Sinning with a Scoundrel and a Giveaway!

So are you snowed in? Raise your hands if you are?

Lucky me! The mail gods and ARC gods have been smiling and in a recent book shipment I received a copy of To Sin With A Scoundrel by Cara Elliot, the first book in the Circle of Sin series. Now once again I was duped buy the old author name change switcharoo. I was like, “where have I heard that name before.” You all know me. Between the Teen Twins and Jack I can’t remember two days ago and surely not when a friend goes and writes under a pseudonym. Foul!

Cara got me with this on twitter too. I was like, “who is this Cara all over the place.” Turns out it’s my friend and bestselling author, Andrea. Duh! I really gotta get it together. Maybe ginkgo biloba, but I do vaguely remember hearing about a study saying that that doesn’t even work. Sigh. Oh well, back to today’s joy…

I got To Sin With A Scoundrel, read it, totally enjoyed it and then saw the lovely Cara/Andrea at Lady Jane’s Salon recently and she ever so kindly agreed to do a short interview with me (even though I’m a ninny that can’t remember her very famous pseudonym).

Now onto the interview:

Hello Cara thanks so much for taking some time out of your busy schedule to pop over her for a bit at Kwana Writes!

Thanks for inviting me, Kwana. You’re such a wonderful voice for the romance genre—it’s an honor to be here!

First off can you tell us a little about your background? Have you always wanted to be a romance writer or is this something that you happened on later? Do you have some fab story of “overnight success”?

Actually, I wrote my first book when I was five years old. It was a Western, complete with meticulously colored pictures of horses and cowboys. (I’ve since moved on to Regency England . . . I must have a thing for Men in Boots!) So I guess that storytelling has always been a passion of mine. However, I also loved art and ended up majoring in graphic design, which took me on a different career path for a number of years, So to make a long story short, I remained an avid reader, but didn’t return to writing until later in life. One day, about ten years ago, I decided to plunk my derriere in a chair and try my hand at writing again. And that was it—I was hooked, though I hadn’t the first clue on what I was going to do with the finished manuscript.

Getting published was a serendipitous quirk of fate. A friend introduced me to an agent and I pitched him a contemporary thriller I had written. (It’s still in a desk drawer for good reason.) He nodded politely throughout the interview and said he would take a look at it. Then, as we got up, I mentioned as an afterthought,” Oh, I also have a Regency romance, but that probably doesn’t interest you.” Well, at that his eyes lit up, and he said,” Oh, the people at the Signet Regency line are good friends. Let me show it to them.” Three days later I got the call that they had bought my book!

What’s your writing process like? Are you a plotter or a pantser? What’s a typical writing day like for you?

Oh, total set-of-the-panser! I can’t tell you how many times I finish a chapter and sit back saying, “Whoa, I didn’t know they were going to do that!”
I’m also a slow writer. On my writing days, I get up early and pretty much keep at it for 10 or12 hours (Okay, okay, with bathroom and chocolate breaks. Chocolate is an essential item on a writer’s desk. One never knows when The Muse might need a little bribe!) If I end up with 8 or 10 pages, that’s a very good day. The good news is, they are pretty clean pages. I’m not someone who writes three or four drafts.

Now I know your schedule is extremely busy since you are currently teaching a class at Yale (yes folks, that Yale) called “Reading the Historical Romance Novel” along with New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willing. Can you tell me a little on how this came about?

Mix two romance writers with several glasses of chardonnay . . .
Lauren and I are both Yale grads, and one evening at Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC we started talking about how romance should be treated as a serious genre of literature, and how we would structure a class. Laughing, we both said, “Oh, wouldn’t it be fun to teach a seminar at Yale on the subject.” But the laughter quickly died away as a simultaneous spark lit in our eyes . . and so we decided to submit a proposal. After months of drafting a detailed syllabus, complete with critical readings, and being interviewed by a committee of students and professors in New Haven, our idea was accepted! We started teaching in January, and are really enjoying the experience.

It’s actually great to see that we are part of a growing movement to focus attention on the fact that great authors are writing great stories in the romance genre. Now, we readers have always known that, but it’s heartening to see the rest of the literary world, as well as the academic community, start to sit up and take notice!

Now onto To Sin With A Scoundrel which as I said I thoroughly enjoyed. Lady Ciara Sheffield is not your typical Regency heroine. She’s been married and has a child and is an intellectual. What made you decide on this type of heroine and the Circle of Sin as an idea for a series?

I’ve always liked creating unconventional heroines . . . maybe because I’ve always been a little quirky myself. So I tend to write stories with characters who dare to be different and who challenge the rules of their Society. It allows me to explore an emotional complexity, which I feel allows me to add depth and texture.

The Circle of Sin is a group of brilliant, beautiful female scholars who meet each week to share their knowledge and their friendship. They are all scientists—now, don’t ask me why! I was absolutely hopeless in math or science in school. (But hey, that’s part of the fun of fiction, and I did do my homework studying up on the basics so as not to make a fool of myself.) That said, I really enjoyed playing with the “chemistry” of pairing each of the three brainy heroines with heroes who were, on the surface, their opposites. Lady Ciara Sheffield, who stars in the first book of the new trilogy, is wary of men, however she has no choice but to accept help from a rakish rogue in order to save herself from scandal . . . and they both learn some unexpected lessons on love.

What was your inspiration for the dashing and sexy Lord Hadley?

Oh, I have a real soft spot for Lucas, who is one of my favorite heroes. He’s a charming rake who cheerfully admits to having no interest in anything but sybaritic pleasure. But at heart, he’s far more sensitive than he cares to admit, and as his best friend Jack says, he simply needs a challenge to bring out his better nature. As for inspiration, well, don’t we all dream of turning our scoundrels into noble heroes!

I can’t wait for the next book To Surrender A Rogue and Alessandra and Jack’s story. The sparks fly with these two from page one. Tell us a bit about them.

Oh yes, things get a little hot between Alessandra and Jack in To Sin With A Scoundrel. Having been burned in the past, she’s mistrustful of the handsome devil who tries to ride to her rescue—especially when Jack ends up tying her young daughter to a tree. (Note: he has an excellent reason for doing it, but still, what mother would not be a tad upset at such heavy-handed measures!)
So in To Surrender To A Rogue, when they find themselves working at the same archeological excavation of Roman ruins in Bath, they are none too happy about it. But when fellow member of the expedition threatens to dig up a dark secret from Alessandra’s past, she finds herself in desperate need of a hero . . . I hope you enjoy their story! (Oh, and then there’s free-spirited Kate, the botany expert, whose story will be told in To Tempt A Rake.)

Thanks so much for being here today. I can’t wait to see you at the next Lady Jane’s.

Thanks for having me, Kwana! See you at the Salon in March.

Folks you can check out Cara’s website here

And if you are in New York on Monday March 1st don’t miss Lady Jane’s Salon where Cara will be reading from To Sin With A Scoundrel. Check out the site here.

Oh and one lucky commenter will win a signed ARC (advanced reader copy) of To Sin With A Scoundrel from Cara. So please leave your comments. The only rule is you must be a follower of ye old blog kwanawrites. Oh and please leave your email so I can get back to ya and enter by midnight Thursday. Thanks.

Best,
Kwana

Interview with a Lady

Happy Monday!

Today we have a treat. An interview with fashion forward London blogger, one of my faves, Ronke Adeyemi aka Ondo Lady!

Hi Ronke. Thanks so much for hanging with us here at Kwanawrites today. I’ve been a big fan of your blog The Musings Of Ondo Lady for a long time and am honored to have you here.

Thanks for featuring me Kwana.

Please tell us a little bit about your background?

I did a degree in marketing and communications and went on to do a post grad diploma in journalism with hopes of going into that field. I did some adhoc freelancing for various mags such as Pride, Suave as well as The Voice and then got a job working on an entertainment publication called Ticketmania. I did a lot of general reporting and writing and got a real sense of what it was like to to work on a magazine. Then I launched an online magazine called kudosmgazine which covered the arts and entertainment scene in the UK. I loved working on this magazine but it did not exactly pay the bills so I began to take on freelance press and pr work which led to marketing positions.. I then saw a position as a marketing and PR officer for a film festival up in Manchester and I thought ‘oooh that looks interesting’ I applied for it and got it and moved up there. The job was certainly interesting as it gave me a great insight into using the marketing mix and brokering sponsorship deals so when I moved back down to London I was able to get roles freelancing in marketing. I freelanced for two years for a variety of companies and last year I saw a role advertised as a marketing officer for a creative arts university so I went for it and got it.

What was the inspiration for starting your stylish blog?

I have always loved writing, I actually used to have a print magazine and an online mag back in the day but due to cost and time I had to fold it. I came across blogs back in 2006 and saw them as a diary and I fancied the idea of having one but was not sure if I could sustain it. The last thing I wanted was to set one up and then leave it abandoned but on 1st January 2007 I decided to take the plunge. I started off on Yahoo 360 which was a really basic blogging platform but the community was great. I set myself a target of writing at least once a week and it went from there. The blog on Yahoo 360 was a lot different from the one on Blogger as it was more personal but I wanted to move from that and create more of a magazine like blog, also there were technical issues on Yahoo which frustrated me. So I began looking around and decided to go with Blogger and their format allowed to create a blog that is more visually appealing and also where I can write about things that inspire me like films, books, magazines, music, TV and art. It has been great.

You are always on the cutting edge of style and pop culture, how do you stay so in the know?

I get my sources everywhere and anywhere. I read Gawker, Jezebel, Catwalk Queen, mediaguardian and countless blogs to keep me in the know.

Where do you see your blog leading you to down the road?

Eventually I would like to see the blog turn into a magazine whether it is online or print. I guess online considering the economic climate.

What projects are you currently working on?

At the moment I am working on an event called, You’re Beautiful, Woman which celebrates Black beauty in all forms. There will be fantastic talks on styling, fashion, natural hair & beauty, health, relationships, fitness and inner beauty and there will also be workshops and stalls. The event takes place on Saturday 15th August at Highgate Newton Community Centre, 25 Bertram Street, Highgate London N19 5DQ. It is produced by a team of seven other wonderful and talented women; Angie Brice, Sophia Jackson, Aderonke Lawal, Angel Smith, Lillian Ogbogoh, Margaret Udofia. Between us we amass a wide variety of skills in marketing, PR, hair care, event management, graphic design and journalism.

Tickets are £5 and you can buy them online at http://www.yourebeautifulwoman.com/

Great! So all you in London should not miss this event. Wish I were there.

Once again, Ronke, thanks for taking the time to visit with us. You can check Ronke out at her fab blog The Musings Of Ondo Lady here.

Best,

Kwana

Who Ya Gonna Call?

It's a scary celebration here today. I'm happy to announce the release of
GHOST HUNTRESS BOOK 1: THE AWAKENING.

It's the first book in my friend Marley Gibson's exciting new Young Adult series. Yay, Marley!

As a treat I was able to pin Marley down for a few moments in between all her exciting travels and Ghost Hunts and have her answer a few interview questions.

Now here's Marley...

1. Tell us about GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING?

It's the first in a trilogy. Get out your tape recorders, crystals, and extra batteries— you’re about to go where our world meets the spirit world..Psychic Kids, Paranormal State, Haunting Evidence—these and countless other television shows are making believers out of millions of people: Ghosts exist, and they’re living right beside us. For centuries, individuals have been trying to prove the existence of ghosts. But without hard evidence, it’s been difficult to make the case. But now as science and technology have progressed, ghost hunters have been able to use scientific means, along with more traditional psychic tools, to make their case. Photographs, video recordings, and sound recordings are all producing some amazing results.

In this new series, Ghost Huntress, meet Kendall Moorehead, a seemingly typical teen. When her family moves from Chicago to the small historical town of Radisson, Georgia, her psychic abilities awaken. She’s hearing, feeling, and seeing things that seem unbelievable at first, but with the help of the town psychic, Kendall is able to come to terms with her newly emerging gift. So, together with her new BFF, Celia, Kendall forms a ghost hunting team. They’ve got all the latest technology. They’ve got Kendall for their psychic. Now they’re going to clean up Radisson of its less savory spirits.
The story is fiction. The science is real. Welcome to a new reality.

2.How did you get the idea for the series?

I was attending the New England Romance Writers' Conference back in 2007 and attended a session run by the New England Ghost Project talking about their ghost hunting investigations. I found the idea completely fascinating and knew I had to write a story about teenage ghost hunters. I had no idea at that time that there were TV shows such as GHOST HUNTERS, HAUNTING EVIDENCE, and DEAD FAMOUS - to name a few - that highlighted such types of investigations. From there, everything just blossomed.

3. What do you want your young readers to get from the series?

I'd like young readers to know that the challenges of growing up and finding out who you are and what your place in life is are universal and timeless. I just want readers to see that being different is okay, no matter if you're new to a town, have an accent, are too skinny...or are experiencing a psychic awakening.

4. Care to give us a hint about what's coming next?

In GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE, out in September, readers will see Kendall growing more comfortable in her psychic skin. She will continue to develop and hone her abilities through the guidance of not only her group of fellow huntresses, but her parents, her mentor, Loreen, and her priest, Father Massimo...and her spirit guide, Emily.

I am currently working on GHOST HUNTRESS: THE REASON, the third book in the trilogy that will be a little darker than the other two books. Kendall will experience some very life-changing things that will leave her questioning everything she's ever known. That book will be out in May 2010.

Thanks so much for being here Marley. I'm so happy for you and wishing you much success. Happy Hunting!

You can check out Marley at her website here and also at her blog which she shares with other wonderful young adult authors: Book, Boys, Buzz here. Enjoy!

Best,

Kwana

The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor - 3 Gems

What's Jack up to? Well, as I write this Jack is curled up on the couch sleeping ever so sweetly. One would never know that he got in the trash today and made quite a little mess. Nah. He's an innocent little sweetie. Oh, yes he is.

It's been way too long since I've had an author interview on the blog and today we’ve got a special treat. Not 1, not 2, but 3 fab writers on KwanaWrites. Yay!

Today in honor of the release of The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor, an exciting new Regency anthology, we have Diane Gaston, Amanda McCabe and Deb Marlowe the authors. I’d like to welcome them to the blog for a little Q and A.

First off please tell us how the idea of the anthology came about and a little about the process?

DEB: Well, the anthology was actually Harlequin’s idea! Maddie Rowe took us out to a fabulous dinner at RWA and offered us a chance at it, and amazingly, the chance to develop the theme/idea all on our own. Since we don’t live close enough to each other, we met in Williamsburg, VA to plot and plan and shop and tour—and the scandalous Fitzmannings were born! We had a great time and then we went home and about a million emails ensued!

DIANE: As I remember it, after being immersed in history at Colonial Williamsburg, we came back to Deb’s hotel room and started thinking about scandalous Dukes. When we decided to have a family consisting of the Duke’s illegitimate children, I knew immediately who I wanted my hero to be. I think we all had the same experience of knowing instantly who our characters would be.

AMANDA: Williamsburg was definitely a good setting for brainstorming! I’ve never, ever worked on a collaborative project before! Since I’m such a pantser (my stories have a tendency to switch gears halfway through as I follow new pathways!) I wasn’t sure how it would all work. But this went so very smoothly—maybe because we knew each other already…

Now please tell a bit about each of your individual stories.

DIANE: Justine and the Noble Viscount was planned as the first story in the anthology, the one that sets up the others. The whole anthology begins with my hero, Gerald Brenner, showing up on the doorstep of Welbourne Manor. He has been given the role of guardian to his mother’s other children, the Duke’s illegitimate children, half-siblings he has never met and has resented his whole life. Nothing goes as he plans, especially when the Duke’s other illegitimate daughter, Justine, calls powerfully to something deep within him.

DEB: In Annalise and the Scandalous Rake, we meet the most retiring Fitzmanning. Annalise would rather hide in her studio than face society’s censure. She is satisfied pouring her emotions into her paintings until Mr. Ned Milford is invited to a Welbourne house party. Unfortunately, she has no idea he is actually Prattle, a famous caricaturist bent on exposing her family’s secrets. There are many obstacles in their path to love, including a pompous suitor, a slightly scandalous scavenger hunt, exposure to society’s scorn and a devastating artistic duel! I hope readers enjoy it as much as I did!

AMANDA: Charlotte from Charlotte and the Wicked Lord is the youngest Fitzmanning sister, sort of the “wild child” of the family (which is saying a lot!). She’s a writer, a free spirit, who loves being out in nature. But she’s always loved Lord Andrew Bassington. Drew has left behind his own wild past to take care of his widowed sister-in-law and nephew, and he needs a very proper bride. Proper is one thing Charlotte has never been, but she’s determined to make him see how perfect they are for each other—no matter what it takes.

You are all lovers of the Regency. What is it about that time period that has you so captured?

DIANE: First of all, I think the Regency is a time period that is accessible to the modern reader. We can imagine ourselves living in it. At the same time, it is distant enough to give us that feeling of being swept away. Secondly, the era is one of great beauty: elegant fashion, houses, gardens, carriages. Mostly, though, I think the era is one of great drama. The war with Napoleon. The transition from the decadent Georgian era to the repressive Victorian one. Social change in the rise of the middle classes and the decline of the super rich aristocracy. The dawn of technology. The drama of the era gave rise to literary masterpieces from Byron, Shelley, Keats, Austen, Wordsworth, Blake. The era produced beautiful music from Beethoven Rossini, Schubert, and Liszt. Artists included Lawrence, Turner, David, and Constable. Because of this I believe there are endless stories to tell from the Regency era. I can’t wait to write some of them!

DEB: So many larger than life characters walk through the pages of history in this period. So many forces of nature are at work. Think about it—these are the people who span the gap between the wild and wonderful Georgians and the stiff Victorians. They are dealing with war and economical unease and rapid technological advances, just like we are. Fascinating stuff!

AMANDA: I admit, when I first started Regencies as a kid I was first drawn to the clothes! They’re gorgeous and comparatively comfortable, and go with all the beautiful aesthetics of the Neoclassical style. But then I read more non-fiction of the period, and was pulled into the arts and politics and personalities (especially the strong women!) of the era. For such a short period of time, it’s so rich in interest and upheaval. What’s not to love?!

As a final question, I know you are all good friends, tell me something fun about the other 2 women that I might not know. I know I’m bad!

Deb, Diane and Amanda

DIANE: Amanda was my mentor! Shortly after she sold to Signet, she signed up to be a Beau Monde mentor and I was her first mentee. It turned out to be a great way for us to become friends and led to us rooming together on the 2003 Novel Explorations Regency Tour where we became friends with Deb.
Deb has the most wonderful laugh. It is infectious and I love to hear it. When she sold to Harlequin Historical and joined the author loop, I welcomed “Deb Marlowe,” not realizing I was welcoming my 2003 travel buddy!

DEB: Hmm, well, Diane has more research books than my local library! If you ever want to know anything at all, she has a book for it! And Amanda has the most amazing collection of adorable, hand-made costumes. I’m always breathless at the Beau Monde Soiree, waiting to see who she will transform into next!

AMANDA: LOL! Last year it was Cherubino; this year, maybe Marie Antoinette.
Well, Diane loves cats as much as I do! And she has a mega-cool talking Leonidas action figure from 300. Deb has a kick-ass sense of humor—try and sit by her in the bar at RWA, you will have a blast!
It’s been too much fun, and a great privilege, to work on this project with them!

Thanks so much for being here today. I can’t wait to read it for myself being a big time Regency fan.

Amanda and Diane can be found over at the always fun Risky Regencies Blog here or
Amanda here amandamccabe.com
Diane here dianegason.com
Deb here debmarlow.com

Please leave a comment by Friday at midnight and one lucky commenter will win a copy of the new anthology.

Best,
Kwana

I'm Smitten

What's Jack up to? Jack has been busy wandering around sneaking up to the kids room every chance he gets to see what trouble he can get into. Unfortunately with the Dear Twins messy rooms. It's usually a lot.

Wow! I had so much fun reading the comments from yesterday's Whats Your Number post. It was so interesting. Very telling to me about how secure some of us are in our weight and it clearly depends on where you are in your relationship with your weight. We'll have to do more of that type of polling here.

I'm happy to announce that the winner of the Barnes and Noble Gift card for making a comment on my interview over at Romance Writers on The Journey was Hope! We did the drawing at knitting the other day. The winning name was pulled by the lovely PVE. And, Yep, I resisted all those sweets. Notice Jack's no sneaking gate in the corner.

Now, I'm sure it's no secret here, but I am positively smitten with Michelle Obama. Cut to me with the silly school girl grin each time she shows up at some high powered Washington function looking like the coolest cucumber in the room.


I'll be picking up this week's People magazine for sure. I have to say although I was/am no fan of Mr. Bush, surprise, surprise, I always liked Mrs. Bush and admired her class and grace. Hey there's no accounting for who you fall in Love with.

But in Michelle I see an every woman, some of me, some of my friends and it just makes me smile. Such a modern woman, perfect for this time.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Best,

Kwana

Tagged 6 by 6

First I wanted to say thank you to all who were so kind to check out my interview over at Romance Writers on The Journey yesterday. I'm so grateful. There is still time to make a comment today and win a Barnes and Nobel Gift card if you didn't get a change yesterday. You can check it out here and make your comment.

Next I've been tagged by Ms. Kristen by the 6 by 6 game. The mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the sixth image in your sixth image folder, and then tag another six people to do the same.

Ok here goes. Sorry, but I had to go with the 5th photo as the 6th was of the dear teen twins and I promised not to post them on this here blog. Maybe one day. So you're stuck once again with Jack acting like, well, Jack. Here he is trying to escape his play yard as we all do garden work.

As for tagging, I'll just say play along if you like but please let me know so I can check out your pic!

Best,

Kwana

balloon photo from Flickr

Do You Really Wanna Know, Kwana?

What’s Jack up to? Well the wild vacation week is over so it's back to what’s supposed to count for normal with just Jack and I at home for a big hunk of the day. I think he’ll be spending the day enjoying a bit of quiet. At least for a little while.

I hope you all had a good weekend. Anyone have a fine time with The Oscars last night? I’m amazed at how much fun I had on twitter with The Oscars last night. Seriously, it was a little party that I didn’t have to dress up for. The DH was so not getting it, but I was having a grand time with my tweets.



I’m a newbie to the whole social networking thing. Fact is, I really don’t consider myself all that social. Just a big faker. So how social are you? Are you Linked in? Do you tweet? Do you follow me? (um, over to the right) Are you Faced out? Or do you like to hang back and stay off the grid? Who needs Big Brother watching all that much, eh?

Now, in the ultimate outing, I’m extremely honored to have been interviewed by Keli Gwyn over at her blog Romance Writers on The Journey. It’s my first blog interview so I’d love it if you stopped on by. You can check it out here. Thanks Keli!

Best,
Kwana

Fab Interview! Phyllis Bourne Williams

What's Jack up to? As I type this he's sleeping sweetly after a rip roaring day. Ah, peace is so good.

We've got a treat today. An interview with Phyllis Bourne Williams, fab author of A Moment On the Lips and fellow blog buddy.



Hi, Phyllis thanks to much for being here at KwanaWrites I really appreciate you doing this interview today.
Thanks, Kwana! I’m a longtime stalker…uh, I mean reader of your blog. It’s a thrill for me to actually be your guest today.

I'll start with my traditional question. What lead you to become a writer is it something you always wanted to do or is this a career you backed into?
I can’t remember not loving romance novels. In college, I hid issues of Romantic Times in my textbooks and read while the professor lectured.
A journalism major, I went on to become a newspaper crime reporter. After a long day of covering the unbelievable things people do to hurt each other, I couldn’t wait to escape into a good romance.
Years of reading evolved into the urge to write my own.

Please tell us the story of your overnight success?
Overnight success? I have to laugh at that. For me, it was more like years (and years and years). I spent a lot of time thinking, dreaming and talking about writing, but not much actual writing. Once I sat my butt down and wrote, my efforts were rewarded with several RWA chapter contest wins and two Golden Heart finals.
A Dorchester editor was the final round judge of one contest, and she requested my full manuscript. I didn’t win, but the editor bought my book.

What's you typical writing day like? Are you a plotter or a pantser and how do you work this non-traditional job into your life?
I’m easily distracted. I don’t think about laundry or cleaning – until I sit down to write.
So when I need to get some serious writing done I go to the library or Starbucks. There I accomplish in a few hours what would take days for me to get done at home.
I try to get out of the house early, so no matter what crops up later I’ve got my writing done. I’ve also learned to say no and not alter my schedule to wait around on repairmen or deliveries.
I was a die-hard pantster, but I’m waning. Nowadays, I write my synopsis first and use it as an outline.

I loved A Moment On The Lips. How did this book come to life for you? Also it incorporates knitting which a love of mine, is it a passion of yours?
Thanks, Kwana!
The story didn’t truly come to life for me until after it sold. My editor encouraged me to delve deeper into my characters and the story. By the time I was done, Melody and Grant were my best friends. I hated to leave their world.
Yep, I knit. Keep in mind, I’m not a very good knitter, but I try hard.
I typically start a knitting project at the same time I start a writing project. I like watching my skeins of yarn transform into a garment as my words turn into a novel.
I just started working sweater. Here’s what it looks like now. (*See attached photo)


(Sidebar: Phyllis' knitting ROCKS!!)

The main Character, Melody is a real woman with real curves is writing real women important to you?
I wanted my heroine to wear a size 12, the average size of most American women.
I also wanted the hero to appreciate and adore her voluptuous shape. It was important she didn’t believe she had to lose weight to be loveable.

What main piece of advice would you give to an aspiring writing?
BICHOK – Butt in Chair Hands on Keyboard. Simple advice that I don’t always follow myself, but it works!

What's up next for you, Phyllis?
I have a novella in Dorchester Publishing’s October 2008 Christmas anthology, The Holiday Inn, along with authors Farrah Rochon and Stefanie Worth.
In my story, “By New Year’s Day” I write about a couple whose thirty-year marriage is crumbling under the endless demands of their adult children.
The fed-up husband whisks his wife away to a remote ski lodge, to rekindle their passion and save their troubled relationship.


Thanks so much for being with us today, Phyllis. Please check out Phyllis at her website and her fab blog http://phylliswilliams.com/ and http://www.fortyisthenew20.com/. You won't be disappointed.


Best,
Kwana

Guest Blogger- Roberta Isleib

Today we've got a treat on KwanaWrites, a guest blogger, Roberta Iselib who is here to share a few secrets with us. Take it away Roberta!

Six Secrets for Keeping Your Sanity While Chasing Your Dream (Writing, that is!)

Clinical psychologist Roberta Isleib has just seen her eighth novel published in seven years. ASKING FOR MURDER is the third book in the series featuring advice columnist/psychologist Rebecca Butterman. Roberta’s also wrapping up her year of service as president of National Sisters in Crime.

In ASKING FOR MURDER (Berkley, 2008), Dr. Rebecca Butterman's dear friend, a sandplay therapist, is found badly beaten and left for dead. Rebecca's determined to help search for answers. With a would-be killer on the loose, she can only hope the clues are buried within easy reach. Think: best friends, crazy families, and the mysteries of sandplay therapy.

ROBERTA: Thanks for agreeing to host me on your blog Kwana! It’s hard to believe eight books have come out since SIX STROKES UNDER in 2002. I promised I’d try to pull together some of the things I’ve learned over this time and here they are, in no particular order.

MAKE A PLAN: As I begin a book, I look ahead to the due date and figure out how many pages I’ll need to write each week in order to hand it in on time. I build in time for trips and family and time for my writers group to read and critique, and then time for me to rewrite. Then I have a page goal for each week. I write until I’ve hit the goal, sometimes even getting a little ahead. If I have an unproductive day, it just means writing a little faster later in the week to keep up.

HAMMER IT OUT: Get it all down, even if it's awful. You can always go back and fix things later. Anne Lamott called this “the shitty first draft”—she had it right!

SET YOUR SIGHTS HIGH: As a psychologist, I know the importance of having "big goals" for my subconscious to aim at. So I keep a copy of the NY Times bestseller list pasted up over my computer. Then I forget about it and work on the books word by word...

FIND A BALANCE: The business part of writing is hard--the part I have no control over. I can produce a fabulous book, but unless the publisher is really behind it and I have a bit of luck somewhere along the line, it's unlikely to be a commercial success. That's why I do as much as I can to promote, as long as it doesn't interfere with my writing! I want to be able to say I gave it my all without killing myself in the process.

MANAGE YOUR PROCRASTINATION SOFT SPOTS: I’m still learning that I don’t have to answer every email the second it arrives! If I’m having trouble concentrating, best approach for me is to turn the email off and look at it as a reward for when I’ve reached my word count goal.

YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE FRIENDS: Writing can be such a lonely, discouraging business. I’ve gotten very involved with mystery organizations (Sisters in Crime and MWA, and joined Romance Writers and Yahoo groups such as Fiction That Sells. The friends I’ve met there have saved my sanity and supported me endlessly along the way.

TAKE YOUR TIME: Don’t rush off too soon to try to get your work published. This business is extremely competitive so it’s crucial to have your writing polished before sending it out. The Internet makes querying too easy—don’t press send until you’re sure the piece is the best it can be. I have lots of info on my website about agents and getting published and some of the scams writers fall for. Read it over when you’re ready. http://www.robertaisleib.com/


Wonderful advice! Thanks so much for guest blogging here today Roberta. Stop back anytime. Everyone check out Roberta and her amazing books. You won't be disappointed.





Best,
Kwana



P.S. Scroll down for "reality" rundown

What a Jewel!

What's Jack up to? Well he's being a total Jack in the butt. Completely under foot with everything I do and feeling full of himself, barking up a storm. I'm sorting laundry and he's stealing socks. Oh, Jack you are so asking for it.



This Friday we have a treat. At RWA National I had the pleasure of meeting the super cool friend of my PIC, Carolyn Jewel. I was so happy that we hit it off right away. How awkward would that have been if we hadn't? Whew.
Well, Carolyn has agreed to be interviewed in my little corner of the blogosphere today.

Carolyn is the author of: A DARKER CRIMSON, THE SPARE AND LORD RUN. Her newest release MY WICKED ENEMY is just out this August.
Thanks for being here Carolyn. Let’s start with my traditional questions. Did you always want to be a writer and can you tell us the story of your ‘overnight’ success?

Yes, I always wanted to be a writer, pretty much from the time I could hold a pen. But for some reason it never occurred to me that writing was something I could actually do. When I finished college I got a job and worked and really pretty much didn’t like what I was doing. I was, naturally, reading a lot. But overnight success? Kwana, it is to laugh! No, no overnight success, despite the story that follows. Read on for someone who sold her first book ever after sending one query. . . When I was 25 or 26, I read a book I thought was just awful. It was a historical romance that read (to me) as if it had been badly translated from some other language. I thought to myself that, surely, I could do better. From what I hear, this is a very common inciting event for writers. After that reaction I got to thinking that I really ought to see if it was true. I bought a computer and started writing and just kept going until all I was doing was changing the punctuation. Must be done!I did some research into next steps and discovered I needed a literary agent and a query package. I decided that I would not be able to tolerate more than two rejections at a time so I prepared two queries. I managed to transpose some digits of one of the street addresses on one of them so, leaping ahead a bit, I’ll reveal that six months later it came back as undeliverable. Flash back to me mailing off my two queries. Two weeks later, I came home from work to a message on my answering machine from a woman who introduced herself and said that she thought she had an offer on my book, could I call her, please? Well, I live in California so I had to wait until the following morning. In that one conversation I learned two Very Important Lessons about the publishing world. St. Martin’s Press had a line of historical romance called Americans Abroad. They featured, not surprisingly, American heroines who were, eventually someplace other than America. (Note: my heroine was French.) But an author had not turned in her manuscript. The woman on the phone with me was an agent and book packager who was desperately looking for a book to fill that slot. We chatted for a bit. She told me I was a talented writer and then said something along of lines of, “and you seem like you’re a rational person.” Would I mind, she asked, rewriting my heroine to be American. Heck no! And would it be possible, she asked, to do the rewrite in six weeks? The book was due out before the end of the year and they were all in a jam. No problem, I said. So the deal was done!.I’d sold my book to New York! But not for a royalty contract, for a flat fee. I knew nothing about the business, really, though as it turned out, I have no complaints about that sale.
The two lessons were, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, that deadlines really do matter and that it pays to be easy to work with. They were, I realized much later, taking a risk that a complete unknown could pull off a rewrite as promised. There is a third lesson embedded in this, which is that talent isn’t necessarily enough. There’s luck involved. I was lucky not to have misaddressed that query. I was lucky that it arrived at a time when there was a need for a book like mine. If my writing were dreadful, they would have kept on looking. I wrote another book in pretty much the same unconscious way. By the seat of my pants. And when all I was doing was changing the punctuation, I figured I was done. I found an agent, which I confess didn’t take very long at all, and she sold my second book. It was ten years before I published again. The reasons are varied but it comes down to two pretty simple things. I wanted to write a more purposeful book, but I had not yet learned that I’m a panster, and I had a baby in the middle there and spent three plus years absolutely exhausted because I swear that boy never slept. As a single parent, I did not have any help, so the exhaustion was pretty desperate.Eventually, I did learn more about writing and myself as a writer, most of which occurred after I joined RWA and met other writers. I did publish again, but I also had other periods when I thought my writing career was over or that I would never be able to write a publishable book again. So, overnight success? Uh, no. Not exactly. The battle continues. Each and every day.


You are a mother, a writer and you also hold down a separate job, not to mention all the many animals you care for, how do you handle it all and still make your deadlines? What is your typical writing day like?

Let me start off my saying I am NOT a morning person. Nope. As far as I’m concerned, a good morning is one you sleep through. (Carolyn's preaching to the choir here!) But I get up at 4:25 a.m. so I can get to the gym and then to work early enough that I’m home in time to supervise homework and perform amazing feats as a soccer mom. At the gym, I use an exercise bike because that leaves my hands free for 45 minutes of notebooking and brainstorming my current writing project. If I’m behind or otherwise panicking, I bring my laptop to work and write on my lunch hour. On days when there’s soccer practice, I get two uninterrupted hours in the car to work. Otherwise, in between or after my family responsibilities are done, I write in the evening, from 6:00pm to about 10:00pm with lots of interruptions until after dinner and homework. I put in as many hours as I can on weekends. If I’ve met my daily minimum word count, then I can stop.


You seem to live in two worlds, the historical and the paranormal. How do you balance the two?


When I was a child, my mother always complained I had a one track mind. So it should be no surprise that I write in two different genres by focusing on one project at a time. Although I think my voice is similar for both types, the sensibilities are very different and if I were to switch off between them, I think things would be very rough going.


Tell us about your newest book MY WICKED ENEMY, especially the sexy Nikodemus.

MY WICKED ENEMY is set in the contemporary world, but it’s a world in which there are demons and people who can do magic. They don’t get along. The demons can and sometimes do take control of innocent people and destroy lives. They also can only reproduce with humans. Is it any wonder that magic-wielding humans (the magekind) have learned to protect themselves and other humans? Unfortunately, they do this by enslaving the demons or by outright killing them. Worse, some of the mages have learned how to kill a demon in order to prolong their own lives. It’s no wonder the demons are thinking about outright war.Nikodemus is a demon warlord who has sworn to kill the mage Magellan and Carson Phillips, the witch who’s helping Magellan murder his kind. Imagine his delight when he discovers Carson all by herself! But Carson isn’t what he thinks and, as it turns out, she has ample reason to fear and hate Magellan.


What’s next for you Carolyn?


A book set in the same world as MY WICKED ENEMY is set for summer of 2009, it features Xia, a secondary character from that book. SCANDAL is a historical romance that will be out in February 2009 (Berkley Books). It’s about a Regency rake who has fallen deeply in love with a woman he’s treated very badly. Will he be able to prove he’s reformed?

Thanks so much, Kwana, for asking me to appear in your wonderful blog. Please give the adorable Jack a biscuit from me, okay?


Aw. Thanks to you Carolyn for being here and just because you said so I will give jack that biscuit and tell him it's from you!


Check out Carolyn's book trailer for MY WICKED ENEMY below and catch up with her on her site here.




Best,

Kwana

New Author Interview- Leanna Renee Heiber! Dark Nest

What's Jack up to? Well, I'm watching him closely today after he's gone and gotten into the DD's pockets yesterday and into a pack of gum. Oh, Jack.


Today I'm please to be interviewing a friend and fellow RWA/NYC Chapter member, Leanna Renee Heiber on the release of her futuristic/psychic/fantasy book: DARK NEST!



Hi, Leanna, Major Congrats on the release of DARK NEST. Thanks so much for doing this interview. I’m so happy to have you here at my little blog.

Leanna: Thank you so much. I’m thrilled to be here, Kwana, major thanks for letting me chat with you!

1. Let’s start with my traditional question. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

Leanna: I was writing as an outlet before I was doing anything else, so it was something I just did out of obsessive love, not something I thought to make a career of. I was scared I’d stop loving writing if I focused on it as a career. Pursuing it professionally didn’t occur to me until after college when I started realizing that, all my other artistic pursuits such as theatre aside, writing was what I cared most about and I had to take it more seriously.

2. Tell us the story of your “overnight” success. This is my favorite question.

Leanna: *chuckle* Well, nothing feels overnight (it took me almost four years just to get an agent) and just the fact that I haven’t walked away from this often brutally painful business would be my only claim to being a “success”. That goes for any of us that can face the notepad or computer and keep writing week in and week out.
--- Sidebar to this question: did your agent sell this book for you?
Leanna: No, this is a novella and he only represents my traditional book length work.

3. How do you feel about being an eBook author? Where do you see the future of eBooks going and your future in it?

Leanna: I believe it’s a great opportunity. I’m still learning a lot about the marketing aspects of being a writer. But I do know that the eBook industry is invaluable in taking temperatures. EBooks can respond to what the public is reading and can attend to trends and tastes almost immediately. The advantage of the electronic market is the turnaround time. I had my book accepted, contracted, cover art created, copy and line edited and released within 4 months. Due to the nature of New York houses, that sort of turnaround time just isn’t possible. So while my agent is trying to swing the bigger stuff in NY, I can get my feet wet and hit the ground running with a short work that will hopefully start building me an audience. The future of eBooks will only get bigger. All major houses are now offering downloads and with the electronic readers on the market, I know they’re here to stay. However, if I have a choice, I confess that I like tactile books best. And many publishers, big and small, will do both eBook and print runs. (In fact, I just found out that my book will be going into a print run as well!) I will say it’s true that with smaller, new or electronic companies you accept some risks. Crescent Moon Press is very new and doesn’t have the benefit of being a familiar, ‘tried and true’ company yet. But sometimes you make choices because of the type of work you create. I specifically accepted a contract from Crescent Moon Press because of their interest in and commitment to Cross-Genre fiction (all my work is very cross-genre, DARK NEST is a futuristic/paranormal/fantasy/romance) and I believe in their mission to produce quality fiction that lives and breathes outside of the traditional genre boxes. I can get behind that. Electronic presses like Crescent Moon, while still adhering to quality standards (my editor was exceedingly thorough with me, which I loved), can give an author a great deal of artistic freedom and that’s exhilarating.

4. Have you always wanted to write in the Fantasy market? What draws you there? The possibilities of the imagination seem endless.

Leanna: Yes, always Fantasy. It was my second skin growing up and to me, no other genre holds such potent magic. There has to be a love story too, to keep me bound and loyal to the work. Blending large, sweeping, fantastical and supernatural realms with the lushly intimate human experience of love is my favorite combination.

5. Tell us a little about your writing process. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Leanna: Full-blooded pantser. People with spreadsheets scare me. I need a notebook filled with unintelligible scrawls paired with a blank computer screen and a lot of time on my hands. Eventually I come out on the other end with a book. I can’t really tell you how I get there. It’s cosmic every time.

6. What’s next for you, Leanna?

Leanna: I recently sent off a YA proposal to my agent; a magical time-travel series set in and around Central Park . I need to work on finishing the first manuscript in the series.
Thanks again for hanging with us.
Leanna: Kwana, you’re wonderful, thank you.
Please check out Leanna at her website (http://www.leannareneehieber.com/) or at her fun blog (http://www.leannareneebooks.blogspot.com/) and don’t forget to check out DARK NEST! (www.crescentmoonpress.com/catalog)




Leanna grew up in rural Ohio and began her first novel in grade school. It was many years later that she thought about doing something with one of her books. Choosing to pursue BFA degree in theatre performance, Leanna continued writing in the midst of arduous rehearsal and performance schedules. Hopping around the country performing in the theatre circuit, her first publications came in the form of short plays and essays for Dramatics Magazine. Her short plays won awards and garnered productions. This gave her the confidence to begin publishing longer works of fiction. Leanna is a proud member of the actors’ union Actors Equity and a certified Actor-Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. She is represented by New York literary agent Nicholas Roman Lewis
A selection of her favourite things include: stained glass windows, social justice, Central Park, the Muppets, vegetarian restaurants, ghost stories, classy sword-fights, a finely tailored corset and ridiculously cute furry animals. Leanna lives in New York City with a wonderful gentleman and a fuzzy white bunny.

Best,
Kwana

PS- Scroll down to yesterday's post if you're a fan of Survivor!

Interview with a Sorority Girl- Marley Gibson aka Kate Harmon

What's Jack up to? He's still sleeping since I'm cheating and writing this at midnight. Must get some zzzz's. Jack will make me pay tomorrow.

Today I have the honor of interviewing author and fellow agency sistah Marley Gibson. Check out the photo of Marley and me from the NEC conference. Marley’s first 2 releases ev-ah in the Sorority 101 series Zeta or Omega and The New Sister comes out today, May 1st, written under the name Kate Harmon! Three cheers for Marley!

Here a blurb about SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega?:

Who wants to be a sorority girl?
High school is already a distant memory for incoming Latimer University freshmen, Jenna, Roni, and Lora-Leigh. Jenna wants to meet cute college boys, Roni wants to get away from home, and Lora-Leigh...well, Lora-Leigh couldn't care less. She's going to LU and participating in sorority recruitment only to appease her mom. Sorority girls are pretty, rich, and snotty, and Lora-Leigh doesn't want to be one of those girls. So she's shocked to find herself actually connecting with the sisters of Zeta Zeta Tau. And her new friend Jenna can relate. She came to sorority recruitment only because her roommate begged her to, but now she can't decide which sorority to join; she likes them all! Roni knows which sorority she should join. The Tri Omegas are exactly the type of "it" girls she would usually befriend, but Roni came to LU to reinvent herself. As recruitment progresses and the girls prepare to make big decisions, they'll need to heed the best advice there is: follow your heart. But where will it lead?

And here’s a blurb for SORORITY 101: THE NEW SISTERS:
So far, college life at Latimer University has been everything Jenna, Roni, and Lora-Leigh expected. They’ve already made close friends, caught the eye of a few hot frosh boys, and participated in sorority recruitment. As if it were meant to be, all three found a home in the Zeta Zeta Tau sorority. Now Roni hopes to be the most perfect ZZT in history, while Lora-Leigh can barely believe how quickly she went from cynic to sorority new member! Jenna is just as excited to be in the sorority, but she also has classes to stuffy for, a nasty roommate to put up with, and a marching band scholarship to uphold. How’s a girl supposed to appease everyone and everything—not to mention strike up a romance with an adorable fraternity boy—all the while keeping her diabetes hidden? Lora-Leigh and Roni are there for her, but ZZT initiation is on the horizon and Jenna must decide if she really trusts her new sisters enough to share her secret...

Now to the hard hitting interview. (I love saying that):

Thanks for being here Marley. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you here on this wonderful occasion. I’m just thrilled.

1. Let’s start with my traditional question did you always know you wanted to be a writer? Is this something you always knew you’d do?
Awww...thanks Kwanster! Much appreciated that you’re helping me pimp my books. LOL!! As for the question...I don’t know if I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but it’s something I’ve always done. When I was really little, I used to write stories (okay, they were like one page and six sentences) and then I would hold an “auction” where my mother, father, sister, and brother would bid against each other for them. Hmmm...maybe that prepared me for selling, eh? I’ve always written...in school, in my professional career, and finally, in 2001, I decided to do it for real. Seven years later, my first two published works hit the shelves!

2. Now for my next favorite question. Please tell us the story of your “overnight” success. You just know I’m cracking up as I say this one.
Yeah...seriously. See aforementioned starting to write “for real” in 2001. I had been dabbling for years with romance novels and have an entire folder on my computer entitled “Ideas” that’s full of all sorts of story ideas. I took a Fiction Writing class in 1999 where I was pretty much the oldest person in the class. All these eighteen year olds were writing about killing themselves, killing their grandparents, killing their parents, killing their roommates, killing the guy they babysat for, I think one even wrote about killing the neighbor’s dog. It was tres dark. And here I was, writing a story about two girls finding love on Capitol Hill in the 80s. We would all critique each other’s work and I remember one of the angsted-wants-to-kill-but-never-would kids wrote, “This sounds like a romance novel.” Seriously...underlined the word. Like it was a curse. Flash forward to 2002 and an assignment the teacher gave us (to write a sex scene) turned into my book A LAPSE OF VIRTUE about my favorite heroine, Vanessa Virtue. (http://vanessavirtue.blogspot.com/)

Anyway...I’m prattling...but I started writing my first novel in January 2001, called FOOTPRINTS ON MY HEART, which was about a girl reminiscing about her senior year in high school in 1985. It took me about eight months to write it and in the end, it turned out to be 863 pages and over 200,000 words! It’s a mess, with some glimpses of brilliance in it—LOL!—but it was a process and it taught me to write. Then, I went on to write Vanessa’s story, which got me my first agent, went to committee with two publishers and almost got published by a third, had the line not gone under. I finally had to put Vanessa aside in 2005 (although, I had written four other manuscripts in the meantime), as well as writing romance. In 2005, I decided to take a shot at the YA story that was calling to me...which was a good thing because it got me my new agent (the wonderful Deidre Knight) and some close calls on that, as well. In 2006, a publisher approached my agent asking if she had any authors who could write a proposal for a sorority series. The publisher had the idea, but needed someone to write it. Well, I took a shot at it and about two months later, we had the deal for the SORORITY 101 books.

3. What’s your writing process? Are you a plotter or a pantser and how do you get it all done working full time and meeting your deadlines.
Just the word “pantser” scares the ever-loving crap out of me. Before I can start writing, I have to see the whole story in my head from curtain rising to the final credits. I have to see it clearly, otherwise, I don’t know what I’m writing towards. I write out a full synopsis and then stick to it pretty much 85%...there are always twists and turns that come up...but that’s the fun part. Being a meeting planner my whole career, I’m used to deadlines. I simply set the deadline and work backwards from it. It’s all about sticking to a schedule and looking at it like a job (which it is.) I’m also a wicked-fast typist (over 100 WPM) so when I’m writing and in the blood-fever of getting the story done, I can get about 1,500 words done in my hour lunch break—when I write. Then, when I get home, I go over what I write and do a little editing and tweaking and then lather, rinse, repeat. It’s down to a science for me...and it’s what works for me.

4. Tell us about your characters in Zeta or Omega? and The New Sisters.
Well...I there are three heroines: Veronica “Roni” Van Gelderen is a Boston Brahman from Beacon Hill who was born to very hands-off parents who see her more as a reflection of their social status than a daughter with needs, desires, and dreams. Roni rejects her mother’s Wellesley and her father’s Harvard offers of admissions and goes off on her own to Latimer University in Latimer, Florida, to find herself. Next is Jenna Driscoll from Marietta, Georgia. She’s a serial-joiner, and over-achiever, and the big sis who spends every spare moment taking care of her little sisters. She also became diabetic at the beginning of her senior year in high school. Since then, everyone treats her with kid gloves and looks at her like she’s different. Thanks to a band scholarship to Latimer, Jenna has the chance to start fresh and she can’t wait. Finally, there’s Lora-Leigh Sorenstein. She marches to her own drum, designs her own clothes, and can’t wait to fly away from the nest. She wants to go off to New York for design school, but her father, the dean of students at Latimer University, says she has to go to school locally. All three girls meet during sorority recruitment (known as Rush when I was in school) and become friends.

Sidebar question: I hear there’s an intriguing minor character in The New Sister with the interesting name of Kwana. Tell me what inspired such a choice?
LOL...why yes! Kwana “Johnson” (ahem) is a very important part of the initiation ceremony in THE NEW SISTERS :)

5. What up next for you, Marley? A little birdie tells me you’ve been hanging around in some really spooky place lately?
Yes! I’m verrrrrrrrrrrrrry excited about my new series that comes out in May 2009 from Houghton Mifflin – GHOST HUNTRESS. It’s a three-book deal and here’s the blurb for the first book: GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING: Sixteen year old Kendall Moorehead never imagined in a million years that she’d become a ghost huntress. But after moving from Chicago to an historic southern town, she finds herself awakening to her latent psychic powers...and discovering there’s a ghost in her bedroom! With the guidance of a local medium and the help of her new friends and ghost hunting team (including a massively cute skeptic who makes her heart do flip-flops), Kendall must quickly develop her newfound intuitive abilities to talk to the other side and discover why a belligerent spirit is trying to harm her father.
I’ve been doing a lot of research for the series, which means a lot of lectures by paranormal experts, many hours of watching Ghost Hunters, Dead Famous, Psychic Kids, Paranormal State, and Most Haunted, and several ghost hunts to see this stuff first hand. I’m having a ton of fun with it and I can’t wait for the books to come out!

Thanks so much for doing this interview and more than that thank for being a great friend and wonderful inspiration over these years! All the best to you.

Thanks so much for having me and for helping me promote the SORORITY 101 books! Hope people enjoy them! Hugs!!

Best,
Kwana

P.S. You can check Marley out at her web page or at her blog here.

Oh and keep scrolling down for Top Chef and ANTM it's a late night.

Ask The Agent- Round 1

What's Jack up to? Wild child is romping around underfoot like a toddler today. I have work to do, Jack. No time to play with you, Love. Ok, maybe just a minute. Sigh.

Today My Fab Agent, Elaine Spencer from The Knight Agency is back with the first round of questions answered from Ask The Agent.

Did your question make the cut? Check it out.

But please keep tuning in. There will be more questions answered next week. Major thanks to Elaine for taking the time to answer these in between her hectic travel schedule.

Here goes:

1.What do you look for in query letters when selecting writers to work with?

The number one thing that I look for in query letters is a professional product. I look for someone who has obviously done their homework on the querying process and on our agency. We hope to see that the potential client has a basic understanding of the business and what is expected of them as a potential client.

The query letter acts as a general introduction, think of it as a first interview. If an author can’t follow directions at this preliminary step it sets off warning signs for difficulties that we may encounter at every step down the line.

There is a plethora of information available not only on the internet but at every imaginable writing event across the country on how to write a great query letter. It is really a pretty straight forward piece of the puzzle. We hope to gain a clear idea of the project being presented and of the author who is presenting it. We aren’t looking for bells, whistles or confetti, just the bare-bones facts about the project at hand and a high-concept pitch!

It sounds too good to be true, I know, but really this is a tough business, we need to see in a very simple way that the project has what it takes to stand out from the crowd.

2. What's the best part of your job?

There are a million great things about my job! I can go on for days and days here. I think that this speaks directly to the favorite part of my: Variety. There is SO MUCH variety. Not only am I working with very wonderful and very different people and projects on a daily basis but I’m working with them in a variety of ways. Some days I’m inquisitively reading, some days I’m evoking my creative muse, some days I am the hard-nosed negotiator, and then others I’m the compassionate shoulder to lean on.

Our job is a million things all rolled into one. Agents act as educators, entrepreneurs, promoters, counselors, planners, you name it, and we do it in some capacity or another.

3.What’s The Knight Agency’s normal response time? How Many queries do you normally get?

The Knight Agency’s typical response time to queries is on average two weeks. Some times (as in right now!) we get a little behind and can lag up to a month, and then sometimes we respond every 2-3 days. This flex’s depending on a variety of things including project loads, travel, etc.

For partial submissions this is more based agent to agent. On average for the agency we are between 3-6 months.

In both of these cases, if it seems that it has been an absurd amount of time more than that between the time when you sent your email off to us and hearing a response SEND A FOLLOW UP!

I can’t tell you how many times messages are blocked by spam filters and such, this sounds like an excuse, but really when our email server is handling as much mail as we receive its unfortunately pretty common. We have tried to combat it but without making ourselves completely susceptible to all spam it seems there is little else we can do to ensure delivery either on our end or yours.

We receive about 300 queries a week and read several hundred partial submissions a year. That makes for a lot of mail.

4.What is the single most important thing an agent and a writer need in order to work well with one another.
Is the answer sand-paper?

Sand Paper? I’m not quite sure I’m following there. The number one thing that an agent and client need to work well together is clear lines of communication. Simple as that. If both parties are communicating what their wants and needs are there shouldn’t be any grey area here.

Now within certain relationships at some point in time it might become apparent that despite clear communication the client/agent just aren’t a good business match. That’s unavoidable due to the ever changing nature that applies to all parts of this business. There is not a one-size fits all agent out there. The best way to find your perfect fit again goes back to communicating clearly up front exactly what you want out of the relationship.

5. Are you still able to read for pleasure? What non-cliented reads have you read lately? And who would you love to represent (besides your current roster, of course)?

Of Course I still read for pleasure. Reading is my passion. Not only is it something that I love in my job, but also its one of the things I love in my life. Sometimes with all of the “work” reading it’s hard to remember what it feels like to just get lost in a great book simply for the joy of it. I try to avoid that though, because at the end of the day there still is nothing better than curling up with a captivating story. The longer I’m in the business the more I realize how important it is to take the time out to remember that feeling.

As a professional it keeps us fresh and reminds us of the most basic purpose of our job, to bring people stories that will have an impact on their life.

Some great reads of late, The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Jenoff, The Pact by Jodi Picoult, Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr, A Dangerous Beauty by Sophia Nash, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Rites of Spring by Diana Peterfreund, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray – These are all totally random selections that I have loved, as you can see I’m really I’m all across the board.

6. I have a question for you. How do you feel about sharing a client with another agent--i.e., if the other agent only reps one genre of writing, but the client wants to write in another, too, and needs/wants representation for it. Do you or your agency ever run into this situation? Do you think it can work out okay? If so, any tips on how to make it work and how someone in this situation would go about it?

I think its possible, but not ideal, we try to avoid it at all costs. Here within TKA we share certain clients within the agency, but that’s a whole different topic I suspect. I do know situations where an author has needed separate agents, so again I’m not saying it is impossible, but its just not that common.

Since I’ve never been involved in a situation such as this I really can’t offer much advice on it beyond the obvious. I think it is most important that all involved parties are offering full disclosure up front regarding all business matters. It is going to be important that each agent is aware of the scheduling restrictions and deadlines that are involved with each other.

My advice would be to TRY to find an agent or agency that handles all the genres you are working on. Not only will your agent/s be able to better plan and prepare for your future but this should help prevent confusion on what you heard from one agent in comparison to the other.

7. I realize that you as an agent may handle this in a specific way that renders my question completely irrelevant at your agency, but *in general,* say an agent reads a full, writes a nice long letter about revisions, and tosses the ball back to the author with the option of viewing it again after a revision if the suggestions make sense to the author. All of this is rather open-ended (ie, I don't know if we're even as far as if-then statements--just "ifs."). What, in general, do you and your cohorts view as a reasonable time to do these open-ended revisions in? A few weeks? A few months? Any idea of a generally reasonable timeline would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hmm. Anything that shows you have put detailed thought and consideration into revising the manuscript as a whole. If someone sends the manuscript back to me within 24 hours (don’t laugh, it happens!) or even within the week, I’m going to assume they breezed through these and didn’t REALLY put a lot of thought into making the manuscript stronger.

I would say that it should take a few weeks to make the changes, depending on how detailed the letter is. Its hard to generalize because editorial suggestions can really be across the board in scope. Obviously it will take less time if they are just asking you to bulk some stuff up versus a request to revisit an entire storyline.

I would suggest that you sit on the edits for a few days after receiving the letter to really let the ideas and suggestions sink in. Let them roll around in your end and really form into a fuller picture. Typically an agent isn’t asking for an easy fix, in most instances the suggestions are things that are really making or breaking the story. They shouldn’t be easy, and they should take a bit to come to fruition.

Plus, remember, this is most likely your last shot, you want to make sure you get it right! I would suggest when you respond to the agent that you outline their suggestions in your email/letter and let them know how you tackled them. This in itself can save both parties some time, it can help identify if the edits are heading in the envisioned direction.

Wow! That's it for round one. Great questions folks and Great answers, Elaine. Don't forget to tune back in for the next round. Thanks again to, Elaine and thank to all of you for stopping by.

Best,

Kwana