AccessRomance interviews author Gail Barrett.

AR: Tell us a bit about your April book, FACING THE FIRE. What is it about? Is there a story behind it? How is it connected to your first book, WHERE HE BELONGS?

Gail: FACING THE FIRE is about a couple who married because of passion but then the reality of who they were and what they needed from each other tore them apart. During the story (which occurs years after their divorce) they come to grips with their painful past and realize that they had indeed married the right person, but at the wrong time. So the title is appropriate on many levels. They have to face the forest fire, their undeniable passion for each other, as well as their past mistakes.

The heroes of both books are smokejumpers and friends. In fact, the hero of FACING THE FIRE appears at the end of WHERE HE BELONGS in a minor role.

The story behind it… When I wrote FACING THE FIRE, I thought a lot about the loneliness I felt when my husband (a former Coast Guard Officer) was gone on ships. The military lifestyle can be very tough on families and I drew on that experience. The separations were much harder for me when our children were young so I think that age and maturity can make a difference. But even now, when I see a military ship coming home from an overseas deployment and the families waiting on the dock, I remember the loneliness.

AR: Before you sold your first book, you won or placed in 16 romance contests, including Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart contest. To what extent do you think contests helped you with your first sale?

Gail: The contests led directly to my first sale, no doubt about it. My editor saw WHERE HE BELONGS in the final round of a contest she was judging and requested the complete manuscript but I had already submitted it to someone else. When she saw it a second time in the Golden Heart, she emailed me about it again. That’s when I made the sale. So definitely, if it hadn’t been for those contests, I wouldn’t have sold that book.

AR: Your first book has finaled in a contest for published writers as well. What do you feel are the advantages of contests to those who are published? And do you think they have any value for readers?

Gail: As a newly published writer, I enter contests for name recognition and exposure. If there are three judges, then I figure three more people will read my book. Hopefully, they’ll like it and continue reading my stories later on. :-)

I’m also using contests to get credentials to use in my bio. One thing I’ve learned is that I need to have different types of bios, depending on what they’re for. The one that goes in my books is directed toward romance readers and is more personal. I use a more factual bio for magazine articles and try to slant it toward the readers of that particular publication. And when I recently participated in a book festival with writers from various genres, I played up the contest wins to give my writing more credibility.

As far as readers go, I don’t think that most of them care too much about contests. It might depend on the contest, though. I’ve read a few books simply because they won the Rita or Golden Heart.

AR: And another question for AR visitors who are also writers: What in your experience are the pros and cons of entering writing contests? Any dos and don'ts?

Gail: Oh, my. I have tons to say about contests, far more than I can possibly share here. First off, I suggest you pinpoint exactly why you are entering a contest (do you want feedback from the judges, a chance to get your manuscript in front of a final round editor, etc.) and then choose which contest to enter based on your particular needs.

Not every contest will work for every book. I always suggest requesting a copy of the score sheet ahead of time. That will give you an idea of the elements you’ll need to make the final rounds of that contest (if that’s your goal).

Also, don’t agonize over a judge’s comments and don’t change anything in your story to please anyone unless you truly want to. I’ve had all sorts of bizarre and incorrect comments from judges. (And just because a judge is published doesn’t mean her comments are any more valid than others.) I have learned to celebrate the nice comments and not worry about the rest. I weigh whether or not the comment has merit and if it doesn’t, I just let it go. Use the contest as a tool and for heaven’s sake, don’t let the comments depress you or stop you from writing! Learn to trust your instincts.

By the way, I’ll be doing a Q&A about contests on the eHarlequin website from April 17-21st (go to www.eharlequin.com, then to TALK and finally SILHOUETTE SERIES). You can also email me directly with your questions (gail AT gailbarrett.com). I’ll be happy to answer what I can.

And now for some questions posed by our readers of the AR All-A-Blog.

AR Reader: How do you know so much about smokejumpers? Did you research them or do you know smokejumpers?

Gail: The short answer is yes to both questions. I knew a smokejumper when I first started WHERE HE BELONGS and I also did tons of research. For the long answer, see this month’s Tell Tale column where I relate the entire story. :-)

AR Reader: Do you plan to write more smokejumper books?

Gail: Absolutely. I’ll write as many as I can. I am so impressed by smokejumpers and think they make wonderful romance heroes and heroines. I can’t imagine a better group to write about.

AR Reader: Who is your hero, real or fictional? And why?

Gail: I don’t have a particular hero, although I have enormous admiration for people who put their lives on the line to save others. For example, those firefighters in New York who entered the Twin Towers on September 11th. They had to know that they probably wouldn’t survive, but they went in anyway. To me, that is heroic beyond belief. I have tremendous respect for people like that. I’d like to believe that I would have the courage to do the same thing, but I fear that I might not.

AR Reader: How often do you have a surprising (to you) ending to the story that you are writing? In other words, does the ending sometimes change as the story unfolds for you?

Gail: Usually the emotional ending is not a surprise because before I start writing, I need to know enough about the characters to envision how their journeys will go, what lessons they need to learn, and the steps they’ll have to take to achieve a happy resolution. It’s really important to me that by the time I finish writing a book, I have no doubt that these two people are strong enough to stay together.

On the other hand, as I start writing the book the actual external events usually do change. The characters frequently surprise me and often take twists I don’t expect. The first kiss in WHERE HE BELONGS was like that. I didn’t think they would kiss in that scene, but Wade had other ideas. :-)

AR Reader: What is something about you that your readers would be completely surprised to find out?

Gail: Well, I don’t know that I’m a terribly surprising person, but I used to play the bagpipes in high school. I first heard the pipes in a parade when I was a child and just fell in love with the sound. It was a moment of instant recognition, like a genetic memory being revived. I found them completely compelling. And later, when I went to Spain in college, I played the Spanish bagpipes at the Centro Asturiano in Madrid. Even now, my favorite music is Celtic.

AR Reader: Are there days when you wish you had chosen any other profession? If so, what would your “dream job” be?

Gail: Oh, my gosh, NO. This is my dream job! Writing novels is what I’ve wanted to do my entire life, ever since about seventh grade. I absolutely love sitting at my computer writing every day. If I can keep doing this for the rest of my life, I will feel completely fulfilled. I can’t even imagine a better job. I just keep praying that this wonderful dream won’t end!

Interviews Index > Gail Barrett (April 06)