Meet The Authors--part 2

I was honored to introduce two of our semi-finalist authors in my last article. I am having fun getting to know these people, seeing their sense of humor, likes and dislikes. All of the contestants are so busy promoting, reading, and rating entries--not to mention writing thank you emails-- they really don't have much of a life right now, beyond that. I am very appreciative that they were willing to take the time out of their busy schedules to speak with me.

And now, may I introduce:

Judi Fennell has been a writer since 8th grade and a reader since forever. Growing up on Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Addams Family, it's no wonder Judi's stories are light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek paranormals.  She was a finalist in the original First Chapters contest with Beauty and The Best and is once more a finalist with In Over Her Head, as well as having other award-winning manuscripts "out."  Judi juggles her writing time between the hectic schedules of her family and her job, and wonders if the daily admonition, "Don't bother Mom, she's writing her book," will scar her children.

Judi, I have read some of your work.  The first piece I read was In Over Her Head and I remember writing to you and saying this reminds me of the Disney Cartoon, Little Mermaid. Do you remember?  You told me it was a deliberate choice.  Why did you choose that style, what drew you to that?

 Most of my stories get their inspiration from the stories I grew up with.  I have a time travel series based on Lewis Carroll's stories.  Mine are Through The Leaded Glass, Alicia In Wonderland, and Master Hatter's Tea Party.

The fairy tales just followed when Cinda Bella popped into my head. Followed by Fairest of Them All and Beauty and The Best. I loved The Little Mermaid and wanted to see if I could come up with a story like it, but different.  My tag line on my website is: paranormal romance novels...fairy tales with a twist. So, what would the "twist" be in my mermaid story? Let him be the Mer. From there, it just flowed. (pun intended LOL)

You have been very involved in RWA; I believe you told me that you have served as a chapter President? When did you join and why?

I joined RWA in 2004 at the insistence of my husband.  I'd known of the organization, but hadn't realized there was a local chapter.  He found it for me.  The ladies of the Valley Forge Chapter are amazing!  They welcomed me into the group, honestly critiqued my work, and plied me with champagne until I agreed to join the Board. :)  Seriously, it's a close-knit group and our president at the time has become one of my critique partners.  When her tenure ended, I volunteered to run for the position.

Why I joined:  I've been writing forever.  The stories wouldn't stop; the characters wouldn't shut up.  When I seriously buckled down and decided to write for publication, I knew I had to find the resources to help me achieve that goal.  The benefits of RWA to a Romance writer are incredible and I could fill a book on that alone.  To boil it down: craft, critiquing, networking, marketing, industry information, inspiration, support and good friends who *get* the people talking in your head.  I highly recommend RWA (www.rwanational.org) for anyone seriously pursuing a career in Romance writing.

You have been a judge on several RWA Writing Contests?  Care to comment on the differences between our contests here on Gather and those you've been a judge on?

I've been a non-finalling contestant, a finalling contestant, a winning contestant, a judge and a contest coordinator.  I've taken part in 3 online voting contests (American Title III, the original First Chapters and now First Chapters Romance).  I've been invited to speak about contests.

The contests like Gather's and the American Title contest are about marketing.  Yes, you need a viable "product," but you also need to know how to get your name out.  The other contests I've been in and judged/ran, were for feedback or to get to the final judges (usually editors and agents).  The RWA contests (and one sponsored by a library) all gave feedback.  Judges are encouraged to write on the entry (which is usually 15-30 pages plus a synopsis, not the entire manuscript) and provide feedback.  Itemized score sheets are used with places for explanation.  All in all, these contests provide more feedback for improvement than the online contests.  Plus they are "blind;" the judge doesn't know you and you don't find out who the judge is.  Makes for a more honest critique.  However, those RWA contests do cost money, so I'd recommend getting feedback from a critique group and getting the manuscript to the best possible shape before spending money on these contests.

The exception to the feedback is the Golden Heart, which is the RWA version of the Academy Awards for unpublished authors.  In that one, you only get a score sheet with 5 judges' number values for your entry.  Those with a certain point total, move into the finals.

I can't help but admire your marketing abilities, where did you learn those skills?

The American Title contest was, as we AT3-ers called it, Marketing Bootcamp 101.  All 10 of us came up with various methods of getting our names out.  When it was all over, we shared.  It's a trial-by-fire way of learning how to make the most of your marketing efforts and understanding what types of promotion work and what doesn't.  About spending money on promotional items, making phone calls, soliciting vote requests, how to market efficient.

What do you do when you're not writing?

Wait - there's a time I'm not supposed to be writing?  LOL.  Seriously, once the floodgates on these stories opened up, it hasn't stopped.  I write whenever possible.  And if I'm not actually sitting at a laptop, I'm thinking of plot lines, character arcs, maybe dialogue or scenes.  "Blurbs" for stories, synopses.  It doesn't stop. I have a notepad next to my bed; I've called my voice mail and left myself messages or passages; I have email accounts for all my stories so I can type something anywhere, send it to that email and new ideas are where I need them to be.  I take my Alphasmart onto the beach and write there. (Great inspiration for In Over Her Head!)

Of course, I do like to read, though I find I don't have as much time any more.  I have a family and we like to bike, kayak, go bowling, to the movies, swim and travel.  My kids are involved in extracurricular activities and I'm involved with their school and we have a few pets, so it's busy at our house.

What are your plans after the contest?

After I take another pass through In Over Her Head with everyone's comments in mind, I'll keep working on the next two stories in the Mer series.  One is Rod's story (Reel's brother), entitled, Whale Of A Tail, and another (Catch Of A Lifetime) is based on their sister, Angel, who has always been fascinated with humans.  I'm anxious to see how these stories develop, but I'm thrilled that the core of each is already in my head.  I have to finish Fairest of Them All and the vampire book, Got Blood?, that I have gotten requests for.

Tell us something we don't know about you that we might find interesting?

You know--this is the hardest question!  Do I say that I can twirl fire batons, sabres, hoops, machetes and rifles?  Or that I lived in Spain and drove 1300 miles throughout the Spanish countryside with 3 people who didn't know how to read a map or drive a stick-shift (and neglected to mention these facts until we were about 4 hours into the drive?)  Or that if given the chance, I'd love to have a river otter living in my backyard?  Or that I used to plan incentive trips and took 400 people to Hawaii for 2 weeks?  Are any of those interesting?

Lol!  I really think you should show whole baton thing to Ken.  Thanks so much Judi, for taking the time to talk with me.

My pleasure, Sylvia.  Thank you so much for asking.

My second author is another fascinating lady with a ready sense of humor:

Caren Crane Helms (Kick Start) began writing women's fiction to save herself from the dreary fate of life in The Office.  An electrical engineer by training, she longed to create worlds where things were any color except cube-wall gray.  She now spends her days wearing great clothes, eating sushi and sharing intelligent conversation with people she adores none of whom ever took advanced level calculus.  Well, that's not strictly true.  But she gets to hang out with those sorts of witty, fabulous people whenever she's writing, which greatly encourages butt-in-chair time.  Caren lives in North Carolina with her wonderful husband and three exceptional children.

When did you decide you wanted to write?

A book started writing itself in my head and forced me to put it to paper in 2001.

Why did you choose the style or the sub-genre?

I started out writing mainstream comedic fiction.  I soon figured out I had no clue how to write anything.  A writer friend told me to check out my local chapter of Romance Writers of America.  After three books, I figured out that women's fiction with a romantic element is my favorite thing to write.

What's your favorite line of your own chapter?

My favorite is one that readers seem to enjoy, too.  It's definitely when my 39-yr-old heroine meets Jack, the 29-yr-old hottie in the college bookstore.  He gives her The Look and she thinks, "I was old enough to be his...young aunt."

When do you find time to write?

Nights and weekends.  When I'm waiting to pick the kids up from activities.  Lunch hour at work.  Stop lights (okay, I'm mostly kidding about that one).

How did you find the contest?

The Spotlight on Pocket workshop at the RWA conference in Dallas this year featured one of the executives from Gather.com, who encouraged everyone there to enter the contest and passed out flyers for it.

What are your plans for after the contest?

Same old, same old. Keep writing, keep submitting, keep querying agents and editors. That's what writers do!

What do you do when you're not writing?

Work, parent, volunteer.  I have a Girl Scout troop, run a course at church and have children in approximately 100 different activities.  My husband and I drive around a lot.  So far, nobody offers tips, either.

What are your goals as a writer?

My goal is always to tell stories that show strong characters overcoming the curves life inevitably throws us, with humor, passion and compassion. To give hope and maybe a little happiness to someone.

My thanks to you both for taking time out of your busy schedules, to talk with me.  

Both of these authors have a great sense of humor, which I enjoyed, and both sparkle with life and enthusiasm.  Is it any wonder that this is reflected in their writing?

Where ever your sense of humor lies on the guage, you are sure to find something to tickle your funny bone within these two stories.  We all need laughter.

Judi's:  In Over Your Head, 

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977126659

Caren's:  Kick Start

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977126662 

I will be introducing two other authors in my next article.  I hope you will stop by to get to know them better.