Novelicious.com | The Women's Fiction Blog for Readers and Writers

Novelicious Chats To... Lucy Clarke

Lucy Clarke's debut novel, The Sea Sisters has been selected as a Richard & Judy 2013 Summer Book Club read and explores the strongest, and often most fraught, family relationship a woman will ever have, that of sisterhood. Here's our recent review.

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

I’m a morning person, so I set my alarm early and am usually at my desk by 6.30 am. I’m hopeless by evening – it’s as if my creativity fades with the day. I generally write Mondays to Fridays so that I have evenings and weekends free to spend with friends and family who have ‘proper jobs’!

I prefer to write by hand – there’s something about the simplicity of a pencil and a blank page that appeals to the romantic in me. I love to write to music, too. There are certain albums I play to help me step into a character’s mindset, or to inspire a particular atmosphere in a scene.

I only have one rule when I’m writing: get outside every day. Fresh air is good for the soul, and great for the imagination.

When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?

I don’t tend to use celebrities for inspiration, but people I have met certainly influence my characters. I’m very careful not to ‘lift’ the personalities of friends or family members onto the page, but I will use smaller details, such as a shared anecdote, the way someone applies lipstick, the sound of a friend’s laughter.

What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?

This is such a hard question because I love SO many women’s fiction books! One of my all-time favourite writers is Anita Shreve, and I absolutely adored her novel Body Surfing. Her prose is very lean and poetic, and has a simplicity to it that I deeply admire.

Novelicious Chats To...Helen Chandler

Novelicious catches up with Helen Chandler to talk about her writing her debut novel Two for Joy, which is released on 6th June.

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

There’s not really any such thing as an average day when you’re a stay-at-home mum to a lively four-year-old! My writing tends to get squeezed into odd moments whenever I can, although my mother-in-law looks after Anna on a Thursday afternoon, so that time is sacrosanct for writing, and now Anna has started nursery every morning things are a bit more predictable.

I often write in a local café – I like being out in the world, they make fabulous hot chocolate, brownies and panini, and when I get stuck I can sit and people watch until inspiration strikes again. That was fine when it was one afternoon a week, but now I get some writing time most days, I’m going to have to switch to herbal tea (requiring willpower I don’t really have) or find somewhere else to write, or I’ll put on a stone per book!

When you are writing, do you use any famous people or people you know as inspiration?

Not really. Everyone says that first novels are always autobiographical, and there are definitely elements of Julia’s character which she shares with me, but other characters are fairly mix and match. There are aspects which are based on people I know, or on snippets of conversation I pick up through my compulsive eavesdropping on buses or in cafes, but it’s all jumbled up, so I don’t think anyone will be recognising themselves in my book!

Novelicious Chats To... Paula Daly

Paula Daly's novel, Just What Kind of Mother Are You? has been receiving rave reviews - here's our recent 10/10 review - and today she's answered a few questions for our Novelicious readers.

1.    Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

I start as soon as the kids have gone to school and the dog has been walked – usually around 9.30 - and I begin by going over yesterday’s work. Once that’s done I’m in the right place mentally and ready to write. I make a few notes on a scrap of paper outlining what I’m about to write next, something like: ‘Lisa has huge row with Joe’ and I find that it’s this part particularly, writing out in long hand what I need to get down, which prevents me from getting stuck.

Then I write 1000 words. Sounds easy. It’s not. I love doing it but I do find it hard. So much so that I have to unplug the Internet and I don’t answer the phone – unless it’s one of the children calling. When I’ve done 700 words I allow myself a break and do something fun like … fold washing, push the Hoover round, mess about on Twitter for a bit. The whole process takes around four and half hours and I’m pretty much brain dead by the end of it.

2.    When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?

I don’t use celebrities as inspiration but my characters come from an amalgamation of people I know. Bits of dialogue get thrown in and certain traits and tics to make them as real as possible. 

3.    What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why? 

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I read the opening page and had to put the book down for a moment as Aibileen’s voice had such a profound effect on me.

It was that thrill of knowing I was in the hands of an incredibly skilled author, and the thought of another four hundred pages ahead to enjoy. I still pick it up now and read odd paragraphs, marvelling at the combination of wit, pathos, and love, evident throughout the story.

4.    What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?  

I start by having a really good think about my story – for around two months. During that time I’m looking to work out everybody’s motivation, have some idea of an ending, and picture a few lively scenes that I can hang the book upon. For me, the most important thing to be clear on before I start is my baddie’s motivation. If that’s not right, the reader will feel cheated at the end and I want my reader to walk away from the book satisfied.  

I write one draft and then go back and slot in anything I’ve missed. The first draft is usually in pretty good shape – but naturally things pop up after the first read through. Usually the tidy up involves giving the story more depth. I am a rusher and write down all the action first, then I have to go back and pad it out with descriptions of scenery, weather and so forth.

Novelicious Chats To...Stella Newman

Stella Newman is the author of Pear Shaped and Leftovers. Check out her fantastic writing room here.

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

I don’t really have average writing days. Some rare days I’ll write for twelve hours straight, stopping only for coffee, pasta and some form of sugar-based treat. More often I’ll spend most of the morning googling recipes and then cooking – preferably dishes that need constant stirring, thus providing the perfect excuse for stepping away from the blank page. Luckily food plays a pretty significant part in my books, so I can more or less justify this behaviour to myself. The only constants in my writing days are coffee, self-doubt and the relentless obsession with what I’m going to eat next.

When you are writing, do you use any famous people or people you know as inspiration?

I have a few quotes from writers I admire written down that I find motivating – writers such as David Chase, who wrote The Sopranos, and David Simon, who wrote The Wire. Both of them have quite bellicose views on being true to your voice. And also Nora Ephron, who was a genius, and whose view that ‘everything is copy’ is one I adhere to.

Novelicious Chats To... Caroline Smailes

Caroline Smailes' latest book, The Drowning of Arthur Braxton, was released a couple of weeks ago. She recently let us take a peek inside her writing room here where she told us about her rollerskates and disco ball, and today she's answered a few questions for us about her writing.

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

I’ve three children, I share lifts for school runs and, somehow, I’ve fixed it so that I don’t do any morning runs. So, I’m at my desk by 8 a.m. and I have until 3:00 p.m. to write. My office is next to the kitchen and has a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. I try to write at least two thousand words by 11:30 a.m., to have drunk two pots of tea and not to have eaten any cake, then I take my dog for a quick walk to clear my head. Next it’s lunch at my desk (or cake), editing what I’ve written that morning and planning what will happen next or researching (depending on what stage I am in the novel). I always take a notebook with me when I do the school runs and have been known to forget to get out of the car to collect my daughter, because of an idea happening during the drive and needing to be written before it’s forgotten. I’m usually back at my desk at 8:00 p.m., catching up on emails and social media, as well as tidying up any niggles in plot and character until I’m too tired to focus.  

When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?

I used to draw from people I know but now I try not to, mainly because so many of my friends now start conversations with, ‘I’ll tell you this, but you can’t use it in a novel.’ For my next novel I thought I’d try some celebrities to inspire. I’ve printed out some images of Audrey Hepburn, Orla Brady and Annette Badland for my three female characters.

What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?

That’s such a difficult question, but I think it would have to be ‘My Best Friend's Girl’ by Dorothy Koomson. And why? Because I’d finished writing my first ever novel on holiday in France, back in August 2006. I’d not been able to read anything else during my time writing it, so choosing that ‘first’ book to read was a major decision. My reward to myself for completing my novel was to read Dorothy Koomson’s ‘My Best Friend's Girl’. It was the first novel I’d read by her and I was completely absorbed and engaged. I remember it was raining outside and I lay on the bed reading for an entire day (ignoring my children and husband!). Forgiveness, hope and heaps of heart, Dorothy’s writing made me want to be a better writer.

What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?

I used to dive in. I’d ‘hear’ a voice, possibly just a single sentence and then dive into the story. This meant I could start in the middle, at the end and never at the beginning. It made writing exciting but chaotic. I think that fitted around having preschool aged children and a hectic grabbing of moments to be able to write. Now I plan, I have routine and a tidy desk. And when I say I plan, I really and truly plan. I write a detailed synopsis and character outlines before I begin. I feel it takes away the spontaneity, but I love the lack of chaos. I will draft at least five times before I show it to anyone else. No one ever sees my first draft.

Novelicious Chats To...Lucy Dillon

Lucy Dillon is the author of Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts, which won the Romantic Novelists' Association's 'Romantic Novel of the Year Award' in 2010.

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

I try to write about 2000 words a day, which I have to fit in around the eating and sleeping needs of my two dogs. I usually end up doing emails and editing the previous day’s work in the morning, then we go out for a long walk around the orchards near my house. After lunch I get down to some proper writing until 6pm, but if I haven’t stopped by then, Violet will actually stand on my right arm at the keyboard until I turn off the computer and feed her.

When you are writing, do you use any famous people or people you know as inspiration?

Ha! ‘Inspiration’. Yes. One major perk of being a writer is that you can constantly indulge secret crushes on famous people, in the name of romantic hero inspiration. I won’t tell you who the current heroes are based on, because it’s probably far too obvious already, but I’ve got at least two Youtube tabs open on my browser at any given time in case I, er, get stuck.

Novelicious Chats To...Jessica Sorensen

Jessica Sorensen lives in Wyoming and originally self-published The Secret of Ella and Micha in October 2012. Her book sold 84,000 copies in the first month and over 200,000 copies to date. The Secret of Ella and Micha is a young adult novel about first love. Jessica recently answered a few questions for our Novelicious readers.

Can you tell us a little bit about your average writing day?

Usually, I get up pretty late because I’m not a morning person. After I get my coffee, I head to my office, where I spend a few hours answering emails and messages. Then usually about one or two o’clock I start writing. Depending on how much I need to get done, I’ll write for six to eight hours.

When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?

I don’t. I’ve always had a really hard time matching up what I see in my head with a celebrity.

What is your favourite Women's Fiction book of all time and why?

I honestly don’t have a favorite. I love books and my list of favorites is really long. 

What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?

I love to dive right in. Normally, I do a little revising about halfway through, but other than that the first draft is pretty much the final one (before edits of course). Although, when I first started writing novels, I did lots and lots of drafts.

What was your journey to being a published author?

I think I spent about two or three years writing my first book and then it took me two more years to finally decide to self-publish. It was a really long and hard road to get started, but it’s gotten a little bit easier.

Novelicious Chats To…Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards and co-author Louise Voss wrote Catch Your Death, the first self-published British book to reach the top of the Amazon charts. They have since signed a four book deal with HarperCollins.

Mark's first solo novel, The Magpies, is out now. 

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

I don’t really have an average writing day – more like snatched moments and evenings. I work four days a week and the other three are mostly taken up stopping my young children from trashing the joint. Trying to write when you have an eighteen-month-old bashing you with a plastic dinosaur and a five-year-old begging you to play Barbies again (we have an ongoing Barbie saga centred around a ‘mean witch’ Barbie and a Ken who’s clothes have gone missing) is not easy. So I write whenever I get the chance, storing it all up in my head then writing in bursts. Somehow, by the end of 2013 I will have published five novels in two years – four of them co-written, though, which makes it possible.

When you are writing, do you use any famous people or people you know as inspiration?

We all use bits of people we’ve encountered or seen on telly. For example I have just written a scene in which one of the characters was loosely based on Paddy Doherty! In The Magpies, the nightmare neighbours were very much inspired by a pair of real neighbours, a horror couple whose names I can never reveal. They weren’t quite as psychopathic as the villains in the novel but they did their best to make my life hell for two years, and I thank them for giving me the idea for the book.

When Cesca Met...Danny Wallace (kind of)

By Cesca Major

So, when Kirsty got in touch to say someone on the Novelicious team was required to interview Danny Wallace on Skype, on the paperback publication day of his debut novel Charlotte Street, my response went a little something like this:

 "OhmygodIlovethatmanletmepleasethisisallIwantforChristmasandmore."

Which is basically a nonchalant, "Yeah, sure I'll do it Kirsty, I mean, hey, someone has to, yeah?" 

I have been very open about my love for this man's writing in the past and in a recent 'Beat the Block' I talked about the simple premise that is his amazingly amusing book 'Yes Man'. So I was JUST the girl for this.

Novelicious arranged a time - 4.15pm last Thursday - and I set up my computer at work ready for the interview.

'Danny Wallace calling,' it announced. OH MY GOD.

Novelicious Chats To...Eloisa James

Eloisa James, is a successful writer with twenty of her bestselling books reaching as high as #5 on the New York Times Bestseller List. She recently answered a few questions for our Novelicious readers.

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

I get my children off to school and then start writing. I aim for 20 pages a day and then the next morning I cut 5-10 pages. This is painful, but it works for me.

When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?

Occasionally. Dr. House, in House, M.D., was an inspiration for the hero of When Beauty Tamed the Beast. But most of the time I just dream up my characters without that sort of direct source.

What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?

I don’t have just one. Favorite novels are littered throughout my life: my favorite novel at 15 (To Kill a Mockingbird) is still beloved. Right now, it’s probably the collection of short stories I’m reading by David Foster Wallace. Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels was one year’s favorite, as was Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s It Had To Be You. 

What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?

I tend to just jump in, perhaps with one scene in mind, and work from there. I find that if I write a detailed synopsis, I kill off my own creativity—most of the better stuff I write, plotwise, occurred to me half way through a book. This is not a process I recommend, because it occasionally leads to throwing out 175 pages and starting over. But it’s the only one that seems to work for me.

What was your journey to being a published author?

Well, I really started writing romance so that I could pay off my student loans. My husband (being a frugal Italian) was convinced that we couldn't have a second child because I had outstanding student loans, as isn't uncommon in the United States. I had to pay them off, so I wrote a romance. An agent took it on, and put it up for auction (much to my chagrin -- I'd never heard of such a thing, and thought that maybe the editors would be annoyed). When my agent called and said that someone had bid on it, I could hardly believe it. Then the next day another publishing house bid a bit more—but they wanted two books. Then the first house bid again—and now they wanted three books! In the end, the advance was just slightly over my student loans...but I had to write three books. It was the beginning of a career for me. By the end of three books, I was hooked. And in a very nice turn of events, my daughter Anna was born between the publication of book one (Potent Pleasures) and book two (Midnight Pleasures).

What do you think is the biggest myth about being a novelist?

That it gets easier. Writing is hard work and the career involves an enormous thickening of skin and weathering of rejection. I think that’s the hardest thing to realize. Heck, I don’t understand it myself. I keep thinking, “But surely it’s supposed to be easier after publishing twenty books.” Well, no, it isn’t. Reviewers are perhaps even tougher on a multi-published author. Publishers have a lot more money riding on a book, and thus they have more fear about its bottom line, and thus they put more pressure on the author.  Frankly, I look back at the days when I was low on the totem pole with distinct nostalgia. At the same time, I do absolutely love the good parts: all the wonderful readers I’ve met, the way they sustain me with their kindness in email and on Facebook, the incredible satisfaction of hearing that one of my books helped someone going through a tough time. As Dickens said:  it’s the best of times, and the worst of times.

What advice can you give to our readers who want to write a novel of their own?

Just jump in, perhaps with one scene in mind, and work from there. Beginning writers spend far too much time making up detailed plot descriptions and killing off their own creativity in the process. Most of the better stuff I write, plotwise, has occurred to me half way through a book. Let yourself be creative and come up with new ideas for characters and your plot, even if you’ve already written most of the book.  Revision is the most important tool for a writer.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am beginning a new novel with no title and so far, no heroine (though I have two possibilities). In the beginning of the writing process, a book is all potential, with no limitations. It's fun.

Thanks, Eloisa!

Novelicious Chats To...Janey Fraser

Author Janey Fraser has just launched her new book, Happy Families, (you can read our review of it here).

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

It starts when I walk my dog along the beach at 7.30. I mull over my characters and plot lines. Then I have breakfast with my husband and write until lunchtime. I can’t bear being interrupted. Then I’ll walk my dog again, often with a friend, and spend the afternoon going through emails. There’s a lot of work involved with writing a novel that has nothing to do with putting your fingers on the keyboard – publicity and library readings and questions from readers. I love it all. Then I’ll go over what I’ve written in the morning and make some changes.

When you are writing, do you use any famous people or people you know as inspiration?

I don’t use one particular person but you can’t go through life as a writer without noticing people. My characters are a pot pourri of real and imagined people. I also use magazine pictures of models to help me visualise them and work out what their problems are. (All characters need problems). I pin them on a corkboard next to my desk which overlooks the sea.

Novelicious Chats To…Kat French

Today we're talking to Kat French, author of Undertaking Love.

Can you tell us a little about your average working day?

I'm a mum, so my working day starts once the little guys have gone off to school. I usually start with strong coffee and stats – I'm officially allergic to spread sheets, but I like to keep records of rankings and also sales figures for my self-published books. I aim to get writing by ten am, and then write through until around five. I'm easily and often distracted by twitter and facebook, but I do my best to stay focused. We've recently redecorated our spare room as my new office, and OMG, I love it! I live in a house full of boys, so I've gone incredibly girly in there; it's a real haven. I find it impossible to switch off, so most evenings find me working on my laptop with a glass of wine to hand.

When you are writing, do you use any famous people or people you know as inspiration?

Not people I know, although I shamelessly steal stories they tell me! Famous people, yes. Totally. I have to cast the book in my head, and my desktop is scattered with images for inspiration. The hero inspiration for Gabe in Undertaking Love was Aidan Turner, the Irish guy who played Mitchell in Being Human, and for another of my books it's been the divine Alexander Skarsgard. I develop an unmanageable crush on them for the duration of writing the book, and then move on to my next manuscript and book boyfriend. Does that make me sound terribly slutty?! I find it less easy to cast the female lead, probably because in my head it's me, lol!

Novelicious Chats To... Sarah Tranter

Sarah's debut novel is No Such Thing As Immortality, you can read our review here.

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

I’ve recently started getting up really early to get a couple of hours writing in before the kids need breakfasting, school run etc. So the alarm goes off at 5am. Once I’ve done the morning school run, I tend to deal with emails, facebook, twitter etc and then have another few hours to write before it’s time for school pick-up. Once the kids are home, there’s no writing until they are in bed ― which is getting later and later these days. Quite often I find I’m too pooped to begin writing again, getting into that zone etc ― hence the new early morning routine. It’s all very different to when I wrote No Such Thing as Immortality. Then the kids were that much younger, in bed by 7pm so I’d begin writing then and often be at it through the night. I’m not a morning girl, but needs must.

When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?

Celebrities ― not usually. Although saying that, one did keep popping into my head when I was working on Romancing the Soul (January 2014 release date). It was a very, very nice mental image, so I didn’t mind too much.

People I know? To date ― not consciously, but I would be amazed if they don’t appear subconsciously. I would hope, not in a recognisable form. I am always finding snippets of my life appearing in my writing, so it’s bound to happen with people I know or have known, too. Perhaps a character trait, or a mannerism. It’s inevitable.

What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?

I know this is so boring ― but it has to be Pride and Prejudice. I read it at school for A levels and didn’t ‘get’ it. It was only when I re-read it in my 30s that I suddenly saw the book in its full glory and found myself laughing out loud at it. I absolutely adore Jane Austen’s humour. And then there is, of course, Darcy. It is the most perfect book.

Novelicious Chats To... Michele Gorman

Michele's latest novel is Bella Summer Takes A Chance and you can read our review here.

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

How I wish I had an average writing day! Goodness, sometimes my characters need time on the naughty step and other days they behave well and I feel like the next Hemingway in stilettos (admittedly those days are rare).

I do try to write before lunchtime though, since I’ve never been able to write at in the evening. Plus, by the afternoon I’ve generally come up with enough excuses not to write to convince myself (I can be very convincing). So I like to leave afternoons free for admin and marketing, and a nap of course.

 

When you are writing, do you use any famous people or people you know as inspiration?

Every so often I’ll fashion bits of a character after someone I know, or someone I’ve met. Oddly they never recognise themselves (and I’ll never tell). Then there’s my mother, who insists that every mother I write about is her. They never are – I’m not insane enough to risk that!

I can promise that nobody I know appears in Bella Summer Takes a Chance, but they are all people I wish I was really friends with, especially Marjorie and Frederick!

 

What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?

 Oh I’ve got lots of contenders in mind for that spot. I loved Anna Maxted’s Behaving Like Adults, and Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic, On the Island by Tracy Garvis-Graves (I did not see how they were going to get off that island!), I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (do those last two count as women’s fiction?)

 But if I had to pick my favourite favourite, it’s probably Watermelon by Marian Keyes, because it’s funny and sad and light and dark, and I love her ability to create characters I’d want to know in real life.

 

What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?

 I’m obsessively well-organised. I did try writing a book without a chapter outline once. I got three chapters in and felt so overwhelmed that I gave up. So I use excel to plot my books. Each row is a chapter and each column a separate storyline. Yes, I’m that geeky. But it helps me visualise the entire book on a single page, and ensure that each storyline builds nicely but doesn’t drown out the others… Please stop looking at me like that. I said I know I’m a geek.

 I usually do two or three big edits before the book goes off to my agent, then another one based on her feedback. If it’s destined for submission to publishers then once it’s accepted it goes through a round with the commissioning editor and one with the copy editor. If I’m publishing independently then that flips on its head - it goes to my copy editor for a round of changes first, and then back to my agent for a final round.

 

What was your journey to being a published author?

 The road to publication was fairly long. I began writing on weekends in about 1998 or so, and was lucky enough to get a US agent with my second book. By then I’d gone part-time at work so that I could write two days a week. My agent didn’t like my third book, so it went into a drawer and hasn’t been seen since. Then I wrote what would become my debut with Penguin (Single in the City). I had a hard time with that because my agent wanted it written for both a British and an American audience. Trying to serve two masters never really worked and I plucked up the courage to leave my agent. I knew Single in the City was the best book I’d written so far, and I was willing to self-publish it. I had visions of standing at Tube stations with a giant sign and free chapters (this was before Kindle existed in the UK). At the last minute I did a quick search for the perfect agent in London. I put a query letter out to 18 agents, and got a positive response from one very quickly. I knew as soon as I met her that she was the one for me (cue violins). We gave it one last edit before it went out to the publishers. My commissioning editor at Penguin came back within a few days with an offer.  

 

What do you think is the biggest myth about being a novelist?

 Well, for traditionally published authors, it’s probably that we make buckets of cash from our books. At a royalty rate of between 6% and 7.5% of the paperback price, e.g. around 25p-50p per book (of which our agent takes 15%-20% and the taxman takes another chunk), we’re definitely not rich!

I also think readers tend to imagine us lounging in luxury eating bonbons while we write. In reality we’re usually found scrounging around the cabinets, wondering just how out of date that stale pack of sub-par biscuits needs to be to pose a health risk.

 

What advice can you give to our readers who want to write a novel of their own?

 Find your story. My books always spring from a question. What if? Bella Summer Takes a Chance asks two questions: does “in love” really exist, and do you have to be in love for a relationship to last?

Find your voice. We’re tempted to write in a style that we like to read, but like covers of songs, the copy is never as good as the original. It took me three books to find my voice, so experiment and see where you’re most comfortable, what seems most natural.

If you want to publish traditionally, then find a ‘new’ agent. A new agent is just starting out. She’s hungry; she’s building her author list and her career. She will have much more time for a new author. Also, and this is key, she is going to have contacts in the publishing houses who are also starting out, and looking to build their author lists and careers. It’s very tempting to think that an experienced agent is best, but for a new writer I’d advise a new agent any day.

Thanks Michele!