Sparkle This!

Joining us today at SPARKLE THIS! is first-time author Maya Reynolds. Maya’s debut novel, BAD GIRL, is being released today by New American Library, a division of Penguin. It’s an erotic romance. Frequent Barnes & Noble’s reviewer Harriet Klausner gave it five stars.

BAD GIRL is the story of Sandy Davis, a shy social worker who accidentally begins spying on her neighbors in the apartments across the street from hers. She quickly becomes addicted to observing the lives of others--a young couple who engages in kinky sex, an anorexic model, a frequently ill elderly woman and, of course, the man she calls “Mr. Dominant,” who engages in aggressive bondage games.

One night, Sandy receives a phone call from an anonymous male who says, “You’ve been a bad girl.” He calls himself “Justice,” and he has a pastime, too. Watching Sandy watch others. He has the photos to prove it. Now it’s his turn to play--by making Sandy pay the price in exchange for holding onto her naughty little secret.

As the sensual dance between two strangers begins, so does Sandy’s fear that she’s moving closer to the edge of extreme desire--and inescapable danger.

Two Lips Reviews gave it five lips and said, “This is a fast-paced, exceptionally engaging book. Add a suspenseful element of danger and an ending that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and you’ve got a phenomenal read.”

SD: Maya, let’s start with the question we always ask our guests. What makes a book really sparkle for you?

Thanks for inviting me here today.

When I read for relaxation or entertainment, I’m looking for a specific emotional experience. With a romance, I want the thrill of new love, that excitement that comes as people begin to share their intimate thoughts and feelings.

If, like me, you’re a big reader, after a while, plotlines seem to run together. There are no surprises. I’m always looking for that book that will catch me off guard, take me down a different path from the one I’m accustomed to traveling.

After all, when you read a romance, you know that it is going to have a happily-ever-after ending. It’s how you get there that makes you pick up the book.

SD: Since you’re at the beginning of your career, it might help our readers to know what you wish you’d known before you started out.

Although I’d sold short stories and articles over the years, I was really as ignorant as an egg when I began writing my first novel in 2003. There are three things I’ve learned since that I wish I’d known then:

First, get your critique partners early before your bad writing habits get set in stone. It’s a lot easier to fix problems while you’re writing the manuscript than having to overhaul it after the fact.

Second, begin networking early. I waited until 2005 to join RWA and Sisters-in-Crime. I spent nearly a year playing catch-up. If I’d joined at the same time I started writing, it would have been very helpful. After all, that’s how I met the Sparkle This! authors.

Third, learn everything you can about the publishing industry. Like any other business, there is a special language and unique practices. You need to understand terms like “basket accounting,” “sell-through percentages,” and “cooperative allowances.” You need to know what the differences are between hardback books, trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks. I’ll give you a hint--it’s not just the book size or the kind of covers.

SD: Is there any special word of advice you'd like to give aspiring writers?

Yes, never give up, Never Give Up, NEVER GIVE UP.

Don’t regard rejections as the end of the line. Look at them as opportunities to learn. I sent my queries out in batches of six. At the same time, I kept seeking feedback everywhere I could get it--from published writers, from workshop instructors, and from writing manuals.

In the beginning, all I got were form rejections. I kept revising both my query and my first six pages. The day I got my first scribbled note of encouragement on a rejection letter, I celebrated. Shortly after that, I got a personalized letter from an agent with suggestions for that manuscript. Then I got a rejection letter that asked to see my next manuscript. I just kept writing and revising.

I clung to something Joe Konrath said:

“What do you call a writer who doesn’t give up?”

Published.

Good luck!


SD: Thank you, Maya. And thank you all for joining our guest blogger for the day.

You can find Maya at her blog MayaReynolds.blogspot.com or you can reach her by email at MayaReynoldswriter@sbcglobal.net.

Be sure to leave your questions or comments for Maya in the “Sparkling Comments” section. We love to hear from you!

Until then, Happy Writing!

Sherry