2.
It's never too early to start planning for the holidays, and now we've made the official turn to Fall so that draws us closer to not only those gift decisions, but what you want to be reading once the snow starts to fall. (weather people say it could be as early as next week in Colorado) And that brings to mind what we want to be reading as those days start to get longer and we are inside more.
My biggest challenge is my loss of vision. I have a disease of the retina called Retinitis Pigmentosa. I lost the ability to see print in my early twenties, but even when I had sight, seeing the printed word was always difficult for me. Reading a book would take me twice as long as a person with normal sight. I became frustrated with this and began to make up my own stories. I recall as a teenager entertaining my girlfriends on our way to school with stories I’d made up. They were kind enough to listen, and today they’re some of my biggest fans. It wasn’t until the invention of screen-reading software that I was able to put my stories into print.
Tell
us about your road to publication.
My first mistake in writing was
thinking that you just write the book, send it to a publisher or agent, and
away you go. Not! I sent the first twenty-five pages to a publisher who was
offering a free critique. She wrote back and said I had a good idea for a story
if I could write it. She said she marked all my writing mistakes in red. Well,
most of the page was in red.
I finally received a contract with
a small press. I was thrilled, until a short time into editing the ms, I
received an email informing me due to lack of funds, they were closing their
doors. I was crushed, but I sent the ms to another small publisher and received
a contract. This time I made it all the way to the book going to print before
they also closed. By this time, I was crushed. I moped around for a couple of days
then tried one more time. I was fortunate the next publisher actually published
two of my books before closing. Now, I’m happy to say, I’ve found a home with The
Wild Rose Press.
How do you come up with plots?
First, I choose the location, then draft a short
outline of the story itself, last are my characters. I like to have some kind
of mystery in my plots, so I decide what this will be, and which of my
characters will be involved.
What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Do
your research. Readers will catch the smallest mistake, such as if you have a
specific building or street, make sure they’re in the right location.
In
writing historical, check to make sure you’re using the correct devices in the
correct time period.
Take
online writing classes. I found these to be extremely helpful with beginner
writing mistakes. Writers need to learn about tag lines, POV changes, correct
punctuation, and grammar. There’s also what is known as info dump and character
development.
When you submit your manuscript, make sure
it’s as perfect as it can be. Editors will reject your work in seconds if
there’re too many mistakes.
What’s your next project? (or What are
you working on now?)
Island Heat is the next book in my Carolina series.
The story takes place on Hilton Head Island and is a combination romance and
mystery.
Let's learn more about Mountain Blaze, available right now for pre-order:
Disillusioned by his wife’s betrayal, rodeo star Dillon McCoy comes home to the mountains of North Carolina to lick his wounds. When he agrees to take over the family ranch, the Lazy M, he’s unaware danger waits.
Diana Thompson is having doubts about her engagement to Trent Sawyer. She agrees to leave Chapel Hill and spend Thanksgiving with her friend Jenn at the Lazy M. When Diana and Dillon meet, neither can deny their attraction, but both must resolve past relationships while fighting their growing desire.
After Dillon turns down an anonymous offer to purchase the ranch, attempts are made on his life. When a body is found, Dillon sets out to discover who wants the McCoy land enough to commit murder.
Thank you Deb for being my guest. If you'd like to pre-order Moutani Blaze or get in touch with Deb, here are the links:
Available from Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble
Website -- www.debbygrahl.com
Facebook -- https://www.facebook.com/debbygrahlauthor?ref=br_rs
Amazon Author Page -- https://www.amazon.com/Debby-Grahl/e/B00B34HM26
https://twitter.com/DebbyGrahl
https://www.bookbub.com/search/authors?search=debby%20grahl
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Rebecca, thank you so much for having me as a guest.
ReplyDeleteRebecca, thank you so much for having me as a guest.
ReplyDelete