How
long did it take you to sell your first novel?
It took me about 5 years of writing seriously to make my first
sale. I wrote six books during that time, and the fifth and
sixth books were my first two sales. During those five years,
I also nearly perfected the art of obsessing over what might
happen if I never sold a book.
I can’t find one of your books. How
can I buy it?
Some of my books have gone out of print, sadly, and can only
be found at used book stores. You can also check www.amazon.com
and www.bn.com.
Online booksellers keep books in stock much longer than brick-and-mortar
stores do.
Are any of your books connected?
Yes, my June 2007 release, Call
Me Wicked, is a sequel to The
Sex Quotient. Also, As
Hot As It Gets is a sequel to my first novel, Some
Like It Sizzling.
Why do you write romance novels?
There is sometimes an underlying prejudice in this question.
People want to hear some answer that will justify my devoting
a career to producing books that a large segment of America
thinks are fluff. I think writing books about love and emotions
and finding one’s soul mate is time very well-spent. And if
you happen to be one of the people who thinks my books are fluff,
then I’m going to make an educated guess and say you’re also
a person who suffers from chronic constipation problems and
hasn’t had a good, sweaty roll in the hay in way, way too long.
Aren’t romance novels unrealistic?
Well, duh! Who wants to read about reality? Not me, and definitely
not fans of my books. I get enough reality in my everyday life,
and when I turn to fiction, I want an escape.
I write fantasies for women. Fantasies, people. So
what if we like to read books about strong women and honorable
men who follow their dreams, fall in love, have great sex, and
live happily ever after? If you have a problem with that, you
need to get a life--and open your eyes to all the real problems
in the world that are actually worth getting your panties in
a wad about.
Where do you get your ideas?
From the idea factory.
Okay, yes, I’m being a smart-ass. But this question always
leaves me stammering for an answer. It’s like asking a painter
where he gets his paint. Ideas are everywhere. One simply needs
to not be in a coma to get story ideas. I think the real question,
the one people probably want the answer to, is, how do you turn
all the ideas into stories, and that question is way too complicated
for me to answer without boring you to sleep.
What is your advice to aspiring writers?
Write your butt off and don’t stop trying. Constantly strive
to improve. Always conduct yourself professionally. Don’t harass
editors or try to send them bribes. Don’t get stuck on one story—when
you’ve finished a book, move on to the next. If every editor
and agent rejects your work without inviting you to resubmit,
accept it and move on with confidence that what you’ve learned
from writing your last book will make your next book that much
better and therefore more likely to sell.
Approach a writing career as you would any other professional
career. Treat your writing apprenticeship as if you’re studying
for a graduate degree, because in a sense, you are. The task
of becoming a published author is more difficult than attaining
a PhD, in many cases. Before I sold my first book, I read everything
I could about the craft of writing, I join critique groups and
Romance Writers of America, I talked to other writers, and I
wrote book after book until I sold one.
Do you use a pseudonym?
No. Who would make up the name Jamie Sobrato?
Is it true that your writing is heavily
influenced by reruns of Seinfeld and The Simpsons?
Yeah, sort of. I’m a huge fan of both shows, and allusions
to/elements of various episodes pop up in my books. If you can
identify any of them, send me an email with your guess, and
if you guess correctly, I’ll send you an autographed copy of
one of my books. One of my Blazes, What a Girl Wants, has a
direct reference to The Simpsons in it, but the other references
are mostly hidden and could only be identified by another fan
of the shows. How’s that for pointlessly sneaky and weird?
Who is your brilliant critique
partner?
Cindy Procter-King, author of Head Over Heels. To observe
her humor and brilliance yourself, check out www.cindyprocter-king.com.
To eavesdrop on our twisted, self-absorbed conversations, which
occasionally contain useful nuggets of information for writers,
check out my Girl Talk page.
How can I sign up for your email
newsletter?
Click here
and follow the YahooGroups directions to sign up for jamiesobratonews.
You’ll receive occasional newsletters about my upcoming books,
contests, online chats, and more.
What are some good resources on the
internet for aspiring romance authors and fans of the romance
genre?
Some of my favorites are:
www.rwanational.org
www.eharlequin.com
www.romantictimes.com
www.romanceandfriends.com
www.stephaniebond.com
(has lots of advice for writers)
www.aromancereview.com
