7) Not everything can be good in even the best year. What has been your greatest disappointment in publishing?
-I don’t imagine my disappointments will be much different from any other author who’s been around for a while. I think the greatest frustration has been waiting for months at a time to hear whether something is accepted, only to find I’ve been ignored or they simply neglected to let me know my work wasn’t needed or wanted. It’s difficult enough to be rejected, but to be left hanging out to dry is very difficult.
8) Do you have any choice in the cover art for your books?
-Some publishing houses are really great about covers. After the book has been accepted, we get a form to fill out asking for as much detail as we can give about the story, and what we’d like to see on the cover. We’re even asked to check out some of the sites where you can purchase pictures to see if we can find something we think fits the best. This is really cool.
Other publishers do all the covers without inquiring what the author would like. Anthologies are often done without any consultation. Big NYC publishing houses are like that too.
9) Have you got a favourite artist for book covers?
-April Martinez is amazing. She works with Total E-Bound and has done several of my covers. I’ve also got to say, Alessia Brio has created some awesome covers for me over the years. She’s with Phaze. I’ve been very lucky to have some of the best, in my opinion, cover artists out there to work with. I’ve heard horror stories about authors being disappointed with covers they really don’t like. That’s only happened once to me.
10) If you found that, for one reason or another, you couldn’t write anymore, what would you like to do instead?
-You mean besides a visit to the loony bin? Not writing. Gulp. You know, this thought terrifies me. It’s a bit like asking you what you’d do if you suddenly couldn’t breathe any more.
Pushing terror aside, can I edit? How about proofread? I could help authors with writers block to come up with ideas!
I suppose there have been times in my life when I didn’t write daily, but I had young children around and there just wasn’t time.
I’m struggling with this one. I love to cook, but then I eat the stuff. LOL
Okay, no writing at all. No editing, getting right away from my lovely keyboard.
Eek!
Ya know, I’ve had trouble with my eyes over the last little while, as some of you know, and have tried to answer this question. I’ve done a few things in my life besides write. I taught for a while, and hated it, but some of what I learned needs to be passed on to the next generation. I could do that. Game management. Hunting ethics. How to skin and cook a muskrat. Outdoor education that didn’t take place in a classroom. How to deal and respect wild animals and their habitat. There’s got to be some ‘class’ or something to see we don’t lose this kind of thing.
That’s about as much of an answer as I can give you.
11) What question comes up most often in author chats?
-Where do my ideas come from? There are others but this one always baffles me. Oh and one more, when did you start writing? Both of these are asked in every chat I’ve been to and when I see them, I cringe. The first is very difficult to explain, if not impossible. Ideas come from everywhere: a look, the curve of a neck/knee/thigh/cheek/ass/pick body part….to a truck driving down a dirt road or any other bit of life happening to you or around you. It’s all fodder for a story. Even a sentence or something from a news article might stir me.
When did I begin writing? I can’t remember not writing, or at least having stories to tell. But, that’s not the answer people seem to want to hear. I think they want me to come up with a moment in time, some big flash of inspiration. Nope, didn’t happen. I’m a writer. Always have been and can’t imagine a time when I won’t tell stories.
12) What do you see on the horizon for 2010. I'm thinking new books / stories and (perhaps more importantly) what are your ambitions for the year - not just professional ones ?
-More books, more series’ and more deadlines, oh yeah! Jenna and I have plans for the Kindred Heart Series and I don’t think either of us is sure how many more books we’ll add, yet. I’m also waffling on re-writing/cleaning up an old trilogy I wrote several years ago called Dealing. I say wrote, but there are only 2 done and I’m not sure they’d sell or even be accepted anywhere.
You know, I really don’t have enormous ambitions. I want to write more. M. Christian and I have become good friends and we’re talking about doing something together. That would be awesome, but it’s something I’m not sure I’m up to. (He’s very good you know) We’ll do it if we both have time, and I’ll do me best. So far, we’ve talked m/m, paranormal, which suits me just fine. LOL
On a more personal level, my hubby and I have been struggling financially since February 2009. We find out the outcome of his layoff in Feb. 2010 and that’s pretty huge for us. I’m praying it goes well, but you just never know. Whatever, we’ll be together and that’s what’s important. I really hope he gets to a place where he can relax a little more and enjoy life, rather than worry so much.
That’s it. Thank you Mog for taking the time to put these questions together. If anyone has more questions they’d like to ask, I’d really love to hear them. Send your questions to: jude.mason AT gmail DOT com (remove the AT and DOT...you know the rest) I can’t promise I’ll answer every last one, but I will definitely do my best.
Hugs
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7 comments:
I don't like it when the publisher puts a cover on the book that has absolutely no connection to the book or the photo on the cover is so different you wonder if the person who did the cover read the book. It is too bad not all publishers don't at least negotiate covers with the author.
Ray
G'morning Ray,
I do understand why some publishers use a cover without consulting the authors. But, I totally agree with you when you say the cover needs to show what the book, or stories in the anthology, are about. I've had a couple that just left me scratching my head, but I've also been very lucky to have some of the best covers and cover artists to work with.
Thanks so much for stopping in.
Hugs
A nice thoughtful interview for sure. I like a cover to match the story but I know it doesn't always happen that way. I find myself looking at the cover while reading a book. This was well done for us..many good questions to cover many good issues on book writing and such. Thanks for this article. susan L.
Susan,
Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. Every once in a while a conversation pops up about covers and how important they are for sales, or for readers to get the idea of what the book is about. I think it's pretty huge. If you get the wrong cover, it can really throw readers off and sales nose dive.
Hugs
It;s become a cliche to say that you can't judge a book by looking at the cover, but the cover pic should at least give a clue as to the subject(s) of the story. So much depends on the readers fist impressions, the title, and the cover pick have a great bearing on whether I pick up a book to consider buyng it at all. If neither interest me, then it'll just stay on the shelf.
Hey Verb! Glad you could drop in. Happy New Year!
I completely agree with you. I'll look for the author's name first. You know, the fav you'll always at least look at. But, if the cover and title don't grab me, it will take a little more effort to even read the blurb. If that falls flat, I may or may not read the first page. You really do have to grab the reader fast. And with e-books it's even more difficult. Most times, the reader can't actually get that first page, so the cover etc. have to be good.
Hugs
I've picked one book in particular by its cover. THE LONELY GIRLS CLUB by Suzanne Forster caught my attention from across the aisle in the bookstore. Since that book I have read most of what she has written. I found a must buy author on the basis of one spectacular cover.
Ray
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