I recently had the chance to chat with a talented author.  So, without further delay let’s hear from the talented

Minnette Meador

Did you always know that you wanted to be a writer?  Did you have other career goals?
When I was little, I wanted to be a famous movie star, then a ballet dancer, then a pilot, like my dad. I started writing when I was eight, entertaining my enraptured classmates with startling Startrek episodes. ~LOL~ I wrote my first story when I was nine. I actually did become a professional singer at 13 and actress at 14, but writing was always my first, best, destiny.

Tell us what makes Minnette…well, Minnette.
A sense of humor, a workaholic’s determination, a warm pair of socks…not necessarily in that order.

I read you have six children…WOW!  How did you balance your real life everyday duties—and having five kids myself, I know there are lots of everyday duties—with your writing career?
I wrote to begin with when my first three boys were small, after they went to bed. I also was on a bus to work every day and wrote then, too, or whenever I could get a free minute. I quit writing novels to raise my kids for 25 years and started up again about three years ago. Over the years, I wrote as a freelance journalist, wrote a couple of plays, and lots of poetry.

You write in the historical genre. If you could travel to any place or time when and where would it be?
Wow, there are so many times I would love to witness. I’m a big fan of ancient history, so probably Troy or Greece around the 12^th century BC (estimated). I’d also like to visit Rome during Caesar’s reign.

Tell us some of your favorites…foods, movies, music, books, authors, colors, and any others you would like to share with us.
Sushi or sausage on a stick, Ghostbusters, Troy, The Fountain…LOR, Crystal Cave (et al), Zanth series, Time Travelers Strictly Cash…JRR, Piers Anthony, Spider Robinson, Heinlein, Mary Stewart, hundreds of others…red, green, and sometimes blue (if I’m in the mood)…I like spring days, but hate the summer, am partial to chocolate (who isn’t?), and can’t resist snuggling in my husband’s arms.

Do you have a writing schedule that you follow daily?  Do you have a perfect writing spot or can you write anywhere?
I try to write in the evenings and on weekends. I usually write at my desk, though I’m experimenting with leaving the house and writing at cafes or under trees.

Do you enjoy hearing from your readers and what is the best way to contact you?
 I live for email and am completely addicted! I love to hear from readers…they can contact me at mmeador@minnettemeador.com

How do you promote your work?
I do lots of book signings, try to keep up with my many, many groups, advertise on wonderful sites like this ~blush~, and have a mailing list I maintain for news and updates.

What do you find to the most difficult thing about the publishing industry?  Did you find it difficult to “break in?”
I’m still “breaking in”, as it were ~LOL~ The most demanding part is the promotion. It is very time consuming and requires a great deal of energy. I’ve found this is true for both small published writers and NY published writers. It’s hard to find time to balance both writing and promoting.

What was the best piece of advice you received when first starting out?  Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
The best piece of advice I received was to not give up. I did that when I was younger, and regret it to this day. I have lots of advice for new people. Below is my list of eight things I have learned:

1. Writing is 10% writing and 90% editing. Edit 'til you can't stand the thing, then do it three more times. Then have someone else edit it and then go through it three more times after that. You should be there when you start to change words BACK to what they used to be. Here’s a good example; I edited this email for three hours before I was almost satisfied. You know you’re a writer when...you edit your IMs and text messages...
2. Get yourself a critiquing partner and a set of beta readers (family does nicely, especially if you have older kids...they do owe you; friends and co-worker are always good). LISTEN to what they have to say and be prepared for criticism. That’s what you don’t pay them for. A critiquing partner is absolutely an imperative and there are lots of groups out there that can help you find one...www.critters.org comes readily to mind, but there are many out there. Check in your genre. Or join a writing class in your community...that’s where my fabulous, wonderful, adorable partner came from.
3. Take classes, join associations, join groups, get involved in the writer's community (it's huge) and contribute to it. Harder to do than you think, believe me.
4. Be prepared to spend every waking hour on your dream and even some of your sleeping ones. The muse doesn't rest...at least until you need her, which leads me to...
5. DON'T RELY ON THE MUSE TO HELP YOU. (S)he will always let you down when you need her/him most. Being a published writer does not take inspiration, it takes dedication. You cannot wait until the art moves you...art is a lazy, drunken sod sometimes and it’s up to you to move it along. Hardest thing to do as a writer is to keep going. There are lots of tips on how to break writer’s block out there. The best advice I ever received? Get off your ass and hit those keys (or move that pen, if you’re a purest) - who cares what you write, just write.
6. Be kind, be loving, live well, and treat others well. When you critique someone or even give them an opinion of their work, keep in mind yours is (or will be) in another's hands one day. Creation is a fragile thing and easily destroyed...look at an egg sometime. I know; I shelved writing for twenty years because of a criticism. I regret it to this day.
7. You must develop a thick skin for this business...the whole “slings & arrows” thing. Not everyone is going to like your work....not everyone appreciates the hours that went into its creation...not everyone is kind. A gentle grace is needed to be a writer, I think...swear and punch through walls when you get home, but keep in mind it’s only one person’s opinion. You can choose to agree...or not. Did I mention this profession takes a bit of ego, as well?
8. There is no reward without sacrifice. When you see your name in print, the paperback crushed in your trembling hands, I promise, it will be worth all the pain. All you have to do then is write the next one...

What do you consider your greatest strength?  Any weaknesses?
Strength is my persistence…weakness is my procrastination…quite a dichotomy, isn’t it?

How would you spend a perfect day if you could do anything you wanted?
I would have two to three hours of meditation/thinking time and the rest of the day just to write without my silly brain getting in the way…that would be heaven!

Writing in the romance genre…do you believe in happily ever after and have you found yours?
I absolutely believe in happily ever afters and yes, I have found mine. My husband and I fell in love at first sight and have been married for fifteen glorious years. In fact, we still hold hands! ~LOL~ In addition to my children, Matt is the best thing that ever happened to me, hands down.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Sees Candies and room service

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?  Current or upcoming releases?
I have two more releases coming out this year, The Breton & The General*, a sequel to Centurion (coming out sometime this summer), and the second installment to Starsight, coming out in November of this year. I will be working on an erotic, a thriller, and a paranormal later this year.

*THE BRETON & THE GENERAL: The Boudicca revolt has been squelched, the tribes of the Iceni and the Trinovantes exterminated by the Roman Governor of

Britannia, Suetonius. He has sworn his revenge on the remaining tribes for the Celtic insolence.

 Marius and Delia are now King and Queen of a broken Celtic tribe. Using his twenty-five years as a Roman Centurion, Marius has to use all his skill and cunning to help his hunted people as they flee before General Suetonius' sword. Reluctantly donning the mask of the liberatio mysticus, the “phantom” that hides the scattered tribes, the couple recruits Marius' ex-Roman century and what few Celtic warriors that remain to face the deadly Roman machine. They struggle to keep their people together and the rest of a nation from fading into history.

Marius and Delia are threatened by secret plots, jealousy, and a new enemy that hammers a wedge between them, which even an unborn child may not be able to dislodge when Marius falls under the charms of Delia's sworn enemy. Sacrifices will have to be made to save their people, to keep the nation together, to survive the Roman rage. In the end, it may be more than their love or their lives they lose.

Excerpts: http://www.minnettemeador.com/minnette_home_new_004.htm