|
|
|
|
Blogs by L.T. Suzuki
Deborah Riley-Magnus
7/16/2011 9:45:49 PM
Paranormal fiction author Deborah Riley-Magnus discusses her debut novel and the writing life!
LTS: Ready for a different take on the vampire genre? Then get ready to meet today’s guest blogger, author Deborah Riley-Magnus. I’d like to begin by having you share a little information about yourself with our readers, Deborah. You are a self-proclaimed ‘writeaholic’, but what do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?
DRM: Probably the best answer is “think about writing” but in reality, life just doesn’t work that way. I’m a retired chef and I absolutely love to cook and entertain. I recently moved back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from Los Angeles, California and that changes a lot. Now that I’m near family and friends and grandchildren again, I find it’s best to spend time with them, then do my writing and “thinking about writing” when they’re gone off to their own lives.
LTS: You’ve dedicated a good twenty years to writing. Am I wrong to assume that becoming a published author has been a life long dream for you?
DRM: Yes it has, but most of all, having finally gotten published, I find that not only writing, but everything pertaining to being a successful selling author will be a life-long career for me! Having spent over 27 years (before becoming a chef – yes, I’m OLD - in marketing, public relations and advertising, it’s strange how one’s past lives creep up and attached to the current life.
LTS: I noticed your debut novel ‘Cold in California’ has been garnering great reviews since its release last month. What was the inspiration behind this story and can you tell us a little bit about your protagonist, ‘twice-baked’ vampire Gabriel Strickland?
DRM: The story behind “Cold in California” is actually kind of funny. I’d been writing women’s fiction and far more literary pieces in hopes of finding publication for years, but the truth of the matter is that with the economy and difficulties within the industry, it’s harder than ever to break in with those kinds of works. What’s a writer to do? Look at the market. What are people buying and reading and am I suited for writing it? Writing a vampire story was never on my mental agenda, but one day I was in West Hollywood. This part of Los Angeles is very unique and surprisingly strange for a simple Pittsburgh native like me and I always found West Hollywood fascinating. As I walked to my car after a meeting with a client, I was stopped by a lovely Hindu gentleman. We talked briefly then he walked away, his bright orange robe glowing in the sunshine. Glancing across the street I spied a dwarf opening the door to what appeared to be an empty warehouse. He looked right and left very suspiciously then slipped into the darkness and my mind started to spark. Was that a troll? What’s he doing in there? Who else is in there? Other supernaturals? Vampires? What if they’re all dead? What if they stay there while they await final judgment for heaven or hell? “Cold in California” was born!
The protagonist is Gabriel Strickland, a wary 80-year vampire who finds a rather humorous final death at a Chicago Cubs game and wakes to discover he must spend an undefined amount of purgatory time living in a West Hollywood warehouse with several other dead supernaturals. Of course, all of them are trying to earn brownie points and a ticket through the pearly gates … against their natures.
LTS: Without giving away too much, can you reveal what’s in store for the readers when they crack open ‘Cold in California’?
DRM: A whole new vampire mythology awaits the reader. There’s adventure, there’s love, there’s supernatural political intrigue and of course, there’s humor.
LTS: The road to publication is difficult at the best of times. Was it difficult for you to land an agent? Do you have any advice you’d like to share with the author struggling to find representation with a literary agent?
DRM: That’s an interesting question because (like you) I’ve discovered that finding and having a literary agent is not always the road to publication. For me, I’d collected more rejection letters than I’d like to count, but after the first few pitches for “Cold in California”, I was snapped up by an agent. He was a nice guy, a knowledgeable guy, but over nearly a year, he wasn’t able to sell the book and I wasn’t willing to risk taking so much time on a cyclical genre like urban fantasy, vampire persuasion. We parted ways.
In the meantime, I had also written a non-fiction entitled “The Author Success Coach: Strategies for Author Success in a Turbulent Publishing Landscape”. The book had grown and developed based on the remarkable response to my ‘Writaholic’ blog and my live and online workshops. It was at the top of my mind when I approached Michelle Halket of ireadiwrite Publishing. She loved the book proposal but also wanted to contract the “Cold in California Twice Baked Vampire Series”.
“The Author Success Coach” will be released in late September of this year.
LTS: Can you share that moment when you sold your story to ireadiwrite publishing?
DRM: It was amazing, because I’d honestly thought no one wanted this book. I absolutely love my publisher. I respect what she’s building and think it’s fantastic how she looks at the industry and works with her authors. For an independent publisher, I’d honestly say I think she’s one of the best. Her attention is always on how to help her authors be seen more, sell more and create great branding. Michelle and I think alike.
LTS: I’m curious about your writing style. Are you one of those disciplined writers who must dedicate a certain time each day to producing so many words, or are you more relaxed and tend to write when it strikes your fancy?
DRM: Oh I try hard to meet daily writing goals, but I write so many different things in the course of any day, sometimes I have to really crack down on myself to focus on writing a book. I have Writaholic, a weekly blog dedicated to helping authors find successful sales for their books by teaching them marketing, publicity and promotions. Gabriel Strickland has a blog The Twice-Baked Vampire. I’ve created a new venue to help generate sales for Cold in California called Vampire Explored. I’m active on Facebook with the Author survey question of the day as well as other facebook and forums focused on exposing my books. Twitter too, that’s writing, even if it’s all in 140 characters a pop. I keep very busy. But when I hunker down to work on a book, it’s a total focus and I definitely shoot for meeting daily goals. Twice a month I also promote authors though one of my websites, Whispers of the Muse. Technically, my writing style is eclectic focused, I guess.
LTS: Still on the subject of writing styles, are you a plotter or pantser? The readers would like to know if you tend to plot out your story line in great detail or if your writing is more organic with the characters and events unfolding as you write.
DRM: I am definitely a plotter. A story concept may come to me like a bolt of lightning, but before I write a word, I find the key plot points – the beginning, the middle and the end. I never start a book without knowing exactly how it will end. The way I actually write is a little strange though. I don’t create elaborate outlines or color coded mind map boards or anything like that. I actually type out 26 or 27 lines. These lines represent what will happen in that chapter. Once that’s done, I’m off and writing the first draft.
LTS: Some authors meditate, others need to fuel up on coffee or listen to music. Do you have any rituals, ones that can be shared with the readers, that you must do before you hunker down for a writing session?
DRM: Chocolate. Coffee. Peace and quiet.
LTS: At one time or another, most writers hit the wall and their work stalls because of the dreaded writer’s block. What do you do to get around or over this mental wall to resume writing?
DRM: If I hit a wall, there are always other things to write. I don’t dwell on how terrible it is not to know what to write next, I move on to another project, another blog, another workshop to teach. While I do those things, the muse does her thing and clears the creative path, then I just get back to work. I honestly believe that anxiety is 90% of the problem where writer’s block is concerned.
LTS: Who is your favourite author and how has he/she inspired you to write or influenced your writing style or choice of genre?
DRM: Hands down, Barbara Kingsolver. Brilliant, eclectic, thought provoking. Everything about her writing from the beginning and “The Bean Trees” to her more recent works like “The Poisonwood Bible” and “The La Cuna” are amazing. She’s the reason I write any genre, the reason I would love to find publication with my literary and women’s fiction work, the reason I love to tell a story.
LTS: What is the most profound discovery you’ve made in terms of your writing and how it has touched the lives of others?
DRM: I can make people laugh and I can make people think. Who knew?
LTS: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned on the road to publication?
DRM: The absolute hardest lesson to learn was something I already knew and imagined I was wrong about. I imagined that the publishing industry would always be the same (NOT), that it would always support authors completely (NOT), that having an agent or publisher meant the project was out of my hands (NOT), and that the words I wrote would make or break me as an author (NOT, NOT, NOT). Everything is in our hands, we determine how successful we will be or how gloriously we will fail. Publication is just one small step in creating author success and if we, the authors, are not proactive in finding and attracting fans, exposing our work and keeping the visibility high … we’re letting the whole house of cards fall down. Never rely on someone else. Take ownership of your future success.
LTS: What are you reading now, and how did this particular book make it onto your to-read list?
DRM: This is going to shock and surprise you. I’m currently reading “Moneyball”, a nonfiction by Michael Louis. It’s the story of California Angels general manager, Billy Beene and his astonishing ability to use statistics to build a winning team on a shoestring budget. I’m a rabid baseball fan and have always been addicted to baseball stats. (Balance a checkbook? Can’t do it. Tell you Joel Hanrahan’s ERA, know it by heart.) Being back in Pittsburgh, I’m happily watching my Pittsburgh Pirates kick butt and reach the top of the standings. It seemed a good time to read “Moneyball”.
LTS: What do you foresee in your future over the next five years and do you hope to branch out from Paranormal/Urban Fantasy into other genres? Can your fans expect ‘Monkey Jump’, the sequel to ‘Cold in California’ in the near future?
DRM: “Monkey Jump” is in the works and I’m hoping to see it reach publication by November. I’m still working on one of my women’s fiction, “36 Full Moons”, the story of a cold, professional woman who mysteriously loses her ability to speak. The three year journey changes her whole life and brings her full circle into a new reality. With the release of “The Author Success Coach”, I’m already getting speaking engagement bookings all over the country over the next year. Five years? I see a future building a career based on writing, helping authors be successful and riding the vampire genre wave as long as it will have me.
LTS: Thank you so much for taking the time to discuss your debut novel and sharing in your writing wisdom, Deborah! I’ll catch you on Twitter!
For more information about Deborah and her novels, check out:
Author website: http://deborahriley-magnus.com/
Cold in California website: http://coldincalifornia.com/
Writaholic blog: http://rileymagnus.wordpress.com/
Follow Deborah on Twitter: .rileymagnus
Where to buy the book:
Amazon Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Cold-California-Twice-Baked-Vampire-ebook/dp/B0055EC7E8/
Barns & Noble Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cold-in-california-deborah-riley-magnus/1103636071?ean=9781926760544&itm=2&usri=cold%2bin%2bcalifornia#Details
Boarders Kobo:
http://kobobooks.com/ebook/Cold-In-California/book-sl-Wa8DDMkqKJNBNeT400Q/page1.html
Comments (1)
More Blogs by L.T. Suzuki
• Erica Lucke Dean Interview - Saturday, May 18, 2013
• Amber Lea Easton Interview - Sunday, May 12, 2013
• Ruth Nestvold Interview - Saturday, May 04, 2013
• Rose Garcia Interview - Saturday, April 20, 2013
• Robert Pruneda Interview - Saturday, April 13, 2013
• Lance Burson Interview - Saturday, April 06, 2013
• Rachel Thompson Interview: - Saturday, March 23, 2013
• Samantha Martin Interview - Saturday, March 16, 2013
• Lisette Brodey Interview - Saturday, March 09, 2013
• Jack Whyte Interview Part Two - Saturday, March 02, 2013
• Jack Whyte Interview Part One - Saturday, February 23, 2013
• Molly Greene Interview - Saturday, February 16, 2013
• Dionne Lister Interview - Saturday, February 09, 2013
• Anita Reynolds MacArthur Interview: - Saturday, February 02, 2013
• Alicia Kat Dillman Interview - Saturday, January 26, 2013
• John Gregory Hancock Interview - Saturday, January 19, 2013
• Adriana Ryan Interview - Saturday, January 12, 2013
• Jennifer McConnel Interview - Friday, January 04, 2013
• S.M. Boyce Interview - Saturday, December 15, 2012
• James Tallett Interview - Saturday, December 08, 2012
• Melissa McPhail Interview - Saturday, December 01, 2012
• Roz Morris Interview - Sunday, November 18, 2012
• Tania Johansson Interview - Saturday, November 10, 2012
• Dale Ivan Smith Interview - Sunday, November 04, 2012
• Respect Your Readers - Sunday, October 28, 2012
• Greta van der Rol Interview - Sunday, October 21, 2012
• Justin Bog Interview - Saturday, October 13, 2012
• Thanksgiving Day: Gratitude - Saturday, October 06, 2012
• Steena Holmes Interview - Saturday, September 29, 2012
• Kenneth Hoss Interview - Saturday, September 22, 2012
• Patty Jansen Interview - Saturday, September 15, 2012
• Joshua E. Bigger Interview - Saturday, September 08, 2012
• Joyce Damask Interview - Saturday, September 01, 2012
• Marketing & Twitter - Saturday, August 25, 2012
• Henry Herz Interview - Saturday, August 18, 2012
• Kristin Bair O'Keeffe Interview - Sunday, August 12, 2012
• William Linde Interview - Saturday, August 04, 2012
• Micheal Rivers Interview - Saturday, July 21, 2012
• Robert James Russell Interview - Saturday, July 14, 2012
• Becka Sutton Interview - Saturday, July 07, 2012
• Canadian Authors Feature - Saturday, June 30, 2012
• Gini Koch Interview - Sunday, June 17, 2012
• M. Pax Interview - Saturday, June 09, 2012
• Karina Halle Interview - Saturday, June 02, 2012
• Novice Writing Mistakes - Sunday, May 27, 2012
• Pippa Jay Interview - Sunday, May 20, 2012
• Glenn Starkey Interview - Saturday, May 12, 2012
• Maurice G. Nicholson Interview - Saturday, May 05, 2012
• How I Select Followers on Twitter - Saturday, April 28, 2012
• Shaun Allan Interview - Sunday, April 22, 2012
• Darlene Foster Interview - Saturday, April 14, 2012
• Kim Aleksander Interview - Saturday, April 07, 2012
• Hope Collier Interview - Saturday, March 31, 2012
• John Kolson’s Writeado: A New Online Writing Tool - Saturday, March 24, 2012
• Jeff Shanley Interview - Saturday, March 17, 2012
• Stephen England Interview - Saturday, March 10, 2012
• Everett Powers Interview - Saturday, March 03, 2012
• The Kindle Prime Experiment - Saturday, February 25, 2012
• Edward Lazellari Interview - Saturday, February 18, 2012
• Connie J. Jasperson Interview - Saturday, February 11, 2012
• Sally Dubats - Saturday, February 04, 2012
• Selecting Writers For My Author Feature - Sunday, January 29, 2012
• Tarek Refaat Interview - Sunday, January 22, 2012
• Toby Neal Interview: - Saturday, January 14, 2012
• Thomas A. Knight Interview - Sunday, January 08, 2012
• Linda Poitevin Interview - Sunday, January 01, 2012
• 2011: A Year in Review - Monday, December 26, 2011
• Angeline Kace Interview - Sunday, December 18, 2011
• Eden Baylee Interview - Saturday, December 10, 2011
• Cyndi Tefft Interview - Saturday, December 03, 2011
• The Conference Experience - Sunday, November 27, 2011
• A.R. Silverberry Interview - Sunday, November 20, 2011
• Suzy Turner Interview - Sunday, November 13, 2011
• Patti Roberts Interview - Sunday, November 06, 2011
• Raine Thomas Interview - Sunday, October 23, 2011
• LK Gardner-Griffie Interview - Saturday, October 15, 2011
• Jonathan Gould Interview - Saturday, October 08, 2011
• Brian Rathbone Interview - Saturday, October 01, 2011
• Matthew Merrick Interview - Sunday, September 25, 2011
• Dean Lappi Interview - Saturday, September 17, 2011
• J.T. Ellison Interview - Sunday, September 11, 2011
• Carolyn Arnold Interview - Sunday, September 04, 2011
• John Kolson Interview - Sunday, August 21, 2011
• Megan Curd Interview - Saturday, August 06, 2011
• Elena Aitken - Sunday, July 31, 2011
• When Book Reviews are Misleading… - Sunday, July 24, 2011
• Deborah Riley-Magnus - Saturday, July 16, 2011
• Jessica Subject Interview - Sunday, July 10, 2011
• J. Alexander Greenwood Interview: - Sunday, July 03, 2011
• When Social Networking is no so social... - Monday, June 27, 2011
• Dannie C. Hill - Monday, June 20, 2011
• Shay Fabbro Interview - Tuesday, June 14, 2011
• Genevieve P. Ching Interview - Monday, June 06, 2011
• Al Boudreau Interview - Monday, May 30, 2011
• Jennifer Hudock Interview - Monday, May 23, 2011
• Paul Mansfield Keefe Interview - Monday, May 16, 2011
• Rusty Fischer Interview - Monday, May 09, 2011
• Jason McIntyre Interview - Monday, May 02, 2011
• Emlyn Chand & Novel Publicity - Monday, April 25, 2011
• Steve Umstead Interview - Monday, April 18, 2011
• John Betcher Interview - Monday, April 11, 2011
• Kimberly Kinrade Interview - Monday, April 04, 2011
• Inspiration & Where You Find It - Monday, March 28, 2011
• Christie Yant - Tuesday, March 22, 2011
• Amy J. Rose David Interview - Monday, March 14, 2011
• George H. Sirois Interview - Monday, March 07, 2011
• Linda Nagata Interview - Monday, February 28, 2011
• Adventures in Editing or... Is it Done Yet? - Monday, February 21, 2011
• Greg Messel Interview - Monday, February 14, 2011
• Jen Wylie Interview - Monday, February 07, 2011
• Katie M. John Interview - Monday, January 31, 2011
• How Do You Measure Success: - Tuesday, January 25, 2011
• Avery Tingle Interview - Monday, January 17, 2011
• Kristie Cook Interview - Tuesday, January 11, 2011
• Ren Cummins - Tuesday, January 04, 2011
• A Wish For the New Year - Tuesday, December 28, 2010
• Trish Wolfe Interview - Monday, December 20, 2010
• Jesi Lea Ryan Interview - Monday, December 13, 2010
• Cat Connor Interview - Monday, December 06, 2010
• How to Make a Story Ring True - Monday, November 29, 2010
• Sharon Bially Interview - Monday, November 22, 2010
• Donna Carrick Interview - Monday, November 15, 2010
• Brenda Sedore Interview - Tuesday, November 09, 2010
• Robert Feagan Interview - Monday, November 01, 2010
• Of Book Signings, Volunteering & Option Agreements… - Tuesday, October 26, 2010
• Daryl Sedore Interview - Monday, October 18, 2010
• Seven Day Blog Tour Begins October 17th - Tuesday, October 12, 2010
• Todd A. Ritter Interview - Monday, October 04, 2010
• Cheryl Kaye Tardif Interview - Monday, September 27, 2010
• Claude Bouchard Interview - Tuesday, September 21, 2010
• Dr. Peter Clement Interview - Tuesday, September 14, 2010
• Elizabeth Isaacs Interview - Monday, September 06, 2010
• Introducing a New YA Fantasy - Monday, August 30, 2010
• Interview with Author Gene Doucette - Monday, August 23, 2010
• It's All About the Books Part 2 - Monday, August 16, 2010
• It's All About the Books - Monday, August 09, 2010
• When to Abandon Your Manuscript - Monday, August 02, 2010
• 1st Anniversary Blog: A Celebration of Authors - Tuesday, July 27, 2010
• Kathy Chung & the SiWC Part Twp - Tuesday, July 20, 2010
• Kathy Chung & the Surrey International Writers Conference Part One - Tuesday, July 13, 2010
• Deanna Jewel Interview - Tuesday, July 06, 2010
• The Happiest Indie Author (me) in the World! - Tuesday, June 29, 2010
• The Author Effect - Tuesday, June 22, 2010
• Jacqueline Pearce Interview - Tuesday, June 15, 2010
• Peggy Richardson Interview - Tuesday, June 08, 2010
• Wendy Nelson Tokunaga Interview - Tuesday, June 01, 2010
• The Importance of a Critique Group - Saturday, May 29, 2010
• Zoe Winters Interview - Tuesday, May 18, 2010
• Zoe Winters Interview - Tuesday, May 11, 2010
• Tonya R. Moore Interview - Monday, May 03, 2010
• Write On Bowen! - Monday, April 26, 2010
• Dayna Hester Interview - Monday, April 19, 2010
• Luke Romyn Interview - Monday, April 12, 2010
• Rhonda Carpenter Interview - Monday, March 29, 2010
• Lacey Weatherford Interview - Monday, March 22, 2010
• K.M. Weiland Interview - Tuesday, March 16, 2010
• Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords Interview! - Tuesday, March 09, 2010
• Jo Lynne Valerie Interview - Tuesday, March 02, 2010
• Dan McNeil Interview - Tuesday, February 23, 2010
• Catherine McKenzie Interview - Tuesday, February 16, 2010
• 8 Years of Writing! 8 eBook Winners! - Sunday, February 07, 2010
• Birthday Blog (or an Ode to Aging Gracelessly) - Monday, January 18, 2010
• Interview with Paranormal Author Kate Austin - Monday, January 11, 2010
• Riley Carney Interview - Tuesday, January 05, 2010
• Ask an Editor - Monday, December 28, 2009
• Lee Edward Fodi Interview - Monday, December 21, 2009
• Interview with YA Author James McCann - Tuesday, December 15, 2009
• Researching Historical Fiction with Diana Gabaldon - Tuesday, December 08, 2009
• kc dyer Interview & Enter to Win an Autographed Novel! - Tuesday, December 01, 2009
• Bev Katz Rosenbaum Interview - Tuesday, November 24, 2009
• Writing Tips I Learned from Terry Brooks - Tuesday, November 17, 2009
• An Interview with Tamara Sheehan - Monday, November 09, 2009
• YA Author Loreena M. Lee Interview - Tuesday, November 03, 2009
• Why Do I Blog About Other Authors? - Thursday, October 29, 2009
• Critique by Author Jack Whyte - Tuesday, October 27, 2009
• BookCamp 2009 - Monday, October 19, 2009
• Participating at VCON 34 - Wednesday, October 14, 2009
• Therese Walsh Interview - Tuesday, October 06, 2009
• Interview with Debra Purdy Kong - Tuesday, September 29, 2009
• Twitter – The Power of the Tweet - Tuesday, September 22, 2009
• Part Two: Publishing in a Foreign Market - Tuesday, September 15, 2009
• An Interview with author Christopher Belton - Tuesday, September 08, 2009
• Part Two of the Caroline Leavitt Interview: - Thursday, September 03, 2009
• An Interview with Author & Book Reviewer Caroline Leavitt - Tuesday, September 01, 2009
• An Interview with Kathleen Bolton - Tuesday, August 25, 2009
• Interview with author/artist Scott Kessman: - Tuesday, August 18, 2009
• Interview with author/artist Scott Kessman: - Tuesday, August 18, 2009
• Part 2 of the Kim Falconer Interview - Thursday, August 13, 2009
• An Interview with Kim Falconer - Tuesday, August 11, 2009
• Part 2 An Interview with Alan Baxter - Thursday, August 06, 2009
• An Interview with Alan Baxter - Tuesday, August 04, 2009
• If You Write It, They Will Come (buy it)… Not! - Sunday, July 26, 2009
• Lori A. May: Author Extraordinaire - Tuesday, July 21, 2009
• Merits of a Writers Conference - Sunday, July 19, 2009
• Part 2 Publishing in the Digital Age - Thursday, July 16, 2009
• Publishing in the Digital Age - Monday, July 13, 2009
• Writing Tips for the Novice Novelist - Tuesday, July 07, 2009
• Flog the Blog - Tuesday, June 30, 2009
• Do's & Don't of a TV interview - Saturday, June 27, 2009
• Mortality & Writing - Friday, June 26, 2009
• The Art of Editing 101 - Tuesday, June 23, 2009
• How To Write When Suffering from Bad Memory Retention - Saturday, June 20, 2009
• Finding Inspiration from Others - Thursday, June 18, 2009
• To Blog or Twitter... - Tuesday, June 16, 2009
|
|
Bookmarks
