Laura Cross, author of The Complete Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent, Launches her Blog Tour!

& Book Giveaway Comments Contest!

Laura Cross's family and friends in Detroit, Michigan knew she would move on to bigger and better things when she began writing and performing plays for them as a child. Actually, they hoped she would move on to bigger and better things--they were tired of being her only audience!

When Laura packed up the moving van it was to head to California where she earned Certificates in Writing and Feature Film Writing for the UCLA Writer's Program. Laura's writing life has included magazine writing, script reading for production companies and literary agencies, leading writing workshops and blogging about screenwriting and non-fiction writing. She's also written some absolutely fabulous nonfiction books but sadly, as a ghostwriter, she has to keep the titles under wraps! Laura divides her time between Los Angeles and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Find out more about Laura by visiting her websites:
www.scenariowritingstudio.com
www.truestoryink.com
www.aboutascreenplay.com

Friend her on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter: @ScreenplayChick and @TheScribeChick

The Complete Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent
By Laura Cross

This book is for every prospective author who has sought to have their manuscript transformed into a printed book. It guides you through the process of contracting a literary agent and convincing them that you are in fact the next great bestseller. From formatting a query letter to ensuring your manuscript looks presentable, every step of the process from inception to execution will be laid out in vivid detail for you.

Both published writers who have successfully found and acquired an agent and literary agents who are inundated with manuscripts and requests in the thousands every year, have been interviewed for this book and have provided their personal stories, tips, and tricks as to how you can get into the publishing industry through an agent. Finally, once you have found your agent, you will learn how to read contracts, accept offers, and understand what details will be handled exclusively by your agent.

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Group (June 2010)
ISBN: 1601384033

Notes: The print version comes out in June 2010 and you can pre-order it on Amazon. The e-book version is available for purchase on Laura's site, where you can also download a free sample chapter.

Book Giveaway Comments Contest!
If you received our Events Newsletter, remember, we are holding a contest to win a copy of Laura Cross's book The Complete Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent to those that comment. So, grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and enjoy the chat, and share your thoughts, and comments, at the end. We will randomly choose a winner from those who comment.

Interview by Jodi Webb

WOW: You mentioned that, although you've written over 30 books, this would be the first one with your name on it. Could you tell us a little about that path that led you to so many books, although without the byline?

Laura: I was working with friends and associates--line editing and researching, and helping them organize and outline their books--and somewhere along the road it developed into ghostwriting a complete manuscript. I loved the whole process of bringing a book together and I began offering ghostwriting services--from there it developed into a career.

WOW: What types of books do you ghostwrite?

Laura: Most of my books are prescriptive nonfiction. Initially I specialized in what I knew about (business, entrepreneurship, and marketing) and that gradually grew into additional topics as I began attracting specific types of clients. Now I also write about social media and branding, finance and investment, self-help and relationships, lifestyle and motivation, and health and fitness. I’ve written two travel guides, which were fun, though that’s not a large part of my business.

WOW: I love the possibility of so much variety. As a ghostwriter you don't have the luxury of waiting for a muse to tease the words out of you. People are expecting you to deliver on deadline. Maybe we can all learn a little from your writing habits. Paint us a picture of where and how you write.

Laura: I’m not sure there is a creative muse for prescriptive nonfiction. When it comes to developing a client’s book I’m like a doctor who lines up her daily appointments--every hour of the day is scheduled. Mornings are spent on marketing, social networking, reading blogs, writing posts, answering emails, and developing my own projects. Afternoons I spend on client projects, whether it’s writing or editing or working on a book proposal. My projects are lined up several months in advance, if I didn’t follow a strict regiment I would wander off course and wouldn’t be able to begin the next project on time. Milestones and deadlines are essential.

I have a nice home office with an attached patio (for taking much-needed breaks). It’s a quiet space with no distractions, which allows me to focus. I have a rustic refurbished six-foot wood plank table where I write. I had my eye on that table for three years before I could afford to buy it. It was expensive but it was one of the best investments I ever made--it’s large enough to hold all my papers, notes, and books, and most importantly, my cat, who likes to curl up near me when I’m typing. It creates a romantic, nostalgic atmosphere. It makes me feel like I stepped into an author’s studio in the 1940s. I can’t help but be inspired to write when I sit at that desk.

WOW: Your desk and working space sound wonderful! Do you have any hints for getting the job done? Do you set daily goals for yourself?

Laura: I absolutely set daily goals. Every writing project has a timeline. During the writing phase I try to complete five pages per day.

WOW: Five pages is a good goal. Many of our readers write fiction and debate whether outlines improve books or stifle creativity. Since your books are non-fiction maybe you can add to the debate on outlines from a non-fiction perspective. Do you think they're useful when you're writing?

Laura: I break my projects into three phases: development, writing, and editing/revising. Most of my time is spent on preparation: refining the idea, researching (and interviews), organizing the material, and outlining. I always work with a detailed outline, which the client approves before I commence the writing stage. Sometimes the outline will fluctuate a little once I begin writing, but it usually doesn’t stray too far from the initial direction. Once the detailed outline is developed and approved, I use it as the blueprint or map to follow during the writing stage. I basically lay it out as the foundation of the book and fill in the content. For me, this method makes the actual writing process super easy. I can’t imagine working without an outline.

WOW: I'm in the middle of a non-fiction book and find that I'm not writing in order: first Chapter One, then Chapter Two, etc. Do you write "in order" or find that you jump around from section to section?

Laura: I’m the same! I jump around all the time. Since I complete all the necessary research before I begin writing I’m aware of which sections may be more challenging and which will be easier or more enjoyable. I tend to write the easier or more enjoyable stuff first because I know it will go faster and will allow me to have more time to spend working on the difficult sections.

WOW: Thank goodness, now I know I’m not the only one! Do you ever find you become bored with a project? Do you work on more than one project at a time to avoid losing the enthusiasm for a project?

Laura: I don’t work on more than one client’s project at a time, except during the period of time between finishing the first draft and beginning revisions when the client is reviewing the project and making any notes--I’ll use that time to work on a smaller project, such as editing another client’s book. But I do split my days between working on clients’ projects and my own projects, which helps keep me motivated.

WOW: I'm sure we'll be learning plenty about literary agents during your WOW! Blog Tour for The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent: Everything You Need To Know To Become Successfully Published but one question about your experience with literary agents. Do ghostwriters use literary agents to find them work or "sell" their skills to people looking for a ghostwriter?

Laura: Absolutely! I do acquire plenty of clients on my own who initially approach me to develop their book proposals and they turn into ghostwriting projects once they land book deals, but the best ghostwriting projects and much of my gigs come from literary agents and publishers. It’s rumored that more than 80% of traditionally published books are ghostwritten. Many celebrities, experts, motivational speakers, doctors, attorneys, sports figures, scientists, and business leaders lack the time or the skill to write a compelling book and they require ghostwriters or co-authors. And it’s not just nonfiction, some bestselling fiction authors don’t have the time to produce the volume of work released under their names and they hire fiction ghostwriters to write manuscripts "in their style" based on their ideas or story outlines.

WOW: I knew James Patterson worked with ghostwriters but I had no idea it was so widespread! What's next for you? Will your next project have your name on it or be shrouded in the mystery that is ghostwriting? What is your dream-writing project?

Laura: I have a few client book proposals lined up and, of course, those are ghostwritten, but as far as larger book projects right now I’m focused on writing my own book. I really enjoy mentoring other writers and sharing what I’ve learned on my writing path, so the next book will be another one for writers. I’m also focusing on teaching writing classes in a new online platform I’m launching this spring that encourages participants to engage with one another and recreates the live workshop experience.

I’ve adapted a few scripts for clients as a hidden writer (I earned my certificate in Feature Film Writing from UCLA’s Writer’s Program) and my "dream-writing project" is a screenplay adaptation of a specific book I’ve been interested in for a while. I’m still trying to option the film rights, which just became available earlier this year when a producer let his option lapse...so fingers-crossed.

WOW: Everyone at WOW! will have their fingers crossed for you and we’ll be watching for your name n the credits at our local movie theaters--keep us updated.

Want to join Laura on her blog tour? Check out these dates and mark your calendar! You can also snag a copy of WOW's Events Calendar HERE.

Blog Tour Dates: Come and join the fun!

February 8, 2010 Monday
Laura will be chatting with WOW! Women On Writing at The Muffin. Stop by and share your comments! One lucky commenter will win copy of Laura's book!
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/blog.html

February 9, 2010 Tuesday
Break out the hammer and nails--today Laura Cross tells us how to build a writer's platform. She's also holding a Winner's Choice Giveaway! Winner of the contest wins a PDF of her book Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent or membership to one of her online classes ($369 value): Writing the Non-fiction Book Proposal, Writing the Non-fiction Book, or Establishing Your Writer's Platform.
http://www.meryl.net/section/blog/

February 10, 2010 Wednesday
Author Laura Cross tells readers how a good synopsis can get a novel published. And don't miss today's super giveaway! The winner gets to attend one of three online classes ($369 value) Laura is teaching this spring.
http://writerinspired.wordpress.com/

February 12, 2010 Friday
Today Laura will be answering questions sent in by readers. Do you have a question for Laura about agents, ghostwriting, writing platforms, or another writing subject? Submit a question and you might win a PDF of her book Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent.
http://daybydaywriter.wordpress.com/

February 15, 2010 Monday
Laura Cross, author of Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent, tells readers about her life as a ghost--ghostwriter, that is! Don't miss her post How To Land High-Paying Ghostwriting Book Projects.
http://freelancewrite.about.com/

February 16, 2010 Tuesday
Writer Laura Cross will be sharing Five Secrets Every Writer Should Know About Query Letters with Thursday Bram. You can also enter to win membership in one of Laura's writing classes ($369 value).
http://www.thursdaybram.com/

February 17, 2010 Wednesday
Stop by for a great interview with Laura Cross, author of Guide to a Literary Agent.
http://www.sellingbooks.com/

February 18, 2010 Thursday
Laura will be stopping by Hell or High Water Writer with 5 Tips for Polishing Your Pitch and a chance to win a PDF of her book Complete Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent.
http://hellorhighwaterwriter.blogspot.com/

February 22, 2010 Monday
Are you ready for an agent? Laura Cross, author of The Complete Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent, helps you answer that question today. She's also giving away an e-copy of her book.
http://www.adventuresinthewritinglife.blogspot.com/

February 26, 2010 Friday
Stop by Words by Webb for a review of Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent by Laura Cross.
http://jodiwebb.com/

March 3, 2010 Wednesday
Laura Cross, author of Guide to Hiring a Literary Agent, is telling all her secrets today...secrets about query letters. She's also giving away an electronic copy of her book. Don't miss it!
http://writerunboxed.com/

To view all of our touring authors, check out our Events Calendar HERE.

Get involved!

We hope you are as excited about the tour as we are! Mark your calendar, save these dates, and join us for this truly unique and fascinating author blog tour.

If you have a blog or website and would like to host Laura Cross or schedule a tour of your own, please email Angela and Jodi at: blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com

** Please feel free to copy any portion of this post.

Be sure to comment on this post to enter in a drawing for a copy of Laura Cross's book The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent: Everything You Need To Know To Become Successfully Published! And check back in a couple of days in the comments section to see if you won!

Talk to Your Readers

With freelance we tend to find ourselves writing informational pieces quite regularly. It can be a piece on how to repair something (DIY), or maybe in the creation of a craft item.

I was reading some information about a craft project that I wanted to try and I actually got bored with the way the article was written. To be honest, it was rather dry and I felt like the writer was telling me what to do. Hello, that's not nice!

Then I remembered one of my favorite authors and how she always talks to you and helps literally kick you in the butt, Natalie Goldberg. If you've read her books you know exactly what I am talking about. Just like standing in one of her mini-writing workshops, she talks to you with her writing.

Recently, I gave her techniques a try while doing a how-to piece on making a memory quilt. I must admit, it was at least a start and I am finding that more people have been interested in reading it. It has actually led to some readers asking additional questions and for ideas. This has helped me then construct my answers for each of them as if I'm sitting across the table from them having a conversation and enjoying the project that we are working on.

It's difficult to do considering that you don't have the person right there in front of you. But, I have found that if you sit there and think about your friends and how you would try to help explain to them how to do something or by visualizing and wanting to show them, it can help you to write a better piece.

Yes, like all of us, I am still learning the technique and still have a ton of kinks to work out. But, by talking to our readers, it gives them a sense that you care and want to help. As our society has changed a great deal in the last 15 years with the onset of this wonderful internet, many of us are now home-bodies and social butterflies of a different nature. We don't leave our homes like we did to socialize. Many of us only socialize through the internet. With this in mind, we need to find ways to humanize what we are writing, to make our readers feel that they matter and are in many aspects a part of our lives as well.

If you are interested in finding out how to write and speak to your readers, check out some of Natalie Goldberg's work. Her most recent release is Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir; or check out one of her older books called Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Each of these will help give you an idea of how to speak to or with your readers rather than at them or telling them.

Happy Writing!

Why a blogging conference?

Last year, as I started a blog for myself and was hired to blog for someone else, I decided to go to a blogging conference. When I mentioned my intentions, one friends quipped: "Shouldn't a blogging conference be held online? And why, if you are a writer, are you going to a blogging conference? That seems so techy."
I really didn't have an idea of what was in store for me when I did arrive at last year's BlissDom. I mainly selected it because Nashville is closer to my North Carolina than other blogging conferences (Texas, Illinois or California). And the timing fit with my start of my creativity blog and a parenting blog.
What I never expected was how excited I would be to return--so much so that as soon as the dates were announced, I let my husband know not to count on me for this weekend.
Why shouldn't I be trying to go to a writers' conference instead, my friend asked me. I enjoy writers' conferences, but there was an energy at the blogging conference that was infectious. At a gathering of writers who are trying to make a living as writers, sometimes the feeling be less congenial. After all, many of your fellow writers are your competitors for a finite number of editors. Even if they may not pitch one editor, they are certainly going to stand in line for some face time.
In the social media world/blogosphere, bloggers visit and comment on each other's sites. Many become virtual friends and finally meet up at blogging conferences. After last year's conference, I had a renewed focus and energy towards the Web--and I think that helped my writing.
I need some of that again. Now. And it doesn't hurt that they are bringing in Harry Connick Jr. for entertainment.
I'm still looking forward to attending a spring writers' conference. But, for now, I'm going to have a little fun.
Elizabeth King Humphrey is a writer and creativity coach, who suspended the search for her copy of Bird-by-Bird to attend this weekend's BlissDom. Besides contributing to AOL's ParentDish, she blogs at The Write Elizabeth, delving into creativity in everyday places.

Friday Speak Out: Bookmaking—For You, For Me!, Guest Post by Patricia A. McGoldrick

Bookmaking—For You, For Me!

by Patricia A. McGoldrick

I have to confess that bookmaking has become a bit of an obsession to me. Not cooking the books or becoming a bookie, but actually constructing and compiling books.

Right now, you might be dismissing this new-for-me activity as somewhat of a childish hobby in which to be engaged; however, as a poet writer, I assure you that it is a worthwhile one, one that has not only captured my imagination but that of other visual and word artists. They have, as I will discuss, inspired me to publish my poetry and stories in book form, of all shapes and sizes —creatively and sustainably.

As a bookmaking newcomer, I have been positively inspired to make books by visual and word artist, Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord at http://www.makingbooks.com/. On her website, in free, PDF file format, plus a You Tube link, Susan provides user-friendly instructions for making these small books. As a poet, one of my favorite Gaylord titles, available for purchase, is Homes for Poems: Making Books for Poetry. This “home” concept for my writing appeals to me.

I am not the only one who has been drawn to Gaylord’s popular, informative, website. Poet, Kay Day, mentions it in an article "Publish your poetry; there are more options than ever," as she urges writers to publish their work in these small venues in order to promote and share their words. Day is an encouraging voice in tough times.


Making small books is an opportunity not only to share one’s writing creatively. It is also a means of practicing sustainability by reusing resources that are often right in front of us. This is clearly a focus at Gaylord’s website and it is also a focus of Jill Magi, a poet with a visual flare for reusing paper and other goods for publishing her works. This wordsmith urges readers to "Make a Tiny Book" in the 2010 January/February issue of Poets & Writers. As a web search reveals, the creative Magi, with her sustainable use of materials, is a tremendous source of inspiration for making those homes for your words as gifts to others, recorded memories, a library of your own works.

Last year, I wrote, designed and published several books (See Figure 1): two memorial books, one posted on my blog at http://pmpoetwriter.blogspot.com/; an easy-to-carry book for Poetry-in-your-Pocket month; gift books about my Mother, a little child, spring, basketball, and our puppy, Cody (Figure 3); a chapbook of my completed Poetry Month venture to write a poem-a-day based on some literary prompts during April (Figure 2). Covered with a navy sheet of cover-stock paper and spine trimmed with burgundy ribbon, this chapbook now sits in my writing area for inspiration to persevere.


Figure 1
















Figure 2
















Figure 3













I would like to conclude by assuring you that these books are not difficult to make. For inspiration, I recommend checking out the websites I have listed; then, gather some colorful paper, yarn, glue, pictures plus your words. Make a book!

The sense of accomplishment is wonderful as you see your words being published in a book, designed by you! National Poetry Month is coming up soon—you might want to give bookmaking a try—that’s my plan!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patricia A. McGoldrick writes poems, essays and reviews about history, nature, books, social justice, events and people. Most recently, non-fiction article "'Now Boards'Give Life to Dreams" was published online; Poems published at Sleet; Irish American Post; Chapter And Verse; Cyclamens and Swords; League of Canadian Poets; Contributions are in: leaf press, Frost and Foliage; Voices Israel Anthology 2009; Ice: New Writing on Hockey; Love & Longing in the Near North; The Changing Image,2008,1994; The Grand Table Anthology. Patricia is a member of The Ontario Poetry Society (TOPS).

WEB: http://sites.google.com/site/pmpoetwriter/
BLOGS: http://pmpoetwriter.blogspot.com/ ; PM27's Blog

*****************

Do you want to reach WOW’s audience? We welcome short posts (500 words or less) from writers just like you! You can include your bio, pic, and links to your website/blog for promotion. Our only requirement is that your post be about women and writing. Send your Friday “Speak Out!” post to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration.

****************

Chynna's Insightful Chat With Author/Writer/Blogger/SUPERMAMA Rebecca Eckler

One of the best parts of my job is meeting other writers or fascinating people who work in the writing industry. Those of you who know me well know that I don't really like being in the spotlight but I LOVE being a person to bring folks to the information or resources they need. So when I picked up my issue of Chatelaine magazine last month and read the fresh and fun contribution of author, journalist and freelance writer, Rebecca Eckler, I just KNEW I had to talk to her.

Rebecca is a Canadian-based writer but has also worked in New York and has done some pretty amazing work. I LOVED our chat and thought I'd share it with our WOW readers. Enjoy! (And THANKS SO MUCH Rebecca!)

CHYNNA: I’m so glad you had some time to chat! Okay, for those readers who may not know about all the amazing stuff you’ve done, can you give us a bit about your background?

REBECCA: Well, my background is quite simple. I’ve always loved to write, wasn’t sure if “writer” was a viable career. I never knew any writers growing up. But, in my family, not going to university was NOT an option. So I chose journalism school, where I actually studied television, because most of my friends chose to study that. In the summers I would intern at newspapers, like the Calgary Herald, and I just loved it. I started by working in the entertainment section and I was hooked. I got to interview celebrities and write about them! It was a dream job! I worked for Pamela Wallin (now a senator) when she had her own nightly talk show, as a producer, for three years and then the National Post came onto the scene and I took a job there. I was writing numerous columns a week and it was so much fun. I even got to move to New York for a while to write from there! I got engaged, and became pregnant on the night of my engagement party – for that part of my life, people can read my first mommy memoir Knocked Up. Then I wrote Wiped! (About the ups and downs of raising a boddler – half baby/half toddler) And then I wrote Toddlers Gone Wild. I also wrote a teen book called Rotten Apple and I have a children’s book coming out in March, called the Mischievous Mom At The Art Gallery. I just love writing. Because I’m a single mother, it’s a good career to have. Not only do I love it, but also it’s definitely a job with more flexible hours! (I’m writing this now, and then I’m going to see my daughter skate, then I’ll come home and write a bit more, before she comes home!)

CHYNNA: Wow! What a great background (and pretty inspirational for those fellow Canadians wondering how they can ‘break in’ to the Canadian market!) And I also enjoy the flexible hours with writing at home. =) With your fiction and nonfiction books, as well as working as a columnist both in Canada and the US, you’ve pretty much covered all the bases in the writing industry. What sparked your interest in writing? How easy/difficult has it been “making it” in both countries? (Rebecca, you won’t believe this but I’ve done waaay better in the US than here in Canada! I think it’s inspiring that you’ve done so well in both countries!)

REBECCA: That’s so funny you say that! But I’m super proud for you! What sparked my interest is basically that I loved to read. I’m very blessed that I managed to make a living writing. It is almost impossible to do so. I always tell people, “Make sure you LOVE it. Because if there’s something else you’d like to do, you probably should do that!” My books have sold in many countries. I’m not sure how to measure success in America. I know, for example, that Knocked Up did very well there. Meaning, it sold more copies there than it did in Canada. However, America is ten times bigger, so more readers! I think I’m quite big in Germany and Spain, which I find funny. Honestly, the bottom line is that it’s hard to be a success outside Canada, if you’re Canadian. There are a ton of writers in America – or in every other country - doing the exact same thing us writers here in Canada are doing.

CHYNNA: ABSOLUTELY! Thanks for that insight. Have you reached all your writing goals yet? If not, what would you still like to tuck under your writing belt?

REBECCA: I have so many ideas for books. My brain just works that way. Actually, it’s pretty annoying. Late at night I’ll wake up and think, ‘That’s such a good title for a book!’
Obviously, I’d love the success of Stephanie Meyers, for example. What writer wouldn’t? I think I have a great work of fiction in me somewhere (fingers crossed.) But, again, writing is sometimes a crapshoot. You could write five books that do all right, or not, and then maybe the sixth book you write will really take off! Who knows? Here’s hoping! One needs faith to be a writer!

CHYNNA: I totally agree with you. (And I hear ya with book titles keeping you awake at night. I can’t keep up with all the ideas! LOL!) I think your blogs are amazing. You post about things that women want to know, need to know or maybe even forgot about since they became Mamas. In fact, I just loved the article you did in ParentsCanada about how Moms can keep their cool. Can you talk a bit about how you came up with each of them, what their purposes are and how you come up with such great stuff for each one! (I have trouble doing my one main blog! Ha!)

REBECCA: I love blogging because it’s like talking to a friend. And that’s what I do, when I write. In my head, while my fingers type, I am talking to a friend. Whenever I end up in a conversation with a friend about something that lasts more than twenty minutes, I know it’s a good idea for a blog! And I will blog about it. Sometimes what I write is controversial. I love that too, because it shows that everyone has his or her own opinions. Also, I love hearing other mother’s stories. Something happens when you become a mother. Your priorities change. And you actually are VERY interested in how other mothers’ parent, or what they go through. Simply being a mother bonds you to women in a different and good way. Raising a child is like being in a relationship: same universal highs and lows. So all mothers love talking about mothering and their children. I also do like to tell the truth about things. For example, I was in a conversation last night with a mother who’s a friend of mine. Our children go to the same school and we were moaning about this one kid who is making our children’s lives miserable. She’s sort of a sneaky bully, this kid. What mother can’t relate to their child being upset because something another child did to them? I will definitely have to blog about that one!

CHYNNA: I think that’s why I love your blogs so much. You aren’t just giving information or writing ‘advice’ pieces; you’re chatting with people. That’s refreshing! You know, you are someone I’d call the ultimate “writer Mama” because you are hard at work but still so devoted to your child. Do you work at home or do you have an outside office to escape to? Is it hard having the two jobs? How do you divide up your time between them?

REBECCA: I work at home. I have not, and don’t think I ever will, find that balance, where it’s calm and I feel that I’m a great mother and a great writer. When I have a book due, and my child is sick, or it’s March Break, it’s very hard. But sometimes, I’ll put a movie on for her, and I’ll be writing right beside her. But, actually, now that she’s in school full days, she’s out the door at 8:20 a.m. and I can start working at 9 a.m. Before Rowan, I used to love working late at night. Now, I stop work at 4 p.m. Haven’t worked at night forever. I also used to work on weekends. Don’t do that anymore either. I constantly feel guilty about everything! I feel guilty that I’m not working hard enough. I feel guilty that I don’t spend enough time with her. Face it, most mothers have to work, or want to work, and, most of us are torn. We feel guilt about everything!

CHYNNA: AHHHHHH ‘Mommy Guilt.’ Yes. LOL! I do most of my writing right beside my kids too---until a WWF Smackdown starts and I either have to referee or I get tired of being jumped on. I mentioned earlier that you’ve written both fiction and nonfiction books—a YA novel and three books about parenting. Did you want to talk more about those works?

REBECCA: See above! I like to write all sorts of books, obviously. I’m very excited about my children’s book, because that’s something Erica and I did for our children to be proud of us! Other mothers, of course, will love it and so will their children. Most of all, I just love readers! I love people who love to read! I’m so sad when I hear people say their teenagers don’t like to read. I’m like, “How can someone NOT like to read?”

CHYNNA: I know! I’m constantly reading something. I think it makes us better writers when we’re busy readers. Now, do you have a preference writing in either fiction or nonfiction? Was it difficult going from one to the other, if so, in what way(s)?

REBECCA: I loved writing the mommy memoirs. I didn’t find it easy at the time, until I started writing fiction. Then I was like, “Oh my God. It’s so much easier to write non-fiction because it’s about your life. You don’t have to make things up out of nowhere and create situations and characters!” It was more difficult than I thought to write fiction (I have an adult fiction book coming out in the Fall.) In theory, I would love to be a great fiction writer, because I love to read fiction. But I do love to write non-fiction because I think other’s can relate to them and they know it’s real life. I think my next book will be a non-fiction, to shake it up.

CHYNNA: You know, I totally understand wanting to go back and forth. It gives us fresh energy for the new project. How important is it, do you think, that women, especially mothers, have some sort of creative talent or hobby to focus their energies on once in awhile?

REBECCA: Well, personally, I think it’s important. I think the world needs writers and painters and dancers and art. But mothers are busy! If they really want to do it, then, hopefully, they’ll find the time. I actually love mothers who have started their own businesses after becoming mothers, like the ones who make jewelry or blankets.

CHYNNA: Absolutely. I’ve always said that having a positive, creative distraction once in awhile is essential to our overall functioning. You and your daughter seem very close. You must miss her like crazy if/when you have to be away from her. How do you maintain that closeness, even when you’re hard at work? Does she go on tour or travel with you?

REBECCA: I hate not being with her. I HATE it. I miss her like crazy even when she goes off to school for the day! If I have to leave her for work-related events, than I don’t stay away for more than two days. I refuse to. But, when I travel for fun, she definitely comes along with me. I think she may have more air points than me!

CHYNNA: HA! That’s hilarious about the air points! And you aren’t the only Writer Mama who doesn’t like working too far from home. ;) Do you have any final pearls of wisdom for our writers, authors and Mamas out there?

REBECCA: For writers, I’m not going to lie. It’s hard work and you don’t make a ton of money (Except if you’re Stephanie Meyers. Ha ha!) But the hardest thing I find is that writers don’t realize how HARD it is. The number one thing in writing a book is to actually FINISH the book. If you are a writer who has finished a book, you’re half way there. This is hard because most writers do need day jobs to support themselves, so you have to be so dedicated. For mamas, make sure your child is safe and happy, and grow up being good people.

CHYNNA: That’s fantastic advice, thank you. I hope it inspires our readers to keep plowing forward. Last question: Do you have any projects, appearances or other works we should watch out for?

REBECCA: The children’s book with Erica Ehm, called the Mischievous Mom At the Art Gallery comes out in March. And in the Fall, my adult Fiction, Clover, comes out. People can keep up with my life on my blog at Sweetmama.ca on Thursdays, and on twitter @rebeccaeckler.

Thank you so much to Rebecca for chatting with me and for letting me share her wise words with all of you. I hope everyone has a chance to check out Rebecca’s Website, her blogs and on Twitter. She has some wonderful advice and tips for both Mamas and writers (or both!)

Chynna Laird

www.lilywolfwords.ca

www.lilywolfwords.blogspot.com

www.goingforfeingold.wordpress.com

A Spoonful of Chocolate Hope with Michelle Pulis

Look at this--you could have your very own Twilight purse! I'm sure there are a few million teenage girls who would love to open that up as a gift; and that's what Michelle Pulis, owner of A Spoonful of Chocolate Hope, hopes, too. At her online store, she sells these super-cute handmade book handbags, bookshelves, book passport holders, and chocolate stirring spoons. And she started her company to help her family! So, we're interviewing Michelle today to get the full story on the cutest purses around and the reason for starting her business.

WOW: Welcome, Michelle, to The Muffin. We are thrilled to have you with us today. Why don't you start out by telling us a little about your business, A Spoonful of Chocolate Hope. What types of products do you make and sell?

Michelle: Everything you see in my shop is made by hand! I originally started my shop making chocolate stirring spoons for your coffee. However, that idea backfired in the sweltering Arizona heat, and I ended up changing my product completely to making and selling handbags created from used books. Initially, I would just donate the pages to a local refugee placement committee here in Arizona; however, I noticed many of my customers also wanted the pages. So, I started giving the buyer's the option of re-binding the book with the matching fabric used for the handbag to make a unique gift set! Another product I offer is passport holders/wallets disguised as books to keep the pick-pocketers away while traveling. And my newest product is making a bookshelf out of used books. It makes a great addition to any home library.

WOW: So, you create handbags made out of books? What an awesome idea! They are super cute and great for book lovers, but how sturdy are these?

Michelle: Very sturdy actually! I have tested the purses for sturdiness and quality. Each book is made from a good quality recycled book. I put finish on it to prevent any rips and tears. I have been carrying around my book handbag for about a year now and have had no problems whatsoever!

WOW: That's great to hear that the products are cute and sturdy! Why did you start your company?

Michelle: Spoonful of Chocolate Hope was created to help my father save his house. It's a long story, so I'll try to make it as short as possible. My father is a simple man who immigrated from what is formally known as Czechoslovakia in 1969, searching for a better life. Growing up, I watched him build our house with his own two hands, constantly adding things that reminded him of Czechoslovakia. A couple of years ago, my mother's brother (Frank) asked for my father to co-sign a loan for a business he was starting. My father wanted nothing to do with it; he had worked hard to get out of debt and didn't want anything in his name. My mother and uncle constantly asked about the loan, until my father finally gave in.

Uncle Frank is now basically homeless; his business has gone into bankruptcy and is now unable to pay off the loan. My parents are now forced to pay $3,000 a month with a combined income of $27,000 a year. So I created this site to give my parents 100% of the profits. Wanting to give my father back some of the life he worked so hard on achieving.

WOW: What a great reason to start your business. Not only do you offer a unique product, but it's also for a fantastic reason. So, you have to be an awesome time manager because you work a full-time job, and you come home and make all your products for customers by hand! Give us some tips. How do you do it?

Michelle: Well, I manage to do my book and fabric shopping during my lunch breaks or immediately after work. I go to the post office in the morning on my way to work. I typically spend a few days a week and my weekends, sitting in front of my TV with fabric and books spread all over the floor. I actually really like making them. It relaxes me. And sometimes in between, I manage to spend some time with my very supportive boyfriend. (Even though he refuses to help. . .) (smiles)

WOW: It's easy to see that you are very dedicated to your cause and your business. It reminds me of the saying, "Where there's a will, there's a way." I think some of us, as writers, can learn from your time management skills! That's for sure. Why do your book handbags and other products make perfect gifts for family and friends?

Michelle: Because they're so personalized! You don't even have to like to read. Just think of a hobby your loved one has, and I can find a book related to it. I have made cookbook handbags for the chefs of the house, Van Gogh book handbags for the artists, Atlas briefcases for the World travelers. . .and the list goes on!

WOW: Those are great examples! What are your future plans for us to look forward to?

Michelle: I'm actually hoping to start making table lamps out of books, and maybe even branch out to furniture and start making side tables out of books. I always have something brewing in my head!

WOW: Thanks, Michelle, for talking with us today! Okay, women writers, we know you love books, so if you want to check out all that A Spoonful of Chocolate Hope has in store, visit here!

interview conducted by Margo L. Dill, http://margodill.com/blog/

Interview with Norma Bishop - Summer 09 Flash Fiction Runner Up

When in the fourth grade, Norma began her passionate journalism career with a piece about whooping cranes for her class newspaper. She has written poetry for as long as she can remember, and years later, took up nonfiction as a regular contributor to Santa Barbara's Coastal Woman magazine. But through her careers in the U.S. Navy, as an attorney specializing in non-profit law, and most recently as a museum director, she never submitted her fiction or poetry for publication. With the encouragement of receiving WOW! final status in her first contest, she appeals to other writers who hold their personal writing close to their hearts to let go. Share what you create. You never know when someone will read your work and relate to its message.

Norma's story, Bluer, shares some a positive message about taking chances. If you haven't had the opportunity to read it yet, head over to the contest page and peruse the story. You'll be glad you did!

WOW: Norma, welcome to The Muffin. Congratulations on receiving runner up honors in WOW!'s Summer Flash Fiction contest. Your story, Bluer, talks about taking risks and having faith. What led you to use the horse racing term?

Norma: I love learning new words and turns of phrase, especially when they have a story all their own. I heard the term "bluer" somewhere, and at first it conjured up a pretty predictable cast of characters, the stereotypes you'd expect to hang around a race track. But eventually, I broadened my perspective . . . the horse racing term and environment led to the realization that we all continually weigh the risks in life. Holding back because of fear, bad experiences, is true of people as well as horses.

WOW: I agree wholeheartedly! Many people hold back because they are afraid or have had a negative experience. Likewise, many are afraid to take a chance because they are afraid of change. Why did you decide to write a story that explores the possibility of a happy ending?

Norma: I'm not so much of a Pollyanna that all my stories must have a happy ending. Claire and Jim aren't married in the end, but the "happy" ending is that Claire stepped out of the claustrophobic little cell she lived in. She got on the bus without the safety net of a return ticket. Who knows? Maybe Jim had left Vegas with a stripper by the time she got there . . . maybe, Claire got a job in a casino and fell in love with a math genius who was working as a part-time dealer while he planned to scam the casino out of millions. I won't tell.

WOW: (Smiles) So, happy endings can take a few twists and turns of their own. Norma, you've written a fair share of poetry. How does that process compare to flash fiction?

Norma: For me, poetry and flash fiction, after the initial inspiration, become something of logic puzzles. Poetry should be lean, just enough meat on the bones for the metaphor to hang together. Flash fiction is a similar challenge; every word counts.

WOW: That's so true. Word count and precision can make or break a piece. Would you wind sharing your writing routine?

Norma: I wish my writing were "routine." I have a demanding career, so I try to write on weekends. I keep a notebook by the bed. And I'm fortunate . . . at home I have a lot of quiet time. The best ting any writer can do is to "kill your television." I decided the last thing I want is my head filled with other people's stories. TV steals your imagination. The other thing I do is read great writers. Right now, I'm working my way through the Man Booker Prize winners. I just finished White Tiger, a first novel by Aravind Adiga. It's an incredible read.

WOW: Writers need to make time to read. It helps writers stay sharp, and it allows writers to see and experience other styles of writing. It's a great source for ideas. I know you're career path has been an interesting journey. You've served in the Navy, been a non-profit lawyer, and now you're a museum director. Plus, you spread your nonfiction wings writing for a magazine. Do you draw on any of these experiences for your poetry or fiction endeavors?

Norma: Ideally, my life and spirit would be so integrated that "drawing on my experiences" would be like breathing . . . inhale, exhale . . . but it's a little more work than that. I've been fortunate to have traveled, met many people, and seen them facing varied challenges, sorrows, and joys. But more important is your inner journey, traveling toward your own complete soul. Writing is putting that soul down on paper, and as you do so, more and more of it is revealed to you. You can be a writer without ever leaving your hometown. Emily Dickinson is proof that the greatest inspirational well is within us.

WOW: Jim, one of the characters in Bluer, is a retired Navy man. Is he based on someone you knew in the Navy?

Norma: Jim is a composite of men I knew in the Navy . . . smart, honorable, and forthright . . . and a risk-taker, but a wise one. I think Claire will be all right, don't you?

WOW: Claire will be just fine with Jim. He has good intentions. I enjoy museums, and one of the best I've visited is the U.S.S. Midway in San Diego. There's so much history and knowledge that most people probably don't consider. At the Maritime Museum you direct, what's the most unique piece or your favorite exhibit? What lessons should visitors take away from touring the museum?

Norma: The Wisconsin Maritime Museum has so many exhibits and incredible artifacts, including the most completely restored World War II submarine in the country and a beautiful 1917 Burger yacht, Lady Isabel, formerly named Swastika - imagine the stories she can tell! But my favorite items in the museum's collections are personal diaries, letters, and photos of people who sailed ships on the Great Lakes, our inland seas, perhaps vanished on them, went to war on submarines built here in Wisconsin, or stayed at home imagining the lives of their loved ones so far away in conflict. Those are the things that touch me most.

WOW: The museum sounds incredible. I hope I'm able to visit some day. The intimate stories of those who live in a our neighborhoods intrigue me, too. Norma, what projects are you currently working on?

Norma: I'm always working on short stories or "modular chapters of an undetermined longer work or works". (How's that for saying whatever my brain cooks up!) I am working on a specific novel, constantly writing poetry. I'm enchanted by haiku and the epiphany or "ah-ha" moment each haiku contains; I've found it a great way to get my creative juices going.

WOW: Brilliant! I enjoy haiku and the challenge of creating a visual image. What advice would you offer aspiring writers? Also, for writers who have never entered a writing contest, what hints can you offer to "take a risk" and enter?

Norma: KILL YOUR TELEVISION. READ GOOD AUTHORS (and the New York Times bestseller list may not be the best way to find them). Do whatever you can to give yourself the gift of quiet. WORK OUTDOORS. . . I think plein air writing should be as common a concept as plein air painting. ENTER CONTESTS. They give you a time goal, a structure, and the promise of a reward. I can't guarantee a happy ending, but don't live your life always buying the round-trip ticket. STEP OUT . . . and HAVE FUN!

WOW: Wonderful advice! I especially like the idea of writing outside. Norma, thank you for sharing your thoughts about your stories and writing. And again, congratulations on the runner up honors in our flash fiction contest.

Interview by LuAnn Schindler