Guest: NYT Best Selling Author Paige Shelton

Today I’m excited to introduce New York Times Bestselling Author Paige Shelton. I love saying that because she’s from my chapter and I can say “I knew her when.” She’ll be joining us on Mysteries and Margaritas to tell us a bit about her journey.

Mary: Thank you for agreeing to share with us, some of your insight into this crazy business, first please tell us a bit about you.

Paige: Thank you, Mary! It's great to be here. My background: after college at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, I moved to Salt Lake City. I came to Salt Lake to begin a career in advertising. A couple years later I met my husband; we got married and had a son who is now almost sixteen. I spent most of my advertising career at the Newspaper Agency Corporation (now called Media One) which is the advertising and circulation departments for the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret Morning News. After leaving the newspapers I worked with my husband, who owned some Blimpie restaurants, for a number of years.  When he sold the restaurants, I began spending all my time writing and, of course, being chauffeur to my son.

Mary: Let’s get the inevitable question out of the way, how long have you been writing? Or how long have you wanted to write?

Paige: I've wanted to write since I was seven and created a poetic masterpiece (well, I thought so at least) about a kite. However, I didn't seriously pursue a writing career until 1997. I sought out URWA, started going to meetings and hoped I'd be published my 2000. It took a little longer than I'd hoped -- FARM FRESH MURDER published in April of this year (2010).

Mary: Do you have a story behind your big break? Or was yours a long slow journey toward publishing? Whichever, could you share with us today?

Paige: Both. I spent a lot of years collecting rejection letters and a couple years dealing with a horrible agent. But when good things began to happen, they started rolling quickly. I fired my original agent and found my current agent, Jessica Faust. She took me on as a client based upon a paranormal mystery I had written. Sadly, it didn't sell. The rest of the story is in the answer to the next question.

Mary: How did the ‘Farm Fresh Murder’ idea come to you?

Paige: When the paranormal mystery didn't sell, Jessica (smart, amazing, and persistent) called me for a brainstorming session. She had a number of ideas, but when she said, "How about a farmers' market setting?" bells went off in my head, and it seemed like something I just had to do. I wrote the first hundred pages, and with those pages she sold three books to Berkley Prime Crime. So, it took a long time to get that far, but once positive things began to happen, they happened and multiplied quickly.

Mary: Can you tell us about the next book in your Farmer’s Market Series? And a bit about your new Gram’s Cooking School Mystery Series?

Paige: FRUIT OF ALL EVIL will publish March 1, 2011. It's turned in, polished and has a cover that I'm in love with. The Gram's Cooking School Mystery Series will begin January 2012 with IF FRIED CHICKEN COULD FLY. Berkley bought the first three books of that series, too. Both series are fun to write and I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity.

Mary: Do you have a writing process? If so tell us a bit about it. Like are you a plotter, or a pantser?

Paige: Total Panster. I don't know who the killer is when I begin the story, or even all the characters. I start with a broad scope paragraph, or just a sentence, and go from there. I've tried to outline, but I end up with a blank piece of paper or blank computer screen and a growing sense of panic; it's just not my style. As a result, though, I spend a good chunk of time rewriting -- filling in gaps with important things I don't discover until the first draft is done.

Mary: That's exactly how I write. I think it's more fun that way. What is the one thing you’d tell up and coming authors? Something you wished someone would have told you?

Paige: Stay focused. If you want to become published, you can't let the distractions (rejections, self-doubt, fear) slow you down. Keep moving forward. It will pay off.

Mary: Paige will be at Borders in Murray, Utah at 4 pm, December 11, 2010. So if you live in the Salt Lake Valley, mark your calendars! What will you be signing?

Paige: FARM FRESH MURDER

Mary: Where can people find you? Do you have a web site, any social networks, or a blog?

Paige: Web site: paigeshelton.com, personal blog: radicleroot.blogspot.com. Other blog: killercharacters.com

Thank you for joining us today Paige, it’s been fun getting to know you!

Thank you, Mary. Even though I write mysteries, I love RWA and URWA! I feel so fortunate to have found the local chapter. I am certain that being a part of URWA helped me find my way to becoming a published author.