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Noodler of the Month: Anna DeStefano
Q. Tell us a little about your writing journey so
far.
A. Journey???? More like Ms. Anna's Wild Ride. Last
January (2004), I received THE CALL!! The Unknown Daughter
had sold! After much celebration and partying with my family and Wet
Noodle Posse friends, my agent piped in with, "Hey, that new
proposal you're working on...How soon do you think you can have it
ready?" Heaven love the woman for getting my head back in the
business. So, off I go to do revisions on the first book, and cover
art planning (a very cool but daunting process), and, oh yeah,
sticking my neck out there again as I tried to sell the next book (A
Family for Daniel) - all the while praying, "Please, don't let
me be a one-sale wonder!" And, oh my gosh! I turned #2 in
during March and
had my second sale by early May - way cool, only now I had the
summer to write the book! You see, in the publishing business, I've
found that it takes a lot of hard work to get the good stuff, and
the good stuff always with more character-building hard work. "Bring
it on," my agent and I said! Let's see what we can do...
'Kay... careful what you ask for girls. 'Cause by
September, I had finished the second book, the first was about to
hit the shelves, I was on deadline to do my first eHarlequin online
read (The Sheriff's Wife), and my editor called with a new
two-book contract in mind. Oh my gosh!! 2004 wasn't over yet, and I
had books on Harlequin's calendar through 2006 (The Unknown Baby is
due on the shelves in early 2006 and
A Little Piece of Now later that year)! And to round things
out, The Unknown Daughter was a Waldenbooks best seller, and
was nominated as a finalist in Romantic Times' Best
Superromance of 2004 category - which, by the way, it went on to
win.
A little reality check is needed here, I think.
Going from wanna-be writer to multi-published working novelist in
twelve months is enough to make a girl understand why Ernest
Hemingway was a drunk. WORKing is the key word in this journey
story. Lots of sometimes blissful, often nail-biting, and the worst,
"I'm never going to get through this", work. But my friends, you
have to take the plunge. You have to ride the ride when it's your
turn to get on...whatever your ride turns out to be. The rewards and
exciting twists and turns of following your dream far outweigh the
late-night paranoia. And the buddies you make along the way are
priceless. Thanks Wet Noodle Posse girls - you're at the heart of
everything I do!
Now, it's on to pitching stories for 2007!!!
Q. What's the best piece of advice you've ever
received from another author?
A. Don't believe your own press! The good things in
this life come and go. You have to know who you really are when
things are looking up so you can be just as confident about your
abilities and self-worth when the momentum swings away from you.
Roll with the punches and use good fortune to your advantage, but
never let the voices whispering in your ear tempt you to look away
from the truth that makes you uniquely you.
Q. If you could spend an hour picking the brain of
anyone, who would it be?
A. Right now, I'd have to say Linda Howard. I LOVED
her work way before I thought I wanted to write myself, and as a
writer now, I'm amazed by her process and insight into a writer's
world. Just sitting and listening to her think would be a treat.
There's a lot of wisdom there. A lot to be learned.
Q. What do you feel is your best strength as a
writer?
A. My ability to look at what I've written and
revise new life into it. I've found revision essential to the books
I've already finished--and my relationship with the editor shooting
those revisions back to me hinges on how well I can take her
comments, absorb them without wailing and gnashing of teeth, and
produce something truly amazing that is still my own (only better
than I could have done by myself).
Q. Is there a type of book you'd love to write that
you haven't?
A. I and my agent are very interested in pursuing
some women's fiction projects I've been mulling over. As I said,
Superromance is keeping me "super" busy at the moment, and I love my
work there, so other projects are going to have to wait for a
while...but I love the idea of writing something focused on more of
a woman's journey than I can cover in even the extra length of a
Superromance...working moms, single working moms, married women
who've chosen not to be moms, single women who've chosen not to
marry. I'd love to explore the decisions real women make that change
the direction of their lives. Amazing lives lived in everyday
America.
Q. What, in your opinion, are the three writing
books that no writer should be without?
A. Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan; Story by Robert
McKee (though his weekend workshop is far more powerful than the
book); and Techniques of a Selling Writer by Dwight Swain -
this book has changed the lives of countless writers.
Q. What is your writing process like?
A. I spend a lot of time planning my characters up
front (I even give a workshop on meeting your characters way before
you write the first page). Once I have approval for a project (based
either on a three-chapter proposal or just a synopsis), I then work
through the beginning of the book, revisit my character planning one
more time, then push through the entire first draft without looking
back. For me, I have to get to THE END before I have a complete feel
for a story. My first draft usually happens pretty quickly (a month
to a month and a half after finishing the proposal), then I spend as
much as a month revising the work, so my characters' journeys arc
and twist and turn until I'm okay with them. The newest workshop I'm
giving at conferences is on learning to rewrite. Look for both of
the workshops I just mentioned at this year's RWA National
Conference in Reno! I'll be speaking with Noodler and Golden Heart
winner Trish Milburn on character planning, and on revisions with my
editor, Johanna Raisenan.
Q. Other than writing and reading, what other
activities do you enjoy?
A. I do a lot of volunteer work with a group called
Stephen Ministries - crisis care for those who need a listening ear
as they walk difficult paths in their lives. I'm a competitive
tennis player in Atlanta. And I love watching my son play baseball,
tennis, or whatever his sport of choice is!
Q. What is your dream vacation?
A. Renting a brownstone in New York City or San
Francisco, or even some European city I haven't visited yet. Lots of
sunshine, beautiful buildings, and long walks. Lots of history to
hear and read about - there would have to be great museums to
explore. Of course, there would have to be tennis courts nearby, and
good competition to play against. And tons of time to read and
write. Great shopping would be a must. :) My family would be there
to do fun stuff with when we got together, but there would be lots
for everyone to do on their own. Lazy, fun-filled, endless
time...Maybe free time is the key. My dream vacation would be having
the time to do whatever I wanted (with my family, friends, or just
myself), wherever I might be.
Anna's book list:
Harlequin Superromance:
The Unknown Daughter (October 2004, ISBN 0373712340)
A Family for Daniel (June 2005, ISBN 0373712804)
The Unknown Baby (working title, February 2006, tentative
date)
A Little Piece of Now (working title, late 2006 release)
eHarlequin Online Read:
The Sheriff's Wife
http://www.eharlequin.com/cms/onlinereads/readsIntro.jhtml?pageID=041011rd01001
Homepage:
AnnaWrites.com
Click here to see
Anna's page on Wet Noodle Posse.com
To read last
month's Noodler of the Month article, click
here
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