Author interivew with Gracie McKeever
Tell us a little about yourself, Gracie.
I’m a romance author with several cross-genre books under the umbrellas of erotic and traditional romance (i.e., paranormal, shapeshifters, interracial, bdsm, just to name a few of the sub-genres). I write in my spare time (in other words, every chance I get ) as I have a full-time nine-to-five. I like to spend the rest of my spare time with my family when I’m not vegging out in front of the computer or the internet or channel surfing on the TV .
When did you decide to become a writer?
It wasn’t really a conscious decision to be a writer. I’ve just always written and assumed it would always be something I would do in my life. I decided to write for publication some time in the early 1990’s when I began submitting my work. I had my first pieces (a short story and a novel excerpt) accepted in a genre magazine and a local newspaper, respectively around 1994. Several fiction and poetry writing contest wins, places and shows followed along with publication of some poetry and short stories in several small magazines before I eventually broke into e-publishing with my first novel, New Life Incognita, a New Age paranormal urban romance.
What was your first published work?
A mainstream short story entitled Forgiven. It was published in a, at the time, new genre magazine out of Colorado, and involved the healing and redemptive process of a young, widowed and suicidal policeman who meets with the mother of a boy he has killed and finally comes to terms with his survivor’s guilt.
What is your dream as a writer?
I think it’s pretty typical of most writers: to earn a living from my writing and be able to quit my day job .
What writing avenues are you currently pursuing?
Up to now, most of my focus has been on novels and long fiction. I’ve recently gotten back into writing short fiction, where I initially started, and am looking at breaking into some anthologies—New York or small press. I’ve had one short story accepted for Zane’s upcoming Eroticanoir.com anthology Caramel Flava 2 towards this end, and have a second short work out for consideration in another short story anthology with another publisher. I’m pursuing publication specifically in erotic romance and erotica fiction opportunities as I’m enjoying writing the genre so much. Also, I have recently discovered and am enjoying the complexities of writing m/m erotic romance.
What are you working on now and/or name some titles that you have upcoming?
I just completed my second adult fairy tale and m/m erotic romance (angels/bdsm/interracial/reincarnation) entitled Zack and the Dark Shaft and have submitted it to my publisher for consideration in an upcoming anthology. I’m currently working on the fourth book in my The Matchmaker series, entitled Emilia’s Emancipation, with a fifth book planned (Taming Donna). Upcoming with Siren in the next few months are the third story in my Sisters of Emsharra series, Sentinel’s Hunger, which will be appearing in Siren’s Signature anthology and inaugural issue of Rapture 1 in mid-2007 alongside works by Siren authors Lara Santiago, Amanda Hilton and Emma Wildes. I’m really excited about this anthology not just because it’s my first, but because of the multitalented and diverse company I’m in . I have another reincarnation-themed title in Eternal Designs coming from Siren, also mid-2007 and in early-2008 my first adult fairy tale Nine Inches of Snow and the Ebony Princess will be appearing in A Siren Adult Fairy Tale anthology.
Is there anything you wish you had been told earlier in your career?
Oh lots of things, but mostly that rejections aren’t personal and I should look at them not as a negative or a door closing, but as a door opening on another, alternate opportunity. Of course, I learned to handle the rejection in the long-run, couldn’t help but to if I wanted to get published; it just would have been nice to have been prepared for the letdown (not that the rejections affected my desire to be published any .)
What advice can you offer writers just breaking into a serious writing career?
Don’t let your skills stagnate. Always look for opportunities to improve and perfect your craft and never rest on your laurels.
Anything else you want our readers to know?
Readers interested in learning more about me and my books can visit my publishers at Siren Publishing, Inc. (http://www.sirenpub.com), Awe-struck E-books (http://www.awe-struck.net) and Fictionwise (http://www.fictionwise.com), or visit my personal site at http://www.graciecmckeever.com. Readers can also check me out at http://www.myspace.com/graciecmckeever where they are more than welcome to friend me and subscribe to my blog (I try to keep it as up-to-date as possible ). I also publish a newsletter (The G-Spot) every two months and readers can sample an issue and/or subscribe here http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewNewsletter.asp?authorID=623 where they’ll be kept up-to-date with the latest in e-publishing, in generally, but specifically the latest news on my books and other writing projects. I also run a contest each issue and give away one of my books.
Thanks Jo, for having me at your blogspot and allowing me this opportunity to talk about myself and my books!
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