Avalon Books - Author! Author!


	Read some interviews from past editions:
		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
		Ann Holt October, 2006
		Cynthia Danielewski July, 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
		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:
		S.J. Stewart April, 2008


Author! Author!: November, 2003
Click on images to learn more about these books. An Interview with Kathy Carmichael


How long have you been writing and how long did it take to get published?
	I’ve basically written most of my life. However, I didn’t begin writing for publication until 1993 when I finished my first complete book. Seven years later, I made my first sale to Avalon, CHASING CHARLIE, which came out in April 2001.
How did you start writing?
	I began writing when I was eight years old. My teacher and parents thought I was a little odd when I insisted that I’d written President Kennedy’s Auto-Biography. Ever since, I’ve been channeling Presidents and long-deceased authors.
How do you develop your characters? Where do you get ideas for plots?
	I don’t. Shakespeare is in charge of characterization. Agatha Christie is in charge of plotting. She comes up with some very unusual ideas! President John Quincy Adams handles research. Lastly, Jane Austen handles theme. In reality, my characters, plots, and themes usually come to me without a conscious need to work them out. I’ve often dreamed entire books, including character names and punch lines. I call them “Gift Books.”
What’s the hardest part of writing? Have you ever used real people as characters?
	For me, the most difficult part of writing is to type “The End.” I enjoy my characters and my fictional worlds so much that it’s hard to say goodbye and move onto the next story bubbling to the surface. I generally don’t use real people in my stories. However, I have named characters for friends and book reviewers -- just for the fun of it!
What can you tell us about your latest book for Avalon?
	In HERE COMES TROUBLE, two of the Trouble-Makers are named for reviewers. Book reviewers help get the word out about books, so I was pleased that I could thank two reviewers who’d helped build my name and word about my books by naming characters after them -- with their permission, of course! In HERE COMES TROUBLE, I named a little boy, Ian Andrews, after my two sons. The character, however, is nothing like them. When people ask them about it, they say, “We’re sweet, caring, loveable young men, without a mischievous bone in our bodies. We have never mistreated a babysitter or terrorized our neighbors, or at least we haven’t been caught.” I may have to keep a better eye on them!
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
	My best advice for an aspiring author is to be stubborn. Selling books requires not just talent and persistence, but also the determination to stick with it until you finally make that first sale. If you’re stubborn enough and keep honing your craft, you will sell. Writing can be a very lonely experience since it requires barricading yourself in a quiet nook and daydreaming on paper or the computer. It’s important for writers to interact with each other, whether in person or through the internet. I’ve made some of my workshops and writing articles available to other writers on my website, including a writing pitch generator and workshops on writing the synopsis. Visit: www.kathycarmichael.com and click on Writers.
What do you do for fun -- other than writing?
	My sons keep me very busy during my free hours. My oldest is a high school senior. He’s a Thespian and I enjoy watching him in plays or helping him rehearse. My youngest wants to be a judge, but I suspect he’ll one day be an author like me. Every other Tuesday is critique group, when one of our members, Alfie Thompson, flies to Florida from Kansas City to meet with me and aspiring authors, Cheryl Mansfield and Joyce Soule. Some of my most pleasant hours are spent in the company of writing friends, several of whom write for Avalon, including Debby Mayne, Tara Randal, and Kim Lllewellyn. I also have lots of fun serving as Secretary of the Romance Writers of America. When I have spare time left over, you can usually find me on my lanai or in my spa reading one of Avalon’s newest Romances!