Introducing my Good Friend and Debut Picture Book Author, Kris Tarantino

Today's interview is with an author who has been a great critique partner of mine that I've known for years. I've always been a fan of her writing and pleased to introduce you to her debut children's picture book, so please read on...

How did you come up with the story idea?  

The idea for Be My ValenSLIME came together after years of experiencing people who repeatedly demonstrated a lack or void of love and kindness. I found myself saying, This doesn’t feel like love. What’s love anyway? Then the idea of exploring What’s love anyway kept rolling around in my head, which led me to 1Corinthians13, the love chapter of the Bible. And I thought what better way to get down to the kid-level on the topic of ‘love’ than with the opposite kind of character—a mash-up of monsters (typically viewed as a nasty unloving group). But they all couldn’t be monster-y. Then Snoodle burst on the page, along with the fun title, and the rest was history.

As I developed the story, I knew I wanted it filled with humor and heart. So, the funny rambunctious monsters who “DON’T DO Valentine’s Day” provided the chaos and silliness, and the kind, patient, forgiving Snoodle provided the heart-part showing kids the application of love.

 The story brings together the definition of everyday love on a kid-to-kid friendship level in an easy-to-understand narrative that shows children how their words and actions—knitted together with love—can influence others in a positive, healthy way. 

What was the manuscript like when you sent it in? 

The story of the manuscript goes like this—I met both my agent and editor at an online Christian writer’s conference (Covid time). During my One-on-One with the editor, I chose to spend my time pitching her as many of my stories as time would allow. I wanted to gauge her interest on each story because we all know that writers are only allowed to send one manuscript to a faculty member post-conference. It turns out she was looking for holiday books and lit up when I pitched Be My ValenSLIME. She asked me to send her the manuscript post-conference (which I did). And then said they only work with agented authors. Gulp. I told her I was working on that.

Post-conference, I signed with my agent. Hooray! As this was happening, the editor got back to me and said there was internal interest and would I be willing to revise and resend? Then reminded me that they only work with agented authors. I replied that yes, I’d be happy to do an R&R, and told her I just signed with an agent!

 My agent and I went through two months of revisions. We also put together a 15-page Book Proposal. After the R&R and Book Proposal were sent, the editor said she took it to an acquisitions meeting. The group was very interested, but no offer, yet. They wanted to see more storylines developed with Snoodle and the monsters. There was talk of making this into a picture book series, maybe, no promises. Did I hear that right? A possible series?!

I had to think of 6-8 additional story summaries. I’d never done this before, but I was determined to try. So, after another 4 weeks, the series ideas were done and sent. Shortly after that we received a formal offer! Even though the offer ended up being for one book (and not a series) the acquisitions group still thought a series was a future possibility.

How many of your book pitches were sent to your publisher before they picked up this story? 

Be My ValenSLIME was the first story they saw, but I've sent out dozens more to other publishers before this one was accepted.

You’ve written numerous picture books. Is this the one you thought would be picked up first by a publisher?

Yes! I knew I hit on something—the hooky title, love, slime, valentines, Snoodle who loves everything, and her grumpy monster friends.

How much of the story changed during the editorial process? 

At the editorial kick-off meeting with my editor, I learned there were more internal discussions about the monsters. The original story that sold had Snoodle (the main character) and groups of other non-specific monsters. My editor asked that I develop a few of the monsters and give them personalities and character traits. Enter in—Iggy, Zee-Zee, and Fleck. There were other changes to the story as well. Overall, we went through three rounds of revisions over two months. My editor’s vision ultimately made the story much stronger!

 You’re not the illustrator. Did the illustrator meet or exceed your expectations? 

Cori Doerrfeld exceeded my expectations! Once the manuscript was ready for art, my editor asked me to put together a list of illustrators who I thought would be a perfect fit for the story. I was shocked. Afterall, it’s well-known in the industry that the author doesn’t pick the illustrator, the art director and editor do. 

I was honored and delighted they asked for my input, even if they decided to pick someone else. So, I poured over all my favorite picture books and put together a list of illustrators, including why I liked their style, and how it could best fit Snoodle and her monster friends.

And here’s the cool part. My editor put together a list, too. And Cori Doerrfeld was on both of our lists! How amazing is that? I love it. And, it turns out that one of Cori’s favorite things to draw is… you guessed it—monsters!  

 Cori created the perfect monsters! I couldn’t be happier. As soon as I saw the rough sketches I shouted, “Yes! These are awesome!” Snoodle was adorable. And the other monsters were each distinctly different, so kids could easily remember them.

Are you working on a second book?
I’m always working on several picture book manuscripts, including one with these monsters.

What promotions will your publisher provide? 
I have an awesome marketing and P.R. team at WaterBrook/Random House. Their plans include advertising, giveaways, social media platforms, online marketing, academic/library marketing, a pre-pub campaign, valentine’s campaign, influencer and outreach, and various planned publicity. They also created a ‘Sneak Peek’ of the first six story spreads, which are on my website–www.kristarantino.com. In addition, they are working with Cori on creating coloring book art and bookmarks.

One special P.R. event will be held through the Writing Barn in Austin, TX. Cori and I are doing a free Zoom Book Birthday Interview in late January with Owner & Founder, Bethany Hegedus. Bethany is moderating a 1-hour Zoom event, free for anyone interested (hopefully your readers get the Writing Barn emails!) I’ll read the story and talk about the writing process. Cori will talk about character creation and her illustration process, and anything else Bethany asks us. There will also be Q&A and a book giveaway.

Describe any marketing/promotions you did for this book. 

I contacted several author bloggers (like you, Chris 😊) for interviews, which include a book giveaway. In addition, I joined a picture book launch group – The BusyPB’s. I also contacted author friends and asked them to post reviews on Goodreads, B&N, and Amazon. I put together an Influencer list for my publisher. And I booked author visits at schools. 

What the best writing advice you could offer?

Perseverance is #1. In addition, learn your craft. Draft new story ideas. Love revision. Surround yourself with other kid-lit writers. Ask questions. Be open to critique feedback. Attend writing conferences. Listen to kid-lit webinars. Submit your work. Embrace R&R’s. Stretch into new directions. And one more thing – Be ready for a little luck! 

 My debut book was published 13 years after I started writing, 8 years after I became serious about writing. It will happen! 

That's all for today's interview. I hope you will check out Kris's website, there is a lot of good info there on writing and all the promotions she has scheduled. Her book is available as an eBook and Hardcover on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/be-my-valenslime-kris-tarantino/1143233114

https://www.amazon.com/Be-My-Valenslime-Kris-Tarantino/dp/0593579453

You can also find it on Christianbooks.com, Aslan Books, The Twig Book Shop, Book People, Hudson Booksellers, and WaterBrook.

Kris's Website: www.kristarantino.com

And here's a special bonus for my readers...Leave a comment on this post with a question for Kris or simply say you'd like to win her book. Next Tuesday, we will choose one lucky reader to get a hardcover copy of her book. So what are you waiting for? Do it now!

Going from Indie-Published to Traditional: An Interview with Paul Mosier

What drew you to write Middle-Grade stories?
I started to find the idea of writing for amiddle grade appealing while reading to my own daughters, who are now 8 and 13. Specifically, reading Junonia by Kevin Henkes made me think about how it's possible to write a story for ten-year-olds with enough emotional depth to be satisfying as an adult author.

How do you find the voice for your young age characters without writing down to them?
I feel very connected to my younger self-- Iremember very much how it feels to be that age, but I think that writing smart characters that feel and understand more than adults might realize is just a matter of being respectful to the audience.

How long did it take you to write your first book? How many rewrites did you do on it? Who helped you with the editing? Who encouraged you along the way? The first book I wrote, the grown-up Breakfast At Tuli's, I coughed up for NaNoWriMo in November of 2011. Obviously, that took one month, but then I spent the next 9 months revising and adding to it. Next, I paid an editor to help clean it up, and in backward fashion, then brought it to a writer's group a couple of times per week until it was completely workshopped. 

Those people became my comrades, my colleagues, and helped me get it to its final form. They also provided me with encouragement in their enjoyment of it. I continue attending that workshop, as often as four times per week, and see it as an indispensable part of my development and of the process. As I tend to be economical, my novels have always grown during the editing process!

Your first two books were indie-published Did you go through the normal process of pitching your book to agents and traditional publishers? What feedback did you get?
I tried to get representation for my first three books, two of which I have self-published. I'm quite proud of them, though no doubt they could benefit from a high-level edit such as Train I Ride has received. I got more than 100 rejection letters from agents for Breakfast At Tuli's, but also a fair amount of encouragement, which I think was very important for feeding my persistence. 

A few Big League agents said they loved my voice, but that my story wasn't right for their list, which I heard so many times. But it's true. That novel is a bit of a freak show, and the agents didn't think they had relationships that would acquire it. It's hard to imagine selling it. 

Ultimately I turned to Createspace. It was pretty easy to use, there was no investment required, I'm an artist so I could paint my own cover art, and produce and find a limited audience for my labor of love. Which is what it is all about, first and foremost. Those books still get new readers, and I think my big five book deal may expand their reach.

I’ve often heard at writing conferences from agents and editors that if you go the indie route you will never get a contract with a legacy publisher such as Harper Collins. How did you do that? What made your book stand out?
My contract with Harper Collins came via my amazing agent, Wendy Schmalz. The first time I queried her was for Train I Ride, and she offered representation, then took 15 days to find two of the majors wanting it. I think it's true that with few exceptions a publisher such as HC won't want something you already self-published and sold to your 100 closest friends, but I think that having a few books under your belt actually makes you look more appealing. If they love your novel, they hope there's more where it came from. 

If you've already written and self-published a few, it's more likely that you can keep doing it. And it's understandable and expected that your work will get better as you keep writing and develop your talents as a writer. As to what makes Train I Ride stand out, I cannot say, but it isn't a book that is trying to follow any trend, which I think would tend to work against a book standing out. The story makes me feel a lot, and that seems to be the case with lots of readers.

We have all experienced rejection. Give me an example of one you’ve had, and how you learned to write past it.
As previously stated, I had well over a hundred rejections for my first three novels, and I've also had my editor say no to what I hoped would become the second book of my contract, twice. They view the second book on the big stage as the most important of your career, so they choose very carefully on that one. But having had it demonstrated to me that there are lots of stories where the earlier ones came from, and having personally risen from the ashes many times already, writing is always what feels best. It is its own reward.

What is some of the best writing advice that you’ve received or could give?
My best advice about writing-- what has worked for me-- is that one doesn't need to see the whole story, or even more than the first line-- to begin. I think that planning too much in advance can prevent one from hearing your muse, and the muse never stops whispering. So many times I have been surprised by my own stories, and that's about as good as it gets. Planning in advance can't give you that. I try to put on paper the scene playing in my head, even if it's out of order. And it usually is-- I tend not to write chronologically.

What is the next book that will be coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
It looks likely that the next book to come out from Harper Collins will be one called Echo's Sister, which is a departure for me in that it's informed by my own experience, or rather my 8-year-old daughter's experience fighting cancer, as told by her big sister. It has a happy ending. But my editor and I are still rather far apart on it, so there is a chance that it will not be published.

The next book they would consider would be Summer and July, about a gothic girl filled with fake phobias who meets a prototypical, adventurous California Girl while living(reluctantly) in Santa Monica for a month. As my contract is middle-grade, the protagonist and her friend are nearly thirteen. I guess I'd say it's about two friends helping each other through emotionally difficult times. It's also a summer crush story set in a seaside town, with skateboarding and boogie boarding and surfing, etc. It was inspired by the sense of place of the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica, where my family stayed for a week last summer. 

What message would you like parents and children to take away from your stories?Generally, I don't have a message or an agenda that I want to present. Instead, I think that exploring a story teaches me something, and if I've done my job well, that will be visible to the reader, too. I think any legitimate artistic experience teaches the artist something she wasn't asking to be taught, and the product is a roadmap of that discovery. 

I can't see past the hood ornament of the car I'm driving, but I trust that if I listen to the muse things will work out. But I would say my stories are evidence of my respect and affection for the female gender, my love for humanity in all it's flawed glory, especially marginalized characters, and-- as it becomes apparent the more you read of me-- that I like bebop jazz, opera, vegetarian food, and Beat Poets in particular. I also tend to embed beloved lyrics in my work! Everything I do is an homage to something else.

That's all for today's interview. If you would like to know more about Paul's current books and future works, here are some options for you. Click to open in new hyperlink.
Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2lzWU62
Facebook page: http://bit.ly/2lzZ9WI

The Road to First Publication: Author Interview with Camille Di Maio

This is your first novel. When did you actually start writing? What made you decide to write a book inspired by the Beatles song, “Eleanor Rigby”? 
I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember, and wrote stories when I was quite young. As much as I wanted to write a whole book, I didn't believe that I had it in me. Then, I was driving one day, and out of the five thousand songs that shuffled through my iPod, "Eleanor Rigby" came on. I have always loved that song, and my dad used to call it "The Two-Minute Novel,"

This particular time, I thought about the characters - Father McKenzie and Eleanor. Who were they? What if they knew each other? What if they had a history? This last question really sparked my imagination, and I wrote down fifteen plot points, fleshing out the beginning of a full story. Ultimately, the book is not "about" the song - the names of the characters are different, but the story of a priest and this older woman created the idea behind it. And, it is set in Liverpool.

Prior to writing this book, what other writing credits do you have?  
I have written a few things here and there for magazines, but I don't have much by way of a writing resume. I suppose I decided to go big the first real time out!

How long did it take you to write the first draft? Who encouraged you to write?

The first draft took six weeks to write, staying up until 3 and 4 am every night and drinking lots of Dr. Pepper like a good native Texan girl. We have four children, and my husband, Rob, was a champ changing diapers, doing dishes, and losing me to writing during that time period. 

Other supports beside my husband were my parents. My mom lived through my early short stories and drilled a good vocabulary in to me. Some of the most fun on this journey has been sharing it with my dad, who wears his heart on his sleeve.

How many rewrites did you do? 

Now, in its published form, I'd say it's about fifteen drafts in, and I learned so much with each one. 

Did you have beta readers? Who helped you with the editing? 

Although many of my friends beta-read it, it was all self-edited until I got an agent, and she referred me to a great freelance editor named Catherine Knepper. After Lake Union Publishing purchased it, it went through the standard developmental editing process with an editor named David Downing. It was very interesting to have their different perspectives, but both were very insistent on it still being my voice.

How did you go about finding an agent? How many sources did you pitch? What type of feedback did you get? From the time your manuscript was delivered to the publisher, how long did it take to get an acceptance?
I made some rookie mistakes early on. Of course, I thought my first draft was all wrapped up and ready to go, so I started sending it out to many agents. After about forty rejections, I had to face the fact that it was not, in fact, ready to go, and that I had a lot to learn. Most of my rejections were the standard, canned email responses. "Not a fit for me." I set out to attend several writing conferences and classes, really learning the craft. I also learned that I had gone about querying agents in the wrong way - I had just sent email after email without really researching the person. 

What did you do next?

Once I had the manuscript very polished - this was several years later - I decided I was ready to query agents again. I took my time to research six of them, and two asked for full manuscripts! What I did right this time was to read their bios, see if they represented my genre, tell them why it was a fit, how it was like other books they represented, etc. I also decided to sell myself a bit - I have had great success in my real estate business, which has a lot to do with marketing. So, I told them that I was confident that I could take that experience and turn it in to successful selling of my book if they would take me on. 

How did you finally get your agent?

I ended up getting a contract from Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency in California. She has had great success with both fiction and non-fiction, and I was sure that we would "click". I was very excited when she asked for the first fifty pages, then a full, then she called me with an offer for a contract! It was one of the best days of my life. I think the rejection rate from agents is about 94%, and I believe that it is harder to get an agent than a publisher. Because, it's hard to get a good agent. But, if you do, it's because they're confident that they can sell it. That's the hardest door to get through in my opinion. Jill was an amazing partner through the process - I took her suggestions to heart, and it was only a couple of months before we knew that several publishers were interested.

Tell me about the process. How many changes did you have to do?
There were a lot of changes from first draft to finished product. The biggest change came after someone close to me committed suicide - the feelings there helped me explore the darker side of emotions, and I realized that my manuscript was lacking that particular depth. I worked through those feelings and changed the beginning of the book from something quite flighty to something with a lot of gravity. 

Another big change was my agent pushing me to rewrite something in the book that depended on a rather large coincidence. So, while on a walk with my husband, I bounced some thoughts off of him, and he said something that really broke open what I needed to do to change that scene - and it is so, so much better for it. 

The final big change was the ending. I'm a fan of tragic British books, Jane Eyre being a favorite. Again, my agent pointed out where my original ending needed some work. The new ending came about at breakfast with my dad - again, I was bouncing ideas off of him, and we had a great brainstorming session. In fact, that's one thing I learned more than anything else - writing is not a solitary event. I may be the one with my name on the front cover, but much has come from inspiration that others gave me. I now understand the reality of Acknowledgment sections at the back of books! In fact, it's the first thing I read when I start a book.

How do you write? Did you do an outline first? Did you do individual character development before doing the full plot?
I have a basic idea of where things are going in a story, but I'm not a plotter. I see picture boards of some of the walls of post it notes that authors far more organized that I am create. I just can't work that way. I need to feel things as I write them, and some of the best things I've written were not part of anything I'd originally planned. I also tend to be story-driven rather than character-driven. So, I write the story, and then go back and see how I can fill in the characters and give them greater dimensions.

What type of publicity do you expect your publisher to do in promoting your book? 
This will be a new chapter for me, so to speak! My agent told me that Lake Union Publishing (an imprint of Amazon) is particularly great at marketing, and based on other authors I've spoken to, this really seems to be the case. The book will be released in May, so we'll be having more serious publicity discussions in the next few weeks. 

What plans do you have to promote your book? How active are you with social media? 

I have gotten very active on social media - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., and had someone build a website for me. I've also printed 5x7 cards with information about the book so that I'll have that to hand out if I end up in conversation with someone about it. Just the other day, I got in to conversation with a cashier at Trader Joe's, and he wrote the name of the book down because he wants to order it for his girlfriend. Same with a new hairdresser I went to. It's natural for people to ask what you do for a living, and there seems to be some sort of fascination when you tell people that you're a writer! I like that kind of publicity. Just visiting with people, face to face.

What do you know now about writing that you wished you had learned sooner?
I wish I had known more about the craft of writing, although I would caution other young writers to find their voice before "learning" too much. I think you can also take so many classes that you kill your own creativity trying to follow "the rules". I wish I had known how much authors struggle. This image of having daily inspiration and words just flowing from your fingers is a myth. 

The VAST majority of the writing process is staring at a blank screen, struggling over a particular word, feeling like a failure, wanting to trash your own work. Then, there are those brief and glorious moments where you type out something brilliant and you love what you do again. But like anything else, writing is hard, hard work, and takes a lot of dedication. 

If I had known this earlier on, I would have written more sooner. I thought that since I wasn't just full of inspiration, then maybe I wasn't really a writer. What I was missing was the component of just being committed to it regardless of how I was "feeling".

Is this a stand alone book or are you planning a sequel or prequel for any of your characters?The Memory of Us is a stand-alone book, although there are two minor characters whose stories have been almost begging me to tell. So, maybe that will come along in the future. In the meantime, I've turned in book #2 to my agent and editor, so I'm waiting to hear if they're going to pick that up! I should know very soon. It's set in Texas and is a book about two sisters. I have an idea for book #3, and I can't wait to get started on that one. It's set in New York, and follows a family through an important part of that city's history. That one is just an idea, though, for now.

What is the best advice you’ve been given about writing or that you’ve learned that you would like to pass along?
The most encouraging thing I ever heard is from a very successful writer of historical fiction. She said that each of her books goes through about thirty drafts. It helped me realized the commitment that a writer must have, the humility to make mistakes and receive critiques, and the patience it takes to get it done. 

My other inspiration was reading about Stephenie Meyer, who wrote the Twilight series. She wrote that while at swim team practice with her kids. I have four children. It was a turning point for me where I said, "If she can do it, I can do it."

That's it for today's interview. If you would like to pre-order the book, here's how to do it: http://amzn.to/1P1JhmO

Other links for the author
Author's website: www.CamilleDiMaio.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/camilledimaio.author
Instagram: camilledimaio_author
Twitter: camilledimaio

Knowing your Genre: Author Interveiw with Liz Lipperman

Today's interview is with Liz Lipperman who writes under two names. As Liz, she writes cozy mysteries. As Lizbeth she writes gritty, suspense thrillers. Read on to learn how she got started and made writing her career.

Like many writers, this is your second career. How did you go from being a nurse to a mystery and suspense writer?
When my kids were teenagers, I decided to go back to college and took a creative writing class as an elective. On the final exam, the professor wrote, “You should consider a career in fiction writing.” It started me thinking and I picked up a pen and gave it a shot. I joined my local romance writers’ group and learned a lot about the craft of writing. I was still actively working as a nurse, so it was slow going, plus I had no idea what I was doing.

About fifteen years later, I got serious and finished a manuscript. That book was titled SHATTERED DREAMS, and after many rejections from romance editors and agents who said no romance novel could be set in Colombia, I finally got the call from an agent who loved the story. Unfortunately, she couldn't sell it, either, for the same reasons. Guess the guns and explosions put a damper on the romance part!! That book, titled just SHATTERED and now billed as a romantic thriller, is self published and remains my favorite book.

Your bio states you thought you were a romance writer but pesky villains kept popping up. Did you ever publish a mainstream romance novel?
All my books have suspense and killings. It wasn't until, my agent took a sabbatical and I was passed on to the owner of the agency that I realized I was a mystery author, although all my books have a touch of romance in them.

My new agent took one look at my stuff and declared that I was not a romance writer. She could have knocked me over with a feather, but because I trusted her, I wrote MORTAL DECEPTION, my first attempt at “suspense.” And yes, after I discovered I was a mystery author, I threw out the first 125 pages of SHATTERED and started the story with a kidnapping instead of the romance. Those first 125 pages, with different character names and back stories, was published as a short story last year by Amazon StoryFront. So, I can now say I kinda am a romance author!!

What drew you to the idea of writing mystery/suspense novel? Was there a specific book or author that made you think – I could write like that?
I always have read mystery/suspense and loved humor in books. Some of my readers think I write a little like Evanovich (I wish!) although I would never in my wildest dreams compare myself to her. She’s like the Nora Roberts of mystery.

Are you active in any writing critique groups?
I have a long-time critique partner who writes very similar to the way I do. She and I exchange every chapter for edits. After I edit a final manuscript (which doesn’t take long since I edit as I go) I send it out to two trusted writer friends who beta read it. Then it goes to my agent and on to the publishers. I do belong to a very unique group called the Plotting Princesses. We have a retreat three times a year to get help plotting books and to catch up on the marketing strategies out there. In between, someone will call an occasional lunch/plotting session to iron out any problems with their story.

What inspired you to create a family of sisters as sleuths rather than a single female lead?
A Dead Sister Talking Series was inspired by my own siblings. I have four sisters, one of whom died way too young. Her name was Theresa (we called her Tessie) and although my trash-talking ghost is Tessa, she’s nothing like my sister. Theresa married her High School sweetheart, had four wonderful kids, and was a great wife and mother. How boring would that have been?? The relationship between the other four sisters is spot on, though, as my sisters remain my best friends. They tell everyone that the books are about them. My younger sister has gone so far as to complain that I make her too dull, so I had to spice her up in the latest book.

How long did it take for you to write your first book that was published? How long does it take for you to write a book today?
That first book took over 15 years. Today, with deadlines, I can write two books a year when I don’t mess around.

Your books are published by traditional publishers, which now don’t take unagented authors. Tell me about the process of getting an agent.
I went to a lot of conferences and pitched to romance agents/editors. You know how that turned out! Also, I am one of those people who need valium when I pitch, so most of my submissions were via snail mail. About 6 years after I got serious about writing, I got the call. There are no words to describe how I felt hearing someone say they loved my “ugly” baby.

My first sale to Berkley was after my agent had submitted the first Dead Sister Talking mystery to her. She said she loved the book but would have to ruin it by making it into a cozy. She asked if I could write a cozy series for her, specifically a foodie. I said, “Absolutely. What’s a cozy?” After researching it, I almost turned down the offer because all of the ones out there were about gourmet food and fancy wine, both of which I hate.

Then I decided to write about a sports nut (like me) who ends up as the culinary reporter in a small town newspaper. I wrote three chapters and a synopsis and got a three book deal for the Clueless Cook Series. Unfortunately, I wasn’t happy with the contract they offered for the fourth book of the series and decided to self-publish it. I would tell any unagented authors to go to the conferences and try to buddy up to an agent—the best place is in the bar—and just strike up a conversation. Almost always, he/she will ask what you write. It’s the best way to do a casual pitch. Research the specific person you are targeting and know if they represent what you write. That’s the biggest gripe my agent has.

What type of research do you do for your books?
I am a plotter and have the book mostly plotted before I even write a word. The idea behind MORTAL DECEPTION came from a true story about a child who was saved by the cord blood of a sibling from a genetically perfected embryo. Of course, I had to add spicy details!! For other projects, I have researched all kinds of things like poisons, ricin, Al Qaeda, etc. I’m positive I am on a Homeland Security list somewhere.

Since you write full time, what is your daily writing schedule? Did you do individual character development before doing the full plot?
I am very undisciplined and usually wait until my deadline looms. Then I go into panic mode and am pretty sure I need a twelve-step program for crisis junkies. I do character profile sheets on all the major characters. Although I know things like what kind of car they drive, what kind of perfume they wear, etc, most of this stuff never gets in the book. It’s just a way for me to really get to know them.

I love you play on words titles for your Clueless Cook series. Are playful titles more acceptable with cozy mysteries?
I think playful titles are more prevalent with cozies, which usually have a nice dose of humor. My first cozy title, DUCKS IN A ROW, was quickly changed in a marketing meeting at Berkley to LIVER LET DIE. After I realized I could have fun with it, I started coming up with a catchy title,
then plotting a story around it. Berkley loves my titles.

What type of publicity do you do to promote your book? What has worked best for you in generating sales?
I wish there was some magic formula. Honestly, I think the best way to keep readers and get new ones is to write the next book better than the previous one. Social media is good, but it can really be a time suck. I love Facebook but rarely use Twitter. I have a FB street team closed page for all those who are willing to help me promote when I have a new release and give me reviews when they are so inclined. I do all my release parties with giveaways there. Other than that, I simply announce on my personal FB page.

What do you know now about writing/publishing now that you wished you had known sooner?
How very hard it is. To all the new writers out there, enjoy your first book because once you get deadlines, it’s a job!

What inspires you the most in writing your novels?
I love when the readers email me to tell me something they loved about the story or to ask about one of the recipes in the back.

What’s been the most frustrating?
What frustrates me is the fact that writers have to spend so much time promoting and marketing. This should be writing time.

What is the best advice you've been given about writing or that you've learned that you would like to pass along?
From the awesome Nora Roberts—Keep writing. Unlike a blank page, even crap can be turned into something brilliant.

What other works do you have in the process?
Just released a Cleuless Cook/now titled Jordan McAllister Mystery novella titled SMOTHERED, COVERED & DEAD. A second Jordan McAllister mystery novella titled PEACHES AND CREAMED will come out early next year and be paired with the first novella in a print book.The third Dead Sister Talking/now titled Garcia Girls Mysteries, titled MISSION TO KILL, releases in September.

 I have a Romantic Suspense series almost ready to go called SWEEPERS. The first book in that series, SWEEPERS: DIE ONCE MORE will be finished this month along with a prequel short SWEEPERS; A KISS TO DIE FOR. Then I have one last Garcia Girls mystery with a release date in September, 2016. And if that isn’t enough, I have a new cozy series that will debut next year.
As you can tell, Liz is one busy writer. If you'd like more details on her books and maybe buy one or more, you can do so by visiting her website at www.lizlipperman.com