Author Interview ~ Mark Gilroy

M.K. Gilroy

Mark Gilroy has had a long, varied, and successful career in publishing, from his first paid creative assignment as a newspaper sports writer while in college, to serving as head of gift, specialty, and backlist publishing for Thomas Nelson, the world’s largest Christian publisher. Throughout his journey in the world of books he has worked with leading authors such as Max Lucado, Sarah Young, John Maxwell, Darlene Zschech, H. Jackson Brown, Donald Miller, Billy Graham, Newt Gingrich, Beth Moore, George Foreman, and many others. 

Gilroy and his wife Amy reside in Brentwood, Tennessee. Their six children are Lindsey, Merrick, Ashley, Caroline, Bo, and Zachary—the youngest has now headed off for college, so he and Amy are officially empty nesters. 

1) How long were you writing before your first publication? How many manuscripts had you written by that time? Have you published any of your early works since? Do you plan to? 

My start in writing fiction is quite a bit different than many authors. I had already published hundreds of articles and numerous books as a publisher and freelance writer. I got my start as a sports writer for a local newspaper while I was a junior in college. I’ve done many nonfiction books without my name on it. For example, the devotional, A Daybook of Grace, has been in Barnes & Noble for five years.

I think I enjoyed writing in the background and helping build projects. I think that’s what made me nervous about writing novels with my name on the cover. I couldn’t hide from the review process! 

2) Are you a morning person? A night owl? How do you arrange your schedule to allow the most efficient, productive time for writing? 

I’ve always been a morning person and used to be a night owl with about five-hours of sleep per night for most of my adult life. I thought you were supposed to need less sleep as you get older! Now I’m sleeping seven hours. I get up early, about six, to get a couple hours of writing in, before the phone starts ringing and emails start stacking up! 

3) When working on a manuscript, what do you do when you get stuck? 

Sometimes I promise myself a reward if I get a certain amount of writing done. That helps. Other times I head for the Y to workout or take a long bike ride. Occasionally, I just get away from the computer keyboard and write longhand – that always seems to help. 

4) Do you ever read your dialog aloud to see how it sounds? Have you ever performed an action you want one of your characters to carry out in order to help you visualize or describe it? Have you ever embarrassed yourself doing this? 

Dialog, I definitely speak out loud to test how it sounds. 

On action, I’ve been told my fight scenes are very realistic. That probably comes from having wrestled and putting on some boxing gloves with friends when I was a teen. I don’t get up and act the scenes out but I do visualize the mechanics and physics of Kristen Conner’s fight scenes very carefully. 

5) What aspect of being a writer is the most challenging for you? Why is this difficult, and what steps have you taken to overcome this hurdle? 

I’m probably typical in telling people I absolutely love to write – especially when I’m done! But two specific things that come up for me is first, my ideas come faster than my fingers type. If I don’t finish a scene, I don’t necessarily remember the idea as well later! Second, I have an uncanny ability to mess up the timetable on my storyline. My solution was to set up a Google calendar for each book to map scenes and events. 

August, 2015

6) Do you read your reviews? Have you ever replied to one? Do you find they influence your writing when you work on subsequent books? 

I read all my reader and professional reviews. I reply to all of them – but it’s always with a simple “thank you.”

Do they influence me? I’ve been blessed to get a ton of great reviews. I just looked at Amazon and Good Reads the other day and I have 135 five-stars and 77 four-stars on Cuts Like a Knife, my first book, alone. So my response to positive reviews is obviously encouragement. I do try to be very open minded to negative reviews. Sometimes I get some helps, other times it is just a matter of my genre or style not connecting with what a reader likes. My character is a wise-cracking introspective – not everyone’s cup of tea. In those cases, I don’t get upset, but realize I have a well-liked character that other people are waiting for. I buy into the philosophy that you can’t please everybody and shouldn’t try. That’s why the world of publishing is so huge. 

7) If you’re a plotter, have you ever tried pantsing it? If you’re a pantser, have you ever given plotting a try? Can you swing both ways, or are you a confirmed devotee of one of these methods? 

I plot two things – the basic murder and motivation for the murder is first. Second is a twist to keep readers guessing and really surprise them. Everything else is seat-of-the-pants. I just let her personality interact with the world around her! 

There are a few reoccurring elements that I know I will add to the story – Kristen Conner coaches her niece’s soccer team and is a workout warrior, she usually has a fight or two with her sister, and there is her love interest, so I know there will be certain kinds of scenes that will show up in the final product. 

8) Does your best writing flow? Or are you most satisfied with the work that you’ve labored over, sweating and groaning? 

I think overall my best writing flows. But then I have to edit and make sure elements of the story agree throughout the entire book. That is when I labor, sweat, and groan. Writing is “funner” than editing! But both are required. I have slowed down on writing the first draft somewhat so that the editing isn’t labor-by-design! My first three novels are all 100 thousand words and 400 pages – so anything I can do to keep from unnecessary editing is smart on my part. 

To learn more about Mark, visit him at:
Website: www.markgilroy.com
Facebook: www.facebook/markgilroy
Twitter: @markgilroy

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Author Interview ~ Catherine DeVries

This fall, David C Cook is launching a new series for toddlers and preschoolers that combines word and song to help young children memorize scripture. The first book in the HeartSmart series, Let's Learn about the Lord's Prayer (September 1, 2015/ISBN: 9780781412698/$10.99) by bestselling author Catherine DeVries, not only introduces children to Bible memory, but teaches them about how to pray.

Q: Your new book, Let's Learn about the Lord's Prayer, is the first installment in the new HeartSmart series for children. Can you tell us a little bit about the series?

HeartSmart is a Scripture memory series designed to create opportunities for children to fill their hearts with God's Word. HeartSmart combines key scriptures with songs, giving parents a spiritual formation path for building a strong foundation of faith.

Q: Why did you decide to use the Lord's Prayer as the first passage of scripture in the series?

I was thinking about what Scripture is generally memorized by children - not just one verse but a complete thought. That led me to the Lord's Prayer. Not only is it the model Jesus gave us for how to pray, but it also invites us all to talk with God through prayer. God wants to have a relationship with us, and it is important to express that to children early in their faith development. The Lord's Prayer is often said around the dinner table, so I also wanted to equip parents and grandparents with a natural way to invite children to participate in this tradition at home. Many churches still say the Lord's Prayer during the service, maybe not every week, but at least a few times during the year. By knowing the Lord's Prayer, children are also invited to participate in community worship.

Q: Emma, the narrator of your story, could be compared to another little girl popular among pre-schoolers, Dora the Explorer. In what ways are they similar, and what makes Emma unique?

This part of the series is geared toward preschoolers, so I want to offer readers an opportunity to interact with the story and even to be part of the story. When I have observed children, including my own, watching Dora the Explorer, I love how engaged they are with her. They actually do talk to her through the screen and answer her questions. It's all part of their beautiful, creative imaginations at work. To them, talking to a screen is natural. My hope is that talking to a book also feels natural. Every time parents sit down with their child and this book, the reading experience will be slightly different, depending on the child's response to Emma's questions. This interactive nature of the text is true for all the board books in the series, and children will get to meet a different child in each book.

Q: Why did you choose to have Emma teach the Lord's Prayer to her toy bear, Blueberry, instead of Emma learning it herself?

Preschool children learn through play and, more specifically, play scripts. Have you ever heard a child speaking to her stuffed animals and dolls or to his dinosaurs and legos? These times are not only fun, but they are times when children process information. They "try on" various things they have heard and start to synthesize what they are learning. It seemed natural that Emma would involve her teddy bear and want to teach it something important to her. Again, fostering that emotional connection to the Lord through relationship is so important. That's why Emma says that Blueberry reminds her of another friend she has: Jesus.

Q: At the end of the book there is a code to download a song that accompanies the book. Please tell us more about the song.

This song is the exact wording of the Lord's Prayer that readers will see in the book. It is a custom song created by talented musicians and sung by a mother and young child. The music is simple to follow and is a beautiful expression of this prayer. If you go to the HeartSmart website at Davidccook.com/Heartsmart, you will be able to download the song that goes along with each book in the series. You'll also find updates about the series and what I've been up to as the author.

Q: How do songs help children learn scripture?

Songs engage the audio part of a child's brain. Rather than just hearing the words, children will remember them better when the words are put to song. As an example, whenever my children needed to learn a new phone number or new house address, I created a simple song to help them remember it. Then we could have fun practicing it together. Thinking back to my childhood, I still remember many Bible-based songs from church: "Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he!" "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." "Jesus loves me, this I know." I could go on for a while! Not only do I still know these songs, but I also have a positive, emotional connection to them. I believe we want the same for our children.

Q: Why is it important for our spiritual life and communication with God to understand the Lord's Prayer?

We need to remember God wants to talk with us. He wants us to share what's going on in our lives with Him because He wants a relationship with us as His children, no matter what our age. The Lord's Prayer is structured in such a way to teach us to honor the Lord first, to thank Him for who He is. Once we have acknowledged that, we bring our requests to the Lord - providing for our needs and helping us steer clear from temptation. With thankful hearts, we once again honor the Lord by remembering He is all-powerful and we want to follow Him in all we do.

Q: In what ways have you emphasized prayer in your own home while raising your children?

We try to have meals together as much as possible. Before we eat, we take turns praying. One person prays for us all on that day. On Sundays, we always pray the Lord's Prayer together as a family. Brad and I have also encouraged our children to pray at night before bed. We started with, "Now I lay me, down to sleep," but then added on blessings to our friends and family members. When the kids were old enough, we invited them to talk to the Lord about the day. We also have a tradition of praying in the car before leaving on a big trip. We ask for the Lord's presence with us and that He will give us safe travels and protection. One other thing we do is pray whenever we see an ambulance or Life Alert helicopter. We live near a hospital, so this is a regular occurrence as we drive around town doing errands. I just love how my kids initiate it now when they see these visual reminders to pray for others.

Q: Do you think parents place enough emphasis on their children's spiritual formation?

I think parents aren't always sure where to begin or what to do. We can no longer assume parents have had a Christian upbringing in the church, have a good grasp of Scripture and the stories from the Bible or even feel comfortable praying. Yet we still get a strong sense they desire to give their child a spiritual foundation. The HeartSmart series is meant to come alongside parents or grandparents with encouragement and support. The beautiful thing about these types of books is the adults are learning right along with the children.

Q: We've all heard - and perhaps even chuckled - at the cute prayers of little children. Do you think God hears and answers their prayers?

I have learned so much about faith through the eyes of my children, as well as other children. Jesus talks about how strong the faith of a child is and how we all should seek that depth of faith (Isaiah 11:6; Matthew 19:4). Yes, I know in my heart that God hears every prayer. It is up to Him how He chooses to respond to prayers. He might not answer in the way we expect Him to, but we can rest in knowing He knows our heart, hears us and is with us every step of the way through life's journey. He wants what is best for us (Jeremiah 29:11), and we can trust in that.

Q: Did you read a lot with your parents when you were little? What do you remember about those moments?

My mother read to me, my older sister and younger brother. I remember "seeing" The Chronicles of Narnia unfold in my imagination and being on the Minnesota prairie with Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family on the frontier. It was a special time when we gathered together, pushed pause on life and got swept away to another place. The power of reading is amazing, and when we attach faith messages and learning to it, we are talking about a lifetime faith that begins to develop and grow in the lives of children,

Q: What upcoming releases in the HeartSmart series can readers look forward to?

We will have a book coming out every fall and spring for the foreseeable future:

• Let's Learn about Psalm 23 (preschoolers have a playdate with Jackson at his grandparents' farm) will be out in spring 2016.
• Let's Learn about the Armor of God (preschoolers have a playdate with twins Olivia and Jacob at the beach) follows in fall 2016
• God's Blessings for Baby for new parents is scheduled for spring 2017.
• The main HeartSmart Bible Storybook for children ages 4-8 will be coming out in the fall of 2017. It features all the characters from the board books, now a few years older, introducing each Bible story with a scenario from their own lives. They tell the story from their perspective, then join up with a parent, grandparent or mentor to tie it together with a memorable Scripture passage. There will be songs, too!

By the time the entire series is launched, we will have books and songs for parents of newborns and toddlers, preschoolers, all the way to children age 8.

For more information on the HeartSmart series, visit HeartSmart.DavidCCook.com.

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The Craziness of Book Reviews

by Beth K. Vogt 

Don’t read book reviews. 

I’ve heard variations of this statement ever since I published my first novel, Wish You Were Here, in 2012.

• I don’t read my book reviews (said by other authors).

• Don’t read your book reviews (said by my mentors).

• What are you doing reading your book reviews? I told you to stay away from [insert name of Amazon/GoodReads/review site here] (said by my mentors when I confess that I’ve ignored what they said and read my reviews).

• Why don’t you read your book reviews? I like to read reviews of my books. I always learn something from the negative reviews (said by other authors who have a stronger emotional stability than I do – or are just lying).

My honest take on the subject: Book reviews make me crazy.

There are two fundamental reasons why book reviews push my crazy buttons:

I can put too much credence in positive reviews. It’s a bit like actress Sally Field exclaiming, “And I can’t deny the fact that you like me … right now, you like me!” when she won an Oscar for Places in the Heart. We all want to be liked, and every author wants their books to be liked too. But being liked “right now” becomes being liked “then.” We can’t go through life holding our breath, waiting for the next positive review.

I can let negative reviews ruin my day. On a normal day – if you’re inclined to believe writers have normal days – I’m resilient enough to a) not read reviews and b) not let reviews be more than someone else’s opinion. But when I’m on deadline and the story is snarled and I’m doubting my abilities as a writer…well then, negative reviews are the equivalent of pouring myself a glass of battery acid and then chugging it.

Howard Books, 2015

I wander over to Amazon or to a blogger’s website or to Goodreads, and I let someone tell me what they think about my book. And yes, I take it personally instead of being a professional and remembering some people will like my book and some people won’t. That’s the biz.

I made this mistake as I lasered in on my most recent deadline. At the same time I was working toward pushing SEND, but I was also keeping track of my just-released novel, Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Checking its Amazon ranking. Sneaking peeks at reviews. When they were good, I was good. When they were not good, I tanked.

I had no business trolling online and counting stars, looking for the positive and getting hamstringed by the negative. But I did it anyway – I invited the crazy right in.

How did I show “crazy” the door and get back on solid ground?

1. I went for the fun. One of my mentors, best-selling author Rachel Hauck, reminded me to have fun with my story. To do this, I had to forget what other people were saying about my just-released novel. No checking Amazon. No reading reviews. I needed to focus solely on the story I was writing, remember why I loved it, and enjoy writing again. 

2. I put up a boundary. I am blessed to have a virtual assistant (VA), who truly does help my life run more smoothly. Now, when I get sent a link that a review is up on Novel Rocket or when someone tweets that they posted a review, I send that info to my VA so she can read it. If she wants to tweet a positive quote, so be it.

3. I remember the truth. Several weeks ago, I had a custom ring made for myself with a partial quote by Charles H. Spurgeon. It says: “He is the only ground of confidence.” Every day – sometimes minute by minute – I need to remember that God is my source of confidence and the only one who can tell me who I am.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love is the first novel in my destination wedding series. There’s also a fungiveaway celebrating release of Autumn Brides, a trio of novellas by authors Katie Ganshert, Kathryn Springer, and me.

Beth K. Vogt

Beth K. Vogt is a non-fiction author who said she’d never write fiction, the wife of an Air Force physician who said she’d never marry anyone in the military and a mom of four who said she’d never have kids. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “never.” A 2015 RITA® Finalist and a 2015 and 2014 Carol Award finalist, her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Rob, and their youngest daughter. 

For more information about Beth, visit her website, become a fan on Facebook or follow her on Twitter and Pinterest.

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When You Become Someone You Don’t Want to Be

by Beth K. Vogt 

I’ve always thought of myself as a healthy person. These days, I think of myself as a “trying to get healthy” person. 

In the past year, there have been a few times when I’ve been talking and the words “chronically ill” or “chronic pain” have slipped past my lips. I’ve paused, wanting to correct myself. 

That can’t be me.

But I don’t correct myself. Like it or not – and I do not like it – I have battled illness and pain for the past five years. And, by definition, chronic illness or pain lasts three months or more. 

Okay, then. Who am I to argue with the National Institutes of Health (NIH)?

I’ve tried varied approaches to living 24/7 with this non-healthy version of me. 

• Don’t Talk About It - I mean, what’s the point? I don’t want to be one of those people who talks, talks, talks all the time about their illnesses. There is more to life than my struggle with back pain or my frozen shoulder. 

• Find the Humor in It – I had vertigo for several years, and thought of it as having my own personal roller coaster in my brain. I was diagnosed with a frozen shoulder almost a year ago and named my shoulder “Olaf,” because “some people are worth melting for.” Thank you, Disney. 

• Ignore It – This is similar to the whole “rub some dirt in it” approach to falling down and getting hurt or a coach’s “just walk it off” advice to an athlete. Why not ignore the way the room still tilts sometimes two years after my last “real” bout of vertigo. Ignore the sleepless nights. Ignore the back pain. Ignore the fact that a snarling, barking dog came running out into the street aiming right for me while I was on a walk, and that in my attempt to escape the little brute, I fell hard on my still-recovering frozen shoulder. Yeah, forget that. 

Despite this trio of coping mechanisms, what do you do when you become someone you don’t want to be? 

1. Some nights I crawl into bed and cry. I admit that I’m in pain. I admit I am beyond-tired of waking up in pain and going to bed in pain. Sometimes I cry loud enough for my husband to hear and sometimes I cry into my pillow. I just . . . let myself cry. 

2. I walk for several miles each day with a close friend. A lot of exercise becomes off limits when you have vertigo. Or back problems. Or a frozen shoulder. Or all three issues at the same time. But walking is always an option. Except when you fall, spread eagle, on your hair stylist’s floor and tear a ligament in your ankle. And yes, I did that too, but I got back to walking as soon as I could, because walking is good for me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Howard Books, 2015

3. I maintain as normal a life as possible. To do that, I had to drop my stubborn “I will never have back surgery” stance and accept that surgery was my last and only option for pain-free walking. I had to lower my expectations of what I could do, but still look for good things every day. I joined Instagram and every day I look for “a little bit of pretty” to photograph while I am on my walks.

4. I know God hasn’t lost sight of me. God knows what is happening in my life. All of it. It’s not like He’s turned his back on me for a minute and all of this has happened … and in a moment He’ll turn around and say, “Ooops! Sorry about that. I lost track of you for a minute there, Beth.” No. Sickness cannot separate me from God. And so, I trust Him in all this. I don’t ask Him why. I ask Him how I am to live my life today … and tomorrow … and the next day.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love is the first novel in my destination wedding series. There’s also a fun giveaway celebrating release of Autumn Brides, a trio of novellas by authors Katie Ganshert, Kathryne Springer, and me.

Beth K. Vogt

Beth K. Vogt is a non-fiction author who said she’d never write fiction, the wife of an Air Force physician who said she’d never marry anyone in the military and a mom of four who said she’d never have kids. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “never.” A 2015 RITA® Finalist and a 2015 and 2014 Carol Award finalist, her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Rob, and their youngest daughter. 

For more information about Beth, visit her website, become a fan on Facebook or follow her on Twitter and Pinterest.

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A Day in the Oh-So-Glamorous Life of Roseanna

My days, when I'm writing, begin at about 5:30. I have in the past set the alarm for this lovely, dark hour, but lately my cat has been playing the role of alarm clock and revving her engine right in my ear at that time every morning--even on weekends. Sometimes at 4:30. But I digress. ;-)

I'm a morning person, so I don't stumble out of bed, I bounce. (Don't hate me, LOL. I start stumbling at about 9 p.m.) I tiptoe down the stairs, praying with every creaking step that my also-morning-person five-year-old son doesn't wake up. As I pass through the darkened living room, sweeping my foot out lest I step on said engine-revving cat or her sister, I nab my laptop from the end table that doubles as my desk. A few more steps and I'm in the kitchen, squinting against the sudden light. I put Mr. Laptop down on the counter and instruct Mr. Coffee to dispense his life-giving brew. Then I pull over a stool and get to work.

My actual desk, before I got the flag, set up for the creation of
Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland (Summerside, 2011)

I have a desk. Really, I do. It's in the former-nursery that's now our family school room, and it's lovely. Antique (a.k.a well worn), with my Jane Austen action figure perched happily on top, and a Betsy Ross flag hanging right above me. But the wi-fi signal is terrible, so I rarely use it when writing. Which means my home school binder has taken up residence there, and that sucker is HUGE! Where would I put the laptop anyway?? ;-) Later in the day, after the kids are up, the computer will therefore move to the aforementioned end table in the living room. And by the end of the day, the kiddos will have amassed a pile of toys on my few inches of space there, LOL.

My little boy usually wakes up at a 6, which begins the scavenger hunt of my day. Breakfast for him, drink for him, toy for him, second breakfast for him...then his sister will usually fumble her way down the stairs, and we get to repeat the process. When I remember, I exercise at 7:30. When I look down at my clock and realize it's already 8:24, I say "Shucks. No time..." Shower, and then the school day begins.

I have a vague awareness of the fact that other writers count on those school hours for work. As a home school mom, it's the other way around for me. I count on the morning hours, our breaks, and sometimes the evenings for making progress on those word-count goals. I've gotten pretty good at getting writing done in five minute chunks. It sometimes makes me cranky, LOL, but I manage.

My end table desk...absent the laptop solely for the purpose
of taking a picture when I signed the contract for Ring of Secrets.

But writer/teacher/mommy aren't my only hats, and usually at some point in the day, I'm slipping into my editor's role. I'm an acquisitions editor and designer for WhiteFire Publishing, which means emails, designing covers and promo material, reading submissions, chatting with the other editors, and, oh, editing. 

The awesome thing about this arrangement is that everything's right here, and I can bounce back and forth between the things needing my attention, be they kids, cats, husband, authors, or my editors. The drawback, of course, is that everything's right here, and I can't ever focus on just one thing, LOL. But I love my jobs--all of them. To the point where I don't say things like, "I need some time off!" I say, instead, "I need some time to work!" Evidenced by the fact that my five-year-old has taken to saying, "Pretty pretty please with work on top?" ;-)

I'm pretty constantly wondering what new task will prove too much...but thus far, I'm doing pretty well just giving it all to God, begging my mom and mom-in-law to babysit every now and then, and hanging on for dear life. 

Glamorous? No. But oh, how blessed I am to be doing what I love!

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Editor's Note: Roseanna is giving away a free copy of her new release, Ring of Secrets. Stop by tomorrow to enter. In addition, everyone who participates tomorrow will be entered in a bigger drawing (to be held on March 30) she's conducting for lots of exciting prizes valued at a total of $150. Don't miss it!

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Suzanne Woods Fisher: The World I Write In

My office is a little tiny laundry room. It’s so narrow that if someone wants to use the washer or dryer, my chair gets bumped as they pass. (A good excuse for typos!)

People think I’m crazy, that I should move into a bigger space and spread out. Especially, they point out, as my children have gone to college and space is freeing up. It does seem crazy—I have typed fourteen novels in this laundry room and I host a weekly radio show in it.

But I just can’t seem to move. I’ve tried a couple of times and find myself migrating back to the laundry room.

One of the reasons is very practical: the laundry room is in the heart of the house, right off the kitchen, so I can jump up and get the phone, get dinner started, answer the door. The laundry room is painfully short on horizontal surface space, I admit, but it is valuable real estate.

There’s another reason that is harder to explain.

Years ago, when I took the plunge and decided to write a novel, I kept it a secret. I spent four months in that little laundry room, quietly typing away. I didn’t tell anyone I was writing a novel. Not my husband, not my sister, not my children, not a single friend. When I was done with the first draft (remember—the first draft is the ugly draft), I made an announcement at the dinner table one evening. “I wrote a novel,” I proudly said.

My sons, who are so extremely sensitive, looked at each other and said, “That’s why there’s no food in this house!” True story.

I’m getting sidetracked. Like usual.

Fast forward a year or two. One Monday afternoon, the doorbell rang and set the dogs off on their typical bark-fest (Labrador retrievers take greeting responsibilities very seriously). I opened the door to the UPS delivery guy. He was grinning ear-to-ear. Next to him…were six stacked boxes of books.

My first published novel.

The laundry room is off the kitchen, but if you were to look at the footprint of our house, it’s actually situated only a few yards away from the front door. I’ll never forget, as I held my first novel in my hands, with that fresh-from-the-printer-y smell, the realization that it all started in that tiny laundry room, with an idea. It traveled to an agent, to editors, back with zillions of rejection letters, at long last, back came an acceptance, then revisions to the manuscript, back and forth with the editor. And here it was, back home again in another form. What a long journey!

And that’s why my office will stay in the laundry room. It just…works.

Suzanne will be giving away a copy of her latest release, The Lesson, on Friday. Be sure to stop by The Borrowed Book for your chance to win!

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