1 Tell
me about yourself. What got you started in writing?
Writing and painting have
battled for my attention as long as I can remember. During my early teens, I
won a writing contest with an article entitled The Basis of a Great Nation is
the Christian Home.
In my junior year in high
school I won a scholarship to Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida, but
my folks nixed the school and the scholarship—they painted from live, nude models, and drank beer—which the parents
said were out of the question for their Southern Baptist gal.
I’ve written and
illustrated five children’s books—The Master’s Plan, a four book
devotional series for families with elementary age children, and a stand-alone
book, Arnold, about an ant who refuses to behave like an ant should. But
they’re keeping each other company in my file cabinet waiting for a publishing
house home. The book about Arnold the Ant took Best Children’s Book at the 2012
North Texas Christian Writers’ Conference. While I’m relentless writing,
painting, and scurrying about the county taking photos, I’m deplorable when it
comes to selling myself and my books.
How do you schedule your writing
time? When do you write?
Margie Lawson, teacher,
psychologist extraordinaire, always gives a personality quiz before one of her
seminars. Turns out I’m so far off-the-charts right brained the word schedule is nowhere to be found in my
technicolor brain. I’m always writing—in my head, on scratch pads, napkins,
with lots of midnight time in front of my screen.
How and where do you write? Do you
prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?
After I signed the
contract for Roped, we remodeled the third bedroom and dubbed it my
“writing, painting, photography, sewing cave.” Or in my husband’s vernacular, a
place to confine my clutter.
Early this past year I
spilled a glass of sweet tea across the keyboard of my lap top, soooo….I’m
confined to my desk top or pen and paper ‘til I sell a buncha books!
What’s your favorite part about
writing? Your least favorite part about writing?
Oh, my goodness! That
first wind-in-your-face and fingers flying over the keyboard draft is
thrilling! Same as painting a canvas—a picture of words. In case you haven’t
guessed, I’m a reckless SOP writer… (seat of the pants) …but, LOL, you knew
that, didn’t you?
My least favorite part?
The seemingly endless edits—helpful, necessary, but nonetheless endless. Sigh!
How did you come up with your book
idea? How long did it
take you to write your book?
I enrolled in a writing
class eons ago and my assignment was to write about a child I didn’t know. At
the time, I was a wallpaper contractor and my partner-in-paste was a barrel
racer with a pre-teen daughter. She invited us to a couple of rodeos and I was
hooked! Rodeo is an exciting world, not for the faint of heart, and it teaches
kids to care for their animals. Hmm, and it’s hard to text or play computer
games while ropin’ and ridin’. And grows responsible, courageous kids, who have
the ability to think and act on their feet—ahem—or
in their saddles.
The characters sprang to
life in my brain and those two sassy teens of Roped, and their families
play continually in my head, reminiscent of the teen years of my own two kids.
It took years and a
portable, manual typewriter for the first book to morph into a coherent story.
Then I had to learn to write. The soon-to-be-released second book in The
Roped Series, Twisted, took a year. My WIP, Untied, should take about
six months. And I’m already spinning the yarn of Book Four, yet to be named.
What types of marketing do you do to
promote your writing?
Of course, I have a
Facebook Author Page. I write two blogs. One entitled Moving the Ancient Boundaries, for
the big folks. I’m also a foodie and write The Southern Side of Flavor, where I
share family recipes and creative ways to make food tasty when weight and other
nasty elements, like salt and cholesterol, show their ugly heads. I also write
a monthly article for Crosswalk.com and blogs for Heart” wings”.com All of
these sites promote my books. I use ENT, The Fussy Librarian, Book Cave, and
Net Galley, but best of all is word-of-mouth. Which brings up the subject of my
new street team! I still have a couple of spaces available if anyone’s
interested.
What are you currently working on? Do
you have a new book out?
I mentioned my WIP, Untied,
and by the time this interview goes live, Twisted will be released by Pelican
Book Group, July 14th—taada! This second book in the series gives us
a peek into why Jodie Lea Fairgate is such a snotty brat—the generational sins
of her family going back several generations—creating turmoil, teeming with
international crime and murder, destroying anyone who is foolish enough to get
in their way.
Do you have a project on the back
burner? Tell me about it.
After the sudden death of
our twenty-eight-year-old daughter, sixteen years ago, I entered the GriefShare
ministry. GriefShare is a Christian Support and Healing Ministry for those
who’ve lost loved ones. I’ve been mulling over a book telling the stories of
many of our attendees who would like to share about their rough road through
recovery from loss. And, of course, I need to get busy finding a home for those
drawer-sitters before I’m too old to care.
What would you tell a beginning
writer who wants to publish but doesn’t believe he/she has enough talent?
Everyone has a story to
tell. Whatever your topic, get it on paper. Find a local writer’s group and
join an edit group, or ask several other writers to join you in sharing their
ideas and reading each other’s work. Listen. Read. Learn. And polish what God
has given you, praying, and asking your Father in Heaven what He wants you to
do with your story. He always answers, whether it’s yes, no, or wait a while.
But never, never, never give up! Trust Him—
***
A Question for Kathryn:
Indie or standard publishing?
In this day of changing markets
do you think both will survive? Why? Or why not?
I published traditionally first, then,
years later, bought the rights back to my first book. I have been on my own
ever since. I think both indie and standard publishing will survive, but I
think indie publishing will continue to grow, while the standard fare will
not.
There are so many
great writers who want to share their work, and the opportunities are endless
for that now. Used to be an Indie author had to buy multiple copies of their
book (say 1,000 or more at a time), and, if truth be told, many of these books would
remain in their basement for years in their original box.
Today, through
print on demand, an author can purchase as many books as they'd like and can
afford. The avenues for free advertising are growing every day as well. I am
amazed at what is out there, both electronically and 'in person' to sell books.
Like a standard
paperback, I think there will always be a need for traditional or standard
publishing, but, like a bird that has finally been set free, there will be many
more authors who will finally be able to take flight.
BIOGRAPHY – DiANE N. GATES
Texas writer,
DiAne Gates, illustrates and writes fiction for children and YA, and serious
non-fiction for the folks. Her passion is calling the Church’s attention to how
far we’ve catapulted from God’s order and walking in obedience to Him as
evidenced by her blog Moving the Ancient Boundaries.
DiAne worked as a
photographer and writer for the East Texas Youth Rodeo Association magazine,
and had the opportunity to be in the rodeo arena, feel the sting of Texas turf
in her face and across her camera lens, giving birth to her western rodeo
adventure series, released by Prism Book Group in August of 2015, ROPED.
This first book of the series placed #5 on Top Ten Christian Reads for Teens
and Tweens, 2016, as well as being a finalist in the 2015 Grace Awards, and a
finalist in The Christian Literary Henri Awards for 2016.
Book Two in the ROPED SERIES—TWISTED,
will be released by Pelican Book Group July 14, 2017. And the third book, UNTIED,
her current WIP, continues the adventure of two Texas teens and their families.
DiAne writes a monthly article for Crosswalk, an online Christian magazine.
She also leads LifeSavers,
an adult edit group for North Texas Christian Writers. And has a new blog THE
SOUTHERN SIDE OF FLAVOR, where she shares family recipes and many
tricks to cutting calories while retaining a massive injection of southern and
southwest flavor into each tasty bite. DiAne also facilitates GriefShare, an
international support ministry for those who’ve lost loved ones.
Wife, mother, and
Mimi, her passion is to share those hard life lessons God allows in our lives.
Lessons she hopes will leap from the page into your heart and play out in
loving family relationships.
