Interview ~ Megan DiMaria

Megan works in the marketing department of an upscale Denver portrait photography studio. She is also a freelance writer, crafting magazine articles and advertising copy. Her second novel, Out of Her Hands, will release from Tyndale in October 2008.

Time to crow: What new book or project do you have coming out?

I’m thrilled that Searching for Spice is now available, as they say, “everywhere books are sold.” Searching for Spice tells the story of Linda Revere, a married woman who decides she wants to have an affair—with her husband. As usual, life doesn’t go according to plan, but throughout her journey to a sizzling marriage, Linda learns some valuable lessons.

How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific 'what if' moment?

Searching for Spice was written as a response to a running joke I had with some girlfriends. You know, despite being long married, women still want romance in their lives. God hard wired us to crave closeness and a special connection with the men we love. Unfortunately, some times we need to remind them of that.

Every novelist has a journey. How long was your road to publication? How did you find out and what went through your mind?

In one sense, my road to publication was decades long. I first knew I wanted to write when I was in elementary school. I’ve always loved words and got my degree in Communications. Many years later, as a new mom, I went out and bought pens and paper (yes, it was about 26 years ago!) and sat down and prayed about a writing career. God clearly told me that was not my season to write a novel. In the early 1990s, I worked as a freelance writer and stringer for a local newspaper, but I still yearned to write a novel. In 1995, I prayed again and got the go-ahead. I began to write my first novel, completing it in 2001. Of course, it was awful. But I didn’t know that until I started getting more involved in the industry.

In 2001, I joined ACRW (I’m member # 94) and attended my first writers conference, the Colorado Christian Writers Conference in Estes Park, Colorado. Although I didn’t do a lot of writing in the next few years, I maintained my ACFW membership.

In 2004, I decided to make a solid effort to become published. I continued to attend conferences, CCWC and ACFW in 2004, 2005 and 2006. I joined a local writers group and an ACFW critique group. I studied books on craft, hung out with other writers and wrote and wrote and wrote. Oh, I also submitted and received rejections.

I started writing Searching for Spice in early 2004 to enter it into the ACFW Noble Theme Contest (now called the Genesis Contest). I would write and then ignore the story for months and then write a bit again. I was 99% finished with Searching for Spice when I went to the 2006 ACFW conference. During the last meal of the conference, I sat at a table hosted by Tyndale’s acquisition editor Jan Stob. Because of that unplanned meeting, she requested a proposal. I had five requests for proposals as a result of that conference. I went home, finished writing the story and sent out my proposals in October. I immediately got four rejections. A few months later Jan requested a full manuscript, and I got “the call” in March of 2007. I was at my day job when she called, and I actually jumped for joy.

Do you ever bang your head against the wall from the dreaded writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?

I get frustrated at times, but the best way for me to overcome writer’s block is to push through it. I may run an errand or take a walk to let an idea percolate, but I can’t run away from the problem for long. Unfortunately I don’t believe there’s a magic answer. My solution is to simply work at it.

Novelists sometimes dig themselves into a hole over implausible plots, flat characters or a host of other problems. What's the most difficult part of writing for you (or was when you first started on your novel journey)?

I’m an intuitive writer (that’s my professional term for SOTP), and writing is a journey of discovery. Fortunately, it’s not often that I write myself into a corner.

How did (or do) you climb out (overcome it)?

When I realize I’m going in the wrong direction, I’m able get back on track without too much trouble. Usually I haven’t written myself too far into the corner. It always helps me when I realize I can trust God to give me more words when I have to delete “unusable” words. One of my first prayers for myself as a writer was for God to bless me with words. Sometimes I envision them raining down on me. It’s a wonderful image.

Where do you write: In a cave, a coffeehouse, or a cozy attic nook?

I write on a laptop, so I can pretty much go wherever I want. If the weather’s nice, 90% of the time I’m sitting outside on my shady patio. Inside, I bounce between the kitchen, living room, dining room and my bed. I’ve been known to write in a local tea café, Panera Bread and my all-time favorite quirky place, Grease Monkey.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I usually pray before my feet hit the floor. I have breakfast with my husband and two days a week, rush off to my day job. On Tuesdays, I go to Words For The Journey Christian Writers Guild. On my other days, I try to get to the keyboard by 9:30, but I don’t have a very structured work day. Most evenings I spend some time at the keyboard as well.

Some authors report writing 5-10 thousand words a day. Do scenes flow freely from your veins or do you have to tweeze each word out?

I can usually write about 1,500ish words a day without being stressed out. If I write 3,000 words, I’m happy.

Briefly take us through your process of writing a novel—from conception to revision.

My stories are character driven. I start with a feeling or goal that my character is experiencing. In Searching for Spice, my initial “feeling” was when Linda was kneeling on the floor, scraping cream cheese off her carpet and longing for a more exciting life. Of course I had to write a few chapters to lead up to that epiphany. I work my way through the novel adding one complication after another to prevent my characters from reaching their ultimate goals.

What are a few of your favorite books (not written by you) and why are they favorites?

When I was in college, I had to read Forever Amber for a course I was taking. I recall freaking out because it was soooo looong, but once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. That book totally transported me to another world. It was 900+ pages long, and it’s been called the first historical romance. It was written in 1944, and I haven’t read it since the 70s, but I still recall the sensation of sinking into the life of another woman. Wonderful. Another of my favorites is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I felt the heartbreak of Michael as he tried to love Angel, and I experienced Angel’s joy when she accepted that love. I also enjoy books by Maeve Binchy, they take me into a world I want to visit again and again.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

The best advice I chose to take to heart is that writers don’t fail, they quit. I believed that if I put my head down and took a good run at being published, I might succeed. My version of doing this was to read books on craft, attend conferences, read, write, hang out with writers and join a critique group.

What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?

I wish I would have joined the community of writers sooner. I wrote for a few years before I even met another author. I think part of the problem was that I was timid about publicly acknowledging that I was a writer. I was afraid people would laugh or ask, “Who do you think you are?” It almost seemed too lofty a goal for me. But after I started hanging out with other aspiring writers, I began to believe that I could reach my goal of being a published author. I think it really helps your career to spend time with other writers. They are a tremendous source of encouragement, education and support.

How much marketing do you do? What have you found that particularly works well for you?

I’m always looking for marketing opportunities. My day job is in marketing, so I’m always thinking of ways to increase awareness of my books. I have a website and a blog. I always carry around bookmarks and am not timid about passing them out. I’ve cast a wide net in my marketing and I’m not afraid to try something new.

I’m one of those people who have stayed connected to the people I’ve met through the years. Those connections are now helping my career. A friend I had when we lived in a small town in Pennsylvania in the 1980s is now manager of a Christian store. I found out last week that not only did he stock my book, but he called the women who used to be my friends and hand-sold the book. My husband and I met while both working at the same radio station in the 1970s (I was the six to midnight newsperson and he was the disc jockey who went on the air at midnight). When I got my contract, I emailed an old radio friend who’s doing a morning show in Albany, NY, and he agreed to interview me on the air. My first job in publishing was as a 17-year-old intern for the local newspaper. I dug up an old newspaper clipping with my photo from that time, scanned the image and sent it to an editor of that paper.

I hosted a book/career launch party and invited every writer, editor and literary agent I know, as well as some I’ve never met. I invited representatives from every bookstore and library within a 20-mile radius of Denver. I invited editors of local magazines and newspapers that I’ve written for. I understand that the book launch is more about generating publicity than having fun with family and friends, so it was held it in one of the coolest venues in Denver, in hopes that some folks would come simply because they want to be in the historic D&F Tower overlooking the city.

I mailed out influencer books to celebrities who I think may be intrigued by the concept behind my book. I’ve donated the opportunity to name a character in a contracted book to a non-profit organization’s silent auction, and I’ve put an article about my book in the newsletter published by my employer. I’m having a book movie trailer created that will be available online. I join online communities to network. I joined classmate.com and have had many hits on my profile because I post photos. My husband is connected with Christian radio, and I arranged for an air personality to do a 30-minute interview that is airing on several stations. I’m creating some 30- and 60-second radio commercials that will air on those stations. I compiled a fairly comprehensive media list, and I sent press releases and requested interviews in newspapers, magazines and on local television and radio. Our county library district director hosts a community cable TV show about local authors, and I’ve contacted him to be a guest on the program.

I schedule book readings and book signings. I’ve offered to speak to school children and adult study groups. I speak to local writers groups. I’ve lined up appointments to speak to local book clubs after they read Searching for Spice, and I schedule telephone conference calls with long-distance book clubs.

Another thing I think is very important is to present yourself in a professional manner. Before I ever got my contract, I purchased professionally designed business cards. I put my image on the card, and that image was created by a professional photographer. As soon as Tyndale designed my book cover, I had a graphic designer create a bookmark and printed them myself. I also had professionally designed invitations for the book launch. I could go on and on. I have more ideas than time to implement them—but I’m going to try to do the best I can. I believe the enthusiasm I have for marketing and the ideas I generate about possible marketing campaigns is one of the qualities that made me attractive to my publisher. As writers, we can’t sit in our study and generate words, we also need to get into the community and generate publicity.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

Yes, write regularly, read regularly, join a writers group or two, hang out with writers, have your work critiqued and attend conferences if you can. I confess, many times in my writing journey I was tempted to throw in the towel. But the moral of the story is, don’t give up. Hold on to your dreams. Press on. Trust God.