Author Spotlight:
Sheila Connolly
New Book Releases:
- One Bad Apple, a mystery from Berkley Prime Crime, available on August 5, 2008!
- Pane of Death, a mystery from Berkley Prime Crime, available on November 4, 2008 (Sheila Connolly writing as Sarah Atwell).
- Through a Glass, Deadly, a mystery from Berkley Prime Crime, available since March 4, 2008 (Sheila Connolly writing as Sarah Atwell).
Recent/Upcoming Book Signings:
- New England Independent Booksellers Association Trade Show in Boston, September 19-20, 2008.
Questions We Asked Sheila...
What is your favorite place to write? The landing at the top of the stairs (with my father’s desk, my grandmother’s filing cabinet, and my great-grandmother’s lamp).
Are you a typewriter, Mac, or PC person? PC (laptop).
How many full-length novel manuscripts did you complete before selling? I lost count (I kept rewriting them, and cannibalizing pieces), but it was at least 15.
Can you give us a quote from one of your best (or worst) rejection letters? One agent provided both. After reading a partial she raved about my “sly wit and elegant prose” and requested a full. Then she rejected it. I don’t have the exact language handy, but clearly she fell out of love with it.
What would you say is the most valuable writers' training course you've taken? I can’t say I’ve taken a lot. I loved C.J. Lyons’ Trauma 101, because it was hands-on material I could use. I did take Mary Buckham’s synopsis course, which probably came in second.
What is your reason for writing? To shut up the voices in my head? Because after waiting a very long time, I can’t NOT write any longer (I’d been promising myself for years that I would do it).
What would the hero of your latest book say if he met you on the street? That’s hard, since I have two series with different heroes. Seth Chapin in One Bad Apple would probably say, “What can I do to help?”
What would he DO? He would tile your bathroom, tune up your car, and then he’d hand you a puppy he thought you should have, and then he’d take you out to dinner to cheer you up.
What advice would you give to other aspiring writers? Never give up. Learn to handle rejection early, because you’ll see a lot of it. But don’t agonize over it—it’s just part of the process. Keep trying, and keep learning. Show your work to other people who can criticize it without being cruel, and listen to them. Believe in yourself.
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Still have questions?
If you want to know more about Sheila, visit her websites at
www.sheilaconnolly.com and www.sarahatwellwriter.com.
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