Renee interviews author Diane Harper

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author, books, inspiration, publishers, writing

 Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education, work experience? Share some interesting things about yourself that we should know about.

I was born and raised in the small historic town of Lockport, New York. I lived and worked in the area for twenty-three years until I began my career as a flight attendant for a major airline. Flying is where I met my husband, Ron, who is a pilot. We married and moved to Jacksonville, Florida. After seventeen years of flying, I retired from the airlines in 2000 to stay at home with my two young children. I became a devoted PTA volunteer at my children’s elementary school. While my kids were in school during the day, I obtained a part-time job as a Beverage Cart Administrator at a semi-private country club. I worked for the golf course for ten years. During that time, I also took up painting. I’ve painted about thirty murals, selling several. I also have an online Etsy account, DWRockDesigns, where I sell an assortment of natural and painted rocks. I continue promoting and marketing my books, as well.

What inspired you to write this book? What is the story behind the story?

I began writing eight years ago. I was going through a very troubling situation with my oldest sister, and the stress was making me physically ill. A professional advised me to write down my thoughts and feelings instead of keeping it all bottled up inside. So, I began writing in a journal that I carried with me everywhere. It helped, I found myself writing all the time. Gradually, I turned the devastating situation into a story. I began my story in the early 1900s when my grandparents met, and their exciting story started. I added some of my childhood experiences and brought the saga into the present day. I wrote the book as a semi-autobiographical fiction mystery. (You don’t see that category very often.) I changed the names to protect the innocent and wrote the book to expose the guilty.

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?

The biggest challenge for me was getting my first completed manuscript published. I had no idea what to do with my book, but I was determined to get it published. I wasn’t a writer, and I had no idea what the industry entailed. I saw an ad in the paper about a book seminar called Get Book Savvy at the Beach. Two local authors, Jane Wood and Frances Keiser, were holding an all-day session to teach aspiring authors about writing, publishing, and marketing. So, I signed up. That session motivated me to start my own Independent Publishing Company, HayMarBooks, LLC and publish my book. I knew it would be a big undertaking, but I was ready to move forward. I want to thank Jane R. Wood for all the advice and experience she’s extended to me these past eight years. Jane helped me become the award-winning author I am today. She’s been an incredible mentor.

What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?

My three sisters and their families still live in the Lockport area, so every year, I visit Western NY in June. While I’m there, I coordinate book signings, school visits, and set up a booth at The Lockport Arts and Craft Festival. My visit this particular year was coming to an end. I was out to dinner with my family at one of my favorite restaurants. We noticed a lot of commotion going on at a few tables. The people kept looking at our table. A woman got up from her seat and came over to our table. She introduced herself and said, “You were the author that spoke at my sons’ school the other day. He bought all your books and is looking forward to reading them.” I thanked her. By that time, most of the room was listening, (It’s a small dining room, there’s not much social distancing at this restaurant.) Another woman held up her hand from across the room and shouted, “you should read her wonderful mystery novels. They’re set right here in Lockport.” I was shocked. I blushed and I thanked them again. My nephew nudged me and said, “look at you… you’re famous.”

What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?

Growing up, I read many of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Mystery Stories. I’ve also read a lot of famous authors, John Grisham, Danielle Steele, Steven King, and many more. Several years ago, I read a book by an author named Kate White. White has written fourteen suspense novels. I would say her writing has influenced the most. I like the simplicity in the way she writes her mystery stories. I like to read Independent author’s books. Authors I’ve met through FAPA (Florida Authors & Publishers Association.)

Do you write every single day? Any writing rituals?

I do not write every day. I haven’t written in a while. For me, it takes a lot of time and concentration when I write. With everything going on right now, it’s been hard for me to focus. I have written five award-winning books, two Mystery Novels, and three children’s chapter books (I draw the simple black and white illustrations for my Jace Adventure series.) My last children’s book, published in 2019, is the most recent publication. Eventually, I will get back to writing. I will have to finish my third novel. It’s the final sequel to my first two books, Love, Greed and Lie$, and The Lost Twin.

What are your interests outside of writing?

I like to garden, travel, and I enjoy painting rocks. I make and sell portable tic-tac-toe games online. I have an online account at Etsy, where I sell my rock art under the name DWRockDesigns. This November, I’m selling my rock art at The Christmas Made in the South here in Jacksonville. I have diligently been painting and designing my rock art to have enough inventory for the three-day weekend event. I will also be able to sell my books. I was clever enough to have coordinated rock designs to go with my kid’s books.

Share some tips for other Authors or Aspiring Authors: What would you do differently? What would you do the same? Please share anything you think would be beneficial to those reading this.

I honestly wouldn’t do a whole lot different. I attended many conferences to learn. This industry changes rapidly. I’m glad I started my own independent publishing company and didn’t use a traditional publisher.  I like that I have full control in every aspect of designing and publishing my books. One tip I’ve learned and recommend the purchasing of my ISBNs. If you go with a publisher or someone that assists with your publication, I recommend purchasing your own. I also recommend attending conferences. I always learn something new.

Attending a writers’ conference

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author, business, networking, publishers, women, writing

Writing is a solitary activity — publishing is not. That means people like me need to network and meet other writers and publishers who share the same enthusiasm for writing as I do.

Regardless of how many novels we sell, there is always something to learn at a writers’ conference. The publishing industry is constantly changing and it’s hard for authors to keep up. Honing our craft is about more than learning proper punctuation, or when to use upper case or italics from the Chicago Manual of Style. These conferences offer the sort of nuts-and-bolts information that can improve our writing and increase our efficiency in the business side of the craft.

Sure, they’re exhausting (and usually involve cold coffee and a chicken dinner.) But I recommend that every aspiring writer attend at least one. Wherever you are on the road to success, you will meet others who have been there and who are ready to help you.

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers.

Renee interviews author Linda Fairstein

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author, books, entertainment, inspiration, law, mystery, publishers, writing

I had the pleasure of meeting Linda Fairstein when she was the National Guest of Honor for the 2018 Florida Writers Conference. Warm and engaging, she has a personal story that is as intriguing as the novels she writes. (Producer Dick Wolf based the character of Assistant District Attorney Alex Cabot in the TV show “Law & Order: SVU” on Linda.) Her latest novel, BLOOD OATH, was just released.

 
Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education, work experience? Share some interesting things about yourself that we should know about.

I was born and raised in Mt. Vernon, New York – a very middle-class community just outside of New York City. For as long as I can remember, I loved books and libraries, reading stories and trying to write them. I had wonderfully loving parents who were very supportive of my goals. My father used to laugh every time I said that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, saying that I’d better think about a career that would actually allow me to support myself.

I went to Vassar College because of the great English lit program, back in the day when it was a women’s school. By my senior year, I thought my father had a point – I really didn’t have anything to write about!

My other interest was public service (a child of the JKF call to service – ‘Ask not what your country can do for you…’) and so I thought that law school would give me options to do interesting work. I went straight from college to the University of Virginia School of Law – which led me to my first job in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office – the 7th woman on a staff of 200 lawyers.

I stayed in that job for 30 years, running the country’s pioneering Special Victims’ Unit, and wrote my non-fiction book SEXUAL VIOLENCE and my first five novels in the Alex Cooper series while in that job.

I live in Manhattan most of the year, and have a home on Martha’s Vineyard, where I do a lot of my writing in the summer. My husband and I just bought a home on Gasparilla Island, off the Gulf Coast of Florida, where I have found a glorious new place to write and relax.

Little known facts? I’m still a lawyer. I do a lot of pro bono work representing victims of violence, and consulting on issues of sexual assault. My other childhood dream was to be a ballerina (!) – I took lessons until well into my early adulthood, which is why Coop takes ballet lessons, too. I miss my prosecutorial job every day, and stay close to the lawyers who succeeded me in that work.

What inspired you to write this book? What is the story behind the story?

BLOOD OATH is the 20th book in the Alex Cooper series of crime novels. So many detectives and prosecutors are doing ‘cold case’ work now, solving crimes that happened decades ago that seemed impossible to unravel for so long. This story is the case of one such crime, and I wanted to explore the impact on both the victim and the perp of trying to get some justice so long after the fact. I always draw some of my motives and legal issues from real cases, so the plots are entirely made-up once the issues take hold in my imagination. This is one such story, like the others in the series.

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?

I think everyone who writes novels – especially in a series like this – is finding ways to make the characters evolve over time and keeping them fresh. Several books back, Alex Cooper was kidnapped. I thought it was important to have her experience the trauma of the victims she has worked with for so long. In the book that followed, she had to deal with PTSD and see things from that perspective – which affected her relationship with Mike Chapman, and required her to take a leave of absence. Coop is back in top form in BLOOD OATH, and it’s always a challenge to make that happen.

What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?

The biggest ‘aha’ moment came at the very start of the series. My non-fiction book had been a NYTimes Book of the Year in 1994, but lots of people assumed it was a one-book experience, and that I wouldn’t be able to do fiction. My great friend and literary agent (first of all, a friend!) Esther Newberg encouraged me to try to tell my story about Coop, but not to go too far without showing her pages, just so she could tell me whether to plug ahead or give up. In the early fall of 1995, when I had written 64 pages, I sent them to her, and she gave me some constructive criticism. Just after Christmas of that year, I sent her the edited pages and another 30. Again, it was just for her eyes only! A week later she called me to say that she had decided, without telling me, that the pages were ready to show to editors – so she sent them out to three big publishers. She told me that there was a bidding war for FINAL JEOPARDY, and one of the publishers asked whether I thought I could do two books. I snapped back that I thought I could do ten – that I had always wanted to write a series of crime novels. Esther sold the Alex Cooper series the next day – truly my ‘aha’ moment. I pinch myself when I think that BLOOD OATH is number 20.

What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?

I’m a glutton for good books! I love to read other crime novelists, of course. Right now, I’m reading the brand-new Lisa Gardner book. I like Harlan Coben and Lisa Scottoline and Michael Connelly and Andrew Gross and Louise Penny. I love history and biography, too. My next book up is the Andrew Roberts biography, Churchill: Walking with Destiny. I probably write crime novels because I was influenced so strongly by the Nancy Drew books when I was a kid! All good storytellers have influenced my writing.

Do you write every single day? Any writing rituals?

Yes, I try to write something every single day. If I am not moving along in my manuscript, I might be writing an article on some aspect of criminal law or helping a friend edit a piece of work. I think it’s critical for a writer to be living ‘in words’ every day – writing and reading, both of which I love to do.
As far as rituals go, I don’t have many. I am mostly a morning writer. I like to get up, read the newspaper, answer some emails, enjoy a few cups of coffee. Then I like to get right into the work. I stop in the early afternoon for some exercise – swimming or biking or hanging out with friends on a long walk. I never write in the evening – one glass of wine and I’m done with the written page.

What are your interests outside of writing?

I’m happiest when I’m with family and friends, so that’s usually my main focus. I love the company of other writers, and I have a loyal group of former colleagues with whom I stay in regular contact. I have played sports all my life – tennis when I was younger – and competitive swimming. I still love swimming laps and riding my bike (which I get to do every day on Gasparilla – it’s got fabulous bike paths). My husband and I love to travel, so when I take a break from writing, we like to head for some place foreign or familiar – without my laptop.

Share some tips for other Authors or Aspiring Authors: What would you do differently? What would you do the same? Please share anything you think would be beneficial to those reading this.

So many aspiring writers have told me that they procrastinate a lot because they don’t know where they are going with their work. But you can’t write unless you sit down in front of a computer and start in on it. Write! Write something every day – even if it’s just a few paragraphs or lines. You have to enjoy the process or you have chosen the wrong field. It is very solitary and very difficult work, and often slow to show results. It has become harder and harder to get work published, but unless you keep at the writing – and polish your words – you’ll never get to the finish line. And once you do, and you are fortunate enough to be published, it’s a great thrill. Read, read voraciously – because good storytelling is inspirational, and seeing how other writers use the language is hugely helpful. No more procrastinating – get to work!

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers. To suggest an author interview, email her at rgarrison@bestversionmedia.com.

Renee interviews author Stacey Horan

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author, books, entertainment, Life, literature, publishers, writing

Stacey and I met when we participated in an author panel discussion in Jacksonville. Her Young Adult books involve contemporary settings, with a twist. She believes, “Real life is scary and interesting enough on its own. I don’t think you need to embellish it.”

 
Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education, work experience? Share some interesting things about yourself that we should know about.
I grew up in southwest Florida (on the Gulf Coast), but I’ve moved around a lot as an adult. My husband and I have a tendency to pack up and move every 3-6 years. We’ve lived in several cities in Florida, moved overseas to live in the UK and then moved back stateside to live just outside of NYC. Our most recent move took us to Jacksonville, Florida, where we now live with our two dogs – and we are hoping to stay put for a while.
I have degrees from UCF and Duke Law School, and I practiced law for almost twenty years. Now, I write full-time.

What inspired you to write this book? What is the story behind the story?
I was working full-time as in-house counsel for an international corporation. It was a very fast paced, high-pressure job, but it wasn’t artistically creative. Needing a creative outlet, I began writing stories at night, on weekends and, occasionally, on my lunch break. The first book I started writing took about 12 years to complete, but it wasn’t my first published book. It was actually the third book I published. I’ve been writing for almost 15 years, and I have four books published with another one on the way. I write Young Adult fiction, and I love the genre. My books are, in publication order: Sycamore Lane, Inland, Ortus and Juvenis (the last two are the first two installments in a five-part series called The Elixir Vitae Adventures).

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?
The biggest challenge for me is marketing my books. When I first started out as an author, I was surprised by how much time it took to market my books and promote myself as an author. I’m not a natural salesperson, so it’s a skill I’m still developing.

What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?
I consider it my biggest success when people (especially kids!) come up to me and tell me they’ve read and enjoyed my stories. There’s no bigger thrill, or honor, as a writer.

What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you?
I gravitate to thrillers, mysteries and suspense. When I was a kid, my mom (who taught elementary school for many years) introduced me to my very first Nancy Drew book. I read that first one (The Secret in the Old Clock), and I was hooked! I couldn’t get enough. In one summer, I ready every Nancy Drew book my library carried.

Do you write every single day? Any writing rituals?
I’d like to be able to say “yes,” but that’s not true. I don’t write every day. I find it’s an impossible goal for me to set for myself. Nevertheless, I aspire one day to be able to write everyday. That being said, I do work at my writing job everyday. There is always something that needs to be done. Either I’m writing my stories, editing my stories, researching and planning my stories, trying to market my books and/or handling other administrative tasks that need my attention. Writing is only part of the job – it’s the best part, but it’s still only one part.

What are your interests outside of writing?
I have just recently started a podcast entitled, The Bookshop at the End of the Internet. (I’ve recorded half a dozen interviews so far, and the first episode will go live in early December). The podcast is dedicated to helping book lovers find new authors. I interview authors from all walks of life, who write across all genres and who are published in a variety of ways (indie, small press, large publishing houses). It’s been a lot of fun speaking with the authors about their writing journeys, and I’ve learned something new about the art of writing from each interview.
I also do classroom visits with schools via Skype in the Classroom. It’s been a lot of fun to speak with students about writing and to answer their questions. So far, I’ve spoken with classes in half a dozen different states in the US, as well as classes in Canada, Panama and Australia. It’s been quite an adventure.

Share some tips: What would you do differently? What would you do the same? Please share anything you think would be beneficial to those reading this.
If I had to do it over again, I would have started writing much earlier. It would have been great to discover the joy of writing in school (by which I mean writing my own stories in my own way) and to have practiced that craft for much longer than I have been doing to date. Nevertheless, I came to writing at a time when I desperately needed a creative outlet, and I’m just pleased to have found it at all.
When I was ready, I took a leap of faith and made writing my full-time job. It was a bumpy start, but now I can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s the best job in the world.

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers. To suggest an interview, email her at rgarrison@bestversionmedia.com.

One year later

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author, books, Humor, Life, publishers, relationships, Sanford Naval Academy, writing

Last August, I won a Gold Medal for my debut Young Adult novel, The Anchor Clankers. Since then, I’ve been writing a sequel, spending most days alone at my computer.

However, this year I understand that when the manuscript is finished, the hardest part begins: telling people about it.

My isolation disappears as I ask folks to read and edit my words, ask literary agents if they might represent me, ask readers for blurbs, post on Facebook (again and again), and eventually ask people to show up at some bookstore on a Wednesday night to listen to me read an excerpt from my work.

This author life is not for the timid.

I’m grateful to the people who read my book. And sometimes a friend from high school will surprise me by showing up to a reading or posting a review online. Sometimes a stranger will email me out of the blue and say they loved it, and in those moments, it feels like I’ve accomplished something impossible. Maybe not the Nobel Prize for Literature, but it feels better than I ever thought it could.

(Fortunately, the average age of Literature Laureates is 65 – I’ve still got time.)

Lucky guy – Andrew Gross

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"Nothing to Lose", Andrew Gross, BEA, best sellers, book, Book Expo. author, James Patterson, Le Coq Sportif, Leslie Fay Companies, literary agents, publishers, writing

I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Gross, recently. He was promoting his latest book, “Everything to Lose,” a thriller which actually kept me up a few nights as I was reading it.

“I don’t like to terrorize people, but I enjoy creating a feeling of suspense,“ he said, modestly.

In addition to being charming and fairly easy-on-the-eye, I found Andy to be one of the luckiest men I’ve ever met. (Look, his publicist called him “Andy,” so I did, too.)

Not because his father and grandfather ran the Leslie Fay Companies. (Andy worked there, too, before leaving to pursue his own opportunities at Le Coq Sportif, a boutique tennis/ golf brand, and Sun Ice, Inc, a Canadian skiwear manufacturer, the latter, “ending poorly and abruptly,” as Gross says, “and hastening my writing career.”)

Andy is lucky because he finished a draft of his first book Hydra, a political thriller, in 1998. Rejected by dozens of agents and ultimately publishers, the book was never printed. Gross admits “not knowing what my next step in life was, and sitting around my study, wondering what cliff I was going to drive our SUV off of, I received a phone call from someone who asked, ‘Can you take a call from James Patterson?”

They met for breakfast – “The smartest thing I’ve ever done” – and discussed the early concepts for what ultimately became the Women’s Murder Club series. Patterson explained that the head of his publishing house forwarded Gross’s unpublished manuscript to him with five words written on the cover: “This guy does women well!”

The rest, as they say, is history.
Hell, I’d sharpen James Patterson’s pencils if he asked me to.

But Gross, who learned his craft from a master, also had some advice for me: “Have patience. Don‘t rush the process. Most good work comes from the second or third draft. Keep at it until it’s GREAT.”

I plan to, Andy. And when it is, I’d like to take you to breakfast.

Renee Garrison is completing her new Young Adult book, “The Anchor Clankers,” and looking for her own literary agent.