NYT Best-Selling Author Taylor Stevens Follows Up Her Hit Novel With a New Thriller; Shares Her Secrets on Book #2 With Us

When a writer of Taylor Stevens' caliber comes to visit my blog, I get happy. It's no small feat to have a book on the NYT Bestseller List, so I tend to listen and gleen what wisdom I can for my aspiring novelist readers. (The last interview I did with her still shows as one of my top most popular posts.) And for her to visit me again, with book #2? I'm beyond thrilled! Taylor sat down to answer my questions--how do you make the second book as good as the first? And she reveals the surprises--what she's learned since the success of the bestselling novel. Is it wine and roses and whirlwind press junkets? Here's our conversation: 

Your follow up book to the NYT bestselling book "Informationist" was called "the best thriller of the year" and "master of the genre". Can you tell us about "The Innocent"?

What makes it so special and unique?

In THE INNOCENT, Vanessa Michael Munroe is approached by a group of cult survivors—each one harboring an ulterior motive—to infiltrate the environment in which they were born and raised, and rescue a kidnapped child. People ask me a lot about my childhood, and this was as close as I could get to writing about it in a fictional format. Although the characters and experiences in THE INNOCENT are not specifically mine, as far as I know, it’s the first mainstream thriller to invite the reader to see behind the closed doors of the same cultic environment in which the author grew up.

Can you tell us about writing and marketing the sequel to a bestseller? Did you feel more pressure to have it "perfect" and "top the charts"?

Because THE INNOCENT is a follow-up, I didn’t expect it to have the same level of commercial success as THE INFORMATIONIST, but I did feel immense pressure to meet reader expectations—especially because THE INNOCENT is a very different book from the first. That said, I feel that those who loved INFORMATIONIST because of Michael Munroe as a character will enjoy this story just as much, if not more, because ultimately, it’s a continuation of her journey.

The Austin Chronicle said this book was more autobiographical than the first--do you agree? How so? Was it "painful" to write?

I’ve come to terms and made my peace with my unusual childhood, so although drawing upon it wasn’t necessarily easy, it also wasn’t as difficult as it otherwise might have been.

Misinformation abounds in regards to my life, and The Children of God in general, so even though THE INNOCENT is fiction, it was important to me to keep as close to the truth as possible. But that created a problem, because a lot of real life is very mundane. Even in cults. And staying true in this sense can be limiting—especially when you’re trying to write an edge-of-the-knife thriller. This, combined with the very personal nature of the material, is what made writing THE INNOCENT difficult, but I’m happy with the end product. Now when people ask me about what it was like inside the Children of God, I can point to this book.

When do you write...do you have a schedule or whenever the muse shows up? What is your BIGGEST challenge in writing, and how have you come to terms with it?

I typically write on a schedule because my muse is pretty stubborn, and on most days just won’t show up. I have a tendency to procrastinate over hard stuff, and since creating in writing—the exact point where making stuff up crosses making it sound good on paper—is hard, I procrastinate a lot. A lot. I’m learning to understand my triggers so that I can find ways to deal with procrastination productively—ways that don’t involve burning hours reading random stuff on the Internet. It’s a work in progress.

What piece of advice would you like to give aspiring authors?

I figure most aspiring authors probably know more about the actual mechanics of writing than I do, but writing well is only half the equation in publishing. Understanding the industry is equally vital, and that’s the part I tend to point people toward.

What have you learned about the business SINCE the books have come out? What do you wish you had known beforehand?

I’d never read an online book review before THE INFORMATIONIST published. I had no idea how much viciousness is out there, or how often material is interpreted differently from author intent, or that much would be projected into it (or onto the author), or that the work could be deemed“contrived” when details fell outside the reader’s realm of possibility, and so forth. It made me a little gun shy for awhile, and I do tread more carefully now—explaining things that I’d previously assumed people would research if they questioned. This is the nature of the business, but if I’d had some awareness of it going in, I would have been better emotionally prepared.

Have you finished book 3 in the series? What stage are you at with that manuscript? Is it as good as the first two?

I am finished with book three—gratefully—it took me twice as long to write as I expected that it would. Those who’ve read it, and whose opinions I trust, tell me that THE DOLL is the best yet. The manuscript is currently in the hands of my editor and we’ll soon be going through the editorial process to make it as good as it can be.

 

Thank you so much Taylor for joining us. I wish you continued success! Thank you Kris, you too!

Business advice via a 9-year-old

My little nine-year-old actress and singer decided to set up a spot in the house for autographs. You see, she's been short on funds, so she figured this would be a quick way to score some cash. She found a bin, put one of her favorite blankets on it as the tablecloth, and put up a sign that said, "Autographs: $1." And she sat. And waited. And waited. Her dad was busy taking down the outdoor Christmas lights, and her brothers breezed past her, laughing. Feeling sorry for her, I asked for an autograph.

With youthful optimism, she said, "Maybe another day I'll get more business."

"Awww, sweetie," I said. "It looks like you've learned a business lesson here. You need to create a product or service that there's demand for."

"Huh?" she said.

"Like remember when you and your friend painted me and her mom's nails? Every mom around wants pretty nails. You filled the need, and you made some money, if I recall."

VOILA. You know how many times our own answers to questions are right inside of us? This advice I gave my daughter was exactly the words I needed to hear, as I'm plotting 2012 business strategy.

Find the need. Find what editors really want for their publications. And then provide them your service.

Simple enough?

Writers Reveal 7 Top Goals for 2012

What’s your #1 goal this year? Last year, I asked this questionto some of my favorite writers, and they answered. This year’s no different. I went to writing colleagues I trust and admire.  What’s your top goal, I asked them. And as I anticipated, it’s a solid bunch of pros: they’re ready for 2012, and more focused than ever.

 So, what are writers about this year?  

No fear. “Something tells me I’m into something good…”

courtesy of Freephotobank.com

Cut and print.  No surprise here, but many writers shared their main goal: to finish and publish.

Author Kelly James-Enger, whose book Six Figure Freelancing and blog are musts, says while she grows her ghostwriting and coauthoring business, she wants to finish and publish her latest novel and to work on developing more passive income, primarily through e-books.  “If I had to choose my top goal, it would be to develop a series of e-books for readers.”

Freelance writer Steve Sears aims to finish the first draft of a personal memoir by mid-year. Author Debbie Alferio says she plans to “finish and hopefully publish  the manuscript for the third book in my Forever Love series. I’ve kept my readers in suspense long enough!”

Diversify. We’re all about kicking it up a notch, and author and writing coach Christina Katz says she wants to “take my writing career to a whole new level, exactly what I teach others to do, and ignore critics, champion my students and other people I respect, and basically  mind my own business so it can continue to grow my career skills.” Katz is excited about rolling out her best tools for writers and still keeping up with her free stuff, such as The Prosperous Writers newsletter, the Writer Mama Every Day in May Book Giveaway, and class scholarships. “Folks should watch my blog for less blah-blah and more informative posts that are quicker to read and easier to digest,” she adds.

Be a better writer. “A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist told me one time, ‘Get rid of the good stuff--keep only the best stuff,’ and that was really about the best writing advice I ever received. So, I guess my goal is to be more substantive and creative when I write,” says writer-blogger Dave Meyer.

Be selective and strategic, so you can wage the war on the elusive work-life balance. Freelance journalist and teacher Susan Johnston--whose site is another must for writers (and one I did a 2011 guest post on accountability partners) --says: “I have a tendency to over-commit and wind-up stressing myself out to meet all of my deadlines. Then something else comes up and instead of resting, I jump head-first into the next project. My goal is to think more strategically about the projects I accept and negotiate longer deadlines or higher rates where possible so if things come up, it’s not as stressful.”

“Rather than whipping out quick filler fluff articles,” says blogger and publicity pro Kim Urig, “I’m going to focus on spending more time sending out queries for better paying publications. I’d rather say that my efforts netted me more than coffee at a fancy coffee shop. No more penny ante writing.”

Watch the clock. The battle of procrastination was often cited, even by NYT bestselling author Taylor Stevens. As her novel The Informationist soared to the top of the charts in 2011, she knew her weak spots. “Surfing randomly through news articles is my favorite procrastination device, and I waste far too much time doing it. My top writing goal is to spend less time online, and more time writing.”

The art of promotion.  C. Hope Clark, the editor of FundsforWriters.com, looks forward to her series of mystery novels being published. “The top goal for 2012? Promoting the mystery novels: that means marketing the first, editing the second, and completing the third. Since I have a publisher, I darn well better make the novels a priority,” she says.

Nurture not nature. Writer, blogger and young adult writing teacher Mary Jo Campbell named 2012 the “year of nurturing.” She commits to nurturing her mind, creativity, dreams, and setting clear and realistic goals to nurture her writing: “Writing.Every.Single.Day.”

As I head into my third year of fulltime freelancing, I'm still enjoying it, though I have experienced frustrations with some clients paying very late (who hasn't dealt with this?) But overall, I'm moving forward, though, and gaining momentum, as I am still doing what I love: award-winning work on feature articles for magazines. I also "won" Nanowrimo this year and had my 50,000 word manuscript certified. I also signed on to be a humor columnist for www.Sharewik.com this year, and it's been great fun, as I was even able to dodge an earthquake, and live to tell about it! In 2012, I plan to work more strategically, writing for national consumer and trade magazines, and I hope to cultivate my index card file full of story ideas, which beg to come out of the box and come to fruition. What about you? 

May you have a productive new year, my writer friends. May you write well, listen, learn, cull, discover, nurture, teach, and... enjoy. All my best wishes!

Hearing the Person Next to Us in the Holiday Line

National Christmas Tree, 2010, in Washington, DC

I was in a hurry. It’s 2 weeks to Christmas, I’m in the middle of an article assignment and a humor column, reading a client’s memoirs, editing my first draft of a novel, not to mention the need to check on about 5 queries to editors, and I was now in the obligatory holiday post office line. Read: I resented the errand none of us enjoy--the long line to mail the Christmas packages and cards.

I  watched as the postal clerk totaled my packages and cards to $50.  I sighed.

I asked her if I could I go first class instead of priority mail, to save me a few bucks? She said she’d retotal, but it wouldn’t amount to much difference. I debated what to do—send things cheaper, but not assured by Christmas, or faster?

The rest of the line sighed.

I chose the faster route, fearing a beheading.

 I checked my phone for the time as she was swiping the Master Card. There was still a few minutes where I could pick up an item I had ordered as a Christmas present. But the holiday traffic on the main drag was bad, so I was calculating how long that errand would take?

Plus, I was now standing at the mail slot posting stamps on 80 cards.

It is then when she approached me. (Or rather, she approached the mail slot.)

Shuffling, elderly, with a raincoat on and a scarf wrapped around her head, wearing an intense look on her dark brown eyes, she yelled out to no one, “How am I supposed to know which slot these all go in?” She was clutching addressed cards.

“Pick any one,” I barely looked up.

“Well, the other day I stood here and put each one in the out of town slot or the local slot and it took forever,” she said.

“They’ve taken those labels down,” I said, as I pointed. “I think you’re good if you use any of them.”

She smiled at me, and instantly released her burdens. (For some reason,  people tell me things. All the time. I suppose this is because I look approachable? I’m somewhat disappointed I don’t look like an intimidating Miss America, but whatever.)

The thing is, I didn’t want to be in a discussion at the moment. There is no time when you are just trying to be a good little holiday citizen.

“You know what happened to me?” she asked.  I looked down at the stamps I was putting on the cards. I hope this isn’t too long, I told myself.

“In 1998 I broke my ankle in a million places and they put a screw in my ankle,” she said.

“Oh that’s terrible, I’m sorry,” I said. "Must've been painful."

“You think that’s terrible? Well it’s never been right since then. I have to use a cane.”

I couldn’t help it, but I had to ask a question here. “You’ve suffered that long?”

“Yes!” she said. “And I got arthritis now. And the arthritis filled up the hole where they put the screw!”

“That’s awful,” I said.

 “And so I walked into the doctor’s office yesterday and asked for my Percocet and he wouldn’t give it to me. You know, it’s because of all those addicts.”

“Yeah,” I said. And though I had no time for it, I kept the conversation going. “I tried to get sinus pills the other day and they had to write down my ID, because of all the meth addicts who crush up the sinus pills.”

“Oh I know, honey, isn’t it awful!” I was now a honey. She continued to talk.

“That doctor has no idea what it’s been like for me, all this time. And I couldn’t get my cane today. Oh sweetie, things are just awful.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I sure hope the new year is better for you.”

“I do too. Merry Christmas sweetie, and you take care of yourself, will you? Happy new year.” And she was gone, as quickly as she came, leaving me with the inevitable questions: How can we help people in chronic pain? And at it's more basic level--was she addicted to Percocet?

Then, I put the questions aside. My envelopes were stamped. It was a good reminder that no matter how busy I am during the holidays, I've got to remember to validate the person next to me.

Let someone know you hear them. You hear their struggle. Because in validating another, we can unearth that part of ourselves that we need to open up. That could be us standing there one day with a cane and a hole filled with arthritis that only Percocet can fix. We're  all just people trying to get through the post office lines. 

Really, that’s the only kind of present we can offer year-round: the gift of our attention. If only for a moment.

Though if someone can give me the gift of a 25 hour day, I’ll take it….

When romanticism and reality intersect: 7 tips for surviving Christmas mobs in NYC

The danger of being in the creative industry: what you visualize in your head is not the same thing as what exists. Writers fall prey to this hazard quite easily: remember the beach house in Maine where you planned to spend your days blissfully writing? Didn't quite materialize, did it?

So you've dreamt of a perfect New York City Christmas, the kind where you waltz down the street with your laptop after having written a story that your agent MUST. HAVE. NOW. AND. PUBLISHER. WILL.PAY. TOP. DOLLAR. FOR. Your senses are fully engaged at this time of the year-- you can smell the cut trees. They smell a heavenly form of evergreen, and you can hear Sleigh Bells in the distance.

Call it too-many-movies-set-in-NYC-itis, but the reality is, it's not going to be exactly what you pictured. Here are 7 tips when visiting the Big Apple at the busiest time of year.

1. "The 5 Cabbies You Will Meet." You know how characters in the Christmas movies quickly hail a cab? It's easy and pain-free depending on what languages you know. In reality, you will stand with your hand up for minutes with yellow cabs flying by you. Only a guy in an unmarked car will stop and ask you if you want to get in. This is a trick! He is either a vice cop looking for hookers and you shouldn't have worn heels, or he is a serial murderer. You will be wise and say no, you're waiting for a MARKED cab, one with taxicab looking stuff in it, but your tired mother and daughter will head in blindly, necessitating you to rescue them from an imminent Christmas kidnapping, the kind that can only occur on a Christmas Lifetime Channel movie. The cabbie will say, "Where you go, ladies?" They will tell him, and he will say, "No can do, sorry. You're too far. There's too much traffic." This is when he will kill you, but you are too busy wondering isn't this what cabbies are supposed to do--fight traffic? You will push your mother and your child out of the moving vehicle.

2. DVR/TiVo the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Tree. You will not be able to get near the Rock tree. It is mobbed. Your best bet is the television. Look closely at the Today Show and see if you can find it in the background. It is beautiful. It's just that you won't get close enough to touch it or smell it, and it's only available to you through zoom lens on the camera. 3D glasses are also suggested.

3. "People are strange, when you're a stranger." The romantic couples walking happily arm in arm, madly in love, have grown into old married couples bickering over who's supposed to put up the lights --and their precious little bundle of joy is pushing his own stroller, about to run you over. You will not enjoy having this family up against you as you attempt to move in the several-city-block stampede at all the tourist spots. People are coughing heavily and hacking on you. You will need antibacterial lotion as well as a can of Lysol.

4. Patience is a virtue. The women's bathroom line to Macy's is approximately 5,000 women long, or the wait of an average pregnancy. (If you are pregnant, though, you will not be able to move up in line. How do we know you don't have a basketball hidden under your top?) However, Macy's is beautifully decorated, which you will be able to note as you are suffering, er, waiting. Their holiday music is quite joyful. You can't hear it, though, because the sound of the flushing toilets will drown it out.

5. You will shell out money for things you didn't think possible. The mothers and daughters at American Girl getting the doll's hair done far exceeds the number of doll stylists, necessitating the line you will be standing in, pondering why you are spending $20 to get a DOLL's hair done, and another $15 to get the DOLL's ears pierced. You will be sure that your sons would have been happy to take a hammer and nails and pierce the doll themselves, free of charge.

6. Be careful of where that lap has been. The only Santa you will find in Times Square will be the creepy Freddy Krueger one you do not want your child around. Instead, you will find a life size bowling pin character, and ask your child to stand next to it and smile. After she does, you will note that the helper is telling your child that the nearby bowling alley is a great place to drink.

7. Travel with a porn slang dictionary. Please note that when you see the gigantic sign "PUPPIES," do NOT point this out to your child and lead them over to admire the window display. Apparently, it does not mean baby dogs. It is an adult establishment, and at deadline, this reporter has yet to figure out exactly what the sign meant.

And remember all of this is tempered by two things:
1. The look of joy on your daughter's face discovering Christmas in New York.
2. The feeling of satisfaction when you discover the perfect bagel really does exist, and is best enjoyed on an early Sunday morning on the upper East Side.#
Kristine Meldrum Denholm is the humor columnist for Sharewik.com. For her columns, see here.

What I learned from Nanowrimo: 4 words

I did it! Coming in at roughly 52,000 words, I've written my 2nd novel. Of course, as it is my first draft, much re-writing, editing and revising needs to be done. But: I. did. it. The National Novel Writing Month (NanoWriMo) board certified my word count and gave me a certificate and this matching web badge.

More importantly, here's what I learned through 30 days of reckless writing abandon:

Perfectionism stops us cold.

How many times in your life have you said: "I'm going to write a book." And did you? Here's why you didn't. You may have sat down to write it, came up with a few chapters and then decided it wasn't good enough, and never continued with it. Re-reading it, you saw that the muse wasn't cooperating--the words were paltry and merely adequate.

Or maybe you wrote the story in your head, but you didn't want others seeing it, for fear they will mock you.

Or maybe you were on the losing end of a dysfunctional relationship: you gave all, but your best wasn't good enough. Your manuscript ate you alive. You hated it. You broke up with it.

Perfectionism keeps us from going forward. I can't tell you how many times I wrote a chapter, only to be horrified that the words weren't worthy, not "good enough."

That's not the point of Nanowrimo. Nano lets your art out of your head, and tells your inner editor to shut up, or you will never get this done. You write, and you keep on writing, until 50,000 words have been reached.

NOW is when the work starts. You may never want it to go anywhere, or you may decide you can turn this into a readable manuscript someday. The point is, the first draft is done. You were successful, a "winner." You didn't let the self-editor have her way with you. You wrote through it all: the days where you had nothing in your head but a need for a strong coffee.  You wrote through those ugly first chapters, which you're convinced are so boring that you could cure anyone's insomnia. You wrote through the climactic scenes, only to realize that there are some serious logistical issues, like your main character needs to catch a ferry boat but it's 2 am (but you had a blast writing it anyways.)

Remember that Carly Simon anthem: "I haven't got time for the pain"? I haven't got time for the inner editor to destroy me. My friends, I got a novel written in 30 days, one that I can at least start to work with. No more excuses. No more "someday I'll write a novel."

And now it's time to let the inner critic out ("Someday I'll revise this novel...")

Goodbye perfectionism. There's no room at the inn today!

Writing a book in retirement: An interview with Susan Boyd on how she wrote Secrets of the Charles

When I was with ATF's press office, I worked with some outstanding people in some extraordinary times. One of my colleagues, and later my supervisor, Susan McCarron (now Susan Boyd) was an intelligent, excellent professional, devoted to our bureau. When I recently heard she had written a novel, I got in touch with her to hear about her writing experience. Here's our interview. 

Can you tell me a little bit about your background, and how you used your knowledge of law enforcement in this book? And of course, can you tell us a little bit about the book?
I retired after over thirty years with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), where I started as a field inspector. During my career, I held supervisory and management positions both in field offices and in headquarters, including ATF's Public Affairs Office through the aftermath of Waco and the investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing. Working in a law enforcement environment, the unique office atmosphere and interaction between employees can't help but rub off — the assertive personalities and office shenanigans to break tension. Interview techniques, including body language, are an integral part any investigation.

Secrets of the Charles is the story of three generations of women solving a cold case murder. The book starts when a teenage Jack O'Shea witnesses his mother, Julia's, corpse by the Charles River in Boston. Over fifty years later, Jack's high school sweetheart (Kate), their daughter (Lilith), and grand-daughter (Alexa) work with two police detectives to uncover the truth to murder. They follow the few clues left in a dusty evidence box, Kate's recollection of her young life with Jack, and Lilith's recurring nightmare to piece together the secrets, lies, and dreams of families intertwined in Julia's life and death.


What made you decide to write this book?
Like so many people, I felt the urge to write for years, but couldn't find the time until I retired. The story line emerged from an experience when I was 14. I was a volunteer with the Red Cross in Charleston, WV, when someone came up with the brilliant idea (note sarcasm here) to load a bunch of teenaged girls into a station wagon and take them to the state insane asylum to sponsor a picnic for the patients. After a tour of the first floor, we came across a teenaged boy sitting in a catatonic state on a side porch. One of the girls knew him from high school, and told us his story. He was by the Kanawha River in Charleston when he saw police activity. The police were pulling a body from the river — his mother. I never knew his name, the circumstances of his mother's death, or what happened to him. So, as writers will do, I made it up.

Did you plot out the storyline ahead time, or let the muse dictate?
I pretty much let the muse dictate my stories. In fact, I didn't figure out who committed the murder until I had written about half the book. Of course then I had to go back and amend the story line a bit.

Did you write everyday? Many writers stick to a schedule...did you feel this helped you?

I do not write every day — I'm just not that disciplined. But I do write whole chapters when I sit at the computer. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), my other activities and interests don't afford me the time to schedule specific times for writing.

Did you use an editor, good friends who served as readers, or a critique group to look at it and offer suggestions?

My cousins were the first to read the first draft of the book. They grew up in the Boston area, and gave me good insight into life there in the fifties and sixties. A few other friends and family members read drafts and gave me input. I belong to a critique group, and the comments and suggestions I received from them were very encouraging and helpful. Since it's so difficult for any writer to spot her own errors, I paid an editor to review the final draft for both grammar and content.

How have you been promoting your book, and how have sales been going?
I'll be the first to admit marketing is the difficult part of writing. The first thing I did after having the book published was send an email to everyone on my email list. I also joined Facebook and found some old college friends to inform. Friends have held two book signing parties for me so far. I've also been invited to four book club meetings. I purchased an ad in the program for the Florida Writers Association conference, but would not do it again (just not enough exposure). I sold a few books at a small book fair in town, and will have a table at a larger fair in February. I still need to put together a press package to send to various media outlets, both down here and in the Boston area. To be honest, I've resisted setting up a webpage or blog for fear of being tied to the computer more than I am now. Book sales have been okay — not stellar. But considering my mediocre marketing, I'm not displeased.
How did you find a publisher?

After receiving rejections from about 25 agents and publishers, I decided to take the self-publishing route. (Frankly, if I waited too long to find an agent or publisher, one of my main characters, Kate, would get too old.) I bought two books that rate the many companies in the business, and decided on Dog Ear Publishing. I've been pleased with them.
Where can people get your book?

The book is available in both paperback and ebook format from Amazon and Barnes & Nobles' website.

What is next on the horizon for you?

I'm about three-quarters of the way writing a sequel to Secrets of the Charles. I also continue to write short stories — an exercise I highly recommend to all writers for a sense of completion and to take a break from any novel.

Thank you for joining us, Susan!
It is my pleasure, Kris!