Contest Tuesday Giveaway: Autographed copy of Damsel in Disguise

Damsel in Disguise by Susan Gee Heino isn't out in stores yet, but you can win an autographed copy of the book this week, just by being a follower of Fiction Flurry.

If you've been following the blog recently, you may have seen the three-part interview series with the author called "The Writing Life" (If not, check it out - Part One, Part Two and Part Three are here). We are wrapping up the series with this awesome gift to our followers.

All followers – with the exception of contributors and those who have won prizes within the last thirty (30) days – will receive one chance at winning. Contest will remain open until midnight (EST), Friday, July 23, 2010. Winner will be chosen by random drawing and results posted July 24, 2010.

"The Writing Life" part 3 - Interview with Susan Gee Heino

Regency romance author Susan Gee Heino is with us again for the third installment of “The Writing Life.” Today she is talking about Rejection, how she has dealt with it in her writing career and how she got her big break in the publishing world.

In Part 1 of this series, Susan discusses how she got started and her writing influences. Then check out Part 2 for Susan's advice and tips on writing. Susan's second book, Damsel in Disguise (Berkley Sensation),  hits stores August 3rd so mark your calendar. However, a little birdie told me that Fiction Flurry blog followers will have a shot at winning an autographed copy - So keep checking back!

Susan thanks for being with us again. I've enjoyed working with you so much! 

Thanks for having me, Michele. I've really had fun!


Tell us about the querying process for your first novel. Did you query a lot, a little?
I wrote my very first “real” novel in the 90’s. I was so proud of it and popped the whole thing off to a publisher, just waiting for them to call with rave reviews and a hefty offer. Finally, year later, they sent it back with a rejection. It was a form rejection without so much as a signature and I had the distinct feeling my wonderful manuscript had not even been read. It was at that time I decided if I was going to be serious about getting published, I might need a little help. I joined a writers group and realized just how much I didn’t know about writing and about the publishing industry. It was a bit daunting and I’m sorry to say, made me decide to give it up for a while. So no, I didn’t query on that first one. At all. I should have.

Was there a process in deciding who to query?
When I came back to writing about 5 years later, I decided to be much wiser about it. I looked at what was out there on the market and realized the type of book I’d written was a sub-genre that had basically died. At that time, only one publisher was still putting out “Traditional Regency” and they were closed to submissions. If I wanted to write romance set in the Regency time period, it would have to be more like a Historical Romance, which is longer and generally sexier than that first manuscript I had. So, I decided to do it. I wrote a different book, aimed it at the marketplace, studied the editors who were publishing this sort of book, and I sent out query letters instead of the whole unsolicited manuscript. I actually got one request for the full and was over the moon happy about it. A year later, I got that rejection, too. But at least this time I knew the editor had read my manuscript because she actually gave a couple comments.

Did you do any revisions based on feedback from your queries?
There was only one time when a rejection came with suggestions for revision that made me believe the editor would possibly be interested if I made them. I didn’t. I decided that the book was not really the type of story that would interest me enough to make me want to build a career around it so I put it aside and chose not to go that route. I think it’s very important we, as writers, don’t let ourselves get pigeon holed into a career we don’t want. I’ve known writers who signed contracts for too many books at one time and then had to spend the next 18 months of their lives slaving at their computer. I’ve known authors who signed with publishers who did not offer adequate pay or marketing and they found themselves stuck having to spend all their writing time doing all their own marketing and promotion. I’ve known authors who felt pressured into writing a certain genre when they would really prefer to be writing something else.

I think it’s very important that when we send out our queries they not only represent our book well, but us as an author. If the editor suggests she’ll look at it again if you are willing to make certain changes, by all means consider that! This editor is a professional who knows what works in the marketplace. If you want to be published, you need to acknowledge that. But you also need to know who you are. Will you be happy enough just to see your book in print that it’s okay to sign with a publisher no one has ever heard of and who can’t pay an advance and who will rely on you do all your own marketing? Will you be happy letting your name become known for this type of book? I think the whole querying process is as much about us studying publishers as it is about us getting to know ourselves. Figure out what you really want, research it, then go for it.

So how did you get your big break?
Along with querying agents and editors, I was also entering contests. I found that to be a very helpful way to glean useful feedback and get my work in front of industry professionals. It turns out I’m very competitive and learned pretty quickly what contest judges were looking for. That helped.

In one contest I’d entered, my manuscript finaled and was sent on to a New York editor for final ranking. She loved it, ranked it in first place, and requested the full. I quickly polished up the full and sent it on to her. Then I waited and sent it out to more contests. I got another request from another New York editor so I sent the full off to her. And I waited, and entered another contest.

Meanwhile, a friend of mine kept raving about her agent and suggested I query her, using her name as a reference. So, I did and the agent asked for the full. I sent it, and waited. (Do you see the pattern here? Lots and lots of waiting in this business!)

Then my manuscript finaled in another contest. This was a big one, Romance Writer’s of America’s Golden Heart Award. So I sent word to the two editors and the agent that the manuscript had finaled in that and they all agreed to look at it right away. I waited some more and then headed off to RWA’s national conference in San Francisco. There I actually won the Golden Heart Award.

Some people jokingly call it a Golden Ticket Award because it does seem that getting into that whole Golden Heart whirlwind makes stuff happen. It did for me. I met with the agent and really liked her, but by then I had three other agents very interested in my Golden Heart manuscript. Three more editors asked to have a look at it. I fretted and worried over selecting an agent, then decided to go with the one who was most excited about my book even before I won that award. I’ve been with Cori Deyoe of Three Seas Literary Agency for two years now.

The day after I got home from San Francisco my editor called with an offer. I referred her to my agent who was working with the other four editors who were also interested in my book. After a couple days we had two more offers so my editor had to increase their offer and we accepted that. My first book, MISTRESS BY MISTAKE [Mistress by Mistake (Berkley Sensation)], came out with Berkley Sensation in December of 2009. My next book, DAMSEL IN DISGUISE, will be released August 3rd and I’m getting all excited for that. Plus, now I’ve got a contract for two more, so I’m pretty busy these days.

My success story really is out of the ordinary in that not everyone wins a Golden Heart or ends up with multiple agents and editors to choose from. However, the path to get here was very ordinary. I wrote, I studied, I went to conferences, I queried, and I got rejected. The encouraging part of it is that if it could happen to me, it could happen to pretty much anyone. Just keep at it!

How many rejections did you get?
I’ve never been one to keep count of my rejections. And truthfully, I’ll admit to not having as many of them as some authors. I was not a serial querier. I was very selective which agents and editors I queried and therefore didn’t get the mass quantities of rejections. Still, percentage-wise, I got a lot more rejections than I did offers! Naturally, we should all expect this.

It’s a tough business and there are thousands of reasons for an editor to reject something, and very few reasons for them to accept. I’ve had friends who were rejected because their storyline was too similar to another book the publisher was just releasing, or because it was a time period that the editor felt was over-used, or just because the publisher didn’t have any open slots for a couple of years. Those rejections had nothing to do with the quality of the book or anything the author could have controlled, or even known about. However, if there is something you can control (word count, hook, strong premise, believable characters, etc.) then by all means control that! Our goal is to present the editor with as few reasons as possible to reject us.

Did any one rejection hurt more than another?
About seven years ago there was a real lull in the market for historical romance. It was sagging. I wanted to write historical romance and met an editor at a conference who said she loved historical romance and was determined to bring the market back. At that time, many long-time historical writers had switched over to writing paranormal or suspense or other sub-genres that seemed to be selling well. So, when this editor announced that she was eager to find new authors to write historical—and then she requested mine!—I thought I’d hit the jackpot. When she rejected me, I was a little disappointed. I worried that if this one didn’t want it, no one would. It definitely hacked away at my hope.

Did you ever think about giving up?
I’ve always known that the surest way to never get published is to never submit anything else. So I never really gave up, but there have been a couple times where I took a break. I did the Scarlet O’Hara thing and decided not to think about that “today”. I put the manuscript aside and did other things, telling myself I’d get back to it “on another day”. Fortunately, I did. And I think sometimes we do need to take a break and make sure this is what we want, that ready to face the possibility of rejection again.

But when you’re a writer, you just can’t quit writing. It’s who you are. It’s what you do. You need it. So if the rejection is taking you over, then it’s okay to step back and catch your balance. But don’t ever give up. Just take a break, put on some more emotional Band-Aids, and get strong again. You are worth it and you do have something valuable. Please don’t give up.

How do you handle rejection?
I really and truly see it as a challenge to prove the rejecter wrong. I know that sounds hokey, but I think rejection can mean two things: 1) it can be advice I can use to help me improve, or 2) it means I’m right and they’re wrong. It’s up to me to decide which is which, and that can be the tricky part and I’m sure I’ve gotten it wrong as often as I’ve gotten it right. But we should never, ever think rejection means “I suck” or “I will never make it”. Because that is truly wrong.

Just think of it as if you are walking through the mall and one of those kiosk workers stops you and says, “Hey, how would you like to try our wonderful new make-up products?” You can say yes or you can say no and I’m sure you’ll have a perfectly valid reason for either. Maybe you’re in a hurry, maybe you just bought make-up last week, maybe you’re a guy and you don’t wear make-up. In those cases, you’d just say “No thank you” and keep on walking. You weren’t saying, “Ick, your product is horrible and you should go sit in a corner and cry!” (However, if you did say that, you might want to work on your people skills a little bit.)

Sending out query letters is about the same. You tell Mr. Editor about your product and he says, “No, thank you. Not today.” And he’s got his reasons and they may truly have nothing to do with you. Take it at face value and just go on. Maybe the next “customer” will say, “Sure, I’ll try your product!” Then they’ll either fall in love and buy the whole package, or they’ll realize it’s just not for them today. Either way, you can’t let it mean more than it does. Yes, we hate rejection, but rejection doesn’t mean anyone hates us. Just keep slogging through the No’s until you hit a Yes. As they say, all it takes is one.

What about critique groups?
I completely endorse being involved with other writers at whatever level works best for you. If you love to dig into the phrasing and sentence structure of each other’s work, then do that! If you prefer to be a lone wolf and just need an occasional pat on the back, then do that. But the best help I’ve ever gotten—on lots of things in life—is from other writers. We “get” each other and that’s priceless.

What advice do you have on handling rejection for new authors?
Don’t “handle” it. Just put it in a drawer and walk away. Too many writers like to take it out and chew on it, over-analyzing it and making themselves miserable. All rejection means is that this editor (or agent) can’t work with you on this project at this time. Now, if they’ve given you some feedback, thank God for that and decide whether or not their suggestions ring true. If you’ve gotten the same feedback from someone else, then by all means consider it!

But just chalk it up to part of the learning process and part of the journey. We all get rejected. It’s a part of what we do. I know lots of successful authors who get rejected still—they turn in a proposal telling their editor what they’re going to be writing next and the editor says, “Uh, no, I hate that idea. Do you have something with vampires in it?” Rejection is just a part of life, especially if you’re a writer. Embrace that fact!

But don’t ever let it defeat you. It takes a special person to write their heart on the page and then send that out into the world for inspection. That takes courage, so if you’ve done it—even if it was rejected—you are still amongst a very select group. Be proud of that! Give yourself a hug and take pride in your accomplishment. How many people do you know who’ve actually been rejected by a real editor? A real agent? A real magazine publisher?

Love yourself for trying, and then go right back to trying again. There’s no shame in rejection, only disappointment. Let your friends help you through that and then get back up on that horse again tomorrow.
Personally, my favorite way to defeat rejection is to start a new project. There’s nothing to light my jets like sitting down and dashing off an outline for a new story, one that will be sooooo great no one will reject it.

Now, I’d love to hear how others “handle” rejection. Chocolate? Good wine? Getting out with friends? Dancing naked around a bonfire of rejection letters? What do you do to get you over rejection and onto hoping again?


Susan, again, thank you so much for taking time to do this series. I know I have learned so much from your experiences and I've really enjoyed this whole process.

Now Readers, we want to hear from YOU! Tell us how you handle rejection. Plus, do you have more questions for Susan? She will be hanging out with us today, so leave your question in the comments section.

"The Writing Life" part 2 - Interview with Susan Gee Heino

Regency romance author Susan Gee Heino is with us again for the second installment of “The Writing Life.” She will share some writing advice and tips with us. You can find Part 1 of the interview here. Susan has a new book coming out in August (Damsel in Disguise (Berkley Sensation)) so we really appreciate the time she is taking to be with us. Susan, thanks for joining us.

Thanks for having me, Michele. I love it here!

When and why did you begin writing? Did you just sit down one day and say “I’m going to write a book to be published?”
I’ve been writing fiction since I was a little kid. Seriously, I love stories and I love make-believe. But I hardly ever told people I wanted to write novels because I thought it was something so far out of the realm of possibility that talking about it would only lead to disappointment. Still, it was a dream that just would not go away. In college I studied theatre and turned my focus from acting to playwriting. I had some success with that, but not enough to pay the bills. After graduating, I went out into the real world and got a “normal” job, but just couldn’t shake the writing bug. I took correspondence classes, I wrote plays for church, I submitted short stories to magazines, and I filled journal after journal with story ideas and scene drafts. Still, though, what I really wanted was to be an author. And what I wanted to write was Historical Romance. So, I finally came out of the closet, joined a professional writers group, and put all my eggs in that basket. It was still several years of determined work, but finally I’ve seen that dream come true.

Do you have a specific writing style?
Yes, but I’ll be darned if I can define it! I think every writer has their own “voice”, or style, but generally we can’t see it as clearly as others can. I’ve been told my style is witty, quirky, emotional, unpredictable, and even farcical. Since those are all characteristics I love when I find them in other authors, I’m hoping this is an accurate description of my style! I think it’s very important for writers to understand what fires them and what they do well. Highlight those things and make sure they are front and center in everything you write. That is your “voice”.

Do you write an outline before every book you write?
I do now because my publisher requires it. Years ago I didn’t—I just started writing and let the story go wherever it wanted. The problem with this is that sometimes the story rambled into a place I like to call “Stupidville” and it was quite a bit of work and effort to drag it back out of there and carve it into something more closely resembling a readable plotline. Now that I’m on deadline, I don’t have that luxury. I need to keep things going full steam ahead without drastic detours into dumb stuff that just has no place in this particular book.

We talk about writers being either “plotters” or “pantsers”. The Plotters are the ones who plot and outline and do character studies, etc. before they even begin their book. They revel in their plans and love setting goals. These are usually the OCD neat freaks who are convinced Pantsers must be insane.

Pantsers are the ones who fly by the seat-of-their-pants, just making stuff up as they go along and dreading the idea of outlines or plotting charts. For a Pantser, the thrill of writing a book is gone if they already know details of how it will end. The Pantser usually has 45 unfinished manuscripts tucked under her bed and thinks Plotters are weirdo control freaks.

I am a recovering Pantser. I realized that 45 unfinished manuscripts won’t help me much until I can find a way to get them finished. This century. So, I’ve learned to embrace the outline. In fact, I’ve discovered that I like having an outline! It helps keep my ADD brain focused on where the story is going and I’ve actually come up with a really cool Excel spreadsheet that I use to help me with plotting and keeping track of things like Goal, Motivation, Conflict, and whatever the heck I named the butler in Chapter three.

Do you ever experience writer's block? If so, how do you get through it?
I really don’t get writer’s block. I love writing and I always have many, many more ideas than I have time to write them. I do, however, get very, very tired of working the same idea for months on end. Long about page 200 I’m generally soooo sick of these characters and this plotline that it’s hard to get my head into my work. How do I overcome that? By pure, torturous plugging away at it day after day. I muscle myself into my chair, I wrestle my brain into working order, and I force myself to stay away from email and Facebook. Then I write the darned book until it’s done. Then I go back through it and rewrite. And rewrite. And proofread. And edit. I think writers must have some serious masochistic disorders to do what we do.

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing your novel to life?
I think the biggest challenge was to believe that what I was doing had value even though I had nothing to show for it. Writing is very solitary. It’s just you and your keyboard. In my early years, it seemed like the only feedback I was getting was rejections. But I’m stubborn and pretty self-centered, so I kept on writing because I wanted to and it didn’t really matter that no one was interested in buying it. I realized that I wrote for ME and that I was a better person when I was writing. I gave myself permission to continue. I learned to navigate the logistics of spreading my braincells out between mothering, house-wifing, and writing. And I had fun with it. It’s good to be challenged. It gives you a target to shoot at.

Have you ever had to put a project away because you couldn’t write it?
Yes. Some years ago I sat beside an editor at a luncheon and she told me there was a specific type of story she’d been looking for but it seemed no one was writing it. The next day, I went home and started writing that kind of story. A few months later I had something pretty good and I submitted it to her. She liked it, but requested a few revisions before she could consider making an offer. Her suggestions were right on the money and I could have easily made those revisions and sent the manuscript right back to her, but I didn’t.

The more I thought about it the more I realized I did not want to write in that genre. I didn’t write this book for ME, I wrote it for HER. Did I really want to sign a contract saying I would publish this book and then write more like it? Did I love this type of story enough to spend the next couple years at it? No, honestly, I didn’t. That very day I put that manuscript aside and began working on the one that eventually won the Golden Heart and became my first sale. Guess I owe that first editor a big thank you, don’t I?

Have you ever hated something you wrote and why?
Oh heavens yes! Practically every day. I always thought this would go away, that once I got published I would somehow magically no longer need my delete key. Wrong! But I have learned that this is just one of those things I have to live with. I am getting better at recognizing what works and what doesn’t, even if I’m having an “I hate everything I write” day. It’s never really as bad as it seems.

What was the hardest part of writing your first book?
Realizing when I made a wrong turn and deleting the stuff that just had to go. I’m getting much better at recognizing when my hero is acting out of character or when a scene I love is going to bore readers to tears, but I still find myself having to cut things I really wish I could keep. But the sad truth is that most manuscripts don’t need stuff added to them, they need stuff cut from them. Embracing that truth was not so much fun, but it has helped immensely.

Does it get easier to write the second book? Third?
As with just about any skill, the craft gets easier the more you practice. However, once you’ve made a sale and now have deadlines and contractual obligations and promotional opportunities, things get really tricky. My writing time now has to include not only writing a book that is better than the last one, but managing the business and marketing aspects of my career. That’s hard work!

Plus, I decided to write connected stories, so my second and third books all have plot elements that must fit a pre-established storyline. My characters have to fit the mold I made for them in previous books. I thought this would make things easier, but really it makes it a lot harder. Instead of a big, blank page to color on, I have to be very careful to stay inside the lines I’ve already drawn. Ugh.

Do you see yourself writing something other than regency romance in the future?
Regency is my fave, but I also have a couple really fun contemporary romances that I really, really want to see in print someday. I would totally love to write more contemporary. Also, I’m working on a proposal now for a non-romance YA Paranormal series (yeah, I know—who isn’t?) that my agent is really excited about. Hopefully we’ll see something coming from that before too long. Oh, and I’d love to see Westerns get popular again. I looooove cowboys and it would be so much fun to write one.

Do you have any advice for other writers?
I just met author Heather Graham at a conference and she said something immeasurably profound. I think I’ll steal it from her: “Read read read. Write write write. Live live live.” That’s the best writerly advice I’ve ever heard and I don’t think I could possibly give any better. What about others? What advice has helped you in your writing journey?


Susan, again, thank you so much for joining us today.

Readers, we want to hear from YOU! Tell us what advice has helped you in your writing journey. Plus, do you have more questions for Susan? She will be hanging out with us today, so leave your question in the comments section.

Also, check out the Tuesday Contest, where we are giving away an autographed copy of Mistress by Mistake (Berkley Sensation) to one lucky follower.

We'll conclude this series of interviews with the next segment of "The Writing Life" in 2 weeks. Susan will be discussing rejection - how she deals with it and how it's affected her writing. Check back with us then. Click here for Part Three.

Contest Tuesday - Mistress By Mistake

A few weeks back we gave away an autographed copy of Mistress By Mistake by Susan Gee Heino (see my review of the book here). Surprise!! I have another copy of the book to give away to some lucky follower this week.

In addition to the book giveaway, the second installment of  "The Writing Life," my interview with Susan, will be posted tomorrow. In the first interview, Susan discusses how she got started writing and who has influenced her writing. You can read that interview here. Tomorrow, Susan will be talking about writing tips and advice, so be sure to check back with us.

All followers – with the exception of contributors and those who have won prizes within the last thirty (30) days – will receive one chance at winning. Contest will remain open until midnight (EST), Friday, July 2, 2010. Winner will be chosen by random drawing and results posted July 3, 2010.

Friday Book Review - Mistress By Mistake

Today in the Friday Review, I'm reviewing the book Mistress By Mistake by Susan Gee Heino. In the interest of full disclosure, know that Susan is a member of our critique group and our first published author. However, that is not the reason why I decided to review this book.

I had two criteria when choosing a book for this project; One, that it was that is was a romance and two, that it was the first book published by an author. Romance is my favorite genre so that was a no-brainer. Reading a first time author just seemed to fit - I like to start at the beginning, whether it's a series or an author. And let's face it, Nora Roberts doesn't really need more publicity, does she?

Also, in accordance with the FTC rules, I should tell you that I purchased this book, it was not provided to me.

Mistress By Mistake by Susan Gee Heino ISBN 978-0-425-23151-7

Evaline Pinchley and Lord Randolph Dashford have one thing in common - neither of them wants to marry. Although this might seem an odd premise for a book (especially for people who don't read romance), in Regency England (1795-1837) it makes perfect sense.

I have to say upfront, that Regency romances have never been my favorite thing to read. The women are always fluttering about, swooning with the vapors. And the men - well, let's just say that you don't find a lot of Alpha males running around in lace cravats and satin knee breeches. I had some preconceptions going into this book, to say the least.

Well, I was wrong. Mistress By Mistake combines a heroine who is feisty and independent with a hero who is a man's man. No fluttering, no lace cravats. These characters feel real - with human failings that a reader can understand and relate to.

In the opening scene, Evaline gets drunk on her birthday and ends up in Lord Dashford's bed - something more than a few of us can relate to (I'm not talking about me. No, really). The resulting actions and reactions fill the book with drama and intrigue. And just when you think there isn't any reason for them not to be together, his fiance shows up - and the bridge is washed out, stranding them all together with nothing to do but have a picnic in the dining room.

What kept me interested in this book, in addition to the well written characters, was the humor. Let's face it, writing humor well is hard. But writing humor for Regency England? Yikes! The author has a real talent for using humor in the right place to make the characters and situations come alive and feel real to the reader.

The author writes a complex story and there are several subplots woven around the main romantic plot that keeps the reader hooked . Will Evaline's aunt succeed in her evil plotting? Why is there so much interest in the abandoned property next door? And why is the boat grotto so popular? Well, perhaps that last one is obvious.

I highly recommend reading Mistress By Mistake to everyone. To help make that possible, I'll be giving away an autographed copy of Mistress By Mistake (graciously provided by the author) next week. Check back Tuesday for further details - and tell all of your friends and followers.