A LESSON IN TRUST

There are days we need tougher coffee!

My guest is romance author, Diane Kelly. She's a sassy Texan, and a Bandita, who writes laugh out loud adventures of an IRS Special Agent, Tara. I think she and Diane grew up together, lol! But I do appreciate her topic on trust and especially learning to trust yourself and your instincts. It came at just the right time for me and the whole trust issue resonated with me. I hope you enjoy it as well.

            My road to publication has been a long lesson in trust.  I’ve learned that trust can be misplaced, that learning to trust again after a breach can be hard, and that finding people whom you trust and who trust you back is essential.

            As a girl, I ventured into bookstores and saw those beautiful, cloth-bound journals on the racks.  But I was just a flat-chested adolescent with acne and braces who lived in a cookie-cutter suburb.  Who was I to think I had anything worthy of writing in such a pretty journal?  Instead, I went to Eckerd’s and bought cheap spiral notebooks to write in.  They were less intimidating.  If I messed up, I could just rip the page out.  Though I loved writing and my teachers often complimented me on my talents, I was too insecure then to trust in myself.  So when it came time to pick a major for college, I took the safe route and chose accounting.  I enjoyed my undergraduate government class and decided why not go to law school?

My first job was working as an assistant state attorney general.  What a naïve thing I was back then!  Fifteen pounds lighter, too, but let’s not go there.  Because of my accounting background, my boss assigned me to represent the board of accountancy in disciplinary actions against CPAs.  What an eye opener it was to face CPAs who had assisted clients in defrauding investors, lenders, or the IRS.  My innocence was already in jeopardy when the attorney general was arrested for illegally diverting settlement funds from the tobacco company lawsuits to his cronies’ law firms.  The person who was supposed to be the ultimate symbol of justice for the state couldn’t be trusted.  Sheesh!  I then took a job with an international accounting firm and worked with a partner who appeared squeaky clean on the surface.  To my shock, he was arrested for tax shelter fraud.

 

If I didn’t learn to better choose employers, I feared I’d get swept up in a scandal and end up in an orange jumpsuit awaiting a conjugal visit.  Self employment seemed like a good idea.  At the same time, my muse kept nagging me to get my butt in a chair and write something, dammit!  My brushes with white-collar crime had not only led me to be intrigued by these complicated offenses and the untrustworthy people who commit them, but also provided perfect fodder for a novel.  I’d matured by this point, had some successes that gave me confidence, and figured what did I have to lose?

            When I finished the manuscript, I was thrilled when an agent presented me with a contract for representation.  Some of the revisions the agent suggested didn’t ring true to me, but I figured she knew better than me so I did everything she asked rather than trusting my instincts.  After two rounds of revisions, she said my manuscript still needed more work than she had time for.  I’d been dumped!  I later worked with another agent who led me through a round of helpful revisions but didn’t offer representation because she didn’t believe my work was marketable yet.

 

As difficult as these experiences were, they taught me a valuable lesson – that I needed to trust myself more.  Frankly, at that point, the only person I still trusted was myself.  I hustled, entering contests, attending conferences, anything to get my work in front of editors.  It paid off.  I sold to a major publisher on my own, a coup that is pretty much unheard of. 

            Now?  Things are awesome!  I have wonderful people on my team, whom I trust completely.  My critique partners have my back, catching unintended blunders in my drafts and offering valuable suggestions.  My agent is a straight shooter and works incredibly hard for me.  I couldn’t ask for a better editor, either.  She believes in my work.  There’s no better feeling than that!   In return, my agent and editor trust me to work diligently and write the best books I can.

 

• Has someone you trusted let you down?  
• Have you had an experience when you should have trusted yourself more? 
  

  Share your thoughts!
  
  

Death, Taxes, and a Skinny No-Whip Latte AVAILABLE IN PRINT AND EBOOK.

IRS Special Agent Tara Holloway is at work again.  This time, she and her partner, Eddie, are after Marcos Mendoza, a financial expert and suspected loan shark with cross-border ties to questionable businesses and people in Mexico. Mendoza hasn’t just cheated the U.S and Mexican governments, he may have left a trail of bodies, too. Neither the Texas Rangers nor the FBI could prove a link between Mendoza and the suspicious deaths of his employees and associates, but the sheer number of bodies indicates the deaths aren’t mere coincidence.  What’s more, Mendoza bought off Special Agent Nick Pratt, who’d earlier been assigned to the investigation, and set the traitor up in a luxury condominium in Cancún, Mexico.

He must be stopped.

Unfortunately, Mendoza is as elusive as his activities are illegal. Tracking down this tax cheat proves much more difficult, and more dangerous, than Tara anticipated.  Given the highly sensitive nature of the case, Tara is forbidden to disclose the details to anyone, including her boyfriend, Brett Ellington. Secrets nearly tore the two apart in the past and history seems destined to repeat itself.

As Tara and Eddie delve deeper into Mendoza’s business enterprises, they realize his illegal activities extend far beyond high-interest finance. They also learn Mendoza will do anything to protect the profitable illegal empire he has created.

When Tara receives an unexpected call from a surprising source, she must decide whether to follow orders or follow through. Tara must risk it all—her relationship with Brett, her job, and her life itself—to put Mendoza out of business for good. Excerpt 

“PREPARE TO LAUGH YOUR ASSETS OFF.”—Jana DeLeon, author of the Ghost-in-Law mysteries 

BUY: AMAZON. BARNES and NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION

A CPA and tax attorney, Diane spent several years at an international accounting firm where she had the pleasure of working with a partner later indicted for tax shelter fraud. She also served a stint as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas under an AG who pled guilty to criminal charges related to the tobacco company lawsuits. Given this work history, Diane decided self-employment might be a good idea. She also realized her experiences with white-collar crime made excellent fodder for a novel. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her "Death and Taxes" mystery series.

Diane won the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award in 2009 and has earned over two dozen RWA chapter awards.

Diane lives in Texas with her very own sexy leading man, two talented teenage kids,  and enough cats and dogs to violate several city ordinances.

Diane loves to hear from readers! Visit Diane at www.dianekelly.com. While you're there, sign up for her quarterly newsletter. 

You can find Diane: Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Website.  

Disciplined? Or Delusional?

My guest is Superromance Author Beth Andrews. Beth’s dream was to be published and this small time girl worked hard at improving her writing skills to accomplish that. Beth is no stranger to rejected submissions—years of them.

In 2006 and 2007, she caught a break for all her hard work. She was a finalist with two manuscripts in the RWA Golden Heart in 2006. In 2007 she won the golden Heart. It was bought by Harlequin Superromance and published as Not Without Her Family.

Today she talks about lessons learned and how she juggles family life and her writing.

I’ve never considered myself a particularly disciplined person but all of that changed when I decided to become a writer. Believe me, sitting at your computer each day producing pages takes what I call the Three Big Ds: Dedication, Determination and a boatload of Discipline.

Now, the first two I had covered. It’s easy for me to be dedicated to writing because honestly, I love writing. I love the entire process of writing from taking the initial idea and fleshing out into a full story, I love getting to know my characters, coming up with scene ideas and writing that first draft. I also love polishing those first pages into a final draft and using the revisions from my editor to make the story the best it can be.

Determination? Yep, I’ve got that too. From the time I decided I wanted to be a romance author I was determined to be published. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but that was okay because the end result was worth the years of honing my craft, submissions and yes, even those heart-breaking rejections.

But discipline? Ugh. Even just typing the word gives me the heebie jeebies. It goes against my very, laid-back, see-what-happens, there’s-plenty-of-time-to-get-things-done nature. Yet I knew that to be successful, to accomplish my writing goals, I’d need to suck it up and put my bordering-on-chaotic life into some sort of order. Here are a few tricks and tips I’ve learned over the years:

Smaller Is Better. This tip is from a NYT Bestselling author. When I asked her for some time management tips, she told me how she uses a regular Post-It note for her To-Do List. This works because it forces you to prioritize your goals and narrow them down into a manageable list. At the beginning of each month I write my goals for that month in a notebook. Sometimes this takes up two pages! Looking at the long list can be totally overwhelming but by taking this advice, I’ve accomplished more in the last three months then I ever thought possible. I simply look through my Master List, take the top 3-5 (depending on how small I write *g*) items and put them on a Post-It note. Then I work down the list and when the day is over, I simply toss the Post-It and start a new list tomorrow. (This can also be done on your computer. Just remember the key is to keep the list small and manageable.)

First Thing’s First. This is advice I’ve known and was reiterated to me by another NYT Bestselling author. Prioritize your To-Do List and take the first thing, the ONE thing you want to get done that day and get it done first. This advice works for full time writers and those who have full time jobs as well. If you’ve set aside an hour in the evening and the first thing on your list is to write 3 pages, do that first. An average day for me consists of getting my pages done first then my exercise and only after both of those have been accomplished do I allow myself to check e-mail and blogs (unless I’m the one blogging *g*) I’ve found that if I push back either of those items until ‘later’, I never get them done.

Chunk It. I discovered a while back that although I loved to multi-task, I wasn’t getting anything done. Oh, I was working on lots of projects and was busier than ever but nothing was ever finished. I knew I needed a change so I started Chunking. All that means is I concentrate on one thing at a time and I set aside certain times of the day or week to get them done. For example, I’ve now set aside Saturday mornings for writing blogs, updating my website and sending out mailings. Knowing I have an entire morning I can dedicate to these tasks makes it a lot easier to set them aside during the week and concentrate on my writing.

So, even though I still shudder at the word, I’m slowly learning how to become disciplined and I’m always on the lookout for more tips and tricks for making the most of my time. What about you? Anyone have any time management tips to share?

Which of the Three Big Ds is easiest for you? The hardest?

***

As a stay-at-home mother of three children, Beth Andrews decided to put pen to paper (or, in her case, fingers to keyboard) and pursue her dream of becoming a published author. After much trial and error, Beth discovered her writing process—daydreaming, mumbling to herself, playing Spider Solitaire…and writing, of course.

Beth’s stories have netted her three Golden Heart finals and in 2007—a coveted win. Her winning manuscript, Not Without Her Family, sold to Harlequin Superromance—marking the achievement of her original dream and the beginning of what she hopes is a long career writing the stories she loves.

When Beth’s not writing (or daydreaming, mumbling to herself or playing Spider Solitaire) she can be found making some of the many recipes she collects, redecorating her home or stringing beads together. She has been honored by her kids as “The Only Mom in Town Who Makes Her Children Do Chores” and “The Meanest Mom in the World”—as if there’s something wrong with counting down the remaining days of summer vacation until school starts again. To learn more about Beth, her books or to get her latest favorite recipe, check out her Web site.

Beth's website: http://www.bethandrews.net/
Blogs: Romance Bandits - http://romancebandits.blogspot.com/
Writers At Play - http://www.writersatplay.com/wordpress/

A NOT-SO-PERFECT PAST ~ April '09 Harlequin Superromance

HIS SECRET AGENDA ~ October '09 Harlequin Superromance

Beth is offering a copy of her latest book to one lucky commenter. We'll let you know who you are a bit later.