Avalon Books - Author! Author!


	Read some interviews from past editions:
		S.J. Stewart June, 2008
		Zelda Benjamin April, 2008
		Shirley Marks December, 2007
		Donna Wright December, 2007
		Carolyn Brown August, 2007
		Roni Denholtz June, 2007
		Tara Randel April, 2007
		Sydell Voeller February, 2007
		Sheila Robins December, 2006
		Cynthia Danielewski July, 2006
		Patricia Azeltine May, 2006
		Jane McBride Choate March, 2006
		Kathryn Meyer Griffith January, 2006
		Mel Taylor November, 2005
		Kathleen Fuller September, 2005
		Tracey J. Lyons July, 2005
		Ludima Gus Burton May, 2005
		Holly Jacobs March, 2005
		Sandra D. Bricker January, 2005
		Kathryn Quick November, 2004
		Cheri Jetton September, 2004
		Heather S. Webber July, 2004
		Karl Fieldhouse May, 2004
		Shelley Galloway March, 2004
		Ilsa Mayr January, 2004
		Kathy Carmichael November, 2003
		Dorothy P. O'Neill July, 2003
		Joani Ascher May, 2003
		Patricia DeGroot March, 2003
		Nancy J. Parra January, 2003
		Barbara Meyers November, 2002
		Christine Bush September, 2002
		Debby Mayne July, 2002
		Jean C. Gordon May, 2002
		Charles E. Friend March, 2002
		Norma Seely January, 2002
		Glen Ebisch November, 2001
		Gina Cresse September, 2001
		John Paxson July, 2001
		Terri Alcock May, 2001
		Clifford Blair March, 2001
		Amanda Harte January, 2001
		Kent Conwell November, 2000
		Carolyn Brown September, 2000
		Annette Mahon July, 2000
		Marjorie McGinley May, 2000
		Jack Lewis March, 2000
		Amanda Harte January, 2000
		Joyce and Jim Lavene November, 1999
	Return to the current Author! Author! interview:
		Sherry Lynn Ferguson August, 2008


Author! Author!: October, 2006
Click on image to learn more about these books. An Interview with Anne Holt


How long have you been writing and how long did it take to get published?
	I've been writing since I was a child. I wrote some short stories, but mostly poetry, some published. I wrote articles for newspapers. In an effort to postpone writing my dissertation I escaped into preparing a book of poetry for publication. As I read through my old notebooks, I ran across a short story I wrote about a girl who found a saddled horse running free. As I typed the story, it began to grow. It demanded back story and explanation. Before I knew it, the story was a novel. I searched Writer's Market and the net for publishers' guidelines and found Avalon. My book seemed to be perfect for their requirements. I learned to write a query letter and sent it to them with the first three chapters of my manuscript. Their editor liked Silver Creek and offered me a contract.
Have you ever used real people as characters?
	I write about heroes-ordinary heroes. Fortunately, my world is filled with them. Not only the heroes I read about, but my father, my husband and my sons are inspiration for the men in my books. My daughter, my sisters and my daughters-in-law are models for the women I write about. They are strong, inspiring people, and offer endless possibilities for combining traits and experiences to create characters. I can't count the times I stop and ask myself, "What would Daddy say or do now? What would my sister Jo do in this situation?"
How do you name your characters?
	I combine names I've read and liked. I use names I find in a naming dictionary. I check them carefully to assure they are suited to the time period of the story.
Where do you get ideas for plots?
	I'm not sure-I believe there may be some magic involved. Once I have a character in my mind, I strive to find ways to get him or her in serious trouble and keep writing until all the serious trouble is resolved.
What's the hardest part of writing?
	The hardest part for me is to force myself to make the last two or three edits. I am forever amazed that I could make some of the mistakes I find lurking in the middle of paragraphs, even after I have been over the work five or six times.
What can you tell us about your latest book for Avalon?
	My latest book is Riding Fence. It's about a cowboy who starts out searching for rustlers and finds a girl and a young boy hidden in some bushes. I particularly enjoyed writing Riding Fence because my brother lives only a mile or two from where all the action takes place. The story is set in east Kansas where there are hills, not out on the prairie. I used maps, resident lists and other information I found in the museum in Eureka, Kansas to describe the little town of Severy City that disappeared many years ago.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Or for anyone wanting to submit to Avalon?
	Aspiring writers should write-WRITE-write-write. Join a writer's group and develop a relationship with two or three other writers who will become your readers. Avoid family readers. They will either say everything you write is brilliant, or try to discourage you to keep you from being disappointed or hurt. Anyone wanting to submit to Avalon should go to the website, print out the guidelines and make sure his or her work fits them EXACTLY. Then write the best query letter you can. If you don't know how to write a query-buy a book that tells you how or find examples on the net. It took me two weeks to create a query letter I was satisfied with and it was only three short paragraphs.
What do you do for fun - other than writing?
	I collect books. My husband says if I bring home many more books the walls of my house will fall out into the yard. I read everything, of course-western, mystery, romance, history and biography. I enjoy watching funny movies and westerns, but visiting with my family is the best thing of all.