Interview with Author Leona Wisoker
By now you pretty much know I have an ability to meet interesting people almost by accident - like Leona Wisoker, an author who dropped by and asked about conventions I attended. We got to talking, and since she's living the progeek dream of being a published writer, I interviewed her of course!
So let's see how the author of "Secrets of the Sands" did her thing . . .
1) Tell us a bit about yourself.
I've been writing since I was around six years old, but I really only started taking it seriously about ten years ago. I realized that throughout everything I've done and everywhere I've been, the one constant in my life has been writing. Last year, I made the final decision to ditch everything that left me exhausted at the end of the day–my work as a massage therapist, my various volunteer efforts, even watching TV every night–and focus only on writing. I've honestly never been happier or more energized.2) You're a published author as we've seen at your web page. Tell us about your works.
My first novel, "Secrets of the Sands," is an epic fantasy in a largely desert setting. It follows the lives of two main characters, Alyea Peysimun and Idisio, as they find out that getting what you want–or think you want– can land you in a whole lot of trouble. "Secrets" is due out this coming April, and the first chapter is available on the Mercury Retrograde Press web site: http://www.3) OK, let's find out how you did it. Give us an outline of how you got these books into reality - what resources you used, what websites, etc.
My most valuable resource was definitely my husband, sappy as that may sound; he allows me to stay home and devote most of my attention to writing, and that was really the key piece of support I needed. As for web sites, I would have to put Writing-World (http://www.writing-world.com) at the top of any list; the quality and depth of their articles are stunning. Next up would be Holly Lisle's web site (http://www.hollylisle.com); her writing books and courses are magnificent. I have shelves of writing and research books, but three names top that list: Moira Allen's book, "Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer," has been absolutely invaluable; Oriah Mountain Dreamer's book, "What We Ache For," gives me the courage to write ever more deeply, pulling from the gut level instead of just telling the surface story; and Heather Sellers, "Chapter After Chapter," gets me moving again when I start to stall out.4) Did anyone help you with this?
Oh, yes, most definitely. Too many people to count. I include everyone who ever read a draft of my work and had anything useful to say in the list of "helpers"–my incredibly patient husband, who not only read my work but cooked dinner when I was too absorbed in a scene to look up; my family; my writing group; the online group Critters.org; and many, many others.5) We often hear publishing is incredibly hard. What challenges did you meet and how did you overcome them?
I think the biggest problem I had to overcome was my own fear. For a long time I was too afraid to even try submitting a query to an agent, and my first few query letters were probably not that great. But at the same time I was learning to write business letters, flyers, and pitches for my massage therapy business, so I was able to apply what I learned there to improve my query letters. I had to learn to project a lot of confidence in order to get clients and chair massage gigs, and that has really been invaluable.6) People often worry about the challenges of publishing - legal issues, loss of rights, etc. What myths do you find people hold about publishing?
I think the main myth I see is that writing what's popular right now will make you tons of money almost overnight. Most of what's hot now was sold to the publishers two to four years ago; there's no way to catch up to that. A secondary myth, tied into the first, is that the big publishers are always the way to go; I believe that's changing. The trend I see is towards the best quality work coming out of smaller presses. You don't get the cash advance or the huge marketing rollout campaign that most authors dream about, of course, but that brings me to the third myth: that the publishers do all the marketing for you. This is one I've been having to explain to a lot of people when I tell them about my self-promotion plan for the next year. They all ask, "But doesn't the publisher set you up with all the book signings and speaking engagements?" And the answer is no; even with a big publisher I'd be having to push from my side, because as a new author I'm an unproven investment. Smaller presses, of course, don't have much money, but they're very inventive in finding networking opportunities. I'm fortunate in that Mercury Retrograde Press has been matching my efforts, and offering me chances I never would have found on my own; but if I was following the old advice "just write the next book and let your publisher worry about the marketing," I'd have missed out on a lot of important connections–like Fan To Pro!7) What are your next plans as a writer?
To keep writing, of course! As I said above, book two is already in the publisher's hands, and I'm working on book three of the series; I have three other books already written in the same setting, and a science-fiction novel almost-but-not-quite done. I have lots of short stories to go back and polish with what I've learned in the last few years, and dozens of ideas for more.
8) Any final closing advice for our
readers?
Whatever work you do, whether it be writing, computer game programming, custom doll clothing, or what have you: Keep dreaming. Don't listen to the naysayers and critics. Scale up, not down; go deeper, not lighter. Trust yourself. You do, at an instinctive level, know where you're going, and you will find your way there in the end.
Want to find out more about Leona and her writings? Visit http://www.leonawisoker.com
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