Historical Romance author Carol Ann Didier shares her research and marketing tips
Carol Ann Didier
After retiring from a career in business administration field in 2005, Carol Ann Didier took up writing, specialising in historical romances set in the American Wild West. Her debut novel, Apache Warrior
was published by Kensington Books in April 2008 and Navajo Night
came out on September 1st 2009.
What inspired you to become a writer?
I’m a late bloomer. I never planned on becoming a writer. I never took journalism in school, or special writing classes but I have always been an avid reader.
I loved anything that had to do with our American expansion of the west and particularly about the Native Americans, and had always felt our government did not do right by them as they were here first.
I used to say when people would ask me about my interest in Native Americans, that at 12 years old I fell in love with a dead Jewish actor who played a dead Indian. Jeff Chandler captured my young, imaginative heart in the movie Broken Arrow. After that every term paper and book report I did was on the west.
When I grew up, I had the pleasure of visiting some of the places I had written about because I had a friend who was a missionary to the Apaches and Navajos, and I spent many summer vacations with her on the reservation. So, naturally, when I did decide to write, I knew the subject matter would be about the taboo love between a Native American Indian and a white woman, but it would also demonstrate the historical events happening at that time, the culture and belief of the tribe I wrote about, and the prejudices of that day concerning such a mixed relationship.
Where do you get your information for your books?
I knew I would write a story about Apaches, and I guess you could call that the book of my heart. My next tribe was Navajo because I had met so many of them over the years and respected them as a people. While I was doing some background study on them and discovered the tragic period in their history known as the Long Walk (if you aren’t familiar with that piece of history, you’ll have to get my book) I knew I had to include that in any story I did about them.
I can’t tell you exactly what triggers it, I may hear of an incident that happened to a particular tribe, or a scene in a movie or something I’ve read will trigger a new idea. I’m not one that can sit in front of a blank computer screen and start writing.
It comes to me, then I go write it down in long hand, then I take it to the computer. I have bits of conversations, a scene, a quote from something or somebody, and then I put them in a new folder entitled whatever he new work is, and then I combine them into a story.
What’s Navajo Night about?
A Navajo Holy Man who loses his young wife while performing a healing sing for her and is devastated when he cannot save her. Forever haunted by his failure, he determines he will never lose another patient.
He plans to devote himself entirely to his tribe and his twins and become the best Holy Man they have ever had. He vows never to love that deeply again either, until he meets the gentle white preacher’s daughter, and his vow flies away on her lilting laughter and sweet smile.
The white girl is captivated by the Holy Man’s devotion to his tribe but she has been born with a crippled foot. That turns inward and feels that someone as perfect as he, will never look at someone as imperfect as she. However, when they are thrown together during The Long Walk, they find themselves in need of each other if they are going to survive and have a normal life again.
How did you find your publisher?
It took me ten years to finally get my book published, but it was certainly worth it. For some, it happens overnight and that’s wonderful, but I could paper a desktop with rejection slips before I got picked up.
There is a book in most libraries that list all the literary agents and tells you what they are looking for and what kinds of writing they represent. You can also go online and google Literary Agents.
Word of mouth is really valuable - if you have a friend who has an agent, ask her if she would ask her agent if she would be willing to read something from you.
Finding an agent is as hard as finding a publisher. You just need to keep at it.
What advice would you give to other authors about getting their work placed with a big publishing company?
Try, try, again. You never know when the right editor will pick it up and say, This is just what I’ve been looking for! Keep sending out query letters after you have researched a particular publisher and know what they like, but be sure they accept unsolicited offerings because if they do not, it may just go into a slush pile from which it may never rise again, or they will reject it out of hand.
What promotional tricks do you use?
I use bookmarks with the story on one side, and a blurb and picture of me on the other. I’ve ordered pencils engraved with my title and my name on them. I make up a flyer to include with any query letters I send out to local libraries, bookstores, reading groups, newspapers and so on.
I contact anyone I think might be interested in arranging doing a book signing with me, and then on the day I do a signing, I take along a Indian woven basket and put a bag of chocolates in there for the people to take along with the bookmarks, and the pencils.
As a published author how do you feel about e-publishing?
I think its great. I’m partial to holding a book in my hand, but many of the ladies in my particular writing group are doing the e-publishing venue and are doing very well at it.
Whose writing do you admire?
I’m partial to Karen Kay, Lucia St. Clair Robson, Constance O’Banyon and a few more.
How long does it take you to do research on the books you write?
A couple of months. I usually figure out what I need more information on as I write the story, so then I go look up those particular things, culture, beliefs, dress of the period, speech, and so on.
People who read a certain period of history are very aware of what goes in the era and what doesn’t, the vernacular of the period, and the dress, so it’s important to get these details right.
What advice would you offer an aspiring writer?
Read. Read. Read. Especially in the genre you hope to write in. See what is being sold in the market place. Research the publishing houses to see what they are looking for.
However long it takes, don’t give up your dream. Keep at it, improve your craft, joining writers groups in your area, get a critique partner and stay with it.
For more on Carol please visit www.carolanndidier.com
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Carol Ann,
I am so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to do this interview. Your books are a best read.
Walk in peace and harmony, my friend
Melinda