Catching up with Author Jan Sydnam

Author Jan Sydnam was the very first guest on Page Readers.  Listen to that first interview here. 

I met Jan on a writers forum.  As I browsed through the members, her profile picture caught my eye.  She was riding a horse.

Being an equestrian lover myself, I sent her a connection request.  She told me about her book and her quest for publicity and to make a long story short, Jan was a big part of the idea that became Page Readers.

First, a little more about Jan:

Jan Sydnam moved to Texas in 2003 to escape the ongoing constant wet drizzle of the Pacific NW. Although she loved the greenness of her surroundings there, the rain was depressing to her as an outdoor type person. Her current home sits amidst a herd of horses that she breeds, trains and shows. Jan made a name for herself in the horse show arena starting in 1970 and has many National wins to her credit. She has either ridden or trained the horse that was declared the winner. Since moving to Texas she started taking her talent in the area of writing, a bit more serious and wrote her first novel in 2007. That novel “Oh, For God’s Sake” was released in November 2008 and has been followed by four additional true crime event books with more in the works. Jan divides her days between writing and riding and does both with the passion she is well known for.

Visit Jan online at her website.


Now, a little about her book, "Oh For God's Sake."

Kathleen Heckertt was born into a life of abuse & neglect. With a manipulative monster for a father and a mother with no backbone, Kate faces deception at every turn.

A secret held by her mother only complicates living with a father who plays physical, emotional & mental games with this child. Like all children, Kate seeks only parental love.

Regardless of her destructive environment, she must make a decision. Her choice will determine the path her life takes as she fights to gain control of her feelings toward God and society.

With twists & turns that seem too painful to face, Oh, For God's Sake will keep you on the edge of your seat. The author aptly portrays experiences from her own life, leaving readers begging the question..."How can Kate ever survive?"

How long ago did you write OFGS?
It took me about six months and that was between the sweaty palms and fits of crying. In my Acknowledgments, I thanked my husband for standing by me as well as standing clear as I went through the painful task of reliving some painful moments of my childhood. Now days I can write the same amount of words in almost half the time.

What was your publishing experience like with OFGS?
I sent out two...yes only two query letters because I was so sure that it was a winner! Well, I waited and waited...publishers take their time! But after three months of nail biting I received an email and a package within moments of each other from a publisher that was interested in publishing my book. The founder of that company included a letter with the contract that in part stated..."You do not sound at all like a first time writer." Then he went on to explain that they receive well over 100k MS a year and they only make offers to 6-9% of the authors. They accepted my MS because...they viewed it as being "Marketable."

Most writers fail to recognize that publishers are not there to make them famous or make them money. The publisher wants to make the bucks!

What did you do to promote your work? (What worked, what didn’t)
I found that making hundreds of calls to the smaller bookstores myself worked. It took time but it paid off especially when I represented the local area as an author. I also contacted groups and schools that might find my book to be of benefit.

Where can we find the book?
Oh, For God's Sake can be found online at many of the booksellers that sell at a discount...or at local bookstores. The last time I checked, Borders and Barnes & Noble were both out of stock...which is good!

Was this your first experience publishing your work?

Oh, For God's Sake was my first published book. Since then I have three other books available.

Lost in Plain Sight that will be re-published in 2011

The Beaten Path - for Marilyn Bloodworth released in 2010

Doors Locked Backwards – for Jamillah Roberts being released in 2011
When I’m not writing a novel I’ve been keeping busy by writing e-books and other short projects

What made you decide to go into ghost writing?
To be honest, it was for the income…at first but once I realized that I had a writing style that was unique, I stopped ghostwriting in the true sense of the word and started asking that my name appear on the cover along with the storyteller. I no longer wanted to be the GHOST that no one ever recognized. Not everyone can make that jump but it’s always worth the attempt!

What has that experience been like?
Well, once I got that “lucky break” I’d been waiting for…of being recognized for my style…I acquired a Publicist and from there the road has been sooooooo much smoother.

Any advice to give to writers thinking of going into the ghost writing business?
My advice to all writers is JUST DO IT! Meaning…just keep writing everyday! Get at least 2000 words down every day! With time, you’ll start picking up gigs that will get your name and talent out there. Don’t plan on staying ghostwriters…go for the moon! Hey, in this business, there’s a lot of space to climb when you’re good!

What is your “routine” for writing?
That’s my other strong advice to writers! Discipline yourself!!! The more you write, the faster you’ll advance and get better jobs. I treat writing as a FULL TIME JOB! You can’t cheat because the only person you wind up cheating is yourself!

What other advice would you like to pass along?
I’ve been helping others with their MS and their story ideas and the one thing I keep running into is the desire to write when there’s really no talent. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but everyone has a story but not everyone can write. Writing is much like singing or dancing. You can learn only so much and the rest is up to you to develop.

In the end, some people will never make it into the final five on American Idol. The same goes for the way the brain works when people write. Some can and some will just be able to do it for their own pleasure and there’s nothing wrong with that.

The rub comes when they start complaining that publishers have no taste or don’t know a good MS when they see it.

No publisher is going to spend even a second longer when they spot typos and grammatical and syntax errors in a MS.

Writers need to take a course in writing. Writers Conventions are great for this info. Too many writers get their information from movies and TV…bad idea and it’s not realistic! Publishers never call you or offer you a hefty check when you’re an unknown writer! It just doesn’t happen that way.

Publishers do this as a living so we must give credit where credit’s due. Be realistic when it comes to your talent! If the rejections keep coming…take a class or find help but don’t blame the publisher! They need to read only the first paragraph or your MS to decide whether it’s a keeper or not. Remember, they get thousands of MSS in the mail every day. So, if your story starts out boring…it’s HELLO TRASH CAN!

There are a lot of talented writers out there and my five suggestions to them are:

1. KEEP WRITING

2. WRITE EVERYDAY

3. GET QUALIFIED HELP IF NEEDED (not your neighbor or sibling who’s never written anything but their name)

4. FIND A PUBLICIST (Yes, they’re expensive but their worth their weight in gold)

5. STAY POSITIVE

Thank you Jan for stopping back in.  Congratulations and continued success in your writing career! 

Susannah Raulino shares her skills in "It Writes Itself"

This one is for all you authors out there. 

Susannah Raulino stopped by Page Readers to discuss her book, "It Writes Itself, A Traveling Guide to Writing Fiction."

"It Writes Itself" began as a class syllabus that Susannah was teaching on creative writing.  As the class progressed and ideas were added, she realized this information needed to be shared with more than just her students.

As an improv actress, Susannah realizes the need for inspiration and sometimes even that gentle push that brings on creativity.  While up on stage her troupe takes suggestions from the audience, creates a play and then acts it out - on the spot!

Doing this taught Susannah that sometimes stories have their own purpose and characters want to tell their own tales.  Sometimes, an author is nothing more than a scribe, just taking down the events as they happen around them.

It's an interesting thought.  So many authors get caught up in telling their story that they don't realize what they've created can tell it from a better perspective.  I've had other authors tell me that too - their characters take on a life of their own, and tell them, the author, their story.  And when the author finally gave up control and just listened to those voices, the story wrote itself.  And turned out better than expected.

So, if you're an author looking for a way out of your creative funk, or you've come to a point where writing isn't fun anymore or you are in need of stretching those creative wings, I highly recommend Susannah's book.  I found it to be unique, inspiring, fun and most importantly - different from all the other "how to" books on writing.

Visit Susannah online at www.raulinobooks.com for more about this fabulous book and talented author.

Alan Smith Shares his book "Unbreak Your Health" on Page Readers

Today author and public speaker Alan Smith shared his book "UnBreak Your Health" on Page Readers.

It was through his own experience with western medicine and a disappointing diagnosis that prompted Alan to take control of his own health and find relief when doctors at the Mayo Clinic failed to help.  Along they way he found many books and resources to be helpful, but so many were overwhelming or outdated and that is what gave him the idea to write his own.

In "UnBreak Your Health", Alan breaks down many alternative and complimentary therapies that are available to anyone in search of another way to treat what ails them.  His first edition of the book was barely off his desk when he realized that he had enough for a second book, and he even decided to reformat the second book into an easier to read version.  Each therapy is described in a page or two, along with links to more information.

There is even a third edition in the works!  Scheduled to be released January 2011, Alan will share even more ways to take control of your well being. 

Visit Alan's website, follow him on Twitter, and check out his blog.  This is all great information!

Victoria Howard on Page Readers

Author Victoria Howard joined me from the UK to discuss her books "The House on The Shore" and "Three Weeks Last Spring", and her new book "Ring Of Lies" which will be released soon.

Victoria is an inspiration to anyone who finds themselves taking on their dreams mid-life.  She didn't begin her career as a writer until after she retired from a career from the National Health Service, which has come in useful when crafting her stories.

She gets her inspiration from her vacations spent in some of the worlds beautiful places like the beach in Florida and Puget Sound, and of course the beautiful area in which she is so lucky to live, the English country side.

In her spare time she knits and creates knitting patterns, walks her dog Rosie and is of course, an avid reader.

Visit her website to learn more about her work - she's got a new novel coming out later this year, "Ring of Lies".

Shells Walter and her new book "Dead Practices" on Page Readers

Shells Walter joined me today on Page Readers to talk about her latest release "Dead Practices" the story of a zombie attorney who finds himself in a dilemma of, well, human proportions. 

Shells is a talented story teller who puts corkscrew twists into her stories.  As you're going along, you might think you know what's going to happen - then all of a sudden you're hanging off a cliff wondering how the heck she did that!

Find out more about this incredibly talented author at her official website and buy her books at Sonar 4 Publications. 

More Changes At Page Readers

Hello to all of my guests, past and future, and to the fans of Page Readers.

As Page Readers continues to grow, changes are inevitable.  All of the changes that are made are done with YOU - my guests- in mind. 

Page Readers was created to help authors of all genres gain more exposure to their work. To do that I have to keep up with technology and the massive growth of Social Media, which itself has been an exciting experience!

Some of you are reading this blog post via a "news feed" that I've set up with Feed Blitz.  I hope you allow me to continue sending you these updates, which should come no more than once a week.  I also hope you share these updates with your own fans and writer friends.  Remember - the more exposure for Page Readers, the more exposure for my guests - which includes YOU!

Some of you are already fans of Page Readers on Facebook - THANK YOU!  But, you may have also figured out that Facebook has changed the way the fan pages work.  I can no longer invite people to become a fan, instead you can "like" the group.  If you know how to get around this, please let me know!  I had just started the group when the system changed!

I've added a "Follower" section to the blog, which you can see is growing. Yeah!  I've also added a Calendar Page, so you can see who is scheduled, separate pages for some of the publishers who have been kind enough to share Page Readers with their authors and a page for Recommended Author Services.  I hope you take the time to browse through it.  I appreciate all of your comments and feed back. 

And, I'm on Twitter, learning how to use this incredibly powerful marketing tool  If you want to learn more about using Twitter, stay tuned - Carolyn Howard-Johnson will be joining me in July to discuss her book that will teach you how to master this micro-blogging craze.  Follow me @NanciArvizu - and follow Carolyn at @FrugalBookPromo.

THANK YOU ALL for making Page Readers so much fun and for being part of the amazing growth it has experienced.  I am currently booking 10-15 author interviews A MONTH, and the calendar is full through August.  Amazing!  There are already a few shows booked as far in advance as December 2010!

For a while there I was thinking it was time to start charging authors for the services Page Readers provides (and I appreciate the input I received from the people I talked with!).  After careful thought I've decided to keep Page Readers a FREE service to authors.  However I have added a donation button to the Blog.  Unfortunately some of the services I use for Page Readers are not free, but I felt they were the best way to promote the authors I interview. So if you've enjoyed your experience with Page Readers, I hope you feel it worthy of a donation - THANK YOU!

I am looking forward to the future of Page Readers and to the continued success of all of you - the wonderfully talented authors who have made this experience so incredible.

Keep Reading, Keep Writing!

Weston Locher discusses his book Musings on Minutiae

Weston Locher joined me today to discuss his book Musings on Minutiae, a collection of funny essays about Weston's life, from childhood to the work place, and his home life with his cats.

  I had the opportunity to read this book, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I could really relate to the stories of his childhood, like he said, we all had crazy parents!  My favorite story, "Splitting Wood, and Other Chores I Never Volunteered For".  OK, while I've never used a wood splitter, I have handled a chain saw (at a young age) and spent many a weekend doing other chores that had the potential to separate me from my limbs.

Telling the stories of our lives is one thing when you're sitting around with friends, laughing and having a good time.  Weston is able to take those verbal stories and put them to paper with what seems to be the greatest of ease.  He is definitely a talented writer and story teller - and he has an equally talented and wonderful editor - his mother!

And right now Amazon is running a special on his book if you are lucky enough to own a Kindle.  Kindle versions of his book are just .99 CENTS!  Get one ASAP!

Be sure to visit his website too.  Weston has a lot of his stories posted there and even shares some tips on how to market your own books.  Having gone the self-publishing route, he's had to be author and publicist and has done a great job in getting the word out about his book.

Spotlight on author Laura Bell

Since the beginning, the purpose of Page Readers is to promote the work of authors from any genre regardless of the subject of the work or the status of the author.

All authors deserve a little time in the "Spotlight"!

Laura Bell was a guest on Page Readers back when we were still trying to figure out the best way to promote our guests and the show. Without wonderful guests like Laura, we might have given up a long time ago!

Laura joined me to discuss her book "101 Things You Didn't Learn in Harvard Business School". She is the creator of "The Bell Business Report" website and offers sound financial information for anyone who wants to get a grip on their money.



Listen to Lauras interview on Page Readers to learn more about her and her work.

Thank you Laura for being my guest on Page Readers!

Page Readers keeps growing!

2010 has started off with a Bang! It all started when I met author Lori Titus, who writes GREAT Science Fiction. After her interview on Page Readers, she shared the show with all of her author friends who started asking to be on the show. I went from doing 2-3 interviews a month to doing 13 in February. By the end of March I will have done 15 shows and April is filling up fast.

Getting to know all of these wonderfully talented authors has been such a pleasure. They are all interesting people with imaginations that take us along for the ride through their stories. And without Page Readers, I would have not met any of them or read their books.

Which is the purpose of Page Readers. To give the unknown, up and coming author a chance to share their stories with more people!

Help Page Readers spread the word about these incredibly talented authors. Become a follower of this blog and a fan of the show at Blog Talk Radio. At the Page Readers show page, use the share tools provided by Blog Talk Radio to share the show via Twitter, Facebook, email and a host of other social media links.

And, something new I've added to help promote my guests. I've begun writing Lens/Articles on Squidoo to share the authors work, the show and links to everything. Squidoo also provides social media share tools, so please share! You can "Tweet" it, post it to Facebook, rate the article and leave comments. Doing so not only promotes the article and the show, it helps my guests gain more exposure for their work.

Thank you for your continued support!

Page Readers talks with Janice Clark, author of "Mountains of the Moon"

Janice is an experience story teller who can describe even the place she lives as a mystical place. Even if the place is southern Washington State!

Her story "Mountains of the Moon" was written for one of her granddaughters who even decided upon the story, which is about loss and acceptance.

Mountains of the Moon is just one part of a series of books that Janice is currently working on. The series, "Hall of Doors" will include other mystical and magical journeys targeted at young readers.

I enjoyed talking with Janice, and reading her book. I highly recommend not only her book, but check out her website at www.janiceclark.net. She offers a free book available for download as well as links to all of her other works and a link to her blog.