Interview: JANET EVANOVICH

Janet Evanovich is the 1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum mystery series.

 

Tayler Bloom: Welcome Janet. I appreciate you taking the time for this interview. So tell me, how do you pack such powerful emotional wallops into your work?

Janet Evanovich: I think timing plays a large part in emotional impact.  And I chose my words carefully.

 

Tayler Bloom: Who are two of your favorite writers and what specifically about their writing grabs you?

 

Janet Evanovich: I like Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Amanda Quick because she gives me such a good sense of place and her characters are both mysterious and playful.  And I like Bob Crais for his powerful action scenes and his wit.

 

Tayler Bloom: What has surprised you most about being a bestselling author?

 

Janet Evanovich: That I really am a bestselling author.

 

Tayler Bloom: What advice would you give to a new writer wanting to inject humor into their writing?

 

Janet Evanovich: Never force it.  

Tayler Bloom: What does an average day look like for you, ie, schedule, daily writing goals, your writing process?

 

Janet Evanovich: When I’m in a book, I like to keep the momentum going, so I usually work an eight-hour day, five days a week. I like to be at my computer by 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. I stop writing around 2:00 and become a businessperson, answering phone calls, doing mail, and having discussions with my publicist and whatever. I take an hour or two out in the middle of the day for exercise. Five days a week, I work
evenings answering mail and having phone meetings with my webmaster daughter, Alex. On weekends I work in the morning, but I use the afternoons and evenings for fun. That’s generally how it goes unless I’m behind schedule. When I’m up against a deadline, I go continually day and night. And I really need to be left alone to get the job done. Just slide the Snickers bars under the door.

 

Tayler Bloom: Can you describe your relationship with your editor?

 

Janet Evanovich:Jen Enderlin is a creative force, a best friend, my strongest ally.

Tayler Bloom: Which marketing tools do you find most effective?

 

Janet Evanovich: The Internet.  Having a website where fans can access you is crucial.

 

Tayler Bloom: What questions should an unpublished mystery writer be asking?

 

Janet Evanovich: If they’re asking an agent -who do you represent?
If they’re asking an editor -what’s the plan for my success? If they asking themselves -what is unique about me that I can give to the consumer.

 

Tayler Bloom: "Voice" is that ephemeral something that sets an author apart, as your voice in the Stephanie Plum novels has. How did you find the right voice for your work? Any advice for other writers as to how they might access their optimal writing voice?

 

Janet Evanovich: Actually the voice found me.  I didn’t know I had a voice until my editor, Carrie Feron, told me.  I think it’s more a matter of recognizing your voice than accessing it.  After that it’s important to be consistent.

Thank you so much for your time today, Janet!

Visit her website at:         www.janetevanovich.com

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Interview: EILEEN COOK

Eileen Cook's debut novel, "Unpredictable," has already been sold in four countries, been optioned for film, won a 4.5 star review in Romantic Times, and Eileen is a founding member of The Debutante Ball blogsite. "Unpredictable" features Sophie, who pretends to be a psychic to get back her ex-boyfriend, but discovers that some things you can't predict. Jennifer Crusie writes, "Eileen Cook is one of the best new voices in Women's Lit."  

Tayler Bloom: Welcome Eileen, and congratulations on the launch of your debut novel. So tell me, of the books you've read on the craft of writing, which has impacted you and/or your writing the most?

Eileen Cook: I am a craft book junkie- when in doubt I buy a new one. "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamont was one of my early favorites. I still find it to be the most simple and solid advice I've read.  Books are written a word at a time. Bird by bird, word by word.  I may not know how to finish the book, but I almost always can find the next word. 

The second book that struck me was Stephen King's "On Writing." I enjoyed hearing his personal journey to publication and the book is stuffed with great advice. The last chapter has one of his short stories in draft form and then the edited version. It was a real light bulb moment for me on how revision can make a good book even better. 

My most recent find is "Save the Cat."  It is a screenwriting book, but the structure used to break down a story has been really useful to me in a way similar to "The Hero's Journey."  I don't rely on it when starting a book, but when I am revising and trying to figure out where I went wrong (and there is always plenty wrong in those early versions) I find it really useful.

Tayler Bloom: Your debut novel, "Unpredictable," is just being released. What all is involved in launching a first book?

Eileen Cook: You mean other than the part where I'm freaking out?  

What I've learned so far is that launching a book is one part leap of faith, one part doing all the marketing you can think of, and one part not worrying about it and moving on with the next project.  I have some local signings planned, a book tour scheduled, and have called in every favor I can think of to get friends and family to promote the book.  I'm hoping all those years of buying girl guide cookies and waxy chocolate coated nuts from my friends kids is going to come back in the form of good karma for the book. 

On the days when I find myself leaning towards panic, I remind myself the only part of this process I can control is the writing.  I am trying to keep my focus on working on next projects. (It can be hard to type sometimes with my fingers crossed for "Unpredictable" - but I keep trying.)

Tayler Bloom: Your novel has been optioned for film. What exactly does that mean, and what is involved in the process of it making it all the way to film?

Eileen Cook: My agent, Rachel Vater, sent the manuscript on to Sarah Self at the Gersh Agency who specializes in film rights.  Although I knew Sarah was shopping the book, I also knew that the odds of it being optioned were slim so when the call came that New Line had made an offer I was shocked. I was at work at the time and ran around the office jumping up and down. An hour later two other studios had counter offered and the bidding was on.  I gave up even pretending to work and just went home. In the end, New Line had the best offer and we accepted their option. Much champagne was consumed during this period.

By optioning the book, it is like the studio has the story on "lay-away."   They provided me with funds (10% of the total sale figure) to hold the book for them for a set period of time.  During this time they go about trying to secure funds and pull together a team (writers, director, actors) to make the film.  When the time runs out, they can either renew the option or let it lapse.  If they make the film, they have to pay me the remainder of the agreed upon price. If they let it lapse, then the rights revert back to me and I could try and sell them again.

Hollywood can be fickle however, and just because a film is optioned doesn't mean it will go the full distance to show up on the silver screen.  As a result, I haven't planned my Oscar speech quite yet. New Line has hired a screenwriter and that's a step in the right direction, so fingers are crossed!

Tayler Bloom: Your novel's release date was pushed back because your publishing house slated it for lead title. Can you describe that whole process and what part your agent may have played in your novel garnering such positive attention and status?

Eileen Cook: I adore my agent and have found her to be a great business partner. She's a huge part of my success. She keeps her eye on the business aspects so that I can focus on the writing.

When I sold the book, publishers were claiming "chick lit" was dead. Rachel aggressively promoted the book and we sold to Berkley. With the interest by foreign markets and film, my agent encouraged the publisher to review the planned launch.  The decision was made to re-do the cover and give the book more support. It didn't hurt that I had met Jenny Crusie at the Surrey Writer's Conference and she had offered a great blurb for the cover.  At the time I was sad to see the launch delayed, but in the end I think it has worked out for the best.

Tayler Bloom: You wrote two unpublished novels before this one. Did you know, even as you were writing "Unpredictable," that it was qualitatively different than the previous two? If so, what made it stand apart from your prior novels? What do you think you did, experienced, or learned, that brought your writing to the next level?

Eileen Cook: I thought the first book I wrote was BRILLIANT. I couldn't wait for the accolades and giant publishing contracts to come rolling in. Alas - they did not. By the time of the second book, I was starting to understand just how much I had to learn. I still thought it was pretty good, but I could see the problems.  By this time I was taking writing courses, going to conferences and learning how the business side of publishing worked.  With everything I learned, the more I realized how little I really knew.  I didn't know about Romance Writers of America until after I had sold - but I think it does an amazing job of teaching writers about both craft and the business of writing. I wish I had found it much sooner. 

When I wrote "Unpredictable" I was my most judgmental. I have always been a huge reader, but I was now learning to read "critically," looking at what worked and what didn't.  I knew "Unpredictable" was better than my first two books, but I wasn't sure if it was "good enough." I suspect as writers we're never sure if it is good enough. I knew the book had a clever "hook," but I was also aware I was writing what would be thought of as chick lit in a time when everyone was saying the genre was dead. 

I tend to love all my books during the writing phase and then decide to hate them in revision. When it is all over I tend to swing towards the middle and see both the strengths and weaknesses.  I still have so much to learn and my goal is to keep improving. 

Tayler Bloom: What is your next project? How did you choose it?

Eileen Cook: I have a second book completed that is with my editor. In early December I signed a two-book deal with Simon Schuster for YA (young adult) books.  The first, tentatively titled WWAD (What Would Alice Do?) is a modern retelling of the play "The Crucible" set in a modern, ultra Christian high school.  

Tayler Bloom: I understand Simon and Schuster has a new clause regarding copyright in their standard contract. Can you tell me more about that, and whether it is something you discussed with your agent before you signed with them?

Eileen Cook: Simon and Schuster changed their contracts to deal with how long a book is in "print."  Normally a publisher has to be selling so many copies to be considered active. If a book wasn't active then the rights went back to the author.  S&S was saying with the changes in electronic publishing that a minimum levels of books being sold wasn't required.  I was aware of these changes from various writing websites and like many writers wondered how this would impact me and my career.   I wouldn't say I am "savvy" with contract language, but I did want to discuss it when we were at the contract stage. 

Choosing a publisher has many factors. How do they deal with their writers? How much attention will their editors give me? What type of marketing do they do for their authors etc.  Contract language is another aspect of this decision making process.  Some writers may decide that the downside of losing this right is balanced out by other advantages. However, like any contract clause it is up for negotiation.  My agent was aware of this clause as well and it was addressed during our negotiation phase. 

Tayler Bloom: Is the experience of writing different because you now have a published book under your belt?

Eileen Cook: For me the process hasn't changed much - I still find myself attracted to a particular area or topic. Then I begin to play the "what if" game until a story is fleshed out. The largest change is that other people are now involved.  I was used to writing in a vacuum, now suddenly other people want to know how things are going and are interested in the work.

Tayler Bloom: What, as a writer, are you most proud of?

Eileen Cook: Jenny Crusie talks about a survey that showed 84% of people figure they'll write a book someday.  She figures 83.5% of people never write a word. The last half percent is mostly people who try, but quit along the way.  I am most proud of sticking with it and being in that small percentage that finished a book. Publishing you can't control - writing you can. I am impressed with every person who finishes a book - it is an emotional marathon.

Tayler Bloom: You continue to hold a full time day job. How do you organize your time to write? Tell me about your writing schedule.

Eileen Cook: In the past few months I have gone down to part time hours. I don't think I'm getting any more writing done, but I do have my evenings back. I love the idea of having a set writing schedule, getting up at a set time, writing for a set number of hours and finishing a set number of pages.  For some reason my life never seems to work out that way. 

Since a set schedule doesn't work for me, I set weekly word count goals. Depending on how things go I either write a bit each day or if it has been one of "those" weeks I pull long days on the weekend. For me the target is to keep moving forward- even if the progress isn't always as much as I would like. 

Tayler Bloom: What advice would you give a new / unpublished writer?

Eileen Cook: Read. Read a lot and read widely. Celebrate every success of your own and of your fellow writers. Publishing is a casino, but writing is a craft. Remember this is supposed to be fun. If you find writing makes you miserable, consider taking up knitting instead. But if you can find the joy in it - there is nothing better.

Thanks for the interview, Eileen! 

Visit Eileen Cook's website at:                               www.eileencook.com

Or visit her blog at:                                              www.thedebutanteball.com

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Interview: DONNA ANDREWS

Donna Andrews writes two award-winning mystery series, one of which features a blacksmith, the other featuring an artificial intelligence personality. Donna has won the Agatha, Anthony, Barry, Romantic Times, Lefty and Toby Bromberg Awards, and is a member of MWA and Sisters in Crime.

Tayler Bloom: What authors and films make you laugh? What specifically do
you like about their humor?

Donna Andrews: Let's see...long list, and I'll probably leave someone out. Monty
Python. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. (Especially Bedazzled.) Joan
Hess. Sharyn McCrumb. Charlotte MacLeod. Terry Pratchett. Alexei
Panshin's Starwell trilogy. The Twelve Chairs. The Wrong Box. Black
Adder. Robin Williams. George Carlin. The Marx Brothers. The Crimson
Pirate. Richard Lester. Under the Rainbow. Tom Conti. Boston Legal.
Bringing Up Baby. Philadelphia Story. Holiday. The Far Side. Dave
Barry.

And as with most humor, if I could articulate what I liked about any of
the above, they'd probably stop being funny.

Tayler Bloom: Is writing humor something that comes naturally in the first
draft, or something you craft in the rewrites? If so, how?

Donna Andrews: It varies. Some things arrive in the first draft and never change.
Others things I tweak and twiddle with a hundred times until I get them
right--or until I finally decide they're never going to work and I toss
them out.

And I work on humor--especially humorous dialogue--while driving.
Honestly. If you see me driving along, apparently talking to myself,
I'm probably deep in the throes of creating a really funny scene.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Tayler Bloom: What advice would you give a new writer wanting to inject
humor into their writing?

Donna Andrews: Stop now while you can! Seriously, humor is very hard; and the idea of
someone making a conscious decision to inject it into his or her writing
doesn't ring true. If humor is the way you react to the world. . . if
it's a tool you use to cope or a weapon you keep in your arsenal against
life's battles . . . if it's second nature, then you should use your
humor in your writing--provided you can capture on paper what amuses you
when you think or say it. Some people appreciate humor and can't
produce it; some people are funny in life but not on paper.

I'm not sure it's possible to teach someone how to write, much less
write funny--you can give people tools and tips and encouragement, but
it's like riding a bicycle--at some point you have to let go of the curb
and do it. And one reason humor is so hard is that analyzing it is like
performing what scientists (and CSIs) call destructive testing--by the
time you're finished, your sample is gone. Is there anything worse than
someone trying to explain a joke? Trying to teach humor is like that.

I remember when my writer friend Ann McMillan was giving a talk doing
research for historical writing. She quoted someone--I can't remember
who, so apologies to the writer I can't credit--who said to do all your
research and then lock it all in a trunk--you won't have to go open your
trunk; the bits of your research that you need for the work your doing
will claw their way out of the trunk on their own and onto your page.
Humor's much the same way. If you're meant to write funny, humor will
creep into what you're doing in spite of you.

So put it on the page, slave over it until you think it's right, then
test it on your trusted critiquers--and brace yourself, because you
might find out that you weren't meant to write humor.

Or maybe, if you're lucky, that you were born to do it.

Tayler Bloom: What does an average day look like for you? Is your writing
schedule set by page counts or hours at the computer? Advantages of this?

Donna Andrews: Well, there's no such thing as an average day--it various enormously,
depending on what stage of the book I'm in. When I'm researching a book
and trying to come up with an outline--yes, I'm an outliner--I might
spend time reading books, searching for information online, and hunting
around for experts in whatever I'm writing about so I can go and pester
them. I work on my outline until I'm happy with it. Remember the Anne
Lamotte advice (in Bird by Bird) about giving yourself permission to
write a shitty first draft? My outlines are like that first draft--not
only are they far from perfect, but they're way too short. Then, when I
am happy with my outline (or, less optimally, if time is ticking away
and I really need to start writing even with an imperfect outline to
finish the book in time), I set myself a schedule--so many words a
day--and try to stick through it until I finish the draft. The number
of words might vary: if I know I have something scheduled for a day, I
might plan only 500 words; if I pretty much have the whole day to play
with, I might plan to write 1000, 1500, 2000 words. I don't worry about
making the draft good--I just try to get that many words I'm reasonably
happy with, and declare that a success--although one of the ways I get
myself into the zone is to reread and revise and polish what I've
already written. Then I usually try to spend at least a few months and
optimally six to eight weeks revising and polishing the book before I
turn it in.

One good thing about having an outline is that if I feel absolutely
stuck about writing the next scene, I can skip ahead to the scene after
that--or to any other scene in the book. I once realized that I had
finished one of my books except for three or four scenes that I just
couldn't see how to write, which left a couple of gaps in the flow of
the book. And the book was quite long enough already So I was relieved
when, on closer inspection, I realized that I didn't actually need
scenes in those gaps--I just needed transitional sentences--something
along the lines of "The next day, after we'd mopped up all the blood and
sent the rug out to be cleaned . . . ")

I find that word counts are much more productive goals than hours at the
computer. It's so easy to fool around with minor, though
writing-related tasks, like tracking down little useful but noncritical
bits of information or agonizing over le mot juste, and fritter away an
hour without getting any appreciable amount of writing done.

Tayler Bloom: Can you describe your relationship with your agent in terms
of her guidance and participation in your writing and career?

Donna Andrews: It's a good relationship--I've had the same agent since I started my
career. I bounce my ideas off her before I send them to my editor; she
reads the books either before my editor gets them or at the same time.
She tells me what she thinks. And she also says, "But Ruth's your
editor--wait to see what she thinks." And I rely very much on her to
handle as much of the business side of writing as possible. It's her
job to be my advocate, to get me the best contract terms possible, and
to keep an eye on the larger picture--so I can focus more on the
writing, and so my relationship with my editor is more about the writing
than about contracts and legalese. And it works pretty well.

Tayler Bloom: Out of all the tools in your marketing plan, which is most
effective and why?

Donna Andrews: I wish I knew. I can tell you one tool that worked very well for me
when my first book, Murder with Peacocks, was out in hardback. I loved
the cover, so I got the art and permission from the publisher and had a
postcard professionally designed and printed with my cover on the front
and a short blurb about the book on the back. Thanks to some lobbying
by a friend from the romance community, I got invited to be one of the
less famous writers at one of Nora Roberts's signings at Turn the Page
Bookstore and Café in Boonsboro, Maryland. (Just about anyone qualifies
as less famous than Nora Roberts, of course, but I was even more
qualified than most writers back then.) People were lined up around the
block to get their books signed by Nora, and many of them continued down
the line to the other writers. The first writer had several paperbacks,
and most of the readers would pick one up to buy--Nora's readers are
famously loyal, and do their best to support the other writers she signs
with. Anyway, when they got to my station along the table, I could see
that many of them turned pale when they saw that all I had was one
beautiful but expensive hardback. "Here, have a postcard," I'd say,
handing them one. "It's free." They looked relieved--thank goodness I
wasn't going to guilt-trip them into buying my hardback. Many stayed to
chat, and a few picked up the book and bought it.

Then a funny thing began to happen. People who had taken the postcard
and moved on started coming back and picking up the book for me to sign
so they could buy it. Apparently they'd read the blurb on the back,
maybe picked up a copy from elsewhere in the store and read a few pages,
and decided to try it. The bookstore was pleasantly surprised at how
many copies I sold. Taught me the value of a soft-sell over strong
arming people.

That said, I'm well aware that nothing I can do to market my books is
going to be one tenth as effective as what my publisher can do--which is
why I recommend to my aspiring writer friends that they aim high. Work
on landing an agent who can sell their books to well-established
publishers that provide first-class distribution and marketing support.
If you, as a writer, want to spend more time writing than marketing,
it's worth persevering on that quest for an agent and a mainstream
publisher.

Tayler Bloom: You are chapter liaison of Sisters in Crime. What all is
involved in that position? What inspired you to become such an active member?

Donna Andrews: I'm supposed to be the point person for chapters that have questions or
problems, or people who have questions about how to start a chapter.
Things like that. What inspired me to become such an active member?
I'd been active on the chapter level for some time, and someone on the
national board twisted my arm to get involved on the national level--I
can't remember offhand who, which is probably a good thing when things
get hectic. I think it's important to be involved with Sisters in Crime
because I feel the core mission--creating a level playing field for
women writers--is far from accomplished. We live--and write--in a
society that values women's issues and symbolism much less than men's.
Who decreed that war and business are by definition big, deep topics and
childbirth and family life are small? Who made sports an acceptable
metaphor for life and relegated shopping to the world of chicklit?

One of my pet topics--what Dickens readers would call my King Charles's
head--is that SinC members today focus too much on what they can get out
of the organization instead of what they can do to help accomplish that
mission of a level playing field. We writers are more guilty of that
than SinC members who are readers; sometimes we forget that SinC is not
a writers' organization. Yes, by joining you can network with other
mystery readers and writers, and if you're a writer, learn things that
are useful to you in your writing career, but those are
by-products--ancillary benefits. If you don't support the core mission
and all you're going to do is complain that SinC isn't doing enough for
you--maybe it's the wrong group for you!

That said, I've made lifelong friends through my participation in SinC,
had a lot of fun, learned a lot, including much that has been valuable
in my writing. So I hope I'm doing a small part to advance that mission
while I'm at it.

Tayler Bloom: What is one of your most memorable conference experiences?

Donna Andrews: Since I'm an inveterate conference-goer, I have a lot of memorable
conference experiences. Some of the ones that stick in my mind are the
great panels I've been on that, alas, were not memorialized on tape,
only in the minds of the attendees. The panel Caroyn Wheat organized at
Bouchercon in Las Vegas, about archetypes of the detective. The one
Leslie O'Kane organized at Mayhem in the Midlands one year, about how we
can write humorous books about murder. Another Mayhem panel, moderated
by Evelyn Whitehill, where Kent Krueger Victor Gischler, and I talked
about our favorite first lines and ending paragraphs of books. (Strange
to say, despite our very different writing styles, Kent and Victor and I
picked some of the same favorites.) The panel I moderated at Left Coast
Crime in El Paso about "Do Men Write Cozies," with Parnell Hall, Carl
Brookins, Charles Benoit, and a number of audience members chiming in on
the subject. My panel with my fellow Femmes Fatales at Bouchercon in
Chicago. (or was it Madison?)

I think the common thread of all these panels that they were not the
stereotypical panel in which each writer, in turn, takes the mike and
tries to plug his or her book nonstop--you know the drill:
Moderator: Author 3, what's your answer to the question, "What part does
setting play in the mystery?"
Author 3 (in autoBSP mode): Well, in MY books . . .

We've all been to that kind of panel, and if the writers are good at
their BSPing, it's not always bad--but how much more fun to be on a
panel or watching one that has reasonably free-flowing discussion of a
subject, with some of the panelists forgetting to mention their own
books every five seconds. When I see a panel like that, in which the
writers throw BSP overboard to discuss a subject that may or may not
have anything to do with their own books and express some interesting
and intelligent opinions, I'm much more apt to run out and try the
panelists' books. I suspect I'm not alone.

Tayler Bloom: What would you say is the best thing about becoming a writer?

Donna Andrews:Not sure I can say what's the best thing about becoming a writer, since
I can't remember when I wasn't writing--it just took me a long time to
get published. But the best thing about my current life as a full-time
writer is that I get to set my own hours and I have the shortest commute
I've ever had. I remember when I first quit my day job, people kept
asking me how I liked "being retired," or "not working." I got a little
worked up as I explained to them that I was still working, sometimes
harder than ever, I was just doing it from home and on my own schedule.
Reminds me of my friends Tracey and Bill, who quit working for the same
corporation I used to work for to run a small business. I asked them
how they liked it. "It's great," Tracey said. "One thing I like that
now, if management is doing something really stupid--we can just stop
ourselves." Yeah.

Thank you Donna for a great interview. Visit Donna Andrews website at:

                               www.donnaandrews.com

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Interview: ROBERTA ISLEIB

Roberta Isleib is an Agatha and Anthony Award-nominated writer for her Golf Lover's Mysteries. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, the Authors Guild and she is the new president of Sisters in Crime. PREACHING TO THE CORPSE is a part of her new series starring a psychologist / advice columnist and is being released this December.

Tayler Bloom: How has your writing developed from one book to the next in terms of craft?

Roberta Isleib: Hi Tayler, first, thanks for taking the time and space to interview me! I hope my craft has developed quite a bit since I began writing back in 2000. Though I've always read mysteries, I had never before tried to write one. There are so many things to worry about--an interesting yet sensible plot, characters with believable relationships and motives, and the writing
itself.

Even now, after six mysteries in print and two in the pipeline, I read everything I can get my hands on about writing and mysteries--currently it's Donald Maas's WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL. I belong to a number of professional writers' organizations (Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, the Authors Guild), where I've found loads of support and educational opportunities. I also belong to a writers group, and I've used an amazing independent editor. Hopefully it all adds up to each book being a little stronger than the last.

Tayler Bloom: How would you compare the experience of writing your first novel with your fourth or fifth novel?

Roberta Isleib: I really had no idea what I was doing with the first one, FINAL ROUND! Luckily, I had a lot of time to think about it and polish it. And in fact, that first book never made it into print, though it did sell the series. The main character was a caddie, rather than an actual golfer, and my publisher preferred that Cassie take a more central role. I was upset about "wasting" all that work, but when I look back at that manuscript, I have to say I'm relieved it's still in the drawer! I've learned so much over the past seven years.

I'm working on my second series--PREACHING TO THE CORPSE, the second advice column mystery will be out in December. I seem to have a better sense of following the characters lead, rather than trying to force them into a plot that I've constructed. Believe me, the writing comes more easily and turns out better too!

Tayler Bloom: You are a Macavity Award nominee for your short fiction this year. What specific skills developed in short fiction can be transferred to your novel-length fiction?

Roberta Isleib: I've written more novels than short stories and most of them have featured the characters I'm considering using in the longer mysteries. I think short stories are harder because you need a jewel of a concept that can be explored and brought to fruition in a few pages. No time for lovely descriptions or extensive character development--every word counts! "Disturbance in the Field" was nominated for an Agatha and is currently up for a Macavity award. Dr. Rebecca Butterman and Detective Jack Meigs, the characters in my advice column mysteries, are in this story. You can read it on my website: http://www.robertaisleib.com

Tayler Bloom:  What sort of publicity does your publisher provide for you? Does your agent negotiate for you on this? If so, what specifically does she ask for on your behalf?

Roberta Isleib: Berkley Prime Crime has a fairly standard set of things they do for their cozy mystery line, including producing bound galleys for the first in a series and sending them out to a list of reviewers. Their publicists have so much on their plate, they simply don't have a ton of time to devote to each book. I do my best to work alongside the publicist and make sure we don't duplicate efforts. I'm always looking for online review possibilities, bloggers interested in mysteries, etc.

Tayler Bloom: Your Golf Lovers Mystery novels have been Anthony Award nominees. How are authors chosen for nomination? What are the criteria the entries are judged by? Did you attend the awards ceremony when you were up as a nominee? If so, what was that experience like?

Roberta Isleib: Both the Agatha and the Anthony nominations and awards are determined by fan vote. I've attended all of the awards ceremonies so far--three Agathas and an Anthony, with a Macavity coming up in Alaska. Each time was a thrill! Of course I'd love to be the one to step up and receive the award some day, but just being recognized is a wonderful feeling. Writing is a hard and lonely job so having folks recognize your books means an awful lot.
 
Tayler Bloom: As a writer, how would you define success?

Roberta Isleib: This would have to be different for each writer. And it's certainly not money! I love hearing from readers who have enjoyed the books and feel connected to my characters--that feels like success.

Tayler Bloom: How do you balance writing time with marketing obligations?

Roberta Isleib: I set myself a page goal for each week, based on the due date of the manuscript. And then I break that down according to my obligations for the week. I try not to let myself get distracted from the writing until those goals are met. Marketing is easier for me than writing, so I save those jobs for the afternoons when I'm less fresh.

My husband reminds me of the old marketing adage: nothing kills a bad product faster than good marketing. Which means, no point in trying to sell a book that isn't the best you can make it.
 
Tayler Bloom: What about the writing life (post-publication) has surprised you the most?

Roberta Isleib: I have developed a network of wonderful friends and colleagues that I couldn't have imagined before I started. I've never worked so hard in my life, but I'm having a blast!
 
Tayler Bloom: What advice would you give to mystery writers just starting out?

Roberta Isleib: Spend as much time as you can learning the craft. I know how hard the publishing business is right now and it can be very tempting to take shortcuts, including publishing your work yourself. But unless you have specific reasons for doing it that way (such as a small audience you know you can reach), it's costly to your career in the end.

And start meeting people in the mystery field now. It's easier and easier with all the online options. And these friends will be important as your career advances.

This is why I love being involved in Sisters in Crime. If all goes well, I'll be installed as president at Bouchercon in Alaska in September. This is an incredible group of talented and hard-working writers--I can't tell you how hard the board works for the members. I'm very excited about a trip four of us are taking to New York in September to discuss publishing and women writers with an array of publishing professionals. But we have lots more going on so please check us out:  www.sistersincrime.org.

Thank you Roberta for the great interview!

 Visit Roberta Isleib's website at:               www.robertaisleib.com

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Interview: JANE CLELAND

 Jane K. Cleland was an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Novel, and Kirkus Review wrote that, "Antiques Roadshow fans and mystery lovers will delight in this erudite series featuring the resourceful Josie."

Tayler Bloom: You've written a business communications book (Business Writing for Results), as well as your mysteries. Are there any business writing skills that can be transferred to novel writing?

Jane K. Cleland: What an interesting question... yes, certainly, many of the business writing skills apply. Adhering to the rules of grammar, parallel construction, punctuation, "blot" (i.e., "bottom line on top") directness, and using action-oriented verbs, while avoiding any form of the verb "to be," are examples. But of course there are many structural differences, too.

Tayler Bloom: You also have a career as a corporate trainer. Does this play an important role in marketing your own books? Specify.

Jane K. Cleland: No, the worlds are quite separate. When my first mystery, Consigned to Death, was published, I assumed that both of my careers could share a platform. I was wrong. My corporate clients are actually rather uninterested in my creative writing. They don't dislike it; it's simply irrelevant to them. (And vice versa.)

Tayler Bloom: You offer your services as a copywriter. Does this mean you write your own promo materials for your novels, or does your publisher still handle that? How active is your publisher in the marketing of your novels? Is marketing primarily your responsibility or theirs?

Jane K. Cleland: I suggest copy for my novels, but it's their decision.  My publisher, St. Martin's Minotaur, has been terrific marketing-wise. Do I wish they'd do more? Of course! Am I aware of the many, many things they do behind the scenes? Absolutely! I would say we share responsibility for marketing.

Tayler Bloom: When you first began writing, what made you decide to write in the mystery genre?

Jane K. Cleland: After the publication of Business Writing for Results, my agent, Denise Marcil, said that since I use so many anecdotes and examples in my non-fiction writing, I ought to try my hand at fiction. I did and Josie Prescott was born. Why mysteries? It's what I read. I wanted to write books that I'd want to read.

Tayler Bloom: How would you define success as a writer?

Jane K. Cleland: Success—an interesting question. I can define it in many ways: If enough people enjoy my books so that the series can sustain itself, I would consider that success. Another variable is, of course, money. I have a day job that I like a lot, but I would love to be able to do it less. That would only be possible if I earned more as a writer.

Tayler Bloom: What about other people's writing really grabs you and why?

Jane K. Cleland: Characters I care about behaving in surprising ways grabs me. Beautiful prose grabs me, too.

Tayler Bloom: What, in your opinion, are some of the keys to writing mysteries that make people stay up into the night to finish?

Jane K. Cleland: Suspense mixed with fear, or a problem or situation that readers burn to see resolved.

Tayler Bloom: What advice would you give to writers just starting out?

Jane K. Cleland: Learn from other writers' successes. Not that you should replicate what they've done, but there's no reason to reinvent the wheel. Analyze the structure of books similar to the ones you want to write. For instance, I write traditional, "fair-play" mysteries in which my protagonist, Josie Prescott, uses her knowledge of antiques to solve the crimes. Structurally, here's what that means: There needs to be a murder in Chapter One or Chapter Two; the victim must be known to the murderer; Josie must follow clues that lead logically from one to the next; the solution must depend on her deductive ability, especially involving antiques.

Thank you for visiting today Jane.

Visit Jane Cleland's website at www.janecleland.com

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Interviews: ERIC STONE & JENNIFER CRUSIE

This month, I have Eric Stone and Jennifer Crusie with me to discuss the craft of writing, the business of publishing and the road to success.

Library Journal gives Eric Stone's newest release, GRAVE IMPORTS, a Starred review, writing that it is "a fast-paced thriller that turns into a deeper social novel...a mystery plot with some substance." Gayle Lynds says it is a "wild and riveting ride," while Laura Lippman wrote that his last book, LIVING ROOM OF THE DEAD, was "a stylish, fresh take on classic noir themes." Stone was voted one of the 10 Best Books of 2005 by The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles. He has sat on the board of directors of the Southern California Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, and is a member of Sisters in Crime and PEN USA.

Tayler Bloom: You begin your book tour for GRAVE IMPORTS soon. What preparation and organizing is required for a book tour, and what role does your publisher play in this?

 Eric Stone: I love book tours. Most of my fellow writers, especially the ones with a lot of books out, think I'm nuts. But I love touring and I love driving and I combine the two. On my first book tour I drove nearly 10,000 miles around the country. I'm going to do about the same this time. So first off, there's a whole lot of scheduling that needs to happen far in advance. Bookstores, especially ones that have a lot of events, often book those events as much as six months in advance. So I work out where I want to go, the logistics of getting there and then start contacting stores way in advance. On my first book tour I got to know a lot of booksellers, so I book those ones myself. The publicist who works with my publisher, has been booking the others, but we've had to carefully coordinate our efforts because of the dates and times and in my case, driving times. First we contact the stores - or in a couple of cases, other venues - to tell them about the new book that's coming out. Then we send them advanced reading copies of the book. Then I follow up with a call or an email suggesting a date that would work for me for an event, and I tell them a little about what sort of event I have in mind. Then if they say yes I plug it into the calendar. Since I've worked as a photographer, I also love putting together posters for events. So about a month before each event I send out a poster or two to the store with one of my photos and the book cover on it.

        I'm also hoping that the publisher's publicist has some contacts with media, and can get me some newspaper and radio interviews. Because my next book is based on fact, the publisher sent out a press kit about it that includes a short article I wrote about the trade in stolen Cambodian antiquities. With any luck that will help to get media more interested in the book than they might otherwise be. The publisher also sends out review copies far in advance, the more the better. Lastly, and usually least, the publisher will sometimes chip in some money for expenses. Since I'm driving on my book tour and I stay with friends a lot of the places I go, I can keep the expenses down and the publisher is likely to pay a bigger percentage than they might otherwise.

Tayler Bloom: Tell me about the PowerPoint presentation you'll be giving during your tour.

Eric Stone: It's a rare writer who can keep a crowd entertained all by themselves. I'm not a bad reader, and I seem to get plenty of laughs when I talk at bookstores or libraries or wherever, but there are now so many writers out there, flogging so many books, that you've got to do something, anything, to stand out from the crowd. I take pictures. And I also have a love for odd, foreign pop music. And I've learned to use PowerPoint. So I put all that together and created a presentation of photos of the places I am writing about, along with pop music from the place. It gives me a way to talk about the book in a fuller context, and gives the audience something more to look at than simply me standing there yammering at them. I do get a lot of questions from people though about when is the coffee table picture book version of my book coming out. I've passed that along to my publisher. I don't think there are any plans for it.

Tayler Bloom: What, in your experience, makes for a successful book tour?

Eric Stone: The bottom line is, of course, that you're trying to sell books. So the more books you sell, the more successful the tour. That said, when you're not a big name author and you're trying to establish yourself and your series, the most important thing is to foster good relationships with booksellers. On my first book tour I had events at 40 stores and dropped by for stock signings at another 175 or so stores. As much as possible I have followed up since with emails, little mailings, dropping in for visits when I was in the vicinity, talking with the booksellers at conventions like Bouchercon. I now consider a lot of these people my friends. And I know that when my new book comes out, they'll immediately know who I am and they'll more likely than not put the book in a front window or a good prominent display position in the store, and that will help sales. A lot of writers make the mistake of taking booksellers for granted. What writers need to realize is that booksellers are the front line of the business, and they are probably the most knowledgeable people in the business when it comes to dealing with readers and book buyers. As a writer, you're in a partnership with booksellers and you need to treat it that way. I've had book events where only one person showed up for the event, but I still considered it a successful event because I've had a grand old time sitting around with the bookstore people talking about books, getting to know each other, and making friends. Down the line, those people are going to sell more of my books and do me a lot of good, and vice versa. It has to be a two way street.

Tayler Bloom: Prior to writing books, you were a journalist. What lead you to that profession and where did it end up taking you?

Eric Stone: I was the kind of obnoxious little kid who put together neighborhood newsletters and things like that. One of my first jobs was with an underground paper in the '60s in L.A. I got a BA in journalism and had the misfortune to graduate in 1974, at the height of Watergate when everybody wanted to be investigative reporters. Competition for writing jobs was fierce. I'd always enjoyed photography as well, so I snuck into journalism that way. I eventually got back into writing by doing freelance travel pieces about places that magazines couldn't afford to send both a photographer and a writer - like Timbuktoo and Central Borneo. Eventually some of my Asia stories got me noticed and I was offered a job as an associate editor of a financial magazine based in Hong Kong.
        At first I thought financial writing was going to be dull, but I did want to try living overseas. Over the next 11 years I lived in Asia, and covered topics ranging from business to politics, the arts to sex, sports to crime. I ended up running my own small publishing company and after it went bankrupt I was in demand as a publishing consultant.

Tayler Bloom: What was it like running your own publishing company in Asia, and what did you learn about the publishing industry in general?

Eric Stone: After I'd been in Asia for seven years I got offered a job by a big publishing company in Bangkok. They wanted me to be the founding editor of a business magazine for the Mekong River area. I turned them down, but it got me thinking about what I knew about starting up and running a magazine.

        What I learned from it was pretty much what anyone who goes into publishing learns - with a few rare exceptions. It is best summed up by the old joke: "How do you make a little money in publishing? Start with a lot." The company ran out of money and the last issue of the magazine came out in September 1995. Of course, once I'd run a publishing company that went bankrupt, I was suddenly in demand as a "publishing consultant." I guess people figured I knew what not to do. At least one publishing company I helped start, in Singapore, is still going - 14 years later - so I guess I did learn a thing or two.

Tayler Bloom: What led you away from journalism and towards writing fiction? How has your journalism background influenced your novels?

Eric Stone: I was in Asia at a particularly exciting time, 1986-97, the real height of the Asian economic boom. Then in 1997 and '98 the economic crisis hit, the party came to a crashing halt. I had also got to what I felt was the point of no return - either stay and become a permanent expatriate, or return to the U.S. and try to recapture a sense of home. I went home.

        The first year was a very difficult transition. I spent most of that year doing consulting work for different publishing companies interested in Asia. After a year, one of the companies offered me a job as editor-in-chief of three financial magazines based in San Francisco. It was the height of the dot com boom and they had money to spend. I took the job and it was awful. They lacked editorial independence and sales decisions always trumped editorial. After about a year the dot com boom began to go bust and the magazines began to go down with that ship. I'd had enough anyhow, so I quit.

        I'd always wanted to write at least one book, and I came across the transcripts of an extensive interview I had done before I moved to Asia. The guy had been a major league baseball player in the 1940s, and a gangster in the off-season. In 1949 he committed a murder, got caught and then became famous in the 1950s playing baseball in prison. Rereading the interview, I thought it might make for an interesting book. The whole thing snowballed into a biography called WRONG SIDE OF THE WALL.

       Once the first book sold, I thought I'd like to try and write a novel, since I've always loved fiction, especially crime fiction. Flushed with enthusiasm, I wrote my first novel in about three months. It was based on a story involving a gold scam in Indonesia, that I had covered as a journalist. I sent it to a friend who is a writer to see what he thought of it. It turned out that he also worked as an editor for St. Martins and he offered to buy it for the publisher.

        I got so excited by that, that I quickly wrote another one - this one based on a true story involving Russian prostitutes in Macau, near Hong Kong. I sent that to my friend before the contract was signed on the first one. He liked that one even better and thought it would be a better start to a series. So that book became my first published novel, THE LIVING ROOM OF THE DEAD. The second novel in the series, GRAVE IMPORTS, is coming out at the end of this September, and it's also based on a true story - in this case involving the trade in stolen Cambodian antiquities.

        So far all of my fiction is based on stories that I covered, or know well, from when I worked as a journalist in Asia. I was always much more of a feature and analysis writer, than a hard news reporter, so I think the eye I developed for detail and quirky elements that help to inform and broaden a story, and to put it into a bigger context, have a huge impact on the way I write fiction. I like stories that deal with big, international issues, but by focussing on smaller, personal matters. I think the type of journalist I was, is what led me to that.

Tayler Bloom: What sort of research is involved in writing your mysteries.

Eric Stone: When I'm basing a novel on a true story, I don't want to delve too deeply into the real story for fear that it will inhibit the fiction, or it will bog down into reporting, rather than story telling or action. Book four in my series will mostly be set in Shanghai and I intend to spend six weeks to two months there next year for research. THE LIVING ROOM OF THE DEAD presented a problem because it ended up in Vladivostok, Russia and I've never been there and didn't get the chance to go there for research. But I found photos of the places, street maps, guidebooks and also found two expatriates living there who I could email to ask questions. Two people who read the book and who had lived in Vladivostok told me they couldn't believe I'd never been there. I was very pleased with that.

Tayler Bloom: What all is involved in your position as editor of your local MWA newsletter?

Eric Stone: A lot of cajoling. I've edited a lot of newsletters in the past and so I couldn't just bring myself to do a small job on this one. All that's really necessary for the newsletter is a column of member's news, a calendar of events, a directory of organizational stuff and some sort of article from the chapter president that in reality doesn't need to do anything more than say something along the lines of "Hi! How's it going?" I wouldn't let myself do that. So instead I've expanded the thing to include a lot of articles that I hope are of use to our members - computer security, issues in publishing, ideas for publicizing your books, sources for research, forensics, etc. I don't have the time to write all that myself, so I've had to cajole members, and some other non-member experts, into contributing articles for free. (We have no budget to pay for content.) Mostly that's worked out really well.

Tayler Bloom: You've been a contest judge before. What entries grab your attention and why? What are some of the biggest mistakes you see in the writing?

 Eric Stone: This year I'm on the Edgar judges panel in the short fiction section. Actually, this is the first time I've ever done anything like this. At first I was horrified by the number of stories we're expected to judge. By the time the smoke clears I guess it will be in the neighborhood of 500-600, maybe more. I think that in some ways, short fiction is harder to write than novels. I read once that Mark Twain would start off long letters to friends with an apology: "I'm sorry this letter is so long. I didn't have the time to make it any shorter." He had a point. And that is what has saved me from a whole year of doing nothing other than reading short stories. My attitude is, if a story doesn't have me hooked by the end of the third paragraph, it isn't going to win a prize and I can stop reading it. Now it still might somehow turn into a good story. There could be twists or a surprise ending or something to pull it out of the bag. But it isn't going to be worthy of a prize. A short story has to grab you quick and let you know what you're getting yourself into right away. Journalists tend to understand that and often write good short stories. (I'm the exception. I don't.) So, the biggest mistakes I see in the writing is that it doesn't get moving fast enough. It doesn't introduce the necessary people, places and things soon enough.

Tayler Bloom: What advice would you give those authors just starting out?

Eric Stone: Write what you're enthusiastic about. Sure, you need to try and sell it and certain things sell better than others. So find a topic that has a chance to sell, that you are enthusiastic about.

        Write what you know. That doesn't mean you have to know it all personally, that's what research is for. You need to be the authority on your story, your characters, the setting.

        Write so that it makes sense. This is especially true with fiction. When I was a journalist all I had to do was write the facts. No matter how bizarre, illogical or peculiar, if I stuck to the facts I could get away with it - "sure this doesn't make any sense to me either, but that's the way it happened." You can't do that with fiction. Fiction needs to be more logical than fact. Even the wildest, most speculative science fiction needs to have strong, internal logic.

        Get it done. The worst thing a writer can do is to constantly attempt perfection. Just write the thing, with all its imperfections and problems, write it all the way through to the end without tweaking it while you go along. Then, when it's done, that's the time for tweaking it, perfecting it.

       Find at least one, preferably two or three, good readers who will be brutally honest with you. Leave them alone to read what you've written. Keep your mouth shut when they tell you what they thought - even if they are totally tearing your heart out. Take some deep breaths, a drink and let it all rest for a day or two. Then calmly, rationally, consider what they had to say and make use of the useful parts.  

Thank you for your time today Eric!

Visit Eric's website at www.ericstone.com

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USA Today and New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer Crusie, is known for her romantic comedies, but there's a solid mystery behind more than one of her stories. As Publishers Weekly writes, "A detective agency may be a sure setting for mystery, but in Crusie's latest...characters also find sex, love and empowerment." Susan Elizabeth Phillips adds that Crusie's novels are a "humorous mixture of romance, mystery, and mayhem," and Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that the novels are "Smart, sexy, romantic suspense." Her latest release, Agnes and the Hitman, is co-written with Bob Mayer.

Tayler Bloom: What about the publishing industry has surprised you most? About being a published author?

Jenny Cruisie: That it is such a crapshoot and everybody's guessing with fingers crossed. Somebody once said that publishing isn't a business, it's a casino, and that's so true.  If you can't take risks, ride the wins and losses and roll the dice again, publishing will make you insane.

Tayler Bloom: How do you create and maintain the furiously fast pace of your romantic comedy novels?

Jenny Crusie: After the first draft, which is completely off the top of my head, I work like crazy on structure, making sure that the acts in my novels grow shorter, that the turning points arc in tension, that each beat of each scene increases in tension, and a dozen other things.  The first draft is pure creativity, but after that it's creativity and craft, which is what Bob Mayer and I are talking about in Crusie-Mayer Writing Workshop we're doing now at www.crusiemayer.com

Tayler Bloom: What advice would you give writers aiming for a comic tone in their own novels?

Jenny Crusie: Don't aim for a comic tone.  Write the stories you need to write in your voice and the voices of your characters. If that turns out to be funny, you've got a comedy.  If it doesn't you're writing something else. Embrace that.

Tayler Bloom: What do you do to continue to build your audience?

Jenny Crusie: Write good books.  Keeping an online presence helps, I think, but the bottom line is, write books people want to read. Word of mouth is the most powerful force in selling anything, and it's doubly powerful for novels.

Thank you. Visit Jennifer Cruisie's website at www.jennycrusie.com

READERS: Thanks for visiting. I look forward to your comments and welcome any questions you may have for future authors.

All the best, Tayler Bloom

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Interviews: HAILEY LIND & HARLEY JANE KOZAK

This month, I have another double-feature in store, as both Hailey Lind and Harley Jane Kozak discuss the craft of writing, the business of publishing and the path to success.

 ______________________

Hailey Lind is a pseudonym for sisters Julie Goodson-Lawes and Carolyn J. Lawes, one an artist, the other a historian. They have been nominated for an Agatha, been an Independent Mystery Booksellers' Association Bestseller, and are members of the Mystery Writers of America. Julie is on the board of NorCal Sisters in Crime. The latest book in their Art Lover's Mystery series is BRUSH WITH DEATH, which was released in July.

Tayler Bloom: Tell me the story of why and how you two came to write mysteries together?

 Hailey Lind: Our father is a real outdoorsman, and our family vacations were spent at our family's very rustic cabin in the woods of northern California, an eight-hour (minimum!) trip from our childhood home in the San Francisco Bay Area.  As a result, we spent hours on the road, keeping ourselves entertained with songs, stories, games, etc.  As adults, we repeated this pattern, and on long road trips started making up book plots.  We had so much fun we decided to put some of those ideas down on paper and see what happened.

 Tayler Bloom: Do each of you have a writing background? On a personal note, how close in age are you?

 Hailey Lind: We come from an extended family of voracious readers – we got our library cards as small children, and growing up our house was always full of books. We also love learning new things, and both of us went to graduate school, Julie in anthropology and social work, and Carolyn in history.  We've each written academic works, although academic writing is quite different from mystery writing, so it was a bit of a transition!  Mysteries are a favorite of most academics we know, because the process – gathering data and reaching a conclusion as to "who done it" – is similar to what anthropologists and historians do. 

 Carolyn is the elder by four and a half years, and continues to cling to the delusion that Julie owes her respect on that basis alone….  We also have an older sister, Susan, who is a great mystery fan.

Tayler Bloom: What made you choose to use a pseudonym?

 Hailey Lind: We gave that a lot of thought, and decided that because we wanted our books to read as if one person wrote them we should use only one name.  Hailey Lind is an old family name, so we settled on that. 

Tayler Bloom: Your mysteries are set in the art world. How do you research your novels?

 Hailey Lind: We were trained in the art of research in graduate school, and usually all we need to know is what question to ask in order to find the information we need.  We want our books to be as realistic as possible, and thanks to the Internet there is a world of information available at our fingertips.  For example, at one point our heroine, Annie, is about to cross the Oakland Bay Bridge and reflects upon the number of lanes on the bridge.  We've driven across that bridge hundreds of times but for the life of us couldn't remember how many lanes there were – who notices those kinds of things? – so we went to the Cal Trans website, clicked on the live cameras, and counted the number of lanes! 

Tayler Bloom: What is it like to collaborate on a novel?

 Hailey Lind: Collaborating on our novels is one of the most enjoyable things we've ever done!  Working together to create an imaginary world of art forgers and art felons has allowed us to explore a new dimension of sisterly connection.  We tend to think and speak in similar ways, though we view life differently enough that we are always learning from each other. 

 We begin the writing process with a brainstorming session, preferably in person but since we live on opposite coasts, Julie in California and Carolyn in Virginia, this isn't always possible.  So we take advantage of those free weekend cell phone minutes for hours-long conversations in which we debate possible plot points and figure out how we get Annie Kincaid out of the messes we put her in!  Julie then begins to write, and sends what she has to Carolyn as an attachment to an email; Carolyn rewrites and adds to the story and sends it back to Julie, etc.  The story tends to evolve naturally this way. 

 Because we are two people, we occasionally butt heads over character interactions or plot developments, but it doesn't happen often and when it does we have a lifetime of trust and goodwill to draw upon.  Usually one sister will concede to the other, and the process hums along nicely. At the end of the day we never forget that we are sisters first and co-authors a distant second.

 Tayler Bloom: Do either of you write independent of your collaborations? If so, does it feel different creatively and what do you write?

 Hailey Lind: Carolyn continues to write and publish academic history – she's a specialist in 19^th century US history – and it is a very different process than novel writing.  When she writes history she's telling a true story, and her job is to put the existing pieces together in a clear fashion.  Fiction writing requires making up a tale out of whole cloth; it doesn't exist until we create it.  Both require logical thinking and imagination, although to different degrees.

 We also have other fiction projects in the works; one is more of a traditional romance, the other is a thriller.  Our first love, though, will always be Annie Kincaid and her friends!   

 Tayler Bloom: How did it feel to be nominated for an Agatha?

 Hailey Lind: It was amazing!  We were so happy to be published and to have the chance to write our stories that the possibility that our first mystery, FEINT OF ART, would be nominated for an award didn't occur to us.  When we received the phone call we were stunned and oh so happy.

 Tayler Bloom: Has the nomination in any way changed your writing career? 

 Hailey Lind: It's certainly brought us more attention, which is very gratifying, especially since one of our greatest challenges is making readers aware of our books.  It was also a huge thrill to know that mystery readers in particular liked what we were doing.  As authors, we send our books out into the world and can never be sure how they'll be received.  The Agatha nomination was a tremendous boost, and has given us more confidence.

 Tayler Bloom: Tell me about the process of this award. How do you get nominated? Who chooses the judges? Are there specific criteria the judges use to decide upon the winner?

 Hailey Lind: The Agatha is a fan-based award, and the books are nominated by mystery lovers who attend the annual Malice Domestic conference.  The final voting takes place at the Malice Domestic conference, so the criteria are decided upon by mystery readers themselves.  It's what makes the Agatha award so special.

 Tayler Bloom: What, in your opinion, is the most important aspect of marketing when you have a mystery series?

Hailey Lind: Personal appearances at bookstores – especially the independent bookstores – as well as conferences have been key.  Word-of-mouth is also vital, and we are especially proud when a mystery lover recommends us to other mystery lovers.  Publishers are only able to afford publicity campaigns for their best-selling authors, so those of us just starting out have to rely on other methods of bringing attention to our books!

Tayler Bloom: What advice would you give to beginning writers?

 Hailey Lind: Number One:  Hang in there.  As a first-time author the odds are stacked against you, but this does not mean it won't happen – just be patient.  Our first attempt, which eventually became FEINT OF ART, went through numerous – and we do mean numerous – drafts and rewrites before it was ready to show to an agent.  Many agents passed on it, telling us publishers would never be interested in art mysteries, before our agent, Kristin Lindstrom, took a chance and was rewarded when Signet offered us a three-book deal almost immediately.  

 Number Two:  Be realistic.   If a book isn't likely to sell a publisher won't buy it.  Read widely in the genre so that you can be reasonably confident that your manuscript is commercial.

 Number Three:  Don't fall so in love with your own words that you aren't willing to rewrite them.  If someone in a position to know – such as an agent, even one who passes on the manuscript – takes the time to suggest improvements, hear them out.  We have had to cut portions of our stories that we loved to pieces simply because they weren't right for one reason or another.  (The secret:  keep the material you excise and use it elsewhere!)

 Number Four:  Writing is hard work!  It's fun, but it's a challenge, no two ways about it.  If you're feeling discouraged, take a break for a few days and then come back to it.  It works for us!

Thank you Hailey (Carolyn and Julie)!

Visit Hailey Lind's site at www.haileylind.com

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 Harley Jane Kozak has won the Agatha,