FreelanceWriting.com: What is your typical workday like? Do you stick to a writing schedule?

RENEE RUSSELL: I'm still at the point where I have to have a day job, so my writing is done at night and on weekends. I try to write for at least one hour each evening and must complete at least three pages in that time frame. On weekends I write two to three hours each day and must complete ten pages per day. It doesn't always work out that way, but I try to stick as close to that as I possibly can. I also try to make up page count for days that I didn't write my pre-determined number of pages.


FreelanceWriting.com: Do you set yourself daily, weekly, yearly goals? If so, what are some of your goals?

RENEE RUSSELL: My daily goal, Monday through Friday, is three pages. My weekend goal is ten pages per day. My yearly goal is to completely finish a novel. That includes coming up with the idea, researching any necessary information, completing the first draft and give it at least two polishes. Once all that is completed, I start querying agents.


FreelanceWriting.com: When did your passion for writing begin? What kept you going?

RENEE RUSSELL: It began pretty much in sixth grade. My best friend and I were voracious readers and we had formed our own little book club. This was way back in the day before those were even heard of. We wrote poetry and short stories, but never showed them to anyone except each other. I gave up the goal of being a published author when I went to college. I was so afraid of not being able to make it as an author that I got a business degree and worked in the business world ever since. About nine years ago, I decided I couldn't put it off any more or one day there'd be no time to try.


FreelanceWriting.com: How do you come up with ideas for what you write? What methods do you use to flesh out your idea to determine if it's salable?

RENEE RUSSELL: My first novel grew out of some family history research I'd been doing. I came to a screeching halt on one of my great-great grandmothers. It seems she'd had an illegitimate child and been disowned by her family. I never found out who her family was or anything about her early life. My novel, Kate's Pride, is a story I made up about what could have happened to any young woman in that time and place and under those circumstances. As far as salability, I had no idea if anyone would buy it. But that was the book I felt most strongly about at the time, so I wrote the best story I could and fortunately found someone interested in publishing it.


FreelanceWriting.com: Besides writing for magazines, what other writing gigs have you found profitable or rewarding?

Other than writing for magazines and now my first novel, I freelanced for a year for a major newspaper. It wasn't profitable, but it was rewarding in that I learned some things, met some interesting people, and got more publishing credits.

FreelanceWriting.com: Can you tell us what editors typically look for in a magazine/book query letter/proposal?

RENEE RUSSELL: That's a little tough because some editors look for one thing and other editors look for another. But the general thing to do is to write a query that's to the point. Don't go into a lot of description, make it succinct, but make it catch their attention. If you have published credits, then mention them; if you don't, then don't put anything personal in the query/proposal unless it relates directly to your work. For example, if you are writing a medical thriller and you are a doctor, then that would be something the editor would be interested in.

FreelanceWriting.com: Can you tell us how you found representation for your book. Did you pitch it to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish this type of book?

RENEE RUSSELL: I initially sent partials and a cover letter to all the major New York publishers. I knew absolutely nothing about the business end of publishing. When I got rejections from all of them, I was totally crushed and felt I just wasn't cut out to be an author. Several years later, when I decided to try again, I went the route of researching e-publishers. After researching several, I sent out a short, to-the-point query letter. One of them requested the full manuscript; after reading it, the publisher offered me a contract. I was absolutely over the moon - and still am. That book is a January 2007 release from Wings ePress.

FreelanceWriting.com: Can you explain some of your research techniques, and how you found sources for your book?

RENEE RUSSELL: I highly recommend AgentQuery.com (website) for agents. You can put in the genre you are writing and the site will pull a list of agents who are looking for that genre along with information about whether you can email a query or if they only accept snail mail. Writers Market is also a must have.

FreelanceWriting.com: What challenges or obstacles did you encounter while writing your book? How did you overcome these challenges?

I had a problem with writer's block in the middle of my novel. I knew how I wanted it to end, but couldn't decide how to get there from where I was. At that time I wasn't under any pressure to finish the book so I had the luxury of just letting it simmer in the back of my mind rather then pushing myself to get it done. While I was waiting for the middle of that book to come to me, I kept my creative juices flowing by writing down ideas for other books and the broad strokes of what those books would be about. Eventually, the middle of the work in progress came to me and that allowed me to get to the end of that story.

FreelanceWriting.com: Do you recommend other writers find a niche or specialty? What have been the rewards for you?

This is a tough one. I've heard important people, such as other authors and even editors and agents, say that when you are starting out you should stick with one genre, and once you've established yourself there, then you can move into writing multiple genres. However, I've also heard the opposite. I've seen it work for new authors both ways. It just depends if your story grabs someone's attention. My second novel is in a totally different genre from the first. We'll see how that works out for me.

FreelanceWriting.com: Have you had any downfalls or negative experiences working with a publisher/agent, such as rejection letters? If so, how did you handle it?

RENEE RUSSELL: I can't say I've had any negative experiences --- other than being rejected and that's something that's going to happen to everyone. I've gotten very nice personal rejection letters and I've gotten form rejections. But I never took offense because publishing is a business just like any other. Not everyone is going to like your work. I don't like every book I pick up in the bookstore so why would I think every editor or agent would like mine?

FreelanceWriting.com: In the last year or so have you seen any changes in the way publishers publish and/or distribute books? Are there any emerging trends developing?

I've noticed most of the large New York publishers are now offering their books in e-book format. I think that's the growing wave of the future. There are many, many e-book publishers out there who are doing well.


FreelanceWriting.com: Have you used the Internet to boost your writing career?

RENEE RUSSELL: Yes. I've created a website www.reneerussell.com and I've got a MySpace.com page. I've also used Classmates.com to locate old friends from school whom I can notify that I've got a book published. I plan to place advertising on sites where readers visit frequently to generate some interest in my book. I also belong to several online writers groups where I will post news of my success.

FreelanceWriting.com: Any unique ways you'll be marketing your book that is different from how others authors market their books?

RENEE RUSSELL: I'm offering to do Question and Answer sessions with book club members who choose to read my book. The only requirement is that they have access to a speaker phone and that the interviews be conducted in the evening or on weekends. I'm hoping this is something that will spur people to choose my book.

FreelanceWriting.com: Who are your favorite authors, and why do they inspire you?

RENEE RUSSELL: That's a tough one because there are so many of them. Allison Brennan, Tess Gerritsen, J.D. Robb, Agatha Christie, Nevada Barr, Greg Iles, the list goes on. They inspire me because they write wonderful stories that pull me into their worlds. I want readers to feel that way about my books.

FreelanceWriting.com: What's your advice to achieve success as a writer?

Write the very best book you can. After that persistence, persistence, persistence.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RENEE RUSSELL is a Tennessee-based writer. She has been writing for 9 years, and her short stories have appeared in various publications. She has also freelanced for The Commercial Appeal. She is a member of the National Association of Women Writers, Backspace and Romance Writers of America. Renee is the author of Kate's Pride, a Southern Gothic historical novel set in West Tennessee between the end of the Civil War and the turn of the century. The publisher is Wings ePress at www.wings-press.com. Visit Renee's website at www.reneerussell.com.