Author Interview ~ Lyn Cote

Lyn Cote is multi-published in historical and contemporary romance and Women's Fiction with Steeple Hill, Broadman & Holman, Tyndale, and now Warner Faith. Look for her latest releases on her website http://www.lyncote.net/ and also the latest update of Christian fiction markets.

Plug time. What book or project is coming out or has come out that you’d like to tell us about?

The last book in my "Women of Ivy Manor" series, CARLY, is out -April 11th.

Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.

Carly is my twenty-first novel in print. I started writing when my daughter was 13 months old and my first book –NEVER ALONE-came out when she was a freshman in high school. So you see I was an overnight success. (BTW, NEVER ALONE and my second novel NEW MAN IN TOWN are being re-released together in Jan. 2007.)

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

There seems to be a point late in the revision process when I lose all perspective and think that it's just trash and why did I ever think I could write anyway? This stage seems common to many writers.

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

The most noticeable mistake I made was submitting way before my writing was of publishable quality. Once I joined Romance Writers of America, I started entering various chapter contests and discovered how much I had to learn.

What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

This came when Wendy McCurdy, the senior editor at Bantam at the time, told me I should be writing for the inspirational market.

What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

Hearing about RWA and joining would have saved me many years. Professional writing organizations can offer a fledgling writer so much information, education and mentoring. I suggest every writer find a professional writing organization such as RWA or American Christian Fiction Writers, etc and join. Part of the reason that I helped found the inspirational chapter of RWA, Faith, Hope & Love, was to make sure that any writer interested in writing Christian romance wouldn't be totally without resources as I was when I started in 1994.

Do you have a scripture or quote that has been speaking to you lately?

I always choose a scripture passage or lyrics of a hymn as my theme. The story I'm writing right now (Dangerous Game due out 5-07) is from the Lord's Prayer, "Forgives us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." For Carly, I used lyrics from "Jesus Paid it All": "And I heard the savior say, 'Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness watch and pray, find in me thine all in all."

Carly still suffers from a violent childhood trauma. In order to try to conquer her fears, she enlists in the army after high school in 1990 and finds herself in the Saudi desert for the First Gulf War. This is her time of testing as she tries to find courage and what it mean to find her all in all in Christ.

Is there a particularly difficult set back that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?

I've had the experience of being "orphaned" many times. This is when you start a series or even a book and then your editor leaves. For my first 6 books, I had 8 editors. That's hard.

What are a few of your favorite books?

I grew up loving Laura Ingalls Wilder, Gladys Malvern, and Georgette Heyer. Francine Rivers, Lois Richer, Lenora Worth, Kathy Herman, Linda Hall and too many more to list.

What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?

The Women of Ivy Manor series has given me great personal satisfaction because through the four books that follow the four generations of the twentieth century, I was able to track and portray the changes in the status of women and African-Americans.

I've never forgot my mother telling me that I should never neglect voting because her mother had been nearly thirty before women got the right to vote. I have rarely missed voting in an election and I'm proud to say that my daughter doesn't either.

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?

Overworked editors, a fact of lif,e which makes authors wait and wait for contracts, checks, etc.

Can you give us a view into a typical day of your writing life?

I rise at 6:30 am. Spend about an hour having breakfast and coffee with my husband. Then dress and I'm at the computer getting email and starting to write my pages for the day. I usually write until noon. After noon, I attend to answering email, some revision and housework. I write practically everyday. Though on Sunday, I write in the afternoon. I usually write 2 chapters a week, around 40-50 pages weekly.

If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?

I lack elegance of expression. My friend Roxanne Rustand wrote beautifully from the very beginning. I have had to work hard to write with ease and grace. I still think she surpasses me, but I shoulder onward.

Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?

I want to continue writing books that thrill and satisfy readers for as long as possible. I don't intend to retire. If Barbara Cartland and Betty Neels could write into their nineties, why not Lyn Cote?

Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

I never seriously considered stopping. Writing becomes an addiction. But sometimes I wondered if I'd always be an unpublished writer.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

My favorite part is hearing from readers. My least favorite part is waiting for checks to arrive.

How much marketing do you do? Any advice in this area?

I try to make myself available to readers by being active on the Web, but I'm primarily a writer. So that's what I do most.

Parting words?

I'm a happy woman. I have the life and career I've always wanted. I wish you and all my readers the same state.