MEET AWARD WINNING ROMANCE & MYSTERY WRITER

AN INTERVIEW WITH MARTI PHILLIPS

Q: How long have you been a romance reader, writer?

A: I have been reading the romance genre for twenty years, and writing for about five. I began in '93 with a suspense novel set around auto racing, which I had been a fan of for several years. In '96 a much revised version of that original story was published as my first book, The Edge .

Q: What are your main interests as a reader and writer of romance novels?

A: I love to read Historicals with elements of fantasy or magic, especially those set in the medieval & Arthurian eras. I also like an occasional modern era mystery or suspense, especially if the setting involves horses or horse racing. I have read almost every one of Dick Francis' mysteries. I write in these genres as well.

Q: Do you have any 'novel' writing habits?

A: Like Jackie Collins, whose novels I used to read, I write only with a pencil and notebook. My daughter or another typist edits and puts it on diskette for me, then I make changes, revisions, etc. on my computer. I have a home business where I edit and typeset authors' and small publishers' books, so I have learned to be very aware of grammar and punctuation. I write when everything is caught up around the house and I can steal a quiet hour or two in my office or sun chair outside. Luckily, my husband is very understanding about living with a writer and knows they need some space and time alone.

Q: What lessons have you learned from your publishing experience?

A: That it takes a lot of hard work to complete a book, but once you do, it is something you can be quite proud of, and the experience is satisfying, whether it is published or not.

Q: Any advice for aspiring writers?

A: 1. Be careful. Check out closely all agents and publishers you are thinking of using. It usually doesn't pay off to enter into a contract where you give them money up front. Find out their track record of sales, lists of clients, and with publishers, know their plans for distribution. 2. Learn your craft well and write for experience. Don't worry so much about writing for the markets, or the New York market which may be there one month and gone the next. Write what you like to research and what you enjoy. Use alternative avenues to publish your work when you are ready, such as online publishers.

Q: Okay, we have to ask: "If you were to cast actors for your novels, who would you choose?"

A: Cherif Fortin and Leland Burbank (both have been featured in Romantic Times magazine) were my inspiration for creating the heroes in two novels included in my current book, The Road to Camelot . The actors in the movie Excalibur were quite memorable to me. Of course, each writer's hero or heroine takes on an identity all their own and becomes solely a masterpiece of the author's imaginative process. And, who doesn't get inspired watching Adrian Paul, Mel Gibson and the actors (whose names I'm not yet sure of) in the movie Prince Valiant.

(You'll get no argument from us, Marti!)

Q: Can you tell us about your future plans? Upcoming novels?

A: I am trying to make some progress on a novel whose first chapter was entered in the Romance Writers of America Mystery/Suspense chapter's contest and won an honorable mention plus some great critique comments. The title is still pending, but it is set in the Kentucky horse racing country and involves a lady executive, her lover who was thought to be dead, and their aiding native Indians fighting to save their sacred burial grounds from a ruthless developer. I don't have a targeted publisher yet. I am also doing some final polishing and revisions on a short historical set in 15th century England, possibly to be submitted to Kensington.

Thanks, Marti. We wish you all the best!

MARTI PHILLIPS BIO

Margaret (Marti) Phillips has been writing since high school and studied journalism in college. After a fifteen-year career in the medical profession, she decided to work at home in a typesetting and printing business. She began writing mystery in '93 and had some short stories published.

The EDGE (1995) was her first full-length book. Since then, she has experimented with writing fantasy, and, a year ago, began a short romance novel for a contest, collaborating with her daughter Jackie. Later, this shorter novel evolved into a longer Time Travel/Historical, ( SWEET DEFENDER , New Concepts Publishing) later Print Published as THE ROAD TO CAMELOT .

When not at the keyboard, Marti enjoys outdoor walking, classic \plain\f4\fs20 movies and \plain\f2\fs20 reading fantasy and historical novels. She resides in a suburb of Nashville, Tenn. With her husband Jim, the writer of a how-to sales book, and a black cat named "Precious."