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Welcome To Spare Time Novelist
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Welcome to the Spare Time Novelist. This web page is for those writers who
dream of some day being on the New York Times Best Seller List. Maybe you've dreamed of being the
next Robert Heinlein, Nora Roberts, John Grisham, Toni Morrison, Tom Clancy or one of my favorites, Susan Krinard.
Or maybe you're striving higher, to become the next Aristotle, Euripides, Machiabelli or Freud. Whatever your choice,
there's always a starting point, a place to begin. Hopefully, Spare Time Novelist can be a part of
your destiny. These pages are dedicated to YOU, to those of us who need, who feel the urge to tell a story.
[About Us] [Dedication]
[Contact Us]
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Interview with Author Charlee Boyett-Compo
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Susan Krinard, Author
Visit her website: Here
Interviewer: J.M. De Long
for Spare Time Novelist |
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BIO:
Susan Krinard is the author of the well-known Werewolf series. The third story in her trilogy is due
out in October, 2001. She has combined her love of Science Fiction & Fantasy with Romance and created
stories that stay with you long after you've put her book away.
Ms. Krinard can be reached at skrinard@aol.com:
I want to thank Ms. Krinard for giving her time for this interview. I hope you enjoy it as
much as I did.
(STN) 1. How did you start writing? What first inspired
(Ms. Krinard) I sort of "fell in" to romance writing by accident. I'd planned to be
a
science fiction cover artist and actually made up a portfolio of
paintings to
take to NY, but didn't get a single bite. There I was, unemployed but
married to a great and supportive husband, when a published friend of
mine
read a short "fanfic" story I'd written based on the TV series "Beauty
and
the Beast." She said, "Why don't you write a romance novel?" Up to
that
point I'd read a lot of Regencies and Georgette Heyer, but not much
regular
romance. Most of my reading had been science fiction and fantasy, but I
always look for strong relationships in those books--as in Anne
McCaffrey and
Marion Zimmer Bradley.
So, I sat down and began to write PRINCE OF WOLVES. It was natural for
me to
use a shapeshifter as my first hero, a man who can turn all the way
into a
wolf and embodies the fine qualities of that animal. I had no idea
that such
a book might be too "weird." I found that I understood how to write a
romantic relationship; it just flowed out of my fingertips! Two years
later
I sold the book as part of a three-book contract to Bantam, without an
agent.
What inspired me then, as now, was the fantasy/romance combination,
taking
the "best of both worlds" and putting them together.
(STN) 2. Do you write everyday?
(Ms. Krinard) Every week day. When I'm in the middle of a manuscript, I have a
minimum of
6-7 pages a day. My best writing time is smack in the middle of the
day. On
weekends, I try to actually do some relaxing (ha!) but also do research
and
catching up on e-mail, fan mail, etc.
(STN) 3. How do you feel about Writer's Groups and On-Line
Writers Workshops?
(Ms. Krinard) I think they can be very useful for new writers, and experienced ones.
The
market information, and research, that I get online is particularly
useful
for me, as is contact with readers. For new writers, the exchange can
be
invaluable, if you choose the right group. The trick is not to get so
overwhelmed by online stuff that you can't do your actual writing. I
sometimes have trouble balancing the two myself!
(STN) 4. Tell us about your new book(s).
(Ms. Krinard) Well, right now (August) OUT OF THIS WORLD, the futuristic anthology
from
Jove, is on the shelves. My novella, "Kinsman," is a true futuristic
romance,
the kind I love to write. I've done one before, STAR CROSSED, which is
now
out of print but may be going back into print fairly soon. I really
love
writing this kind of story and hope I can eventually do more.
My novel this year is SECRET OF THE WOLF, the third in my historical
werewolf
trilogy, out from Berkley in October. (The first two books, TOUCH OF
THE WOLF
and ONCE A WOLF, are Bantam books but are still in print.) This is the
story
of Quentin, the twin brother of the heroine from ONCE A WOLF and part
of an
aristocratic English werewolf family. This book can be read separately,
not
just as part of the trilogy.
Quentin is a shapeshifter with a problem ... wherever he goes, things
seem to
happen that he can't remember. When he winds up at the door of Dr.
Johanna
Schell, a late 19th century hypnotist, he thinks he may finally learn
what
has been driving him from place to place and haunting his dreams. But
what
Johanna awakens may be more than either of them can handle--unless they
rely
on the power of their love.
I really enjoyed writing this book, which includes a number of unusual
secondary characters and a setting in the Napa Valley, the wine country
which
was about an hour's drive north of where I used to live in California.
(I'm
now in Albuquerque, NM--NM is the setting of ONCE A WOLF.)
5. Do you use a PC? Do you have a special place to
write? Typically, how much do you write a day?
(Ms. Krinard) I use a PC, a Vaio laptop. (My Compaq died less than two years after I
bought it!) I have a "workroom/office" with a very messy desk, and
lots of
shelves filled with papers and books. I keep office supplies on shelves
in my
closet. It always looks as though a tornado hit it!
As I said above, I try to write 6-7 pages a day, when I'm in the
writing
stage. You have to be disciplined in this business, whether you "feel"
like
writing or not!
(STN) 6. How much do you re-write? How many drafts do you
typically have?
(Ms. Krinard) Well, I do some rewriting as I go along, and I do a "fairly" polished
first
draft--I don't write super-loose like some. I put double asterisks next
to
awkward sentences, words I use too often, research bits that need to be
added, contradictions I need to check. With the second draft, I go back
and
do these things and look for repetition and areas that can be cut. At
that
point I usually send it off to friends to read, and when I get back
their
comments, I'll do the third draft. Then I send it off to my editor, and
may
have revisions from her.
(STN) 7. Do you use an outline? If not, how do you keep tract of your story and characters?
(Ms. Krinard) Oh, yes, I use an outline! They range from 20-60 pages, and are quite
detailed. I don't like not having a "map" to follow. However, I will
change
anything that needs to be changed at any point in the story ... quite
often I
find that I've come up with a better idea, my original idea doesn't
work, or
the characters have gone off in a different direction than anticipated.
An
outline, however, keeps me paced and stops me from floundering around
in the
middle of the story.
(STN) 8. What drew you to the werewolf saga?
(Ms. Krinard) I've always loved wolves, and shapeshifters, so it was natural for me.
However, I didn't like the "bad rep" wolves had had as killers ...
which
feeds into the werewolf myth of savage, bloodthirsty murderers. I
wanted to
approach it from a more natural angle, as if the werewolves were simply
another race of beings. I also love nature, so many of my stories are
set in
the woods or desert or some other wilderness setting.
9. What authors do you like to read?
(Ms. Krinard) My favorite romance author is Laura Kinsale, who hasn't been writing
much
lately. I also enjoy Mary Balogh. I read quite a bit of science
fiction and
fantasy; my favorite authors include Lois McMaster Bujold and Sharon
Lee/Steve Miller, both of whom combine romance with the science
fiction.
(STN) 10. Do you enjoy meeting your readers and are you able
to do this often?
(Ms. Krinard) Yes, I enjoy meeting them very much, though I don't get to as much as I
would
like. E-mail helps me keep in contact, and I try to attend at least one
major
romance conference a year ... I hope to be at RT this November.
(STN) 11. Who is your greatest support?
(Ms. Krinard) My husband, without a doubt. He fully supports me and is always ready
to lend
a helping hand with my writing, though he doesn't ordinarily read
romance.
My dogs are my second best ... they keep me from being lonely in my
office as
I write. And my local RWA chapter, LERA, has also been very
supportive, as
have my long-distance friends.
(STN) 12. You've moved into the historical genre in your
writing. Can you tell us what historical figure you
most identify with?
(Ms. Krinard) Oh, goodness. There isn't any one. I just love history! I am
fascinated by
so many periods that I wish I could write in all of them. I really
relate to
strong women who defied the conventions of their times, like Queen
Elizabeth
the First, or the Suffragettes.
(STN) 13. If you could have done anything at all in your
life, what would it have been? A secret ambition?
(Ms. Krinard) You mean totally ignoring my talents and physical type?
Maybe a
dancer.
I'm stumpy and awkward, but I love to dance ... I just am afraid to.
But I
love being a writer, and wouldn't give that up for anything!
(STN)14. You have a wonderful website. Do you use other
methods of marketing your work?
(Ms. Krinard) I stay active on several e-mail lists, advertise in RWA's Romance
$ells, let
website owners know about future releases, send out bookmarks and
letters to
booksellers, and offer bookmarks and contests to readers. I wish I had
more
time to promote, but at times I have to choose between that or writing!
(STN) 15. Many of the visitors to Spare Time Novelist are
beginners. What advise would you give them?
(Ms. Krinard)There is often a lot of contradiction between two pieces of advice:
"Write
from the heart" and "follow the market." I think you almost have to
compromise between the two. I have. If you want to sell and make a
career,
you have to consider the market. On the other hand, you also have to
write
what moves you. So you have to find a way to do both and not burn out.
I
found this by combining fantasy, historical and romance elements.
There are
times that I wish I could have a little more freedom to write exactly
what I
want, but I have lots of tricks to satisfy myself as well as the
market. And
I keep trying to expand the boundaries!
Above all, though, you have to be prepared to work very hard, hone your
craft
(realize that you always have a lot of improving to do!), be adaptable,
and
be persistent. You can't give up easily and stay in this field. You
just
have to keep trying, and learning.
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Publishers
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Publishers Guidelines
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Literary Agents
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Please take a moment to view our on-going list of Publishers for all
Genres. If you have dealt with a certain Publisher and it was either a good or bad
experience, please let know about it. Email Us
Do you have some work you'd like your fellow writers to read? Now's the time to get
feedback on your writing style, characterizations, plot lines, etc. Review our Showcase
page to see how.
Click Here
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I've had losts of questions about Publisher Guidelines. I've gone to several of the publishers
sites on the internet to see what their specific Guidelines are. The guidelines listed below are mainly for the
Romance genre. I will be updating this list with other genre guidelines soon. Mystery, Science Fiction, Fantasy
and Horror will be my next update. Please, if you know specifically any Guidelines for publishers, please let me
know and I will add them to this list.
Spare Time Novelist
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This is a short list of Literary Agents from various areas of the internet. I will be adding
to it gradually.Spare Time Novelist
(This list is from many sources on the Internet and I appreciate every last one of them! Thank you for answering
my questions!)
Publishers & Literary Agents Resource!
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| ABOUT
YOUR SITE |
Issue:
03 Year: 1998
Editor: J.M. De Long
© 2000 J.M. De Long |
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For the Auction Seller!!
By Susan Krinard
Bewitched
Body and Soul
Once a Wolf
Secret of the Wolf
Guardian Angel
Prince of Dreams
Prince of Wolves
Star Crossed
Touch of the Wolf
Twice a Hero
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LibrarySpot
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