Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Wednesday Promo- Tanya Hanson


If I could go back in time to before I was first published . . . I’d definitely not wait until my kids went off to college to write and submit. Saying I was “too busy” was just an excuse and, I suppose, a fear of failure. Well, I learned a bunch of things, mainly that I could get published and that I could survive rejection!

Some other things I learned:

1. Check your pen name early on. I didn’t and now share cyberspace with a porn star of the same name. (Ah well. At least it drives traffic to my website LOL.)

2. Remember that nobody dies from rejection. Gnash your teeth for a day, then move on.

3. Write what you love, not what’s trendy at the moment. If you don’t, writing’s a chore and what’s the point?

4. Enter contests. It’s such a feel-good thing when you do well, and the comments are helpful if you don’t. It might open some doors. And practically speaking, having to follow directions and prepare a perfect manuscript is great training.
One of my recent releases, Marrying Minda, placed first in two RWA chapter fiction contests.

Best of all, my entry in the Hearts Crossing Contest at White Rose Publishing a year ago has led to an eight-book “Hearts Crossing Ranch” series contract! And I was just the runner-up! Hearts Crossing Ranch and Redeeming Daisy are already available, with stories about their six siblings due through 2011.

5. Ease up on e-loops, mySpace, Facebook, and twitter. All that can really get in the way of writing time. My editor encourages two full hours of writing before going online, although I must confess I’m not there yet.

6. Read! I got a recumbent bike both for exercise and for a dedicated time for reading. And a Kindle! I have a book in hand almost anytime, anywhere. Reading good literature helps with such things as varying sentence beginnings and structures, increasing vocabulary, and improving your own grammar skills when you see our language done well. Can you tell I taught high school English forever?

7. Take advantage of workshops and online classes. Marrying Mattie, my recent release, took an unexpected turn thanks to a plotting class I took while I was writing it.

8. And last but not least, forget about your mom and Great Aunt Edna reading your books when you write love scenes.

All that said, I hope you’ll check out my books at The Wild Rose Press and White Rose Publishing, two awesome small houses. And don’t forget to stuff those stockings with my current novella, Christmas for Ransom, past of the Lawmen and Outlaws Christmas anthology. Oooh-la-la, I picked a good-hearted bad guy to write about!

Merry Christmas! Oh, and if you’ve a mind, don’t hesitate to cast a vote for Marrying Mattie. It’s has been nominated for Best Book of 2010 at Love Western Romances, and voting starts this very day!

http://www.lovewesternromances.com/
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/lawmen-and-outlaws-christmas-anthology-paperback-p-4323.html

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/marrying-mattie-paperback-p-4204.html

http://www.whiterosepublishing.com/Redeeming-Daisy

http://www.whiterosepublishing.com/Hearts-Crossing-Ranch

12 comments:

Tanya Hanson said...

Hi Paty, thanks so much for having me here these days! I'm off to bed now (I'm a bit of a night owl) but will check back later in the morning. oxox

Lauri said...

Hey Tanya!

Great advice, every one of them, and I'll bop over right now to vote!

Merry Christmas to you, too!

Tanya Hanson said...

Hi Lauri, thanks so much for posting today! Paty is such a gem for hosting me. Thanks for the greeting and the vote...whenever LWR site gets updated. I thought it was today, LOL. Godo to see you here.

R. Ann Siracusa said...

Tanya, Good advice. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't realize at a much younger age that my calling was to write novels. I probably wouldn't have changed my career path from being an architect (I loved that, too), but I would have learned the craft of writing and the ins and outs of publishing much sooner, and would have had enough time to actually build up a second career as a writer. Merry Christmas! Ann Siracusa

Tanya Hanson said...

Dear Ann, thanks for posting. But it's never too late to get started LOL. I can't say I have a "career" but I'm retired now and I sure love what I do, and it keeps my brain going...what's left of it that is =) Thanks again.

Caroline Clemmons said...

Tanya, great advice. I'm gifted with rotten foresight and 20/20 hindsight. LOL Congratulations on your success.

Caroline Clemmons said...

Paty, forgot to leave a book title. OUTLAW IN PETTICOATS

Margaret Tanner said...

Hi Tanya,
Wow you have done well with Awards, congratulations. You have offered some very sound advice.

Regards

Margaret

Tanya Hanson said...

Hi Caroline, thanks for the lovely words. I love what I do so that's success enough! Thanks for posting today.

Tanya Hanson said...

Hey Margaret, so good to hear from you. I wish I could say I followed all this advice LOL. It's kind of trial and error, for sure. Thanks for stopping by!

Jolan said...

Great advice! Off to Google my pen name now . . .

CJ said...

"Spirit of the mountain" this cver is stunning. A white wolf bring so many memories, so does the pictures of your trek in the mountains for these 2 Christmas trees.