Marsha: Welcome everyone. Tonight's guest is Janette Rallison, who also writes as Sierra St. James. She is the author of five books, and her latest, Playing the Field, is something of a departure for her.

Carol: >>>>>>>applause<<<<<<<<<

Marsha: Sierra, What kind of book is it?

Sierra: A mid reader, a boy-girl baseball book.

Marsha: Can you tell us what a mid reader is? Does that connote a certain age group?

Sierra: A book for ages 10-14. I got the idea for it when my daughter was in grade school. Kids that age are so funny.

Marsha: I mentioned that this book is different. What are your other four books?

Sierra: I have two LDS romances, and two YA's (young adults).

Marsha: Walker Books published this new one for a national market?

Sierra: Yes, Walker is one of the few publishers in NY that hasn't been swallowed up by the big companies. That makes things easier in some ways, harder in others.

Marsha: Tell us a little bit about how you got started writing. Have you always had the desire to write?

Sierra: I'm probably similar to the rest of you. I've always had the writing bug. I just kept working at it until I finally got to the point where someone wanted to publish my stuff.

Marsha: That seems so simple. LOL!

Sierra: Gary Provost once said publishing is easy. Writing well is so--hard. I'm still working on it. Still leaarning. I wonder if anyone ever get's it down pat all the way.

Marsha: When did you start writing? What age?

Sierra: I started writing at 6. I started writing seriously when I joined a writers group (ANWA) and decided I was actually going to finish something. I guess that was about 8 years ago.

Marsha: What was your first book's title?

Sierra: Deep Blue Eyes and Other Lies. The marketing department chose that title and I actually like it.

Marsha: That was one of your YA books. And the second? What was it about?

Sierra: The second was Dakota's Revenge. It was about a girl who was overweight, unpopular, and the center of some boys' teasing. She decided to get revenge in a humorous way. This was before Colombine. I'm not sure I would write it the same way now. It seems like a sensitive subject now.

Marsha: What was your fourth book?

Sierra: The fourth was Masquerade. It's a romance about a nanny who is working for a movie star. She pretended to be married to get the job, then falls in love with her boss.

Marsha: Oops, I forgot the third one.

Sierra: The third is a romance about a girl who inherits a vineyard from the woman she worked for as a maid. The woman's wealthy family is suing to get their vineyard back. She falls in love with the grandson, but isn't sure of his intentions. All of my books are really humor books disguised as other things.

Marsha: Those last two were written as Sierra St. James. Why?

Sierra: They were afraid that if I used Janette Rallison, women would think they were YA and not read them. Besides--Sierra sounds cool!

Marsha: LOL! Do you have any more books coming out?

Sierra: I have another YA at Walker right now. They have verbally told me they want it, but haven't gotten me a contract. These things take forever. There is real time, and then there is editor time.

Marcella: ?

Marsha: Okay, let's go to questions. Go ahead Marcella.

Marcella: So, Walker published all 5 of your books?

Sierra: Deseret Book published the first 4. Walker published the 5th and has one. I'm also writing another for Deseret Book right now.

Linda W: ?

Marsha: Linda, go ahead.

Linda W: Which one of the two publishers do you think tries to make you more money?

Sierra: Hmm. Probably neither. No, that isn't fair. Walker sent out more books. Deseret Book has their own stores so have sent me on book signings. But I think all publishers leave a lot of promotion up to authors. That's the part of being a writer I hate. I'd rather just sit in front of my computer. I guess publishers do what little they can. But anyway, I think I'll probably make more money with Walker.

Mary Ann: How long does it take for Janette to write a novel?

Lorna: ?

Sierra: Well, that all depends on the kids. I have five of them and they don't seem to appreciate that mom likes to sit in front of the computer. If I can write for a couple of hours a day I can write two books in a year. I've been writing for 8 years and have about 7 books done. That shows you how often I write.

Marsha: Lorna, go ahead.

Mary Ann: I think that is quite prolific.

Lorna: Thank you! I love the line in your Stephen King article where you said, "We have all eternity to work on our talents," because it gives me courage. But, I yearn to spend some time in mortality writing too, but I don't because of fear. So how do you overcome a fear of writing (fear of failing, fear of succeeding)?

Sierra: Fear. A very interesting subject. I went to a Richard Hatch seminar (Ok--I had a huge crush on Richard at 13) that was all about embracing our fear. Believe it or not he had a lot of wise things to say. And believe it or not I actually listened to some of it instead of staring at him. But I digress. Anyway, fear is something we all face in life. It can give us energy, strength--it's part of the thrill of life. You just keep plugging on, don't think too much about what will happen if you succeed or fail. Write because you love writing. Then no matter what else happens with your writing career, you'll be happy with what you wrote.

Marsha: Let's talk about marketing. You say you don't like it, don't do it well, all that sort of thing. Do any of our chatees have suggestions?

Sierra: Marketting any one? I'd be happy to hear your suggestions, especially if they don't make me look foolish . . .

Marsha: Well, I have a suggestion. I am finishing up a Western novel and I think a great thing to do when it's published is to take it to mobile home parks and do readings.

Sierra: Mobile homes? How will that help?

Marsha: Older men are from the generation who grew up with Westerns. And if the women know there is romance, too, they'll buy them for their husbands.

Virginia B: I took a session at a conference about a year ago from John Kremer, author of 1001 Ways to Market your Book (or some similar name--the book's upstairs). Anyway, he says you can successfully market your work in as little as 15 minutes a day.

Marsha: How, Virginia?

Virginia B: Kremer has loads of suggestions. One is to do radio interviews. You can do them from home. My problem is that I can't seem to come up w/a good hook to interest the radio stations in the first place. I'm sure my work is good (if I ever get it published) but all my ideas for describing the stories to a mass audience sound hokey.

Sierra: I know what you mean. The works of Shakespeare would sound silly described in a few sentences. So where would you go for [marketing] a romance?

Marsha: Kim, you're a romance writer. Where would you do a reading to get an audience?

Kim: Well, word of mouth and the internet--like volunteering to do chats like this one, etc.

Mary Ann: I called our local TV weather man and interviewed him for some factual information I needed. Right then, he invited ME to come on TV when the book gets published.

Marsha: Way to go Mary Ann!

Sierra: Neat, Kim. I think I'll have to write a weather man into my next book, Mary Ann.

Virginia B: For that matter, how do you select the best passages for a reading?

Marsha: I think readings need to have lots of action, and a suitable hook.

Mary Ann: I've had success dressing in costumes and appearing at state and national reading conventions--however, I'm a children's writer, so it works for me.

linda w: Janette, I noticed that Deseret Book is promoting your book "Trial of the Heart," big right now and I wondered why?

Sierra: Hmm. I hadn't realized they were. I know that they want readers to read all my books when my next book comes out--sort of to promote the author, instead of just one book.

Marsha: What are they doing, Linda?

linda w: I saw like half a page in their latest flyer.

Sierra: Oh, cool.

Marsha: That is cool.

Lorna: ?

Marsha: Does anyone have any more questions for Janette/Sierra? Go ahead, Lorna.

Marcella: ?

Lorna: Back again to fear; how do you overcome perfectionism in writing then, sort of the fear of not being good enough, or if temporarily achieving good-enoughness, how to sustain it?

Sierra: I just got kicked off. What was the last question?

Marsha: Sierra is back. The question is how do you overcome perfectionism in writing--the fear of not being good enough...or if temporarily achieving good-enoughness, how to sustain it?

Sierra: Well, I figure right off I'm never going to achieve perfection. That's what editors are for--okay, I'm just joking about that. Luckily I realize that readers aren't as picky as I am. And I once had a writing friend tell me, "Nothing I write is ever as good or as bad as I think it is. That helps, somehow. We just have to do our best and keep trying to learn as much as we can.

Marcella: ?

Marsha: Marcella, go ahead.

Virginia B: Is there any recommendation on what you pick for a reading? Do you pick the scariest part, happiest, beginning, what? Should you leave them hanging?

Marcella: How do you keep yourself writing? Where do you find the motivation/inspiration?

Sierra: I'll answer Marcella first. I write (am motivated) for many reasons: It's way funner than housework, I like the extra money, and most of all I like to create new worlds. It's just so fun to start out with an idea, a person, and then to see them come to life. I feel like I've made new friends after I write a story. Like I know them and they're real. My brother thinks that's craziness--he may be right. We're a crazy bunch. As for picking a reading, I try to pick a funny part because I write humor. There's nothing better than hearing people laugh and nothing worse than thinking they should be laughing and they're not. Then I know it's back to the drawing board.

Marsha: A writer I know said his motivation for writing is a new 5 month old baby, and not wanting to go back to a job in daily journalism. Any other questions?

Virginia B: I apologize for not being familiar w/your work, Sierra, but I assume it has a strong spiritual foundation. Right?

Sierra: My books are more about the story than about spirituality, but because my characters are good people their spirituality comes through (I hope). In my last book, Walker had me take out anything that had to do with church, because they wanted the book to appeal to a larger audience. Still, the people in the story are moral people.

Virginia B: Of course, or your story would be weaker. I just wondered if it's even possible to keep a spiritual foundation out of your writing, even when you don't mention it overtly--when you feel secure in your own convictions.

Sierra: I've read books where right and wrong didn't exist for characters. I don't particualarly like those books. I hope people always feel that my characters (at least the main characters) are good people. It's hard to relate to bad main characters.

Virginia B: When you're asked to remove reference to a church, are you also asked to remove references to God?

Sierra: I was asked to remove just about everything, but I had more references to church activities than to actual, um, whats the word I'm looking for?

Marsha: doctrine? attendance?

Sierra: It wasn't that I was discussing doctrine, I just mentioned that my characters were meeting at church, that sort of thing.

Marsha: And those had to go?

Sierra: Yep. Not all publishers want that, though.

Mary Ann: How does an unknown (no previous LDS fiction published) get Deseret Book interested? They've rejected me twice.

Sierra: As far as DB, it's like all publishers. It's partially a matter of timing, of luck, and of good writing. Just keep trying.

Marcella: ?

Marsha: Go ahead, Marcella.

Marcella: Do you have any suggestions for poets trying to get published?

Sierra: Yes, never write cheesy poetry and then give it to your boyfriend. I've done that and now I'm afraid that if I ever do get a poem published, Stuart Hirschfeld will pop out of the woodwork and sell the rest of my less than stellar work on ebay. Sorry, I have no good suggestions.

Marsha: No other poets here, sorry, Marcella. Any more questions? musicnurse? Lorna? Betty?

Lorna: Yes, how do you stay sane balancing family, home, church, and writing?

Sierra: Who says I'm sane? My house is a mess. My kids dress themselves for school. You get the idea.

Lorna: Thank you, now I'm definitely inspired!

Sierra: My theory is the dishes will wait and wait.

betty: LOL. Dishes can wait have always been my theory.

Marsha: Sierra, where are your books available?

Sierra: My books are available at Deseret Book. Waldenbooks has some, and of course good old Amazon. I hear Borders in Utah has them.

Virginia B: Can you sell them on Amazon?

Sierra: Yes. In fact some of them are already on ebay--that's sort of humbling.

Virginia B: I understand you can even put a link on your web site to Amazon and get a commission from them.

Sierra: Really? How do you do that?

Virginia B: Don't know, since I don't have a web site. Heard about it at a conference session. Maybe you can contact Amazon.

Marsha: They have an affiliate program.

Sierra: Marsha once again knows all. You'll have to explain it to me later.

Marsha: It's on their site. There's talk about whether or not it's worth it because things seem to change back and forth with percentages and accessibility to pages: technical things.

Sierra: Ohhh technology scares me.

Marsha: I know. LOL!

Sierra: That is why I have my husband--Techno Bob.

Marsha: Well, are there any more questions?

Marcella: ?

Marsha: Go ahead Marcella.

Marcella: Which character that you've created is your favorite, and why?

Sierra: Oohh what a hard question!! I think my favorite character is one who I'm writing about right now. She's a little crazy and therefor reminds me of myself. Of the published characters, I'd have to say, um, um, Emma in "Deep Blue Eyes" because she doesn't care what she says. She has a lot of confidence.

Mary Ann: Sierra, Do you belong to a critique group? BTW, I LOVE Masquerade.

Sierra: I belong to ANWA.

Marsha: Janette, what is ANWA?

Sierra: American Night Writers Association. Marsha also belongs and she can help me once a month. It's great! Thanks for loving Masquerade!

Marsha: You help me, too, Sierra.

Sierra: Yeah, stop killing off your characters.

Lorna: I love you too, Janette. My favorite is Trials of the Heart!

Marsha: I want to thank my gracious guest, Janette Rallison, aka Sierra St. James, for coming tonight, and persisting through the bumping off process. Thank you all for coming. I'm having a bit of gastric distress--actually, I think I'm dying, so I'm going to close down the formal session, but you all can stay and chat all you want.

Sierra: Thanks all!!!

Marsha: This chat will be posted soon on the Marsha_Ward Yahoo! group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Marsha_Ward. I'll put up a link on my http://marshaward.com site, if you forget the address or can't find it.

Lorna: Thank you for a fun evening!

Virginia B: Thanks, Marsha, for hosting it.

Marsha: Thank you all for coming. It was fun, and I really enjoyed it.

Mary Ann: Me, too!!! THANKS MARSHA!

Marsha: You're welcome.

Marcella: Thanks, Marsha, Thanks Sierra/Janette!

Lorna: Take some nice Tums for that gastric distress Marsha!

Marsha: Thanks again to Janette. You were great!

Sierra: Anytime. Glad I figured out how to work this technology thing.

END OF CHAT