Author interview no.35 with urban fantasy / paranormal writer Mary Ann Loesch

Welcome to the thirty-fifth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, directors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with urban fantasy / paranormal writer Mary Ann Loesch. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate the author further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here.

Morgen: Hello, Mary Ann. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Mary Ann: Like many writers, I’ve been writing from a young age. I dabbled in it through out high school and college, but it wasn’t until seven years ago that I really got serious about it. That’s right about the time my daughter was born, and I experienced a crazy burst in creative energy. Must have been all the hormones!

Morgen: Not having children, I don’t think I can attribute mine to my dog. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Mary Ann: I consider myself an urban fantasy writer who also dabbles in stories with paranormal elements. Occasionally, I will write other things, but I can always feel the creepy spirit or fantastical witch calling me back to them.

Morgen: I like my dark side too. What have you had published to-date? How much of the marketing do you do?

Mary Ann: I’ve published several short stories and my novel, Nephilim, will be coming out on July 18 through Lyrical Press Inc.  I’m also involved with two anthologies that will be available later this year, which I’m really excited about. One is called Red Reader #1 and features a funny, non-fantasy story called Stealing Jesus. The other is called All Things Dark and Dastardly and contains several of my darker short stories. Marketing is such a tricky thing! I find myself spending a lot of time on it. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who loves to write, but has a tough time taking the first step to connect with others. I always have the feeling that there isn’t much interesting about me so why would anyone want to know the facts and details of my life? However, as a writer, you have to let go of those fears and insecurities and learn to promote yourself.

Morgen: And you’ve let go here. Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Mary Ann: I currently do not have an agent. This is such a big question right now in the business. Just how important is that agent? Well, I just saw a whole series of Tweets on it that were from an agent stating exactly all the million things they do for writers. Ultimately, I think it depends on what you want as a writer. If you are looking to have the next best seller on the NY Times list, then yes, get an agent. They have connections to publishing houses that will assist you. They can negotiate contracts, edits, and publicity—all the things many writers don’t want to deal with. I do think the role of the agent is going to change in the next few years because so much is happening in the publishing industry right now. If you aren’t as concerned about the bestseller thing, many small presses will publish quality work without the author having an agent. And of course, there is the self-publishing route. No need for an agent at all in that scenario, though I feel it’s vital to have a professional editor look over your work before you self publish.

Morgen: I couldn’t have put it better myself. Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Mary Ann: Nephilim will be available as an eBook. It’s a new process for me so I’m not sure what to make of it yet. I have read a few eBooks and believe this is an exciting new avenue for publishing.

Morgen: Absolutely. It’s a hot topic at the moment (especially in the forums, on Twitter etc). Speaking of hot, how yummy is your cover? OK, back to business. Serious face, wipe the drool… What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Mary Ann: My first acceptance was for a short story I wrote a million years ago when I was in college. I still get that same thrill of excitement when a story gets accepted.

Morgen: Half a million in my case. Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Mary Ann: I’m pretty sure my middle name is rejection.

Morgen: A lot of writers clearly have cruel parents.

Mary Ann: At first, it was hard to take, but receive enough of them, and they suddenly stop being so personal. The ones I value are the rare letters that explain why they passed on a story or what didn’t connect with them. Those are the rejections you can learn from. I’m a big believer in constructive criticism.

Morgen: Me too. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Mary Ann: Currently, I’m working on a young adult novel set in the bayou of Louisiana. I have an editor who is slashing away at it right now with red ink.

Morgen: Me too, too. Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Mary Ann: Writing every day is a huge task. I try to do it, but sometimes life gets in the way. I do have a day job that keeps me busy so I write in the wee hours of morning when my family is still sleeping.

Morgen: I’m a morning person (Morgen means morning in German). What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Mary Ann: Writer’s block stinks! Oh how I wish I didn’t suffer from it, but from time to time, I do. It doesn’t last very long normally. Sometimes a good night’s sleep or just taking a break from the work helps. I’m so jealous of people who never face this particular stumbling block.

Morgen: Other interviewees recommending mixing writing topics. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Mary Ann: I use to never plot out my stories. I liked the idea of just writing and writing until it was done which could take a really long time. As I’ve progressed as a writer though, I’ve found that I work best with a short synopsis at my side. So I’ll write that out—it’s usually pretty rough—and then start working from there. When writing a novel, I write the first draft fast and furious.

Morgen: Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Mary Ann: Of course! I have pieces of work that should never see the light of day because they are so bad!

Morgen: I have a few of those although I’m hoping that with experience there’s some mileage in them. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life?

Mary Ann: Time. There is just never enough of it.

Morgen: Oh yes, I know that feeling. Are there any writing-related websites and/or books that you find useful and would recommend?

Mary Ann: I have to shamelessly plug my writing group’s blog All Things Writing. We cover a variety of topics designed to help writers. You can visit us at http://www.allthingswriting.blogspot.com.

Morgen: Shameless writing-related plugs always welcome. In which country are you based and do you find this a help or hindrance with letting people know about your work?

Mary Ann: I am based in the USA, specifically Texas. Nope. I do not wear a cowboy hat or boots. Or eat my young. Unless they are really bad…

Morgen: That’s funny. Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Mary Ann: I am on Twitter and Facebook. At first, I wasn’t sure how useful they were going to be, but as I got better at using them, I found them to be a great way to meet other people and exchange ideas. I think social networking is a must for writers. It’s a simple way to build up your courage and get the word out about your projects.

Morgen: Absolutely. If you don’t talk to anyone how will they know that you have something they may be interested in (but a mix of chat and plug is important, too much plug and you’ll lose their interest; I’m letting everyone off lightly so far as my books aren’t available yet) . Where can we find out about you and your work?

Mary Ann: You can find me at www.maryannloesch.com or follow me at Twitter (@maryannloesch) or Facebook me.

Morgen: You have a lovely-looking site. Thanks so much Mary Ann.

***

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the information. They do now (January 2013) carry a fee (£10 / €12.50 / $15) for the new interviews on this blog but everything else (see Opportunities on this blog) is free.

If you go for the interview, it’s very simple; I send you a questionnaire (I have them for novelists, short story authors, children’s authors, non-fiction authors, and poets). You complete the questions, and I let you know when it’s going to go live. Before it does so, I add in comments as if we’re chatting, and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

Alternatively, if you’d like a free Q&A-only interview, I now have http://morgensauthorinterviews.wordpress.com on which I’ve rerun the original interviews posted here then posted new interviews which I then reblog here. These interviews are Q&A only, so I don’t add in my comments but they do get exposure on both sites.

** NEW!! You can now subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app!

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E88JN0

or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E88JN0 for outside the UK **

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel, which is serialised on Novel Nights In!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.

For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback, take a look at this blog’s Feedback page.

As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do. I welcome critique for the four new writing groups listed below and / or flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays. For other opportunities see (see Opportunities on this blog).

The full details of the new online writing groups, and their associated Facebook groups, are:

• Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
• Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
• Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
• Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)

We look forward to reading your comments.

 

Author interview no.34 with historical novelist and poet Terry L White

Welcome to the thirty-fourth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, directors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with historical novelist / poet Terry L White. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate the author further. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here.

Morgen: Hi Terry. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Terry: I always loved reading, especially stories where women triumph in other times. Some of those early reads helped me to understand that I too had stories to tell and gave me the incentive to go ahead and try. Here I am 18 books later with three more in production. Who could ask for anything more?

Morgen: Absolutely. Most advice I’ve had within these blog interviews is to read (especially Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’). What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Terry: I have written mostly historical novels, with one how-to and a couple of volumes of poetry and short story collections. There was one suspense/mystery novel that I wrote on a dare. I hear it was pretty good, but I didn’t feel called to work in that direction. I love to read horror such as the books Robert McCammon and Stephen King write, and have written some short stories in that vein, but I am not sure I could sustain the genre for an entire book.

Morgen: What have you had published to-date? How much of the marketing do you do?

Terry: Wow. I have published a lot: A three-volume (The Last Priestess, Nazca Star,  Bride of the Condor) story about a priestess who serves in the temple of the Moon Goddess in pre-Colombian Peru; two volumes of short stories (Crazy Quilt and Random Apples), a couple of books of poetry (Runaway Hearts, Myth to Me), a novel of reincarnation (Ancient Memories), a five-soon-to-be-six volume set of novels based on the history of the Eastern Shore of Maryland that follows the stories of a family of women who live on the same plantation at some point during their lives… a how-to for event planning. There is a contemporary novel called Drama Queen Rules that makes me feel very hopeful about the future. I could go on….

Morgen: Please do. Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions and do you think they help with a writer’s success?

Terry: The Bride of the Condor series was nominated for an Eppie under the name of The Last Priestess and a couple of my short stories received editor’s choice awards. Did they help? They helped keep me on task and taught me not to doubt my powers and call to be a writer.

Morgen: Absolutely. There’s nothing quite like an ‘expert’ confirming your ability to spur you on. Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Terry: I have had agents without success. I think the right agent at the right time might be helpful, but publishing has changed so much and there are so many writers out there, a genie might be more useful!

Morgen: I’m hearing this a lot although no-one’s mentioned a genie before. Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? And do you read eBooks?

Terry: Yes, my books are also e-books. My publisher posts e-book files when she lists print copies on Amazon and other sites, so I don’t find it significantly alters the experience of being published. I spend so much time at the computer, I really prefer reading a real book. Don’t have a Kindle yet – still a starving artist!

Morgen: Starving after 18 books… oh dear. What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Terry: Gosh. The first story? That was Harvest Dance published in American Squaredance, a publication that did not print fiction, but they must have felt the story was pretty authentic! (I had worked in a square dance band as a bass player for years.) They paid me $125 for that story back in early 80s! That was a fortune back then. Connie Foster was the first publisher to “buy” a book. She was a pioneer in the e-book field with http://www.ebooksonthe.net and she accepted several of my books right off the bat. I didn’t know what to think. No one had heard of e-books at that time. She published nine of my books that first year! Connie sold her company to Arline Chase of during her final illness. (Mrs. Chase publishes pretty much anything I send her way – which doesn’t say I don’t try to make each story better than the last!) I am most thrilled when I hold a new volume in my hands, sit down, turn the pages and read. Then I sometimes wonder where the story came from.

Morgen: That’s the mystical side of writing that thrills me. Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Terry: Oh Boy! I received and burned a three-inch stack of rejection letters when a friend had a summer bonfire a few years back. I believe that NO does not mean that my work is bad – it just doesn’t fit someone’s list for one reason or another.

Morgen: Absolutely I’ve heard a top short story writer has destroyed hers but I prefer to see how far I’ve come. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Terry: Whew. I am working on the sixth in my Chesapeake Heritage Series. I pretty much followed a timeline with this series: Chesapeake Harvest is the story of Mary Charles, who comes to the colony as an indentured servant. Chesapeake Legacy is the story of Heron, a half-breed woman who is driven from the settlement when it became illegal for native persons to live in Eastern Shore towns. Chesapeake Destiny is Jane’s story. Set in the Revolutionary War period, it spotlights domestic abuse and the area’s history as the breadbasket of the war. Chesapeake Visions tells the story of Jewel, a blind woman who must learn to live without slaves after the Civil War. Vienna Pride tells the tale of Mary, a cannery girl who finds herself in a stalker’s scope during the troubling times of WW1. First Waltz is the story of Susie, who meets an Army private from upstate New York who is guarding German prisoners of war during WW2. I am also working on a pictorial history of the area with a well-known local historian and my third volume of poetry.

Morgen: I think I need a lie down. Do you manage to write every day? What’s the most you’ve written in a day?

Terry: I try, however the best laid plans oft gang awry… But it doesn’t matter how much one writes in a day. It could be just one sentence, if it is the right sentence. (I think Hemmingway or maybe Faulkner said that…)

Morgen: I’m not sure. Probably Hemingway but I’ve had a quick look online and couldn’t find anything. What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Terry: A writer’s block means something else is going wrong in my life and when I figure that out, the block usually goes away.  I spent several years as a newspaper reporter (and photographer!) at a small town daily and I figured out pretty quickly that if deadline is 9 a.m. you better be at your desk at 6 a.m. if you want to tell the stories that need to be told that day because if you don’t, the afternoon paper from the town down the road will scoop the news and your editor will have a fit. If you can write for a deadline, how can you give much credence to a writer’s block?

Morgen: There is that. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Terry: For me, a story ready to be told takes on a life of its own. I just sit down and take dictation.

Morgen: Me too, although I can’t remember the last time I used my dictation machine. Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Terry: For sure. Some of them were lost on the journey. Others have been re-written. Some hit the circular file.

Morgen: We call it the ‘round file’ in the UK. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life?

Terry: Marketing is hard for me. I wish I were better at it. It doesn’t seem to be the task I was called to do.

Morgen: Me neither but I think writers these days need to be resigned to marketing being part of their life. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Terry: First, there are no free rides. If you want to write, learn the rules and use them well – unless breaking them will make the story better. Buy a good grammar guide and commit it to memory. Write every day. Produce clean manuscripts. Your publisher is not going to fix anything, so your mistakes remain your mistakes. Don’t quit your day job.

Morgen: Does that mean that you haven’t? Wow. And what do you like to read?

Terry: I love Stephen King, John Saul, Robert McCammon, Ken Follett, Rutherford: people who write really quirky or deeply historical stuff.  I try not to read the same sort of book I am writing so I don’t accidently pick up anything that doesn’t belong to me! I read Gone With The Wind over and over, and all the novels my folks brought into the house during the 50s and 60s.

Morgen: I’ve not even yet watched the film. It’s being shown at my local pub soon but it’s on a Monday when I have my writing group. Are there any writing-related websites and/or books that you find useful and would recommend?

Terry: I found the most encouragement at the International Women’s Writing Guild conferences. You can learn more about this fantastic organization and all it offers at: http://www.iwwg.org/get-involved.

Morgen: Ooh that’s new to me, thanks. Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Terry: I am on Facebook and it picks up my blogs. Most comments come from people I already know, but my books are online via a number of vendors so I don’t always know if someone has purchased them.

Morgen: Where can we find out about you and your work?

Terry: There are many editions on my blog at: www.terrylwhitesblog.blogspot.com. I also have a presence at Amazon.com, etc. I try to post wherever there is an opportunity. Look for my work at www.ebooksonthe.net, Cambridge Books, Barnes and Noble, www.ereader.com, www.writewordsinc.com, Mobipocket, www.filedby.com, http://www.ask.com/web?q=Terry+L%2e+White&o=15116&l=dis&qsrc=2871,  http://www.midshorelife.com/article/meet-local-author-terry-l-white , http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?id=119738

Morgen: My goodness, I feel tired just looking at all your achievements. This is probably a silly question on reflection but how do you feel about being a writer?

Terry: I always wanted to write and spent years learning the craft. When I started, a lot of people thought I was crazy, and perhaps I was, but I loved writing and deep in my heart I knew it was what I was supposed to do with my life – no matter who said I was going to starve to death. More than 40 years later, I am still at it, and can’t imagine life without my work. I would encourage others to find their calling, it will make the world a happier place.

Morgen: Absolutely. I used to temp and would work with staff who used to complain about their jobs but do nothing about it but I’ve been in that position since then it’s easier said than done. Thank you so much Terry.

Author Terry L. White, was raised in the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania. The eldest of eight children, she dreamed of being a writer and made up stories to amuse herself and her siblings. Of European and Native American descent, she grew up with the family legends of being Abraham Lincoln’s relative; of ancestors arriving in the New World as indentured servants, and of abandoned coal mines that burned forever underground on the mountain overlooking her childhood home. Terry’s fascination with history, folk art and ways, and New Age philosophy provide her with much of the material she incorporates in her work. She has published hundreds of short stories, articles, poems and songs and more than a dozen novels.

***

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the information. They do now (January 2013) carry a fee (£10 / €12.50 / $15) for the new interviews on this blog but everything else (see Opportunities on this blog) is free.

If you go for the interview, it’s very simple; I send you a questionnaire (I have them for novelists, short story authors, children’s authors, non-fiction authors, and poets). You complete the questions, and I let you know when it’s going to go live. Before it does so, I add in comments as if we’re chatting, and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

Alternatively, if you’d like a free Q&A-only interview, I now have http://morgensauthorinterviews.wordpress.com on which I’ve rerun the original interviews posted here then posted new interviews which I then reblog here. These interviews are Q&A only, so I don’t add in my comments but they do get exposure on both sites.

** NEW!! You can now subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app!

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E88JN0

or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E88JN0 for outside the UK **

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel, which is serialised on Novel Nights In!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.

For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback, take a look at this blog’s Feedback page.

As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do. I welcome critique for the four new writing groups listed below and / or flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays. For other opportunities see (see Opportunities on this blog).

The full details of the new online writing groups, and their associated Facebook groups, are:

• Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
• Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
• Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
• Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)

We look forward to reading your comments.