In Pursuit Of A Scandalous Lady by Gayle Callen

Hi to Terra and everyone at Yankee Romance Reviewers! Thanks so much for inviting me to spend the day with you. I’m Gayle Callen, and my twenty-second historical romance hits the shelves at the end of this month—IN PURSUIT OF A SCANDALOUS LADY. Now I do write under two names (my alter ego Julia Latham writes medievals), so I’ve added all those books together. But for the first time, Publishers’ Weekly called me a “veteran historical romance author.” Veteran? That almost sounds old! ;) I feel like I just sold my first book, but it has been twelve years now, so I’m a veteran.

According to the dictionary, one definition of a veteran is a person with long experience in an occupation. I qualify for that. As I mentioned, I’ve been published for twelve years, but it took me thirteen years of writing and rejections and three complete manuscripts before I sold. So that’s twenty-five years—and that’s not including my childhood. I started writing at 13, and wrote short stories and novellas all through high school, only taking a break for a couple years of college (where I did a lot of writing anyway).

So I’ve been in the business of writing for a long time. I’m usually confident in myself and my process of writing. I know I can’t control outside forces—like a recession or a book cover. All I can do is write the best book I possibly can. That doesn’t mean there still aren’t moments of panic: “Can I do this again?” “Will I burn out?” “Will my editor think the book stinks?” But don’t we all have moments of panic in our work? No one’s job is guaranteed. We can only approach each day by giving it our best.

There are some good things about being a veteran. Even when I have moments of panic, I remind myself that I’ve been through all of this before, book after book after book. I can trust myself in a far greater way than I could twenty-two books ago. It’s not a fluke—I’m a writer. I have learned to trust my subconscious. When I have a plot problem in a book, I work on it for an hour or two, and then I leave the computer. After so many years, I know that my subconscious mind will continue to work, even when I’m doing the dishes or walking my dogs. Most of the time, my brain comes up with an answer, as if out of the blue. I always carry paper with me, because I have to write down the solution before I forget! I’ve been known to call my home answering machine while I’m walking the dogs, just to leave myself a message. It’s hard to decipher words when I’m so winded. ;) Sometimes I have to go farther, talking through the problem with my husband or my writing buddies. But I no longer panic throughout this process. I know I can find a solution to my problem.

Another way I’m a veteran is handling criticism. We don’t write our books in a vacuum. Besides my critique group (which is always very helpful with their suggestions) I know I’ll be facing my editor when I turn in a book. I could very easily panic. As the weeks go by while waiting for the revision letter, it’s easy to start imagining the worst. But I’ve learned that I can always find a way to fix what needs to be fixed. I’ve had minor revision letters, where I just had to fix a few small things, and larger ones, where a major plot element is failing—or God forbid, that the chemistry between my hero and heroine isn’t working. I set the letter aside for a couple days, rereading it a few times, all so that my subconscious can start mulling ideas. And then I break the letter down to one element at a time, and fix one plot thread through the entire book, before working on another. That method works best for me, because if I try to fix all the suggestions in each chapter, I lose track of what I’ve done.

So there’s my proof that I’m a veteran. Hopefully, when you read my new book, IN PURSUIT OF A SCANDALOUS LADY, you’ll see that I’ve done my best to improve my writing over the years. This book is the beginning of a new trilogy about the three female cousins who appeared in my recent “Sons of Scandal” trilogy. One of the women is the model for a scandalous nude painting, and three men are wagering against each other to discover the truth. And if you post an answer to my question below, I’ll enter you in a giveaway for a chance to win the book.

So tell us all: are you a veteran, someone with longtime experience at your job or in some other part of your life? We all have something we’re good at—brag about it!