Terri DuLong’s women’s fiction novel Spinning Forward is out now. She’s answered a few questions about herself and her book below.

1. Tell me about SPINNING FORWARD.

A New Englander born and bred, the last place Sydney Webster expects to find herself starting over is on an island off the west coast of Florida. Yet here she is in Cedar Key, trying to pull herself together after her husband’s untimely death—and the even more untimely revelation of his gambling addiction. Syd takes shelter at a college pal’s bed and breakfast, leading her to discover her true identity and feminine soul. Her passion for spinning and knitting draws attention due to the unique composition of her wool and a door is opened. She finds herself in the embrace of a community rich with love, laughter, friendship . . . and secrets. A tale of new beginnings, old friends and lives forever bound.

2. What pulled you into the story and made you think ‘I have to write this’?

The actual people of Cedar Key, the small town where I now reside, made me feel I wanted to write about the closeness and caring of a small community. As far as my main character, not all women have the final say-so when it comes to decisions or financial matters in their marriage and although it may seem fine and easy at the time, my story deals with the fact that women owe it to themselves to be aware of these issues. For Sydney, her uninvolved attitude came back to bite her.

3. What is your writing process and where do you write?

When I’m on deadline, I begin around ten in the morning and generally work six to eight hours a day. When we moved to Cedar Key, we had a writer’s studio built for me, detached from our house but connected by a screened lanai. So this is where I work.

4. What is your favorite thing about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

I’d have to say my favorite thing about writing is all the feedback I get from my readers. Their comments on my characters, plot, how my story affected them, etc. Least favorite? Call me Pollyanna, but I really don’t have one. I love writing and the feeling of accomplishment when I finish a story.

5. What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Don’t ever give up. If writing is your passion, then keep writing. Believe in yourself and make great things happen.

Therese Walsh has been the powerhouse behind creating the new women’s fiction chapter in RWA, RWA-WF. And I, for my sins, am the VP-Communications of said chapter, and am proud to say the website went up on November 3rd. Whew!

Check it out at: http://www.rwa-wf.com. I had a fantastic team, as well as the amazing Alison Kent to help me with the tech and design issues, and a lot of people contributed copy. I think it rocks .

I love it when something comes together, and not only do you learn a lot (which I really did) but you meet amazing people and get a real sense of accomplishment. I’m interested to know, do you belong to an RWA chapter, or other writing organization, and what do you look for from the website?

Please welcome Deb Stover. Her latest novel, THE GIFT, is out now.

1. Tell me about THE GIFT.

Certain members of the Dearborn Family are born with some variance of an empathic gift. Beth’s “gift” manifests in a particularly frightening manner, by enabling her to experience the final moments of those who’ve died violently. As an adult, she chooses a career as a homicide detective, and–obviously–is very successful. However, the experience of being “murdered” repeatedly takes a terrible toll and she turns to alcohol for solace. When she hits bottom and seeks treatment for her addiction, she is convinced the only way she can stay sober is to somehow suppress her gift-turned-curse by avoiding places where the spirit of someone who died violently might contact her. She leaves her position and takes one as a nomadic insurance investigator.

Her new career keeps her safe and sober for three years. Convinced her gift has faded from lack of use, she finally accepts an assignment involving possible life insurance fraud, which leads her to a small town in eastern
Tennessee.

Ty Malone’s wife, Lorilee, disappeared over seven years ago. Though the town and his father-in-law remain convinced she ran away to pursue a career as a painter in Europe, he has always maintained that the only thing that could keep his wife away from her children is death. It’s time to learn the truth, so he petitions the court to have her declared legally dead. The life insurance claim brings investigator Beth Dearborn into his life.

THE GIFT is part mystery, part ghost story, part suspense, part romance, part thriller. The novel also touches on the issue of women and alcoholism on various levels. Beth is a recovering alcoholic, and the reader will also meet a character who is a practicing one.

Both Beth and Ty will be forced to face their greatest fears to learn the truth, and to find happiness.

2. What pulled you into the story and made you think ‘I have to write this’?

A protagonist always pulls me into a new story. In this case, I “met” Ty’s wife, Lorilee, first. She introduced herself to my muse, and I wrote a scene that appears very late in the book (it would be a spoiler if I told you about it) as a prologue initially. Then I saved it and used it later. From that scene, the entire story evolved. She is the catalyst who brings about all the events.

3. What is your writing process and where do you write?

I prefer to write at my desk, mostly for comfort. Since I have rheumatoid arthritis, ergonomics are extra important. I have a special keyboard, keyboard tray, chair, mouse, etc. I love my laptop, but if I spend too much time on it, I pay the price. I’m typically a very early morning writer–a lark–and often wake hours before dawn to work while the rest of the house is sleeping soundly. I love quiet, and rarely listen to music while working–especially in first draft. While editing, I can listen to anything, but in first draft I can’t have any lyrics. They pull me out of the story.

I’m very much a “pantser”–and I have to say I hate that term. I much prefer Jo Beverley’s “writing into the mist” description. I start with a character in a situation, then start writing. Once I have a global idea of the general plot and the cast of characters, I write a narrative synopsis and send it to my agent. Once we go to contract, do any revisions to the proposal, if requested, I plunge ahead. I confess my finished product does not always follow that synopsis verbatim. And I NEVER outline. Perish the thought….

4. What is your advice to aspiring writers?

It’s your book. Trust your instincts. There are no rules. Critique is a smorgasbord–take what you want and leave what you don’t. There are a thousand how-to books, workshops, and know-it-alls out there dying to tell you how to do your job. There is no special handshake. There is no secret potion. There is no magic elixir. You only have yourself, your muse, and the blank screen/Big Chief Tablet/whatever medium you choose. Keep throwing the spaghetti against the wall until something sticks.

5. What is next for you?

I am currently at work on the sequel to THE GIFT–working title is THE SECRET. When you read THE GIFT, you will meet Beth’s cousin, Sam Dearborn. His “gift” manifests in a different way. He jokingly refers to himself as a “psychic errand boy.”

Happy reading!

Thanks, Deb, and best of luck with your new release.