Today, I’m pleased that author Carla Stewart is my guest. She’s the author of Chasing Lilacs and wants to give away a copy of her new novel, Broken Wings. Leave a comment to be entered into a drawing if you would like to receive a copy of her book.
Talk a bit about your journey to publication. What did you learn that you wished you’d known sooner? What aspect of the pub process was the most surprising to you? How has your writing changed as a result of your writing journey to publication?
You have to begin somewhere: What have I gotten myself into?
I’m not a technically savvy person, but not long into this journey, I realized I would need a website and a blog and a platform. I had no clue that one day my vocabulary would include terms like technorati, stat counting, web presence, branding, networking, and marketing. And in the early days of my writing, FaceBook and Twitter hadn’t even been invented. This aspect of the publishing world has been both daunting and rewarding. I want to partner with my publishers to make the biggest impact with my books, but it’s a challenge that no one told me about.
The good thing is that there are lots of “helps” out there. No one needs to feel they are navigating alone. And I can’t help but think that the social networking overall makes the marketing and platform job easier.
The joy of being on a “team.”
After struggling to get noticed, to get an agent, and to get a contract, a drastic shift happened after my first book was contracted. Suddenly I was part of a team with a common goal: Make my book the best possible product and put it out there. I no longer felt solely responsible for the outcome. I had a fabulous editor who loved my book, a design team who loved to play with fonts and images, a marketing department who loved to write ad copy and sell things, a publicist who had all the inside tracks for reviews and interviews, and an agent who smoothed the whole process. Things happened behind the scenes that gave me goose bumps. I still had edits and promotion and writing the next novel – but it was so much sweeter to be part of a publishing team.
Time is not available in an unlimited supply.
Now that I have two books out and a third in the editing process, what I’ve found is that time is more precious than ever. I no longer have leisure hours to spend dilly-dallying over the exact word that fits in a sentence. Words must be written in a timely manner. Many words. I’m still a seat of the pants writer, but now I’m more organized, capture my research in a single file, and have a fairly detailed synopsis before I begin writing. It’s also easier to see when something is not working before I’ve written an entire book. I still do considerable edits and several drafts, but I think Chasing Lilacs had maybe twelve drafts and one complete rewrite.
The one thing that hasn’t changed: I love the creative process and telling stories. I’m blessed to be able to do that which I love.
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BIO:
Carla Stewart’s writing reflects her passion for times gone by as depicted in her first highly-acclaimed novel, Chasing Lilacs, which was a 2011 Finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award and the trophy winner of the 2011 Best Fiction Book for the Oklahoma Writers Federation Inc. (OWFI). Chasing Lilacs received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly and favorable reviews in Library Journal, RT Book Reviews, Book Page, and Christian Retailing magazine.
An Oklahoma native and graduate of OU, Carla has lived in Tulsa since 2003. In her life before writing, Carla enjoyed a career in nursing and raising her family. Now that their four sons are married and they’ve become empty-nesters, she and her husband relish the occasional weekend getaway and delight in the adventures of their six grandchildren.
Broken Wings is her second novel.
BIO (Short):
Carla Stewart’s writing reflects her passion for times gone by. She believes in Jesus, the power of the written word, and a good cup of coffee. She and her husband have four adult sons and delight in the adventures of their six grandchildren.
BACK COVER COPY (Broken Wings)
Onstage, the singing duo of Gabe and Mitzi Steiner captured America’s heart for more than two decades. Offstage, their own hearts have throbbed as one for sixty years. Only now, Gabe has retreated into the tangles of Alzheimer’s, leaving Mitzi to ponder her future alone.
On the other side of Tulsa, everyone believes Brooke Woodson has found the perfect man–a handsome lawyer with sights on becoming Tulsa’s next District Attorney. If only Brooke felt more sure. If only her fiancé could control his anger. If only love didn’t come with so many scars.
When an accident lands Brooke in the hospital where Mitzi volunteers, the two women quickly develop an unlikely friendship birthed by providence and bathed in grace. And with Mitzi’s help, kindness, and insight, Brooke learns how to pick up the broken pieces of her life.
LINKS:
My website: www.carlastewart.com
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/ChasingLilacs
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/carlastewartauthor
Amazon link to Broken Wings:
http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Wings-Novel-Carla-Stewart/dp/0446556564/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303925189&sr=8-1
I was so excited to see Carla’s sweet face pop up on my Facebook notifications this morning. I know how very much she has meant to my mom, and know how much she will miss her now that my parents have moved. I also had the privilege of reading Chasing Lilacs. I would love to read this one, too!!
Loved Carla’s debut book, Chasing Lilacs, and would love to win a copy of Broken Wings. Thanks for the opportunity!
ckbarker at gmail dot com
Carla, you are at a spot on the path where I hope to be one of these days. Thank you for your honest insight on the way to get there.
“The good thing is that there are lots of “helps” out there. No one needs to feel they are navigating alone.” Amen!
Thank you Linda, for showcasing gifted authors such as Carla Stewart and allowing us readers & writers to peek inside the efforts of an entire team. A team that gets the book out & the team of support from friends by “word of mouth”, like you.
I appreciated the step-by-step process of editing, so true! Being a writer can be such a solitary career, but because you both shared it with us, it is less so. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart 🙂
I would love to win “Broken Wings”!
~Lex
http://www.lexgilmore.com/
Johanna, you don’t know how much I miss your mom – thank goodness for email and ACFW where I will see her in Sept. And thank you for your kind words about Chasing Lilacs. It’s been quite a ride.
Thanks, too, to Cheryl – you’ve been such an encouragement to me.
Karina – keep working. Everyone’s path is different – even when you’re published there are a lot of variations, but all the work is worth it.
Lex! So good to see you here. One thing to remember: Editors are people too. Great people.
Linda, thanks for hosting me today. I love that you give nuggets of advice on your blog. It was a great refreshed for me to visit your posts from the last few weeks. So honored.
“What have I gotten myself into?” I’ve been asking myself the same thing. Great post! Thanks for the chance to win “Broken Wings.”
Linda here. Carla’s story has really inspired a lot of you, so I’m thankful to have had her as a guest. I’ll announce the “winner” of the giveaway on Monday. Keep writing, everyone! ~Linda
Thank you for featuring Carla. Her books are now on my “to read” list.