A writer's journey...

Jennifer Gracen is a women's fiction/contemporary romance writer.   I met her on Twitter and have found her to be a terrific encouragement.  Today she's sharing what her experience has been with writer's conferences.  Are you thinking about attending a writer's conference, but not quite sure?  Read on, and maybe she can help make your mind up. So Jennifer, tell us about yourself. I grew up torn between two great loves: books and music. Most of my younger years I was unable to choose whether to be a writer or a singer. After spending my youth writing in private and singing in public, I now only sing in my car and have fully embraced my lifelong passion for writing. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, I live there currently with my husband and two young sons. I worked as a copy editor before choosing to stay home full time to raise my children. When I'm not taking care of the family, reading, or feeding my addiction to Twitter, I'm writing. Writing in m...

Lorna Suzuki  is the author of the fantasy series IMAGO.  We met on Twitter, and I respect her professionalism and support for other writers.  I am honored that she allowed me to interview her today on how she went from self-publishing her novels to optioning a movie deal, and yes, you read that right.  There are no longer any limits for the self-published. PLEASE NOTE: THE GIVEAWAY DEADLINE HAS COME TO A CLOSE: JULY 9, 2011 AT 8:30 A.M. EASTERN TIME. And, please know that Lorna has decided to award one random commenter a free e-book copy of "Imago Chronicles:  Book One, A Warrior's Tale" and another, one free e-book copy of " The Dream Merchant Saga Book One: The Magic Crystal  ".  Yes, you read that right - two books up for grabs.  So be sure to comment and leave a way she can contact you. :)  So without going on any further, here's the interview.   Tell us a little bit about yourself. There’s really not much to say that most woul...

Peggy Blair is a lawyer and realtor living in Ottawa, Canada. She has a two book deal with Penguin Canada. Her mystery novel, The Beggar's Opera, will be published in February 2012 in Canada, Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands. You can check out her blog at peggyblair.wordpress.com Contract Cautions I thought I'd take a look at what should normally be in a publishing contract. This stuff is not remotely sexy -- it's a tough read -- but having come this far in the process, it doesn't make any sense not to at least understand the basics.   The best summary I've seen so far of the general provisions that should be in a publishing contract  is in Rachelle Gardner's blog, blog, Rants and Ramblings of a Literary Agent . http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/11/publishing-contracts.html A good point that she makes is that the contract should not stop at production, but cover marketing, too, and the expectations and responsibilities of both parties should be wel...

Kenneth Hoss who   is a former police officer, turned mystery writer.  He's agreed to answer some questions about the time he worked as an officer to provide us insight into that life. A Look Behind the Badge Where did you serve? El Cajon, California. It’s a small suburb east of San Diego. (Well, maybe small is over simplified, perhaps medium sized.) However, that I was in the late ‘80’s and I moved away in 1996. Why did you become a cop? Being a “cop” to me was more of a calling, something I felt I needed to do. I got the opportunity to help people, to “Serve and Protect”. Of course, not everyone I met appreciated my “assistance”, mostly the “bad” guys. How long were you assigned to a training officer (TO), and what was that experience like? I started off with a training officer for my first 6 months before I got to ride solo. He was a grizzled veteran and why he was a training officer I still can't figure out to this day. I recall one night as we drove around o...

J.E. Seymour lives in a small town in seacoast NH.  J.E.’s first novel, “ Lead Poisoning ” was released by Mainly Murder Press on November 1 st , 2010.  J.E has had short stories published in three anthologies of crime fiction by New England writers - “Windchill,” “Deadfall,” and “Quarry;” in Thriller UK Magazine, and in numerous ezines, including Shots, Mouth Full of Bullets, Mysterical-E, A Twist of Noir, Beat to a Pulp and Shred of Evidence.   J.E. is the markets coordinator for the Short Mystery Fiction Society and a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.  You can visit her website here . Path to Publication It was a long, long road to the first novel.  I’ve been writing pretty much all my life, but never really thought about “being” a writer.  I wrote, illustrated (and did my own binding, with staples) my own little books when I was about nine years old.  I did some writing, with encouragement from teachers, in middle sc...

Jennifer Schubert writes thrillers, and  is agented by the estimable Jim McCarthy. She lives in Sarasota, Florida with her husband, kids, cats, and dog. Landing an Agent While Being a Full-time Mom One of the questions people ask most frequently about my writing is "When do you get time to write?" Answer: whenever I can fit it in. My kids are a bit older now, 6 and 8, but when they were young it was before they got up in the morning. While they napped. While they played. While Dora the Explorer led them on an adventure. Any quiet moment would find me scribbling notes into a notebook or pounding the keyboard. My sweet angels would be snoozing, dreaming, and I was murdering and betraying. One minute I'd be playing Candyland or nursing a baby, the next planning a kidnapping or an intricate extortion scheme.  I think those moments of diving into a fantasy world kept me sane, kept me from dwelling on sleepless nights and endless struggles for a moment of peace. I could tra...

Ray Wong is the author of the award-winning novel, The Pacific Between (2006 IPPY Book Awards - Multicultural Adult Fiction). He's also been published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Actors Ink, and Writers Post Journal.  As an actor, Ray's appeared on stage and in feature films and on TV shows such as Roommates, The Extra, and Sex and the City. Follow Ray on Twitter at _RaWo_ , or read his blog at http://itheauthor.blogspot.com . You can contact him at www.raymondwong.com . Defining Moments Someone asked me the other day, "What was that defining moment when you knew you had to be a writer?" That's an interesting question. I'm not sure if I actually had such a moment. My journey as a writer evolves over time, and it's still evolving. I've always written, and I always loved telling stories when I was much younger. I got my first piece published when I was 13. But I never thought of becoming a professional...

We're doing something a little different this week.  Not only is this an interview-style post, it's also " live ".  This means that if you have any further questions, and leave them in a comment, Nancy will answer them for you here. Nancy Burke  has been an editor for twelve years now.  She works for a small academic publishing company.  She has agreed to answer questions about what an editor does, and what their exact role is in the publishing industry. Ask the Editor What is the role of the editor? My job as an editor is to prepare manuscript for publication. Anything you can imagine that falls into that very blanket statement can become part of what I do. I’ve gone so far as to take pictures of a location so we had a photo to include in a book. Mostly I split my time between project management and manuscript development – everything from serving as a sounding board for authors (and strict task mistress!) to overseeing the design of the book’s cover to...