Author's Chats

Author's Chats

by Nicole Givens Kurtz

Bloodwind
by Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Hard Shell Word Factory

ISBN 0-75993-585-8 (Electronic)

ISBN 0-75993-586-6(Paperback)

1. Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

I grew up in a very small town in Southwest Georgia. I haunted the library as a child and my favorite books were Stone Soup and Ben and Me. My earliest influences were the television and movie stars I watched, especially during Saturday matinees. I thrilled to the escapism of the boring, sameoldsameold life I was leading in that tiny town. Nothing exciting ever happened there but the movie and tv screens were filled with interesting places, lively people and out of this world stories. My hero was Lash LaRue with his black cowboy outfit and bullwhip. There was something very dark and sinister about him even though he was always the good guy. I just seemed to gravitate to
that black outfit. When Zorro came along, I was in my glory!

2. Why did you write your book?

To tell the tale.

3. Tell us about your book.

I've written close to four dozen now but I'll pick my favorite from among them and that is BloodWind. It is a sf/futuristic with a tortured hero. It takes place on a planet outside our solar system and tells the story of an Earth woman kidnapped by a culture where the men rule and women are virtual slaves. It deals with a revolution set into motion in which this woman and an alien shapeshifting assassin who falls in love with her fight the evil on Rysalia Prime. DarkWind continues the trilogy and is also one of my favorites.

4. At book signings, what do readers say to you about their interpretations of your book?

I've done about 30 book signings but I really don't enjoy them. I like meeting the readers, but doing a signing is not a whole lot different than having a garage sale. People come by, look at your stuff, either pick over it or buy it, then go on to the next one. Usually those who have read any of my other books will tell me they love my tortured heroes or they find themselves sitting on the edge of their seats, biting their fingernails as the plot unfolds. I've had countless readers tell me they've actually stayed up all night to finish one of my novels. That is a supreme compliment to any writer and it sure makes you feel good.

5. What general advice do you have for writers who just completed their first book?

Don't expect the world to fall at your feet and begin worshipping you right away and don't expect the people closest to you to treat you any differently than they do now. You can count on quite a few of them being downright envious and non-supportive because you are doing something they neither understand nor can take part in. Expectations are so much higher than people realize until they're the ones doing the dreaming. You will find that newspapers will not be lining up to interview you; bookstores won't be bending over backwards to have you do a reading; your publisher won't be setting up radio spots and television guest shots for you. Most of what a writer does after his/her books is finished and on the bookshelves is a whole lot of self-promotion. Fortunately, the web is a great place to do that. If you don't have patience, learn to develop it because the publishing world is one of hurry up and wait.

6. Tell me about your publishing experience-- Is it difficult process to promote your own writing?

I don't think so. I went the subsidy route with my first novel and got burned badly while at the same time learning an invaluable lesson about this business: don't take anyone at face value and look for the hidden agenda. Although I lost a pretty good sum of money with that first publisher, the book was published and available for purchase which was a lot better than some of the authors at the company had happened. I also received two royalty checks before the company got sued. Many shelled out thousands of dollars and never saw one book and some never did get the royalties they were owed. After the law suit, I was able to take possession of nearly 6000 of my novels and contracted with Amazon.com to sell them through their Advantage program. Although the production quality was lacking and I had no national distribution on bookshelves, at least I had a book to parlay into promotional value on the web. I started looking for websites to interview me, sell the book and just plain talk about my work. That was in 1997 and since then, I can be found on over 1000 websites. Some of that may just be a link to my official homepage but a lot of it is interviews and reviews.

7. Are you working on a follow up? Or something totally different?

I usually do trilogies and have four of those going at the moment. I also have a ten-volume sword 7 sorcery adventure series with the sixth book in the series due out shortly. I write two books a year and have one coming out in July and one in November. I work in the speculative fiction genre which means I write horror, paranormal romance, mystery/thriller, sf, fantasy, and sword & sorcery adventure. I am working on a western right now which is something totally different for me

8. Have you written multiple books? Is it harder every time or does it get easier?

Yes and it gets easier.

9. What was the last book you read?

Michael Connelly's City of Bones

10. Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Other than reading and watching television and going to an occasional movie, no, I don't have any hobbies. I like working on my webpage and created and maintain it myself. The reading and television viewing gives me ideas and I develop many of my characters from watching actors whose work I admire. I listen to Celtic music and that has been a great influence on me. The strains of the melody seems to create mind pictures that I translate into words.

11. What advice do you have for those just starting out in their writing career?

As I said before: LEARN PATIENCE. Nothing happens overnight. When you finish a book and submit it to a publisher, forget about it and move on to the next one. Don't camp out at the mailbox and expect a reply. Not thinking about that book will be the hardest thing you'll ever do other than actually querying a publisher or agent and getting accepted. You just have to remember that the wheels of the publishing world revolve very slowly and you must be prepared to wait and wait and wait.

12. As a writer, what is the worst rejection letter you ever received?

One from a lady who said I'd never get published because I had no 'voice'. The funny thing about that was it was a form letter and two of my friends received the exact same letter. I don't know if she didn't want to represent any new clients or she was just having a bad hair day. If it was a bad hair day, it lasted several months because that was the length of time in between the arrival of my form letter and my second friend's. Nobody likes a rejection letter but that is part and parcel of this business; it is a way of paying your dues. But to have your work summarily rejected without ever having anyone read it, is just plain evil. How do I know she didn't read it? The cat whisker was still in place. If you want to know what that is, just ask. ƒº

13. Why do you write?

Because to do otherwise would lead to more frustration that I care to deal with in my life. I have to write in order to live. I have to create in order to thrive. I have to tell the tale in order to grow.

For more information about Charlotte Boyett-Compo and her books go to www.windlegends.com.