April, 07 2008 Interview with Lyra Marlowe 1) Did you always wanted to be a writer? For as long as I can remember, yes. When I was in elementary school I “won” the Young Author’s Conference. I got to go to another school on a Saturday and read my book to other kids my age. They told me I could write, and I never looked back. I used to sit on my bed cross-legged and type on an electric typewriter when I was in high school. I thought the word processor was the greatest invention ever made. 2) Is writing something that is common in your family, or are you the only one? I’m the only one who’s pursued it passionately. My mother wrote when she was in high school; we have a script of a play she wrote. My sister has written a few short stories as well. She’s quite good, but too self-conscious to pursue publication. 3) How did you go about writing your first novel? My very first novel was fanfic, and it’s truly awful. I had several false starts on original novels before I finally developed the discipline to finish one. Basically, I started with a bare-bones idea for a plot and dove right in. Along the way, thankfully, the characters began to talk to me and develop as real people. I made a lot of changes as I edited, to fit the characters as I’d come to know them. 4) Why did you especially chose erotic romance? One year at Christmas, my husband and I had a challenge to write erotic fanfic for each other. I really came to like the genre. Then I read an article about Ellora’s Cave. Their home office is near me in Ohio. Their basic premise, that women would buy and read erotic novels if they didn’t have to deal with the teenager at the cash register to do it, made perfect sense to me, and I decided to give it a try. 5) Do you get a lot of encouragement from your environment to write this genre? My DH is totally supportive. My older son knows what I write and just doesn’t want to know. We’ve kept it a secret from the smaller children, at least for now. Yes, Mom has a secret identity! Among my on-line friends, there is huge support. 6) Was it difficult to find a publisher for your first novel "Thirteen Silver Moons"? Yes and no. The first time I submitted it, it got lost in the e-mail jungle. I waited several months before I followed up on it and discovered it had vanished. This actually turned out to be a good thing, because by then I had discovered that it needed another major polishing run. Then I discovered “the rules” for erotic romance, and found that my basic plot had broken one of the big ones. (Once the hero and heroine meet, they cannot have intercourse with anyone else. My novel has the hero sending her to someone else’s bed – repeatedly!) With some trepidation, I sent it out again. Happily, Loose Id asked for a change on one major plot point, but took a chance on the rest of it. 7) How was the public's reaction to this first novel? (I know, it's early days yet.) So far, so good. My first review, from Coffee Time Romance & More, came in this week and was very positive – four cups! Since I am a total coffee junkie, I think this is a good sign! http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Thirteensilvermoons.html 8) Do you write full time, or do you also have another job? I have a Clark Kent job as a bookkeeper. It cuts into my writing time, but I get to use their printer and copier. 9) How do you deal with criticism? There was a time when I was devastated to hear that someone didn’t like what I’d written. But I’ve grown past that, to some extent. Comments that are just flames I can ignore. Comments that just say, “I didn’t like it,” aren’t really helpful, but I’ve accepted the fact that not every story is for every person. I actually enjoy criticism that’s constructive. I re-read and really consider what’s said, and try to use it to improve my next project. 10) What do you yourself like to read? I used to read voraciously. Then I had children, and sadly, my choice now comes down to reading or writing, and writing usually wins. When I get the chance, I tend to read whatever my DH brings home. I like Robert Parker – his prose is so tight now it’s almost poetry, and I love to study how he evokes so much description and emotion with so few words. I also like the old classics – Fitzgerald, Hammett, Chandler. Also some science fiction and fantasy. I’ll try anything once, and frequently go on “author binges” where I find everything on a good writer’s backlist.