BYS exclusive interview with New York Times Bestselling author Carly Phillips. Carly gives readers an intimate look at her life and what went between the sheets of LOVE ME IF YOU DARE.

BYS: What went Between the Sheets of this book? Either what was happening in your life when you wrote it, or what was happening with the book as you wrote it.

CP: When I wrote LOVE ME IF YOU DARE, I was in the midst of career change, contemplating a new publisher, having just changed agents, wondering what contemporary romance direction I should be taking when I finished the Bachelor Blog series...and the book didn’t come as easily as KISS ME IF YOU CAN because of the upheaval in my life at the time. But the one thing that I knew was that I loved Rafe and Sara and I was determined to give them the romance they desesrved!

BYS: When did you decide to sit down and write your first novel and what led up to the publication of your first book?

CP: When I was home with a colicky baby (my eldest daughter), I read romances to help relieve the stress of parenting. The books really helped keep my sanity LOL and it wasn't long before I tried writing my own romances. With my husband's support, I wrote around the baby's schedule...10 completed manuscripts and 7 years later, I sold my first book! The in betweens of that were more complicated, but once I found an editor who loved my work, I was closer rather than further from publication. Persistence is definitely key!

BYS: Take us through a typical writing day and your creative process.

CP: Being a mom to two teenagers, I don't really have a typical writing day. I usually write around their schedules etc. Now that they're back in school, I love to be able to sit down in my recliner in the morning and write using my laptop until I have my page count done for the day. Then I do touch ups in the afternoon. Then 99% of the time life gets in the way and the schedule gets thrown out the window. I'll usually try for 5 pages a day/5 days a week in the beginning (beginnings are harder for me) and then push harder once I'm further along.

BYS: What is your re-writing and editing process? Do you let anyone read your work in progress before it goes to your editor?

CP: I edit my work as I go along, usually every afternoon or evening. My critique partner Jenelle Denisen reads my work in progress as I go along and the rest of the Plotmonkeys help me with plotting issues. They include Janelle Denison, and Julie Leto and Leslie Parrish. Basically once I hit the end, I'm very close to "good to send" to my editor. But the actual process is long and hard, especially in the beginning.

BYS: What is your opinion of critique groups? Do you find them helpful?

CP: They're the best! My critique partners are the Plotmonkeys and we meet a couple times a year for face-to-face intense plotting sessions. They include my critique partner, Janelle Denison, and Julie Leto and Leslie Parrish. They're just an IM or phone call away ;) I also have a tendency to forget that if I switch POV's, sometimes the story begins flowing again, LOL! And they help me get past any problem areas. They've been extremely helpful.

BYS: What keeps you going and motivated when life throws you a curveball?

CP: The factual reality of deadlines. I know what I have to do and by when. The fact is, life WILL throw you a curve, and there is nothing you can do about it. So you need to learn to work around it early on in your career. To be honest, I'm not talking about life or death curveballs, thank goodness and I wouldn’t presume to tell anyone how to handle those! But the routine ones? The unexpected, PITA ones? Write through them! Use writing as your own personal escape.

BYS: Do you have time to read now? What authors do you read?

CP: I read the Plotmonkeys of course ;) Janelle Denison, Julie Leto and Leslie Parrish. I also love to read Victoria Dahl, Erin McCarthy, Rachel Gibson, Toni Blake, and Jill Shalvis. Recently I've dipped a toe into paranormal reads and fell in love with Larissa Ione, Nalini Singh, Meaghan Hatfield and more!

BYS: How important is self promotion in today's publishing market and what do you do to promote your books?

CP: Self promotion is critical in today's market. So is saving your dollars. The whole era of "goodies" which I used to invest in heavily has, in my opinion, ended. It's all about the most bang for your buck today. How many readers can you reach in the most expedient amount of time? And the best way to do that is the Internet. But the caveat and the warning is that you must invest time (without losing quality writing time) and you must invest yourself. If you spend all your online time on Twitter and Facebook pushing your own work and not interacting, you are wasting your time and likely turning off potential readers. I'm always on Twitter, I do Facebook, not so much Myspace anymore. GoodReads (and all these accounts are on my website so people can click and reach me there!). I still have bookmarks made because readers love bookmarks and so do I!

BYS: What are you working on now?

CP: I'm working on a brand new series for Berkley. The first book (and series name) is tentatively (but probably)- SERENDIPITY, named after the fictional, upstate NY town where the stories are set. The first book will be released in October 2011 and feature the town, its landmark Harrington Mansion, the estranged Barron brothers, and a vibrant cast of characters from both sides of the tracks. The tone of the stories will be deeper, more like my earlier works, CROSS MY HEART and SEALED WITH A KISS, and the hero and heroine of the first story share an unfulfilled attraction from the past. He's a bad boy returning to his hometown to make up for past mistakes. I'm so excited for this new series!

BYS: What advice do you have for aspiring writers? And how did you keep your spirits up until the first book was published?

CP: My advice is always join Romance Writers of America and then join a local chapter! I am a member of Hudson Valley RWA, Central New York/Lower Westchester RWA (CoLoNY), and New Jersey Romance Writers (NJRW). RWA is the best place to meet and network with other writers and learn the business of writing and RWA has chapters in every state as well as online chapters and other valuable information. I am also a member of Author's Guild, and Novelist's Inc. (NINC). Outside resources are key, but nothing can replace sitting down and writing!

What kept my spirits up until I sold my first book was the love I have for romances. I can't NOT write. So I kept writing and learning my craft and improving until finally I had a book that a publisher wanted to buy. Plus my husband and family were totally behind me and supported me along the way.

---

< Prev		Next >