Writers On Wednesday: Author Interview with Rural Romance Writer Cathryn Hein

Today I welcome to the blog the lovely Cathryn Hein.

 

 

Cathryn is the author of three rural-set romances, Promises, (released in 2011),  Heart of the Valley (2012) and  Heartland, released this month.

A passionate and moving love story from the bestselling author of

Promises and Heart of the Valley.

When Callie Reynolds arrives at Glenmore, the property she’s recently inherited, the last thing she wants is to be saddled with a warty horse, an injured neighbour and a mad goose. Haunted by her sister’s death and her fractured family, all she wants is freedom.

But Callie hasn’t counted on falling for Matt Hawkins, an ex-soldier determined to fulfil his own dream of land and family. Nor could she predict the way the land, animals and people of Glenmore will capture her heart.

Callie is faced with impossible choices. But she must find the courage to decide where her future lies, even if it costs her everything she holds dear.

 

 

Thanks for visiting Flying Pony Cathryn!

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1. What activities (other than writing) get your creative juices flowing?

Walking. I find it the best thing for letting my imagination run. There’s something about the rhythm of putting one foot after the other that clears my mind and lets me solve plot problems.

Reading also helps. There are some writers I just love to read when I’m writing because they’re so inspirational. But showering is probably my favourite! Step under the shower and for some weird reason plot or character issues seem to work out. It’s nothing for me to jump out and race, dripping, for my notebook so I don’t lose an idea. Perhaps there really is something to that flowing water negative ion theory…

2. What sort of writing routine do you have – disciplined or undisciplined, regular or erratic, focused or easily      distracted?

Mostly disciplined but it has been known to break down at certain (frustrating) times. I have a set writing schedule. Each week day will find me at the computer by 7am where I’ll answer emails, check blogs and Facebook, and generally do business-y type stuff until 8-30. Then it’s cup-of-coffee-fuelled writing time.

I try to write solidly until 10am and then take a break but it doesn’t always work out that way. I love reading industry stuff, and learning about other author’s writing and marketing efforts. I grandly title the time I spend on this as professional development but sometimes I suspect it’s a form of professional procrastination. Good, useful procrastination, but watching video about Goodreads advertising or whatever doesn’t get my book written.

3. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if so what do you do about it?

No. I can’t say I do get writer’s block. I do get hangups though. I’m the queen of them! When I’m in one of those moods, I fret about everything from the writing to the story, to characterisations, the state of my genre in the market, and everything in between. Things tend to bog when that happens but I just keep going, even though it feels as though I’m wading through a swamp of doubts.

5. Which aspects of the writing life do you most love?

Coming up with a new story. That’s exciting! I also love, love, love writing the black moment. It’s my favourite bit. The more tears the better!

6. Which aspects do least love (or detest!)?

Structural edits. I know that they’re very, very good for me and make an enormous difference to the book, but they hurt. It’s like being told your beautiful baby is so ugly it will only make it through life with radical surgery.

7. What books and writers have most influenced your own writing?

I would have to say Jilly Cooper even though I don’t write like her at all. I always adored the way she anthropomorphised her animal characters and it’s something I do myself. As for the rest, there are so many! I’m not 100% sure but I think that Michelle Paver’s A Place in the Hills was the book that made me want to write romance.

8. Can you describe for us your writing process,  from getting the original idea to completed manuscript?

Before I start I have the opening chapters, the black moment and the ending well established in my mind. Also the characters’ external and internal conflicts. What they look like, their mannerisms and so forth I tend to only outline, as I find they develop and become real and vivid with writing. The setting I also have a pretty good idea about because it’s usually a major part of the story.

Once those things are fixed I start writing those early chapters and see where they take me. I know where I’m heading to, but not necessarily exactly how I’m going to get there. I find that if I plot too much I lose the thrill of discovery and all that excitement of not quite knowing what’s around the corner.

Somehow I’ve ended up with the annoying system of editing as I go, but I’m trying to get out of that habit. It slows my writing too much and it’s story that matters in those early drafts. The writing and clichés and all the other things that make me cringe I can always fix later, but getting the story right is paramount.

9. Describe your path to publication.

Long, like many authors. I wrote for years. A lot of short stories, awful poetry in my teens, and then in my twenties I tried and tried to write full length novels but could never get past the 10,000 or so word mark. Plus I was working and studying and had yet to give in to that gut-deep drive that you need to succeed in writing.

Then my partner was transferred overseas and I had the opportunity to achieve the dream I’d let fester for too long. Toward the end of our final year in France I sat down and wrote a book. Not a very good book, but the feeling of satisfaction when I finally finished that first draft was amazing. No going back after that. I was hooked!

On return to Australia I kept writing, joined the Romance Writers of Australia, entered their contests, learned from the feedback, found wonderful critique partners, and developed from there, getting better with each manuscript.

In 2010 I pitched a manuscript to Penguin – my 5th or 6th, I can’t quite recall, as I’d also turned my hand to novellas by then and the stories were piling up. It wasn’t quite what they were after, so I pitched another and they loved it. Promises came out in 2011, followed by Heart of the Valley in 2012. My 2013 novel, Heartland has just hit the shelves.

10. What advice would you give to writers who are working towards publication?

Keep writing. Every manuscript teaches you something and you’ll be amazed how much you improve with each book. Don’t worry about those stories being lost. You can always rewrite them, or do what I do and steal all the good bits to create even better stories.

Join the Romance Writers of Australia. I honestly believe that without the RWA I wouldn’t be published.

Find yourself good critique partners. They will do wonders for your writing. Plus having friends on hand who you can cheer with and sook to, who appreciate the highs and understand the lows, is an incredibly precious thing.

Learn! Understand the business you’re getting into. This is even more important now when there are so many publication paths you can take. There is so much information out there, and organisations and fellow authors willing to help, you have no excuse. Yes, it’s time consuming, but a little bit of learning could prevent you doing something you’ll regret.

Try to have your online presence sorted in advance. Believe me, you do not want to be learning how to use Facebook or Twitter or setting up a website and the like, as well as trying to cope with deadlines, edits and every other thing that suddenly piles on after you sign your first contract.

But the number one thing really has to be to persevere. Keep at it, learn your craft, learn the industry, learn to accept feedback – good and bad. Keep creating those stories, the ones you feel passionate about, that no one else writes but you desperately want to read. And don’t be afraid of rejection. Some of the most amazing writers in the world weren’t and that’s why they’re successes today.

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If you like to learn more about Cathryn and her books, please visit her website.

You can also connect via her blog, Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

(Cathryn has a fantastic Friday Feast section on her blog featuring writers and their favourite food stories and recipes. You’ll even find me there!)

Heartland is available now from book retailers, chain stores, or online from Booktopia. You can also buy the ebook from iTunes, Kobo, Google Play and Amazon (Kindle). A comprehensive list of retailers can be found on the Heartland page of Cathryn’s website.

Wednesday Author Interview: Jennie Jones On The Writing Process and Her Path To Publication

Today I’m happy to welcome to the blog Australina Romance Writer Jennie Jones.

 

Jennie’s debut novel The House on Burra Burra Lane is due for release with Escape Publishing http://www.escapepublishing.com.au  on 1^st June 2013 and is now available on pre-order. See details below.

 

A dilapidated house, a city girl looking for a tree change, and a rugged vet with a past. Just another day in rural Australia…

Thanks for being my uest on Flying Pony Jennie and good luck with the book!

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1. What activities (other than writing) get your creative juices flowing?

I’m a naturally instinctive person, so anything sensory makes my mind sing. A fresh, lemony smell in the house, a walk in the bush or just working out what pictures the clouds are making – an animal, a heart, a house? Colours are important too. A book cover will attract me before the title and I always categorise the various plot points of my work with different colours –  I seem to read them better that way J Green: themes and plot. Blue: male POV points. Deep Red: female POV points. Orange: this needs work!

2. What sort of writing routine do you have – disciplined or undisciplined, regular or erratic, focused or easily distracted?

Well, disciplined in that I can sit at the computer anytime or all day. Erratic or unfocussed in that  sometimes my mind wanders and I don’t get anything written (but I can usually forgive myself…see my answer to the next question).

3. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if so what do you do about it?

Oh yes, definitely. But I refuse to call it Writer’s Block. Instead, I’ll congratulate myself on doing that research I was meant to do yesterday, or I’ll hit the internet  and see what the writing community is up to.

However!  I’ve discovered that what usually causes my lackadaisical attitude to putting words on paper is fear that I’ve lost my ‘instinct’ or that I haven’t remembered all the lessons I so painstakingly learned.

The best piece of advice I found to counteract this ‘terror’ is to tell myself I am a writer. I even type it on the blank page:  Behold: Jennie Jones, author – then I’m psychologically allowed to be a writer and am no longer a paranoid woman sitting at the computer staring at a blank word document. I’m back on track and encouraging the writer I want to be, with the story I want to tell and the voice I want to use to tell it. (That, by the way, is, in part, my account of how I “Write from the heart”.)

4. Which aspects of the writing life do you most love?

Imagination: I’m the heroine, being tested to the limit and have to figure out how I’m going to get out of a situation, emotional or physical. But that’s the actor in me (I was a professional actor for many years before taking up writing). So if you’re a female aspiring writer reading this, let me tell you, you can just as easily imagine what it’s like to be a man as much as you can imagine what it’s like to a chef, or a dog trainer, or a gymnast. Think about the heroes in the best books you’ve read or the best movies you’ve watched. As you’re reading or  watching, you are drawn into the character’s world and can feel for him just as much as you can empathise with the girls.

I love the imaginary world!

5. Which aspects do least love (or detest!)?

The part where I have to remind myself that if I really think I’m that bad I’d better push myself through it. Behold: Jennie Jones, author. You do feel a fool typing it – but believe me, it works.

6. What books and writers have most influenced your own writing?

I have to say Nora Roberts because her work kicked me into writing and the decision to write romance. I would also add Isabelle Allende, Sara Donati (more especially, her contemporary writing under the name of Rosina Lippi), and for faster paced, fun romance:  Rachel Gibson and Janet Evanovich. I’m also an avid follower of many Australian and British romance writers (particularly contemporary or suspense).  Too many to list, but each of their good books teaches me something about writing.

7. Can you describe for us your writing process, from getting the original idea to completed manuscript?

Totally up to instinct to begin with so I learned the necessity of plotting the hard way. I would merrily write and write. I had no problem getting my characters and a setting and a general idea of what might happen, but not what would happen or how it would happen or why. I now understand the stages involved in writing a book, and that each stage requires a different approach or thought process. That’s not easy because I love to part-edit as I go, which can halt the instinctive flow of simply writing the story. But I now plot, then use instinct to write around those plot points. A happy medium and one that works for me!

8. Please describe your path to publication.

Wow, this is the first time I’ve been asked! Six challenging, rewarding steps:

1.  Three years ago I joined Romance Writers of Australia and found a local critique group. I realised I didn’t know what I was doing so started the process of learning the craft and was terrible at it! I made every beginner mistake possible and probably invented a few.

2.  Two years later, in April 2012, I took a badly half-written manuscript off the USB drive and did a Savvy Authors bootcamp where you aim to write 50,000 words in a month.  I did it – taking my manuscript to over 80,000 words. At the same time (I  was mad!) I did four online crafting courses and used this now not-quite-so-badly written manuscript as my experiment. During this time, I was also working part-time in my day job (they probably wondered why I appeared occasionally mad – or very tired).

3. By June 2012 I felt I was getting somewhere and also that there was something in the wind; that I was on the path I was supposed to be on. I followed my instincts. I had to get this manuscript ready for three things:  my newly found beta reader; make changes from her thoughts and send it to Romantic Novelists’ Association (UK) for a report in their New Writers Scheme; then make use of their suggested changes to get it ready for Romance Writers of Australia conference in August 2012 (to pitch my story to publishers).

4. RNA New Writers Scheme came back with my report super-quick (Was it luck? Or was it in the wind?) A professional author (they’re anonymous, like judges are in competitions) gave me my editorial report.  My first, my very first ‘Edit’.  Pages of it!  Not daunted but enthused, I understood everything she told me. I saw where I’d gone wrong and where I’d got it right (it wasn’t all bad in the report – quite the opposite, it was wonderfully encouraging and showed me strengths I didn’t know I had).  I knuckled down and worked very, very hard on my manuscript.

5. I began submitting to publishers in October 2012. My story also began to final in various competitions, including Choc Lit Publishing Search for an Australian Star competition.

6. Harlequin Australia Escape Publishing was the first to offer a publishing contract in February this year and I was delighted to accept.  I then had to turn down two other ePublishers, who also wanted my story. My mind was spinning, my heart singing. The hard work had paid me back.

This particular (originally very poorly written) manuscript will forever remain slap-bang in the middle of my heart as the story that nearly killed me but got me where I wanted to be.

It’s title was, is, and will remain: The House on Burra Burra Lane.

9. What advice would you give to writers who are working towards publication?

I’ve used the word ‘hard’ three times in this interview. Writing is not easy, but neither is it impossible. So: remind yourself how badly you want it and actively search for inspiration or learning curves, because fate doesn’t know what you’re looking for until you shout out to the universe.

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 You can pre-order The House on Burra Burra Lane here:

Amazon Kindle

Amazon.co.uk

iBookstore

Connect with Jennie:

Blog –             JJRomance Blog            http://www.jenniejonesromance.com/jjromance-blog.html

Website           Jennie Jones Romance            http://www.jenniejonesromance.com/

Twitter –        @JJRomance

Facebook –  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennie-Jones-Romance-Author/290261037740578?ref=hl

This Week’s #AuthorInterview: Fiona McCallum author of Saving Grace

Today I’m very happy to welcome to the blog Australian Rural Fiction author Fiona McCallum

Fiona is the author of Paycheque, Nowhere Else and Wattle Creek and her latest release is Saving Grace.

When Emily Oliphant married John Stratten, she thought it was the beginning of an exciting new adventure — standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the most eligible farmer in the district and pitching in to build a thriving agricultural business. Three years later, however, Emily sees her marriage for what it is — a loveless tie to a callous man.

When John’s cruelty reaches new heights, Emily is forced to move out, braving both her husband’s wrath and her mother’s glaring disapproval. With the encouragement of her new friend Barbara, Emily moves into an abandoned property and takes on the mammoth task of turning the unloved house into a home. In the process she discovers a new business venture, meets new friends and finds an inner strength she never knew she had.

Emily’s newfound confidence is soon tested, though, when the owners of the property make her a tempting offer. Will she risk everything and invest in the ramshackle house that has finally given her a sense of purpose? Or will Emily listen to the views of the community — and the voice of her mother — and go back to continue on the road more travelled?

Sounds like a wonderful story which I’m definitely adding to my tbr pile.

Thanks for visiting Flying Pony Fiona!

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1. What activities (other than writing) get your creative juices flowing?

Anything and everything! Ideas come to me in the shower, whilst out walking, gardening, watching movies, reading books, visiting art galleries and antique shops, etc.

2. What sort of writing routine do you have –  disciplined or undisciplined, regular or erratic, focused or easily distracted?

When in writing mode I am very disciplined and have a strict routine. On weekdays I start at 8am and write (which also includes reading) until noon. I write by hand and then type up what I’ve written in the afternoon.

3. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if so what do you do about it?

Not really. I’ve never experienced the angst of not being able to write, but there are times when the creative juices aren’t flowing easily. For me when the story doesn’t flow easily, it’s a sign that it needs more percolating and/or that I’ve got too much on the non-writing plate and I need to stop and deal with some things before I’ll be free to write again. While waiting for inspiration to strike I’ll spend my writing time reading.

4. Which aspects of the writing life do you most love?

I love hearing from readers who have enjoyed my work. I also really enjoy working with a good editor I’ve clicked with. I’ve always been a very solitary writer (i.e. not a member of any critique or writing groups etc.) so it’s wonderful to have someone to discuss the story with and bounce ideas off during editing. Oh, and who wouldn’t absolutely love being paid to live their dream!? J

5. Which aspects do least love (or detest!)?

Negative reviews! It’s just like being unpublished and having your work rejected all over again! I do try to take them with a pinch of salt because, really, you can’t please everyone all of the time – but it does hurt. One of the annoying things about being a writer (well it’s certainly the case with me) is that we tend to have to be quite sensitive creatures in order to write a story and characters with a decent amount of emotional depth, but then we’re expected to have a thick skin in order to survive the criticism – it’s a crazy old world!

6. What books and writers have most influenced your own writing?

Since I’ve been seriously writing, Maeve Binchy, Debbie Macomber, Barbara Delinsky.

7. Can you describe for us your writing process, from getting the original idea to completed manuscript?

I’m a highly structured, organised person so I like to plan out the major plot points before sitting down to write. I won’t start writing until I know how the story starts, the most important things that will happen and how the story ends. Then it’s just a matter of working through the story in chronological order and picturing it like a movie playing in my head.

8. Please describe your path to publication.

It was a nine year, four manuscript journey filled with rejections from agents and publishers! I got to the point where I stopped submitting because it was too demoralising and it was ruining my love of actual writing. And then quite by accident I met my publisher at a function and soon after was given my break. (It’s a long story.)

9. What advice would you give to writers who are working towards publication?

Work hard and don’t give up.

You can connect with Fiona at:

Website – www.fionamccallum.com

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/fionamccallum.author

Writers On Wednesday: Kate Forsyth Talks About Creativity And The Writing Process

Today I’m over the moon to welcome Australian author Kate Forsyth to the blog.

Kate is well known for her children’s fantasy books and also writes adult fantasy and historical fiction. Her most recent novels are Bitter Greens and The Wild Girl.

Bitter Greens is a retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale interwoven with the dramatic life story of the woman who first told the tale, the 17th century French writer, Charlotte-Rose de la Force. Bitter Greens has been called ‘the best fairy tale retelling since Angela Carter, and has been nominated for a Norma K. Hemming Award, the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy  Fiction, and a Ditmar Award.

I’m currently reading The Wild Girl and loving it. It’s based on Kate’s research into the Grimm Fairy tales and tells the true, untold love story of Wilhelm Grimm and Dortchen Wild, the young woman who told him many of the world’s most famous fairy tales. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, The Wild Girl is a story of love, war, heartbreak, and the redemptive power of storytelling.

Kate’s books have been published in 14 countries around the world, including the UK, the US, Russia, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Poland and Slovenia.

Kate is a direct descendant of Charlotte Waring, the author of the first book for children ever published in Australia, ‘A Mother’s Offering to her Children’. She lives by the sea in Sydney, Australia, with her husband, three children, and many thousands of books.

As you’ll see from Kate’s interview below she is an extremely disciplined writer which accounts for her current total of 26 books. She is a wonderful story teller and if you ever get the opportunity to see her speak definitely take it up.

Thanks for being my guest on Flying Pony, Kate!

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1. What activities (other than writing) get your creative juices flowing?

I’m an avid reader, and find inspiration for stories in many different types of books. I also love my garden, and find time spent among my herbs and flowers very restorative for the soul. I am a keen cook, and it makes me happy to create delicious feasts for people I love. I walk every day, and think through what I plan to write that day, plus I love to dance, swim in the ocean, listen to music and go to the ballet.

2. What sort of writing routine do you have – disciplined or undisciplined, regular or erratic, focused or easily distracted?

I am highly focused, highly disciplined, and as regular as a monk in my writing vocation.  When I’m at home (ie not touring or away at festivals and conferences), I have a cup of tea in bed and write in my journal, then I get up, and read book blogs and the twitter feed while I have my breakfast. I then do as much housework as I can before taking my daughter to school. I walk for an hour, and am at my computer by 10am, with another cup of tea. I answer important emails and flag others for my attention later, then I open my novel file and read through what I wrote the previous day, cutting and adding, editing and polishing as I go. I then settle in for a couple of hours intense work pushing the story forward. I jot down any questions or problems I encounter in my notebook to be answered later. I stop at around 12.30pm for lunch, and read something book-related – a blog post, a newspaper article, a book on writing. I normally hang out a load of washing and put another one, and I’ll quickly check my emails before again settling down to work. Again I’ll work for about two hours, having a small break at around 3.30-4pm when my kids get home from school. Once I’ve heard all their news, I go back to work and work steadily through till 5.30-6pm, when I normally stop and start thinking about what to cook for dinner. Two days a week, my daughter has gymnastics and doesn’t get home till 8pm, so I normally work through to 7.30pm on those days. After dinner and the kids’ bedtime (around 8.30pm-9.30pm), I will – if the book is in its early stages – go to bed and read. I may be reading for research, or for my academic studies, or I’ll be reading for pleasure. However, if I’m getting towards the end of a novel and in the grip of obsession, I will go back to my computer and write for another couple of hours. Sometimes I stay writing till long after midnight, and I will often, in the final stages of the book, also wake very early and write in the quiet and dark of the sleeping house. I’ve been known to write for 10-12 hours a day when nearing the end of a novel. After the book is finished, I generally collapse in a heap for a week or two, before starting the process all over again.

3. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if so what do you do about it?

It depends what you mean by writer’s block. Most people think of writer’s block as that terrible paralysis that overcomes some writers, so that they cannot write at all. Other people think of it as a lack of ideas, a lack of a story to tell. If this is what you mean, then the answer is no. I am constantly brimming over with ideas, and I always want to write. Writing is one of the primary sources of joy in my life, and as natural and essential to me as breathing.

If, however, you mean – do I ever get stuck while working on a novel? Then the answer is yes, of course. Usually it means I don’t know enough – about the story, the world, my characters – and so I need to go and do some more research, or go back to my notebooks, or spend more time thinking and daydreaming and solving whatever problem I’ve encountered. Usually I’ll sleep on the problem and trust my subconscious mind to throw up the solution. I’ll think about it all the time I’m busy doing different things – washing up, driving my daughter home from ballet, walking the dog. If I still can’t find the solution, I’ll try and jolt my subconscious by listening to music, reading poetry, browsing the internet, playing word games, asking myself questions and answering them, opening books at random and seeing what my eye falls upon, or going for a very long, swift walk, thinking, thinking, thinking. The answer has always come, sometimes in the most astonishing serendipitous way, and I have learned to trust in that, and wait for it, keeping my mind open to the world.

4. Which aspects of the writing life do you most love?

I love the first flash of an idea, which shakes me from head to foot. I love buying a new notebook with all its blank pages so full of potential. I love the early daydreaming and pondering and playing with ideas, and the way the story slowly comes to life in my imagination. I love finding my first line, my first scene … I cannot write till I have these clear in my mind’s eye. I love writing the novel, and overcoming all the obstacles in my way, and learning something new about the art and the craft of writing with every new book. It gives me immense satisfaction to see the novel slowly grow. I love the golden glow of writing that flows, the way it tingles in my fingertips and shivers along my nerves. I love the way the story fights me sometimes, and I have to struggle to conquer it. I love the giddy relief of reaching the end, and then I love the slow painstaking deconstruction of the novel, the cutting and polishing and putting together of all the cogs and wheels so the story engine races along, powerful and sure.  I love nearly every aspect of the job.

5. Which aspects do least love (or detest!)?

I’m not particularly fond of proofreading, because I have read the novel so many times by then it feels stale and jaded to me. And I get anxious when the novel is first published. I so want everyone to love my new baby, and I’m afraid the world will be cruel. Sometimes I’m hurt by a review, or a careless comment on a social media site, but I try hard not to be unbalanced by such things or to brood on them too long. It’s hard, though.

6. What books and writers have most influenced your own writing?

Every book I have ever read has influenced me in some way. If I love the book, I read it many times and I try and understand what the writer has done to affect me so. If I don’t like it, I think about the reasons why and then try not to do that in my own writing. As I have read an average of five books a week since I first learnt to read at the age of four, I have read around 10,000 books so I’ll not try to list them all here. On my website, however, I do have a list of my favourite authors and I am always adding more.

7. Can you describe for us your writing process, from getting the original idea to completed manuscript?

Each book is so very different, and its always difficult to explain one’s creative process. I’ll do my best, however!

I usually begin with a story idea. With my novel ‘The Puzzle Ring’, this first idea came to me while I was idly reading a jewellery catalogue and read an article about the making of the first puzzle ring. I have always been drawn to mysteries and puzzles and so I was intrigued by a ring that fell apart into four separate loops, and could not be put back together unless you knew the secret sequence of movements. I thought to myself what a wonderful thematic structure such a ring could give to a quest story – a journey to find the four separate loops of the rings and put them back together again. But who would want to find the ring, and why? Where and when would such a story be set? By mulling over these questions, and playing with different ideas, I began to see the story. I slowly assemble my cast of characters and think of possible adventures for them. Stray images come to me and seem to belong to the story. In ‘The Puzzle Ring’, an important early image was that of a toad hopping out of a pool and dropping a ring at the feet of my heroine. I didn’t know how the toad had got the ring, or what role the toad played in the story until almost at the end of my first draft when suddenly the answer was revealed to me in a flash and I thought, ‘of course!’ It was as if I was discovering a story that had already been written, or already existed in some way, and only my own blindness had stopped me from seeing the truth earlier.

Sometimes a story squats in my back brain for a long time, glowering at me, occasionally nudging me, waiting for the right time to be born. I have books that I first thought of when I was a child, among them ‘Bitter Greens’. I first tried to write a Rapunzel retelling when I was about 11 or 12 – I only wrote a page or so and then put it aside. I never forgot the idea, however, thinking about it many times over the years until the time seemed right. Again, I begin by asking myself questions. The Five Ws (Who, What, Where, When & Why) are the simplest and most effective planning tool and is always how I begin. For example, why did the witch lock the maiden in the tower? Why was the girl’s hair so long? Why didn’t she just cut it all off and use it to escape?

I formulate answers to these questions, and I read and research and think and daydream and scribble notes to myself and slowly build a sense of my narrative thread, tying together bright glittering beads of scenes. I worry and wonder and ponder and play, until I feel as if my head is so full of story its going to burst. Only then do I begin to write. I work at the novel systematically, building it sentence by sentence, scene by scene, section by section, constantly rewriting, reshaping, rethinking my ideas. Sometimes the writing comes swiftly, sometimes it is painstakingly slow, but it steadfastly grows and gains shape, and that gives me great satisfaction.

When I have a complete first draft, I look at the novel in totality and then set myself to trying to make it better. I cut it very hard, often by as much as a third, and I look at my dialogue, my chapter beginnings and endings, my use of adjectives and adverbs (I always over-use these), plus repetitions of favourite words (heart, mouth, shadowy, sombre, stagger, leap, and so on). I read the opening lines out loud, I check my facts, and I try and make sure all the disparate parts of the novel work together smoothly, sinuously, with a sense of inevitability.

When the book is as good as I can get it, at that point in time, I send it to my agents and publishers, and then wait, with an acute anxiety mixed with eagerness, for their feedback. By the time I get my editorial report, I have had time to think of things I’m not happy with, that I think I could do better, and I also have a greater degree of emotionally detachment from the book.  I always love the editorial process, working with people I trust to make the book as best it can be.

8. Describe your path to publication.

Well, I wrote my first novel at seven and gave it a publication page with a copyright sign next to my name and the words ‘London-New York-Sydney’ so I had my heart set on publication right from the very beginning. I first sent out a manuscript at the age of 16 and, although it was rejected, I received a very encouraging letter from the publishers. All through my 20s, I sent out poems, articles, short stories, and novel manuscripts. Some were accepted; most were not. My novel – which I’d been working on since I was 16 – was almost published a couple of times and was long-listed for the Vogel Award, but didn’t make the shortlist. At the age of 25, I quit fulltime work and freelanced, writing articles for newspapers and magazines, and sub-editing corporate brochures, while I studied a MA in Writing and worked on a new novel in my university holidays. I sent the opening chapters to an agent, who told me she loved the book and could definitely sell it. I worked like a maniac to get a complete draft to her and then she took it out to publishers. After a bidding war, I signed a multiple book contract with Australian, US, German and Russian publishers. It was all very exciting. I was transformed, practically overnight, from an impoverished university student to an internationally published author. I’ve been lucky enough to sell well, and so have been a full-time writer ever since.

9. What advice would you give to writers who are working towards publication?

I always say you must be brave. Not only by facing up to the hurt of rejection and criticism, but also in your writing.  The longing to be published can stop a writer from taking risks, both with the actual writing and with the storyline.

Then I say you must have faith, both in yourself and your story.

Then, I say, be patient. A novel is a big and intricate mechanism, and it takes time both to create it properly  and to publish it properly. Too many people try and publish work that’s simply not ready, and then are bitterly disappointed and give up. It’s a shame because their work had potential, but they rushed it and wrecked it.

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Connect with Kate:

Website: http://www.kateforsyth.com.au/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kateforsythauthor

Twitter: @KateForsyth

This Week’s Author Interview on Flying Pony With …Me!

Over the last few months I’ve had many wonderful authors answering my questions about creativity and the writing process as well as their path to publication. Recently I sat down and had a go at answering those questions myself.  And here is the result – hope you enjoy it!

So today (even though this is very weird) I welcome Pamela Cook to the blog.

Me and my gorgeous horse Morocco.

Pamela is the author of Blackwattle Lake, a rural fiction novel set in the south-east of NSW.

For Eve Nicholls, walking up the driveway of her childhood home brings up many emotions, and not all good. The horses that she loved still dot the paddocks but the house is empty, and the silence inside allows her memories to flood back. She’s glad to have her best friend Banjo the kelpie with her . . . and a bottle of bourbon. Her plan is simple: sell the farm, grab the cash and get the hell out.

Despite Eve’s desire to keep a low profile, within days of her return she runs into all the people she hoped to avoid. At the house she is surrounded by memories and worse. But with a lifetime of clutter to sort out, there’s plenty to take her mind off it all. Slowly, she begins to discover the girl she used to be: Angie Flanagan – adventurous, animal-loving, vulnerable. When tragedy strikes, Eve realises that changing her name all those years ago in an attempt to hide from her past has not changed the truth of what happened or who she really is.

Blackwattle Lake is an engaging debut for those who long to uncover who they used to be, and who they might still become.

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1. What activities (other than writing) get your creative juices flowing?

Reading would have to be number one. Since I’ve been writing I can never read a book without analysing the sentences, structure, characterisation and writing style. This has it’s down side but also gives me great ideas for my own writing.

When I get the chance I love a solitary beach walk. And riding my horse is a great way of getting away from it all because I have to be totally focused on what I’m doing.

2. What sort of writing routine do you have – disciplined or undisciplined, regular or erratic, focused or easily distracted?

Generally it’s very undisciplined and wildly erratic. Time management is not my thing! At the moment though I’m working on a new book which has a very tight deadline so I am learning to be more organised with my time and trying to write every day

3. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if so what do you do about it?

If writer’s block is having no idea of what to write next and feeling completely stuck then I definitely suffer from it on a regular basis. The only way to get unstuck is to sit down and write. Anything! You have to switch off the critic, accept that you may – and probably will – write pages of rubbish but at some point your right brain will click on and the ideas will start to flow again.

4. Which aspects of the writing life do you most love?

Where do I start? I absolutely love it when I’m so involved in what I’m writing that I enter the place, see and hear the characters and become part of the story. It’s an amazing escape to be physically sitting at my computer but to be somewhere else in my imagination.

The other part of the writing life I adore is connecting with readers and other writers in person, via Facebook, my blog and on twitter. I’ve had so many wonderful conversations with people I’ve never met, not only about my own novel but about other author’s work and about books in general.

5. Which aspects do least love (or detest!)?

If I have to come up with something it’s probably the review process which can be very nerve-wracking. Luckily I’ve had great reviews for Blackwattle Lake so I can’t really complain.

6. What books and writers have most influenced your own writing?

I have a passion for Australian Literature. My absolute favourite is Tim Winton. His succinct yet vivid description and realistic characterisation is something I can only aspire to. I also love Geraldine Brooks and Kate Grenville. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is wonderful. There are too many others to mention.

The book I first read that made me think “I want to write like that” is The Hours by Michael Cunningham. I’ve yet to actually write a book like that of course but I’ll keep trying!

7. Can you describe for us your writing process, from getting the original idea to completed manuscript?

The two novels I’ve completed have been completely different in terms of process. The first one (still unpublished) evolved from a short story I wrote as part of my Masters Degree. I put it away for a while and then spent over 5 years writing and revising it.

Blackwattle Lake was a Nano novel. The Nano challenge requires you to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November which I did in 2009. I then put it away for a year, took it out and started revising it and sent it off to the Hachette Manuscript Development Program (more on this below). I didn’t need any major revisions just additional scenes and some tidying up. I really believe that writing fast and continuously is the way to go. It keeps you in the “dream” of the story and helps the ideas to flow.

Lucky for me that I do believe that as I have about two and a half months to complete my current project!

8. Describe your path to publication.

After years of High School English teaching I wanted to do something more creative. I enrolled in a Masters of Creative Writing and was hooked. I also did a year-long course at The NSW Writer’s centre over the course of one year where I met the writers who were to become my writing group. That group is The Writers’ Dozen and initially there were 13 of us. We meet on a fortnightly basis to support and provide inspiration and feedback for each other. We self published an anthology of our work called Better Than Chocolate, the proceeds of which went to Room to Read the not for profit organisation I then became a volunteer for. That anthology was a great process and allowed us all to see out work in print. It also sold enough copies to fund the setting up of a library in Nepal. The group has shrunk to a half-dozen these days but those of us still involved are all committed writers. Along the way I also had a few poems and memoir pieces published in other anthologies.

I had entered the Hachette/QWC program twice with my first novel but entered again in 2011 with that one (revised – again!) and Blackwattle Lake. I was over the moon to receive the phone call to say I was one of 9 writers selected to attend the four-day program in Brisbane. I learnt so much, met a great bunch of writers and managed to speak one on one with a publisher who had read my manuscript. She liked what she had read, gave me some advice which I followed and then re-submitted. That was on April 30 2012. Words cannot describe my elation when my now publisher called me to say Hachette loved the manuscript and wanted to publish it. The novel was released in December 2012 and I’m still pinching myself that I am actually a published author.

9. What advice would you give to writers who are  working towards publication?

Firstly, just write. Write because you love it, write for yourself first and others later. You learn how to write by just doing it.

Don’t censor yourself and learn to ignore your inner critic. You will never find your voice as a writer if you’re constantly worrying “is it good enough” or listening to the voice that tells you you’re writing is rubbish.

Join a writing group.  Get feedback on your writing and be open to criticism. Give back too – constructive criticism helps make us better writers. Support your writing buddies – celebrate each others successes and spur each other on in the face of rejection.

Be brave and put your writing out there – once you have been through the writing, editing and revision process and also have had trusted readers give you feedback. If you put your writing out there too early you’re not giving yourself the best chance of success. But if you never put it out there you’ll never know what might have been,

Expect to be rejected. Use it to make your writing better.

Lastly, keep on writing.

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Blackwattle Lake is available at all good book stores In Australia and New Zealand - if it’s not on the shelf  please ask for it be ordered in.

Booktopia: http://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=Blackwattle+Lake&productType=917504

It’s also available as an e-book on:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Blackwattle-Lake-ebook/dp/B008XXXJE0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366198282&sr=1-1&keywords=blackwattle+lake

You can connect with me via this blog

My website: www.pamelacook.com.au

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PamelaCookAuthor?ref=hl

Twitter: @PamelaCookAU

Thanks for visiting

Author Interview: Alissa Callen Talks About Writing and the Creative Process

Today I welcome Alissa Callen to the blog. Isn’t this a gorgeous photo of Alissa?

Alissa’s new release is Beneath Outback Skies published by Random House.

A captivating rural romance featuring an indomitable young woman determined to save her family farm, and the city-boy who is not all he seems…Paige Quinn will let nothing and no one distract her from caring for her crippled father, Connor, and fighting for her remote, drought-stricken property, Banora Downs. Least of all a surprise farm-stay guest named Tait Cavanaugh, whose smooth words are as lethal as his movie-star smile. Except Paige can’t help noticing that, for a city-boy, Tait seems unexpectedly at home on the land. And he does ask a lot of questions…It doesn’t matter how much he helps out or how much laughter he brings into her life, she soon suspects he is harbouring a big secret – the real reason he has come to Banora Downs…

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Alissa is a fellow horse lover and also established the Facebook Page Books for Country Girls and Guys. You can find the link along with links to connect with Alissa at the end of the interview.

Thanks for visiting Flying Pony Alissa and for sharing your writing journey.

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1. What activities (other than writing) get your creative juices flowing?

Walking. I try to walk everyday with the dogs and whether it be in the paddocks or on a track down to the river every stroll brings with it time to think, plan and plot.

2. What sort of writing routine do you have – disciplined or undisciplined, regular or erratic, focused or      easily distracted?

In a perfect world I’d have a disciplined and focused routine but the reality is the polar opposite. I write while the kids are at school and then try to sneak some more time in after dinner. But the best laid plans often go awry – there could be homework to be completed, farm jobs to be done or I need to visit my older two kids at boarding school. So as many New Year resolutions as I make there are just as many interruptions to establishing a set writing routine.

3. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if so what do you do about it?

Sometimes the words won’t flow and the characters won’t come out to play but this is more a result of poor planning than writers block. Often I’ll go for a walk or do something non-writing related and then the scene will fall into place. It is amazing how the subconscious solves a problem when you least except it.

4. Which aspects of the writing life do you most love?

The creative process. Breathing life into a blank page.

5. Which aspects do least love (or detest!)?

Reviews. Being the eldest child I like to please everyone and adhere to the status quo but it is a fact of writing-life that there will be readers who, for various reasons, won’t connect with your characters, voice or story.

6. What books and writers have  most influenced your own writing?

Elyne Mitchell, the Silver Brumby, series engaged me as a child and today still feel the magic of her stories. Think every author that you read proves inspirational in some way – whether by making you think about how they drew you into their fictional world or by causing you to reflect upon the perfect synchronicity of their word choices.

7. Can you describe for us your writing process, from getting the original idea to completed manuscript?

My story will start with an image or a theme, characters will form and conflicts will be examined and then discarded until a fitting conflict-lock is reached. I’ll then become way-too-obsessed with Google seeking visual inspiration and conducting research. I’ll then sketch in plot turning points and have an idea of the black moment. Like a torch shining a little way ahead in the dark I’ll write and with each chapter the story-path ahead will become slightly more illuminated.

8. Please describe your path to publication.

I have been writing for a long while, often taking one step forward and then three back, but it was thanks to Romance Writers of Australia that was in the right place at the right time. At the 2012 Gold Coast RWA conference I sat in on a panel where the very lovely Beverley Cousins of Random House Australia offered to look at unsolicited RWA  member’s manuscripts. So post-conference I sent off Beneath Outback Skies and was then lucky enough for my submission stars to align.

9. What advice would you give to writers who are working towards publication?

To keep writing – even when all doors appear dead-bolted – and to keep reading. Sometimes the twists and detours that we envisage for our characters will be nothing compared to the turns that our own life journey may take.

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Book/buy link: http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/alissa-callen/beneath-outback-skies-9780857980397.aspx

Face book page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alissa-Callen-Author/355366704552838

Website:  www.alissacallen.com

Rural fiction face book page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Books-for-Country-Girls-and-Guys/409351725807505

Today I’m Visiting Cathryn Hein For A Friday Feast

Popon over to Cathryn Hein’s blog and see what I’ve been cooking up:

http://cathrynhein.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/friday-feast-with-pamela-cook/