10 QUESTIONS FOR…Frances Cole Jones, author of “The Wow Factor”

Author interview with Frances Cole Jones

1. Tell us about your latest book:

The subtitle of The Wow Factor is “The 33 Things You Must (and Must Not) Do to Guarantee Your Edge in Today’s Business World.” The idea is that in this economic climate people need immediate, practical solutions for finding a job, positioning themselves for promotion, keeping their customers’ trust– generally maintaining their edge no matter what their situation. With this in mind The Wow Factor offers11 habits I’ve found my clients must have, 11 things I’ve realized they’ve must know, and 11 things I’ve discovered they can do today to be more effective tomorrow. My hope is that the readers of The Wow Factor will gain the tools they need to do the same.

2. How did you get started as a writer?

By being a lifelong reader— someone who can put words together effectively has always made me swoon. After that I was lucky enough to work with teachers and mentors who pushed me beyond– so far beyond—where I was comfortable. 

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

I get up about 5 a.m. and write until about 9 a.m. After that, I practice Ashtanga yoga; then I work with clients in the afternoon. In between, I’m usually walking my dog.

4. Describe your workspace

My workspace is anywhere I can open my computer—I’m not picky. I write at my desk, on my bed, on the sofa, on buses, trains, airplanes….

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott, Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger, Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner.

6. Tell us three interesting/crazy things about you

1. I’ve been practicing Ashtanga yoga for twelve years. Ashtanga asks you to be on the mat six days a week: you’re tired, you practice; you’re busy, you practice; you’re sad; you practice, etc. Incorporating this discipline into writing has been incredibly helpful.
2. Thanks to Ashtanga, I can stand on my hands and put my feet on my head—before I started I couldn’t touch my toes.
3. I consider brownies perfectly legitimate breakfast food.

7. Favorite quote

“Write toward vulnerability. Don’t worry about appearing sentimental. Worry about being unavailable; worry about being absent or fraudulent.”

                                                            Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

The best part of being a writer is getting paid to write—how extraordinary is that? I’m grateful because it’s a privilege. I don’t know that there is a worst part—I would say the hardest part is that moment about 1/3 of the way into the writing process when I inevitably say to myself, “Well, this is just absolutely awful and I have no idea how I’m going to make it work.”

9. Advice for other writers

Find people who will give you honest—constructive—feedback. It’s not enough to say, “This is just great!” Or “This isn’t working.” You need someone who can say, “This is great and here’s how I think it can be better.” Or, “This isn’t working but I think this is how you can make it work.”

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience. 

My writing experience was a long time coming — when my agent first told me she thought I had a book in me, I told her I thought she was delusional. What I discovered, thanks to her patience, is that—for me—finding the right tone was the hardest part. Putting words together wasn’t tricky—putting them together in such a way that others responded to them was. We went through seventeen drafts of the manuscript for my first book before she thought it was ready to go out into the world- this is why I so strongly recommend finding someone you trust to give you feedback.

The Wow Factor is available on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/Wow-Factor-Things-Guarantee-Business/dp/034551789X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258350872&sr=8-1

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!

UK workshop for freelance journalists wanting more ‘corporate work’

Linda Jones, author of “The Greatest Freelance Writers Tips in the World” is holding a workshop for freelance journalists in London (Nov. 14) and Birmingham (Nov. 28). Topic include Ethics, Writing style, How to get work, Getting paid, and “Clients from hell.” Space is limited. To learn more, contact Linda directly:

linda@passionatemedia.co.uk   or   01543 468621

Need help with your logline or synopsis?

Writing a book? Trouble with the synopsis? Can’t quite get the logline to say what you want it to? Need a professional editor? Deb Courtney brings more than 20 years writing experience to assisting you with your writing-related needs. In one hour, Deb can take you from not really knowing how to explain your book, to a log-line ready to pitch. She is also taking on a limited number of synopsis writing, copy-editing, copywriting, and web contenting projects. Visit www.debcourtney.blogspot.com for base rates and contact information.

Publisher accepting nonfiction book proposals

Crown Publishing’s Ten Speed Press

Book subjects: cooking, how-to, crafts, gardening, relationships, how-to, gift, humor and pop culture, business

Guidelines to submit HERE:

http://tenspeed.crownpublishing.com/book-proposal-submissions/

Author interview with…Wendy Burt-Thomas

Hi all! I’m flying to NY for 8 days so I’m taking some liberties and running my own author interview. I’ll be back with new authors and writing contests around July 22.

Author interview with Wendy Burt-Thomas

Wendy Burt-Thomas is a full-time freelance writer, editor and PR consultant. She works from her home office in Colorado Springs – usually in pajamas or sweatpants. Wendy has written three books, and her fourth book comes out in April 2010. Her first two books, written with Erin Kindberg, were, “Oh, Solo Mia! The Hip Chick’s Guide to Fun for One” (2001, McGraw-Hill) and “Work It, Girl! 101 Tips for the Hip Working Chick” (2003, McGraw-Hill).

1. 1.    Tell us about your latest book.

“The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters” is a how-to book about getting published. It includes information on writing a query letter for magazines, agents, novels and nonfiction books.

The book was a great fit for me because I’d been teaching “Breaking Into Freelance Writing” for about eight years. In the workshop, I covered a lot of what is in this book: writing query letters to get articles in magazines, to land an agent, or to get a book deal with a publisher. Since I’m a full-time freelance magazine writer and editor with two previous books, this was incredibly fun to write because it didn’t require tons of research. I was lucky enough to receive lots of great sample query letters from writers and authors that I use as “good” examples in the book. I wrote all the “bad” examples myself because I didn’t dare ask for contributions that I knew I’d be ripping apart!

In addition to the ins and outs of what makes a good query, the book covers things like why (or why not) to get an agent, where to find one and how to choose one; writing a synopsis or proposal; selling different rights to your work; other forms of correspondence; and what editors and agents look for in new writers.

It was really important to me that the book not be a dry, boring reference book, but rather an entertaining read (while still being chock full of information). I was thrilled that Writer’s Digest let me keep all the humor.

2. How did you get started as a writer?

I’ve also been a writer. My dad is a writer (12 books, probably thousands of other published pieces) and I gave him a short story for his birthday one year (I think I was 7) and he read it aloud in church. I was hooked! My first paid piece was a poem I wrote at age 16. My dad sent it to a magazine on my behalf (without telling me) and I got an acceptance and check in the mail. I thought, “Wow! People paid me for my words? This is cool.” Yes, writing CAN be about the money too!

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

Send my kids off to a nearby home daycare (soon to be preschool!) and then spend at least an hour going through emails. Then I’m either writing (articles, a book, greeting cards), editing or doing PR coaching on the phone. I try not to work after my kids get home, other than posting my latest author interview and writing contests on Facebook and Twitter every night. (Twitter.com/WendyBurt)

4. Describe your workspace.

I have a cream and wood L-shaped desk , bookshelf and two matching filing cabinets that I just love. My office is in a sort of loft area on the second floor of our house, but now that we built our sunroom, I look out onto a tile roof. It’s probably for the best so I don’t procrastinate by watching our neighbor. Besides, the view out the picture window behind me is of Pikes Peak!

I’m not a clean freak, but I’m a bit of an organizational freak. There is dust behind my computer, but everything is it’s a labeled file. I have four Macs and often have two going at once.

 

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

“Lessons From a Lifetime of Writing” by David Morrell

“Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott

“On Writing” by Stephen King

Two new books for writers:

• “Get Known Before the Book Deal” by Christina Katz  (http://www.getknownbeforethebookdeal.com/)

• “Writing the Life Poetic” (http://writingthelifepoetic.typepad.com/) by Sage Cohen

Also, my dad, “The Sinister Minister” is the author of 12 books. (www.BurtCreations.com)

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

- A horse bit off the last knuckle on my right middle finger when I was 5.

- I once owned a muffin business in Vermont called Little Miss Muffin.

- I went to the University of Aberdeen (in Scotland) my junior year of college.

7. Favorite quote

“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

I love when I get to write humor and people email me to say that think I’m funny and that it made my book (like the query guide) fun to read, even though it’s an informational book. I’ve gotten more “fan mail” on this book than my first two combined and the emails make my day EVERY time.

I don’t like being at the mercy of my clients when it comes to deadlines because I have two little kids.

9. Advice for other writers

Seize every opportunity that comes along when you’re first starting off. Many of your regular writing gigs will be from repeat business and referrals.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience.

I was on a flight to NY skimming my first book for errors and the woman next to me leaned over and said, “Is that any good?” I laughed and said, “It had better be. I wrote it.”

 

Where can people buy my book(s)?

You can buy my latest book, “The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters” in most major bookstores (it’s usually right next to the Writers Market) or on Amazon.com.

Follow me on Twitter.com/WendyBurt or befriend me on Facebook or LinkedIn.

 

Need a writer, editor or proofreader?

Lauren Holder Raab of Blue Pencil Editing can help with your projects! She provides freelance writing, editing and proofreading services for a range of clients (individuals, nonprofits, Fortune 500 companies). Projects include books, magazines, marketing materials, technical documents, and Web sites. Check out her Web site: www.bluepencilediting.com and tell her Wendy sent you.

10 QUESTIONS FOR…Shel Horowitz, “Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers”

Author interview with Shel Horowitz

About Shel: “Marketing consultant and copywriter specializing in affordable, ethical, effective methods. Author of eight books, six of them on marketing. I live in a 1743 antique farmhouse on a working farm in Hadley, MA (we don’t farm it but our neighbors have 400 cows).”

1. Tell us about your latest book.

Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers is a comprehensive one-stop collection of ideas, strategies, and examples to differentiate your book in a marketplace with over 400,000 books published a year, just in the US. While it has two chapters on the bookstore system, it also covers many nontraditional ways to market books, including methods to get them bought in quantity. Full of examples of press releases, marketing plans, pitch letters, and much more. Also, when people buy the book directly from me at http://www.grassrootsmarketingforauthors.com, it comes with two extra e-books: How to Write and Publish a Marketable Book, and Web 2.0 marketing for the 21st Century (as well as assorted other goodies).

2. How did you get started as a writer?

I like to say I became a writer because I’m interested in almost everything. I started writing as the token liberal for my high school’s conservative underground newspaper (they ran my stuff with disclaimers!) in 1971 or 1972, and I’ve been writing ever since. I thought I’d make my living as a journalist, but instead, I’ve been running my commercial writing service since 1981.

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

I’m usually at the computer by 6:30 or so, and then I work in short bursts with lots of breaks–mostly because the computer makes my eyes very tired. Usually I mix various tasks during the day, so I don’t burn out on any of them. So for instance, I’ll alternate among my own writing projects, client projects, promotion/marketing, and trying to keep current in the e-mail deluge.

4. Describe your desk/workspace.

It’s messy. Usually there are several piles related to current projects, a bunch of business cards from recent networking events, and of course my iMac. Over on my right I have a shelf with the books I’ve written or those I’ve produced for clients, some basic office supplies, phone, and my credit card machine. The best part of my workspace is the view of the farm and the mountain behind it, and the second-best is the family cat, who is often parked directly to the left of my computer chair.

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

I have tremendous admiration for skilled novelists. I enjoy Alice Walker, Ray Bradbury, J.K. Rowling, Phillip Pullman, Mark Twain, Barbara Kingsolver, and dozens of others. I can explain how to do pretty much anything, but I have never succeeded with plots and characters. Nonfiction, I tend to read a lot of books on marketing and persuasion, including those by Mark Joyner, Joe Vitale, Jay Conrad Levinson, Dave Lakhani, Susan Harrow, David Ogilvy, Ted Nicholas, Claude Hopkins…and these have made a bigt difference in my 0own writing, especially in the writing I do for clients. I’m a voracious reader, usually have several books going at once. Of course, I’m a fan of my own books too, especially Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First–which I think could actually change the world.

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

1. My wife, novelist D. Dina Friedman (www.ddinafriedman.com), and I met at an open poetry reading in Greenwich Village, NYC, in 1978—and it turned out we went to the same high school. There’s a picture of us in my yearbook, next to each other in a crowd of people.

2. I decided to be a vegetarian at age 12, but my mom convinced me (and I didn’t have the Internet to prove her wrong) that I’d stunt my growth. So I waited until I was a 16. Still a vegetarian, as are Dina and the kids.

3. Going to Antioch College, where every three months I was thrown into the outside world and had to find housing, build community, etc. in a very short time before returning to campus three months later–and also being a member of a homestay organization (www.servas.org) for the last 25 years, made me a very good traveler. I can hit a strange city and very quickly figure out where I should go, what I should do, etc.

7. Favorite quotes

“Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity” (Horace Mann)

“It is a sin to be silent when it is your duty to protest” (Abraham Lincoln)

“Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can’t, you’re right” (Henry Ford)

“From Pacifica, this is Democracy Now” (Amy Goodman)

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

I’m the rare writer who actually loves writing! When I write for myself, it’s a doorway to exploring anything I want, and when I write for clients, it’s a fun challenge to make even dull-appearing subjects fascinating. I’ve had to learn to be temporarily excited about everything from accounting principles (the excitement on that one, I confess, didn’t last long) to water rights in Nepal—whatever my clients need marketing copy for.

The worst part is physical: eyestrain, repetitive stress issues in my hands, and the occasional backache. Alexander Technique, naps, vision therapy, and better glasses have helped somewhat, but it’s still frustrating. I could get SO much more done if my body would play nicely with the computer.

9. Advice for other writers

Sit down and write, stop making excuses. Learn to take advantage of short bits of free time. Back in 1991, I wrote big chunks of Marketing Without Megabucks during my daughter’s brief naps, using a primitive laptop and sitting on the porch while she napped in the playpen; some of these were only 15 minutes before she was up again. I snatched bits of time on the deck of a cruise ship to write the first 10,000 words of Principled Profit, not to mention a very detailed travel journal. Recognize that the NYC publishing process is closed to most people, but you can make a success through other paths (I’ve helped quite a few writers set up their own publishing companies and produce terrific books). If someone asks you to write “for exposure,” say yes when it makes sense and no when it doesn’t. (yes, sometimes it actually does.)

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience. 

A few years ago, I opened my e-mail and found an order for my $8.50 e-book on how to have fun cheaply—from Mark Joyner, an Internet marketing superstar and best-selling author of several business books published by John Wiley. When I acknowledged the order, I added a note offering to send a gratis copy of Principled Profit, which I thought would appeal to him. He loved the book and not only wrote a very nice testimonial but began a correspondence. He asked me to contribute an essay to his book The Great Formula, which I did–and which is one time that “exposure” turned out to be pretty decent pay, as that has led to some very good contacts. Then I asked him if he’d do a teleconference just for the members of my list and the listeners to my radio show, which he did. And then he asked me out of the blue if I’d like the contact information for his editor at Wiley. The result, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green, will be published next year, co-authored with another superstar, Jay Levinson. That’s another nice partnership related to the deal. I brought Jay in because I thought this was a strong fit with the branding he’d already done for 20+ years, and I knew I could benefit greatly from association with the Guerrilla Marketing brand. Everybody I talk to about this book is extremely enthusiastic and eager for the book to come out.

Where can people buy your books?

I’ve just set up a portal page leading to all my books, websites, blog, newsletters, etc., at http://shelhorowitz.com

10 QUESTIONS FOR…Melissa Giovagnoli, author (and founder) of “Networlding”

1. Tell us about your latest book.

Networlding is all about how to make Malcolm’s Gladwell’s best-selling book, The Tipping Point, work in today’s “Networked World.” It provides a seven-step, proven system (picked up by Yale University for example) for building effective networks that yield accelerated returns.

It helps companies and individuals accelerate goal achievement as it has the science of networks imbedded into the steps. The book is an evolution of another book I wrote on networking and decades of research on effective networking. Bottomline: it’s great for both people looking to grow new business opportunities or new career opportunities.

2. How did you get started as a writer?

I was a writer back when I was in college, taking every writing course I could find. But it was really after I started my own company after law school and trying out a big legal career that I decided what I really wanted to do was to go back to consulting. I was around when computers were first being used and I was able to “catch the wave” of the new world of work  that time brought forth.

I loved people and I loved computers and I also realized I wanted to help people start businesses, so I reached out to my network and found a publisher in Chicago, Dearborn Publishing, who took a deep interest in my first book idea—a resource book for entrepreneurs. That started my writing with my first book, The Chicago Entrepreneurs Sourcebook. That did well becoming one of the top 10 small business books in Chicago the year it came out. From there I just kept writing and now have 11 books out.

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

My day starts with calls from either author-to-be or from my alliance partners who work with me on our various projects. I am licensing out the Networlding methodology and now have five licensees this year having taken on five since January and with a goal to have ten by the end of the year. Therefore, daily, I’ll be working on some kind of support for the licensees, helping them market and develop their Networlding  practice. Our licensees come from all over the country and now are coming from outside of the country, so our conversations with them, by phone, focus on how to market effectively to people and companies in their respective communities to help these prospects understand the benefits of our methodology.

Other days I’ll be speaking at a conference as a keynoter or panelist on social media and networking. I usually don’t travel a lot any more. I try to send one of our virtual partners, first.

My day continues with  requests by email to help someone get a book written and marketed. Now we are growing out our publishing division so my days can also include identifying organizations—especially consulting firms who can really grow their market share by authoring books.

 

4. Describe your desk/workspace.

This is simple, I have a creative room (really!). It’s got a cool red coach and a simple dark oak desk with a Mac G5 on it, but I usually sit on my comfy red coach with my Mac Air on my lap. I just love the Mac Air. I can walk around with it and it is so light it almost floats. With it and a wireless headset, I feel like I am wired to the world.

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

Great question. Since I do so much book coaching I don’t read as much by other authors on writing books but, instead, do major research on the top-selling books. I analyze what makes those books sell and then try out those strategies with my authors. But I do like Julia Cameron’s, The Right to Write .

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

1. Everyone thinks I am so brave, but, really, I am as scared to death of doing brave things like calling up CEO’s for new business as anyone else. I just call myself “stupidly courageous.” 2. I know you won’t think this is crazy but in a world where everyone is out for themselves, I really mean it when I say that my greatest goal in life if to win the Nobel Peace Prize for teaching companies how to “do well by doing good.” I would then give my prize money to the foundation I am forming to help disadvantaged kids get better starts in life after college (and right now there are a lot of disadvantaged kids out there). 3. I want to open up an innovation store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago in the current Borders Store that will be going out of business by the end of the year. It’s a crazy dream but for more than a decade I have had a dream to do that and now that retail is dying I believe we should “redefine retail.”

This would look like a store with thirty kiosks leased by innovative companies and inter-connected by what I call “business concierge” who help customers connect with these companies to innovate and buy cutting edge products and services. I don’t know how I will do it but I know I will . . . someday, but it is crazy! At least people tell me it is! Others want to be a part of it!

7. Favorite quote –

“As the world starts to move from a primarily vertical — command and control — system for creation value to a more horizontal — connect and collaborate — value creation model, and as we blow away more walls, ceilings and floors at the same time, societies are going to find themselves facing a lot of very profound changes all at once. “    – Thomas Friedman, The World is Flat

8. Best and worst part of being a writer.

The best part is that you can really create something that makes a difference for many and it can impact people year after year. The worst part for me is that writing can be lonely.

9. Advice for other writers.  

Ask for help, but also ask, “How can I help you? I think the worst thing an author can do is not to ask for help.

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience. 

Having been able to get almost a dozen books published but the most exciting time was when my publisher came to me and asked, “Melissa, what would you like to write next?”

I was able to pitch a couple of ideas and my publisher then asked me which one I would like to do more and I chose the one for which I had a stronger passion. The lesson for me was to turn your relationship with your publisher (when you get one) into a more personal relationship—a collaborative one that enables you to have creative conversations like the one I just referenced. What it took for me to create that was staying in touch with my publisher and learning, also, what types of books he was interested in seeing published.

Where can people buy your book? 

www.networlding.com or Amazon.  Note: If you do purchase a book, I always offer that if you forward me the receipt, electronically to info@networlding.com I will send you a copy of the 100-plus page guidebook that you can use with it to help build a much more successful network. 

10 QUESTIONS FOR…Dr. Linda Seger (Making a Good Script Great & new book!)

Author interview with LINDA SEGER

I’m a script consultant, speaker and seminar leader, and author of 11 books, including 8 on screenwriting and three on spirituality. In 1987, my first book, MAKING A GOOD SCRIPT GREAT, was published. It became an industry standard and is used throughout the world. That book opened up the world to me, and led to giving seminars in 31 countries around the world on screenwriting.

My educational background includes a ThD (doctorate of theology) in Drama and Theology from a seminary in Berkeley. I call it the least marketable degree in the world, since it’s an odd combination, and the drama people didn’t want someone with a theology degree and the theology people thought I was probably too dramatic for any job in theology. I finally started my own business, first out of desperation, and then I realized that I was very suited to being an entrepreneur. When I created the job of script consultant, it didn’t exist. I based my work on my doctoral dissertation on “What makes a script work?”

Since 1981, I have focused on the script consulting work and seminars. In 2002, my husband and I moved to my dream house in the mountains right outside of Colorado Springs in Cascade, Colorado. Around that time, I realized I wanted to expand my work to include books and speaking in the area of spirituality. My latest book is on spirituality and success.

1. Tell us about your latest book.

The book is called SPIRITUAL STEPS ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS: Gaining the goal without losing your soul. It’s written from a Judeo-Christian perspective, although I believe the spiritual issues are universal. When I began my business, I decided to try to apply spiritual principles, and my own relationship to God, to my work, hoping that I could make a living while also being spiritual in the difficult, competitive world of Hollywood. I found the issues were different than I expected. Some of the chapters in the book  discuss “Becoming Important”, “Meeting the Seven Deadly Sins”, “Developing a Sense of Smell” (so one becomes wise at sniffing out the scoundrels), being “Willing to be Blessed”, and combining one’s contemplative life with the very active life of someone in business.

 2. How did you get started as a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 10, and began writing short stories, and then poetry shortly after that. I wrote my first novel when I was 13, which took three months to write, and then wrote more short stories all through college and into graduate school. When I started teaching screenwriting and discussing my theories, participants in my seminars kept asking, “When are you going to write a book about this?” I finally did, and then my agent asked when was I going to write another book. I realized that I loved writing non-fiction, and I am now writing both screenwriting books and spirituality books. Since 2008, I’ve written 11 books, and just signed a contract for another screenwriting book, and am now trying to sell a proposal for another spirituality book.

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

I generally start my day eating breakfast at the computer and reading my emails. If I’m on a tight deadline, I then write one to two hours, and then turn to my other work, such as the consulting work and emails. If I’m not on a tight deadline, I might write later in the day. It depends on how much creative work is necessary for the writing, and how much is more research, or thinking time. If I have reading and research to do, I tend to do that later in the day.

I usually write two mornings a week. I’m clearly a morning writer, and if I need to, I’ll get up very early, but usually I’ll start writing about 8 a.m. I wrote my 9^th book, a book on theology and politics, in five months, working five to six mornings a week, while keeping my business going. But usually I ask for a year to write a book.

Two afternoons a week I go out to ride my horse. If I’m writing, I use the driving time to think about an idea or a chapter, or think about a consulting problem I’m trying to resolve. Several times a week I also go to the pool. Usually my writing time is 1-2 hours.

4. Describe your desk/workspace.

I have the dream workspace. I have a small cabin on our property, which is in the mountains (in the first mountain town west of Colorado Springs.)My computer is by the window, and I look out over hundreds of pine trees, magpies, sometimes deer. The cabin is large enough for a table and two bookcases and several file cabinets and just about anything I need.  And it’s just 29 steps down a small hill from our home. I have little knick-knacks on the window ledge in front of the computer that inspires me. One is of a Nordic sailing ship that I got from Norway that encourages me to go to big and new horizons. One is of a unicorn, that tells me I can be original and one-of-a-kind. I have a red metal lion from South Africa (very small, obviously!) that encourages me to be bold. A little Savorski piano that encourages me to sing my tune. An angel. Some sea shells. And a mug that has the Prayer of Jabez on it..that asks God to bless me and expand my territories.

5. Favorite books (especially for writers)

I love Anne LaMott’s writing, especially Bird by Bird. Years ago, I read a Journal of John Steinbeck’s that he kept while writing East of Eden, which is my favorite book. I think the journal was called the East of Eden Journal…really fascinating about his process.

6. Tell us 3 interesting/crazy things about you

I bought my first horse when I was 58, although I had been doing horse-back riding one-week vacations for about 12 years by then. I’m now competing in reining, which is a difficult form of western riding.

I am totally in love with Colorado, and have been since we first came here when I was 13. I remember the first time we entered the mountains, and I determined to live here somehow. It took many, many years.

I’m a Quaker. Many people find that interesting.

7. Favorite quote

From Maria Von Trapp in SOUND OF MUSIC, (although I think someone else said it first): “God never closes a door without opening a window.” I call Maria my favorite theologian.

8. Best and worst part of being a writer

The worst part is to keep trying to sell one’s ideas. Even when one is known, the selling still is a waiting game. On the other hand, I have a wonderful agent.

Best part – being able to work with ideas, and seeing people’s lives change as a result of ideas. I love to work with words, and as time has gone on, I have paid more attention to alliteration, internal rhymes, and having fun with words. I love working with the style of a book – and becoming better at making writing decisions about style. How funny should I be? How surprising? Should I be a bit outrageous? How tender? 

9. Advice for other writers

Writing is a process, and becoming good at it doesn’t happen overnight. True, we might do a very good job on our first book, perhaps because it’s been percolating for many years, but sustaining being a writer demands some kind of mastery over the craft and the ability to have found your own voice.

And it demands being honest and authentic. That means telling the truth, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction. 

10. Tell us a story about your writing experience.

Well, no crazy ones, but I have written sections of my books in very interesting places. I wrote part of my book, WHEN WOMEN CALL THE SHOTS, in the Beijing, China airport, while sitting on the floor against a column with my hands through all my personal belongings – purse, backpack, etc. My plane was delayed, so I used the time to write. Once I wrote  at the L.A. Airport while it was evacuated (the wing where I was waiting was the only area not evacuated, but we weren’t allowed to leave.) Once, when I was working on a book during an airplane ride, the plane landed and the man next to me looked at me and said, “I have never seen anything like that! You concentrated and never lost focus for 3 hours straight!” So, I can write just about anywhere.

Where can people buy your book?

My website is the name of the book: www.spiritualstepsontheroadtosuccess.com

My blog is being created, but will be part of this website.

The book is readily available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, and will probably be in various Christian bookstores as well. Perhaps in other bookstores.

Readers can also visit my other Web site, www.lindaseger.com for photos, speaking engagements, information on my other books, etc.