Meet the Mavens : Part 2

Now that you've seen how smart and gracious the Mavens are, we'd love to introduce you to another side of them. This is the fun side we get to see at chapter meetings and retreats. They're even more fun after a couple of rounds of margaritas, but we won't go there.

Here are a few things we wanted to know… well, just because we wanted to know.

1. Why do you write romance?

Linda Winstead Jones: There was a time, many years ago, when I dabbled in straight mystery. It never failed that as soon as I was into the story, the relationships became more important than whodunit. Romance is about people, it’s about love. When I write, that’s where I go.

Beverly Barton: Because I’ve always been in love with love. I’m a romantic at heart. Even as a child, the stories I wrote were about male/female relationships. In life you can never be certain of a happy ending, but in romance novels you can.

Linda Howard: I write what I love. I write the characters I love, and tell their stories. Can I help it if they seem to be an amorous bunch????

2. What is your personal writing space like? Any good luck totems or rituals?

LWJ: No rituals. (Unless massive amounts of coffee counts) Sitting at the computer and looking around, I see many little things that mean a lot to me. Pictures of my grandkids, The Children, and the Mavens. A few books I need close at hand. The magic 8-ball. My lucky pen. A couple of trophies and my Rita flags. Wind chimes. My coffee cup. All my books, on a shelf above the computer. A tape dispenser shaped like a cowboy boot. And a lot of paper that needs to be filed and will be – eventually.

BB: I’m fortunate enough to have a beautiful office that reflects my personality. This space has been “a long time coming” and I think I’ve earned it. In the past, I worked at my dining room table, then in a corner of my bedroom and finally in a small, cluttered room that housed my office equipment and eventually became known as Beverly’s office/the junk room.
No totems. No rituals. Unless you count music and a good cup of coffee as either of those.

LH: No totems or rituals. I don't listen to music while I write, nor do I have the television on. My writing space is a piled-up mess. I had a huge U-shaped desk made, with lots and lots of storage space, and it's crammed full and piled high with books and papers, boxes, catalogs, equipment, and photographs. As I progress deeper into a book, the desk gets messier and messier, and everyone is forbidden to touch it. 
My office is floor-to-ceiling bookcases, stuffed with books. Often the dogs will lie beside my chair, so I can't get up without making them move. The laundry room connects to my office; I don't know if that was a good idea or not. And I have a coffeemaker in the laundry room.

3. What is your typical writing day like?

LWJ: There really isn’t a typical writing day. Every book is different. Some go quickly. Others are like pulling teeth. I have to adapt to the way the book is going. I am more creative in the morning. If I try to run errands in the morning and then come home and write, it doesn’t go well. Afternoons are usually strictly for editing and revising. 

BB: It varies from time to time and from day to day, depending on what I’m doing—writing the WIP, pulling together a synopsis, doing line/copy edits, reading galleys, plotting a new book, etc.
As a general rule, I’m at my work computer (which I use only for writing) by nine in the morning. I take short, frequent breaks, then usually eat lunch around one and return to the computer at two. I finish up between five-thirty and six. Sometimes I put in an hour at night and often work part of the day on Saturday and/or Sunday, depending on deadlines. I am not a fast writer, so in order to produce several books in a year, I have to work long hours.

LH: I don't have a typical writing day. I write as much, or as little, as I'm moved to write. Sometimes life takes precedence for long stretches of time.

4. You’ve just met an important deadline. How do you reward yourself?

LWJ: Sometimes I crash in front of the TV and watch Shakespeare in Love or Phantom of the Opera. Other times, I just crash. <g>

BB: I rest. Sometimes, it’s only for a few days, but I simply have to have some much needed R&R. Also, I call a friend and go out for lunch.

LH: By sleeping and reading.

5. Over the course of your impressive career, what’s your favorite story that you’ve written and why? Your favorite hero/heroine?

LWJ: Why don’t you just ask me which one of my kids I like best, or which of the grandchildren is prettiest? <g>
Favorites change, depending on what story I’m into at the moment. I have to admit, the series with the Fyne sisters has been very special to me. I was well into the second book when it hit me that everything I’d written to that point had been leading me here. I’ve written more than 50 books. Historical, time-travel, fairy tale, romantic suspense. There are aspects of all those in Sisters of the Sun – my three Fyne witches.
I refuse to pick a favorite hero or heroine. The others might turn on me. <g>

BB: I just mailed off my sixtieth book and you’re asking me to choose one story, one hero/heroine! I can’t do it. No way. Often, I think my favorite is the one I’m working on at the time I’m asked this question.

LH: Very difficult to answer. I guess the story that most obsessed me was "Son of the Morning." And I can't pick a favorite hero/heroine. My weakest books, in my opinion, where those where I didn't absolutely love both the hero and heroine. Those are few and far between, thank goodness, because it's sheer torture forcing myself to write a story that I maybe like, but don't love.

We'd like to thank the ever-generous Mavens for taking the time to interview with us at the Playground. We hope you enjoyed this insight into their world. If you missed the first half of this interview, check out part 1...

Meet the Mavens : Part 1

As regular visitors already know, three special women have taken upon themselves to mentor us, laugh with us (or is that AT us?), and keep this rowdy bunch in line. We collectively refer to them as “The Mavens”. As authors, they are prolific, talented, and award-winning. As women, they are gracious, generous, and wise. We wanted our Playmates to have the chance to get to know them, so we invited the Mavens to spend some time with us in the Sandbox.

First, a formal introduction:

Linda Winstead Jones has written for four different publishers under four different names since 1994. She’s a three-time RITA finalist and winner of the 2004 RITA in the paranormal category. 2005 saw the sale of her 50th book. Her most recent release was the novella “Forever Mine” in Beyond the Dark, a Silhouette Signature Select Halloween Anthology. The Star Witch, the third book in her Sisters of the Sun trilogy, will be released as a Berkley Sensation in January 2006.

Beverly Barton is the NYT best-selling author of over fifty books, written for Harlequin/Silhouette, St. Martin’s, and Kensington. She is a two-time Maggie Award winner, a two-time National Readers’ Choice Award winner, a RWA Rita Award finalist, and a recipient of the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her latest single title is Killing Her Softly, a Zebra Romantic Suspense. In January 2006, Silhouette Intimate Moments will release another book in her Protectors series, Penny Sue Got Lucky.

Linda Howard is a NYT best-selling author who began writing at age nine. Since then, she’s penned many books including her newest Killing Time, Now You See Her, Kill and Tell, Son of the Morning, and Shades of Twilight. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from RWA. Her next single title, Cover of Night, hits the shelves in May.

 
1. As we have discussed in Heart of Dixie meetings and on the blog, RWA is known for its unique informal and formal mentoring of writers. Why do you think this is important? What are the benefits, if any, to you as authors?

Linda Winstead Jones: To me it all comes down to one word: Community. RWA is a healthy, flourishing community, with writers at all levels active and involved. To me, the benefit is the community itself. The meetings, the friendships, the interaction. The parties, the laughter, and the shoulders to cry on. 

Beverly Barton: Mentoring is sharing knowledge. In the same way mothers teach their offspring how to survive in the world and give them guidance as they grow from babies to adults, published authors nurture the unpublished.
Eighteen years ago, joining RWA and helping found HOD opened up a new world to me—a world populated by other writers. I’d like to think that in some small way, I’m helping unpublished writers to achieve their goals and fulfill their dreams. It is my way of giving back, of thanking those who so generously and unselfishly helped me.

Linda Howard: To me as a human being, there is the benefit of helping friends, of giving them forehand knowledge of things I learned the hard way. And the benefit to me as a reader is that there can never be too many good books in the world, and if I can help any of them along the way that's great.
RWA is a unique organization, operating on the theory that what's good for romance as a whole is also in the best interests of the individual members. The stronger the genre, the better chance the writers have of enjoying a successful career.

2. What do you get out of participating in groups like Heart of Dixie?

LWJ: See all of the above. <g> It’s so easy to get caught up in the business of publishing and the obsession of writing that all else falls by the wayside. This is NOT a good thing. There is life beyond my computer, and let’s face it – No one understands a writer’s joys and tribulations the way another writer does. We need one another.

BB: You mean other than having a lot of fun? Being a part of Heart of Dixie gives me the opportunity to spend time with other writers, to form friendly acquaintances with many and lasting friendships with a few. I can’t stress the importance of our receiving encouragement and support from one another and giving it in return. Who but another writer could ever understand what goes on in our unique world of imagination?

LH: Friendship, first and foremost. If the occasional snippet of information comes along, that's just icing on the cake.

3. Each of these generous ladies has served in various positions in Heart of Dixie in the past, from Board Membership to chairing events. Linda Howard and Beverly Barton are founding members of this chapter. Why is it important to be actively involved in local chapters/groups?

LWJ: It’s tough to form close friendships when you see someone for an hour or so ten times a year. Simply attending meetings isn’t enough. By being more involved, you get to know and work with the other members who are willing to donate their time and energy. By volunteering your time, you make yourself a part of something bigger. You can truly donate to the health of an organization, large or small.

BB: My association with Heart of Dixie began when I helped found our first Alabama RWA chapter, so I have a strong emotional attachment to this particular chapter. Over the years, HOD and the friendships I’ve formed with other members have enriched my life immeasurably. Writers need other writers. It’s that simple.

LH: Again, for the information available. No matter what you need to know, you can almost always get an accurate answer. Look at the varied resources we have in our little group. And writing is by necessity a lonely occupation, as well as an unusual one. How many of your family and friends will understand how exhausting it is to write? They really can't, because they haven't experienced that sort of mental exhaustion. But another writer knows. We all speak the same language.

4. We’re always hearing how much more difficult it is to break into this business now than it was 10 years ago. Do you think this is true? Why?

LWJ: This is the sort of thing I do my best to ignore. I made my first sale in 1993. At that time, I heard how tough it was to break in. Tougher than it had ever been, they said. I was hit with all the odds and none of them were good. Fortunately, I didn’t hear any of this until after I’d sold. I might never have put the book in the mail, if I had known the odds going in.
And now here it is, twelve years later, and I’m hearing the same things. It’s harder to break in than it’s ever been, they say. Is it true? I don’t know. Don’t care. What are you going to do? Stop trying because someone tells you the odds are against you? If you’re playing the odds, you’re in the wrong business.

BB: Probably. When I sold my first book in ’89, I was told that it was more difficult then to make that first sale than it had been in the early eighties. In the early to mid-eighties, there were countless series romance publishers and seemingly endless places where a writer could submit her/his work. Publishing houses consolidated, publishers cut series romance lines until Harlequin became the only game in town, romance writers became more savvy thanks to RWA, etc., etc.

LH: It is more difficult, because there are fewer publishing houses. The big mergers brought hitherto independent houses under just a few big umbrellas -- and they don't compete against the other houses under their own umbrella. So you have fewer options for selling a book, and fewer options for leaving if you wish to change publishers.  There are also fewer outlets for selling books, with the big chains and online booksellers running the small bookstores out of business. That doesn't mean it's impossible to sell, just more complicated.

5. Was there one thing you learned right before selling-that magic puzzle piece that made everything click for you? Do you continue to have these Aha moments?

LWJ: I was totally ignorant when I sold, so no – There was no magic puzzle piece. When I sent that first manuscript in, I didn’t even know RWA or HOD existed. If I had, I might’ve known how bad the odds were, and well, see the answer to question number four. <g>
But as for Aha moments… Yes. I love the aha moments. Every now and then I’ll look at a story, or a paragraph, or a word, and some important piece of knowledge will come to life. Something I had not known before suddenly makes sense. I have a light bulb moment. This is a constant learning process. I will never know everything there is to know about writing. I hope when I’m a hundred years old I’m still writing, and still having those aha moments.

BB: Not really. Just as there is no secret to becoming published, there is no magic puzzle piece. Were there clues that I was on the verge of making that first sale? Probably. One was that I finaled in several writing contests, which simply validated me as a writer. Another was having a highly respected published author tell me that I was going to sell and she even told me which of my several projects would be the one to sell first.
As for having aha moments—yes, I have those. They come when I’ve just finished a book and I know, deep inside, that with this one I’ve taken a step forward in my writing. This doesn’t happen with every book, but when it does happen, it’s a glorious feeling.

LH: Nope. For me it was like learning how to ride a bicycle. I practiced and practiced and practiced, and every time I wrote something I got a little better as I learned how to better express the story that was in my head. Then one day, I was good enough to sell. End of story. Well, not really. To this day I still have "Aha!" moments, but they all concern the plot of the story I'm working on at the time. 

6. What one piece of advice would you offer a newbie writer? What is the best advice you have received during your career?

LWJ: Best advice for a newbie writer: Write. Write, write, write. I love the community I live in. I love my writing friends. It’s important. But writing is a solitary pastime, accomplished on your own. Talking about writing, plotting with friends, planning your career, those are all fine. But unless you actually make the time to sit down and write, you’ll never get anywhere.
The best learning comes from doing. And let’s face it, there are always reasons not to write. Kids, husbands, real jobs (don’t get me started on that one), laundry, knitting, cooking… the list goes on and on. In order to write, you have to be self-disciplined and determined.
Best advice I received: Put aside a third of everything you make for taxes.

BB: If you want it desperately enough and are willing to work like crazy to achieve your goal of being published, then NEVER give up. Determination and perseverance are the keys to success. As for good advice I received – don’t sweat the small stuff.

LH: Just one piece of advice, out of so many??? <G>. First and foremost, don't write to the market; it will have changed by the time any book you write now can be published. Write what you love -- period. Write the story idea that has seized you by the throat and won't let go. Write it to the best of your ability. And don't let your ego blind you to the fact that everyone in the world needs editing.
The best advice I received was from Iris Johansen, many years ago. She said, "Don't waste a single title idea on a category book," which is exactly what I was about to do at the time. She meant, recognize which ideas need the longer page count, the deeper detail. The book she was talking about? "Dream Man," my first New York Times bestseller.

7. What drives you to succeed? Is there someone or something that inspires you?

LWJ: Confession time. I’m not particularly driven. Not by success, at least. I am totally driven by the characters and the stories that possess me. It’s all about them, not any external measure of success. Would I like that external measure to be greater? Of course I would. But that’s not what drives me to write.

BB: I suppose having a type-A personality is part of it. I’ve always been an over-achiever, an aggressive, gotta-be-the-best-at-whatever-I-do person. Add to that the fact I’ve been a writer since childhood and being a published writer fulfilled a lifelong dream. And never underestimate the power of greed.
Every writer who makes it BIG in this business inspires me to follow in their footsteps, but especially the women writers. But personal fulfillment inspires me, being able to make a decent living doing something I love to do. Also, knowing that countless readers love my books inspires me.

LH: No, inspiration is sadly lacking in my life, unless you're talking about the people who live in my head and the stories they demand I write. That's what drives me -- telling their stories. That's it.

Both Linda Winstead Jones and Linda Howard served recent terms on the Romance Writers of America National Board and are currently serving second terms.

8. What prompted you to run for RWA national office?

LWJ: Someone asked, and I was intrigued. I wanted to be more involved, and what better way than to serve at the National level?

LH: Not what, who. Linda Winstead Jones, one of the other mavens. She said I was needed. I thought about it, and agreed to run.

9. What did you gain from the experience? Anything unexpected?

LWJ: I found a new respect for the organization as a whole, the staff that keeps us operational, and the volunteers who give so much of their time to RWA. It’s a massive effort.

LH: A whole new level of respect for the organization. I've also met some truly wonderful people.

10. How did it change your view of RWA?

LWJ: There were times in the past when I took RWA for granted. No more.

LH: For one thing, it's far more complicated than I expected. I also learned that no matter how hard any Board tries to satisfy everyone on each issue, some people aren't going to like the action taken. It's human nature; everyone views the world through their own lenses.
So eventually you start asking yourself: Is this good for the organization as a whole? You can't ask how it will affect a few individuals. It's difficult, because as women we automatically look at individuals first and the organization second.

11. Coming off a controversial year for the board, what prompted you to seek re-election?

LWJ: The other board members and the office staff, all of whom work so hard to keep RWA operational and healthy. I’m not going to cut and run because we had a controversial year. There’s still a lot to be done, and I’d like to finish some of the projects I was in on from the beginning.

Check back next month for Part II of our Meet the Mavens Interview.

View the Sandbox Archives for prior interviews.