with Adrien. Actually, I like Jake too. This is a seriously good series, and quite frankly, Josh needs to write faster because I’ve just about read all his books now. I highly recommend Josh’s books. Saturday, March 1st, 2008
I did an interview with author, Jane Beckenham and it’s currently up at her blog. You might even learn a few of my secrets.
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