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WOW! Women On Writing
Issue #33: Follow the Leader - Advice from Successful Authors
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Some of the best writing advice I've received over the years has been from interviewees. There's something
about sitting down and engaging in an intimate chat with a fellow writer that can't be replicated in any other form--not even
a how-to article or a first person account.
When we first started WOW! in September 2006, the mission was to
promote the communication between women writers, authors, editors, publishers, and readers. We created the "WOW! conversation
bubble" logo you see on the site because interviews are an integral part of our publication. That mission still holds true
today.
In celebration of our three-year anniversary, we're doing what we do best: chatting with successful women authors!
This all-interview issue features a diverse selection of authors whose stories are as varied as the authors themselves. I
have to admit, this issue hasn't been the easiest to put together. Some interviews fell through, and we're still waiting on
others; but somehow we managed to pull everything together and are thrilled with the outcome. From a humor writer to a ghost
hunter, a love doctor to a career counselor--one of these authors is bound to inspire your writing.
One thing to remember:
just like the children's game, Follow the Leader, you'll still want to look at the road ahead of you and decide if it's the
path you want to take. We have authors who recommend self-publishing and others who are vehemently opposed to it. We have
authors that think social networking is a waste of time and others who think it's the cat's meow. That's the wonderfully unpredictable
thing about interviews--you never know what someone is going to say! The best thing to do is listen to it all, take it all
in, bring a lunch or your favorite beverage, and pull up to the screen as you read. Enjoy the conversations, then follow the
advice that resonates with you.
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A big, warm, Thank You goes out to our freelancers & staff:
Below I share my favorite quotes/parts
of each interview.
A big thank you goes to WOW! columnist LuAnn Schindler for her hilarious interview with Doreen Orion, author of Queen of the Road. I especially loved the part about the nudist RV park and Doreen's quote,
"You haven't lived 'til you've done naked karaoke."
Thank you goes to WOW! columnist and contributing editor
Margo L. Dill for her insightful and writerly chat with Christina Baker Kline. One of my favorite parts of this interview was finding out that Christina put aside her latest novel, Bird
in Hand, for a few years before picking it up again. That gives me some hope I will actually revisit my novels-in-progress
from many years ago and complete them!
Another big thank you goes to WOW! columnist Marcia Peterson
for her interview with Dr. Diana Kirschner. I wish I had this advice back when I was dating! Dr. Diana says something that certainly some of us can relate
to: "I wanted the guys that didn't want me, partied and tried too hard, settled for crumbs, got dumped in humiliating ways,
and hid out with pints and pints of Haagen-Dazs coffee ice cream." Hmm... Sounds vaguely familiar!
We welcome freelancer
Sara Hodon to the WOW! family and thank her for her interview with Dr. Katherine Ramsland. Get ready for some chills! This interview is fascinating to me on all levels, but my favorite parts were the
stories Katherine told. One was about a time when she agreed to meet a murderer out in the woods--alone--to research her vampire
book, which she now says, "It was a risk that, in retrospect, seems dumb." Another story was about when she visited a cemetery
at night to record paranormal voices...and recorded one.
We welcome back freelancer C. Hope Clark and thank
her for her interview with mystery author Kathryn Wall. You can tell these two have a great relationship and that makes the interview that much more intimate. When
Hope asked Kathy how similar she is to her protagonist, Bay Tanner, she said, "We both smoked and quit, don't drink, swear
occasionally and mildly, and are uncomfortable with praise or undue attention. Nah, we're nothing alike."
We welcome
freelancer Andrea Campbell to the WOW! family and thank her for her interview with Elizabeth Lyon. These two have known each other for years--they met while they were both authors with Blue Heron Publishing,
now defunct--so I was thrilled when they decided to share their chat with WOW! readers. I learned that Elizabeth is
a single parent of two disabled children who are now adults with lots of needs. She's an amazing woman. And as a publisher,
I found the statistics Elizabeth shared on book publishing in regards to the economy rather interesting. Many of the categories
are down in sales, but it appears juvenile titles are up! Who knew?
We welcome back freelancer Cathy C. Hall
and thank her for her interview with career expert Maureen Anderson. I loved learning about Maureen's first publishing clip (Good Housekeeping) and reading her inspiring
stories of people who made a career switch. My favorite quote in this interview is, "Don't decide the best part of your life
is behind you." That really resonated with me.
Last, but certainly not least, I'd also like to thank contributing
editors Margo L. Dill and Joanne Stacey for making the issue sparkle!
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