The Interview with LYNN EMERY

THE ROCK: Who is Lynn Emery?
Lynn: I have a masters degree in social work. I still work full-time. I write five days a week unless I'm on deadline. Then I might write every day. Keeping a routine works best for me. That habit of writing each evening after work keeps me on target to finish my book. I'm single; no kids. Strangely enough, I still feel just has pressed to fit everything in as my author friends who are married and have children. I love music; blues especially. My boyfriend wrote and co-created a bluesy jazz tune that he and his musician friend named after my August release- Good Woman Blues. Take a listen at http://www.romancedesigns.com/ecards/lynnemery.cfm

THE ROCK: Where are you from and currently residing?
Lynn: I live where I grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

THE ROCK: Are there any other writers in the family?
Lynn: I have a cousin who writes beautiful poetry. We talk all the time via e-mail and are close even though she grew up in Los Angeles. No one else writes that I know of. But I have a huge family, many of whom I simply don't know very well.

THE ROCK: When did you start writing?
Lynn: I started writing when I was eleven years old. Like most writers, books that I loved inspired me. But also the great storytellers in my family inspired me long before I read my first novel. I learned early that I could weave stories that kept my playmates on edge to hear "The End". What a sense of power, what a rush when I made up ghost stories that made them scream or adventure stories that made them gasp at surprise endings. I was actually imitating my elders. From that, my love for reading led to a desire to put stories on paper.

THE ROCK: What prepared you to become an author?
Lynn: I'm not sure anything prepared me to be an author except the fire to "tell it" as Tracy Chapman said in her song; or the supreme confidence (arrogance) that I could write a story that more than a handful of people who weren't my relatives would want to read.

THE ROCK: What inspired you to become a writer?
Lynn: Good writing. Stories that stayed with me… long after I closed the book. There is great power in being one of the storytellers. Also, I wanted the world to meet all the wonderful characters in my head.

THE ROCK: What inspired you to write your book?
Lynn: My first book was published in 1995. Two elderly Creole women, one of whom was my babysitter until I entered school, are the inspiration for that book. I'm writing my thirteenth novel right now. A true news story about a Louisiana woman wrongly convicted of drug trafficking inspired it. Many of the novels in between have been inspired by the people in my life.

THE ROCK: Tell us about your newest creation. What is the premise?
Lynn: Monette Victor was wrongly convicted of a crime she didn't commit. But she wasn't exactly what you could call an "innocent" woman either. Soulful Strut is the story of how she faces the truth about who she was and who she has become. She also learns how to accept and give love.

THE ROCK: Any publishing contracts in the working?
Lynn: Not right now. The book I'm working on is part of a current contract. After I send in this book, I will write a proposal to try and sell the next book.

THE ROCK: Have you ever self-published? Why or why not?
Lynn: I have never self-published. Frankly, I never thought about this possibility. I might well have, but the first book I submitted was bought. If I have trouble selling to the traditional houses in the future, I would definitely consider the range of options available now. To show how fast things change, in 1995 print-on-demand, e-books and co-op publishing weren't even in existence.

THE ROCK: What are "traditional publishers" looking for?
Lynn: There is no one answer. Each writer has to research what editors want in different genres. In general, editors say they want larger than life characters readers can either root for or empathize with; that's what keeps them turning pages. They definitely want authors who are professional. That means everything from a polished product, following the correct submission process for that particular house, and of course a great story.

THE ROCK: If you were a publisher, what would be your niche?
Lynn: I would publish urban fiction. I like it even though that's not what I write. I love Chester Himes and Donald Goines, the early pioneers of this genre in my opinion. I love gritty slice of life stories. Maybe that's why my romance novels tend to include characters who are a bit gritty.

THE ROCK: For an author, is having a publishing contract with a "traditional publisher" important professionally?
Lynn: I think it helps in that the big houses give you the kind of distribution that you need for readers to find your book. Writing a wonderful book is satisfying, but not profitable on more than a limited scale if you don't have wide distribution. Most small presses or alternatives to the traditional route just can't do it, not on the scale that helps you grow a larger audience. Notice that most successful self-published authors have gone on to sign contracts with traditional publishers. Doing it all yourself is exhausting and takes time away from the creative process. At heart, all authors want time to create a tale that they are proud and eager; I would even say frantic to share. Marketing, sales, etc. takes away from the creative time.

THE ROCK: What are some of your professional and personal achievements?
Lynn: I can't point to any one thing as a social worker, but I have the blessing of two careers I love. In various roles or jobs, I have been able to help people in so many ways. As an author, my first achievement was selling my first book. I have loved seeing my name on the cover of every book since then. In 2004, I won three Emma Awards, named after Emma Rodgers the co-founder of Black Images Book Bazaar in Dallas, Texas. That was a thrill.

THE ROCK: Who are some of your favorite authors?
Lynn: Ernest Gaines, J. California Cooper, Zora Neale Hurston, Mark Twain, George Simeon, Alice Walker, Donald Goines, Chester Himes, Stephen King, Reon Laudat. I could go on, but you can see I can't name one, two or even just five. I can't even begin to list the romance authors I love.

THE ROCK: Where do you want to be in five years?
Lynn: Still writing. I would love to be sitting at home with my feet up tapping away on the keyboard of my notebook computer. Working at both careers is exhausting.

THE ROCK: Where can readers find you?
Lynn: Visit me at www.lynnemery.com I write a monthly online newsletter. You'll find that I include articles about a range of subjects I find interesting, about other authors and about my books. I do this because frankly I get tired of just talking about me, me, and more of what's happening with me.

THE ROCK: Thank you, Lynn. Best wishes.

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