Questions and Answers Is writing your full time occupation, if not what is? No, unfortunately writing is not my full time occupation. It is actually quite difficult to have writing as a full time occupation especially if you need to pay bills. Only a lucky few can actually make enough of a presence to able to quit their jobs and take up writing full time. I work in the finance field for my paycheck. What was your first professional sale? How did it feel when you received the acceptance? My first professional sale was a double sale and happened with Zumaya Publications. Previous to that point, I'd been working with an agent for a couple of years, and while I'd gotten a number of near misses, had not been able to get a company to pick up the book I was mainly pushing at the time. I'd been living under the misconception that an unusual idea would sell better. Unfortunately in these times, where marketing can dictate a lot of the policy for the major publishers, the unusual can actually be a hindrance on a sale. So after my agent went out of business after 9/11 and I was on my own again, I started taking a hard look at the business and attending panels and conventions where I could meet people who knew more about what was going on than I did. It was through some of the people I met that I eventually came to find out about an up and coming small publisher--Zumaya Publications. From looking at their pages, I saw that they were interested in a wide field of genres and so I sent them synopsis and sample chapters for my three ready manuscripts. We corresponded a bit back and forth, and the next thing I knew, I had a contract for two of the three of them. I was flabbergasted. They hadn't even seen the entire manuscripts, but were pleased enough with what they had seen to pick them up. I was floating on air. Then I was scared they might change their minds! To be honest, it took about 3 months for the whole thing to sink in. :) Who is your favorite author? That question is always a tough one. I have a lot of authors I like and whose books I wait for with baited breath. But if I had to pick one, it would be Stephen King. Mr. King has got a great book voice. Reading his books is being in his books. It is that quality of presence, realism, and inundation of the reader in the story that makes him the popular writer that he is. His book on writing exemplifies what is great about his writing--when I read it, it was like I was sitting across the table from him, drinking tea, just having a one-to-one conversation with him about writing and his life in general. If you could give one piece of advice to a would-be author, what would it be? My advice to any would-be author would be to network, network, network. Go to the conventions, attend the panels, soak in all the information and wisdom you can from those willing to give it, and overcome your shyness and try to meet and get known by the people in the business. Being informed is a great tool, and being known can open doors or opportunities you would not have otherwise. This has probably been my weakest point up to now, and it definitely one of the reasons it has taken me so long to get into print. For shy people like me, this is a definite struggle, but one worth fighting. And of course, never forget you have to write, write, write--that's THE most important thing. When did you first decide that you wanted to be an author? That's a toughie. In some ways, I think I fell into it. I got an idea that would not go away and so I wrote it down. I didn't know much about writing at the time, and actually sent the manuscript off a few times for fun. (I am horribly embarrassed looking back on it.) Of course it got me nowhere, but I didn't understand anything about the publishing industry at the time or the fact that my writing left much to be desired. Some time later I ran across an Amateur Press Association for a Japanese show called Gatchaman. Many of the members wrote fan fiction for the APA. I got bit by the bug--as I had known the show in its American incarnation of Battle of the Planets. Seeing how others were doing fiction about the show, I felt compelled to do the same. With the great kindness, enthusiasm, and encouragement of one of the members, Wendy, I kept at it and found that I truly enjoyed doing it. As I saw my writing improving, I decided to write another novel, this one something I could actually try to sell unlike the first. When did you first feel that you were an author? Honestly, I am not sure I consider myself one even now. Though one book has published and a second one is on the way, I still feel I have so much more I can learn about the craft that in my own mind, while I consider myself a writer, I'm not quite yet ready to believe I am an author. Weird, don't you think? Are you a music fan? Yep! Love the stuff. My main love is soundtracks. I have a decent collection of soundtracks for both American movies and Japanese animation. My favorite two soundtrack gurus would have to be John Williams and Danny Elfman. They both write vibrant and memorable music. I love all sorts of music in general as well. Dance, Classical, Meringue, oldies, you name it--I like it. Do you have a favorite place to write? Unfortunately, life does not always let me write there--but if I had to pick a spot it would be the comfy couch in the living area. I've had some nice results there with a notebook, though the cats are always demanding lap space. Most of it, however, gets done during lunch, at my companies break room. What book are you reading at the moment? That would be Irene's Last Waltz by Carole Nelson Douglas--the fourth book in the Irene Adler series(The only woman to go toe to toe with Sherlock Holmes). Great books for lovers of anything Sherlock Holmes related and mysteries in general set in the late 1800's. I discovered her writings last year when she appeared in Dallas at ConDFW, a new literary convention. She did a sample reading of some of her work and I was hooked. Great "voice." I am now also hooked on her Midnight Louie mystery series as well. Weirdly enough, (as I've been known to stumble into from time to time) I read the 9th book first--Cat in a Kiwi Con--then went back and read book 1. It truly amazed me to see seeds of what was happening to a number of characters in that 9th book being set up all the way in book 1. I utterly admire her foresight and planning! Do you always know a story's ending when you begin writing? Absolutely not! Though sometimes it has been the ending that has prompted a story in the first place and the rest of it that which I've had no idea about--so I end up having to work backwards. Depending on the mood of my brain, I've gotten ideas that are occurring in the middle of a story, sometimes the beginning, others at the end. There's no real rhyme or reason. Sometimes the idea I start with is also not what I end up with once I'm done. Who or what has been a major influence on your writing and why? That would have to be all the members of the Amateur Press Association called Bird Scramble, and especially the current OE, Wendy. The APA has been a great place to show my writing and get light critique. It's pushed me to keep writing, and to come up with ideas, and try different techniques. Wendy's encouragement and excitement at even my first meager efforts did much to help me push to better myself. The more I wrote, the more I came to understand the items in writing that are not necessarily immediately apparent, yet are very important--like one's "voice" and cadence. For like music, writing has a flow, a pace that needs to be created by the writer so that the words will fall smoothly and not jar the person reading it. Yet understanding this and getting a feel for it is difficult. I was able to learn and practice and see these things as I submitted items for the APA. I would not be where I am today without that venue and especially Wendy. Plug away -- what do you have coming out? Well, aside from the current release of In the Service of Samurai, within the next three to six months should see the release of Wing of Angels. Unlike the first, which is a Japanese Fantasy, this one will be in a more familiar fantasy setting. It's the story of a young man who was torn from the life he knew, and now that he has come to mostly accept his different life, he will find himself plunged back into the life he felt he could never return to. There is a teaser and a blurb on this upcoming title at http://www.gloriaoliver.com/. Many Thanks, Gloria! Relevant Links Gloria Oliver Main Bibliography Gloria Oliver's Website Zumaya Publications