Inquiry XVI: Stephen Swinburne

This busy Monday we are excited to welcome Children's Book Author, Stephen Swinburne.

Steve was born in London, England. When he was 8, he left England with his family and sailed on the Queen Elizabeth to New York City.

Steve holds a bachelor of arts degree in biology and English from Castleton State College, Vt. He has worked as ranger in a number of national parks.

He loves to travel and observe nature and wildlife. A safari in Africa, hiking in Scotland, monitoring sea turtles on a Georgia island, a winter trek through Yellowstone and watching shorebirds in New York have all led to book projects.

Steve is the author of Wiff and Dirty George, Ocean Soup, Whose Shoes, Armadilo Trail, and A Butterfly Grows, just to name a few! He lives in South Londonderry, Vermont, with his wife Heather and daughters Hayley and Devon.

EEM: Did you always want to be a writer?

SRS: No I wanted to be an adventurer, a marine biologist, and then in my teens, a rock star. I love being a writer but I still think a rock star would be pretty cool.

EEM: When you began writing, was it instant success and riches or did you find you had to work other jobs in order to continue your dream of being a writer?

SRS: It was NOT instant success. Even after my first book was published, it took many many years to achieve any name recognition. I have over 25 books published and I wish I had a nickel for every librarian who says, “I’ve never heard of you but it’s great to discover your books.”

EEM: What jobs have you held, current or in the past, to help sustain your writing career?

SRS:

I’ve worn lots of different shoes in the many jobs I’ve had in my life. I found my first job when I was nine years old. I wore old sneakers as a newspaper delivery boy. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, I’d wake early to roll up the newspapers, stuff them in my bicycle basket, and then ride around the neighborhood at breakneck speed. I’d throw the papers at people’s houses, hoping not to break any windows.

I wore grimy sneakers as a dishwasher, new sneakers as a busboy, and black shoes as a waiter. I yanked on hard-tipped boots when I drove trucks and laced up high-top sneakers when I made pizzas. I climbed ladders and painted houses in tattered running shoes. I gardened in sandals. Playing drums in a rock band, I wore cool-looking, pointy-tipped black and red slip-ons. When I was a National Park Service ranger, I wore sturdy hiking boots. When I helped sail boats, I wore deck shoes. In the years that I labored in an office brown wing tips adorned my feet.

Now I write for a living, and I wear whatever I feel like wearing on my feet. Some days I sit at my desk in slippers, and some days I wear wool socks. My feet might have flip-flops on or moccasins or nothing at all. No matter what my feet are wearing, they are always happiest when they are under my desk while I’m writing books.

One of the jobs that helped pay the bills and gave me a chance to write was photographer. If you can handle a camera and take photos, so many opportunities open up to you.

EEM: Which job was the most challenging or strange to you?

SRS: Working in the corporate world was a real challenge. I once had a job as a manager of financial and employee communications at an electric utility company. I managed to keep that job for over 7 years and never once felt like I was an electric utility employee. My head was always in children’s books.

EEM: Did your day job(s) allow you to write regularly? Or did you have to get creative to get those word counts in? What other effects did it have on your writing?

SRS: Once I was a waiter at the London Business School of Economics. I’d write poems on the scraps of paper I was meant to write orders on. You can always find time to write, if you want to. Get up early. Stay up late. Miss an hour of TV. Carve out an hour to write. Do it every day. Read Annie Lamott’s Bird by Bird, a great book on writing.

EEM: Have you ever based a loved protagonist or an evil villain on one of your co-workers? Wished you had?

SRS: No and No.

EEM: What are you working on now and is the process any easier than your first work?? If so, in what capacity (people noticing it, the writing itself, the confidence?)

SRS: I am writing a sequel to my first mid grade novel, Wiff and Dirty George. The Z.E.B.R.A Incident (Boyd Mills Press, Spring 2010). As this was my first novel after writing over 20 nonfiction titles, I’d say I’m still a newbie at novel writing. I love the challenge of developing characters and setting them on a journey and bringing them back. One of my favorite novels is The Hobbit. What a beautiful arc to the story.

EEM: Would you change anything if you could begin your writing journey over again?

SRS: I'd Begin writing my novels sooner in my writing career. Please check out my websites:

www.steveswinburne.com

www.oceansoupbook.com

www.wiffanddirtygeorge.com

EEM: Thank you, Steve! And everyone else, have a good week.

Inquiry XV: Kristin Nitz

Today I am pleased to welcome Kristin Nitz.

Kristin Nitz attempted her first novel in 5th grade. She attended Michigan Technological University to study electrical engineering while dabbling with writing on the side. Her first book was Fundamental Softball. Since that first book about Softball, Kristin has written Play By Play Field Events, Play By Play Track, Defending Irene, and Saving the Griffin. For Saving the Griffin, she won the Kentucky Bluegrass Award and was a nominee for the Georgia Children's Book Award and a preliminary nominee for the Mark Twain Award. Kristin is represented by the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. To read more about Kristin and her great books, visit her website at www.kwnitz.com

EEM: Did you always want to be a writer?

KN: I did always want to be a writer. I knew, however, that it would be extremely difficult to break in. So I decided to get a degree in electrical engineering and write on the side. I’m one of those strange people who think that Calculus is a thing of beauty.

EEM: When you began writing, was it instant success and riches or did you find you had to work other jobs in order to continue your dream of being a writer?

KN: I wasn’t an instant success. And I’m still really not at the point where I’d be able to support myself fully on my writing.

EEM: What jobs have you held, current or in the past, to help sustain your writing career?

KN: I spent some time working at a few different electronics firms and as a teacher at a technical college after I graduated from college. Later, I stayed home with my kids. I was just beginning to think about getting back in the work force when my husband had an opportunity to work in Italy for three and a half years. For me, that was a dream come true. He told me later that if I hadn’t been so relentlessly positive about the opportunity that he might not have decided to do it. I set two short stories, two articles and two novels in Europe. Since our kids attended the local Italian schools, I spent one more year at helping them adjust to life in the States before doing some work as a substitute teacher. After my soccer novel came out, a friend suggested that I consider teaching for the Institute of Children’s Literature. After checking over the course materials, I decided to do it. They laid out all the things that I’d had to teach myself.

EEM: Which job was the most challenging or strange to you?

KN: With substitute teaching, I could be with high school seniors one day and kindergartners the next. That was a shift! I generally found the kindergarten classes to be more frightening.

EEM: What was your favorite thing about this job?

KN: Interacting with lots of different kids.

EEM: Least Favorite?

KN: Teaching the music class with the child who had a very serious peanut allergy. He actually had his own mat to sit on and his own instruments to use. I always felt quite relieved when he and his class made it safely out the door.

EEM: Did your day job(s) allow you to write regularly? Or did you have to get creative to get those word counts in? What other effects did it have on your writing?

KN: When I was working outside the home, I typically wrote during my lunch break. I was just too tired at night. When I was parenting young children, I did most of my writing during naptimes or Sesame Street. Currently, I try to work on my fiction in the morning when I’m at my most creative. Then I dedicate afternoons to my students’ assignments. I tend to stress the basics like plotting and point of view, conflict and characterization, setting and scene-building. But I also do plenty of Nitz-picking when necessary on grammar, punctuation and formatting.

EEM: Have you ever based a loved protagonist or an evil villain on one of your co-workers? Wished you had?

KN: Oddly enough, no co-worker has ever inspired me in that way. But in general, people aren’t safe from me. In fact, two of my husband’s Italian co-workers had versions of themselves in SAVING THE GRIFFIN.

EEM: What are you working on now and is the process any easier than your first work?? If so, in what capacity (people noticing it, the writing itself, the confidence?)

KN: Currently, I’m revising the first novel that I ever attempted. While the bones of the plot are the same, I don’t think that it has two sentences in common with the original.

I spent a lot of time earlier this year working on the revisions for SUSPECT, a YA mystery that will be coming out October 1.

I used to study my favorite books for techniques on openings, closings and transitions all the time. Now I only need their help every once in a while.

EEM: Would you change anything if you could begin your writing journey over again?

KN: I wouldn’t change anything for myself. When you’re not a genius, luck is often as important as hard work. But here are two pieces of advice that I’ve carried with me since 1999 when I was fortunate enough to win the Missouri Mentorship with author Gary Blackwood:

It takes a lot of conflict to carry a novel.

There’s no room for deadwood in a novel. Everything has to contribute to plot, character, or setting.

EEM: Thanks Kristin!

Inquiry XIV: Penny Blubaugh

Today we are joined by fellow Gang-O and fellow VCFA-er Penny Blubaugh.

Penny Blubaugh is the author of the forthcoming book, Blood and Flowers as well as the already available, Serendipity Market!
She has lived in Illinois, Colorado and Texas. She has held an assortment of jobs, of which you will see more about below, but among them were grocery checker, department store clerk, Bank person, flight instructor, librarian and most of all, writer. She has been a writer nearly all her life and is represented by the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

EEM: Did you always want to be a writer?

PB: Since about age 12. I remember being on a family car trip to the Grand Canyon and writing in the back seat. Some mystery a la Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. But I kept putting serious writing off. (Even though one of my high school teachers seemed quite taken with my play on the discovery of malaria.) Mostly I’d try and stop and try and stop. It’s so easy to convince yourself that you can’t write and shove it off into a corner. Lucky for me I finally did realize that I was supposed to be taking the idea seriously!

EEM: When you began writing, was it instant success and riches or did you find you had to work other jobs in order to continue your dream of being a writer?

PB: Once I decided to really write, it took a long time to get some recognition. I’m one of those MFA people from Vermont College so I got some nice comments there, and a year after I graduated I won a short story contest . A few years after that I won a poetry contest. For real publishing, though, it took about ten years. My first novel Serendipity Market came out in 2009. The next one, Blood and Flowers, is due March 1, 2011.

EEM: What jobs have you held, current or in the past, to help sustain your writing career?

PB: The best job I’ve ever had was being a flight instructor. That was when I was still a dabble writer. The job I’ve held as a serious writer, and still hold, is as a librarian. I do reference, program planning and publicity, and Young Adult services. Being a librarian has also given me a chance to write articles about authors, and to write book reviews.

EEM: Which job was the most challenging or strange to you?

PB: Trust me, libraries are always strange.

EEM: What was your favorite thing about this job?

PB: Working with teens. They’re bright and interesting and just amazing.

EEM: Least Favorite?

PB: I dislike program planning, but it’s taught me some highly useful skills.

EEM: Did your day job(s) allow you to write regularly? Or did you have to get creative to get those word counts in?

PB: I’m using saved vacation days to get in one writing day a week, unless I’m on a deadline. Otherwise, I think more than I do. I also lead a teen writing group at work which is good practice for critiquing – for both their work and mine.

EEM: What other effects did it have on your writing?

PB: I’m pretty focused on that one day a week!

EEM: Have you ever based a loved protagonist or an evil villain on one of your co-workers? Wished you had?

PB: Nope. And I don’t think I ever will. The ones I don’t like I try to leave at work. The others are friends and I’m not sure I could do them justice.

EEM: What are you working on now and is the process any easier than your first work?? If so, in what capacity (people noticing it, the writing itself, the confidence?)

PB: My agent (yea Erin Murphy!) has my new novel about a circus. I told her it has the Lone Ranger, Tonto, German wheels, a traveling casino shrouded in mist, a dead woman in a red corset and lots of tea. While I’m waiting to hear about that I’m thinking about secret places, decaying buildings and underwater cities. We’ll see where, if anywhere, that goes.

As for the process – each piece is its own and each one is like starting all over again. Sometimes I feel like I don’t know anything, and other times I can rely on the knowledge that it is possible to actually write a novel because I’ve done it before. People noticing is great and makes you feel wonderful. It also, in its own way, makes you even more paranoid because then you have something you have to live up to.

EEM: Would you change anything if you could begin your writing journey over again?

PB: I’d get serious so much earlier!

EEM: Thank you Penny! Everyone else, have a great work week....

Inquiry XIII: Peter Salomon

Today we welcome Peter Salomon.

Peter Salomon graduated Emory University in Atlanta, GA with a BA in Theater and Film Studies in 1989 and earned his CICP (Certified International Credit Professional) designation from NACM (National Association of Credit Management), FCIB (An Association of Executives in Finance, Credit and International Business) and Michigan State University in 2006. But credit consulting is not all that Peter excels at!

A member of Mensa, he has served on the Executive Committee of the Boston area chapter of Mensa as the Editor of their monthly newsletter, The Beacon. He was also a Judge for the 2006 Savannah Children’s Book Festival Young Writer’s Contest. He is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and is a serious writer who is represented by the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

EEM: Did you always want to be a writer? If no, what was your initial dream and what led you to writing later?

PS: At one point, I thought I wanted to be a pediatrician but that passed; although even then, I was writing. It was simplistic, angstian poetry that left a great deal to be desired in the 'quality literary works of art' department. But, still, I spent all of my free time as a child either reading (anything and everything I could get my hands on) or writing. In high school is when I really started wanting to be a writer, but I didn't have a 'mentor' or anyone, really, who could guide me on that path. Today, there are so many websites and blogs and places to learn how to become a serious writer. So, I lost years that I look back on and realize how un-serious I was being, which I regret. I'm trying to make up for that now.

EEM: As a pre-published writer, what are some of the jobs that you do to help sustain your writing passion?

PS: At the moment I am a Certified International Credit Professional (a glorified collections agent) and that has led me to start my own consulting business for credit and collections. It is not, to say the least, the job I dreamed of having when I was a child. Actually, I have a BA in Theater and Film Studies (with a concentration in set design and construction for musical theater). I like to say that that has made me very good at Jeopardy; but, realistically, despite how much I enjoyed my time at college, it was, perhaps, not the wisest course of instruction for me. Unfortunately, the college I attended did not, at the time, have much of a creative writing program and it never occurred to me, when choosing a college, to look for that. In fact, I took one creative writing course at my college. After one session of reading our work out loud, the teacher, in front of the entire class, informed me that ,despite the fact that I was a talented writer, since I did not write historical fiction I was 1) not going to get an 'A' in his class and 2) not ever going to get published by a quality publisher. That was my one and only introduction to what passed for creative writing at my school. In addition to credit and collections, I do some freelance writing work (recently I have had an article published in Business Credit magazine and a cover story for a local newspaper).

EEM: Which job was the most challenging or strange to you?

PS: Since graduating college I have been a pharmacy technician, a legal assistant, Southeast Regional Administrator for a computer chain, and a cubicle dweller for various companies. For a while during the heyday of AOL in the mid-90s I worked for the Cartoon Network's section on AOL (keyword Cartoon) as both a moderator for their chat rooms and, most enjoyably, I answered viewer mail for almost a year (in character when required). That was the strangest and most challenging since it required a great deal of research sometimes to answer certain cartoon-related questions. I learned a great deal about cartoons. In addition, through countless hours watching the kids in the AOL chat rooms, keeping the peace, leading games with other moderators, and policing the chat it was a tremendous education in reaching and understanding the YA market that I write for.

EEM: How did you come across this job? Actively seeking or by chance?

PS: As usual for me, with all my day jobs, I have backed into them. As I mentioned, my educational background is not in Finance/Accounting. I was looking for employment back in the late 90's and a friend of my sister's was looking to hire someone to manage a small collections company he'd just purchased. I did that for a couple of years, after which I was 'qualified' to find more cubicle jobs in the Accounts Receivable field. Well, one cubicle led to another and here I am.

EEM: What was your favorite thing about this job?

PS: With the consulting I'm doing now, I'm hired by businesses to come in and help them streamline their in-house credit and collection departments, making them more efficient and more effective. I've discovered that I'm very good at this, despite the fact that, really, my heart isn't in it. Unfortunately, in today's economy, the budget to hire outside consultants has dried up across industries; which has left me relying more upon freelance writing, which, while paying far less, is, at least, far more emotionally rewarding.

EEM: Least Favorite?

PS: It is, always, difficult to collect monies owed (whether from consumers or commercial accounts) and that is doubly so in an economy such as we're currently living in. In trying to collect from consumers, it is never pleasant to be lied to or ignored or screamed at. In trying to collect from companies, while the screaming is gone, for the most part, being ignored is still part of the life.

EEM: Do your day job(s) allow you to write regularly? Or did you have to get creative to get those word counts in?

PS: As a consultant, I work from home so I have the time to write far more regularly than I have had in the past when I worked in a cubicle. For instance, a few years ago I brought my laptop to work everyday and during lunch hour, I'd speed eat my food and then spend the rest of the hour in my car, writing. It averaged out to about 40 minutes a day to write. Being at home means I need to balance work/writing/kids/house/etc. but it seems to be working, though financially it is, as usual lately, less than an optimal solution.

EEM: What other effects does it have on your writing?

PS: I'd like to say there's little crossover between finance and writing, but really I've managed to find some, such as the article I wrote for Business Credit back in April. Other than that, though, I tend to look at my credit/collections work life and my writing life as separate entities, though I have spoke with some marketing professionals who have recommended I not do that, since the ability to write is a tremendous asset in the business world.

EEM: Any fun stories from the job(s) that inspires your stories?

PS: Fun collection stories? While, yes, I do actually have some, most are either 'confidential' or relatively meaningless. Back when I was collecting on consumer accounts I received a Christmas card from a debtor who wanted to thank me for treating her so kindly. I still have that card, it meant that much. But it's not really inspirational on a writing basis.

EEM: Have you ever based a loved protagonist or an evil villain on one of your co-workers? Wished you had?

PS: Oh I have had some villains in some jobs. But, other than perhaps a scenario or two, it hasn't translated to my writing. I would think that is a greater reflection of the market I write for: Young Adult. I tend to use conglomerations of high school/college scenes or people more than adults for inspiration as that is what the market is.

EEM: Walking toward this goal to be a writer, what is some of the hardest things you have faced?

PS: Those moments working a day job where you realize 'I haven't written anything in days' and have no time to do so anytime soon. Free time is a tremendous luxury and not to be squandered. And time 'wasted' in a job you don't love is a difficult thing to deal with as it seems almost to be a personal insult, of sorts, on the writing aspect of my life.

EEM: Is it easy to keep the inspiration going?

PS: I've been writing since I was seven. I've written poems on napkins aat diners. I wrote a poem on a discarded prescription that someone left on a plane (I still have that one; it was entertaining to realize, years later when I became a pharmacy technician, that I wrote a poem on a birth control prescription...). Inspiration has never been the problem. Time, dedication, determination, consistency, voice: those have been, over the years, the problem.

EEM: Would you change anything if you could begin your writing journey over again?

PS: Yes, but perhaps even if I'd had the teaching and mentoring and education I most needed it still would have taken 4 practice books to find my voice enough to write the manuscript that finally resulted in signing with my agent. I wish I knew then what I know now, but that is a familiar lament to most people. If anything, I wish I had ended up in a career path that my day job would have included writing in some aspect but I've enough regrets as is to add to the list. The journey's led here: agented, working on revisions for a publishing house and writing each and every day. And isn't that the definition of writing happiness?

Well, at least it'll do until the book sells...

Awesome! Thanks Peter!

Inquiry XII: Rose Kent

Today we are joined by author Rose Kent.

Originally from Long Island, Rose spent much of her childhood writing poems and stories in Kings Park and in a cabin in Maine. Straight out of high school Rose entered the Navy. Later she honed her writing skills as a freelance journalist. She found her way into writing for kids after she adopted her own son Connor. To hear more about Rose Kent and her work go to www.rosekent.com.

EEM: Did you always want to be a writer? If no, what was your initial dream and what led you to writing later?

RK: I dreamed of many different grownup me’s. I wanted to be Batgirl, a firefighter, a pediatrician, an Olympic gymnast like Nadia Comaneci, and – believe it or not – a backup singer to Bobby Sherman. (He was that ‘70s heartthrob-singer whose face was always on Tiger Beat magazine.) I wrote about all of my dreams. Writing was the way I expressed these young girl wishes, the constant in my childhood, going back to when I first learned to form letters. It was also how I entertained myself and escaped.

EEM: When you began writing, was it instant success and riches or did you find you had to work other jobs in order to continue your dream of being a writer?

RK: I didn’t start my early professional life as a writer so I didn’t encounter instant success or juggling jobs. I attended the U.S. Naval Academy and, upon graduation, took a commission as a naval officer for five years. That was a tremendous learning experience – about the Navy and life. From there I entered corporate America and worked in public relations at Kraft General Foods, the folks who make blue box Macaroni and Cheese and Velveeta. Later, I did freelance writing for corporations and universities. Throughout these years, though, I always wrote stories and poetry on the side. It was after I started a family that I began working hard at the goal of publishing a novel for children.

EEM: Which job was the most challenging or strange to you?

RK: I’ve found challenge, satisfaction, and quirks in all the work I’ve done. Being on active duty in the Navy and spending some time aboard a ship was challenging. I can recall spending the summer during my senior (First Class) year as a midshipman at the Naval Academy aboard an amphibious assault ship. The ship was about to deploy so the crew spent weeks conducting readiness drills. It’s an enormous task to get a ship seaworthy, and I was so impressed with the crew’s dedication, both officers and enlisted. There was a drill for everything and a right and wrong way to do things. I remember we had to practice putting on a protective mask very quickly, in case there was a chemical weapon attack. It had to be put on my face precisely, in less than ten seconds, so the seal wasn’t broken. This was a humbling experience. It took me several attempts before I got mine on and secured. Thank goodness some seasoned sailors gave me extra help.

EEM: How did you come across this job?

RK: Remember that Village People song popular in the early 1980s that went,

“We want you, we want you, in the Navy?” I decided I wanted them too! Attending the Naval Academy and later serving in the Navy was a terrific experience. I was in one of the first classes with women and this presented unique challenges, but I’m grateful for it all. I learned so much about staying strong and focused. These were lessons that have served me well in writing novels, too.

EEM: What was your favorite thing about this job?

RK: I loved the esprit de corps, working with men and women who took such pride in their work and sacrificed so much for their country. Working with them made me a better officer, and I believe, a diehard patriot.

EEM: Did your day job(s) allow you to write regularly? Or did you have to get creative to get those word counts in?

RK: It was tough getting word counts in during my Navy days since I worked days and I was getting a master’s degree at night. I kept a journal – even when I was aboard ship. That way even if I didn’t have enough time to write stories I would capture the story ideas for a future time. I also believe that reflecting time – when you are actively thinking about your writing, whether it is scenes, dialogue, plot – also counts and I did that when I was working other jobs.

EEM: Any fun stories from the job(s) that inspired your stories?

RK: Serving in the Navy and working for a major food corporation both influenced my work. My time at Kraft General Foods made me appreciate the role that food plays in all our lives, not only the obvious in terms of nourishing our bodies but also nourishing our spirits. My first book, Kimchi & Calamari (HarperCollins publishers) is about a wise-cracking Korean adopted boy in an Italian-American family who jokes that he feels like a combo platter of kimchi and calamari, which is Korean and Italian food, so you can see the influence. And as a naval officer I got to work with many terrific senior enlisted personnel who held the rank “Chief.” Some could come across as crotchety and gruff, but underneath it they were always rooting for the sailors, and they were always dedicated to the mission. In tribute to them, I have a retired Navy chief in my newest book, Rocky Road (Knopf Books), which is about a girl who moves to upstate NY with her family to open an ice cream shop with the last of their savings. Here is the Rocky Road book trailer: http://vimeo.com/11357915

EEM: Have you ever based a loved protagonist or an evil villain on one of your co-workers?

RK: I think some of my characters are composites of people I have known but never one real person. I’ve always felt like I couldn’t take the soul of a real person and replicate it in fiction because I couldn’t completely understand their ways or inner workings, and I need to do that when I create a character.

EEM: What are you working on now and is the process any easier than your first work? If so, in what capacity (people noticing it, the writing itself, the confidence?)

RK: I’m in the midst of writing a middle-grade novel about eleven-year-old Mimi, a petite stubborn redhead who longs to be good at something and decides to set a world record. I’m having a ball writing this because this character is quite unpredictable and unconventional. I’d love to boast that the writing process has gotten easier, but the truth is, each story is a mountain to climb. There are comfortable, even pleasant, stretches of writing along the way, and there are steep ascents when the words don’t come or plot problems set in. I liken it to raising children: no two are the same, you lose sleep from all of them, it’s hard work, and it is worth every bit of the effort.

EEM: Would you change anything if you could begin your writing journey over again?

RK: I think we are all passengers on our writing journeys, not necessarily driving them. To change the past significantly would change the writing that we produce, and I wouldn’t want to do that. I will say that I wish I had done more of what I try to do now: to celebrate each small success. Sometimes that means finishing a chapter, getting through a first draft, sending a manuscript off to an editor, whatever. Toast the glass or have some chocolate! We all get caught up in the worry mill. What if I can’t finish this draft? What if an editor doesn’t like it? Will it get good reviews? Will I market it enough? Worry never helps create writing. It’s like adding a fifty-pound pack on our backs as we climb the mountain.

EEM: Thank you for taking the time to answer these interview questions!

RK: Thank you, Erin! I believe we learn so much from listening to fellow writers, and your blog allows us to do this. It takes a village to raise a writer too, so thanks to all in this village. And to those looking for inspiration to finish that chapter, that first draft, or to finally send something out to an editor, I say go for it. Believe!

INquiry XI: Rita Williams-Garcia

Today we welcome prolific author, Rita Williams-Garcia

Rita is the author of seven award-winning novels including Jumped, Like Sisters on the Homefront and Every Time a Rainbow Dies. She continues to break new ground in young people's literature with her latest work, One Crazy Summer. Known for their realistic portrayal of teens of color, Williams-Garcia's works have been recognized by the Coretta Scott King Award Committee, PEN/Norma Klein Award, American Library Association, and Parents' Choice, among others. She recently served on the National Book Award Committee for Young People's Literature, and she sponsors a short story contest for young writers. Read more about Rita and her work at www.ritawg.com.


EEM: Did you always want to be a writer?

RWG: Pretty much from the crib. As a girl I loved making up stories. I’d quit a game of kickball to go off and daydream. This didn’t exactly endear me to my sister and brother or friends but once a scene or idea popped into my head, I’d want to see it through. When I was twelve I found The Writer’s Market and The Writer’s Handbook and a lot of rejection. I felt like a writer. It was great.

EEM: When you began writing, was it instant success and riches or did you find you had to work other jobs in order to continue your dream of being a writer?

RWG: A cabin in the woods with a typewriter. A Pulitzer Prize. One million dollars. Bookshelves filled with works by Rita Williams. Then I’d open that rejection letter. Thank goodness I knew rejection early on. I sold a story to Highlights Magazine at 14 and a short story to Essence Magazine (never published) while in college. But the novel that I’d written in college would languish eight years before it got whipped into total submission. In the meanwhile, I studied dance in the heart of New York City at Phil Black’s dance studio and at Alvin Ailey’s while I auditioned for shows. “Just let me be good enough to make the next cut,” was my mantra. I never thought I’d land a job. My boobs were too big for my then smallish frame, and I couldn‘t sing. I just wanted to be good enough to audition.

EEM: What jobs have you held, current or in the past, to help sustain your writing career?

RWG: I was tempted to audition for a semi-nude dance gig on a cruise line, but changed my mind. Shortly after, I answered an ad in the NY Times for an office assistant at a company that created software for advertisers and media. In exchange for low pay, I asked for time off to audition and to use the company typewriters before and after office hours to rewrite my novel. Even though it was office work I wore pants to avoid slips and nylon stockings. Dancers didn’t wear slips, girdles, and pantyhose--only church ladies and office workers. I refused to buy a coffee mug because my stint as “office worker” was temporary. Hah! I met a man, got married, had children, a series of promotions, got my MA in Creative Writing, and even managed to write and publish five novels while under the employment of the same company. So much for temporary.

EEM: What was the most challenging thing about this job?

RWG: My company had a strange way of promoting. It wasn’t so much a promotion but a piling on. “Since you’ve handled that responsibility, we’ll give you more in addition to what you‘re doing now.” In spite of being a software systems company, there was little development for in-house technologies, so I created my own systems to perform my job. During data releases to our international clients, I worked until the wee hours of the morning and had to be on site early morning to deal with issues. Although I was writing my novels, I didn’t have time to be an author. Besides write, and rewrite, I had not a clue what authors did. I couldn’t have named ten current authors in the YA or children’s book world. Jackie Woodson. Walter Dean Myers. Bruce Brooks. Virginia Hamilton. It all got murky after that.


EEM: What was your favorite thing about this job?

RWG: I enjoyed teaching myself database management systems. Problem solving, tracking “cause,” and ruling out were fun to me. This can only happen if that happened first. These are symptoms of those types of problems. Back then, working the logic centers of my brain released endorphins. Now I struggle to remember which book I meant to grab from the bookshelf.

EEM: Least Favorite?

RWG: My least favorite part of my job was sitting in meetings and listening to projections. Not that it was boring, but that the plans and projections were always scrapped or set aside to deal with “real world” issues. Why not start with those to begin with? Only when I write do I enjoy sitting still.

EEM: Did your day job allow you to write regularly? Or did you have to get creative to get those word counts in? What other effects did it have on your writing?

RWG: I was allowed to come in an hour later, which gave me a relatively smooth train ride to get some work done. I used my vacation and personal days for any author appearances. In some ways my job was actually supportive of my writing career--especially co-workers who had watched me from those early typewriter days. However, the stress of my job was tremendous. I spent a good deal of my energy thinking about work related problems and of course, doing the actual work. When I slept, my dreams were related to work. After 25 years with the company I had to pack up my coffee mug and resign.

EEM: Have you ever based a loved protagonist or an evil villain on one of your co-workers? Wished you had?

RWG: Nah. I kept my writing self separate from my day job self. A funny thing happened about ten years ago. I was in Bryant Park writing during my lunch hour. I get into a rhythm when I write and once I’m “in” I don’t notice the world around me. When I came back to the office, two co-workers approached me. They told me they saw me in the park writing but were afraid to say hi because they weren’t sure it was me. Apparently my face changes when I write.

EEM: What are you working on now and is the process any easier than when you started out?? If so, in what capacity (people noticing it, the writing itself, the confidence?)

RWG: I’m writing a gaming novel. It’s the same as my other work in that it gives my mind something fun to do. It has many challenges built in as I imagine deeply and work through each one. But I’m afraid what will be noticed is that it’s a different work, a different genre, when in actuality all of my work is different from each one. Still, I’m a long way from the slew of rejections. I still get them, but I also have published work. It also helps that I work part time for the VCFA Writing for Children and Young People MFA. Working with other writers forces me to articulate what I know. The biggest perk is having more time to be a writer. Think about writing. Daydream about my characters.

EEM: Would you change anything if you could begin your writing journey over again?

RWG: I’d program myself to be more natural about the state-of-being verb. Seriously.

I used to say I should have studied Communications and Creative Writing as an undergrad instead of Economics (which then morphed into a Liberal Arts degree). The jobs I tried to get after college were copywriting for advertising agencies and editorial for magazines. Today I’d be a creative director on Madison Avenue or an editor for The Utne Reader or Knitter’s World. Or, I should have gone to Hollywood to write sitcoms (I used to study the breaks and beats as a kid) or crime serials. Truth is, if I had a paying creative job when I got out of school I wouldn’t have clung to my serially rejected novel. I think I’m working the job I’m meant to have.

EEM: Brilliant! Thank you so much, Rita!