Lynda Hilburn writes paranormal fiction.  More specifically, she writes vampire books.  After a childhood filled with invisible friends, sightings of dead relatives and a fascination with the occult, turning to the paranormal was a no-brainer.  In her other reality, she makes her living as a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, professional psychic/tarot reader, university instructor and workshop presenter.  Her first novel, THE VAMPIRE SHRINK, will be released by Medallion Press (October 2007). 

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Lynda!  Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published? 

“The Vampire Shrink” is my first print book. I have sold a short story under my own name to Wild Rose Press (epub), two shorts under a pen name to Wild Rose Press, and a novella under my pen name to Loose Id (epub). 

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why? 

“The Vampire Shrink” is my first full-length novel. It will be released by Medallion Press in October, 2007. My first sale was a short story to Wild Rose Press (epub). That story is called “Diary of a Narcissistic Bloodsucker.” So far, I’ve been able to sell everything I’ve written (knock on wood!). If that particular story hadn’t sold, I would have been happy to post it on my website as a “free” story. 

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it? 

For “The Vampire Shrink,” I accumulated a huge file folder filled with rejections from print publishers and agents. I had lots of requests for the full manuscript, but what kept happening was that – after reading the first 3 chapters and getting an idea about where the book was going – several people were disappointed that the book didn’t follow the path they assumed. My book is a little quirky: it blends lots of genres. By the time I sold to Medallion and accepted representation from my agent, my book had been rejected so many times I had to hold the folder together with large rubber bands! I had fewer rejections for my short stories. “Diary of a Narcissistic Bloodsucker” was the most challenging to sell because it’s a humor/satire w/romance elements. The first epub I sold it to went out of business. The second decided it needed a happy ending in order for them to publish it, a third decided the same, then Wild Rose Press enthusiastically bought it.  

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows? 

I had some very low times. I thought my book (The Vampire Shrink) was good, and I kept running up against other peoples’ expectations. Everyone wanted me to change something to make it more like what they envisioned. One agent said something along the lines of “This is great. Wonderful writing. Now make it “Stephanie Plum does vampires.” Everyone compared mine (because there’s humor in it) with a very popular light vampire series and mine isn’t quite that light. So they were disappointed. I think I just had to wait out the huge wave of vampire stories. I’ve been reading vampire stories forever. It isn’t a trend for me. Luckily, I had wonderful critique partners who gave me ongoing pep talks and lots of cyber hugs. Sometimes I just gave up for a little while, slinked away and pulled the covers over my head. But then I always found my enthusiasm and began submitting again. 

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them? 

I had submitted to Medallion right at the same time I found my agent. He subbed the book to his list of editors and had the same reaction that I’d been getting: “Yeah. Great writing. Good story. Now change it.” At the same time, Medallion contacted me, saying they loved the book just as it was. It felt great to be appreciated. Mine is the only urban fantasy they have in their publishing line-up. 

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate? 

When I sold my first short story, I told everyone I knew. Nagged them into buying it. It was lots of fun. I signed the print contract with Medallion Press back in December, 2006 and had a long time to begin promo. My book actually showed up today as “in stock” on Amazon.com. I hadn’t expected that to happen until October. It’s very exciting and terrifying. I go back and forth between feeling frozen with fear and jumping up and down. Very crazy-making! I can’t help myself: I tell my friends every little thing that happens along the publishing path. 

What was the first thing you did as for promotion when you were published for the first time? 

I joined lots of email loops, looked for free ways to promo and put the name of the story in my email signature. I signed up for “author days” on various loops, both just by myself and with larger author groups. Those were great fun. When I sold “The Vampire Shrink,” I did more of the same, plus I had a new website designed, I had great postcards made (bookmarks will come when I raise more money) and I started scheduling book signing events and conference appearances. So much promo, so few hours in the day! 

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published? 

I had envisioned “The Vampire Shrink” being purchased by a NY pub, but that didn’t happen. I’m happy now with the way things worked out. Medallion Press is a successful, growing, medium-sized independent press and they give my book the attention it needs to thrive. 

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author? 

I signed a contract with Medallion Press to publish the second book in my vampire psychologist series, “Dark Harvest.” That book will come out next October (2008). I hope everything I write gets better as I grow as a writer. I am also hoping to be invited to participate in anthologies. I enjoy reading them, and I’m sure I’ll love writing a story for one. I thought I’d write more paranormal erotica under my pen name, but I’m finding that I don’t have the ability to write “hot” enough to really have great sales numbers in that genre. 

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up?  What kind of mistakes could you have avoided? 

I would have focused on trusting my voice much sooner. I think I let other peoples’ opinions and notions about writing rules have too much power for too long. I kept trying to fit into existing boxes, when that was never going to work for me. The sooner a writer finds her voice and writes consistently in that voice, the better for all concerned. But, of course, I didn’t know any better. Before I started writing fiction 4 years ago, I wrote nonfiction for years, and the “rules” are very different. I caught on quickly, but still spent a lot of time trying to do what other people wanted me to do instead of following my intuition. I also discovered that someone can follow all the writing rules and still not write a good book (and vice versa).  

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published? 

Finding the courage to actually tell people I wrote a book, and showing up at book signing events! I’m an introvert, and those kinds of things are challenging for me. (On the Myers-Briggs test I’m a INFP – the most socially-challenged of the lot!) 

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be? 

I have a tendency to do all the various things I like to do. In addition to writing, I make my living as a licensed psychotherapist, certified clinical hypnotherapist and professional psychic. I have a short attention span! I also used to sing in rock and roll bands. I really miss that!! 

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds? 

No. I don’t give up anything. I just keep adding on! Life is too short to just choose one thing! 

How do you see yourself in ten years? 

Hopefully, with a lot more books on my website. I want to write several more books in the vampire psychologist series, I want to go back and write more in the world of the novella I sold (“Undead in the City”), and then probably something involving the psychic realm and another dealing with psychology/metaphysics in some way. Having lots of money would be nice! grin 

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day? 

As every author tells you: never give up. Persist. Get tougher skin. Learn all the writing rules, then adapt them to your own situation/style/voice. Follow your intuition. There are so many outlets for publication now, you can feel much more confident that you’ll sell. Keep putting one foot in front of the other (one word after the other) and someday your dream will come true. 

Tags: Beyond the Books, author interview, paranormal fiction author, Linda Hilburn 

Alex Beecroft currently lives inGreat Britain with her husband and two daughters. Raised in Cheshire, Alex studied English and Philosophy before accepting employment with the Crown Court where she worked for a number of years. Alex will tell you that she’s thrilled to be doing what she always wanted to do, living her dream of being a writer, and a soon to be published romance author.

You can visit her website at www.alexbeecroft.com.

 Welcome to Beyond the Books, Alex!  Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published? 

‘Captain’s Surrender’ will be the first book I’ve ever had published, although it’s a toss up whether it will come out before or after ‘The Witch’s Boy’ which is going through the self-publishing process at the moment.  They’re both neck and neck in terms of release dates so far.  But because ‘Captain’s Surrender’ is being published by a real publishing firm, that’s the one which I think of as the most important.   

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why? 

It was called ‘Wildfire, in his own words’ and was the story of how the trickster god Loki meddled in the affairs of two Anglo-Saxon villages in order to make them renounce Christianity.  I never submitted it for publication because it was a bit of an apprentice-piece and I didn’t think it was good enough for other people to read.  It had a terribly complicated structure whereby all the characters told each other stories, and then at the end the entire book turned out to be a story told by Loki himself.  Very pretentious!  But it was the first book I ever finished, after starting hundreds and getting half way through before abandoning them, so it still has a special place in my heart. 

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it? 

Well, I managed to get published by an unusual method which didn’t involve sending out submissions.  I entered the first chapter of ‘Captain’s Surrender’ intoLinden Bay’s Starlight Writing Competition.  It went through to the final, whereupon I sent them the whole manuscript, and that won.  The prize of the competition was to have the book published.  Linden Bay had been receiving so many submissions that they had become overwhelmed by them, and they decided to run this competition once a year in order to take on one new author a year.  This year that was me!  In the case of ‘The Witch’s Boy’ however, I sent that out to about 15 publishers in Britain, who all rejected it.  Then I left it in a box for ten years.  When I got it out again recently, I could see that the first few chapters were quite weak, so I re-wrote them to improve them to my new standards, and rather than put it back in the box and leave it for another ten years, I thought I’d self publish it.  I’m actually very proud of it now.  It’s a gripping read! 

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?  They made me feel terrible!  And to be frank, I didn’t overcome the blows.  I lost my nerve and spent the next ten years only writing things for my friends to read.  But eventually enough people said to me ‘are you published?  You should be!’ for me to get my confidence back and think about trying again.  Also, I’m not getting any younger, and I thought that if I didn’t do it soon, I might never get around to it. 

Ms. Baccellia’s writing credits include numerous poems published in a variety of magazines, ranging from Beginnings magazine and Latino Stuff Review to Coil magazine. Her poem, My Father , appears in the Mind Mutations Anthology published by The Sun Rising Poetry Press. Her essay on the adoption of her son, Finally, Our Turn , appeared in both Adoptive Families magazine and the Adoptive Families 2003-2004 Adoption Guide . She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators ( SCBWI).

Earrings of Ixtumea is a finalist in the 2006 Dream Realm Awards and was a finalist in the Smartwriters 2006 WIN contest.

You can visit her website at http://www.kim-baccellia.com/ and her blog at kbaccellia.livejournal.com.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Kim Baccellia!  Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?

Earrings of Ixtumea is my first novel.  I’ve had numerous poems and essays published in a number of publications. 

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

Earrings of Ixtumea  

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

I had 58 rejections!  I ended up going to a small press, who first published it as an e-serial, then an ebook, and finally in print. 

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

Wow, that’s a loaded question!  At first the rejections got me down, but I put them aside and tried again.  One way I had of overcoming a rejection is to send out three more queries. 

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

Virtual Tales is my publisher.  I liked the look of their product and how they thought outside of the box.  The whole e-serial concept intrigued me.  I thought Earrings would be perfect for this format.  Also I went with them so I could get my toe into the publishing world.  I’ve learned a lot this past year!   

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

I was very excited!  Yes, I’d had poems and essays published but not a book!  I even had a poem published in an anthology but nothing that was just my work.  It was very exciting!  We went out to dinner to celebrate.  I told the people next to us I was going to be a published author and they saluted me.   

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

I signed up for a PR class with Louise Ahern who teaches through AuthorMBA.  She has a number of classes available but the one that really helped me was her boot camp for writers.  I also had a contest. 

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

No.  I don’t regret signing with Virtual Tales.  The whole team has worked very hard to help make my book be a success.   

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

Not yet but I’m working on it!  Yes, I’ve grown a lot this past year.  I’ve learned that writing the book is only a small part of the whole publishing thing.  PR and marketing is a whole job by itself.  I’d highly recommend first time published authors to have a blog, website, and to have a virtual book tour.   

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up?  What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

Not send out my manuscript until I’d done a few revisions.  I got very impatient the first time around.  I’d recommend others to put their manuscript aside for a few weeks then go back to it.  Don’t be impatient!  You don’t want to burn any bridges. 

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

Earrings was a Dream Realm 2006 award finalist.  I completed a month long virtual book tour. 

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

Too funny!  I was an elementary school teacher for fifteen years.  I’d like to go back to school later and finish my post graduate work and maybe even get my PhD.  I’d also like to do research into autism and sensory impairment issues.   I’m surprised at how little the schools help these children. 

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

Right now I enjoy being an author.  It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.  It’s also great that I have the opportunity to help my son at his school.  I used to tell my parents how important it was to help out but I felt like such a hypocrite as I couldn’t.  Now I help the teacher.  Let’s just say they are excited to know that I’m a credentialed teacher too.  Plus I’m able to help in the library and see what books the students like.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

Wow, let’s see…I see myself speaking at conferences.  I’ll also have a few more books under my belt. 

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

If you want to be published, you need to write!  There’s no secret potion to being published.  Believe me, if I knew it, I would have taken it!

Be persistent.  Don’t give up.  Take advantage of any opportunities that come your way.  

Tags: author interviews, Kim Baccellia, Earrings of Ixtumea, young adult fiction

CJ Maxx has always enjoyed writing, whether in the military writing citations or efficiency reports, in the private sector writing articles for trade journals, or in his personal life writing in newsletters for volunteer organizations. He turned his interest in writing to fiction in 2002. This is his first erotic romance. C.J. and his wife live in northern Alabama.

You can visit his website at http://www.cjmaxx.com/.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, C.J Maxx. Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?

I have been published three times:  One highly sensual contemporary romance novel and two erotic romance novellas.

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

The first book I wrote was titled The Second American Republic. It took two years to write, another year to find a publisher and another year to the release date. That’s four years.  A few days before the release date the publisher went out of business. Big bummer. 

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

The first one wasn’t actually published as I noted above. On that book I had about thirty reject slips before I found a small independent publisher that was interested in it.

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

The very first submittal asked for a full manuscript.  After I send it to them the agent said they weren’t really interested, that one of the underlings asked for the full when she should have sent me a rejection slip.  That was discouraging. That’s when I realized this business is an emotional roller coaster. You soon realize two things: No one but you is in a hurry and finding someone that’s likes your book is difficult. Live with that but remember that if your book is well written, someone out there will be interested in it.

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

The first book that was actually published was my highly sensual contemporary romance. After I received about twenty reject slips from agents I decided to go with a small e-publisher. At this point I just wanted someone to accept it. When it was released I was satisfied that it was now available.

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

After I got the call on my first book I was ecstatic.  I either celebrated with wine or a martini, martini I think.  Myself and my wife, it was a happy evening.  The first actual release was almost anti-climatic; I think I felt more relief than anything else. Finally, a book with my name on it was available.

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

I was a complete rookie with an e-book.  I signed up for all the groups I thought applicable and pimped the book.

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

I don’t think so. Self-publishing is the only other route I would consider and I’ve never seriously gone past the point of researching that part of publishing.

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

Since the novel came out I’ve had two erotic romance novellas published.  Have I grown as an author? I think my writing has improved.  I take the downs of the industry in strides now. 

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up?  What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

I should have read best sellers in an analytical manner. Learn what successful authors do to hold their audiences’ interest. Study what works.

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

My first book was also published on Print on Demand.  It was available on amazon.com and the other online booksellers. I went on local television to pitch the book and then had book signing at a local bookstore.

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

This is my third career. I was in the military for twenty-one years. I worked in the electronics industry for twenty-one years and now I write. Fortunately I have enough money to live on so I don’t have to depend on what I make from books.  To answer your question, I enjoy writing very much. I’m happiest (like right now) when I’m writing.  Being published is the icing on the cake.

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

I’m happy with my few successes in my writing career. I’m doing what I want to do. Self-actualization, that’s where I’m at,

How do you see yourself in ten years?

My oldest granddaughter will be sixteen in ten years. I already have the dedication to the book written.  To my granddaughter, B.M.W. Let’s hope this book is successful so I can buy you a BMW.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

The best advice I’ve seen about writing is this:  Edit out all the boring stuff. 

Example: Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code.