Interview With Naomi Rawlings, Debut Author

Today is the first day of the month of debuts! I'm excited to host debut authors, some of who I began blogging with years ago. The great thing is that no matter where you're at right now, it's important to know your path can change if you keep moving forward.

Not only is my first book out in April, but so isNaomi Rawlings's! She very kindly agreed to be my guest today.

1. How many manuscripts have you written and did the one that sold feel different? To date, I've written five complete manuscripts. And yes, the one that sold, Sanctuary for a Lady, felt completely different. I'd been working with a critique group, and the critiques improved my writing 110%. Plus I'd worked really hard on the plot, thinking up a twist that I hadn't seen done before and cementing it into my character's struggles in a riveting way. In the back of my mind, I had the feeling that if Sanctuary for a Lady didn't sell, I'd probably be done writing. Because I knew this novel was as good as anything else I'd be able to write.

2. How many years have you been writing? Three and a half as of today. Two and a half when my novel sold. I started writing in August of 2008.

3.Tell us a little about the events leading up to your first sale.
I'd had some signs that I was close to being published. I was finaling in contests and getting comments from published writers like "you'll get a contract soon." Plus I'd had a request for my full manuscript from the publisher I'd been targeting, Love Inspired Historical. I didn't want to drive myself crazy with wondering, so I told myself I wouldn't hear back from the publisher until the middle of July, if not longer. At the beginning of June, I went away on an anniversary trip with my husband. You can imagine my surprise when I returned home to find I'd missed a phone call from the editor who wanted to buy my novel!

4.What is your biggest piece of advice to writers wanting to get published?
Work hard and don't settle for anything less than your best. There are so many talented writers out there, and I think the thing that makes the biggest difference is not giving up or settling. It takes hard work to find that interesting twist in your story, hard work to write that setting in a new way, or come up with that original cowboy when so many cowboys already populate the shelves of bookstores. I finaled in the Genesis Contest for unpublished writers last year. There were over 70 entries in my category, and I was one of the top three. Do you know how many revisions I gave my opening? Probably 15. Maybe more. I worked and worked and worked until I had an opening scene that grabbed readers. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it.

Thank you so much for this wonderful interview, Naomi!

Her debut, Sanctuary For A Lady, can be found on Amazon, Walmart, and anywhere else books are sold.

How many revisions has your opening had? What is your fave opening ever? Do you have any questions for Naomi?