Today we are interviewing author ­­­­­­­Sarah Sundin. Her most recent book, A Memory Between Us: (Wings of Glory), is available through Revell.

Sarah Sundin lives in northern California with her husband and three children. When she isn’t ferrying kids to soccer and karate, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school. She belongs to American Christian Fiction Writers and Christian Authors Network. Her first novel, A Distant Melody, the first book in the Wings of Glory series, was published by Revell in March 2010, A Memory Between Us came out in September 2010, and Blue Skies Tomorrow comes out August 2011.

 The Wings of Glory series follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II. Each book stands alone.

 A Distant Melody, Revell, March 2010

Lt. Walter Novak flies a B-17 bomber in battles over Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II, while Allie Miller serves in the Red Cross against the wishes of her wealthy parents and controlling fiancé in California. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and begin a correspondence. As letters fly between Walt’s muddy bomber base in England and Allie’s mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart?

 A Memory Between Us, Revell, September 2010

Major Jack Novak has never failed to meet a challenge—until he meets army nurse Lieutenant Ruth Doherty. When Jack lands in the army hospital after a plane crash, he makes winning Ruth’s heart a top priority mission. But he has his work cut out for him. Not only is Ruth focused on her work in order to support her orphaned siblings back home, she carries a shameful secret that keeps her from giving her heart to any man. Can Jack break down her defenses? Or are they destined to go their separate ways?

Sarah took a few minutes to talk about publishing from a writer’s perspective with Writing Career Coach.

Writing Career Coach: What are some ways you prepared to market your book before you were published?

Sarah Sundin: As a debut author, I had a lot to do. When I got a contract in 2008 for my first book, A Distant Melody, my on-line presence consisted of an e-mail address. Since I’m graphically challenged, I had a website professionally designed, then I started blogging, joined Facebook and Twitter, and started a quarterly e-mail newsletter. Any time I saw a request from a blogger for author interviews, I responded—I’ve found blog interviews a wonderful way to connect with potential readers. Locally, I set up book signings and speaking engagements. Speaking at the Women’s Club was unexpectedly helpful—I ended up with two newspaper interviews because of that one speech. I also hired a publicist, who set up a blog tour linked to a drawing for a basket filled with items related to the story. Just for fun, I hosted a launch party—primarily to thank family and friends who supported and encouraged me through the long rejection-letter years.

WCC: Tell us about your book.

SS: A Memory Between Us: During World War II, dashing B-17 bomber pilot Maj. Jack Novak has never failed to meet a challenge—until he meets Lt. Ruth Doherty, a striking nurse with a shameful secret. Can they confront their deepest sins, face their greatest fears, and learn to trust and to love?

WWC: How do you plan and write your book?

SS: I’m an outline-oriented writer. That’s the science nerd in me. First of all, I do lots of research beforehand—to find out if my story idea will even work historically, and for ideas for scenes, problems, and characters. Then I fill out character charts (I love character charts!) and a plot chart which helps me track subplots and story arcs. Then come scene lists with everything from the date, the weather, what characters are wearing, goals and conflict, what’s happening historically, and an outline of the scene. Finally I get to my rough draft.

WWC: What is it like working with editors? Do you have tips for getting along and building a great relationship with them?

SS: I have been so blessed with the editorial staff at Revell! My acquisitions editor, Vicki Crumpton, also does the content edit on my books. She catches my boo-boos, makes very funny comments in track-changes, and helps me grow as a writer. And though my manuscripts are clean as far as grammar, punctuation, and spelling, the copy editors always catch errors. My biggest tip is to keep your deadlines. I say I don’t like to beat deadlines—I like to beat them to a pulp. I try to turn my manuscripts and other assignments well before deadline. Why leave them worrying? I also like to collect several questions to send Vicki at once, so I don’t annoy her. And any hysterics? I save them for a dear writing friend who has full whap-me-upside-the-head privileges.

Read more of Sarah’s interview at Examiner.com and find what it is like to work with an agent and how Sarah maintains balance between work and home.

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

Today we are interviewing author Lena Nelson Dooley. Her most recent book, Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico is available through Summerside Press.

Lena Nelson Dooley is a multi-published, award-winning author who loves to mentor other authors. With her 25th book release, she has close to 650,000 books in print.

Lena has spoken at conferences and writers’ meetings in four states. She also speaks at women’s retreats and event of all kinds. She lives in Hurst, Texas with her husband of over 45 years.

Lena’s door and heart are always open to those God places in her path. She seriously considers her ministry as a mentor, prayer warrior, even a champion of the downtrodden, her life’s work. 
 
Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico: It’s 1890, and Golden, New Mexico, is a booming mining town where men far outnumber women. So when an old wealthy miner named Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he places an ad for a mail-order bride—despite the protests of his friend Jeremiah. Hoping to escape a perilous situation back East, young Madeleine Mercer answers the ad and arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over Philip—and Jeremiah himself—the secrets she left behind threaten to follow her to Golden…and tarnish her reputation beyond redemption.

Writing Career Coach: What are some ways you prepared to market your book before you were published?

Lena Nelson Dooley: Before I was first published, we didn’t have the Internet to help us. With my latest book, I have a very active blog . I’m also a regular contributor at this blog www.bustlesandspurs.com. I have a Facebook profile as well as an Official Fan Page on that site.  In addition, I’m on Twitter and on Shoutlife, a Christian Internet Community.
 
I also booked a Book Release Party at the local Mardel Christian Store.
 
WCC: How do you plan and write your books?

LND: Although in most other things I do, I’m a planner, with writing, I’m more of a Seat Of The Pants author. I believe most SOTPers do almost the same work as detailed plotters, but we do it in our heads while the story percolates. I know the starting point and where we’re going. I also know many of the events along the way. Then I pray every day before I sit down to write, and sometimes stop in the middle of writing and pray. I couldn’t write a novel without the Lord.

WCC: What is it like working with editors? Do you have tips for getting along and building a great relationship with them?

LND: Early in my career, I was intimidated by editors. Not their fault. Mine. But when I realized that we were on the same team, wanting to make the books the best they could be, I’ve developed some real friendships with many of them. Remember an editor wouldn’t have a job without writers. And writers couldn’t get books published without editors. I also learned that I don’t have to accept every suggestion that is made. But I make sure there’s a real reason to disagree, and I let the editor know what that reason is. We can always work out a compromise that pleases both of us. Just as with rearing children, as an author, I pick my battles. I accept almost all the suggestions. Only where I think it affects what I’m trying to do with the story do I disagree. But always without being disagreeable.

Read more of Lena’s interview at Examiner.com

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

Today we are interviewing author Miralee Ferrell. Her most recent book, Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon, is available through Summerside Press.

Miralee Ferrell lives with her husband of 36 years on eleven acres in rural Washington State. They have two dogs, two cats, one horse, and a huge garden that they both enjoy working in, in the spring and summer. Reading, horseback riding with her daughter, sailing with her husband, and puttering in her flower beds are some of Miralee’s favorite pastimes. She serves on staff as a licensed minister (not a pastor) in their small church, ministering to women and leading prayer groups.  She has 3 books out now and another releasing in April, and started writing in the spring of 2005.

Miralee took a few minutes to talk about publishing from a writer’s perspective with Writing Career Coach.

Writing Career Coach: Tell us about your book Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon.
Miralee Ferrell: Sixteen-year-old Margaret Garvey promised her heart to Nathaniel Cooper the night he disappeared from town. Four years later, just as she’s giving love a second chance with Andrew, a handsome logger, Nathaniel suddenly returns to town with a devastating secret. Margaret risks her reputation and position by harboring two troubled runaways who might be involved in the murder of a local man. As disaster strikes the town and threatens the welfare of its citizens, Margaret will be faced with the most important choice of her life.

WCC: What are some ways you prepared to market your book before you were published?
MF: I put together a web site prior to publication and started talking about The Other Daughter (working title was Yesterday’s Child) even before it was contracted. I built a mailing list of people who signed my guest book and kept in touch with them as the process moved along. Blogs weren’t popular and there was no Facebook, etc., at that time, so most of my marketing was done via email.

WCC: How do you plan and write your book?
MF: I typically start by typing out a brief story summary…maybe three or four paragraphs with a sprinkling of major plot points, including fleshing out the main characters. Sometimes I’ll have a full page with a bit more detail, but I don’t outline or do story boards. My debut novel was totally seat of the pants, but I found I had way too much revising to do and moved to a general overview for the next one. I’d say I’m still about 75% SOTP and 25% plotter….just enough plotting to give me an idea where I’m going, but I allow latitude for the characters to show me what they’d like, as well. I develop most of my secondary plot points and characters as I write.

WCC: What is it like working with editors? Do you have tips for getting along and building a great relationship with them?
MF: I’ve loved every one of my editors, even the tough ones. Sometime ago I had what I thought (at first) was a harsh substantive edit and I wasn’t sure how to take some of the remarks. I set it aside for a couple of days then came back and reread. I discovered that most of the comments were accurate and necessary, and when implemented, made the book stronger. I’ve been blessed with a lot of positive comments and constructive suggestions. I try to always let an editor know how much he/she’s helped me in the rebuilding process. I only question a change if I feel it’s important to the overall story line, or if the editor doesn’t understand my intent. It’s been my experience, that if you treat your editor with respect and keep communication lines open, the editing portion of your publication process goes smoothly. I have three editors now that I count as friends, and have been blessed to meet one of them in person.

WCC: Do you have a tip for finding-and working with-an agent?
MF: I think there are two keys….research and conferences. If you can afford to attend a conference attended by reputable agents, do so. It’s your best place to meet and pitch your project. If you can’t, then get a copy of the Christian Writer’s Market Guide and study the agent listings. Narrow it down to the top 20 you feel might be a good fit for your work, then visit each of their web sites. Study the authors they’ve already signed, the type of work they like to represent, and read their guidelines carefully. Also, pray for a good fit. An agent might represent your genre but not click with you. Ask the Lord to help you find the right one, and send out query letters to several. Above all, follow the guidelines and send only what they request, and be sure it’s polished and ready before sending.

Read more of Miralee’s interview here at Examiner.com and find out how she maintains balance.

Other books by Miralee Ferrell:
The Other Daughter (The Homecoming Series, Book 1)
Love Finds You in Last Chance, California (Love Finds You, Book 5)

 YOU COULD WIN!
Leave a comment on this posting and you could win a copy of Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon. The drawing will take place on Jan. 15, 2010.  This give away is for US residents only. There is no fee to enter.

Don’t miss a single posting!  Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com

Today we are interviewing author Diana Brandmeyer. Her most recent book, Hearts On The Road, is available through Heartsong Presents.

Diana Lesire Brandmeyer has a background in education and psychology. Her credits include My Devotions, The Metro East Family Gazette, Little Visits Family Devotions and The Lutheran Witness. She received her degree from Webster University. She is the author of Hearts on the Road, A Time to Dance, Mystery of the Smithton Necklace and The Trouble with Ralph. She lives in Southern Illinois where the corn grows at a rapid rate behind her home.

She’s married and has 3 grown sons all on their own now, each of them bringing someone special to join the family. Yay! Daughter-in-laws!

Diana loves having pets, right now there is only one in the house, a cat named Wendell and an occasional granddog named Rusty.

 Hearts on the Road:

Love cannot be trusted.

Abandoned by her father, betrayed by her fiancé, and forsaken by God, truck driver Randi Davis crisscrosses Wyoming with a broken heart, vowing never to love another man. Suddenly Matthew Carter, a pastor in search of a mobile ministry, is thrust into her life and into her cab. And there’s nothing she can do about it.

Soon Randi and Matthew find themselves at cross-purposes. His life on the road has just begun. Her eight-year-old niece needs a parent to come home to every day. Is this the end of the road for Randi and Matthew’s romance?

Which road leads to God’s ultimate plan?

Diana took a few minutes to talk about publishing from a writer’s perspective with Writing Career Coach.

 Writing Career Coach: What are some ways you prepared to market your book before you were published?
Diana Brandmeyer: Before my book was available for purchase I began posting to my blog at least twice a week. I also put out teasers on various social networking site. When my cover became available I posted it on my blog and tweeted and used my facebook status to alert people. I posted reviews of other books on my blog to entice readers to come back often so when my book became available they would know. In all my signature lines for email and when posting comments on blogs, I listed my book and the excepted date of its release.

WCC: Tell us about your book.
DB: Abandoned, betrayed, and feeling forsaken by God, truck driver Randi Davis crisscrosses Wyoming with a broken heart, vowing never to love another man. Suddenly Matthew Carter, a pastor in search of a mobile ministry, is thrust into her life and into her cab. And there’s nothing she can do about it.

 WCC: How do you plan and write your book?
DB: I am a SOTP with some degree of planning. I like using two programs, liquid story binder and Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Pro to collect my thoughts and ideas. LSB is a great tool for keeping photos of my characters, settings and my loose ideas. I can write with the program too but I like using word. When I begin a story I usually start with a character, they seem to come to me with a problem they want solved and the story evolves from that problem. I spend a lot of time locating photos of what they might look like, what they wear, drive, where they live, and if they have a hobby I have photos of what they collect or make. Once I do that they are real to me and I begin thinking of the three worse things that could happen to them and start writing.

 WCC: What is it like working with editors? Do you have tips for getting along and building a great relationship with them?
DB: I have a great editor at Heartsong Presents and before that with Awe-Struck. My best tip is ‘listen’ they know what they are taking about. You can always disagree, but think about it carefully and pick your battles. What is the most disturbing change that you can’t live with? That’s the one to question. Always be respectful, the publishing community is small and you don’t want to be known as the one who was impossible to work with. 

 WCC: Do you have a tip for finding-and working with-an agent?
DB: Join a national organization like American Christian Fiction Writers-ACFW, attend conferences and network with other writers. It’s possible that someone you know will recommend you to their agent. I can’t stress the importance of networking enough. I didn’t realize how much it could help your writing career when I first began.

  Read more of Diana’s interview here at Examiner.com

 Other books by Diana Brandmeyer:
A Time To Dance
The Trouble With Ralph

YOU COULD WIN!
Leave a comment on this posting and you could win a copy of Hearts on the Road.   The drawing will take place on December 28, 2009.  This give away is for US residents only. There is no fee to enter. 

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com

Tiffany is a speaker and teacher. Find out about available topics for your group’s next event.

Tiffany is a National Examiner. Read her articles here.

Learn more about Tiffany’s Marketing techniques on her main blog.

Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.

Read Tiffany’s award winning manuscript “A Face in the Shadow” on her fiction blog.

She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer’s Rest.

Today we are interviewing author Grace Bridges.  Her most recent novel is, Faith Awakened.

Grace Bridges is a sci-fi author (Faith Awakened, 2007, and Legendary Space Pilgrims, coming in 2009) and owner of Splashdown Books, an independent publisher of inspirational sci-fi and fantasy. She’s a Kiwi of Irish descent living in beautiful New Zealand, and a chocaholic cat-lovin’ Trekkie, Jesus freak, web designer, and all-round DIY gal who also takes care of the Lost Genre Guild blog.

Grace took a few minutes to talk about publishing from a writer’s perspective with Writing Career Coach.

Writing Career Coach: What are some ways you prepared to market your book before you were published?
Grace Bridges: I joined a lot of social networks online, of all types: mailing lists for authors and readers, sci-fi fan groups, Shoutlife, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and more, and even started one of my own where readers can get updates and previews if they sign up: www.gracebridges.com/signup. I also created a series of video trailers to promote the book, and released them during the run-up to publication, to build the buzz. You can view the first one at http://www.socuteurl.com/jiffyfuzzledo – and look for the Playlist on the right for the others.

WCC: Tell us about your book.
GB: Which one? LOL. Probably the one that’s out as opposed to the five or six that wrestle within my hard drive and my head. FAITH AWAKENED was first published in 2007 and is now re-issued in a new edition from my own company, Splashdown Books.

A deadly plague with a political greed background destroys most of Earth’s population, leaving just a handful of genetically immune survivors. When they realise their immunity is not permanent due to mutations in the virus, they decide to activate a prototype cryogenic system enabling the user to live on in virtual reality while in hygienically isolated suspended animation.

But after flicking the switch, the supposed virtual reality feels a lot more real than the supposed real life. Which one is real, and which one is true? Could there be something supernatural behind this? And how come Mariah’s virtual stasis keeps on crashing?

You can find more about this book at www.faithawakened.com.

WCC: How do you plan and write your book?
GB: I use a number of steps from Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method, available here: http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php – namely, steps 1 (one-sentence summary), 2 (one-paragraph summary), 4 (five-paragraph summary) and 6 (four page summary), and then a scene list which only vaguely resembles step 8, containing one-sentence descriptions of what must be accomplished in each scene. However, these descriptions are still pretty vague.

For example, in my WIP – “Godspeed,” the sequel to Faith Awakened, I’m currently working on a scene I described in planning as “Dave breaks Naomi out of jail.” But the details of exactly how he did that – getting past the guards through a maintenance corridor, blowing a hole in the cell wall, getting caught while she escapes, then she sneaks around behind and rescues him again – all that was purely SOTP invention, and that’s a really fun part of writing that I wouldn’t want to be without. Also, my characterisations tend to be SOTP also, deepening and developing as I delve further into the story.

WCC: Do you have a tip for finding and working with an agent?
GB: Actually I don’t believe in agents. No offense to those wonderful people who do that work and those who work with them – but it just doesn’t work in my genre. Science fiction and fantasy is notoriously difficult to get an agent for, especially for newbies. That’s why I founded my publishing company Splashdown Books, to pick up wonderful new authors who wouldn’t get a chance by traditional means. We don’t even have submission guidelines – I call them Acceptance Guidelines, which you can find on the Authors page at www.splashdownbooks.com. You see, I don’t take submissions at all – rather, I interact with other authors in critique groups, swapping edits, and if I find something I want to publish, I will approach the author. I grant you it’s not the usual manner of proceeding for a publisher, but it allows me to gauge their editing skills and consider publication without having the author on tenterhooks waiting to hear what I decide, and without having to reject anyone directly.

WCC: What do you do other than writing? How do you maintain balance?
GB: I’m a freelance translator, so that’s very flexible and irregular work. Otherwise I’m kept busy doing things for Splashdown Books – I love all the periphery of publishing, such as graphic design, interior typesetting, filming book trailers, planning blog tours, etc. All these things provide the perfect balance to offset the mental intensity of the writing itself. I’m also a hobby photographer and am learning to play the bodhran (Irish hand drum).

Read more of Grace’s interview here at Examiner.com

YOU COULD WIN!
Leave a comment on this posting and you could win a copy of Faith Awakened The drawing will take place on Nov. 23, 2009.  This give away is for US residents only. There is no fee to enter.

Today we are interviewing author Roxanne Rustand. Her most recent book, Final Exposure (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense), is available through Harlequin Enterprises.

She is the author of twenty-three romantic suspense and heart-warming relationship novels. Her first manuscript won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart, and her second was a Golden Heart finalist. More recently, one of her books won RT Bookclub Magazine’s award for Best Superromance of 2006, and she was nominated for RT’s Career Achievement Award in 2005.

She loves to hear from readers, and can be reached through http://www.roxannerustand.com/ or www.shoutlife.com/roxannerustand

For those of you who are starting out in inspirational fiction, instead of secular fiction, I can’t recommend American Christian Fiction Writers enough. It’s a wonderful resource, and the annual conference is simply amazing. I belong to both ACFW and RWA now, and their value is far beyond what costs to belong. Armed with the knowledge you gain, you’ll be far better prepared to move from aspiring writer to author, and to do the best job of marketing your first book!

Part of marketing is to build your name, and thus the potential readership for your book, long before you sell. In that vein, I wrote articles for chapter newsletters and for the Romance Writers Report. I entered contests. I volunteered in every way I could. And when I finally made my first sale, I did everything else I could think of, within a very limited budget.

I made my own business cards and bookmarks. Developed a simple website. I joined a group of newly published authors who bought group advertisements in Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine and the RWR. I took part in book signings, and signed stock in bookstores. I spoke at schools, organizations, and libraries. And I also sent out my book to many online review sites. Not only did that yield quotes for my website and promotional materials, but then all the visitors at those sites, who read the reviews, had a chance to decide if they wanted to buy the book or not.

Times have changed since then. New authors now have a whole new world out there–and so much more of it comes at a reasonable cost, or free!

The wonderful Romance Sells advertising magazine, for instance, which goes out to many thousands of booksellers and librarians quarterly, is a bargain–one couldn’t personally mail all of those people for that amount. There are many inexpensive places to buy professional bookmarks and business cards that you can design yourself. You can find easy publishing software for creating professional quality newsletters, though these days, with the cost of ink, paper and postage, using the Internet is probably far more cost effective than mass mailings of postcards and newsletters. There are hundreds of writing blogs out there, and most owners are eager to host guest authors–which opens up a chance to share information about you and your book to a whole new population of followers, every time you agree to participate.

Listing your personal website and blog when doing those “guest appearances” is a way to draw some new people to your own site, where you can market your new book. People may be more likely to buy your first book if they’ve gotten to know you!

Thanks to Lyn Cote’s patient urging, I recently started something that has been such fun. I wanted to start a blog, but didn’t have any focus for it until she reminded me that many of my books have been romantic suspense, but they’ve also had a warm, touching, emotional element–often with quirky animals in the subplots. So I started the “All Creatures Great and Small Blog” where authors and readers can exchange stories about their pets, and I can also run articles about an old-time horse traders. It’s fun for both the followers, and me and it ties in with my books and my brand. Which is something else for you to think about–developing a blog that means something to you, not just something generic, and one that will hopefully draw the type of readers who might enjoy your books. Oblique marketing? Maybe…but it’s a good thing to try.

So….marketing your first book can start well before it hits the stores, and there are many options now for getting that title out in front of potential readers. It’s an exciting journey, and I wish you all the best1

WCC: How do you plan and write your book?

Most authors need to be plotters…at least, to sell a book. There are some who can sell on a concept. Sometimes, we’re asked to write a certain story, and that’s that–off to contract. But usually, authors have to come up with a coherent synopsis that makes good sense, and that in itself involves being a plotter…at least at the outset. After that, all bets are off!
I started out being an avid maker of charts. Graphs. Lists. W-plot graphs. Charts with the hero’s journey. I did personality charts, not knowing if my hero really did like chocolate ice cream, but dutifully filling out his favorite flavors. You name it, and I probably did it–needing every crutch in the book. I still get teased a bit about being–quite possibly–the most left-brained person on the planet!

But as time went on, and I starting selling, there was less and less time for all of that. And, as I wrote more, I needed it less, because the sense of rhythm in story telling became easier. I gradually developed a better sense of what had to happen when (which is probably inherently part of true pantser’s psyche, but I think I missed that gene!)

Now, my process is simple–and it has saved me a lot of work. Yep–I still have to write a synopsis to sell. But once I have that in hand, I break it down into subplots. Sit down at the computer. And then start to brainstorm with myself–writing “lists of twenty” (or thirty) things that could or should or might happen for each subplot. I just let my brain fly, and type fast as I can. When that’s done, I look at my lists and pull them into logical order under each subplot heading…discarding the silly things and keeping the best.

Now, I may not use half of these scene starter or turning point ideas. A subplot may veer off in a different direction, and change completely. But I’ve got ideas listed, in a semblance of logical order…so I’m less likely to end up in a muddle. Referring to those lists can spur even better ideas, once I know the characters more fully. Nothing is planned scene-by-scene, chapter-by-chapter, but my lists always give me an idea of where to go next!
So…is this being a plotter? Pantser? I don’t know…but for now, it works for me!

The other thing I do which is of immeasurable help to me, is that I do my bookkeeping as I write. Doesn’t that sound boring? It isn’t–it’s a great tool that helps prevent the need for major revisions. I don’t plot in detail ahead of time. But as I finish each scene, I switch to my “Subplot Tracker” file and type in the main things that happened for each subplot. My form is set up in columns and rows. If I neglect a subplot for too long, I’ll see a lot of white space. I can also see if something isn’t developing well enough. It’s kind of hard to explain, but I’ve got copies of my forms on my website under “articles” at http://www.roxannerustand.com/. Take a look!

Roxanne Rustand
“The All Creatures Great and Small Blog”
http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com/

http://www.roxannerustand.com/

Today we are interviewing author Christina Berry. Her debut novel, The Familiar Stranger, is available through Moody Publishers.

Single mother and foster parent, Christina Berry carves time to write from her busy schedule because she must tell the stories that haunt her every waking moment. (Such is the overly dramatic description of an author’s life!) She holds a BA in Literature, yet loves a good Calculus problem, as well. Her debut novel, The Familiar Stranger, releases from Moody in September and deals with lies, secrets, and themes of forgiveness in a troubled marriage. A moving speaker and dynamic teacher, Christina strives to Live Transparently–Forgive Extravagantly!

Her work has also appeared in The Secret Place, The Oregonian, and Daily Devotions for Writers. Find her at http://www.blogger.com/www.christinaberry.net%20 and http://www.authorchristinaberry.blogspot.com/

The Familiar Stranger—formerly known as Undiscovered—is about a couple going through a really rough patch in their marriage. When an accident incapacitates the husband, their relationship must be redefined. Which would be a lot easier to do if BIG secrets from his past didn’t raise their ugly heads. Despite the upheaval, the choices they make involving forgiveness and trust might allow a new beginning. Or … they might not.

Christina took a few minutes to talk about publishing from a writer’s perspective with Writing Career Coach.

Writing Career Coach: What are some ways you prepared to market your book before you were published?
Christina Berry: In November 2006, my mother (who is my co-writer on other projects) and I launched our website http://www.ashberrylane.net/ and asked our friends and family to subscribe to the infrequent, humorous Ashberry Lane Newsletter. Technically, this marketing effort began before I wrote a single word of The Familiar Stranger, but it laid the foundation for my current marketing.

We set a goal of getting 1,000 subscribers before one of our books made it to print. While we’re still a couple hundred short, setting such a goal pushed us to recruit from real world, shoutlife, facebook, and conference contacts. Having access to 750+ interested readers and the building of momentum over the years has been priceless. I can’t imagine starting at ground zero in the midst of all the release date hoopla!

As soon as Moody designed the cover and secured the ISBN, Amazon and cbd.com put the book up for pre-order. Though I haven’t seen much of a push from other authors, I decided to really promote pre-ordering. We’ll see if it worked!

I’m also focusing on making one reader at a time, whether it be the woman who waited with me as our snow tires were removed at the tire shop, or the checker in the grocery store. Pretty much just looking at me sideways will earn you a business card.

WCC: Tell us about your book.
CB: Craig Littleton has decided to end his marriage with his wife, Denise, but an accident lands him in the ICU with fuzzy memories. As Denise helps him remember who he is, she uncovers dark secrets. Will this trauma create a fresh start? Or has his deceit destroyed the life they built together?

The Familiar Stranger (Moody Publishers, Sept 2009)

WCC: How do you plan and write your book?
CB: My previous writing has been heavily plotted and I’ve known almost everything about the characters before diving into the story. Writing with a co-author, Mom and I both need to know exactly how a character looked and his or her history. We wrote out each scene’s main plot point and point of view character on index cards and posted them on a large corkboard. We also found catalogue models that looked like our characters, made collages of the pictures, and slipped our character interview in the back of the plastic sleeves.

With The Familiar Stranger, the first scene came to me like a movie. Once the first chapter was written, I took a few hours to write down how I saw the story progressing. Then I numbered each main point and called it a chapter. All told, I had just over one page of plotting. To keep everything straight, I made notes about the characters as I went along. A very different experience to write by the seat of my pants, but I’m working through my current book in the same way.

WCC: What is it like working with editors? Do you have tips for getting along and building a great relationship with them?

CB: Cookies and chocolate! No, really, I have no trouble working with them because I believe their desire is to make the best book, which in turn makes me look better than I would on my own! I’ve had the pleasure of working with a freelance editor and two editors with Moody. Each person shaped and buffed the manuscript and the end result shines.

One tip? Treat the editor/author relationship like you should any other. Be respectful and honest, ask questions to clarify, and be thankful of his or her time and talent.

Over the years I’ve become real friends with several editors who rejected my work because I care about them as people, not as stepping stones on a career path. Two are even listed in my acknowledgements!

Read the rest of Christina’s interview here at Examiner.com and learn about her upcoming projects.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at http://www.writingcareercoach.com/

Tiffany is a speaker and teacher. Find out about available topics for your group’s next event.

Tiffany is a National Examiner. Read her articles here.

Learn more about Tiffany’s Marketing techniques on her main blog.

Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.

Read Tiffany’s award winning manuscript “A Face in the Shadow” on her fiction blog.

She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer’s Rest.

I am very excited to have Linore Rose Burkard, author of Before the Season Ends, today. Linore did an amazing thing. She self published a book that was so successful that she was picked up by a Royalty publishing house. Now she is working on a multi-book deal. I am proud to call her friend. I asked her if she would tell us a bit about how she did it.

WCC: You are not only a writer but you also speak on marketing your writing. This has served you well because you have great reviews of your craft and also great book sales. What are a few of the things you’ve done to really help launch your books? What would you suggest that a writer do while they’re in the process of submitting manuscripts to really help them build their platform?

Linore: Every writer should begin by establishing a web presence, and I’ve got an article about that posted HERE called, “I’ve Submitted My Work–Now What?” But even if you haven’t finished your first book, yet, it’s never too early to begin with a blog and by joining online groups. Some of the things that have worked best for me are getting book reviews, touring the blogs of readers and writers, and trying tohelp others with good suggestions, recommendations, and information when it is asked for on email groups that I belong to. When you help other readers or writers, it enhances your own image, so it’s a win/win situation. And, by offering good resources or references you also become known as a “go-to” person; someone who is knowledgeable. This goes a long way with online exposure.

WCC: Your books are Regency Romance. For other authors who like to write in historical settings what unique ideas do you have for marketing these kinds of books?

Linore: Since so much of marketing takes place online, today, I recommend doing an in-depth search for your ideal readers. For historical writers, this means finding out where other readers and writers of historical romance hang out on the web. Check Shoutlife groups (Christian), or MySpace, Facebook, and YahooGroups, etc. You find these groups by entering keywords into the search engines, like “readers”, “historical” “historical fiction,” “book lovers,” etc. Enter every pertinent keyword you can think of until you find a list of groups. Then, begin to introduce yourself and learn their rules for posting. Eventually, when they recognize your name, or know you, they’ll be happy to learn of your new books or free resources, and you’ll gain readers. Which reminds me, creating and having free resources for readers is the best way to offer something of value to others without having to “sell” yourself. Let your work speak for you, and if they like it, they just might decide to try your book(s) as well. I have a number of great free resources on my website, which you can look at to get an idea of how to make your own. Here

WCC: I believe that your book was first released as a subsidy published book but then it was bought by a royalty publisher. How did that happen? How are you able to sell the same book twice? When do you suggest a writer go the subsidy publishing route? Why did you do it?

Linore: These are a lot of questions, and each one could be addressed in length! Briefly, however, I went the subsidy route because I had a lot of confidence in my book, and I like to exert a lot of control over my own projects. But using a subsidy publisher is NOT the same as selling your book. Actually, it’s the opposite: you are buying the service of publishing, in order to then sell your book to readers.

I became an author for Harvest House Publishers after my editor found me on the web, and saw that my book had garnered a lot of rave reviews on places like Amazon. I still owned the rights (and anyone considering subsidy publishing should be careful to retain the rights) so that I could sell it to Harvest House when my editor asked to see the book. So, first I would say that you must write the best book you are capable of, and don’t even consider self-publishing, or seeking a publisher, until you’ve finished it. I also don’t recommend self-publishing unless you are widely known,or have well-known friends who will help you, and are prepared to devote yourself to marketing full-time. People think, “If I write it, they [readers] will come.” It doesn’t work this way unless you’re already a big name.

WCC: You do workshops of writers; could we see the topics that you teach about?

Linore: My speaking topics are posted on my website Here.

WCC: Thanks so much, Linore. I knew you’d have great advice!

Linore: My pleasure, Tiff.

Linore said she’d stop by and answer questions from people who left comments in the comment section so leave a note for her.

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany’s Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Common-sense money management is free at The Balanced Life website.
Read Tiffany’s award winning manuscript “A Face in the Shadow” on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer’s Rest.