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Read some interviews from past editions:
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Zelda Benjamin
April, 2008
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Shirley Marks
December, 2007
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Donna Wright
December, 2007
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Carolyn Brown
August, 2007
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Roni Denholtz
June, 2007
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Tara Randel
April, 2007
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Sydell Voeller
February, 2007
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Sheila Robins
December, 2006
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Ann Holt
October, 2006
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Cynthia Danielewski
July, 2006
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Patricia Azeltine
May, 2006
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Kathryn Meyer Griffith
January, 2006
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Mel Taylor
November, 2005
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Kathleen Fuller
September, 2005
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Tracey J. Lyons
July, 2005
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Ludima Gus Burton
May, 2005
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Holly Jacobs
March, 2005
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Sandra D. Bricker
January, 2005
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Kathryn Quick
November, 2004
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Cheri Jetton
September, 2004
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Heather S. Webber
July, 2004
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Karl Fieldhouse
May, 2004
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Shelley Galloway
March, 2004
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Ilsa Mayr
January, 2004
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Kathy Carmichael
November, 2003
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Dorothy P. O'Neill
July, 2003
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Joani Ascher
May, 2003
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Patricia DeGroot
March, 2003
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Nancy J. Parra
January, 2003
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Barbara Meyers
November, 2002
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Christine Bush
September, 2002
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Debby Mayne
July, 2002
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Jean C. Gordon
May, 2002
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Charles E. Friend
March, 2002
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Norma Seely
January, 2002
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Glen Ebisch
November, 2001
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Gina Cresse
September, 2001
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John Paxson
July, 2001
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Terri Alcock
May, 2001
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Clifford Blair
March, 2001
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Amanda Harte
January, 2001
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Kent Conwell
November, 2000
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Carolyn Brown
September, 2000
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Annette Mahon
July, 2000
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Marjorie McGinley
May, 2000
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Jack Lewis
March, 2000
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Amanda Harte
January, 2000
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Joyce and Jim Lavene
November, 1999
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Return to the current Author! Author! interview:
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S.J. Stewart
April, 2008
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Author! Author!: March, 2006
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Click on image to learn more about these books.
An Interview with
Jane
McBride Choate |
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Where do I get the names for my characters?
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I look to my children, grandchildren, friends, and any and everyone else for names. Family histories and genealogy charts are a great resource if I'm trying to find a name for a character in a historical novel. I try to avoid "trendy" names.
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How did I start writing?
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It was one of those days when I wondered if I would ever see the end of changing diapers, vacuuming, and cleaning the toilets. I sat at the kitchen table, plopped my portable typewriter (does anyone remember those?) on it, and banged out a short story. Before I could talk myself out of it, I stuck it in an envelope and sent it to a children's magazine. To my amazement and delight, it was accepted. Despite garnering enough rejections to wallpaper a subdivision of houses, I've been writing ever since.
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What's the hardest part of writing?
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Getting my butt in the chair and facing that blank computer screen. Each time I do, I feel as though I'm taking a giant leap of faith. Do you remember that scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when Indy must step off into seeming nothingness to retrieve the sacred vessel that will save his father's life? That's how I feel whenever I start a new project. Who am I, I ask myself, to think I can write a book?
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How do I develop my characters?
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I read voraciously, everything from newspapers to the backs of cereal boxes. While reading, I look for characters. I play the "what-if" game: what would happen if a city girl lands in the middle of a cattle drive? I also reach down in my own life and squeeze out the emotions from different experiences. Though I have never faced many of the things my characters face, I know what it is to feel pain and humiliation, joy and satisfaction, anger and betrayal. I draw on those feelings to bring my characters to life and to bring life to my characters.
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How long have I been writing?
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Forever. I was always weaving stories in my head as a child, entertaining my friends with exploits about them. I started seriously writing the year I turned 30, and, no, I'm not going to divulge how long ago that was! For the first years, I worked on short stories and short non-fiction. From the time I started my first book, it took me five years to sell. I sold it to Avalon and thus always have had a special feeling for it and the fine editors there.
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Am I working on anything else for Avalon?
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I currently have two projects underway for Avalon. One features a doctor and an ex-cop (I'll let you figure out who is the heroine and who is the hero). Another project centers around an actress trying to find out what's important in life and a cowboy struggling to save the land that's been in his family for generations.
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What advice would I give aspiring writers? To anyone wanting to
write for Avalon?
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Read. Read everything you can get your hands on, in the romance field and outside it. Attend workshops and conferences if time and finances permit. Find a critique partner whom you trust to be both honest and compassionate. Too many writers have given up when faced with scathing comments. Most of all, write. I like Nora Roberts' advice: you can fix a poorly written page, but you can't fix a blank one.
It goes without saying that you should read current Avalons. Study market listings (found in RWR, Writers' Market, and other publications) and discover what the editors want.
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What else am I working on?
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As mentioned above, I started writing by doing short stories for children. I still pen those and enjoy the challenge of developing characters, conflict, and resolution within 500-1000 words. I've also been working on some non-fiction articles about the craft of writing. My article on conflict in writing for children can be found in the April issue of The Writer magazine.
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