Tell us about your latest release/coming soon. What inspired it?
Heated Dreams is my first book. I love the thought of telepathy, a true meeting of minds along with the uniting of bodies in the act of love. I’ve always had a bent toward science fiction and romance and found combining the two a rewarding experience. I’m working on another novel of erotica, but I never discuss a book before it’s completed—except to say it’s in the works.
Who are your literary heroes and why?
I guess I’d have to say Lazarus Long—all the Long Family—from Robert A. Heinlein’s books are my heroes. When I read Heinlein, which I do often, rereading many of his books each year, I feel as if I’m having a conversation with my dad, who was the wisest person I ever knew.
What would you tell aspiring young writers about the publishing business?
It’s tough to break in. Don’t consider it anything else. And right now, it’s harder than it’s ever been, but don’t give up. Sit down and write a complete book. Avoid the three-chapters-and-synopsis lesson so many new writers are given. Yes, by all means submit those three chapters and synopsis—but don’t do it until you have completed the full book, reread it, let it sit for a few weeks, then read it again and do your own editing. Then write another book, and another, another. Throw nothing away! Very few people sell their first book the first time out, but after you’ve made a sale or two, have a track record, you might be able to sell those earlier books with only a little bit of revamping.
Tell us five random things about yourself.
I’m afraid of clowns.
I love my sister more than I ever loved my mother.
I believe in keeping commitments I’ve made.
I’m not really happy unless I’m near salt water.
I hate my thighs.
What type of writer are you—the one who experiences before writing, like Hemingway, or the one who mostly daydreams and fantasizes?
I day-dream and fantasize a lot, and when it comes to writing, there is a direct connection between my brain and my keyboard. I can’t dictate my words, can’t write long-hand (it’s too slow) and when a book is happening, time ceases to exist. I can write for 10 hours straight and think it’s still just after breakfast.
From the moment you conceived the idea for the story, to the published book, how long did it take?
About a year.
When it comes to writing, are you an early bird, or a night owl?
Depends. If I wake up at 3 a.m. with an idea, I often get up and write for an hour or two until I’ve fleshed out that particular scene, then go back to sleep till ten or eleven. Or, if my mind compels me to write in the evening, I sometimes don’t even go to bed until the middle of the night. Again, I sleep late. But there are days when the minute the sun comes through my window I’m up and at it.
How was your experience in looking for a publisher? What words of advice would you offer those novice authors who are in search of one?
I was very fortunate in finding Carnal Passions, which was recommended to me by another writer. They chose to accept my book and publish it. As for words of advice: Read in the genre you want to sell to. Read from a wide variety of publishers. See how you like their books. If you find one whose books you really enjoy, books that are well-written, with captivating characters, approach that publisher first. Always start at the top, but make sure the publishing house does publish what you’re writing. (Or agency, if you’re agent-shopping, represents your kind of book). If you’re working on a children’s story, there’s little point in sending it to a house that only publishes adult fiction, and vice versa. If the books from the house you have chosen have few technical errors, you can pretty much assume they have good editors. There is nothing more important to an author than an editor who can make a good book excellent. Details matter. Make sure your work has no spelling errors, no typos, that your sentences all make sense, no dangling modifiers. Be your own continuity-girl (or -boy), and if there’s a nearly full moon one night, there’s not a finger nail of moon the following night. The harder you work, the closer to perfect you make your manuscript, the higher the likelihood of an editor wanting to buy it. Join a compatible critique group. If the first one or ten don’t work for you, keep looking. Remember always: Just because your mom or best friend likes your book, that doesn’t mean it’s good. It means they are and they love you. Also, and this is going to sound terrible, if you’re a married woman and have chosen to take your husband’s last name, do not use it as your writing name. If your marriage to Jack Smith goes sour (and we all know far too many do) would you want to have become a bestseller as Jane Smith, then be forced by the logistics of name recognition to continue using Jack Smith’s name even if you hate his guts? Use a pseudonym or your maiden name. It’s yours. It will always be yours, no matter what the future holds.
What book are you reading now?
A Confederation of Valor, by Tanya Huff.
Have you ever woken in the night with the need to write? If so, how do you deal with this urge?
I get up and do it.
Where can readers find you on the web?
http://www.juliegrissom.com/
Sneak Peek into Heated Dreams:
Brett had to touch this exotic woman, and when he took her hand in his, to his amazement he saw her lips part damply, eyes widen, glaze over, felt the waves of her pleasure radiate from her fingertips, up her arm, into her heart, her lungs, her blood, dance along her tender nerves to cluster and form deep inside her belly, then flare outward, upward as her rigidly contained emotions burst forth. She gasped and he held her hand tight as the sensations in her peaked then slowly ebbed, leaving him completely gratified with the knowledge that he had accomplished a wondrous deed, given her great pleasure, and that he would be able to do so again. Perhaps she was not as damaged as he’d first believed.
From Heated Dreams, by Julie Grissom.
Buy at: http://carnalpassions.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=23
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