 AUTHOR
PROFILE: Terry McLaughlin
Author's Name: Terry McLaughlin
Website: www.TerryMclaughlin.com
Terry McLaughlin writes contemporary romance, and her debut novel
is now available from Harlequin Superromance.
New Releases:
Learning Curves
Harlequin Superromance, June 2006
High school teacher Joe Wisniewski may be in a rut, but he dug
it himself and he doesn't want to come out. So when he gets a
surprise assignment--Emily Sullivan, a student teacher with a
steamroller smile and dynamite legs--he ducks for cover.
Emily thinks "Wiz" is just coasting these days, and
a change in his routine is just what he needs. The question is:
Will Emily get Joe fired up or just plain fired?
On Getting Started In Writing
I started writing completely by accident. Two accidents, actually.
First, I registered for a college class I didn't need, and I chose
it for a number of odd reasons—it fit my baby-sitter's schedule
and was located in a certain building on a hilly campus (so I
wouldn't have to climb too many stairs). The professor teaching
that class told me I could write, and should write, a book. I
told him I didn't want to write. And I didn't write, not for another
ten years, although his wonderful compliment was always in the
back of my mind.
The second accident was reading a romance novel. I didn't know
it was a romance novel when I read it—it was in a Readers'
Digest Condensed Books volume. I found out what kind of novel
it was when I went to the bookstore the next day and asked if
Nora Roberts had ever written anything else.
It wasn't long after reading that first romance that I finally
followed my professor's advice and started writing a book. I simply
adore happily-ever-after love stories!
On Her Writing Process
I hate to tell people how I write, because it's an awful process.
Out of sequence, completely confused, very scattered. Nothing I'd
recommend.
I'd love to know where my ideas come from, so I could make sure
they keep coming. I have no idea why or how characters and premises
pop into my head.
For me, the hardest part of writing is the actual writing part—the
first draft. Once I get some pages down, I'm a happy camper. I love
to revise!
On Writer's Block
I don't have writer's block. I have stage fright. A nasty little
voice whispers a paralyzing question every time I settle my fingers
over the keys: what makes you think you can come up with this stuff,
day after day? And the answer is: my deadline.
On Conferences and Contests
I sold as the direct result of a contest, so I think they're wonderful!
Fabulous! Enter one today!
And before I sold, conferences were important motivators. I couldn't
keep jetting around the country to chat with my new friends if I
wasn't going through the motions of being a writer and pumping out
a few pages here and there, now could I?
On Getting "The Call"
A complete shock, especially since I'd never submitted to Harlequin.
Sure, I had hopes I'd get an offer when I finaled in the Golden
Heart (we all do, I think), but it was the week before the national
conference, and I figured it was too late to hear anything, since
the judging had been finished for quite a while by then.
On Being a Published Writer
The best thing is that now when I say I'm a writer, other people
take me seriously. The biggest challenge so far has been to keep
focused on the writing and not to let the promotional efforts eat
up all my time.
Best Advice Received
To keep writing. It's true at any and every level, I think.
On Agents
I've never had an agent; I don't have one right now. I'll be looking
for one when I find the time to write a marketable single title
story, since I hope to move in that direction.
And my agent hunt will be different, now that I'm published. I used
to want an agent who would offer editorial advice and assistance
on my manuscripts. Now I don't want anyone getting in the way of
the working relationship I have with my editor. It was interesting
to see that the comments I got in the rejections on the book that
sold were about things that didn't matter at all to the editor who
bought it. Now I'll be looking for an agent who will represent my
work, not critique it.
What's Next?
I'm finishing the second book in the BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG SKY three-part
series that was my second sale to Superromance. The first book in
that series, MAKE-BELIEVE COWBOY, comes out in September. The one
I'm working on now, THE RANCHER NEEDS A WIFE, is scheduled for February
of 2007, and the third book, MAYBE, BABY, is set for September of
2007. I'm having a lot of fun with these stories because they all
share the same characters and setting. It's more like one extended
story with three featured romances.
Visit Terry online at www.TerryMclaughlin.com
(Interviewed June, 2006)
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