Road to Publication~Gayle Ann Williams

Every writer's journey to "the call" winds through different paths. Today, I've invited debut author Gayle Ann Williams to share her travels with us. Welcome, Gayle. My blog is yours.

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Hi Emily,

And can I say how nice it is to be here today? Thank you so much for having me.

My name is Gayle Ann Williams, and I live on a small island off the coast of Washington State, approximately sixty air miles from Seattle, WA. I originally lived as we say, “East of the Mountains,” in cowboy country, but I traded my spurs for a sea kayak and moved to the wet, but oh so beautiful Pacific Northwest coast.

Today I’d like to talk about my publishing journey, because for me, before I got “The Call,” I was (and still am) always fascinated how people achieved their dream of becoming a published author.

For me the road led to a win in a contest; the Dorchester Shomi Fiction contest. I was currently writing Paranormal and Urban Fantasy, and I liked the edginess of the Shomi line and the stories that were being written there. When I saw the contest, and that the winning manuscript would be awarded a publishing contract, complete with advance and royalties, I knew I wanted to try. And I’m so glad I did. The result for me was a dream: a publishing contract for TSUNAMI BLUE, my post-apocalyptic, paranormal romance that debuts from Dorchester Publishing tomorrow. And yes! I’m so excited.

Here is how I approached my entry. First, I based the idea of TSUNAMI BLUE on a personal experience. On Christmas night, in 2004 I boarded a plane out of Seattle and flew right into the Southeast Asia Tsunami. In the air when the deadly wave hit, I knew that if I had arrived earlier, I might have been a statistic. As I traveled around the region, I listened and observed, hugged and cried, and all along, the writer in me asked, what if? Little did I know a few years later those amazing memories would be the basis for my novel, TSUNAMI BLUE.

Second, I took elements of my personal life (the old adage of write what you know), and incorporated them into my story. For example, I’ve lived on a sailboat, I’m an avid poker player, and I placed the story in my home setting, the beautiful San Juan Islands of Washington State. I even wrote my favorite rain boots into the story. Curious? You can see them here. http://www.gayleannwilliams.com/FunStuff.html

Next, I mixed in my imagination, writing what I didn’t know. What would a world be like decimated by deadly tsunami waves? What if there was no infrastructure and society was ruled by “Runners,” modern day pirates? And what if Kathryn “Blue” O’Malley, my heroine, known as Tsunami Blue, held the paranormal ability of knowing when the next wave will hit? As a writer, I can’t encourage you enough to keep asking, “what if?”

And third, and perhaps most important, I did my homework. I read the Shomi books. Not one. Many. I understood the tone, the edge, the feel. I asked myself, is this the kind of story I wanted to write? Was I excited about it? Was it for me? The answer? A resounding yes. The result? TSUNAMI BLUE, the winning entry of the Shomi Fiction Contest.

Dorchester Publishing still continues to publish, exciting, cutting edge books of this type, and I would encourage you, if these are your kind of stories, to look for them.

And in closing I would like to share a review from RT Book Reviews Magazine in the April edition for TSUNAMI BLUE. I was thrilled to be rewarded with 4 1/2 stars.

"This original romance starts quietly enough, like a calm blue ocean, and gradually builds until you're holding on for dear life, hit with page after page of creative, taut action. You'll be left grinning, grateful for the ride, thanks to original characters, a fantastic story and action that will keep you up late, turning pages. Can't wait to see what Williams has in store next!"
RT Book Reviews Magazine April, issue
4 1/2 Stars HOT - (Fantastic-Keeper)

It has been a whirlwind year as I prepared to bring TSUNAMI BLUE to the readers. I signed with my dream agent in the process, and I’m so happy to announce that as of last week a second book in the Tsunami World has been sold. And all this for me, through a contest.

Happy reading to all and the best of luck to those of you who are writers. I hope my story is helpful. And again, a big thank you to Emily for inviting me to share my story.

My pleasure, Gayle! What an interesting path to publication. Great advice to those who are trudging along the way. And here's the link, so YOU can buy your own copy of Tsunami Blue.



Leave a comment or question for Gayle and you'll be entered in the drawing to win a copy of TSUNAMI BLUE. She's picking 2 winners today!

Rita Finalists!

I'm happy to report that my publisher Dorchester is well represented in this year's crop of Rita contenders. First up is Elisabeth Naughton's STOLEN FURY for Best First Novel and Romantic Suspense!



This title was edited by Leah Hultenschmidt, who's also my fabulous editor.








My fellow Chatelaine, Joy Nash has made it to the finals for her A LITTLE LIGHT MAGIC in the Contemporary Romance category!

Alicia Condon was the editor.






In the Novel with Romantic Elements category we have Gemma Halliday's Scandal Sheet, also edited by Leah.

In the paranormal romance category, Marjorie Liu's THE FIRE KING got a nod. Christ Keeslar is the editor.


















My fellow A CHRISTMAS BALL author, Alissa Johnson was named a Regency Historical finalist. Another Leah Hultenschmidt title!



You can find all these wonderful titles at Dorchester!

I'm off to the NECRWA conference in Framingham, MA. Have a great weekend!

Contest Monday!

My publisher Dorchester has a new webmistress and she's just posted a new page featuring Author Contests. Contests are a great way to try out a new author, spend a little time on their website and see if there's something for you there! Oh, yeah, my quarterly contest spotlighting my free online novella A DUKE FOR ALL SEASONS is on the page! I am loving getting feedback on what direction the story should take for next month and unlike last month, the vote is very close! So if you haven't weighed in on whether or not Arabella should become Sebastian's mistress on his terms, please do.

And here's something interesting for those of you who want to flex your imaginations a bit.

Avon Books is giving away $1000 to the person who comes up with the best idea for a collection of Regency-set historical novellas. The novella collection will be titled It Happened One Season and the novellas will be written by best-selling authors Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D’Alessandro and Candice Hern. You job is to come up with the theme of the stories and three major plot points.

Click here for more info. The deadline to enter is February 14.

But part of me is thinking, "If you can come up with a theme and three plot points, why not just write the story and submit it for publication?" If you follow my editor Leah Hultenschmidt on www.romanticreads.net you know Dorchester is engaged in an "acquisition frenzy" for their 2011 schedule.

Let me know if you enter some of the contests through the Dorchester or Avon site! Or are contests like book trailers (which I discovered last week make most of you yawn!)?

Two-fer Tuesday!

I'm blogging here and at www.romcominc.com! I'm talking about making Halloween costumes with my kids over there. We had some wild ones. Please come share your bright ideas for do-it-yourself Halloween fun! Oh! And you might win your choice of my backlist over there as well.

Here, I'd like to share the new widget from Dorchester of A CHRISTMAS BALL! It's really quite cool. There's a feature that lets you read an excerpt as well as linking back to the Dorchester site for a cool deal on buying the book.

You'll also notice a tab that says "Get this for your site!" Click on it, copy the html and paste it where ever you want the widget to show up. If you have a myspace, blog or website and would like to share A CHRISTMAS BALL with others, this is a terrific way to do it. Thanks so much in advance to those of you who are able and willing to do this. Think of it as "cyber-word-of-mouth."

Please let me know if you are able to add the widget and I'll add your site to my favorite links!

ttys,
Emily

Interview with a Courtesan!

In VEXING THE VISCOUNT, our heroine Daisy Drake must masquerade as a courtesan in order to trick Lucian (the vexed viscount himself!) into letting her help him find a lost Roman treasure. Daisy knows nothing of sensual love but what she’s read in a real courtesan’s very explicit journal. I tracked down the author of that naughty bit of literature, the elusive Mlle. Blanche La Tour.

Emily Bryan: Hello Blanche. Thanks for taking time to visit with us today.

Blanche: (smothering a yawn) But, of course. You’re my author. Did I have a choice?

Emily Bryan: Well, no.

Blanche: (shrugging) Next time, may I request we meet later in the day? I rarely rise before noon, you know. Occupational hazard.

Emily Bryan: Ah, yes, the business of pleasure. Revealing your trade secrets in writing is a risky enterprise. Are you aware that Daisy Drake is using your journal to impersonate you?

Blanche: (looses a silvery peal of laughter that fizzes in the ear like champagne bubbles) How utterly delicious! If she’s pretending to be me, I’m sure Miss Drake will have a wonderful time.

Emily Bryan: You’re not angry that someone has assumed your identity?

Blanche: I support whatever helps a person release their sensual nature. You used to do a little stagework, Emily, when you sang professional opera. You know the liberating nature of an assumed identity. A little role playing is a healthy thing, don’t you think?

Emily: We’re not talking about me right now.

Blanche: (lips curve in a knowing smile) So you say.

If you'd like to peek in on the rest of this interview, click over to Dorchester Publishing! Blanche reveals more of her courtesan's heart.

And for even more from the notorious Blanche La Tour, visit my COURTESAN CLUB!

Visiting the Mother Ship

I'm guestblogging at http://www.adeledubois.com/blog/ today, talking about my first visit to Dorchester's impressive offices in the heart of Manhattan. The business end of books is fascinating and the good folk at Dorchester are like a well-oiled machine, cranking so many new titles out each month. I only have to worry about a couple of releases a year. My editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, is responsible for dozens. Come along with me on a tour of Dorchester Publishing!

And please leave your comments and questions. My DH will be picking the daily winner of a shiny new VEXING THE VISCOUNT from among the commenters at http://www.adeledubois.com/blog/.

Good luck!

Visiting the MotherShip

Countdown to my next release

Get this widget!

I've been writing for Leisure Books since May 2006, but yesterday was my first trip to Dorchester Publishing's office. In the heart of Manhattan, the throbbing heart of this wonderful company is housed in a classically beautiful building with historic literary ties. Penguin was there at one time and the suite of offices Dorchester occupies now used to be home to Altantic Monthly.

I got to meet the office staff and it's always a treat to see my editor, Leah Hultenschmidt and marketing guru, Erin Galloway. Usually, I connect with them at national conferences. This was my first chance to see them in their natural element.

Much is made of the dreaded "slush pile," the place where unsolicited manuscripts languish in obscurity. Leah's pile is small and well-managed. She obviously works through hers, makes her decisions and moves on. (Her husband, who is a horror/thriller/western editor for Dorchester is another subject altogether. His slush pile is the stuff of nightmares--chest-high stacks of manuscripts ring his office. Leah assures me he doesn't get away with stuff like that at home!)

The staff is working half a year or more ahead. My next release VEXING THE VISCOUNT (March 2009) is already off the schedule board because it's "in the can." However, the Christmas anthology I'm doing with Jennifer Ashley and Alissa Johnson is in full swing. (Check out my Em Recommends page for an interview with Alissa about her new release.) Which means I'd better head for home and get busy writing my portion!