Get Out of The Way and Let The Story Be Told: Author Interview with Teresa Slack

You’ve now published 18 books. How long did it take you to write it?
Wow, my first book took forever to write. The story percolated
on my mind for years. It evolved in my head for years until I finally
came up with something to coalesce the whole thing. I have always been
fascinated by small town scandals. I want to know the story behind the
story. What really happened. Streams of Mercy is about a young woman who discovers on the day of her dad's funeral he was once suspected in the
disappearance of an old girlfriend.

What inspired you to write that first novel?
I love mysteries, cold cases, missing persons, and most of all, scandals. The idea came from that fascination.

How many rewrites did you do on it?
As for how many rewrites, it was a lot. Over time, I've become more efficient and don't have to work so hard.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Creating characters is a blast for me. It's probably my favorite part. I also love dialog. I love letting my characters say things I don't have the nerve to say. I'm non-confrontational, so I live vicariously through my characters. It's a hoot.

I suppose the hardest part is just sitting down and writing when
the story won't cooperate. Sometimes I don't want to do it. It's work.
The story doesn't always come together. I sometimes agonize over one
paragraph. I have to make myself keep going. But nothing worth having
comes easy. You have to force yourself to work for what you want,
whether writing or anything else.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
When someone tells me writing must be easy for me. I always get a big laugh out of that one. Believe me, it's not easy. But it's wonderful when readers think the words just go together like butter on toast. That means
they're seeing the story instead of me. That's what every writer wants;
to get out of the way and let the story be told.

We have all experienced rejection. How have you learned to write past it? Rejection never ends in this business. Even after 18 books, some readers won't like what I write. I try not to watch my sales rankings too closely or read my reviews. They can ruin your day. I know you've heard: What's Your Why? Why do you do what you do? As long as I keep in mind why I write, what I want to accomplish, how I strive to entertain and encourage readers through clean, wholesome Christian fiction, I can keep going, even in the face of rejection.

What has surprised you the most in writing/publishing?
Friendships and encouragement from readers & other authors. Especially in the Christian industry, other authors are quick to help out a colleague. I've made some wonderful friends in the industry.

What frustrated you the most?
Feeling overwhelmed. You get so much conflicting information about what works in reaching readers. Such as:placing ads, when to release new books, and how to break in to a marketable niche. Just when you think you have success, the system changes and you feel like you have to start all over.

You’ve written for a few different publishers. Are any of them your own imprint? If so, what made you choose that route?
I have written for a traditional publisher, but now I write under Grace Arbor Press, which is my own imprint. The industry has just changed so quickly in the last few years, I feel like the best way for me to keep up is to release under my own imprint. But I miss the team you have with a traditional publisher. It's hard doing most of it yourself. It's a whole new learning curve, but I like the control. I like making my own schedule. Most of all, I like writing what I want when I want.

What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
Writing a book is the easy part. Letting the world know you wrote a book
is a job that never ends.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
Wow, I've received so much great advice. What really sticks out is something I heard on the radio by country music singer, Toby Keith. He said you can't tell a writer to write better. You can only tell a writer to write more. It's how you get better at anything. If I ever need brain surgery, I don't want the surgeon who just stepped out of medical school. I want the one who's done it for years. You get better by doing. There's no other way.

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
If you have a story to tell, you must tell it. Once you're gone, your voice is
silenced forever. Over the years, I've had so many people tell me about
a story they've had in their heads for years. I always tell them to stop
talking about it and write it down. Yes, I know it's hard. It's overwhelming and scary. We only have one chance in this life. We are obligated to make the most of it.

What is the next book coming out?
I am currently working on A Hero for Ellie: Book 5 of The Willow Wood Brides series. I hope to have it out in September, with Book 6 close behind.

Can you give me a short synopsis for my readers?
A Wedding for Felicity: Book 4 of the series came out July 24, and is
doing very well. I love all the books in the series, but Felicity was
the one that came the easiest for me. I don't know why. If I did, I
would replicate the process for every book from now on.

Beautiful and outgoing Felicity Trego has been too busy taking care of
the orphans of Willow Wood, Idaho to wonder about the odd stipulation in
her father’s will that forbids his daughters from marrying.

When her sister Belinda suffers an injury, Felicity is put in charge of
running Trego Leatherworks, the family's factory. She's not ready for
the position. She doesn’t have Belinda’s business acumen or ruthless
drive. Felicity needs all the help she can get so she won't let her
sister & the whole town down.

Ned Yates moves to Willow Wood to practice law at his uncle’s firm. An
orphan himself, he admires Felicity’s compassion for the orphaned
children of Willow Wood. However, rumors about the lovely Trego sister
suggest Felicity isn’t as charming and guileless as she appears. Too
many people depend on Felicity for her to give up her inheritance for
love. But she can't deny her growing attraction for Ned. Will she risk
it all to follow her heart?

Ah there’s the dilemma. Do you follow your heart or heed your responsibility? Sounds like an interesting read. If you’d like to learn more about this book or any of her other ones, here ae some links to get you started.

A Promise for Josie: A Willow Wood Brides Prequel is a free download to newsletter subscribers. https://teresaslack.com/contact/

https://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Felicity-Historical-Romance-Unlimited-ebook/dp/B089DLWCRD

https://www.amazon.com/Teresa-D.-Slack/e/B001JP0MQ2?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

How Writing Book Series Pays Off: Author Interview with Debra Clopton

What made you decide to write that first novel?

I had a senior English teacher who encouraged me to write but I didn’t try it until ten years later after I’d started a business and a family and life was more settled for me.

How long did it take you to write your first book?

It actually took me only a few months, maybe three to write it. I’m a pantser and I see the book like a movie in my head. My first sold book The Trouble with Lacy Brown (also titled Dream With Me Cowboy) took me 10 days to write. However, it went through several revisions.

How long does it take to write a book now?

I’m very prolific and my average book is 50,000 words and it takes me 14 days to a month to write. Then goes to an editor as I work on the next book. Then I revise when it comes back, then on to another editor then a proofreader. So, from beginning to end a book takes me about 5 to 6 weeks. It’s been that way since I first sold.

How did you go about finding an agent/publisher?

I went to conferences but actually sold my first book on my own, when it was a Golden Heart Finalist. I got my agent afterward, then let her go soon after and continued to sell on my own. Later I researched exactly who I wanted as an agent and approached her at a conference, and she took me on. These days I own my own publishing company and don’t have a need for an agent.

You’ve now written nine different book series (hope I’m not missing any). Did you start with the idea of writing a series? 

I do have nine series (I even get them confused and will have two more series by the end of the year). I always write series. In romance writing, that is where the money is. It takes just as much money to sell one book as it does to sell a 5 to 10 book series. And readers love series, which is what it is all about. If they don’t love it and are not satisfied nothing works.

How do you keep your writing fresh after writing so many books?

Since my first series was set up, I’ve worked hard to keep them original. But life is original, and I watch life and pull things from it to apply to my books.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

The hardest part for me is the middle. I always get there and think the book is horrible! LOL I’ve written about 80 books, I believe, and it is always the same. But I can tell you, the gold happens on the other side of the hill of doubt, so I learned early to just keep pushing and writing. Even if what I’m writing is junk the good stuff comes together through the trash then I go back edit the junk into submission afterward.

You’ve won multiple awards. Is there one that is especially meaningful to you?

I love the ones that were Reader’s Choice Awards and there were several of those. And then Booksellers Best was cool to win. But the truth is a real award-the one that means the most is any time a reader buys your book (I love that). If they love it enough to tell you about it, then that’s the icing on my cake. Those readers who enjoy my work help me to keep working and they are most important to me. (Thank you, readers!)

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing? 

To not think about the things, you think you lack when writing.  If you are weak in punctuation or proofing, ignore that and just create the book first, then worry about the edits. The creation of the book is the gift.

We have all experienced rejection. How have you learned to write past it? 

I had a lot of hard rejection. It took me 10 years to sell my first book. Three different books we’re considered by top editors. For over 6 years, I worked closely with those different editors on the revisions. Back then, they’d keep a manuscript for 6 to 9 months before getting it back to you. It was awful. The editors kept changing their minds as to what they wanted.

I had to look inside me and know this is what I was meant to do. There was a drive in me that would not die. This was the only thing I could see myself doing and I focused on that. So, I always kept working and believing in myself, learning and preparing for the day one said yes.

I ran track in school and learned if I fell on a hurdle I had to get back up and finish the race. Rejection is the same. Get up and go for your dreams. These days, there are no gatekeepers. It is the best time ever to be a writer…that is the truth.

What has frustrated you the most in writing/publishing?

I hated giving my book over to editors and losing control of them. Now, with my own company, I am in control of my company and I’m my own best marketing agent.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?

Believe in yourself, learn your craft as you write and finish the book!

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?

Set aside a time and write. I hear people say they can’t find the time. If you want it bad enough then make time. I wrote in 10-minute timeslots when I had small children and a business. I wrote late at night, early morning, in line at the Dairy Queen. Small segments add up. I gave up TV and all other hobbies and focused on my dream. Set your priorities and stick to them—mine were faith, family, my business and then writing. I said no to anything else.
What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?

 My newest book release is Longing for You, which is book 5 in my Sunset Bay series.

Here are the details… Stuntman-heartthrob, Tate Sinclair, is every woman’s dream guy: he’s gorgeous, adventurous, and successful as a movie stuntman and adventure seeker. Gigi Mason isn’t immune to his good looks, but she is immune to the wanderlust in his veins. She’s been burned before by a walk-away-Joe kind of guy who chose the call of the wild over a life with her. And she’s determined it won’t ever happen again.

Tate was born loving a challenge and Gigi is about to find out that he’s not that easy to ignore…the more she tells him she’s not interested, the more he’s determined to change her mind…But is it the love of a challenge or actually love?

That’s all for today’s interview. If you’d like to learn more about Debra’s writing, here are some links to get you started.
Sign up for her newsletters and contests at: http://wwwdebraclopton.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/debra.clopto...
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SBeE3L

See her Sunset Bay series book list and get book 1 Free: https://debraclopton.com/sunset-bay-r...