The Maven Interview with Stephanie Rowe!

The winner of our Choose Your Own Adventure® title contest is Bill Clark with The Cotswold Curse: Being the True Story of the Late Mysterious Happenings in Rural Oxfordshire, Together With the Perilous Adventures of Miss Mary Goodweather and Her Pesky Virginhood! Bill, send along your address because we've got a box of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts with your name on 'em!


Today, we are excited to have Rita-nominated author Stephanie Rowe with us. Stephanie also writes young adult as Stephie Davis. We peppered her with questions and she graciously shared some great information and experience! Feel free to ask questions in the comments as Stephanie will be around a bit today. Stephanie’s newest release is Sex and the Immortal Bad Boy.

When did you decide to try for a career in writing?

I decided for a career in writing when I came to the conclusion that there was no job on this earth that I could deal with except writing. I’d spend several years soul searching, trying to find the job that I could do happily for the next forty years. I did all the career workshops etc, and finally realized that writing was the only thing that fit. I’d dabbled in writing before, but more to amuse myself and escape from the reality of the killer-day-job (hey, it *looks* like I’m working if I’m actually typing a book, right?), but I hadn’t really been considering it a career. Until then. At that point, I sat myself down at the computer and decided to write a book and see what I thought. It didn’t take long before I was completely hooked, and I knew that was what I needed to do for the rest of my life. And then 18 full manuscripts and 7 partials later, I was published.

How much like "real" life were your first book(s)?

I think they were very grounded in my real life, as are many first books by novelists, but that’s okay. It’s difficult enough to write, you might as well make it easy on yourself by writing about something you know well, right? Of course, none of the books of my heart came remotely close to selling, because, quite frankly, my life isn’t that interesting. It wasn’t until I really grasped the concept of *fiction* that my books actually had a story worth telling.

Do you have a "call" story you wouldn't mind sharing, as far as landing an agent, then landing your first contract?

I snagged my first agent after only about 130 rejections, but then, I’ve always been an overachiever... anyhoodles, I had queried my agent (among others) and was waiting on a response, when I finalled in the Golden Heart in 2003. I immediately emailed her (and all the other agents) and told her that I’d finalled in the GH, mentioned that we were both invited to the GH reception, so maybe I’d see her there, and giving her an update on the status of my projects. She offered me representation a week later. I know she read my book that fast because of the GH final, so, although finalling in the GH seems so remote, I really believe it’s worth the $50 to enter, because you just never know.

My first sale was a YA to Dorchester, and it’s entirely my agent’s fault. The YA market was just heating up and she told me that I’d have a great YA voice and asked me to write something she could slide over to Dorchester for the opening of this new line. I did, she slid, and the offer rolled in. I cried. How could I not? It was incredible. Then I sold my first adult book a few weeks later (it had just won the 2004 GH) to Harlequin after a lengthy process of the revise & resubmit game with the editor. Then Dorchester’s YA line folded and the Harlequin line I wrote for folded and all the lessons I’d learned as an unpub about how to persevere through bad news and frustrating times kept me going.

How much plotting do you do before beginning a book? How close is the finished product to what you originally envision?

This process is constantly evolving for me. I used to do an 80 page outline, and then abandon it halfway through. Then I did nothing but start to write. Then I started doing extensive character sketches, and then I did random brainstorming of plot, character and whatever else, and then after about 25 pages of single spaced notes, I would put together a synopsis to try to organize my thoughts. I have recently concluded that this approach is no longer sufficient, and for my next book, I am going to put together an extensive and detailed outline that I hope will help me create the story I want, and help alleviate my tendency to run into brick walls and start over several times per book (there’s nothing fun about starting completely over when you’re on page 300 and only two weeks away from your deadline)...

How much plotting do you do before beginning a connected series (for example, your recent Mona series and your upcoming paranormal series)?

Obviously, I do a lot more plotting before a connected series than I do for single book. The paranormal suspense trilogy I have coming out in 2008 required a tremendous amount of pre-work because I had to create an overarching plot to span all three books, as well as a standalone subplot for each book. It was a great learning experience for me, for sure!

How much planning do you do in advance to develop characters and character arcs? Do the characters "surprise" you along the way?

I really map out my characters well, and they do not tend to surprise me. I am not one of those authors who claims the characters control the story. I control the story and the characters and if it doesn’t work, it’s my fault. Don’t get me wrong, I completely think of them as real people, but they are real people who are not separate from me. They are real people who are a part of me; we are one and the same. Does that make sense?

Do you have critique partners and/or plotting buddies? What are suggestions/concerns to keep in mind regarding those?

I actually do not have any critique partners or plotting buddies. I am a one-person-show, for better or for worse. The only people who get to read my book before it hits the shelf are my agent and editor, and they don’t see it or hear any details until it’s finished. I like the independence of being on my own, and I like the challenge. It works for me, so I guess I’ll stick with it, though sometimes I do feel somewhat like a deviant child when everyone around me is talking about their fantastic critique partners...

Do you love or hate synopses? What's the best way to tackle them?

Synopses don’t bother me at all ever since I discovered Lisa Gardner’s workshop on synopsis writing. It can be found on her website or on the Rose City Romance Writers website. It is, quite truly, the very best synopsis aid I’ve found, and it makes it so easy to write them.

You write on a fairly fast-paced schedule. What do you do to keep yourself on track and how much time do you spend writing vs. non-writing, but necessary-for-the-writing-career tasks every day?

I have my daily schedule written out for every single day from when I start writing a book until I turn it in. I know exactly what page I need to get to each day, and I stick to it. I have all sorts of charts and spreadsheets to track my work and help me set goals that work for me. Writing comes first, and other writing related tasks like responding to email or updating my website don’t get addressed until my page quota is done for the day. If I’m struggling with a book, that could mean that I get very behind on those things, but that’s okay. Writing is my priority because if I don’t write books, there will be none of the other stuff to do... I write about six hours a day, seven days a week. At the end of the book, I may write more than that, but I try not to until I’m near the end or I’ll burn myself out. I write 12 new pages/day minimum, but I aim for 20. But if I hit 12, I’m good. If I go over, then it’s icing. Honestly, I almost always come in with at least 18, which is why my goal is 12. That way, every day, I can feel good about my production. It’s all psychological games, really. But if I go over 25, then I need to be careful not to burn myself out if I’m still early in the book.

Thanks so much for having me!! I’m so thrilled to be here!

And thanks for being here, Stephanie! Go ahead and post your questions/comments. One lucky random poster will receive a signed book from Stephanie's backlist!