 AUTHOR
PROFILE: Gail Dayton
Author's Name: Gail Dayton
Website: www.gaildayton.com
Gail Dayton is a multi-genre writer who has written for Silhouette
Desire and now Luna Books. Her new epic romantic fantasy is available
in March and she is currently working on the second novel in her
One Rose trilogy.
New Releases:
The Compass Rose
March 2005 from Luna Books
One desperate call to the gods...
One blast of extraordinary magic...
One gift of unimaginable power...
The legends of the Godstruck were just that - legends. Until,
in an attempt to defend her people, Captain Kallista Varyl called
on the One for aid and was granted abilities such as no one had
seen in centuries.
Now Kallista has been charged with a new destiny as one of the
most powerful women in the land- but her power is useless if it
cannot be controlled. Mastering her “Godstruck” abilities
is the first step. The next, learning that she cannot unlock the
secrets of the Compass Rose and defeat her nation's enemy alone.
And finally she must stop a demon-possessed king....
The Compass Rose: fourfold magic barely understood-or contained....
On Writing
I'm one of those multi-genre writers. We write what we love to
read, right? I read pretty much everything except horror, literary
fiction, and straight Westerns (and then I may make an exception,
depending.) So when I got serious enough with my writing to begin
finishing manuscripts, I was all over the board. I wrote (and
still want to write) historicals, romantic suspense, contemporaries,
and most of the gamut of fantastical fiction categorized as speculative.
For heroes, I've created everything from Victorian Irish gentleman
farmers to street-smart punks in black leather to shape-shifting
dragon-men.
It just so happened that the first book that caught an editor's
eye was written for Silhouette Desire. Hide-and-Sheikh sold in
late May of 2000, was published November 2001, and reached the
Rita finals for Best First book in 2002. I was shocked and thrilled
to see my little 50,000-word Desire in the lists against five
historicals and a paranormal, all twice its size (one of which
won its category that year).
Then it took me two years to sell a second Desire. Some of the
delay was circumstantial-changing editors, massive disasters-that
sort of thing. But there were at least three submissions that
didn't make the cut, and because of my weirder, eclectic writing
habits, I had nothing under the bed that would fit Desire. (Not
too many dragon heroes there.) However, after a major rewrite,
Rescue Me sold, had its title changed to Her Convenient Millionaire,
and came out in November, 2003. It won the 2004 Aspen Gold award
for Short Contemporary. And I still haven't sold a third Desire.
The story has a happy ending though. In 2004, Harlequin/Torstar
launched the LUNA line of fantasy written for women. Because I
have loved stories of magic and adventure since I still thought
kissing was icky, I wanted to write something for LUNA. I spent
some time world-building and brainstorming with my then-17-year-old
son (who I very cleverly hooked on fantasy when he was but a child)
and came up with a proposal, which I sent in late in May. In August,
they called, not requesting the full manuscript, but with an offer
to buy not only The Compass Rose, but two more books in addition.
And this is more than just a bit about my writing. Sorry. I tend
to get enthusiastic.
Becoming a Full-time Writer
I have written stories since I was about 9, old enough to form
decent sentences. I majored in journalism in college, but always
lived in small, rural Texas towns, where there wasn't much opportunity
to work in my field, though I did work on the local weekly from
time to time. (I currently write the "society" column
for the newspaper in my new hometown of less than 2000 population.)
I got a master's degree in history (old journalism-the stuff that
was printed in newspapers at the time), and taught at several
junior colleges. And I worked as a paralegal for one of the local
prosecutors, a fascinating job that gave me an infinite amount
of material, if I ever figure out how to use it. We handled misdemeanors
and juvenile offenses in our office, so we dealt mostly with the
stupid rather than the wicked. But it wasn't a problem at all
making the transition to full-time writer. I wrote even when I
had other jobs. I am one of those people who simply can't not
write. (Excuse the double negative.)
Her "Big Break"
A friend told me that sheikh stories were popular with Desire
readers, and while I hadn't read many of the current ones, I had
read the original, The Sheikh, written back in the 1920s. So I
figured out what all the sheikh fantasies were-the exotic, erotic
male who sweeps you away to a strange new world of fabulous luxury-and
tried to put them all into a story that was just a little different.
And it apparently clicked with the editor. Now if I could just
do it again.
On Perseverance
I've never seriously considered quitting writing altogether. There
have been times when I was too tired to write (small children
will do that to one, especially if they are grandchildren), but
even then, I was restless and fidgety. I needed to write. I don't
think I could quit even if I tried. I may not always write the
same thing, but that's not the same as quitting.
On Genre
I write in lots of sub-genres and always have, because I'm a "both-end"
kind of person, not an "either-or." I don't see why
I can't have it all. I love the fantasy genre because you can
dream up some really outlandish "What-ifs" and toss
your characters into those situations just to watch what happens.
You can have everything-adventure, romance-the whole shebang.
You can blow that dang envelope to smithereens, not just push
it, and get away with it.
I still love the other sub-genres. I have a whole degree in history,
I love it so much, and once historicals make their come-back-and
I firmly believe they will-I plan to write some of those. I currently
have some single-title contemporary romances my agent is marketing
for me, and now I've finished the second book in the One Rose
trilogy, The Barbed Rose, I'll be writing another-with a paranormal
twist.
Writing Schedules
I get up in the morning, fix my hair (I have to at least get it
out of my face), maybe toss a load of laundry in the washer (or
dryer, depending on how far behind I am), and then head into the
office. (I just got an office for the very first time when we
moved back in July this year, so I'm still all tickled to be able
to say "my office".) And I sit down and start either
writing, or if I'm in story development or revisions, I'll start
on those. I write until the son comes home for lunch (our youngest
is a senior in high school, so I pay attention to him while I
have the opportunity), then in the afternoon, I'll do the internet/business
stuff. I tend to have a "sinking spell" in the afternoons,
and would fall asleep over actual writing, but I can stay awake
while on the computer. And if I need it, I can do another writing
stint later in the evening. But usually, I get done what I need
to working in the mornings. The main thing is to go to work first.
Works in Progress
I just finished the second book in the Luna trilogy (deadline
was Feb 1), and now I'm starting on a new paranormal/fantasy romance
involving a curse. Not real sure yet where I'm going with it,
but I'm having fun.
Biggest Challenges
Hmm. That's really a tough one to answer. Just getting the books
written and avoiding my natural tendency to procrastinate is probably
the biggest one, and that's not a romance specific challenge.
It would probably be a challenge no matter what I did-getting
the work done. I've learned how to do it, but I doubt it will
ever be anything but a challenge.
Biggest Rewards
I get to write stories. I get to do something I love, that I would
likely do anyway, even if I didn't get paid for it, and they give
me money. And other people read my books and dive into the universe
I've created and (hopefully) enjoy the trip. What could be better?
Oh, and I don't have to wear shoes. Or panty hose.
On Starting a New Story
Sometimes the idea for a book smacks me in the head like a brick
between the eyes. I have no idea where the Attack Novel comes
from. Other times, like with the Luna, I decide what I want to
write and start exploring themes or plotlines-things that would
be "the same but different". Sometimes they come from
research books I read, or from The Reader's Digest, or from dreams.
I think sometimes, ideas are floating around in the Collective
Unconscious just waiting for us to reach out and pluck them.
Once I find the basic idea/situation, I work on character development
next. What kind of person could be caught in this situation? Who
are my characters? I ask the characters what their names are (I
wouldn't dream of imposing a name on them they didn't like-gets
too totally creepy), and what their Enneagram Type is. (Enneagram
is a wonderful character development tool-I like the book The
Wisdom of the Enneagram by Riso and Hudson.) Sometimes I'll do
Tarot readings. The FTH workshop loop did one on using Tarot for
our writing back in November, and Arwen gave us some new spreads
to use in the development steps, that I've used and like. I need
to know my characters really well.
Then I need a basic, bare-bones outline of the plot, with "turning
points." But I can't plot it out down to chapter-by-chapter
events. I'm neither really a "Plotter" or a "Pantser".
I'm a hybrid. I have to plot to a certain point, because I'm such
a helicopter/chaos-organized person, that if I don't know where
I'm going with a story, I will never, ever get there. But I am
absolutely incapable of plotting every single event.
In the LUNA book I just turned in, I didn't have much of a plot
when I submitted my proposal. I cut out most of the proposal that
was submitted, started on p. 50 (which I've never had to do before,
strangely enough), and added half-a-dozen new events to keep the
adventure high, events that I came up with while I was writing.
But the turning points remained the same. I like a high-action,
adventurous plot, but I can't come up with it until I know the
characters very, very well. I have to know what they'll do in
the middle of all this action, because darned if I know exactly
what they'll do before they get there. I don't. They're constantly
surprising me.
Thoughts on Agents
I have an agent now, and I did not for the first two books I sold.
I have not been with this agent very long, but it seems to be
a good relationship, and I'm hoping will really be fruitful for
both of us. I wanted an agent because I'm not good at details,
and I just didn't want to have to mess with all the aggravation
of submitting and selling. I was able to sell to Silhouette-and
to Luna-without an agent, but I believe she will be valuable assistance
with the single titles I want to write (and am writing).
About Her Publisher
LUNA is very much a fantasy publisher. They publish romantic fantasy,
not fantasy romance. The focus is on the adventure story, not
on the romance-though they do welcome the romance aspect. And
they very much want the magical "other world" elements
to be strong, even if the story is set in contemporary America.
The contemporary "urban fantasy" stories they've published
have not had "secret" magic. No werewolves or vampires
hiding from discovery. The fantasy element is very strong, very
"in your face" rather than a peripheral element of the
story.
Nice to Have known at the Beginning
How to get all the way to the end of the book. It took me a long,
long time to learn how to do that. As for the rest-I'm not sure
if I had known any of it, it would have made any difference.
Advice for New Writers
Quit.
That sounds really cold, but if you can quit, do it. This is a
soul-eating business. It is too hard and too cruel and too...awful
to be in it for any reason other than because you have to write
to live. Yes, you want to be published, yes, you want to make
money at it, but there are lots and lots of easier, kinder ways
to make a living. Why put yourself through the anguish that so
often comes with trying to sell your story if there is not some
kind of drive deep inside you that says, that Insists, that Will
Not Leave You Alone Unless You Write That D&*@! Story Down?
How bad do you want it? Bad enough to put up with the hard work
of learning how to do it not just well, but really, really outstandingly
well? Bad enough to handle the ugly critiques and the icy rejections
and keep coming back for more? If the stories keep coming back
and the characters keep whispering in the back of your brain "Come
on. Listen to me. Have I got a tale for you. Get Busy And Write
This Down!", then listen to them. Write it down. Keep writing
and keep listening and keep learning, and you'll get there. And
honestly, that's the only way you will.
On FTHRW
Great people who understand the writer's life, who can share the
joys and heartaches-and some great workshops. But it all comes back
to the people.
Visit Gail online at http://www.GailDayton.com
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