Finding the Right Fit for your Writing: Author Interview withTerrie Farley Moran

Terrie’s short mystery fiction has been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, and numerous anthologies. Her Read ’Em and Eat prequel, “A Killing at the Beausoleil” was an Agatha Award nominee for Best Short Story, while “Inquiry and Assistance” won the Derringer Award for Best Novelette.

Now let’s unravel the mystery of who Terrie is and how she writes. And maybe even inspire you to get cozy with mysteries, too.

Your first published novel won an Agatha award for “Best First Novel.” That’s quite an achievement. Tell me how that first book came about.

Well Read, Then Dead, is the first cozy in the Read ’Em and Eat mysteries set in Fort Myers Beach Florida. I wrote an earlier novel, my agent didn’t like it, so I wrote this one. I wanted to write a café cozy in a Key West kind of town. Fort Myers Beach fit the bill. And I was amazed and all sorts of happy when it was nominated and then won the Agatha.

What inspired you to write cozies?

I read cozies more than any other type of book. My second reading interest is non-fiction—American history.  Since, when it comes to history, I am not Doris Kearns Godwin, writing cozies seems like a better path for me.

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

I am trying to remember. My first novel (the unpublished one) took a couple of years. I know Well Read, Then Dead was finished way ahead of the deadline. I guess it took about eight months.  I took the advice of the late Jerry Healy who said you can take as long as you like in writing your first book but if it sells, your publisher is going to have a time frame of a year or less, so you may as well start out with your own deadline.  I also should mention that I am a very slow writer. It takes a 10 or 12 hour day for me to write a thousand words, so for me, the process is extremely grueling.

How many rewrites did you do on it?

Three drafts. That is pretty standard for me with both novels and short stories. After the first draft, the second draft usually has some idea changes and lots of polish. The third draft is polish, polish, polish and more polish until it shines.

Who helps you with the editing?

No one. I never let anyone read my work until I submit it.

Who encourages you along the way?

My agent, who is the sweetest, most savvy person in the business. And, of course, my family.

Are you active with any writing critique groups? 

No. Never have been. Again, I don’t like anyone else to read my work other than the editor who has the potential to buy it.

How did you go about finding an agent/publisher?

Long story here. I wrote my first (still unpublished) cozy mystery novel and did the paper query route with no success. I also attended conferences where I would sign up for interviews with agents and editors. I met my present agent at a conference.

I gave her the elevator pitch about my novel and she immediately pointed out a flaw but asked me to send her fifty pages, which I did. She called me a while later and told me that, in her opinion, the novel was unpublishable, but said she liked my voice and asked if I would consider writing another novel. I said yes. And that is how we became a team.

I’ve been a big fan of cozy mysteries for years because of their quirkiness. So many of them take place in a restaurant, bakery, or something else to do with food preparation. Why does a chef, cook or baker make a good heroine?

I think it is all about the food. No matter the actual setting for a cozy, the characters do spend a fair amount of time eating delicious food and drinking tea, or sometimes wine. It allows for the characters to talk about what is going on around them. Food and cozies! Terrific combination. So a food shop is the perfect setting.

What are the essentials that make for a good cozy mystery?

No blood and gore, no obvious sex, no bad language. An interesting murder. Definitely a nosy amateur sleuth and warm friendships with food and laughter thrown in for good measure. I wrote an article describing cozy mysteries for Criminal Element in 2012 and I believe it has stood the test of time. https://www.criminalelement.com/what-is-a-cozy/

(Do review that blog post. It is a great description!)

You recently attended Bouchercon, which is the premier annual event for mystery writers and readers. What was your favorite part of it?

My favorite part of Bouchercon is the same as my favorite part of every conference, seeing old friends, making new friends. The mystery community is a very happy and caring one. It is like a big old family reunion when we all get together.

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

I was honored a few years ago when Laura Childs, one of my favorite authors, asked me to join her in writing her New Orleans Scrapbooking series. We have just finished our fourth book together, MUMBO GUMBO. The released date on our third collaboration, GLITTER BOMB, was October 2, 2018.

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

Rejection comes with the territory. My first love is short stories. I love to read them, and I love to write them. In the beginning, if I sent out a short story and a market rejected it, I thought the story was poorly written or had some other problem. Now I realize that the story may be excellent but is not suited to that particular market. When/if a short story comes back, I send it right out to another market.

What has surprised you the most in writing/publishing?

The biggest surprise for me is that, although rumors and changes swirl around us, (think of the rumors when e-books came along) there is, and always will be, a market for good quality reading material.

What frustrates you the most about writing? 

As I mentioned, I am a very slow writer. I get frustrated by my own lack of speed.

What do you know now about writing that you wished you had known sooner?

Because I am a slow writer, I had some fantasy that the more I wrote, the faster I would become. Uh, no. Not going to happen.

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

Cozy author Gillian Roberts is quoted as having said, “Don’t write it right, write it down.”

William Faulkner had another nugget: “I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately, I am inspired at 9 o'clock every morning.”

Follow those two and you can’t go wrong.

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

Writing is a job and publishing is a business.

Would you please give my readers a short synopsis of your new book, GLITTER BOMB, which you wrote with Laura Childs?

It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans and scrapbook shop owner Carmela Bertrand is excited to be attending the Pluvius Parade along with her best friend, Ava. Carmela's ex-husband, Shamus, rides by the duo on his float at the head of the parade, when suddenly the revelry turns to disaster. Shamus' float crashes and explodes, and although Shamus escapes unhurt, a member of his krewe is killed.

Carmela and Ava plunge into an investigation of the krewe-member's death, but as they dig deeper it starts to look less like an accident and more like a murder....and Shamus seems less like a victim, and more like a suspect.

Well, that’s got my attention – especially since it takes place in N’awlins, one of my favorite cities. If you’d like to buy this book or learn more about her other writing, here are some links to get you started.

www.terriefarleymoran.com

https://www.facebook.com/terriefarleymoran/

On the Commitment to Writing: An Interview with Connie Mann

Connie Mann is a licensed boat captain and the author of the Safe Harbor romantic suspense series, as well as Angel Falls and Trapped. When she’s not dreaming up plotlines, you’ll find “Captain Connie” on Central Florida’s waterways, introducing boats full of schoolchildren to their first alligator. She’s also passionate about helping women and children in developing countries break the poverty cycle. Now let’s learn about her writing.

What drew you to writing romantic suspense novels?

I grew up reading the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and Encyclopedia Brown. Then I moved up to Danielle Steele and Mary Higgins Clark. Suspense and romance naturally go together for me. I’ve been writing since I was a child, but it was years and years before I had the courage to submit anything.

Do you write full-time? Or do you have another job that supports your writing habit?
I’m a USCG-licensed boat captain and my day job is taking local 5th graders down the Silver River here in Florida and showing many of them their very first alligator. It’s very fun and gives me people time and the nature fix I need to balance out the lonely hours in my writing cave.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? Starting? Creating a scene? Dialog? Tension?
The opening scene, always. I generally end up rewriting mine at least 6-7 times.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
When people read one of my books and tell me they loved the story and stayed up waay too late reading, that makes me smile. It means I’ve done my job.

We have all experienced rejection. Give me an example of how you learned to write past it.
I hit a point where I got so discouraged by the rejections that I quit writing. That’s when I became a boat captain. Eventually, the stories called me back and I realized I wasn’t ready to give it up. When I get discouraged, I remind myself that this is what I love to do.

I see you’ve written for Wild Rose Press (I know a number of other writers who do), but now you’re with Waterfall Press. What made you make the change? What tips do you have for someone considering Waterfall Press or Wild Rose?
No matter what house you submit to, make sure you send them your absolute best work. Don’t think, “Oh, I’ll fix it later.” You want your first impression to be memorable—in a good way. 

The Wild Rose Press taught me much about working with editors and deadlines and I’m grateful for the experience. I wrote for Abingdon and now Waterfall, both wonderful, but both discontinued the line I was writing for. My upcoming series (Jan 2019) will be with Sourcebooks. 

What has surprised you the most in writing/publishing? 

I discovered years ago that writers are some of the most giving, encouraging, talented, fun people you’d ever want to meet. I’ve so enjoyed getting to know so many of them through RWA (Romance Writers of America). 

What frustrates you the most about your writing career?
Marketing and promotion are hard for me. I get frustrated with how much time it all takes.

What do you know now about writing that you wished you had known sooner?
Know yourself. Be willing to experiment, but then go with what works for you. I’ve learned that I need a basic plot skeleton before I start, that I do my best writing early in the morning and that nothing happens without a deadline. I make those things work for me, so I don’t fight myself.

What is some of the best writing advice that you’ve received or could give?
Keep learning and try to make every story better than the one before. That said, once it’s done, let it go and move on to the next. Don’t let perfectionism paralyze you.

Can you give me a short synopsis of your current novel?
My current release is DEADLY MELODY: Home is where the heart is. The danger, too ...

The Martinellis were the closest thing to family Cat Johnson ever had. That’s why she ran—to protect them from her threatening past. The orphaned child of classical musicians, she’s been lying low in Nashville and performing at the No Name Café. When Cat reluctantly agrees to attend the wedding of her beloved foster sister, the plan is simple: make a quick appearance at the Martinellis and then disappear again. Instead, she’s thrust headlong into a nightmare.

After a wedding guest is murdered, Cat’s past descends with a vengeance. So does handsome and inquisitive Safe Harbor cop, Nick Stanton, who will stop at nothing to uncover the town’s secrets. That means exposing Cat’s as well. The more intimate Nick’s feelings for Cat become, the more driven he is to find out what she’s hiding.

As things in Safe Harbor take a terrifying turn, Cat realizes that the man she’s afraid to trust might be the only one she can turn to.

Sounds intriguing! What else is in the works?

I’m currently working on a new Florida-set romantic suspense series and can't wait to introduce the Tanners--a family of tough, fiercely loyal law enforcement officers. BEYOND RISK, book 1, is scheduled for release in Jan. 2019 from Sourcebooks.

That’s all for today’s interview. Sounds like some great summer reading. Here are some links to learn more about Connie’s writing. 

Website: www.conniemann.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConnieMannAu...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/captconniem...
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

It's All About Timing: Author Interview with Michelle Griep

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of multiple historical romances, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary with a zany romantic mystery. So let’s find out how it all started.

What made you decide to write your first novel?
Pride . . . which isn’t the best of motivations to pen a story. At the time, closing in on twenty years ago now, the Christian fiction market wasn’t as large as it is now. I had a hard time finding enough books to keep me satisfied and I thought to myself, how hard can it be? Yeah. I’ve gotten myself into loads of trouble with that question. Turns out writing a book is way harder than it looks, folks!

Who helped you with the editing? Are you active with any writing critique groups?
One of the best things I did when I first started writing was to join American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). They connected me with an on-line critique group. Wow. That was a golden experience, and in fact one of my best critique buddies is from that group to this day. I moved on to join a different group, which I’m still involved in,

How did you go about finding an agent / publisher?
The first agent I met was the result of attending a local writers’ group meeting here in Minneapolis. Let me tell ya, I was shaking in my boots! But she was so kind and encouraging—even though she didn’t sign me—that it gave me hope to continue learning and growing as a writer. Eventually, yes, I did sign with an agent that I met face-to-face at a national conference. Yes, writing is a solitary endeavor, but the business side of it is all about networking.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? Starting? Creating a scene? Dialog?

Tension, etc?
Plotting is my bugaboo. I’ve tried it all, from not plotting at all to figuring out every little twist and turn. I have yet to land on a consistent format for coming up with plots, but perhaps that’s just how it will always be for me: varying from book to book.

What does your editor remind you to do most often?
I’ve got some of the best editors in the world (waving at Becky & Annie) and honestly, they give me free rein to write whatever I like. And because of my great critique partners who help me spit shine each and every manuscript before I turn one in, my editors don’t remind me to do anything, really.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
Notes from readers are my biggest encouragement. The ones that really warm my heart are when a reader shares with me a particularly difficult trial in their life and how some truth from one of my stories helped them get through that trial. Now that’s encouragement!

We have all experienced rejection. Give me an example of one you’ve had, and how you learned to write past it.
My first time pitching to a publisher was an abysmal failure. Not only was he not interested in the least about my story, he suggested I change genres. That was pretty devastating because I love what I write (historical). Sure, I wept for a few days, but after I uncurled out of my fetal position, I determined to prove him wrong. It took me another five years, but I did it.

What has surprised you the most in writing/publishing? What frustrated you the most?
I can answer both of these questions with two words . . . public speaking. Gah! I hate getting up in front of a group of people with their eyeballs laser-beamed on me. Gives me hives. But there’s no getting around it. From book signings to writers groups, sooner or later you’re going to have to speak to people (which is really creepy for an introvert like me).

What do you know now about writing that you wished you had known sooner?
Just because I write something that fails doesn’t mean that I’m a failure. It just means that what I did failed and that I need to try something different.
What is some of the best writing advice that you’ve received or could give?
Lighten up. Sure there are rules of writing but you don’t have to get all bent out of shape about them. Write how you think, how you sound, and your voice will come through loud and clear. That’s what fresh writing is all about.

Are there any other points about writing that you would like to add?
Being successful at writing and getting published is mostly about time—and plenty of it. Be persistent, especially when it seems no one is interested in your writing. All that work will eventually pay off.

What is the next book that will be coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
The Innkeeper’s Daughter is a very loose sequel to Brentwood’s Ward. Here’s a blurb:

A London officer goes undercover to expose a plot against the Crown

Dover, England, 1808: Officer Alexander Moore goes undercover as a gambling gentleman to expose a high-stakes plot against the king—and he’s a master of disguise, for Johanna Langley believes him to be quite the rogue. . .until she can no longer fight against his unrelenting charm.

All Johanna wants is to keep the family inn afloat, but when the rent and the hearth payment are due at the same time, where will she find the extra funds? If she doesn’t come up with the money, there will be nowhere to go other than the workhouse—where she’ll be separated from her ailing mother and ten-year-old brother.

Alex desperately wants to help Johanna, especially when she confides in him, but his mission—finding and bringing to justice a traitor to the crown—must come first, or they could all end up dead.

If you’d like to keep up with Michelle and her writing, here are some links to get you started.

http://www.michellegriep.com http://www.michellegriep.com

https://www.facebook.com/michellegriep     

www.instagram.com/michellegriep

https://twitter.com/MichelleGriep         

https://www.pinterest.com/mmgriep/boards/

Revisiting Fairy Tales: Author Interview with Katelyn Sinclair

What made you decide to write your children's book? Was there any particular author you read that made you think, I could write like that?

I’m a poet, and more than anything I consider myself to be a student of Dr. Seuss. I love the challenge of writing in rhyme, especially using iambic tetrameter (like Green Eggs and Ham) and anapestic tetrameter (like The Cat in the Hat).

There’s a great deal of kids’ poetry out there in which the meter is a bit wobbly and inconsistent, and I wanted to offer an alternative to that. People disagree about how much this matters, but I’m in the camp that believes a strong, predictable meter is a key element of poetic structure for young children who are just learning about language and rhythm and rhyme.

What made you go the indie-route? What was the hardest part for you in publishing or marketing your first book?
Yes, I’m an indie. I never considered being anything else. Primarily because I wanted to be both author and illustrator, which I knew would be unlikely on a traditional path. My ultimate goal wasn’t sales, but to learn through experience how words and illustrations work together to tell a story, and to develop an internal sense of what makes a good picture book.

This decision has had far more positive impact on the quality of my work than any other choice I’ve made. Four books later, my work continues to sell and to receive some really fun attention. I feel very fortunate.

How long did it take you to write your first book? How many rewrites did you do?
About four years, largely because I had to learn many indie skills from scratch: print layout software, color management, etc. My day job was 50-60 hours a week at the time, and I was both writing and illustrating the book -- and I did more rewrites than I can count. But since then, as long as I have time to make a book project a high priority, I usually finish in about six months.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? Starting? Creating a scene? Dialog? etc?
My enthusiasm usually plateaus when a book is in final revisions and there’s a lot of tedious double-checking, polishing, touching-up (and second-guessing) to be done. I typically feel very impatient to be finished and to move on to writing the next book, so I have to force myself to stay focused and give this phase my full attention. 

What does your editor remind you to do most often?
Watch the word count! For my first book, The Golden Ball, I didn’t listen, and the result was a picture book of over 2000 words. Nobody quite knew what to do with it because it didn’t fit the standard modern expectations for a picture book form. 

Despite this, Kirkus Reviews called it “playful poetry that begs to be read aloud,” and it won an IndieReader award. I’m very proud of those honors. The Golden Ball is its own unique entity, and I don’t regret my choices, but I probably won’t be doing that again anytime soon!

I’ve always had a list of very strict rules that I follow to keep myself in line – how often a rhyming sound can be repeated, etc. That list now includes the maximum number of lines per page. This structure is far more helpful than restrictive because I no longer waste time writing lines that won’t fit into the book (and my books are a much more reasonable 500-900 words each!).

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
I had a ninth-grade English teacher who was absolutely terrific, and my parents have always been big fans. Those things certainly gave me confidence in my ability as a writer and poet. But the very best, most encouraging experience ever has been visiting schools and reading to students. I visit a lot of classes from kindergarten through third grade. 

The students’ reactions are so genuine, and if they are enjoying my work, it’s so much fun and so validating. They ask fantastic questions and they make me think, and that’s far better motivation than any good reviews or awards.

We have all experienced rejection. Give me an example of one you’ve had, and how you learned to write past it.
Critical comments are never fun when you first hear them, but I’ve come to actively seek out that kind of feedback because embracing it significantly improves my work. With The Golden Ball, many parents tactfully said things like, “My child loves your book, but I don’t read it very often because it’s so long.” After the fourth or fifth person said that, I decided to stop pushing the limits of the picture book form and started writing shorter books. 

I could give other examples, but suffice it to say I have come to value criticism much more highly than praise. I want each of my books to be better than the last one, and truly listening to candid commentary is fundamental to achieving that.

What has surprised you the most in writing/publishing? What frustrated you the most?
I guess this shouldn’t surprise me anymore, but it’s pretty much a given that anywhere I go, once people find out I’m a children’s author, one or more of them will tell me about how they’ve always had an idea for or are working on a children’s book, too. 

While I think that is great and that the world can always use more wonderful children’s books, the thing that frustrates me is that these comments are usually linked to an implication that writing a book for children is easy. It most definitely is not.

What do you know now about writing that you wished you had known sooner?
I wish I’d realized sooner is how truly important marketing is. It’s at least as much work as writing a good book, and even more critical. 

What is some of the best writing advice that you’ve received or could give?
Choose something you’re really good at (dialogue? humor?) and figure out what kind of writing project will best showcase it. For me, it was rhymed poetry, and children were an obvious natural audience for that.

It’s pretty common advice to say just keep going, don’t give up, etc., but I think this is so often said because it’s excellent and important advice (not just in writing but also in life). Don’t be afraid to take risks, and don’t be afraid to fail. That’s when you’ll really learn something.

Are there any other points about writing that you would like to add?
It’s hard work. Everything about writing, even the part you enjoy, is still hard work. I remember once reading something that said the world is full of people who want to have written a book but don’t actually want to do the work required to write it. I think there’s significant truth there. Don’t be those people! Just keep going, every day, until it’s done!

What is the next book that will be coming out?
To date, I’ve finished a fairy tale series (The Golden Ball, The Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise and the Hare), and an original Halloween title, Spooky Things. I’m currently working on several new picture book projects, including If I Were A Fish, due out in summer 2019, and an early reader series about the adventures of a mischievous little girl and her imaginary friend. 

That’s all for today’s interview. If you would like to know more about Katelyn’s books, here are some links to get you started. 

www.instagram.com/seekateplay
www.goodreads.com/KatelynSinclair
www.katelynsinclair.com

From Improv to Writing MG Novels: An interview with Jen Nails

When did you start your first novel? 

My first novel began as a solo play that I wrote and performed over about five years or so. When I first moved to New York, I was 22 (this was a long, long time ago) and ready to take on the improv comedy world! I joined about four improv groups, started taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, and started writing my own characters. Gilda Radner was my idol, and I loved how her characters were so funny and real and you could start crying for some reason at their innocence and irreverence (I could anyway). 

My first characters were kids (inspired by Radner's Lisa Lupner and Judy Miller I'm sure). They just came out that way. A character named Lylice made her way into a dream I had when I was around 19 or 20 (in the dream her name was Lylice, spelled that way). She was dressed exactly like me and was trying to be my friend. She was about ten or eleven. I woke up, and I think I probably didn't run to the computer to start writing, but I know the dream affected me and later I'd write a solo play called Lylice, which later became the main character in my first novel, NEXT TO MEXICO. 

Why did you choose to write for the Middle Grade genre? 

I think that middle grade characters came to me as an actor first, and later, as a writer, it made sense to me to develop them further for a novel. I guess I didn't consciously choose the middle grade genre. It just happened. 

Was there any particular author you read that made you think, I could write like that? 

My favorite author growing up was Beverly Cleary. I read her books over and over and over again and can still quote sentences from Ramona the Brave and Henry Huggins. I don't know that I ever thought that I could write like Cleary, but I sure was pulled into those characters and that world because I could identify so fully with Ramona, a spirited, misunderstood and creative younger sister with a super-smart and talented older sister. 

How long did it take you to write your first book? Are you active with any writing critique groups? 

I think that overall, it took me about nine years to write my first novel. I count all of the years that I developed/performed/revised/edited the solo play (about five), plus the years it took me to adapt the play into a novel (about four). Over the years, I've belonged to three tremendously helpful writing critique groups. I've been with my current group for four years and could not imagine my life as a writer without them. 

What is the hardest part of writing for you? Starting? Creating a scene? Dialog? etc? 

Plotting is the most challenging part of writing a story for me. I am jealous of writers who can make a clean outline and then write out the story, following it all the way until the end. I know the process is not as simple as that for anyone, but you know how you do that thing where you imagine everyone is doing it in a much easier/better way than you are... 

Anyway, I will usually begin with a scenario and a character, and then I write notes and diary entries and scenes, piecing things together as I go and crossing my fingers for a plot. I wish I were more calculated about this, but this is how I've always done it. The more that I craft stories, the more confident I become, though, and the more I believe that as long as I follow my ideas through, even when I am unsure of where I am going, I will find my way. 

I do find that as long as I can produce a long and messy first draft, I can find clues within it when I go back that shed light on little hints of what I really want to write about. My favorite part of the process is being somewhere around the 6th or 7th or 8th draft, knowing the characters, feeling in the driver's seat, making decisions; it's like the difference between having a vague idea of where I am going on a road trip and continually getting lost and having to make U-turns and taking the wrong exits, versus knowing exactly which exit to take, which way to turn, where the Denny's is in that little town. 

We have all experienced rejection. Give me an example of one you’ve had, and how you learned to write past it. 

I've experienced so much rejection I think I'm an expert at it. Before I started writing in earnest, I was an actor in New York, going on auditions several times a week, performing improv comedy several nights a week. Over about eight years of acting and auditioning, I probably went on roughly hundreds of auditions that yielded dozens of jobs. So, maybe ten percent of what I auditioned for, I booked. 

The thing with acting is, you don't get paid unless you book it (same with writing, I realize)! So, it's like working 100% of the time on your craft and getting paid for it 10% of the time. That is how it was for me anyway. I'm digressing a little but trying to make the point that before I committed myself to writing, I'd already felt hardcore rejections and so when I began receiving rejections on my first novel, it didn't hurt so much. In fact, the novel was rejected over 40 times before Houghton Mifflin wanted to take it on. 

What has surprised you the most in writing/publishing? What frustrated you the most? 

This was difficult for me to answer for some reason. I think that what continues to surprise me is that I'm improving as a writer. Not that I thought I'd never improve, but you know when you start out and you think you should be instantly good, and that if you're not instantly good, it just means you're bad? Not true. 

With time and practice and patience I've become a different and stronger writer than I was when I started. This gives me a new kind of hope. In terms of publishing, I plead the ole AA serenity prayer:  God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can't change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. 

What do you know now about writing that you wished you had known sooner? 

I think you just keep learning along the way. I couldn't have known that a novel I worked on for about eight or nine years would get sent around and sent around and never get published. I couldn't have known that an agent that I worked with for a few years would decide that she just couldn't sell my work and then "break up" with me. I couldn't have known anything about writing had I not just decided to commit to it. 

Even when you're told "this is hard, you'll work really hard and sometimes it'll seem like it's not really paying off or going anywhere." You can be told that - and I was - but I didn't really understand until it happened to me. So, I think that all of the things I know about being a writer I've just had to learn the hard way and as I move forward, I know there'll be more that I'm told but that I won't really get until I'm knee deep in it. 

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

I've sought and been given so much sound advice over the last twenty years or so, through acting and writing, but the advice that has kept me going, that I always try and come back to is on a little tiny card that my dad had laminated when he was a high school football coach. 

It's a poem from an old, retired educational magazine called Scholastic Coach. He found it and liked it, so he kept it in his wallet during every game that he coached (and he did pretty well; when he retired from coaching, his stats were: 52-9-2). The poem is called All in the State of Mind and it goes like this:  

If you think you're beaten, you are, 

If you think you dare not, you don't,

If you'd like to win, but you think you can't, 

It's almost certain you won't. 

If you think you'll lose, you're lost, 

For out in the world you'll find 

Success begins with a fellow's will— It's all in the state of mind. 

Full many a race is lost ere ever a step is run, 

And many a coward falls ere ever his work's begun, 

Think big, and your deeds will grow; 

Think small, and you'll fall behind; 

Think that you can, and you will— It's all in the state of mind. 

If you think you are out-classed, you are; 

You've got to think high to rise; 

You've got to be sure of yourself before 

You can ever win a prize, 

Life's battles don't always go 

To the stronger or faster man; 

But soon or late the man who wins 

Is the fellow who thinks he can. 

The internet lists the author as Walter D. Wintle. My dad gave this poem to me the day I moved to New York and it's been in my wallet ever since. I know that I will pass it on to my sons when they are old enough to appreciate it.                                 

What is the next book that will be coming out? 

My newest book is ONE HUNDRED SPAGHETTI STRINGS was just released. The novel is set in Greensboro, NC, and centers on Steffy, an eleven-year-old chef who aspires to unite her broken family by preparing them their favorite meals. 

That's all for today's interview. I really like the poem and hearing about Jen's writing journey. 

If you would like to learn more about Jen's writing, try these options:   www.jennails.com and @jenmnails