Literary Spotlight

Brad Meltzer is the author of several New York Times best-selling suspense-mystery books, as well as a comic book writer. He was the co-creator of the television series, Jack & Bobby which ran for one season on the WB television network.

Q: Your latest book, The Book of Lies has a companion soundtrack that features a mix of classical and contemporary hits as well as the newly recorded song, "The Book of Lies." No one has tried this before. Do you think this might be a new way to enhance the reading experience for the public and that it may pave the way for companion recordings in the future?

A: That's certainly the goal. Music is just so beautifully manipulative in film and TV. But when you read, I thought it'd be nice to let you feel -- and hear -- the song/mood that's playing in my head. Wow, that makes me sound crazy!

Q: On the video trailer featured on your website you say that you write in complete silence but there is no question there is a soundtrack playing inside your mind. How does your new soundtrack compete with a version of a recorded book read on CD in terms of conveying the emotions of the story?

A: I can try to make you feel a particular emotion. But I may fail. Spoken words may fail. With a song, I get the benefit of a crutch. Songs totally manipulate you. That's all I'm trying to do: to give you that feeling you get from a great score -- to help make you feel and see and experience what may not be there.

Q: You have said regarding the concept of a companion soundtrack that you thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could do this?” Do you believe that questioning - this anticipatory thinking process - is the germ of creative writing and if so why or why not?

A: The only things worth working on are the stuff you don't think you can do. If it's easy, it'll be easy. And boring. But when you challenge yourself? That's how we each find our greatness.

Q: In addition to having a writing background, you have a law degree. How has that knowledge aided your novels?

A: If I went to medical school, I'd probably write medical thrillers. But in law, I found a beautiful world. It gave me a world to write about. Plus, I'm neurotic, like most lawyers, so it gave me a PhD in neurotic lawyer characters.

Q: In 2006 you participated in a work group along with the CIA, FBI and Department of Homeland Security intelligence staff to brainstorm new ways that terrorists might attack the U.S. What was that like and how did you come to be a part of the meeting?

A: It was one of the scariest, most exciting and rewarding things I've ever done. We'd destroy whole cities in an hour. And that doesn't make you feel good. It terrifies you. But if picking my brain makes them feel that we'll somehow be safer, well, pick away.

Q: If you were to give an inspirational presentation to a group of neophyte writers hoping for that big break, what advice would you give them?

A: Never ever ever ever ever let anyone tell you "No." All it takes is one person to say yes. You just have to find that person.

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

Orania Papazolou has written over 20 mysteries under the penname and is a regular contributor to magazines such as Ladies Home Journal, Family Circle, and Parents. She is best known for her series of books featuring Gregor Demarkian, a former FBI agent.

Q: Which writers have inspired you? Why?

A: Oh, ack. Lots of them, really. And they change as I get older. When I was very young, I liked Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie--I've always liked puzzle mysteries. I like the way they make your brain work, but with Christie I also liked the idea that you could get inside the motives of the suspects and make a book about that.

When I was a teen-ager, I like Hemingway, any Hemingway, also almost any book that took place far away from the small Connecticut town where I grew up.

When I started writing mysteries as an adult, up to now, my favorite author is definitely P.D. James, because she proved that a mystery could be a real novel, with all that implies.

Q: You have been the featured writer on St. Martin’s Press’ “Moments in Crime” blog. What is that like?

A: Well, I liked it enough so that I started a blog of my own. You can get to it at http://blog.janehaddam.com

And I'm going to be blogging at SMP again at the beginning of May. I like the ability to just talk about writing, and reading, and teaching writing and reading, and all of that. It's a very natural flow.

Q: Regarding character development you’ve been quoted as saying, “You've either got to find a way to make your continuing characters interesting without making them maudlin or overwrought, or you've got to put more emphasis on the suspects.” Can you elaborate for authors considering using a continuing character in a series? How does this apply to writing in genres other than mystery/crime?

A: Most series die because everybody, including the writer, gets sick of the detective. You sit there and go--oh, no, not another marital crisis/break up with the boyfriend/cancer scare; whatever.
There just isn't that much to say about any character, no matter how complex. You can't make it interesting for thirty books. You really can't.

That's why I like to have only a little about the detective and his circle in each book, with the major concentration being on the characters who make up the suspects. They change from book to book, so you're always looking at something new.

Q: You have taught composition in college and note that writers need to learn to listen to advice. You’ve said, “You don't know how many writers’ conferences I've taught at where at least half the audience fights all the conventions of the field.” Please elaborate.

A: Oh, well--it isn't even writing advice I was thinking of. You stand in front of the room at some of these conferences and say, "okay, NEVER send the entire book, send a letter and a synopsis" and there are people who just won't listen--no, they HAVE to send the whole book because otherwise the agent or editor won't know how marvelous it is. In reality, if you send the whole book, the agent or editor won't even read it. She'll just send it back untouched, because she'll assume that you're an amateur. After all, you're not following the rules.

Publishing is a business. Like any business, it has protocols. Everybody follows them, unless they get as big as a Stephen King or a J.K. Rowling, and can get away with anything.

You wouldn't wear a dirty t-shirt to a job interview at a law firm--why package your submissions in the equivalent of that dirty t-shirt for an editor?

Q: What has been the best writing advice you ever received and who was it from? In what way did it help?

A: It was from Warren Murphy, who wrote the Destroyer series, among other things. It was right after I'd had my first baby and was having trouble getting a book started. The book was contracted for, there was a deadline, and I was going nowhere. He said, "stop thinking and just write and write and write. Make yourself, no matter how bad it feels. You're a professional. When you go back and read it over, it really won't be half bad."

And it wasn't. That was the end of writer's block for me.

Q: Magazine articles allow you to move out of the mystery/crime genre for a time. Have you ever thought of writing a novel in a different genre and if so what would it be?

A: I don't think about writing novels so much, but I do sometimes think about writing nonfiction. I envy Asimov for being able to write book after book on all sorts of topics, Asimov on Shakespeare, Asimov on The Bible. I wish I could do something like that.

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

Carla Neggers has written more than 50 novels – a dozen of them New York Times bestsellers. Her books blend chilling suspense and daring romance. Her romantic thriller The Angel, due out in paperback in June, is a finalist for a RITA – romance publishing’s Oscar.

Q: How do you respond to the charge that romance novels are “chick lit?” Have you seen an increase in the number of men who write romance? Any personal favorites?

A When I climbed a tree with a pad and pen as a kid, I just wanted to write the story that was in my head. That’s as true for me today as it was then. I love a mix of romance, suspense, action, adventure, but I try not to get bogged down in genre definitions and instead focus on the story. I’ve always known men who write romance, and men who include a strong romantic element in their books. Are there more today? Honestly, I don’t know, but I wish them well.

Q: You have said that “you never know what sparks an idea,” and have cited trips as one source. Can you give a couple of other examples (places, events, people, etc.) that have inspired you to write a book?

A: It’s actually rare that I can trace a story back to the original spark. I guess I’m more likely to remember the spark that happened while standing in a windswept Irish ruin than on a trip to the grocery store! In the case of the ruin, it was being there, captivated by my surroundings, that started The Angel, and later The Mist (due out in July) simmering. In the cast of the grocery store … well, it’s just a good place to let my mind wander.

Q: How important is “what if?” thinking when it comes to exploring/brainstorming ideas/possible scenarios for a book? How important is studying other writers in the genre in which one writes?

A: “What if” is a great way to push back all the “dos and don’ts” and “shoulds and shouldn’ts” and turn loose our creative minds. Doubts and constraints fall away. It’s also fun, because you’re not locking yourself into anything. You’re just asking, “Okay, what if …?” As for “studying” other writers – I love to read, and most writers I’ve met do, too. I prefer to turn off the writer in me and just enjoy the story as a reader.

Q: You’ve written so many books. Which is your favorite and why?

A: No fair! Truly, I can’t name a favorite. I just know that I did my best at the time with every book I’ve written. I’ve been fortunate to have started publishing at a young age and stayed at it - and I’m as excited about he books I’m writing today as I was when I first climbed a tree as a kid, dreaming of being a published author. Every book is an adventure. I loved diving into the story that became The Mist, which is due out this summer, and Cold River, which I’m finishing now. Writing for me is as fun, challenging and engaging as ever – I couldn’t’ ask for more than that!

Q: Some writers maintain the most important aspect of writing a saleable novel is character development. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not? Any hints for new writers looking to flesh out their characters?

A: A story doesn’t take off for me until the characters are “there.” I don’t think of myself constructing characters so much as figuring out ways to get them to reveal themselves to me. I usually have to throw them into scenes and let them talk, do things, before I can even attempt anything as left-brained as a character sketch. For new writers looking for solid advice on this subject, I highly recommend Elizabeth George’s Write Away, especially the sections on how she approaches characterization. She’s a gifted teacher as well as a gifted writer.

Q: The Internet is moving more into the realm of publishing with Kindle, etc. What is your vision for the future of the printed novel?

A: That’s not up to me – I just focus on writing! I’m thrilled that readers will be able to download The Widow on Amazon for free from June 8 to 12, 2009. The Widow is the first book in my Boston-Maine-Ireland series. I love having books available in a variety of formats … hard, soft, e-book, large print, audio … it’s amazing.

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

Gillian Roberts (the pseudonym of Judith Greber) is the author of the Anthony-award winning Amanda Pepper mystery series that features a Philadelphia high school English teacher and her significant other, C. K. Mackenzie. She has also written two books in a second series, featuring the pair of private detectives, Emma Howe and Billie August.

Q: You are a former English teacher as is your fictional character, Amanda Pepper. Are you an example of the old adage: write what you know? How does she differ from your teaching persona? How can writers develop a character from their chosen profession without it being too close for comfort?

A: I have honestly never found a murdered woman in my living room, or in the schools where I taught, and I have never solved a crime—except on paper. So I’m not writing “what I know” except for my protagonist’s profession, and that began almost by accident. My first draft of what became Caught Dead in Philadelphia had a housewife-protagonist, but she kept winding up at the school: PTA meetings, teacher-conferences, etc., etc. Only then did it dawn on me that my story was determined to be in school, and I turned Amanda into a teacher. After a while, I happily realized that a school was a wonderful setting because it’s a microcosm of the world, with all the passions, politics—and population—to provide Amanda with lots of mysteries to solve.
One of my pet peeves in fiction is a character who supposedly has a job but never needs to work at it. What we do all day seems central to our lives, and so I think it’s terrific to use an occupation you know—or do some serious research. The writer needs to know the obligations, frustrations, joys and restrictions that job would put upon her character. Toss all of that into the mix, and you’ve got a richer, more interesting book.

Q: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle faced tough criticism when he attempted to kill off Sherlock Holmes. You have recently ended the Amanda Pepper mysteries. What is that like for you and for your fans?

A: First, it’s quite exciting to be in the same question with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! Amanda’s move to New Orleans with C. K. hasn’t caused quite the same stir as did Holmes’ going over Reisenbach Falls. But then, she’s quite alive and involved in new adventures. However, I have gotten hundreds of the most wonderful letters from readers saying they’ll miss her. None of the “tough criticism” Doyle faced. My readers are obviously nicer than his. Parting, after twenty years and fourteen books, was and still is bittersweet. I do miss her, but we’ve both moved on to new adventures before, I hope, the old ones became stale.

Q: Why did you decide to write the nonfiction, “You Can Write a Mystery”? Have you had any feedback from readers who have tried out your theories?

A: I was actually asked to write the book by Writer’s Digest Publications. I’ve been teaching writing for a few decades and had copious notes and a sense of how I like approaching the topic, so I was happy to do it. I’ve been delighted to receive many letters over the years from writers saying the book helped them.

Q: Some say that certain genres such as romance and mystery amount to “formula writing” with only the names, places and times changed. What is your response?

A: I once had a workshop instructor who pointed out that the only difference between Anna Karenina and a soap opera script is the writing. They’re both about an illicit love affair and its repercussions, so was Tolstoy writing formula?
There are good, mediocre and downright bad novel writers. There are also lazy writers who hit upon a winning pattern and repeat it book after book. But in actuality, a mystery has few requirements—it needs a crime, a resolution, and in between, an author playing fair with the reader. I don’t think that can be called a formula. I certainly tried to never repeat myself even though I had the same protagonist in those fourteen books. I consciously worked at making the situation, the ideas or issues, the structure and as many characters as possible fresh and new. Otherwise, if I were working from the same pattern year after year, I would have bored myself silly long before I bored my readers.

Q: Various authors offer mixed messages to would-be authors regarding the importance of a consistent point of view. What are your thoughts?

A: If we’re talking about point of view, and third person narrative, I’m all for staying in one point of view in any given scene or chapter, and for letting the reader know when you switch into another point of view. I have no problems with multiple points of view and in fact, I’ve written six books so far using them (four non-mysteries, two mysteries) and I’m working on a seventh. It’s fun—but I don’t like it when the point of view changes within a scene because it pulls me out of the story. I want to stay with a character—be that character and live in his head—for a scene, even if next chapter I’m going to live inside somebody else’s head.
And having said that, I have to also say I’ve read some dazzling books (Russell Banks comes to mind right away) where the author uses an omniscient voice and goes into any mind or place he likes, and makes it work brilliantly. Any “rule” is breakable if you can make it work.

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

Thomas Pierce is the author of the non-fiction book, The Last Rose. He has been a computer programmer, consultant and speaker.

Q: Other than being cathartic, what was it like sharing such a personal story of the loss of your wife and daughter with the public? What kind of response has it received from readers?

A: The Last Rose is a book that I never intended to write. I just started telling friends and relatives about the strange, yet wonderful, things that were happening in my life and they all kept telling me to write the stories down so I would not forget them. I wrote them for myself and my granddaughters, and it was very therapeutic. When I started telling people my stories I almost felt like they would think that I was ready for a straight jacket, however, every time someone heard them they always told me to put them in a book. I printed copies and put them in loose leaf binders for friends and family. They in turn started letting other people read it and I began receiving beautiful e-mails from people I did not know telling me how much the book helped them with something in their lives. It became very obvious to me that I had to get the book published so it could help more people.

I expected that the target audience for my book would be older women, but I have received beautiful emails from 19- year- old service men to 65- year- old men and everyone n between. They all found at least one thing in my book that relates to them and each one has been totally different.

The book is not really about the accident, but many have told me that after reading it they felt like they were right there with us in that water and on the rescue boat.

Q: A reporter said that the book is “a story of survival and true love and how it prevails.” Can you elaborate on this hopeful theme?

The book covers the year of my life after I lost both my wife and daughter in a Baltimore water taxi accident, but it really starts before the accident. It talks about how both JoAnn and Lisa realized something was going to happen and did things to prepare me and them for it. It then talks about all the rainbows and the extraordinary number of times the number 13 has appeared to me and my family. It is totally beyond logic and defies explanation. The fifth anniversary of the accident is almost here and these things continue to appear to us on very specific dates and times. JoAnn and I were married for 37 ½ years and we were never unhappy. I truly believe that love never dies and that they continue to watch over us. I can no longer doubt that there is an afterlife and that life and love lives on past our time on this earth. Chapter ten is about my session with a medium that served to deepen my faith in eternal life. I have always approached everything in my life with a positive attitude and it became obvious that my wife and daughter were helping me go on with my life in that positive way and to help others approach problems in their lives in the same way.

Q: Why did you decide to go the route of self-publishing? What have been the advantages/disadvantages?

As more and more people requested the loose leaf copies of the book I decided to have 500 printed by a local printer. I had to do this three times to keep up with the local demand and decided it was time to find a publisher and make the book available nationwide. I thought that because the accident received world wide publicity that I would have a better shot at attracting an agent and a publisher. This did not happen, so I finally self-published the book. This made it available worldwide. My publishing package included media training and a media campaign that got me started doing radio interviews. It also allowed me to go to Book Expo America and have a book signing there. I found that getting worldwide publicity is much harder than getting local publicity. It requires a constant effort to let people know about the book.

Q: You are not by training nor vocation a professional writer. How did you go about telling your tale?

Writing the book was the easy part. I felt like the book was being dictated to me from above. I found four people to edit the original work. They did a fantastic job. The local newspaper and independent book store and radio stations were a big help in getting the ball rolling.

Q: Without the benefit of a publicist or large publishing house marketing department, how have you marketed your book?

The first thing I did after getting my book published was create a website. Mine is www.thelastrose.com. If you are advertising, doing media interviews, or just talking to people you need to direct everyone to your site to learn more and to purchase the book. You need to constantly find new ways to attract attention to your book. It is never easy but it can be a lot of fun.

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

Author Sara Paretsky created the famous female private eye, V I Warshawski, who was portrayed by Kathleen Turner on the big screen. Her novels are international best sellers. She received the Diamond Dagger Lifetime Achievement award from the British Crime Writers’ Association and the Gold Dagger for best novel for her book Blacklist. Her latest book is Bleeding Kansas.

Q: Some credit you with revolutionizing/modernizing the mystery novel with your introduction of V I Warsahwski. What’s your response?

A: I believe I played a significant role in the way crime fiction depicted women and women's lives. I was not, by any means, the only pioneer: Marcia Muller, Amanda Cross and others came before me, and Sue Grafton and I developed similar characters with similar sensibilities in the same year, followed soon after by many other writers. But my character, with her combination of femininity, feminism and a gritty blue-collar edge has been one of the most important voices in rethinking the roles of women in fiction. I set out to come to terms with my own sense of voicelessness and helplessness, and, through V I, have been able to speak to others who feel similarly voiceless.

Q: What was it like being taped on MSNBC for inclusion in a piece they were creating on America’s Top Sleuths? Who are some of your favorite authors of detective fiction? Why?

A: It was great fun, although at the same time a little confining, because they had a list chosen by viewers, and I couldn't add my own favorites to it. I read eclectically and have a hard time remembering all my favorites--Marjory Allingham, Michael Gilbert, Liza Cody, Nevada Barr and Valerie Wilson Wesley are a sampling of older and newer writers whose work I like. Good writing--an attention to English style and nuance is an essential. A good story, interesting characters--and not a story built around serial killers and graphic rape/dismemberment.

Q: Why did you depart from your detective series to write Bleeding Kansas? What was the motivation? What role did your own life there play in the book?

A: I grew up in eastern Kansas in the valley of two rivers, the Wakarusa and the Kaw. On maps, you’ll see the Kansas River, but we call it the Kaw, as the Indians who first settled there did, and that is the name I use in this book.

I’ve been away from Kansas for forty years now, but it still is in my bones. The landscapes of childhood are so familiar that it is hard to write about them: I see Chicago more clearly than I do the prairies where my brothers and I hiked and worked and played. It took eight years of thinking about the people and places I knew before I could write this novel.

In the 1850s, the ferocious struggle over slavery in Kansas earned the territory the nickname of “Bleeding Kansas.” The wars fought on that soil were among the bloodiest in our nation’s history as pro- and anti-slavery forces battled over whether the territory would join the union as slave or free. John Brown’s name is well known, but at least a thousand anti-slavery emigrants were murdered in cold blood by “border ruffians,” as they were called, who poured into Kansas Territory from the neighboring slave state, Missouri, with the tacit consent of Territorial Governor Shannon, himself a slave owner. In 1859, Kansas came into the union as a free state, but Lawrence suffered a bloody massacre in 1863, in which hundreds were murdered by raiders led by the Missouri slave supporter, William Quantrell, who took advantage of most of the able-bodied men being away fighting for the Union.

I grew up on that history, on knowing I shared a heritage of resistance against injustice.
A century after Kansas came free into the Union, it was painful to acknowledge that Lawrence was a segregated town. In the 1960s and ‘70s, in a reprise of Bleeding Kansas, the town of Lawrence and the University of Kansas became the site of some of the bloodiest campus battles in the nation, over segregation, over women’s rights, the Vietnam War, Indian rights, African-American rights.

This novel is set in the present, against the backdrop of that history. It is set in the farms of the Kaw Valley where I grew up. In 1958, my parents bought a farm house east of town to escape the poisonous segregation of the era, which most affected African-Americans, but, to a lesser degree, Jews as well. The house we lived in had been owned by the Gilmore Family, who at one time farmed 10,000 acres in the Kaw Valley.

Q: You founded Sisters in Crime. How has that advanced the careers of other women writing in this genre? Why are such organizations so vital to new writers?

A: I think they're vital to all writers, whether new or more established. Today's publishing market is ruthless, and for the most part, except for three or four "super-stars," women are being sloughed by publishers faster than men; women are being consigned to small presses, to paperback publication only, ignored by reviewers, and in general, sent to the margins with a vengeance. I hope Sisters will be up to the challenge of confronting this ominous situation.

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.

Eloisa James writes historical romances which have placed in the top ten of the New York Times Bestseller List and received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal. A graduate of Harvard University, she holds an M.Phil from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University, in NYC.

Q: You have said that “Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother.” Please explain. How can other writers similarly incorporate different facets of their roles into their fiction?

A: People often think of the romance genre as being about achieving total perfection in life. In fact, the genre ends with the promise of happiness -- but in order for it to be a decent romance, the characters need to live. My plots come out of my own fears -- of losing a child, for example, or of not being beautiful enough, of making mistakes, of telling fibs. You can add all the imagination you want, but unless the bedrock of your character and plot come out of a strong emotion of your own, the novel won't work, imo.

Q: How does a writer weave poetry, Shakespeare and ballads into a book as you so successfully have, without it coming off as affected or contrived?

A: Just do it in snippets. Think how people use popular songs in their speech these days -- with a laugh, in a sentimental moment, maybe, when they're alone. Nobody sits in the bath and declames a sonnet to herself, but a line or two of a White Stripes song might play over in her head. Use it naturally -- or not at all. There's nothing worse for lovers of historical fiction than the "information dump."

Q: How important is it for writers to attend workshops, take classes and study with established writers?

A: I think it can be useful. You can learn things, certainly. I think it's far more important to just keep writing on your own. The best workshop to attend with an established writer is a slow read, and then a reread, and then a third read, of a novel that you really admire.

Q: Why do you think that novice writers have such difficulty writing from a consistent point of view? Any tips / writing aerobics exercises they can practice to hone this skill?

A: It's a skill that has to be learned by experience. In my first book, I switch POV several times within one paragraph. It still went into a bidding war and came out in hardcover -- please remember that POV is not the be all and end all of fiction. It's a tool, that's all.

Q: You have an incredibly active webpage with contests, books you recommend, and dinners and events in which readers can win copies of your books. What suggestions do you have for writers who are just implementing their first webpage to promote their books? What are the first things they should focus on?

A: Making the navigation very clear. There are specific things a reader does when arriving at your website: first is to try to figure out what you're writing -- the type of book. Second is generally to try to figure out what you're writing next. Finally, get your backlist. A bit about you is good. So you need the basic categories: home page, new & next, bookshelf (with Amazon ability) and bio. And crucially, you need the ability to allow people to sign up for your mailing list -- velocity of sales (i.e., mobilizing your loyal readers) is what drives the New York Times list. You can add fun stuff over time, but you must -- simply must -- have that up on the web before any book publishes.

Q: With a limited budget (due to signing with a small publishing house), what promotional events can you suggest to newly published authors? What marketing venue will give them the most bang for their bucks?

A: The website. I don't really find that anything else makes much difference. At this point, I've been publishing for years. In the beginning I tried things with booksellers, etc (bookmarks, etc). I never found they helped. The website is key. If you want to spend some money, send everyone on your mailing list a postcard with the cover of your book when a new book comes out. That tells them it's out and gives them the cover as a memory point.

Q: Now that technology is such an integral part of the publishing industry, what do you foresee as the future of the novel? Of the romance novel?

A: A good friend of mine who has been in the top ten of the New York Times just told me that 10% of her last royalty statement came from e-books. These aren't e-books with a small press, but e-book versions of a huge NYT publisher, in Kindle, etc. So there's the future, if you ask me.

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.

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.

Author Debra Ginsberg writes memoirs and novels. Her novel, The Grift (Shaye Areheart Books, 2008) is a New York Times Notable Book for 2008.

Q: You waited tables for twenty years to support your “writing habit.” How did it all change? Which came first: a publisher or a literary agent?

A: By the time I sold my first book, I'd already written two novels and a proposal for a memoir (about my son) that I'd been unable to sell, so I was really starting to lose hope. All the while (and along with some other jobs) I was waiting tables to keep myself and my son solvent. A friend of mine (with whom I'd worked at a literary agency) had recently become an editor at HarperCollins and asked me what I was working on (since she knew all about the two novels, the proposal, etc.). I told her I'd been thinking about making my waitressing tales into a memoir and she loved that idea. I did have an agent at that time (another ex-colleague, in fact) and she liked the idea as well. I put together a proposal and sample chapters for what would become Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress and four weeks later, it was sold. So there it was -- after twenty years, overnight success!

Q: Your first novel, Blind Submission, is an insider’s behind-the-scene look at a literary agency. What was your motivation in writing this book that exposes some of the industry’s flaws and excesses?

A: Blind Submission is actually a kind of love letter (albeit a sardonic one) to the publishing business. I'm a book geek and always have been. Up to - and including - the time my first book was published, I thought the publishing business was elegant and glamorous. You can't imagine how badly I wanted to be published, how I wanted an editor, and to visit one of those hallowed halls of literature and say, "That is my publisher!" As I said, geek. Literary agencies too held a similar appeal. That was where deals were forged and dreams came true! I'm not exaggerating here, honestly. The book business literally made me giddy. By the same token, the more I learned about it, the more I realized that there are some truly ridiculous things going on behind the scenes. Flaws and excesses don't even begin to cover some of the nonsense. Yet, ultimately, people in the business are in it because they love it. That love - of writing; of reading; of the sheer joy of cracking a new spine and discovering the world within - is at the root of Blind Submission. Plus, I do have to say, everyone (read: publishing folk) told me that nobody wanted to read a novel set in the publishing world and that the conventional wisdom was that those kinds of books don't sell. They were wrong.

Q: What suggestions do you have for new writers in developing point of view and character development?

A: The best suggestion I have is for writers to research their characters. What I mean by this is not to pick real people and write about them (although characters are de facto based on real people in some sense), but to really know your own characters. Who are these people? What were they doing before this novel began? What do they look like? How do they feel about themselves, their lives, their families? A character will evolve over the course of a novel, but there must be a firm starting point - a set of characteristics if you will - that will dictate how the character changes. A writer must know who the characters are before the action begins in order to understand how they will react to what happens. Point of view, by extension, is part of that character development. One must understand the character in order to write effectively from that character's point of view.

Q: How important are the skills of observation and intuition for a writer?

A: I think these skills are critical. For me, writing is all about observing and then translating those observations for the reader. But without intuition, there is no way of telling which observations are important or interesting or even relevant. Without intuition there can be no translation.

Q: How do you define the art of storytelling? Do you enjoy doing readings of your books and if so, why?

A: I know some great storytellers who don't write. And I don't know any good writers who aren't good storytellers. And yet... not all good writers are good readers of their own writing. Perhaps what this all comes down to is that one must know one's audience. What is there in your story that is appealing or interesting to your audience? How can they relate to your story? I was raised in a large, smart, and competitive family. When any one of us demanded the floor, we had to have a good reason - and the story had better be a good one or else it was derided in short order. My biggest fear - to this day - is that I will bore my audience. Therefore, while I am comfortable reading from my books, I prefer telling stories and answering questions when I am physically in front of an audience. This way (much as it still is with my family), I can better judge their mood and tailor my stories accordingly.

Jacquelyn Sylvan is the author of the young adult fantasy novel, Surviving Serendipity.

Q: Reviewers have called your characters complex. What advice can you give writers in developing a believable character? Any writing aerobics to hone their skills?

A: I think the key to believable characters is believable dialogue. You can ruin a completely authentic character if what comes out of their mouth doesn't match the person they are. So... I practice. Out loud. Some people sing in the shower, I try out my characters' conversations. Running through it in your head or putting it down on paper is one thing, but when you say it out loud and you can hear your character's voice underneath your own, that's when you know you've got it nailed.

Q: Why did you choose to write young adult fiction? Were you a passionate reader as a youth?

A: I was. I wasn't a popular kid or teen; I got picked on a lot, and I used books as my escape. Funnily enough, though, Surviving Serendipity didn't start out as a YA novel; I originally wrote it for adults. But after my publisher suggested putting it out as YA, I started doing some market research, and I realized what a great genre YA is. And knowing that my book might serve as an escape for a teen experiencing what I went through in school, well, it's like coming full-circle.

Q: You work at another job full time. Describe your "writing" time.

A: Very hit-and-run. I write in notebooks during the day, since it's hard to bring my computer to work with me. Two or three days a week, I sit down and type what I've written into the computer. It works out better than you'd think; I get to take a second look at what I wrote, and I usually hit a groove and keep writing straight onto the computer for another few hours. Hey, you do what you can.

Q: Surviving Serendipity is published through Quake, which is a small house. What made you go that route and describe the advantages/disadvantages of such a decision.

A: The advantages are that it's a smaller group, so all of the authors know each other and help each other out. The disadvantages are that you're responsible for your own marketing, financially and physically, and it's a much larger job, since you're with a publisher that's not as visible as the big guns. Anyone who wants to get published today, though, whether with a large house or a smaller one, needs to understand that they are going to be responsible for much of their own marketing, so keep that in mind when you're signing that contract.

Q: Any special tips in marketing your book? Media? Lectures? Book Festivals? What has worked best for you?

A: Book festivals and signings are very gratifying, because you get to see the results right there in front of you. I've done lectures and presentations, but I'm a lot more choosy about what I participate in now, because you can't be assured that you're going to reach the demographic you're aiming for. Case in point: I recently participated in a series of two panels promoting a local library. At the first, there wasn't a single person under the age of fifty in the room. At the second, it was mothers with toddlers in their laps. Although it was nice to talk to them all, sales-wise they weren't the people I need to reach. That's why the internet is so great. I blog Monday through Friday at http://www.serendipitoustimes.blogspot.com, I tweet at http://www.twitter.com/jacquelynsylvan and Surviving Serendipity's main character, June, even has her own Twitter account, at http://www.twitter.com/PrincessJune, where you can follow along with her adventures. You can reach everyone on the internet.

Q: What has been your experience with acquiring a literary agent?

A: It's been interesting, to say the least. But I'm hoping that publishers will pay more attention to the manuscripts my agent, Claire Gerus, and I are sending them, since they've already passed through one or two sets of critical eyes. But whether you're trying to get an agent or submitting directly to publishers, perseverance is the key. I've got drawers and email folders full of rejections, but you only need one acceptance.

Q: Some authors opt to have their books published online. What is your take on this avenue of publishing?

A: I think it's great. I don't think ePublishing will ever replace the physical book, nor do I recommend that any author rely solely on internet publishing. But it's cheap, portable, environmentally responsible and accessible from virtually anywhere. As I said, it's never going to replace the traditional book, but ePublishing gives authors another way to reach their readers. Not a bad thing.

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.