Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Entry # 130 - excerpt from Trajectory Interview with Sheldon Lee Compton


Sheldon Lee Compton - Author of the Short Story Collection: That Same Terrible Storm - Interviewed by Jan Bowman and published in the Fall 2012, Issue 5 of Trajectory: Writing That Illuminates. excerpt from Trajectory website -  For the complete interview subscribe or order a copy of Issue 5 by going to www.trajectoryjournal.com        
Sheldon Lee Compton's new collection of short stories, The Same Terrible Storm, (2012) is published by Foxhead Books. The entire interview with Jan Bowman appears in the Fall 2012 print issue of Trajectory.
Jan:    How did you go about selecting and organizing the twenty-two stories included in The Same Terrible Storm?



Sheldon:    I had more or less been writing regional stories, stories of Eastern Kentucky and the South, for a long period of time, say from 2006 up through the spring of 2008. And by this, I mean exclusively. Then at some point in 2008 I started noticing some solid work online, particularly flash fiction. I had written stories of this length before, but now I wanted to write outside the boundaries of the South or Eastern Kentucky. The shorter form seemed to allow me this in some way. When it was all said and done, I had an assortment of stories that needed separating. When I did this, I had the longer form, regional stories with a mix of flash that was also regional. I combined them and tried to give the reader an up and down of long then short, as best as I could.



Jan:  I noticed you have ten first person and ten third person point of view stories. And some stories have characters with the same names. Were these stories intended to be part of longer work? Is there some significance in this narrative structure?



Sheldon: If I said I had a structure in mind in that sense, I’d be lying. I can say I noticed many of my stories were in first-person, and so pushed myself to write in third and other points of view. Some stories were at one time bits and pieces of a novel I had written and shelved some years before, but these were few and greatly altered by the time they were finished. I may have thrown the same name on some characters here and there with a connective thread in mind, but it’s not a notion I followed up on. Once the idea of a linked collection of stories was set aside, I just left the names. Where I’m from a lot of people do have the same names, common names, and so it seemed natural enough. 



Jan: If you were to describe your idea of the perfect story, what elements would it have? And which story in your collections comes closest to realizing the image that you had in your mind when you began to write it?


Sheldon: A perfect story takes you out of this world and into another. That has most very likely been said before, and should be said another time and another. The means by which each writer gets there may differ, of course. I have never set out to accomplish this, but I do write for myself first, and others after that. I take myself back to those times, or forward, depending on my mood. If there’s a story that takes me away into the past, I allow it, and if there’s a story that boldly takes [me] into the future, I follow. The story in the collection that most did that for me was “Purpose.” I allowed myself to step aside for this story, to allow the characters I had chosen to act it out, to speak freely and openly, and take what-ever direction they wanted. I followed. I rarely elevate these kinds of feelings and resulting actions, but this is not the case for me in this story. I allowed Brown Bottle, the main narrator, to take this story from my hands. He did well, and I thank him, and trust him.

The complete interview was published in the Fall 2012, Issue 5 of Trajectory: Writing That Illuminates. this excerpt (used with permission of the editor) comes from the Trajectory website. 
For the complete interview go to www.trajectoryjournal.com       To subscribe or order a copy of Issue 5 of Trajectory. 
Jan Bowman’s work has appeared in Roanoke Review, Big Muddy, Broadkill Review, Trajectory, Third Wednesday, Minimus, Buffalo Spree (97), Folio, The Potomac Review, Musings, Potato Eyes, and others. She won the 2011 Roanoke Review Prize for Fiction.  Glimmer Train nominated a story as an Honorable Mention in the November 2012 Short Story Award for New Writers. Her stories have been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes, two O’Henry Awards, Best American Short Stories and a story was a finalist in the “So To Speak” Fiction Contest. She is working on two collections of short stories and currently shopping for a publisher for a completed story collection. She has nonfiction work pending publication in Spring 2013 Issues of Trajectory and Pen-in-Hand. She writes a weekly blog of “Reflections” on the writing life and posts regular interviews with writers and publishers.   Learn more at:



Friday, January 25, 2013

Entry # 129 - "Self Care for the Writer"

Photo Credit - Alex Ketley - in Florida - January 2013
Writers spend hours glued to their computers, hunched over keyboards, squinting at small screens as they work on their stories, novels, essays, poetry or screen-plays. All this close work is hard on the body.  So as we begin 2013, I will write a series of "Reflections" essays that examine some of the options available to writers to keep bodies and minds healthy.  I will interview health and fitness experts on this site to explore ways writers can take better care of themselves. I will interview one of more: massage therapists, personal trainers, a hypnotist, acupuncturist, yoga teacher, a dietitian and others, as suggested. If you'd like to suggest someone or an area to explore, contact me with your suggestions by February 15, 2013.  Send email to:   janbowmanwriter@gmail.com

My current favorite activities that I use to help me stay fit and feel focused when I write, include:  a couple of mornings weekly of rowing and weight training at my local athletic club, a yoga class weekly, a massage a couple of times per month, guided meditation each quarter and a hypnosis sessions, as needed.  I enjoy gardening, sailing and photography when the weather permits and walking a half hour at least 5 times weekly. Stretching helps when I remember to do it. Also travel and lovely scenery help me see the world with fresh vision.  

So what activities do you do, as writers & readers, to help yourself stay well?  Feel free to click on the comments section at the bottom of this entry and share ideas for keeping fit and focused.

Photo Credit - Alex Ketley - Florida - Jan. 2013
   Breaking News
Glimmer Train named Jan Bowman's story, "Flight" as an Honorable Mention in the November 2012 Short Story Awards for New Writers - January 22, 2013.


Jan Bowman’s work has appeared in Roanoke Review, Big Muddy, Broadkill Review, Trajectory, Third Wednesday, Minimus, Buffalo Spree (97), Folio, The Potomac Review, Musings, Potato Eyes, anothers. She won the 2011 Roanoke Review Prize for Fiction. Her stories have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories and a story was a finalist in the “So To Speak” Fiction Contest. She is working on two collections of short stories and currently shopping for a publisher for a completed story collection. She has nonfiction work pending publication in Spring 2013 Issues of Trajectory and Pen-in-Hand. She writes a weekly blog of “Reflections” on the writing life and posts regular interviews with writers and publishers.   Learn more at:

Thanks to my son, Alex Ketley for two beautiful photos that he took in Florida last week.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Entry # 128 - WRITERS TALK - Terry Plowman, Editor & Publisher of Delaware Beach Life

Terry Plowman, Editor & Publisher
Delaware Beach Life has been named “2013 Business of the Year” by the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce.  In 2009 it was named “Magazine of the Year” by the trade group, International Regional Magazine Association (called “international” because it includes member magazines in both the U.S. and Canada. Delaware Beach Life has won more than 50 awards since 2002 for writing, editing, photography and design.  

Jan:    Thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to talk about your work. Tell us about your magazine Delaware Beach Life. What led you to decide to publish a regional magazine?

Terry:    Coastal Delaware has long had good weekly newspapers that document local life, but no glossy magazine that focused on the unique qualities of year-round life in the coastal area. The statewide magazine, based in the metro/suburban areas way upstate, seemed to see coastal Delaware as a summer destination, so it focused mainly on that view. As a longtime resident, I felt that coastal Delaware had its own robust, dynamic, year-round community that could support "a magazine to call its own" as one reader said.

Jan:    How did your years of prior experience as a newspaper editor help you as you’ve founded and developed your magazine over time?

Terry:    The main benefit was the on-the-job training I got in Quark Xpress, Photoshop and other software. Those technical skills were key to being able to create a new publication anywhere that I could place a computer, allowing me to launch the magazine out of my home, with little overhead. Also, even though I had many connections throughout the community from having lived here since 1978, the connections I made through my newspaper editor position probably lent credibility to my new venture.

Jan:    What are you looking for in the articles you select for publication?  In other words – what kind of topics, lengths, focus?

Terry:    Delaware Beach Life publishes mainly nonfiction features and profiles, and occasional commentaries, short fiction and poetry. Topics include local history, environmental issues, interesting people, the arts and political controversies. Feature lengths range from about 1,500 to 3,000 words, and departments run about 1,200 to 1,400. We also publish a popular Beach Briefs section with a mix of short pieces. The focus must be COASTAL DELAWARE. Even when I put that in all caps to writers, I still get queries that are not focused on our area.  Not being focused on coastal Delaware is the main reason for rejection of a proposed topic. Another common problem is proposing a topic we've already written about in recent years.


Jan:    What tips can you offer to writers when they query you about a story or feature?

Terry:    Make sure your proposal is focused on coastal Delaware! Read back issues to get a sense of what we've published before, and make sure the topic and quality of writing fits in with that, but doesn't repeat what we've done in recent years. We don't do "advertorial" or stories about single businesses (although we do write about business topics in general). Local libraries have back issues, and digital versions are online at delawarebeachlife.com.   I can email writer's guidelines to anyone requests them at info@delawarebeachlife.com.

Jan:     What is the average turnaround time for an article, that is from the time a writer sends you an interesting query until the article actually appears in an issue?

Terry:    Could be two to six months or more.

Jan:    What is the range of pay that you provide to writers for an article?

Terry:    Departments are generally $100 to $200, main features $500 or more, depending on length and complexity. The more editing required, the less money that's available for the writer's fee — so clean, complete submissions earn more.

Jan:    As a managing editor for Thomson Newspapers, you guided a number of special publication projects from concept to final printing.  What parts of the publication process are your favorites and why? 

Terry:    And in 2012, I guided a 10-year anniversary project for Delaware Beach Life, the "Best of the First 10 Years" special 120-page edition. I enjoy the entire creative process from concept through content through page design and creation. Probably my favorite part is seeing a project completed! 

Jan:    Your work as a photojournalist – especially work you’ve done that focuses on the natural beauty of the Delmarva Peninsula – seems to be a true passion. How do you discover and capture the perfect shots to tell a larger story?

Terry:    We are fortunate here on Delmarva to have so much natural beauty all around us. Being in the right place at the right time helps to create the "luck" that seems to happen when you capture a great image. Look at the stellar work by National Geographic veteran Kevin Fleming, who shoots most of Delaware Beach Life's cover images. He goes where few others go and at pre-dawn hours when other photographers are still in bed. So he creates the "luck" that seems to produce award-winning images — but it's not really luck, it's consistent effort. 

Jan:   You write articles from time-to-time for your magazine.  What kind of story fires your own passion and imagination? 

Terry:    I love creative nonfiction that reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary. We are surrounded by fascinating people and topics all the time, but it's a challenge to reveal the interesting details. For example, I wrote a story called "The Mystery of Migration" that looked at how geese and ducks and other wildlife navigate over thousands of miles. We see them flying over us all the time, but rarely stop to ponder how they find their way over such great distances. 

Jan:    You’ve written a lot about ways to help save the bay and coastal waterways of our Delmarva region.  Can you offer four or five things ordinary citizens could do that would help immediately to protect and sustain our coastal regions?

Terry:    As a matter of fact, Delaware Beach Life will be publishing a piece in every issue this year on the topic of climate change and how it affects our coastal region and what people can do about it — so look for that. We will also have stories about a topic we regularly cover: the inland bays. Citizens can do things small and large, from being aware of chemicals that run off their lawns and driveways to paying more attention to land-use issues. Land-use politics seem boring to most people until the effects of political decisions start to change the environment around them — but by then it can be too late.

Jan:    At a Bay-to-Ocean conference as I was leaving a presentation that you gave with several other publishers, I heard someone say, “Nobody knows ‘local’ better than Terry Plowman; he knows the Delaware coastal region and its issues better than most politicians.”  What do you say to that? Ever considered entering political life?

Terry:    Ha, ha, no, I wouldn't make a good politician because I'm not that outgoing. As for "knowing local," I think if you live in a place for 35 years and are interested in what's going on around you, you're bound to absorb a lot of information over the years. Because I truly love coastal Delaware, and am naturally very curious, I'm still trying to learn about it all the time.

Jan:    Thank you for the interview. Congratulations on your many awards. Your magazine is interesting and your photography is dazzling. 

Go online for subscription or submissions guidelines.
www.delawarebeachlife.com


-->
Jan Bowman’s work has appeared in Roanoke Review, Big Muddy, Broadkill Review, Trajectory, Third Wednesday, Minimus, Buffalo Spree (97), Folio, The Potomac Review, Musings, Potato Eyes, and others. She won the 2011 Roanoke Review Prize for Fiction. Her stories have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories and a story was a finalist in the “So To Speak” Fiction Contest. She is working on two collections of short stories and currently shopping for a publisher for a completed story collection. She has nonfiction work pending publication in Spring 2013 Issues of Trajectory and Pen-in-Hand. She writes a weekly blog of “Reflections” on the writing life and posts regular interviews with writers and publishers.   Learn more at:


Friday, January 18, 2013

Entry # 127 - WRITER TALK - 2 - Diane Marquette, Maryland Author

Background Notes: 
Diane Marquette is the author of five published books: In Over My Head, Too Close For Words, and Suitable For Framing from her Chesapeake Conference Center mystery series, as well as two stand-alone novels, Good Fridays and Almost Mine.       Part 2 Interview           

Diane Marquette was born Diane Merryman in Baltimore and grew up in Howard County, Maryland. Her first boss was James Rouse, visionary and designer of the city of Columbia, Maryland. Later she worked as a freelance writer for Patuxent Publishing Corporation in Baltimore before she and her husband moved to Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1987. She has five published books and more are on the way.   

Part 1 of this interview was published as Entry # 126 on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at blogsite: http://janbowmanwriter.blogspot.com

Diane says, “If you're looking for information about the Bay to Ocean Writers Conference, which I help coordinate each February at Chesapeake College in Maryland, please go to www.baytoocean.com. You can watch the You Tube video made at the last conference and register.”

“My website www.dianemarquette.com contains plenty of information about my five published books -- In Over My Head, Too Close For Words, and Suitable For Framing from my Chesapeake Conference Center mystery series, as well as my two stand-alone novels, Good Fridays and Almost Mine.  You can read the first chapter, a synopsis, interviews, and reviews for each of my novels, as well as links to my blogs.  All of my books are available in both e-book and print versions online and in bookstores.”

Jan:    What are some of the problems authors face when they deal with small publishers?

Diane:     My five books were originally published by a small publishing company, which consisted of one and a half employees. In my experience, I found this publisher took on too big a workload, causing numerous and lengthy delays in moving my books through the publishing and marketing process, and into the sales arena.

There are similarities whether an author is published by a large traditional publishing house, a small publisher, or even self-published. Gone is the time when large publishers would pay to market a book, set up and pay expenses for an author to do book signings, and pay travel expenses for authors to do television and radio promotion for their book. With downsizing and budget cuts, large publishing houses are completely re-structured and they can’t afford to take authors by the hand and lead them down the road to success.
Each author is responsible for promoting their own books, and is generally most successful when using a variety of methods. Purchasing advertising in newspapers and magazines can be successful. Having an appealing and entertaining website is also a must for most writers, as are blogs. But what’s made the most dramatic change in marketing anything at all is the online social network, including Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

Jan:    So tell me about your involvement with the annual Bay-to-Ocean Writers Conference in MD. How did you get involved?

Diane:    In 2000, I attended my first writers conference, the Bay to Ocean Writers Conference on the Easton Shore of MD. I had done some writing for newspapers in Baltimore twenty-five years earlier. While at the conference, I kept waiting for someone to tap me on the shoulder and tell me I wasn’t really a writer and that I needed to leave. Of course, that didn’t happen. Instead I left there so motivated and inspired and enthusiastic that I went home and wrote the drafts for my first two novels. I also began writing freelance articles for several local and regional publications. This was an ideal way to build a “fan base” that became part of my marketing platform after my first books were published. 
Jan:    What do you do at the conference?

Diane:    Since that first Bay-to-Ocean Writers Conference about thirteen years ago, I’ve been involved in coordinating this annual event, which is held every February near Queenstown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. For most of those years, I’ve been the sole coordinator, but as the conference has grown, one of its co-coordinators. We have a wonderful committee of volunteers who have grown with the conference. There are now about 230 participants each year, who come to the conference from a six-state area. Being involved in the conference is my way of giving back and sharing with others the information and inspiration that paved the way for my serious writing career.
The next conference will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2013, at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, MD. Registrations are still being accepted, but the conference always sells out early.  For more details and information on how to register, visit www.baytoocean.com.
Jan:    You’ve spoken at conferences about your Oprah epiphany. What was this experience and what was its impact on your life?

Diane:    In 1999 Oprah asked me (and zillions of other viewers) a very simple question. What one thing would I regret not having done for myself if I knew I was going to die soon? My answer surprised me. I said it was to write a book.
I hadn't realized writing was so important to me. I hadn't even given it any serious consideration in more than twenty years, but Oprah's question ignited a fire in me - what Oprah would call a passion. I soon attended a local writers conference to see what opportunities were available, and was soon on my way to the serious writing career I have today. Thanks, Oprah!

Jan:    Recently you’ve written a number of screenplays. How does writing and marketing screenplays compare to the process for novels and mysteries?

Diane:    It’s said that getting a book published is extremely difficult. It’s also said that getting a screenplay produced is twice as hard as getting a book published. Books and screenplays are both about stories with conflict and characters (good or bad) that the reader or viewer cares about.

The format for a screenplay or script is totally different from the manuscript for a book. Books are generally several hundred pages long. A screenplay is rarely more than 120 pages long. Much of a book contains description about the setting, the characters, and the action. A script is almost all dialogue, centered on the page, with lots of white space surrounding the words.

Jan:     So who really controls how a screenplay or script is interpreted and evolves and what it ultimately becomes?

Diane:    In a book, the author is in charge of what the characters look like, sound like, and how they dress. If you’ve ever paid close attention to the credits that roll at the end of a movie, it’s abundantly clear that each of those people had some input in how that movie looked and sounded. Unless the writer has provided details vital to the story (such as a blind character or a person with a speech impediment), individuals working on a movie set will determine how a character will look, sound, behave, and even dress. Others will design the sets where the filming takes place, either outdoors or on soundstages. The directors oversee every aspect of a movie and obviously want the end result to be what their own interpretation of the story is.

Jan:    What truly amazes you about screenwriters?

Diane:    It amazes me that screenwriters don’t get more credit. There are awards given for writing achievement, but even with the dozens of people it takes to produce a movie, there would be no movie in the first place if the writer had not written the story.

Jan:    So lets talk about agents.  Who needs one and why?

Diane:    Getting an agent for a book is important, but nearly impossible. Thankfully, today, there is the self-publishing book option, which eliminates some of the need for literary agents. But there really isn’t an option like that for screenwriters. So, getting an agent for a script is important, but perhaps more impossible than getting a literary agent for a book. Personally I’ve had better luck contacting directors, actors, and actresses through their agents or managers. My screenplays are being read this way, so I’ll continue using that route, as well as attempting to locate a suitable agent. If a writer is unsuccessful getting a screenplay produced, there’s always the option of turning that script into a book. Many movies began life as books.

Jan:    And tell us about your next book. When will it be available and what excites you about this one?

Diane:    I’m working on two books right now. One is in the draft stage and one is in the research stage. I’m writing mystery #4 in my Chesapeake Conference Center mystery series. This one is called Stop the Car, which brings the protagonist, Deputy Jill McCormick, to the conference center to investigate a disappearance during a college reunion being held at the prestigious facility. Jill is working with her lover, Sheriff Mitch Garrett on the case, which brings some of Mitch’s relatives into the story. In the case of Stop the Car, not everyone and everything is what they seem to be. I expect this book to be available before the end of 2013.

The other book is not part of the mystery series, but is a “stand-alone” book, as are two of my other novels, Almost Mine and Good Fridays. Titled Out of Order, it’s the humorous book I’ve wanted to write since I began my career as a novelist. It’s about a dysfunctional family (isn’t that redundant?), three middle-aged sisters with different styles of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and how we fool ourselves into thinking we’re in control of our lives. This story is about how the little things in life can make us smile and get us to offer thanks. Or little things cause us to lose it, like just leaving the spoon in the box of ice cream in the freezer! Out of Order should be available in spring 2014.

Jan:    What advice has helped you grow as a writer?

Diane:    The most important lesson I’ve learned is that each of us is a product of our upbringing and our unique experiences, and that’s what makes one person’s writing different from anyone else’s. It’s important for a writer to find his or her own writing “voice,” and that is something that shouldn’t be forced. Letting it happen naturally will make all the difference. If a writer writes for the sheer enjoyment of it, that writer will be successful. If they write for fame and fortune, they are setting themselves up to fail.

Jan:    What would you say to young writers just starting a writing career?

Diane:    My advice to beginning writers is to attend writers conferences and join some local writers groups. Writing is a solitary business, so anytime you can be among other writers is helpful. Other writers relate to issues you’re having with your own writing and can genuinely appreciate any success you’ve experienced. Being with other writers will recharge your batteries.

Jan:    Finally, what well-intentioned advice have you chosen to ignore?

Diane:    I made the decision not to write for the marketplace, meaning what’s “hot” and selling right now. Readers are fickle and no writer has a crystal ball to determine what genre is going to be on the best-seller list this time next year when their book is finished. The wizards blend into the vampires, which are conquered by the serial killers, who are replaced by the sweet dog story. Books and movies go in cycles, but before a writer can get on the bandwagon and write what's currently hot, the next great subject matter has already been written and is coming out.

When writers find a genre and style that suits them, they’ll know it. Story ideas present themselves and unique characters that readers will care about will be born in a writer’s imagination. It will feel “right.” You'll know. Go with it.

Jan:    Thank you for sharing your insights with readers and writers. I appreciate your time.

Diane:    My pleasure, Jan. Thank you for the opportunity!

Additional Background Notes and Information:

Diane says, My librarian mother shared her love of books with me. During my school years, I was an avid reader and a good student, even surviving nine years of nuns. My big problem in school was math, I simply didn't get the arithmetic gene from my engineer father. I loved grammar and literature and excelled at spelling, so wanting to become a writer shocked no one. I wasn't sure what I wanted to be when I grew up, so I majored in a variety of subjects during college. Art, history, biology, and English were my favorites. 

My first boss was James Rouse, visionary and designer of the city of Columbia, Maryland. After four years, I changed jobs and began working as an administrative assistant at an industrial manufacturing facility. One of the benefits was meeting my future husband, Jim Marquette.


My love of animals led to a two-year position with the Humane Society and then a stint as a veterinary technician for ten years. I worked as a freelance writer for Patuxent Publishing Corporation in Baltimore before my husband and I moved to Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1987.

I was a visual merchandiser for a retail store in Easton, Maryland for ten years. A two-year job at the world-famous Aspen Institute/Wye River Conference Center in Queenstown was my next career move. This experience gave me the ideas for some of my most successful writing, my Chesapeake Conference Center mystery series. The first three titles in the series are
In Over My Head, Too Close For Words, and Suitable For Framing. 


On my website www.dianemarquette.com see "Behind the Story" on the menu under In Over My Head.”
==================

Jan Bowman’s work has appeared in Roanoke Review, Big Muddy, Broadkill Review, Third Wednesday, Minimus, Buffalo Spree (97), Folio, The Potomac Review, Musings, Potato Eyes, and others. She won the 2011 Roanoke Review Prize for Fiction. Her stories have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories and a recent story was a finalist in the “So To Speak” Fiction Contest. She is working on two collections of short stories and currently shopping for a publisher for a completed story collection. She has nonfiction work pending publication in Trajectory and Pen-in-Hand. She writes a weekly blog of “Reflections” on the writing life and posts regular interviews with writers and publishers.   
email:  janbowmanwriter@gmail.com    Learn more at:

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Entry # 126 - WRITERS TALK - Diane Marquette Maryland Author

Background Notes: 
Diane Marquette is the author of five published books: In Over My Head, Too Close For Words, and Suitable For Framing from her Chesapeake Conference Center mystery series, as well as two stand-alone novels, Good Fridays and Almost Mine
She has written more than one hundred and fifty articles, which have been published in the Baltimore Sun, the Star Democrat, Delmarva Quarterly, Shore Living, Talbot Guide, Caroline Review, Delaware Beach Life, and Women's View. She has written six screenplays, which she is promoting and shopping to directors, actresses, and actors in Los Angeles. 
Diane has been interviewed on local television and radio news programs and on the blog talk radio show “Murder, She Writes.” Visit podcast.com/show/141743/rss to listen in. She also has read her work on local public radio and this piece can be heard by clicking on Public Radio Essay on the menu. She is a former Vice President of the Eastern Shore Writers Association, and a member of the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and the Maryland Writers Association.  She helps coordinate the annual Bay-to-Ocean Writers’ Conference at Chesapeake College in Maryland.  Her website www.dianemarquette.com contains plenty of information about her five published books.

Jan:   When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?

Diane:    Twenty-five years ago, before I moved to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, I wrote freelance articles for various newspapers in the Baltimore area. But it wasn’t until about twelve years ago that I attended the Bay-to-Ocean Writers Conference in Easton, and became inspired and motivated to get serious about writing again.
Jan:    What did you do to make your writing dreams real?
Diane:    I set goals.  And quickly achieved the first one, to get a freelance article published in a local magazine. Over the next several years, more than 150 of my articles were published in regional and national newspapers and magazines. I’ve written five books, all of which have been published. I’ve also written six screenplays, which I’m marketing with agents and producers.
Jan:    Many readers know you because of your Chesapeake Conference Center mystery series: In Over My Head, Too Close For Words, and Suitable For Framing. What inspired you to write a mystery series?

Diane:    I worked for several years at the Aspen Institute/Wye River Conference Center in Queenstown, MD, witnessing the Mideast Peace Talks and many other high-level government meetings, so a great deal of my own work experience is going into my Chesapeake Conference Center mystery series.


The first three books in the series, In Over My Head, Too Close For Words, and Suitable For Framing describe what goes on behind the scenes at an exclusive, upscale retreat frequented by prominent professionals and famous world leaders. I’ve enriched these stories with even more details that required me to do additional research involving topics such as the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, abductions, arson, and bomb-sniffing dogs. (For more "national security secrets" revealed, see my “Behind the Story” under the Book section on the menu for In Over My Head on my website www.dianemarquette.com .) 

Jan:    So do you envision more books for this series? 
Diane:    I’m currently writing the fourth book in the Chesapeake Conference Center mystery series, which has the titled - Stop the Car.


Jan:     Did you know that you would be writing a mystery series when you began? Why did you decide to continue this mystery series?

Diane:    It’s rare for a writer to begin researching and writing a book knowing it's the first in a series; even anticipating a sequel is pretty ambitious.  I’ve enjoyed working with the characters in this Chesapeake Conference Center mystery series and I want to know them better, so I continue to write about them. After writing the first three books in the series, the characters have grown and become more three-dimensional. It’s just like a blossoming friendship – each time we’re together, I learn more about them.


Jan:    So how did these characters take form for you?

Diane:    Well-developed characters help the author write the story, too. The characters actually bring me story ideas now. I put them in a particular situation and consider how they will react, given the unique personality each of them has. I have ideas for at least three more mysteries in the series, so with the help of the protagonist, Deputy Jill McCormick, and her buddies, we’ll be working together for quite a few years to come.


Jan:    Your novel, Good Fridays, was published in August 2011, and has since been republished on Amazon as of August 2012. Tell us about that process to move it into the Amazon arena.

Diane:    A popular method to get a book published right now is to be a self-published author and to reach out directly to readers on the Internet, by publishing through a website such as www.amazon.com.  In addition to being the leading seller of print books and electronic books (ebooks), Amazon is now the recognized giant in the book publishing industry. The process of self-publishing one’s books with Amazon is simpler and faster than more traditional methods, and gets books into the readers’ hands much more quickly. 
Jan:    What are the challenges you see?
Diane:    After publishing a book, one of the most challenging jobs an author faces is marketing the book to make readers aware it exists. One of the most attractive features of publishing with Amazon is that Amazon provides extensive marketing support to its authors.
Jan:    And what have you discovered? 
Diane:    In the beginning of my Amazon journey, the most important decision I made was to hire some experts to help me. A writer I know referred me to someone in England he had used to do the technical formatting for both the ebook version and the print version of his book. I know my limitations and how long it would have taken me to accomplish this step on my own, so I hired this person to do it for me, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the results. 
Then I also hired another writer friend to do the final proofreading because it’s extremely difficult for a writer to proofread his or her own work. So, again, that was money well-spent. Writers have to realize that any time they spend doing technical work for publication or any energy they spend on marketing, are not being spent on the actual writing process itself.  

Jan:    You’ve said that your first book, Almost Mine, remains a personal and a fan favorite. Why do you love this one so much?

Diane:    My first book, Almost Mine, is about step-grand-parenting, and the belief that unanswered prayers can sometimes be blessings. That story was inspired by my own surprising experience of falling head-over-heels in love with my two step-grandsons when they were born. I wanted to write a book about that feeling. I sense there are other women who understand that children bring their own love with them and they don’t care that there isn’t a blood relationship between you and them.

Jan:    Have you considered a sequel and what would be the focus of it? 
Diane:    Yes, I have thought about writing a sequel to Almost Mine. That story ends with Joey, Helen’s step-grandson, at the age of two. I’d like to re-visit Helen and Joey about ten or twelve years after Almost Mine ends. My own two step-grandsons are now teenagers, so there are plenty of experiences to incorporate into Joey and Helen’s next story. Some of my fans have suggested this, too, so I owe it to them to explore this! Thanks for the nudge, Jan!

Jan:    Some authors are considering alternative forms of publishing, such as self-publishing, print-on-demand (pod), and electronic books. What are your thoughts on the changes and which of these forms looks most inviting to you and why?

Diane:    Whether you’re a reader or a writer, you know the world of book publishing has greatly changed. What was once considered the “traditional” way for an author to get his or her book published was to sign a contract with a literary agent who would secure a contract with a major publishing house. That scenario was the norm for decades.
But with the advent of self-publishing, print-on-demand (POD) and electronic books, everything’s changed. A popular method right now is to be a self-published author and to reach out directly to readers on the Internet, publishing through a website such as www.amazon.com.
In addition to being the leading seller of print books and electronic books (ebooks), Amazon is now the recognized giant in the book publishing industry. The process of self-publishing one’s books with Amazon is simpler and faster than more traditional methods, and gets books into the readers’ hands much more quickly.
After publishing a book, one of the most challenging jobs an author faces is marketing the book to make readers aware it exists. One of the most attractive features of publishing with Amazon, is that they provide extensive marketing support and tools.Writing a book is difficult enough, but getting it published and then marketing it takes an enormous amount of time and energy. Typing “The End” on the last page of the manuscript is never really the end.

Jan:    Well. This is not the end of our interview. We'll continue this interview on Friday, January 18, 2013 - to be posted after 4:00 p.m.
Her website www.dianemarquette.com contains plenty of information about her five published books.
===================
Jan Bowman’s work has appeared in Roanoke Review, Big Muddy, Broadkill Review, Trajectory, Third Wednesday, Minimus, Buffalo Spree (97), Folio, The Potomac Review, Musings, Potato Eyes, and others. She won the 2011 Roanoke Review Prize for Fiction. Her stories have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best American Short Stories and a story was a finalist in the “So To Speak” Fiction Contest. She is working on two collections of short stories and currently shopping for a publisher for a completed story collection. She has nonfiction work pending publication in Spring 2013 Issues of Trajectory and Pen-in-Hand. She writes a weekly blog of “Reflections” on the writing life and posts regular interviews with writers and publishers.  Learn more at:                             Website – www.janbowmanwriter.com