10 QUESTIONS FOR… Deborah DeNicola, “The Future That Brought Her Here”

Author interview with Deborah DeNicola

Deborah DeNicola’s memoir The Future That Brought Her Here is from Ibis Press 2009. She has six previous books, including the anthology she edited. A new collection of poems, Original Human, is scheduled for 2010. Among several other awards, she received a Poetry Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.  Deborah studied dream work at The Jung Institutes in Boston and Zurich and trained with Robert Bosnak. Her web site is: www.intuitivegateways.com

1. Tell us about your latest book.

My latest book is my spiritual memoir, The Future That Brought Her Here; Memoir of a Call to Awaken. It’s the story of a normal, struggling, single woman who finds one day she has new senses, can see through her closed eyes, has visions and senses changes in energy. I have been meditating for over 20 years and when new senses emerged, I began a quest for what was behind our 3-D reality. This quest consisted of reading, going to channeling sessions and asking spirits what was happening to me as well as traveling through  synchronicity to other countries. My excursion to Southern France to follow the mystery of the Black Madonnas takes up the latter half of the book.

The book contains medieval history, science, and occult mysteries as well as a personal story of healing from my father’s death when I was an adolescent. It’s also about creative process and dreaming and dream image work.  At the end I come to some conclusions about where human evolution is going and ways to be in the world, living the ideals of A Course in Miracles. It actually took me 8 years to write and I started it as a novel because I was an “academic” and didn’t want to step out of the metaphysical closet. The story and writing the story helped me come to terms with some of these experiences.                     

2. How did you get started as a writer?

I’ve written every since I learned to write. I think it might have helped that I had an older brother who wrote and he was like my mentor/tormentor. He’d assign me certain books to read and I just accepted him as my  teacher. We subscribed to the old “Classics Illustrated” which were wonderful comic books of the Great Canon.  As a kid I used to write mostly stories and didn’t start writing  poetry till adolescence, of course, love poems came first.

3. What does a typical day look like for you?

Currently I’m busy marketing my book and my dream process workshops as well as my mentoring new writers. I do two things: I help people process dreams, discover meaning, amplify their dreams, and relate them to issues in their current life. I also help writers develop material, create their book with exercises in writing, edit their work, and find the order and sequence of their experiences. My days vary considerably depending on what I’m working on.

I had a schedule when I was writing the book steadily and teaching. Almost three years ago I came to Florida from Boston because my mother was ill. I ended up staying because of her. All my belongings are still in storage in Boston. I moved in with her to help her. I realized it was a time I could also move to change my career. I’d been an adjunct professor teaching as many as 6 courses a semester and going away to writing colonies on fellowships when I had some breaks.

I found a huge holistic and spiritual community in Florida (of all places, I was quite surprised!) Then I found a publisher here, so in many ways, though I still miss Boston’s intellectual community, I feel I was led here . I’m living completely in the moment now. Every day I network, spend many hours on the computer but I also dance three hours a week, go to the ocean frequently and try to stay balanced. I’ve had another book of poetry accepted since I’ve been here; Original Human is coming out in 2010. And an earlier chapbook, Inside Light, was published the year after I arrived.  Florida’s been good to me. I am somewhat free to pursue writing and marketing and somewhat tied down with an ill 93 year old mother. (Another book to write!)

I have been working on a book of essays on Dream Image Work and I think it’s halfway finished.

4. Describe your workspace.

I have a wonderful red bookcase from Ikea that is the center of my study. I have a MAC laptop and desk and several filing cabinets. I try to keep conscious of the concepts of Feng Shui so I get the maximum out of my work hours in energy. I’m very aware of energy in a room and how clear it is, how supportive. Here’s a tip, keep your north-west corner uncluttered as it’s your money area. I have, of course, piles of clutter elsewhere.

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

Let me start with favorite writers. Oh, so many. I love contemporary fiction, read all nationalities but I am also a classic scholar. All the Greek material; I read and taught Ovid, Homer, the major Greek playwrights. I compiled and edited an anthology of contemporary poetry on Greek myths called Orpheus & Company, published by University Press of New England. It had some course adoption which was nice for me.  The Harvard Review called it “An important book.” As much as I could I taught what I loved or was interested in, the poetry of Rumi and Rilke, the Romantics, the Moderns, poetry being my first love.

I designed and taught a class on the literature of war which deeply moved me. It struck me that Homer’s Illiad , the first book in Western Civilization, says everything that’s ever been said about war, it’s glory and it’s horror. I have been troubled to understand this dichotomy. I read a lot of Viet Nam novels, a lot on the Serbo-Croatain tragedies, and the literature of the Holocaust.

For some reason I was drawn to try and understand the concept of evil. In many ways, my book looks for answers to that question. I believe we are all One, living in the illusion of separation. I’m a Course in Miracles practitioner. Fear and ignorance of our true spiritual connection are basically the reasons we don’t treat each other well. The lack of understanding that everything we think and feel has a frequency that attracts situations to us is probably to blame. I think however, that as bad as the world looks, these ideas are spreading exponentially. Spirituality has exploded into its own industry. Then of course there is the topic of religion, man-made institutions that have failed. Okay, so I’m off-task. Naming favorite books . . .

Tim O’Brien’s The things They Carried is a wonderful book on writing as much as it is on war. It’s about story telling, how to tell a war story. And as addicted to drama as humanity is, this book teaches so much. I was a French major in college so I love a lot of the big nineteenth century French novels by Zola, Balzac and Stendhal. I recently read a wonderful novel by A Mexican author, Thomas Louis Urrea, The Hummingbird’s Daughter.  I love all the South  American poets, Neruda being the be-all and end-all for me. And as for South American novelists, no one can top the late Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Then for Americans, oh, the whole lot of Fitzgerald, some of Hemingway, and their short stories. The short story form in general, is so unappreciated by the public, except, of course, for M.F.A. students . . . Flannery O’Conor, Cheever, Updike,  Faulkner, Katherine Mansfield that whole generation . . . then Ann Beattie, Joyce Carol Oates (although I o.d.ed on her) Tobias Wolf, Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a book I’ve read several times.

I could go on an on, but I’ll just add that one of my favorite contemporary novels is Ann Padget’s Bel Canto and I recently read and loved the story collections of  Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies and  Unaccustomed Earth.

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

(A) Well, I do dream work. I think it’s one of the most important things we need to do. The unconscious mind is a treasure trove. And if we can take back and own our projections, and realize everything in our dreams, atmosphere, landscape, objects, figures, are ALL US, we will see we all have the same fears and complexes. When we make those conscious, we have more compassion for ourselves and others. We can’t change others, we can only change ourselves, change our reactions to stimulus of our separation. I fervently believe this. But it is so difficult to change our neuron pathways because our unconscious mind does not always believe what we consciously want to create. We do create our reality, but we create it unconsciously a lot of the time and therefore we project and have conflict and war and injustice. Working on your dreams and making them conscious shows you what you really are feeling, what is sabotaging your plans, as well as what you could become. The unconscious is extremely wise. But it speaks a different language. We must learn the language. It is universal. We all dream and dreams take us out of our reality to another reality. If we live to be 80 we’ll have spent 20 years dreaming. It only makes sense to try and make sense out of our dreams.

I have learned a process that reveals meaning rather than “interprets it.” It is experiental and emotional, and it works.

 (B) I’m a poet. Everyone knows poets are crazy. No one pays them. We agonize over whether to put an “and” or a “but” for hours, days maybe and no one cares but us. But poetry, like life, contains ambiguity. And poetry resolves paradox; it holds the opposites in tension where they can produce a reconciling image. It’s the ultimate healer. It’s also greatly expressionistic of our most intense emotions. Poetry heals, especially its dark side, heals. We get to experience in the moment, which is where we need to be. It’s actually not that crazy, though mainstream people have no idea what it’s about. But when someone writes poetry, to be in the act of it, puts you totally in the moment and the unconscious delivers. it’s like channeling. One is given so much solace. Poetry is addictive, in a good way. And it has correspondences with dreaming, so it seems natural to me as I love imagery.

(C) My third eye is open. My book goes into this. I’ve been meditating over 20 years and one day during meditation I saw an eye looking back at me. I also became aware of invisible presences around me. This awakening is at the heart of my story. The Future That Brought Her Here  is a quest to understand what had happened to me, is happening to me. I’ve acquired senses I never had, although I did have imaginary friends when I was very young, and now it makes me wonder . . . I was never interested in the occult, always frightened of it actually. However, I was led on a fascinating journey, calling me to different locations where I had different experiences, Israel, Colorado, France. I read a lot of history of the occult and then quantum physics. I studied near death experiences, the world between worlds, and I believe my visions are related to past lives. I found a British physicist , Rupert Sheldrake, who writes about the Presence of the Past. I came to some amazing conclusions and then found that there are thousands, maybe millions of people on similar spiritual journeys, different symptoms but we all agree that humanity is evolving and we are in for great changes of our whole civilization. I will leave it al that . . . hopefully tempting you to read my book.

7. Favorite quote 

C.G.Jung:  “Unless the unconscious is made conscious on the inside, it will happen on the outside, as fate.”

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

Best—it’s so enriching, so satisfying to feel you’ve expressed what you intended, such a healing release. And then the added bonus—other people like it!

Worst—it’s lonely. Although I’ve been in a lot of writing groups, the ultimate work is done alone and requires long hours. Two other worsts, (“worse and worser” . . . ) very few writers make a lot of money, even if they’re good. And the “worser”, it’s hard work.

9. Advice for other writers

Read. Read before you write. Read and write every day. Don’t become a writer unless you can’t help it.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience.

Well, I once drove 300 miles to read to one person. But that’s a reading experience? Hmm… I once stopped making love, to jot down some notes . . .  how’s that?

Where can people buy your books?

You can get my book online through my distributor, http://www.redwheelweiser.com/ just put in the title or my name in the search box. Also on amazon.com and bn.com. My publisher’s web site:

http://www.nicolashays.com  I’ve read at Borders here, but not every Borders may have it, though you can order it. And the same with Barnes and Nobles. If there’s a spiritual bookstore near you, they should have it.  My web site www.intuitivegateways.com lists my books and blurbs, will direct you to them although I don’t sell them from there.

**

Deborah DeNicola is the author of five poetry collections and she edited the anthology Orpheus & Company; Contemporary Poems on Greek Mythology. Among other awards she won a Poetry Fellowship in 1997 from the National Endowment for the Arts. Deborah has been a recipient of many writing colony residencies. Her most recent book is her spiritual memoir published by Nicolas Hays/Ibis Press, The Future That Brought Her Here. Another full collection of poetry Original Human is forthcoming from Custom Word Press in 2010. She teaches dream image work and mentors writers online at her web site www.intuitivegateways.com.

For a limited time, you can purchase The Future That Brought Her Here from Amazon and receive bonus gifts. Click here for details: http://www.thefuturethatbroughtherhere.com/bonusoffers/ To learn more about this virtual blog tour, please visit: http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/10/future-that-brought-her-here-by-deborah.html

10 QUESTIONS FOR…Leah Beth Evans, author & high school freshman!

Author Interview Leah Beth Evans

My name is Leah Beth Evans and I’m a freshman at Valley View High School. I live in the town of Peckville located in the state of PA.I enjoy composing songs and literature.I have one published book,a childrens book, called “A Different Kind of Hero”.

1. Tell us about your latest book.

My latest published book,“A Different Kind of Hero”, is a fictional children’s book about a Monkey who seeks out his special talent or prowess.

2. How did you get started as a writer?

Ever since I was young,I would write short story’s or poems. In fourth grade though, I was “influenced” by a nonfictional story I had read in class all about the rainforest.Soon after,I wrote “A Different Kind of Hero”.

3. What does a typical day look like for you?

My typical day consists of attending school,studying,writing,practicing the piano,and occasionally socializing with friends.

4. Describe your workspace.

I have a variety of workplaces.My computer desk,my kitchen table,and my bedroom.

5. Favorite books 

My favorite books consist of “The Twilight Series”,”the Diary of Ann Frank”,”Flowers for Algernon,and “Little Women.”

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

I am capable of writing with both hands, sometimes I sleep on the opposite end of my bed (helps me sleep better),I not only have a love for writing but also music/theatre.

7. Favorite quote

I find all quotes to be special and creative and generally do not favor one over the other.

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

The best part of being a writer is getting to fill just a simple sheet of paper with your own thoughts and feelings.The worst part of being a writer is being given a limit to writing. As a writer, I do not enjoy writing essays that have a limit of “At least 5 paragraphs” or “No more than 3 pages”. As a writer, I believe that one should have the freedom of writing as much or as little as wanted. I believe a story should be written until the author feels it is complete,not when you are at your limit (3 pages or 5 paragraphs).

9. Advice for other writers

Write what you feel and love creating. Writing is beautiful and should be enjoyed and appreciated.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience. 

When I started seventh grade my parents got my book published. It was an unforgetable day. One of my goals had been “achieved” and one of my dreams “come true”.

Where can people buy your book?

My book can be published at Amazon.com, Borders(online store),Barnes n’ Noble(online store),and Target.com. Also, fans can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/theatregirl2

Thank you for this oppertunity,

                                        Leah Beth Evans

New question for Ask Wendy – markets for short stories

Q: I write fictional short short stories.  Length: 500 words to 2,500.  Most have an O. Henry twist style ending.  Can you suggest any markets?  (hopefully paying…)   Thank you! – J

A: Since I haven’t read your stories, I can only recommend magazines/anthologies that buy short fiction – and places to find paying markets. Here goes:

1. Magazines/anthologies that pay for short stories: Zeotrope Magazine, Glimmer Train, Best American Short Stories

(also, some consumer mags like Woman’s Day and Woman’s World pay for short stories)

2. Places to find markets: www.WritersMarket.com (or buy the hard copy of The Writers Market 2010 or the Novel and Short Story Writers Market) or The International Directory of Little Magazines & Small Presses (hard copy) – though the little mags don’t typically pay as well

3. Don’t rule out writing contests. If you click on “contests” on the right sidebar of this blog, you’ll see probably 100+ – most of which are for fiction. And here are some other links to find writing contests:

www.freelancewriting.com/content/browse-contests-7-1.html 

www.writersdigest.com/contests/ 

www.writers-editors.com/Writers/Contests/contest.htm 

www.writerswrite.com/classads/writingcontests/ 

www.placesforwriters.com/archives/contests/ 

www.winningwriters.com 

www.pw.org/mag/classifieds.htm#cont 

www.proofpositive.com/contests/writecontests.htm 

www.nlapw.com/contests.html

 

Question for Ask Wendy

Q: “What happens when a publisher with a submission guideline of’query only’ receives a query letter that accompanies a manuscript? I would think that way if they’re interested in reading the ms. it’s right there, and if not they can chuck it. Is it viewed as such an affront such that there are audible gasps in the room when the envelope is opened or is the envelope not even opened, based on its weight? Or could it just be that too many mss. clutter the office? Seems after reading countless times that editors just want a good manuscript, that it’s anathema to this perspective that a query letter that doesn’t dazzle can’t keep them from reading a book that does. And by not accepting mss. they are hurting the economy due to the lower cost of postage. Thanks – G”

A: From everything I’ve read, the agent’s guidelines (such as “query only”) are in place for a reason: it’s just too time-consuming to read manuscripts. I do not recommend sending a complete manuscript (or for that matter, a synopsis or proposal) if the guidelines specifically say “query only.” If anything, it will likely make the agent think that either A) you didn’t bother to read their guidelines before submitting or B) you read their guidelines and completely ignored them. If you read articles on agents’ biggest ‘pet peeves,’ almost all mention “writers not following our guidelines for submission.” My suggestion is to write a great query letter that makes them WANT to request the full manuscript. Thanks for the question!

10 QUESTIONS FOR…Marilyn Meredith -writes a mystery series & crime series!

Author interview with Marilyn Meredith

I’m the author of over 25 books, most of them mysteries. I write two series, the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series and the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series. I also do some ghost writing. I live in the foothills of the Central Coast in a town much like Bear Creek where my heroine, Tempe, lives. I belong to three chapters of Sisters in Crime and I’m on the board of the Public Safety Writers Association, and I also belong to Epic and MWA.

1. Tell us about your latest book.

In Dispel the Mist, Tempe investigates the murder of a popular county supervisor and has an encounter with the Hairy Man. The Hairy Man is similar to Big Foot, but he resides in the mountains above the Bear Creek Indian Reservation. The Hairy Man is really a Tule River Indian legend—but I borrowed him for this mystery.

2. How did you get started as a writer?

I’ve written since I was a kid. However, I didn’t get published until 1981. My first book was a historical family saga based on my own family’s genealogy.

After writing a second one based on the other side of the family, I began writing mysteries since that’s what I like most to read.

3. What does a typical day look like for you?

Usually I check my emails first—I shouldn’t, but I always want to see if there’s something important that I need to take care of. If I have a work-in-progress, that’s the next thing on my list. Right now I’m involved with promoting Dispel the Mist, so I’m doing things like making posters for my in-town personal appearances and promoting them and other physical appearances on the Internet. Because I’m doing a virtual book tour as well, I’m spending some time doing interviews like this. Actually, I enjoy them.

4. Describe your workspace.

I have a nice office with my desktop computer, two printers, two bookcases filled with books and supplies, a long table for piling things up that I’m planning to take this place or that. There is one window where I can look out at the foothills and the high mountains beyond.

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

Before I was published it was always the Writers Market. I have a lot of writing books, but my favorite book is my thesaurus to help me find descriptive action verbs.  I also have several books about Native Americans and Indian legends. I refer to them sometimes to find good quotes for book titles.

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

My crazy days are long past. I’ve got a big family; we raised five children, now have eighteen grandchildren and eleven great grandkids.  I’ve been married to the same man for nearly 58 years and he’s still my best friend. We love to travel and have fun going to mystery conferences and conventions in new places we’ve never visited before.

7. Favorite quote

“I’m too blessed to be stressed.” And I live by that.

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

Best part about being a writer is letting my imagination go wild and seeing the people who live inside my mind live out their lives in the pages of the books I write. I love it when a reader tells me they loved a book of mine.  The worst part of being a writer is not having enough time to do all the things I’d like to do.

9. Advice for other writers

Never give up.  My first book was rejected nearly 30 times before it was finally accepted.  Don’t pay anyone in order to be published. If your book is good enough, you’ll find a publisher one day.  To be a writer you need to sit in front of your computer and write every day, or at least nearly every day.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience. 

It’s a wonder I didn’t give up somewhere along the line. I’ve had two publishers die on me. I had two publishers who were crooks. One was actually put in jail and the other one took off never to be found, as far as I know. I had one publisher who never bothered to pay me my royalties even though I knew books were being bought. I’ve had two publishers who decided to quit the business. That’s why I say “never give up.” At the moment I have two very good—and honest—publishers.

Where can people buy your books?

Dispel the Mist can be purchased from the publisher http://www.mundaniapress.com as an e-book or trade paperback. It is also available from other bookstores.

You can read the first chapter of Dispel the Mist on my website: http://fictionforyou.com

My blog is http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

10 QUESTIONS FOR…mystery series author Elizabeth Zelvin

Author interview with Elizabeth Zelvin

Elizabeth Zelvin is a New York City psychotherapist whose mystery series from Minotaur Books features recovering alcoholic Bruce Kohler. Death Will Get You Sober appeared in 2008. Library Journal called it “a remarkable and strongly recommended first novel.” Death Will Help You Leave Him is just out. One short story was nominated for an Agatha award; another appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine; a third is included in the holiday crime anthology The Gift of Murder, to benefit Toys for Tots.

1. Tell us about your latest book.

Death Will Help You Leave Him is the second in my mystery series about recovering alcoholic Bruce Kohler and his friends, computer genius Jimmy and world-class codependent Barbara. It’s all about bad relationships: domestic violence and being hooked on someone who’s in some way unavailable. When a friend’s abusive boyfriend is murdered in her apartment, she becomes the prime suspect. Bruce has to juggle the investigation, his sobriety, a crush on the bereaved girlfriend, and the lure of his compelling but destructive ex-wife, who’s on a collision course of her own. The sleuthing takes him to a funeral in Brooklyn, an Italian bakery, a lingerie boutique on Madison Avenue, and an art gallery in SoHo. In the end, he has to make some hard choices. And of course he finds the murderer.

2. How did you get started as a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since the age of 7, when I read L.M. Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon. Like Montgomery’s more famous Anne of Green Gables, Emily was a little orphan girl on Prince Edward Island, but Emily had a burning desire to write and took a lot of flak about it. I worked in publishing back in the days when every woman had to start as a secretary, hoping it would help me get a novel published, but I ended up editing accounting textbooks. Then I started writing poetry. I dreamed of publishing the first novel at 24, but it didn’t happen. I didn’t get published till my late thirties, though I eventually published two books of poetry. I wrote three mysteries that were agented but didn’t sell in the Seventies. My first novel finally came out on my sixty-fourth birthday.

3. What does a typical day look like for you?

I usually spend my whole day at the computer, flipping back and forth between my professional work (more about that below), writing, and the huge amount of networking and promotion that goes with being a writer nowadays. I wish I could say that I start working on the current manuscript without opening my email first, but I can’t. I’ve recently joined Facebook, and it’s already brought me promotion opportunities and maybe some readers, but I keep an eye on the clock and don’t let myself get lost in it. At some point I go out and run for an hour—around the Central Park reservoir when I’m at home in the city, someplace beautiful, preferably near water, anywhere else.

4. Describe your workspace.

I have two: one in Manhattan and the other in my little house on eastern Long Island. I’m in that one right now, and it’s my laptop on a little computer table looking out at my garden and bird feeders. When I look up, I also see a sign that’s my mantra for the first draft: “Just Keep Telling the Story!” That’s to stop me from trying to edit or censor myself before I get to the end. Revision comes later. In the city, it’s a desktop computer and a lot bigger desk, and I have my back to the window. When I look up, I’m looking at a portrait of my mother that an admirer painted in her youth. Family legend claims that his wife was so jealous she insisted on being there during the sittings. My mother was a lawyer and a big role model for me. She died ten years ago at the age of 96. She would have been thrilled about my novels but baffled that I chose to write mysteries. I don’t have the luxury of a room with a door I can close in either place, but I get the alone time I need, and that works for me. I don’t understand people who write their novels in Starbucks.

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

My very favorite book is Lois McMaster Bujold’s A Civil Campaign, which is part of the Miles Vorkosigan science fiction series. It’s a brilliant, laugh-out-loud funny cross between space opera and comedy of manners with some of the most memorable and lovable characters in fiction. The author I’ve discovered recently whose work I’ve enjoyed most is Ariana Franklin, who’s written Mistress of the Art of Death and two sequels about a 12th century woman pathologist in Henry II’s England. Again, it’s the endearing characters that get me every time.

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

1. I’m a shrink. I directed alcohol treatment programs and had a private practice in Manhattan for many years, but now, I do online therapy. I work with clients from all over the world by chat and email on my therapy website at LZcybershrink.com.

2. I’ve been to Timbuctoo. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa in the Sixties and had a short but magical visit to this city that was a cultural and commercial center 500 years ago and now looks (or did when I was there) like a bunch of sandcastles in the desert.

3. I played Nashville this summer. At the mystery conference Killer Nashville back in August, the guest of honor, J.A. Jance, was given a gorgeous black guitar at the awards dinner. I borrowed it and sang “Long Black Veil,” which is probably the best paranormal murder ballad ever written.

7. Favorite quote

E.M. Forster’s tag for Howard’s End: “Only connect.” That’s what it’s all about for me, whether it’s as a writer, a therapist, a performer, or just a person: moving people to tears or laughter, listening—really listening—sharing myself and getting intimate glimpses of others.

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

The best part is those moments when the voice is coming through you from some mysterious place and all you have to do is write it down before it disappears. “The Muse,” or “inspiration” isn’t some abstract concept. Those are names writers in different eras have given to a very particular experience, when the words kind of tug at the inside of your head and you simply must get to pen and paper or a keyboard. For me, they have a maddening way of coming when I’m out running or in the shower. It’s a challenge to get them down when you’re, um, unclothed and dripping wet without frying the keyboard.

The worst part is the first draft—no contest. I’m an into-the-mist writer, not an outliner, and when I write the first draft, I’m driven by fear that I won’t be able to get to the end of the story. Sometimes it’s torture—the exact opposite of that “I am just a channel” state that’s the best part.

9. Advice for other writers

It takes talent, persistence, and luck to get published. To encourage the talent, you have to read, read, read and write, write, write. You can’t do anything about the luck except not quit five minutes before the miracle. Beyond that, it’s persistence, persistence, persistence. And get critique. Be willing to kill your darlings.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience. Can be funny, embarrassing, inspirational, etc.  

I wrote the first draft of my first mystery years before I finished it in 2002. It wasn’t published till 2008, and by that time it had undergone a lot of revision. In fact, I rewrote the whole thing before St. Martin’s offered me a contract. But the first scene, when Bruce wakes up in detox on the Bowery on Christmas Day and realizes he needs to change his life, struck me as just right, so I didn’t tinker with it beyond taking out an adverb or two when I realized they’re frowned on by writing mavens who think they weaken one’s prose. A lot of people, including my legendary editor, her assistant, a copy editor, and a proofreader had seen the manuscript before it was finally set in type. When I got the galleys, I knew any changes at that point would be expensive, so it would be better not to make any, except to correct any typos. When I got to page 2, I was horrified to see that the patients in the detox were smoking in bed, and the nun didn’t say a word about it. That was okay when I wrote the scene—as it was when I first worked on the Bowery—but not in 2008. I changed it.

Death Will Help You Leave Him is available in “brick & mortar” mystery, independent, and chain bookstores as well as online bookstores starting October 13. For more information about Liz and her books, check out her author website at www.elizabethzelvin.com. Liz blogs with other mystery authors on Poe’s Deadly Daughters at www.poesdeadlydaughters.blogspot.com and can be found on Facebook and MySpace.

 

 

10 QUESTIONS FOR…Cindy Hudson, “The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs”

Author interview with Cindy Hudson

Q. Tell us about your latest book?

A. It’s called Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs and it just landed on bookstore shelves last week. I worked hard to make it a practical guide that provides step-by-step information to help moms form successful book clubs with their daughters and keep them going strong for years down the road. I’m a founding member of two long-term book clubs with my own daughters, and a lot of the advice comes from my own experience. But it also comes from moms in book clubs across the U.S., parenting experts, librarians, authors, booksellers and others.

Q. How did you get started as a writer?

A. I was hooked on the writing bug when I won first place for a short story I wrote during a Beta Club convention in high school. When I was first starting my career though, I didn’t think writing on my own was a very practical way to make money. So I worked in corporate marketing departments writing brochures, newsletters, ad campaigns, bulletins and pretty much anything else that needed words on a page. I really enjoyed taking dry subjects and turning them into something that someone would actually want to pick up and read.

But then a few years ago I decided I wanted to focus on writing about things that were important to me, so I stepped out to start freelancing on my own.

Q. What does a typical day look like for you?

A. I wake up, shower, cook breakfast, make a lunch for my daughter to take for school and get her out the door by seven. Then I relax over my own breakfast before sitting down at my computer at eight. Mornings are my most productive time and I warm up at my desk by answering emails, updating my status on Facebook and writing a blog entry. Then I get into the meatier projects. When I was working on my book, that’s when I would write my chapters. Now, I’m writing essays and presentations. I also have a small, weekly newspaper column I write. After lunch I get back into action by answering emails again and doing something to promote my book. Then I write some more. My goal is to be done with anything major by the time my daughter gets home at three. Then it’s time for household chores, homework help and cooking dinner.

Q. Describe your workspace

A. I have a wonderful little office with windows looking out on the street. It faces south, and filtered sunlight comes in from a couple of trees out front. That means I get to be in tune with (but not distracted by) the things going on in my neighborhood during the day. I also get to see birds flit in and out of the trees.

Q. What are your favorite books (especially for writers)?

A. Fictional writers who brilliantly string together words on a page are my biggest inspiration to write the best I can, even though I’m writing non-fiction. Three favorite books that I can read over and over again (and have) are:

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• Burr by Gore Vidal

I like to read writing books that inspire me to sell my work.  In addition to your guide to query letters, which reminds me all the time of how to focus on what an editor is looking for, I also like:

• Writer Mama: How to Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids by Christina Katz
• Six Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Gide to Making More Money by Kelly James-Enger
• The Renegade Writer by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell

Q. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you.

1. I once thought I was being hired to edit a magazine but ended up selling advertising and driving a limousine instead (very young and naïve).
2. I’m from Louisiana and some of my favorite foods are fried frog legs, hog head cheese and cracklins.
3. Even though I now live in Portland, Oregon, I still jump up and down and scream out loud when I watch LSU football games, even if I’m only watching in my family room.

Q. Favorite quote?

A. From Gore Vidal on advice to young people: “Read, read, read. And don’t worry so much about what other people think about you. It’s far more interesting to consider what you think about them.”

Q. Best and worst part of being a writer?

Best: Setting my own hours, discovering new things to write about, connecting with other writers.

Worst: Setting my own (sometimes late) hours, drawing a blank when it’s time to write, and too many hours sitting at my desk.

Q. Advice for other writers?

A. Find something you’re really passionate about to write on so you’re less likely to get tired of writing.

Q. Tell us a story about your writing experience.

A. I find it’s helpful to start a piece, organize my thoughts, then leave and go for a walk. While I’m walking the details of my story will start to gel into a bigger picture. I come back refreshed, with new ideas for organizing and writing whatever I’m working on.

Where can people buy your book?

My favorite independent bookstore is Powell’s [http://www.powells.com/biblio/7-9781580052993-1]. You can also get it on Amazon.com [http://www.amazon.com/Book-Complete-Guide-Creating-Mother-Daughter/dp/1580052991/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254018759&sr=8-1] or at your favorite bookstore.

Also look for ideas and tips for your mother daughter book club at Mother Daughter Book Club.com [http://www.motherdaughterbookclub.com].

10 QUESTIONS FOR “Thirsty” author Kristin Bair O’Keeffe

Author interview with Kristin Bair O’Keeffe

I’m a writer, a writing teacher, and the curator of “Out Loud: The Shanghai Writers Literary Salon.” My work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Poets & Writers Magazine, The Baltimore Review, and The Gettysburg Review, and I write a monthly column about writing fiction for WritersontheRise.com. I live in Shanghai, China, with my husband and daughter. Thirsty is my first novel.

1. Tell us about your latest book.

Thirsty is the story of one woman’s unusual journey through an abusive marriage, set against the backdrop of a Pittsburgh steel community at the turn of the twentieth century. Klara Bozic marries young, immigrates to America, and discovers her husband is angry and abusive. She is a woman without a voice, a woman constrained by religion, class, gender, and economics, but still she has to figure out if she has the courage to change her path in life (a question we all come up against at one point or another). Thirsty is the story of her journey.

2. How did you get started as a writer?

I wrote my first poem—“The Hummingbird”—when I was eight. (I still have it.) After that I was obsessed with writing. I wrote poems, short stories, and during middle school, a series of parodic plays about my older sister and her friends. While other kids were dallying around at the mall, I was sitting under a tree scribbling in my journal. I majored in English and journalism as an undergrad at Indiana University, and studied poetry there with some amazing poets (including Lynda Hull and Yusef Komunyakaa). I wrote the first draft of Thirsty as my graduate thesis at Columbia College Chicago.

3. What does a typical day look like for you?

5:00 a.m. – Wake. Go to gym.

6:15 a.m. – Check email/Twitter/Facebook. Say hi to world. See what I missed overnight.

6:45 a.m. – Tully (my 20-month-old daughter) wakes.

6:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Tully time.

12:00 – 5:00 – Write. Ponder. Work.

5:00 – 7:00 – Tully time.

7:00 – 7:30 – Eat. Talk with husband.

7:30 – 10:00 – Write. Ponder. Work.

10:00 – 10:30 – Read in bed.

10:30 – Crash.

4. Describe your workspace.

My apartment in the French Concession area of Shanghai sits at the intersection of two streets: Wulumuqi Road and Anfu Road. Wulumuqi Road is still part of old China; here I can have a live chicken killed and plucked for dinner, get a couple of frogs skinned for lunch, or buy xiaolongbao from street vendors. Anfu Road represents new China; here I can sip a glass of wine at a French wine bar, have a slice of thin-crust pizza at an Italian restaurant, get my nails done, or have a silky dress made at an upscale tailor shop.

While I often hole up in my home office when I’m working hard on a project, I spend an equal amount of time in one of the many coffee shops at the intersection of Wulumuqi and Anfu roads. As a writer, I’m inspired by place, and there’s no better place for a little inspiration than this intersection in Shanghai, China. I see it all. (Then I write it down.)

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

Here are five books that have wowed me in the past couple of years. I’ve read all of them more than once:

• · Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
• · The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
• · Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• · The Known World by Edward P. Jones
• · The Gathering by Anne Enright

(I also think that Steve Almond is inappropriately hilarious and should be read out loud to friends at least once a week, Haruki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is brilliant, and Mark Haddon is a master of point of view.)

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

Between 1998 and 2002, I spent three seasons on a 588,000-acre ranch in New Mexico where I saw more bears and elk than people, learned to shoot a gun, and became a terrible, but passionate fly-fisherwoman.

I am Meat Loaf’s greatest fan. (I’ve seen him perform numerous times, grabbed his belly at a record label meet-and-greet, and served homemade meat loaf to friends for dinner before concerts.)

I suffer terrible vertigo.

7. Favorite quote

“’There is no use trying,’ said Alice; ‘one can’t believe impossible things.’ ‘I dare say you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’” – from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

First drafts are excruciating for me; when I’m writing them I feel like I’m being turned inside-out. I love writing second (and third, fourth, fifth) drafts. That’s when the fun begins, when things flow, when I can really dive deep.

9. Advice for other writers

For me, there are two parts to being a writer:

1)   the mystery of discovering and writing stories

2)   the business of finding homes for those stories

Keep those two parts separate. Trust the mystery of your story as you’re writing it. Listen to it. Breathe it in. Breathe it out. See it in your dreams. Carry it on your daily walk to the river. And once you’ve got a story finished, believe in it. Then work hard to find a home for it.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience. 

I read everything I write out loud. Over and over again. Whether I’m alone in my office or sitting in a crowded restaurant. Last year I was reading a piece out loud in a local Shanghai coffee shop when I realized an entire table of Chinese teenagers was staring at me. The funny thing was, they weren’t bothered by the fact that I was reading out loud, but were listening to practice understanding English.

Where can people buy your book?

Thirsty has a great Web site and a very cool book trailer. Visit it at http://www.thirstythenovel.com. You can buy Thirsty at your local indie bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or the Swallow Press Web site. I’d be eternally grateful if you ran out and bought a copy right now. Then stop by my blog, leave a comment, or ask me a question (http://kristinbairokeeffeblog.com).

Follow Me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kbairokeeffe

Friend Me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Kristin.Bair.OKeeffe

10 QUESTIONS FOR … Bill Hunt, author of “A Full-Grown Man”

Author interview with Bill Hunt

I was born and reared on a sugarcane plantation in Louisiana; the son of the overseer, at a time when “plantations” were run nearly the same as before the Civil War. Much of my time was spent in the Quarters where the field hands lived. I went to all-white schools and churches, and at a young age, became troubled by segregation and how my friends in the Quarters lived. I graduated the University of Louisiana – Lafayette, the first college in Louisiana to open its doors to African Americans in 1954.  In the military, I spent time in Alaska, and then returned to graduate school.

My first book, “The Last Witness from a Dirt Road” is a fictionalized memoir, written in the voice of a twelve-year-old white boy, coming of age with his Black friend Papa, both sons of a Deep South plantation in Louisiana. It was a 2006 SIBA award nominated book, and I’ve lectured it at three universities (assigned reading at two), and one chapter was written into a three-voice, one-hour play, “Black Mama and Saturday Night Ball,” performed at four high schools during Black History Month. The last performance was at a dinner theater for 250 paying guests.  Recently, “Willie,” a short story about a smart, strong black woman struggling out of poverty and ignorance in the 1920s in New Orleans, was serialized in an area newspaper.  My writings usually have venues with which I’m familiar and happy, and about ordinary people, besieged by extraordinary events in life.

With my wife, I’m retired and live in the Tennessee Valley of North Alabama.

1.    Tell us about your latest book.

“A Full-Grown Man” is my second novel. The story begins in 1951 when a seventeen-year-old kid in a small backwater, Louisiana town falls in love with a sophisticated older woman, a visiting artist from New York.  With a troubled mother, conniving and difficult, even from her grave, Ben Bennefield loses his future, finding himself bound to a life he didn’t want, a cotton farmer on a family farm, and burdened by the secrets of a dysfunctional family. The intertwined characters are wonderfully defined; time and place envelopes the reader, and an old landmark, The Gold Dust Bridge, becomes an acclaimed character as well as an applauded work-of-art in a museum in New York. “The story has it all: suspense, unrequited love and purloined letters, the grittiness of life couched in polite language that never strays into vulgarity. It’s a book for anyone who wants to understand how early experiences can shape a lifetime.” (K. Middleton, News Courier, June 19, 2009) “Reminiscent of The Bridges of Madison County and The Notebook in its sensitive and insightful exploration of intimate relationships, A Full-Grown Man is a compelling and suspense-filled story of love and loss.” (P.J. Laubenthal, Ph.D.) 

2.    How did you get started as a writer?

By hand, in a spiral notebook, starting in 1982, I jotted made notes about events in my childhood and youth on a working plantation where I had lived. In 2003, I decided to document the stories on my computer for my children and grandchildren to find one day. A close friend, a retired Judge, saw print-outs on my desk and asked if he could read them. A few days later, he returned them, commenting that they were too good to sit on a shelf. Two weeks later, I had completed a rough draft of my first novel, “The Last Witness from a Dirt Road,” and sent it to a woman in Boston, a Harvard graduate, a librarian. She agreed enthusiastically with the Judge.

3.    What does a typical day look like for you?

Fool around reading papers till nine. Open emails, delete most and answer few. I walk to the Athens Square, a half block away, to Pablo’s, a local book store where everybody knows everybody. Over coffee, or tea, we gossip, fuss about Washington and stretch the truth about unimportant things, and laugh a lot. Around eleven, I return to my office, and open whatever I’m writing. Within five minutes, I know if the day will be a good “writing day” or a day I struggle to pull something out of my head. If I see that I’m going to fight about it, I read instead, or pay bills, or go far a walk to the college. After lunch, EVERY DAY, I take a thirty-five and half minute nap, no clock needed, and then return to my computer. Most of the time, I feel inspired to think-it, and write-it. Sometimes, inspiration last till five or six. If I’m not tired by then, I go home anyway, knowing that my day, all of it, was good.

4.    Describe your workspace.

My office is half a block off The Athens Square, where a gorgeous courthouse has sat since 1924, held up by four Corinthian Columns on all four sides. My office is a building twenty feet wide and ninety feel long, where I look up through the rafters and beams to see the ceiling, the roof deck 22 feet up. Three sky-lights bring in the sun. The floors are eight inch yellow pine, stained light brown. The side walls are the brick walls of the buildings on each side. On the wall on the North side are limestone headers and footers of the windows of the first Methodist Church built in 1836. The inside walls are painted white and where I work is mid-way from the front door to the back door, a space 20 by 20, with a fireplace on the South wall. My desk is six feet by four feet, and I’ve sat behind it with a long credenza in back of me for forty-one years. My computer is to my right. Across my desk are two leather chairs, both with cracks in the leather, a lamp on a table and high on the wall is a “muted” TV that has been set on the Financial Channel since around 1991, when I bought these marvelous quarters from a going out-of-business architect.  Along the walls are paintings, oils, acrylics, and watercolors, done by my two sisters who taught art for fifty years in Louisiana, and in the past twenty years, I’ve added more art in oils and acrylics done by my identical twin daughters who both teach art … one in a studio on The Athens Square and the other on Goodrich Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. I’ve much to inspire me.

5. Favorite books.

“In Cold Blood.” I like Capote’s writing. The story is treacherous.  Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, and I believe she wrote it, not Capote. Pat Conroy is good … Beach Music; and I like bio’s … Marlon Brando’s was excellent, and I never liked him until “The Godfather” movie series came along.  A new one: The Kite Runner.

6.    Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you.

1. 1. The glass is always more than half full for me. As a kid in school, I never knew anyone I “hated,” not even my teachers, and I felt at times that I just might not be normal, because my friends always had someone about whom they would say, “I hate ‘um.”
   2.  I consider myself a “closet writer.” I write first for the joy of uniting words into a believable story, often nothing more than tidbits about ordinary people with exciting events in their normal lives; some with secrets I’ve heard about.  Later, I scalp the vignettes for the characters, and maybe for the exciting event.
   3. I shutter inside when I’m introduced as “the author” or “he writes.” I’ve had no class-room training to be a “writer,” and I feel that two books don’t warrant the compliment. By nature, I’m shy, so I shutter about a lot of things, except when I’m writing or doing a book read. I’m a story teller – that’s all.
   4. 7.    Favorite quote.

“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”  I never voted for John F. Kennedy; never liked politics, either, but I’m a true patriot for my country. My “stars and stripes” is big, and I wave it often.  JFK’s quote is timeless and universal. With variations in wording, I reared my four kids by it.

8.    Best and worst part of being a writer.

A new world was opened for me when I started writing, seriously writing, putting thoughts onto paper, thoughts that normally bounced around with inconsistent examination, and no destination. For much of my life, I’ve looked at “confession” as a means for self-examination, and prayer, too; writing is similar. You can argue your case, your story, honestly and genuinely, with yourself, and with God, if you so choose. I like that.

The worst part is asking a person to buy my book.

9.    Advice for other writers.

Read what you enjoy reading, hopefully good books by good writers; write the way you write to say what you’re saying; be patient, always patient; don’t ask friends what they “think,” unless you’re such close friends, she or he is willing to break your heart, and you’ll both get over it. (A wife can do it, especially if she’s an avid reader, and still loves you, like mine.) Or pay a critic reader if you’ve reached that point in your manuscript. Study the publishing industry; learn to recognize the gimmickry, and everything they say should be examined during “confession,” and remember, patience, patience, patience. First class query letters, hopefully a great literary agent, can work wonders for authors, but first and foremost, you must write and give them a great story in a near perfect manuscript.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience.

Finally, after four months, and with my self-composed query letter, a publisher agreed to accept particular info and a summary. I did so, and waited six more weeks before I heard back with encouraging news, and then  I asked one more question about time elements in their process. After five weeks, I’d heard nothing and figured I had asked one-too-many questions, so I signed a contract with a publisher with whom I did not want to go, except to end a long and tiring ordeal of querying and waiting. (Impatience.) Two days later, the publisher I’d queried and wanted, asked for my manuscript. No, I’ll never know, but I’m fairly certain they would have published A Full-Grown Man.

Where to buy my book, “A Full-Grown Man”:

Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Borders and all online bookstores. Any bookstore in the USA can order through distributors, Ingram or Baker and Taylor, or direct from publisher: IUniverse.com for an additional discount.

See my Web site: billhuntbooks.com, or email bunkyboy@pclnet.net

10 QUESTIONS FOR…Shobhan Bantwal, author of “The Sari Shop Widow”

Author interview with Shobhan Bantwal

Shobhan Bantwal calls her writing Bollywood in a Book, commercial fiction about India, women’s issues, and socio-political topics, with romantic and cultural elements. Her articles and stories have appeared in The Writer, Romantic Times, India Abroad, Little India, Desi Journal, New Woman, and India Currents. Her short fiction has won honors/awards in contests by Writer’s Digest, New York Stories & New Woman magazines. Her debut book, THE DOWRY BRIDE, won the 2008 Golden Leaf Award. Visit her website: www.shobhanbantwal.com

1. Tell us about your latest book.

THE SARI SHOP WIDOW is my third novel published by Kensington Publishing. Set on the streets of Edison, New Jersey’s Little India, it tells the story of a young businesswoman who rediscovers the magic of love, family, and her roots as she fights to save her failing sari boutique. Caught between her growing affection for the man who helps her with her financial crisis and her loyalty to her parents and her business, she is forced to make a life-altering decision.

2. How did you get started as a writer?

My writing career began as a “menopausal epiphany.” Along with hot flashes, insomnia, hair loss, and mood swings came a sudden and unexpected urge to write stories in my middle age. What started as an absorbing hobby to keep myself busy when my husband was working on a long-term out of state business project turned into a second full-time occupation. I now have a day job which is quite demanding and a writing career that is equally challenging. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to be sure I am not dreaming all this. My family keeps me grounded and supports me through the bad and good phases of being a writer.

3. What does a typical day look like for you?

I’m up at around 4:30 a.m. on weekday mornings and turn on my computer even before my eyes are fully open. I make myself a cup of tea and start working on my writing for about an hour or more. Then I walk on the treadmill for a mile before showering and getting dressed to go to my day job with the state government of New Jersey, the job that pays the bills and puts food on the table. Trying to juggle two full-time careers is overwhelming to say the least, but the love of writing is addictive.

4. Describe your workspace.

My husband (who is now retired and tends to my website and my business needs) and I share a home office, which is really an extra bedroom converted into a work space. We often sit before our individual computers at opposite ends of the room. We share two crowded bookshelves, a futon inherited from our daughter’s college days, and a coffee table piled with boxes, magazines, and a variety of junk. The one thing that keeps it cozy is the sense of togetherness, something that I cherish immensely. My husband and I do almost everything together.

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass is something I refer to every now and then. But my favorites on the bookshelf are still fiction that I have loved and re-read many times. To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and prejudice, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, and The Notebook are a few I can name.

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

• I used to do standup comedy routines at Indian-American conventions before I decided to try my hand at creative writing. Old-fashioned Indian audiences were shocked to see a middle-aged Indian woman work up enough nerve to get up on stage to tell silly jokes to audiences of over a thousand.
• I was a tomboy in my childhood. That by itself is not all that significant unless one takes into consideration that I was born in a conservative little town in India in a Hindu Brahmin family with four sisters who were the epitome of proper behavior for girls raised in a strict atmosphere. I was the fourth of five girls, and every gray hair my parents had was probably from the grief and frustration I gave them.
• Despite my rebelliousness in my youth I settled for an arranged marriage nearly 36 years ago. I am still happily married to the same man and we are still joined at the hip, as they say. 

7. Favorite quote

This is one of my favorites and is by Aldous Huxley. “A bad book is as much of a labor to write as a good one; it comes as sincerely from the author’s soul.”

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

The kind and encouraging words from loyal readers is definitely the most uplifting part of being a writer. The creative aspect of converting an idea swirling in the mind into a full-length novel is also something I find very fulfilling. The worst part is the book marketing and promotion side of it. Not being a very marketing-savvy individual and having no interest in social networking over the Internet (MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) I find it extremely stressful to promote my books.

9. Advice for other writers

If it is your dream to be a published writer, then never give up on that dream. The world of creative writing, especially fiction, is a hard nut to crack, so you need to grow a very thick skin when it comes to rejections and bad reviews, but achieving that dream is well worth weathering the negative aspects. I would say keep on plugging away till you succeed.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience. Can be funny, embarrassing, inspirational, etc. 

I am the proverbial square peg in a round hole because my books do not fit into any genre. My fiction is “Bollywood in a Book,” commercial fiction — stories with romance, drama, high emotions, and a great degree of cultural detail. When I started querying literary agents some four years ago, I often got back responses like, “So, what exactly can your manuscript be labeled, chick-lit, women’s fiction, romance, mystery?” I had no precise answer for them, so I rarely wrote back to them for fear of sounding like an idiot. I am lucky that a highly reputable literary agent (the same agent who represents Khaled Hosseini of The Kite Runner fame) never asked me such a question. She liked my unusual stories and the fact that they were so refreshingly diverse from the usual somber literary fiction by other South Asian authors.

For a preview of the book, visit – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9uRlbkxxes

 

Order Your Copy at Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Sari-Shop-Widow-Shobhan-Bantwal/dp/0758232020 

For more information on Shobhan Bantwal’s new and other books and to enter a drawing to win a number of prizes, please go to her website’s “Contests” page and sign up between Sept 1 and Sept 30, 2009 at www.shobhanbantwal.com

Full September Virtual Tour Details – http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/07/sari-shop-widow-by-shobhan-bantwal.html 

 

About The Sari Shop Widow

Pungent curry, sweet fried onions, incense, colorful beads, and lush fabrics – THE SARI SHOP WIDOW is a novel set on the streets of Edison, New Jersey’s Little India, where a young businesswoman rediscovers the magic of love and family. When Anjali Kapadia’s posh sari boutique in New Jersey is on the verge of financial ruin, her wealthy uncle from India comes to her rescue. 

But the wily, dictatorial uncle arrives with some unpleasant surprises—a young Indo-British partner named Rishi Shah for one—and a startling secret that disturbs Anjali.

Falling in love with the mysterious Shah only adds to Anjali’s burgeoning list of complications. Torn between her loyalty to her family and her business on the one hand and her growing attraction for a man who could never fit into her life on the other, Anjali turns to her family and cultural roots to make a life-altering decision.

About Shobhan Banwal

Shobhan Bantwal calls her writing “Bollywood in a Book,” romantic, colorful, action-packed tales, rich with elements of her own Indian culture — stories that entertain and educate. She is an award-winning women’s fiction author of three published novels and has contributed to an anthology of short stories. Shobhan writes for a variety of publications including The Writer magazine, India Abroad, Little India, U.S. 1, Desi Journal, India Currents, Overseas Indian, and New Woman India. Her short stories have won honors/awards in contests sponsored by Writer’s Digest, New York Stories and New Woman magazines.