Dyanne: We’re all aware that without readers, writers whether published or unpublished, would be a bunch of mighty lonely people. And if you can believe this, readers are even more shy than writers so I am extremely grateful for the readers who have agreed to answer a few questions. I have a couple who answered but since it’s like pulling teeth (or worse) I’m using one per blog. This month we have Carmen Harris .
Hello Carmen , tell the Romance Slam Jam family a little about Carmen .
Carmen : Hi I'm Carmen Harris, a 41 year old single mom of two living in Decatur, GA. I work for the Georgia State Government as a Data Processor at Georgia Public Health Laboratory. I spend my free time reading.
DD: Carmen, what kind of romance stories are you most interested in?
Carmen: I enjoy reading contemporary romance most.
DD: Carmen can you tell us why you’re a romance reader?
Carmen: I enjoy romance because I like to see relationships develops into love and end happily ever after.
DD: Have you ever heard of RSJ, been to one or ever plan to go?
Carmen: Yes, I've heard of Romance Slam Jam, have never attended one but hope to in the future.
DD: If you could go to an event that featured dozens of your favorite romance authors at an affordable price even if you can't go soon would you like to?
Carmen: Yes, I'd love to attend an event where my favorite authors are featured.
DD: Carmen, are you a reader of only paper books or do you read ebooks as well?
Carmen: I read paper books. I've never read an ebook.
DD: Where do you hang out on the internet, Carmen?
http://www.myspace.com/amethyst168
http://www.facebook.com/people/Carmen-Harris/513471987
http://www.shelfari.com/carmenharris
http://harr1249.paperbackswap.com
Thanks Carmen . Keep reading.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
INTERVIEW WITH DOROTHY BINNS/YASMINE PHOENIX (ASPIRING AUTHOR)
Dyanne Davis (DD): Hello Dorothy, you may as well get used to being before the public. There is no better place for your coming out (so to speak) than to the Romance Slam Jam family. Let’s begin by your telling us something about yourself.
Dorothy Binns (DB): I live in a snow covered, cold south suburb of Chicago. I'm a Virginia girl by birth and as I get older I miss the mild weather and being near 'real water'. I'm married, twenty-five years now, and have two kids. One on her own, youngest is in college. I love tennis, but my knees don't. I'm rediscovering my identity after being introduced as Jennifer or John's Mom for a number of years. I love to read, write, and listen to music. I have always been a scifi person. Star Trek, Dark Shadows. Now it's Doctor Who, Torchwood, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Supernatural... okay that's enough. My friends find it easy to talk to me, because I tell the truth. I dress it up so they don't cry, but still tell them the truth. My parents taught me to smile, but not be a fool. Passed that on to my kids. I have a dry, cynical sense of humor, passed that on to my son. I love being around people, but eventually the loner in me emerges and I retreat for a few days. Again, passed that on to both kids.
DD: I like that. Great intro. Now tell us when were you first bitten by the writing bug?
DB: The first time was in high school. I wrote a short story about Charlie of the Tunaka Islands. He was a prince who swam so well a tuna fish company, StarKiss, used 'Charlie The Tuna' for their product and he sued them for defamation of character. My classmates 'believed' my fictional story. Hence I knew I could lie well. I continued practicing the art of lying well to boyfriends, until I met my husband. I didn't want to lie to him. Then later, I was in a paralegal program and an idea hit me about what if Cher was really interracial, which had absolutely nothing to do with the class. Hence I wrote an interracial romance which my black heroine discovers her father had married a white woman, divorced her, but didn't know she'd had a child. Father dies, Cher shows up, and problems begin since my he roine was engaged to a white man whose family didn't approve. I did pass my paralegal class, by the way and received my first agent rejection which enabled me to get my Pro pin from Romance Writers of America.
DD: Dorothy, you’re cracking me up. You’re a natural born writer. At this point in the journey do you see your writing as a hobby or as a career you're aiming for. (there are no wrong answers here)
DB: I see my writing as a career and it's hard. In my previous career, I had work assignments, deadlines, a manager, and a paycheck. Now I'm responsible for everything. Being paid is secondary, producing quality and exciting manuscripts is first. If I take my eyes off of this goal and think about monetary, I won't write well.
DD: To that end, how many hours per day do you devote to your writing?
DB: As I answered in the previous question, this career is hard. I'm struggling to write four hours a day. Not four straight hours. I realize I just kept saying20I was going to write eight hours a day, I've never made it pass day one. So I'm doing it in increments, four hours a day by the end of January and then by the beginning of March eight hours. Weekends are hard, there are too many people (2) in the house. Our beagle doesn't count.
DD: Dorothy, are you actively doing things to take you to the next level. Ex: doing this interview, going to conferences, honing your skills, submitting your work, learning the industry?
DB: This interview, okay great. Conferences, yes. Last year I attended my first Romance Slam Jam and I am looking forward to the RSJ the cruise, 2010. I went to San Francisco, RWA National Convention, my local chapter's conference. I'm bringing my daughter on the RSJ cruise. I'm scheduled to attend the Indiana RWA Conference in March. Honing my skills: I do online classes, not every month. I'm very picky about what class I take. Submitting my work: Absolutely, my goal is to have work ready for submission monthly. Learning the industry: My online chapters are very good about providing information and I receive Publishers Weekly20and deals page. I'm active in my local RWA chapter, librarian and Pro Liaison. Oh yeah, I exercise, yoga and tennis. Writing is solitary, activity outside is essential. However: But... the most important aspect of my career is to finish what I write. I can't submit if my writing isn't complete.
My tagline is exactly how I feel about my career.Yasmine, www.YasminePhoenix.com
"Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else." - Gloria Steinem .
DD: Great interview Dorothy . I wish you all the best in your career. I’m glad you put your website for the RSJ readers. You have a fantastic blog. Thanks for allowing me to introduce you to the RSJ family.
Dorothy Binns (DB): I live in a snow covered, cold south suburb of Chicago. I'm a Virginia girl by birth and as I get older I miss the mild weather and being near 'real water'. I'm married, twenty-five years now, and have two kids. One on her own, youngest is in college. I love tennis, but my knees don't. I'm rediscovering my identity after being introduced as Jennifer or John's Mom for a number of years. I love to read, write, and listen to music. I have always been a scifi person. Star Trek, Dark Shadows. Now it's Doctor Who, Torchwood, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Supernatural... okay that's enough. My friends find it easy to talk to me, because I tell the truth. I dress it up so they don't cry, but still tell them the truth. My parents taught me to smile, but not be a fool. Passed that on to my kids. I have a dry, cynical sense of humor, passed that on to my son. I love being around people, but eventually the loner in me emerges and I retreat for a few days. Again, passed that on to both kids.
DD: I like that. Great intro. Now tell us when were you first bitten by the writing bug?
DB: The first time was in high school. I wrote a short story about Charlie of the Tunaka Islands. He was a prince who swam so well a tuna fish company, StarKiss, used 'Charlie The Tuna' for their product and he sued them for defamation of character. My classmates 'believed' my fictional story. Hence I knew I could lie well. I continued practicing the art of lying well to boyfriends, until I met my husband. I didn't want to lie to him. Then later, I was in a paralegal program and an idea hit me about what if Cher was really interracial, which had absolutely nothing to do with the class. Hence I wrote an interracial romance which my black heroine discovers her father had married a white woman, divorced her, but didn't know she'd had a child. Father dies, Cher shows up, and problems begin since my he roine was engaged to a white man whose family didn't approve. I did pass my paralegal class, by the way and received my first agent rejection which enabled me to get my Pro pin from Romance Writers of America.
DD: Dorothy, you’re cracking me up. You’re a natural born writer. At this point in the journey do you see your writing as a hobby or as a career you're aiming for. (there are no wrong answers here)
DB: I see my writing as a career and it's hard. In my previous career, I had work assignments, deadlines, a manager, and a paycheck. Now I'm responsible for everything. Being paid is secondary, producing quality and exciting manuscripts is first. If I take my eyes off of this goal and think about monetary, I won't write well.
DD: To that end, how many hours per day do you devote to your writing?
DB: As I answered in the previous question, this career is hard. I'm struggling to write four hours a day. Not four straight hours. I realize I just kept saying20I was going to write eight hours a day, I've never made it pass day one. So I'm doing it in increments, four hours a day by the end of January and then by the beginning of March eight hours. Weekends are hard, there are too many people (2) in the house. Our beagle doesn't count.
DD: Dorothy, are you actively doing things to take you to the next level. Ex: doing this interview, going to conferences, honing your skills, submitting your work, learning the industry?
DB: This interview, okay great. Conferences, yes. Last year I attended my first Romance Slam Jam and I am looking forward to the RSJ the cruise, 2010. I went to San Francisco, RWA National Convention, my local chapter's conference. I'm bringing my daughter on the RSJ cruise. I'm scheduled to attend the Indiana RWA Conference in March. Honing my skills: I do online classes, not every month. I'm very picky about what class I take. Submitting my work: Absolutely, my goal is to have work ready for submission monthly. Learning the industry: My online chapters are very good about providing information and I receive Publishers Weekly20and deals page. I'm active in my local RWA chapter, librarian and Pro Liaison. Oh yeah, I exercise, yoga and tennis. Writing is solitary, activity outside is essential. However: But... the most important aspect of my career is to finish what I write. I can't submit if my writing isn't complete.
My tagline is exactly how I feel about my career.Yasmine, www.YasminePhoenix.com
"Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else." - Gloria Steinem .
DD: Great interview Dorothy . I wish you all the best in your career. I’m glad you put your website for the RSJ readers. You have a fantastic blog. Thanks for allowing me to introduce you to the RSJ family.
Interview With Beverly Jenkins
Dyane Davis: Beverly, we both know you need no introduction to the Romance Slam Jam family, but I’ll bet there are still a few secrets you can share. Hmm. Let’s see if we can’t come up with something. Okay, I have it, what's the craziest thing you've ever had to happen in your career?
Bevery Jenkins: Ok, Craziest thing to ever happen was to look up and see Attorney Johnnie Cochran walking into one of my signings. He'd come to get a book for his wife. I'd just stuffed a big peanut butter cookie in my mouth, so I'm trying to be cool and not scream and hold an intelligent conversation while mumbling around this cookie. I'm sure he thought I was insane!
DD: You know I’m also thinking that’s one of your historic moments considering Johnnie Cochran ’s most famous trial. Now how about if you share your most selfish decadent wish (G-rated)
BJ: Most selfish decadent wish? Hmm. Probably one last make me wanna holla love session with my late husband, then he can go back to playing golf in heaven.
DD: I have to tell you I love your wish though I’m sure your readers will quickly turn it into an X rating. LOL. So, what’s on your plate for 2009?
BJ: The plate for 09 is full. The reissue of my two YAs Belle and Josephine for Kimani Tru . Bring on the Blessings - my first women's fiction and faith based novel hits stores late January. The 15th anniversary reissue of my very first novel Night Song in May; a novella project for Kimani due sometime this summer, and the release of my newest historical Captured from Avon in the fall. This is also a BJPJ party year. Lordy! I'm tired just thinking about all this, AND have 2 books to write this year for publication in 2010.
DD: WOW! You are busy and thank you again from taking the time from your busy schedule to play along and send a holla to the RSJ family. One last question. Where can readers reach you?
BJ: Readers can contact me at indigo@beverlyjenkins.net or via my po box-
PO BOX 1893
Belleville MI
48112
Thanks Dyanne.
http://www.beverlyjenkins.net/
http://www.beverlyjenkins.net/
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