Let's Give Them Somebody To Talk About

We all know people who have worked hard writing, who have finished manuscripts, who have taken classes, joined groups and have diligently pursued this publishing avenue. And we all know they are about 2 seconds away from getting that first contract otherwise known as 'The Call.'

Today our Somebody is---------------------------

Ane Mulligan!

I asked Ane a few questions.

Lindi-What genre(s) do you write?
Ane--Southern-fried fiction ~ women's fiction with a side order of fried laughter

Lindi---How long have you been writing?
Ane-----Forever. LOL As a kid I did some, but being ADD long before it was ever known, I worked my stories out in elaborate play with my dolls. I'd make up stories that would take 2 or 3 weeks to play out. Each day was a new scene. Then in 1996, I wrote my first script and it was snapped up by LifeWay. My editor there bought everything I sent her. I turned to novels in 2003 and have 5 under my belt so far.


Lindi-----Do you have an agent?
Ane--------I do. I recently signed with Sandra Bishop of MacGregor Literary. I've had 2 agents prior to Sandra. The first and I parted ways on friendly terms, and the second one retired.


Lindi------ Do you enter contests-if no, why not. If yes, what is the most helpful aspect of entering contests.
Ane--------I have entered a lot of contests and the most helpful part is the hard judging. I've learned a ton. While some of the comments I didn't like at first, I've come to realize they are like readers once you're published. They don't have the benefit of your mind, so what they see is all they have. Their comments are usually pretty valid. One contest, though, I got a comment that at first I thought was totally off base. My protagonist was a lobbyist for a pro-family group. I had been a lobbyist for Christian Coalition, so I knew my career choice for my protag. The judge commented that she was too naïve to be a lobbyist. Huh? I was naïve when I started out, too. But I noodled on her comments, finally deciding to ignore them. After all, you want your protag to go against the norm.


Lindi-----Do you attend writer’s conferences? If no, why not. If yes, why would you suggest conferences for authors who are Seeking publication.
Ane-------Absolutely! I go to every single one I can afford to attend. Besides the great workshops, the networking is worth the money. Secondly, writing is such a lonely profession, and no one understands you like another writer. After all, they talk to imaginary people, too.
I would suggest conferences for those seeking publication because you get known by the industry professionals, which I believe helps. If Editor Jones gets 2 proposals n his desk, one from an unknown and one from you, who he has met and liked at a conference, and they are both equally good, which do you think he'd gravitate to? 'Nuff said. I feel if I come away from each conference with 1 single golden nugget of craft and a new contact in the business, it was a successful conference.


Lindi-----What is your favorite aspect of creating a novel. Character Development or learning the story?
Ane-------Definitely character development. That makes the story happen for me. I have an overall idea, but until I know my characters inside out, the story won't move forward. I'm sort of a plotter and sort of a seat-of-the-pants writer. I need that "map" of where I'm going. I lay out the main plot points like cities on a vacation trip. Then I allow the characters to take "side trips" as they come up. So I say I'm a "pants of the pocket" writer.

Lindi------Tell us something fun about you!
Ane---------Well, this was fun for the others involved. Not so sure about me. We were on a camping trip years ago. I was probably all of 23. When camping in the wilds of California, you have to be inventive about your facilities. I won't go into detail, but I sat on a cactus in the dark. You really find out who your friends are, when they're willing to tweeze cactus thorns from your bum by moonlight.

Ane--you crack me up! What a funny story!
Thanks so much for being here today!

Y'all say hi to Ane!! I bet she'll even answer a question if someone has one!