Literary Spotlight: Maggie Shayne

Maggie Shayne is the best-selling author of more than 40 novels including women’s fiction, romance, romantic suspense and paranormal fiction. She is the recipient of numerous awards including two Romantic Times Bookclub Career Achievement Awards, the National Readers’ Choice Award and the RITA Award. She has written for CBS daytime dramas and her novel, Eternity, has been optioned for film. Her next release is Bloodline on sale this May.

Q: It’s been said that the paranormal/horror genre has become more acceptable in the marketplace. What is it that draws readers to the paranormal?

A: Paranormal is certainly more popular than ever. I think readers find it appealing for the same reasons as they do any other sub-genre--at first, it's exciting and different and they just can't get enough. But also like any other sub-genre, it'll get to be same old, same old, soon enough. Especially with the current glut in the marketplace. Everyone who can string two sentences together is suddenly writing paranormal romance, and a lot of it just isn't very good. Yet it's bought and published because readers can't get enough and publishers can't find enough to fill the slots. Soon, though, like with any other hot new genre, it'll stop being the novelty of it that draws readers in. Instead, it will be great writing that pulls them back time and time again. The rest will fall by the wayside.

Q: You are an elder in the Wiccan faith and have founded a new tradition known as RavenMyst Circle. How does this influence what you write?

A: Well, when I write about Witchcraft and natural magick, I do so with authenticity and authority. Other than that, I don't think it changes the way I write at all. Although perhaps I do take the notion of muses and daemons a bit more seriously than some might do.

Q: How can novice writers take their passion--work, hobbies, experiences etc.--and make it happen into a book?

A: Work, hobbies, experiences--those are boring. It's the passion you want to take with you into a book. Passion for what you're writing about. If you're passionate about work or a hobby or an experience, fine, but if not, it's not book material. Writing a book is opening a vein. There has to be absolute passion for the topic or it just won't stand out. I advise aspiring writers to join professional writers' groups, such as Romance Writers of America, network with authors, take classes and workshops, read voraciously, and write what you love to read. I also advise them to understand the difference between vanity presses and legitimate publishers, and to know the difference between small, new, electronic publishers and large, commercial print publishers. Tens of thousands of dollars in differences there. So learn the business, learn the craft, and write what you love. Oh, and never give up.

Q: How important is it to balance the use of personal experience and investigative research when writing a work of fiction?

A: Personal experience is kind of the underlying, subconscious platform from which the writer works. My history and childhood do influence the way I write, but I don't write about them. On the surface, what I have lived has nothing to do with my storylines. If I were writing about personal experience, I'd be writing memoirs rather than novels. Investigative research--same answer, really. I write fiction. Aside from getting the geography of an area right, or knowing a bit about the careers I choose for my characters, I don't see the need for investigative research. I'm not a reporter. My main tool is my imagination.

Q: It’s been said that finding an agent is as easy as flipping through the pages of Literary Marketplace? Do you agree or disagree and why? What suggestions would you offer a non-published writer?

A: I think that is absolutely false. Finding a good agent is tough. Especially if you don't come to them with an offer from a publisher in hand. And finding a bad agent, while likely quite easy, is worse than finding no agent at all. The author/agent relationship is like a marriage. Ending it is just as hard, and can cost you just as much. Too many new writers settle for the first agent who offers to represent them, and then live to regret it. This is an area where a writer cannot be careful enough. Take time, and make the right choice. Remember, you are hiring this person to work for you, not the other way around.

Q: What is the best way for a writer to hone their skills? Why?

A: I think the best way to become a better writer is to keep on writing. Like with anything, practice makes perfect. I also think that switching sub-genres and even genres is an excellent way to keep yourself constantly improving. Writing in a way you never have before makes you a stronger writer. Experiment with point of view, with story structure, with style, and don't be afraid to do things you've never done before. This will keep you fresh. Also reading, lots and lots of reading.

Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact and Touching The Dead, and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.

Carlotta Holton has just received her second award for Touching the Dead from the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. Click here to purchase the book.