Today I have Linda Swift visiting.  I am so honored to have you here today.  We have alot to cover so lets get started.

                   

                                 

 Tell us something about you and your books?

 

I’ve been married to the same man forever and we have a son and daughter, both living in Nashville, Tennessee. My husband and I have lived in many places but now call both Kentucky and Florida home. I attended college while my children were in public schools, then became a teacher, counselor and psychometrist. I was also a “late blooming” writer, having my first books published by Zebra/Kensington a few years ago. When the line I wrote for was closed, I became an orphan until I found success with ebook publishers. I currently have two books out with The Wild Rose Press and three scheduled for publication with Awe-Struck Publishing.

 

 Are there any new authors who have grasped your attention?

Yes, Danielle Thorne at Awe-Struck, is one of my favorite new authors. Celia Yeary is a new and very successful author at TWRP whose work I enjoy. And Margaret Tanner, whose books are new to epublishing although she is not a new author. In the wider world,  I admire the books of Valerie Wood of England and wish they were available in the US.

 

Do you have any advice for other writers?

 If you are published, promote your work as much as possible. No one will do this for you unless you are another Nora Roberts.(and if you were, you wouldn’t need the promo!) Join loops that reflect your genre to keep up to date on events and trends. Seek support and offer support to your fellow authors.

 

What’s your latest book about?

My latest book, soon-to-be-released by Awe-Struck, is about a woman who is trying to compete in an occupation dominated by males. And not only compete, but excel since the betrayal of her husband has left her with a need to prove herself. When she takes a single status job at a power plant in St. Croix, she has to share a villa on beautiful Schooner Bay with a man who is still grieving the death of his wife and young son. In the tropical heat of the Caribbean, their frozen hearts finally begin to thaw.   

                                             

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? 

My ideas for stories come from many sources. Sometimes it is a scene that develops into a story to be written. Other times, a forceful character demands the limelight. An event can spark a plot that weaves around it.  There are usually many plots and characters milling around in my mind waiting their turn.  Right now, an image described to me by my son-in-law, of my daughter supporting a small tree which contained a nest of baby birds while pelted by wind and rain in a thunderstorm has inspired a story. It will be an historical but I don’t know the location yet. And a lawyer named Matthew is observing this scene and tries to persuade her to come inside. I think the heroine wants to be a lawyer also but it is still unclear.

 

What promotional ideas can you give to other beginning authors? 

If you want to spend a lot of money, the sky’s the limit. Buy ads for every place promo is offered. Arrange book signings. Join organizations. Attend conferences.

Sponsor contests and offer great prizes.

As ebook authors, most of us can’t expect to earn a lot of money. So I would suggest studying the market carefully and talking with other authors to learn what works for them. Decide what you want to spend and where best to spend it. Plan how much time you can devote to promoting your books and re-evaluate your marketing strategy  from time to time to see what is working.

 

What advice would you give to somebody trying to get a literary agent? 

Don’t. Unless you are already making big bucks, most effective literary agents won’t bother with you. It is as difficult to find an agent as to find a publisher. Doing your own submitting takes time and effort, but you stay more involved with your work and the process, learning as you go along. Of course, many NY pubs won’t look at unagented material  now, so if you are striving for that market, an agent is a must. Finding a fit, personality-wise and goal-wise in not always easy. Agents, like editors, come in all sizes from the ones who want to rewrite your story to some who act as a postal service only. And remember, an agent means paying a commission of fifteen per cent of your earnings off the top. I’ve been there, done that, and didn’t find it worth it.

 

Are there any thing you would like to say to other aspiring writers?

Writing is not easy. Some people who haven’t tried it but want to write a book someday think it is an easy road to fame and fortune. People who write because they can’t keep from writing are more likely to reach their goals. And first, you need to have a goal in mind.  I assume here that we are talking about becoming a published writer.  Do you want to publish books, short stories, articles, poetry, or all of the above?  Study the market. Which company publishes the type of material you write? Read their guidelines carefully. Polish your submission and send it in. And don’t expect instant success.

 

As a child what did you want to do when you grew up?

At different stages in my childhood, I wanted to do different things when I grew up.

A movie star, a pilot, a nurse, a mother. And I was already a writer at ten. I made up complicated  plots that my childhood friends and I acted out in “pretend games.” And I put together a skit with three characters, directed, and acted in it. Our stage was a backyard and we charged admission and donated it to charity.

 

 As a writer and published author how do you feel about e-publishing

 

I am an ardent supporter of e-publishing. The NY market is shrinking and more and more difficult to penetrate. I had my foot in the door a few years ago, only to find myself back outside. E-publishing is a growing industry, with room for everyone and all genres. It is only a matter of finding the right niche. And the speed of submission, acceptance or rejection is gratifying. The rapport an author is able to establish with an editor and the instant communication between them is also a plus. I am disappointed that  RWA doesn’t recognize e-book authors as equals and most chain bookstores are not cooperative. I hope one day soon, e-pubs will be able to offer advances, and that earning from e-books can improve.

 

What advice would you give to other aspiring authors about getting their work placed with a big publishing company?

 

Study the companies that seem to fit your work. Attend conferences where their editors will be presenting and/or interviewing authors.

Attending a conference and meeting an editor who was looking for authors in a new      line her publisher was launching was my key to entering the world of the published. So I would say that personal contact is one possible avenue toward that goal.

 

 Please give us a list of all of your books currently available.

 

Let Nothing You Dismay - The Wild Rose Press (ebook)

Circle of Love - The Wild Rose Press (ebook and print)

Single Status - to be released this month by Awe-Struck Publishing (ebook and print)

The Twelve Days of Christmas - to be released December 1, 2009 also by Awe-Struck Publishing

Maid of the Midlands - to be released by Awe-Struck Publishing early in 2010

 

That Special Summer and A Christmas Gift - Zebra/Kensington (paperbacks still available at Amazon)

 

  How long does it take you to do research on the books you write?

 

    It depends, of course, on the book and how much or little  knowledge I already have about the place or subject. In Single Status, I was able to learn what I needed to know about power plant operations and golf from my husband. Circle of Love  involved a visit to Memphis State University campus and phone calls to high school friends who lived on Missouri farms. Let Nothing You Dismay required a tour of the Welcome Center and interview with one of the guides. The Twelve Days of Christmas needed only a minimum of research. Maid of the Midlands required much research of the time period through books and online. And I was fortunate to live in England for a time in Yorkshire County to absorb the speech patterns and mindset of the people.

 

How do you give credit to any research you do?

So far I have not used direct quotes or specific material from any source.  My research has provided me with general information that I was able to utilize indirectly in writing the plot and creating the characters.

 

What inspired you to become a writer?

 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was my all time favorite book as a child and Jo, the aspiring author, was the character I most related to.  I think it was Jo who inspired me to begin my own writing career Reading and imagining myself in the stories was always an important part of my life. But it was my father who introduced me to the love of classic poetry that led me to begin writing my own poems at ten. This is  a love I cherish today and I have a page on my web site devoted to sharing my poems, changing the poems on the site with each season.

      You can read the current poems on the Poetry Page at www.lindaswift.net.

 

How did you go about getting published?

 I attended a conference in Missouri where the Kensington editor of a new line gave a program. I met her afterward and told her I’d like to write for that line and she invited me to submit something. I did and she accepted it and two more books from me for the same line.

 

Where do you do most of your writing?

 

In  both homes where I currently live, I have a room designated as my study.  It serves as guest bedroom also but when we have guests, I don’t have any writing time anyway. These rooms contain my computer equipment, a desk and chest filled with drawers of resource material and hard copy manuscripts, a comfortable swivel chair, books, a phone, and filing containers. And I sit near double windows for gazing into the distance from time to time.

 

Are you working on other things, if so what are they?

I am currently trying to finish the sequel to Maid of  the Midlands and also edit and revise other books and short stories I have in preparation for sending them out.

 

What do you enjoy most about your writing?

The whole process of creating stories, of making characters come alive on the page, of having a plot develop and fit together. And the joy of having my work read by other people whose responses are the incentive I need to continue the hard work of  getting these stories published.

 

Here are some links to linda: 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, Linda you have offered some wonderful advice.  I really enjoyed having you here today.  Please come back and visit

 

Walk in peace and harmony,

Melinda