Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Mary Ricksen

Welcome to the first Writers' Wednesday interview of 2009! Very exciting...and our first featured author of the year is time travel romance writer Mary Ricksen. Take a peek into her world:

Mary, welcome to my blog! Can you tell us a little about your background?

I was born in Vermont, and though I have lived in several places in the U.S. and once in Canada, I still find it home. I feel like crying every time I get to go, when the plane flies over the airport surrounded by the beautiful Green Mountains, just before landing. I have lived in Florida for several years now, but I would eventually like to end up in a small town in North Carolina, where we own a small piece of land. In the Great Smoky Mountains, I feel very at home there too. I have no children, unless you want to count animals. Right now I have a black German Shepherd named Junior. He's in my book. I also have a canary. He sings so sweetly that he cheers my soul. The winters here in Florida are wondeful and I spend them in my own secret garden, overflowing with all kinds of subtropical plants. My husband and I have been together since we met at the age of 20, and married for thirty two years this last February. He's my anchor.

Right about now, in snowy New York, Florida sounds like a lovely place to be! What advice would you give to new authors just starting out?

Every one has inside of them an ability to shine at something. Some people never find that shine. I wish I'd found it years ago, but it wasn't for lack of trying all kinds of things. When you sit in front of that computer and a little thrill goes through you, that's the beginning. For me I just let it come. That of course leads to a lot of editing. But it also lets my muse loose. And that is one of the things I find that gave me the knack to write my book. To me that is the easy part. The hard parts are editing and promoting. So be persistant in your promoting, take chances, be bold, let yourself jump into it and network. Of course that itself is a learning experienc. And lastly learn the basics well, that makes for less editing.

What kind of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

For me reading is a cyclic thing. For years I read Sci Fi, then mysteries, biographys etc., I think I've tried all genres. Romance has become my favorite. Once it was Westerns, then Contemporay, I was stuck on vampires for quite awhile. And then I read Linda Lael Miller's 'Here and Then' and 'There and Now' That's all it took. I think I have read most every time travel paperback in print. And now that I started writing I have found the ebook. Cheaper to buy and faster to get. Not to mention more new Time Travel books to read! My favorite author is Diana Gabaldon.

Do you suffer from writers block? If so, what do you do about it?

I think life throws curves at us that sometimes overwhelm us. My parents are elderly and sick, and it's a lot to deal with. So my muse has gone into hibernation. I know that the short vacation we are taking will give me a lift. As I sit outside looking at the mountains, from purple in the distance to emerald in the forefront, the colors alone still my angst. The smell of the air, the Mountain Laurel, the little critters all infuse me. So when I get there I will write. Just like I always do. The country setting is inspiring in itself, it's so peaceful.

Describe your writing place for us.

Here at home I have a laptop. So wherever I feel most comfortable at the time is where I write. Lots of the time I sit at the kitchen table. We have a small house so I can't have a special place for myself. But as I sit here I can look out at the pool, with banana trees, avacado trees, palms of all kinds, pentas for color and little fanciful creatures I purchased. My canary is belting out love songs, my dog lies on my feet and my husband is in the background swearing at his computer. Life, ain't it grand?

Mary, thanks so much for visiting here today! Readers, if you'd like to find out more about Mary and her work, visit her website.

Proof that the Publishing World is Slightly Insane

"I really wish I was less of a thinking man and more of a fool not afraid of rejection." ~Billy Joel

If you're a regular blog reader here, you'll remember that a couple of months ago I got a rejection from my (now current) editor at Samhain, for Summer's Song. Here is what she said, in part:

The scene when Summer remembers what happened the night of the accident should be more dramatic and better integrated with the other plot strands. Instead of her memory coming back fully while she's in the shower, I suggest you revise so that the trauma of Dinah's abduction serves as the catalyst for her regaining her memory. Rearranging the order of these events would also prolong the tension surrounding Dinah's fate, too—if you structure it so that Summer confronts Gabe about the past events before she figures out where Dinah is hiding, the tension will really mount when Dinah isn't found as quickly...

Consider having Summer feel more guilt, more deeply, over the realization that her father lost her, his last living family member, in his effort to spare her, as well as guilt over Gabe's selflessness...However you choose to execute it, the novel will have more impact if you can better interweave the strands of Dinah, Damien, Gabe, and her father as you bring the story to a climax.

I took a lot of what she said under consideration and reworked some of the story, for what I thought was a stronger plotline overall. Sent a query letter to Avon, which resulted in a request for the full ms. Yesterday that editor emailed me another rejection on the story, saying this:

While your initial premise is strong— a young woman returning to her hometown to face a past tragedy and discover more of herself—I think some of the additional conflicts detract from the emotion (and romance) of the story. For example, because the two very weighty conflicts advance and come to a head all at once, I didn't feel the impact of Summer's eventual realization as much as I think the story calls for. Because Summer and Damian are so caught up in their own traumatic situations, they just didn't seem to have a chance to develop their chemistry.

So...while editor says/wants/likes one thing, another may feel quite differently. Same with readers, of course, and reviewers. Interesting, right??

Poor Summer's Song. It needs a home. Of course, since I revised it with the Samhain editor in mind, I should probably just send it to her. But watch her reject it again, LOL.

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The good news is that I also got my cover art form for One Night in Napa yesterday -- so apparently it's true: rejection and acceptance in the writing world do go hand in hand!

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Two contests for you to enter:

Manic Readers "Men in Uniform" unpublished novel contest

New England RWA Reader's Choice published authors contest (ebooks welcome too!)

The Best Movie You Haven't Seen

"It is written." ~ from Slumdog Millionaire

If you haven't yet seen the movie "Slumdog Millionaire," you are missing out.

Oh. My. God.

Saw it yesterday, and it was just terrific. Great writing, great filming, and a beautiful, poignant, original story -- with a great romance and a happy ending, to boot.

What's it about? Well, Jamal Malik is an 18 year old orphan living in India who's basically had the roughest life a kid could have, from an early age. His brother Salim is the only one who looks out for him (and later, the beautiful Latika, also an orphan, that they meet while outrunning terrorists). Together the brothers figure out how to survive some pretty hellish circumstances (and yes, there are parts of the movie that are disturbing in their reality).

Anyway, Jamal ends up a contestant on the Indian version of the TV show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" -- and he's one question away from winning the whole thing when the movie opens. Of course, the producers of the show can't believe a "slumdog" could possibly know the answers to all the questions, and that serves as the premise of the movie. In flashbacks to his childhood and adolescence, we find out what kind of life experience has in fact taught Jamal the answers.

The movie is beautiful, just beautiful. Underneath the sadness of Jamal's youth is a lot of humor, along with a precious romance between Jamal and Latika, all set against the violence and poverty of modern-day India. It's been nominated for 4 Golden Globes, and I can understand why. Put it on your viewing list. Today.

Linear Writing, or Any Which Way You Can?

"Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand." ~George Orwell

I'm a plotter when it comes to writing, 100%. I create outlines, I know where the major conflicts are going to be, I know (pretty much) how the ending will wrap up.

But with Entwined, this very messy literary romance I've been tackling the last 6 weeks, I haven't done much of that. I didn't do character sketches. I had a vague idea of the major conflicts, but I didn't think about where/when they would happen or how the story would end. I wrote a series of scenes I thought would be important to include, and away I went. And that's been fine for about the first 35K words...trouble is now I'm spinning in circles and not sure where the storyline needs to go from here.

Hmm. Brief pause as Allie steps back from the keyboard and frowns.

Where to go from here? Outline? Keep writing scene by scene and see what falls into place? Let it sit for a while and come back with fresh eyes?

Which Would You Rather Read?

"New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." ~Mark Twain

One of my goals this year was to write articles for ezines and newsletters...and I have one deadline coming up in the next couple of days, if I want in on the January Samhellion newsletter. The theme is Goal Setting/Resolutions (of course), and I can write pretty much anything I want to: a "how to", a general article on the writer's life, a recipe, a short story...

I just don't know which one. I don't feel particularly inspired in any direction, but I'd also like the promo and publicity that comes with having an article published, so I want to do something. Hmm.

Which kind of piece would you most likely pick up and read? Are you looking for inspiration in setting and meeting new goals? A glimpse into my personal life? Or maybe just a light, humorous read? A new recipe? A story to warm the heart?

Help me out, please!!

On Writing

"But before I go, I want to thank you for coming. Would I still do what I did if you didn't? Yes, indeed I would. Because it makes me happy when the words fall together and the picture comes and the make-believe people do things that delight me. But it's better with you, Constant Reader. Always better with you." ~Stephen King

That quote is from the Introduction to Just After Sunset, Stephen King's newly released collection of short stories. I got it for Christmas and started reading last night. And was immediately reminded why I always liked his writing: he is a phenomenal story-teller. In his short stories, he relies more on suspense and perfect characterization than horror, in case you're not a fan of his longer works. By the way, if you're a writer and haven't yet read his book On Writing, go pick it up today. Really.

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Also if you're a writer, a lengthy article in the most recent Romance Writers Report covered eHarlequin.com's multiple opportunities for authors. Most of them I had no idea about. Check these out:

**Writers and readers can create a profile area where they can blog, store pictures, and share bio information.

**Authors and readers can chat and interact.

**Spice Briefs, Silhouette Nocturne Bites, and Harlequin Historical Undone are short stories/novellas that readers can purchase OR places where aspiring authors can submit short pieces to get their foot in the Harlequin door.

**Readers who are members can get free online reads.

**Aspiring authors can also get podcasts by Harlequin editors talking about what they're currently seeking.

**And editors hold pitch sessions every quarter, during which aspiring authors can actually pitch to an editor in real time, through online message boards. Pretty cool, huh? The article claims that 50 aspiring authors have so far sold their first book to Harlqeuin that way -- 21 in 2008 alone. So what are you waiting for??

My Writing Goals for 2009

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential." ~Ellen Goodman

Happy New Year! Can't believe it's really 2009...

Marianne asked me in the comments yesterday if I had something else I'll be working on this month instead of Entwined. And that got me thinking about my writing goals for this year. I haven't made any formal resolutions for the rest of my life, but it's not a bad idea to have some benchmarks for my writing. So here we go:

Writing Goals for 2009 (remind me to revisit this blog post on December 31, 2009)

1. Finish Entwined (see -- I will!) & figure out where to submit it
2. Write another One Night novel (polished draft) and submit to Samhain
3. Sign a publishing contract for Summer's Song
4. Write another Pine Point novel (rough draft)
5. Write at least three articles for various ezines/newsletters

What about you? Any goals for the new year, writing or otherwise??