Writing/being published

Q: Do you read unpublished works by other authors?
A: Sadly, no. Time-wise, I just can’t. Legally, it's best if I don't. Please know that any work submitted to me or to Jennifer/Marie is automatically deleted without being read. I’m truly sorry for this, but it’s for your protection as much as mine.

Q: Who is your agent?
A: Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency. I have been with her since before I sold my first book, The Stone Prince.

Q: How did you get your agent?
A: I researched agents who specialized in the genre I was writing (via Google, book dedications, and Publishers Marketplace) Then I approached the agents who fit my criteria. Something of note: approach them the way they ask to be approached. Some prefer email, some snail mail. Some want chapters, some only want synopsis.  Make sure you give only what they want.  

Q: How did you become published?
A: I wrote for about four/five years before receiving “the call.” And I had to write seven books before I sold one. Four of those seven have now been published – Heart of the Dragon, Animal Instincts, The Stone Prince and The Pleasure Slave -- the rest are lost forever. (Thank you, Lord!) My agent sent my material to the editors she thought would most like my work. Despite that, we received stacks and stacks of rejections. We kept at it, though, and finally got a nibble from HQN.

Q: What advice do you have for unpublished authors?
A: Forget about trends and what your writing bud tells you is popular.  What do you love?  What story do you want to tell?  What characters have your attention?  Well, write that.  Also, keep at it! No matter how many rejections you get, the only sure way to fail is to quit.  

Q: Where do you get your ideas?

A: If the books you've read, it was all about the “what if.”  Example: What if men opened Pandora’s Box (Lords of the Underworld)? What if aliens walked among us (Alien Huntress)? What if a girl could control (kind of) the four elements (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl)? What if a boy had four souls trapped in his head, but everyone thought he was crazy (Intertwined series)?  With the upcoming books (beginning with Alice in Zombieland, the ideas sprang from someplace deeper.  They unfolded inside me, and I am calling them a gift from God :)

Q: How long does it take you to write a book?
A: About 3 months, give or take a few weeks.  

Q: What’s your writing schedule like?
A: My schedule has recently changed.  Used to, I'd work seven days a week, from sun up to sun down.  As you can guess, that was brutal.  I now take Sundays off for church and family.  As for the rest of the week, I try to write a chapter a day while working on a rough draft.  When editing, I try to do about 50 pages.  Life is MUCH more satisfying now, praise the Lord :)