Tenacity Interview - Susan Davis

Times are changing, and for most of us, we are being called on to dig deep into out pockets of tenacity. The Tenacity Interviews on Fiction Matters asks published authors 7 questions about their tenacity on the road to success. The goal of the interviews is to inspire and encouarage each of us as we dream our dreams and make them real.

How can TENACITY take a person from "green as grass" to a backlist longer than your arm? Susan Davis is here to talk about how tenacity played an important part in her success as a author.

Here is a sampling of books by Susan Davis:

10 published Heartsongs - Four more coming in 2009-10
2 long suspense out with Harvest House and the third coming in January
2 children's books with JourneyForth
2 romantic suspense with Love Inspired Suspense and 2 more coming in 09
1 novella with Barbour and a long historical coming from them in 09
and 2 cozy mysteries with Heartsong Presents: Mysteries (written with my daughter) and the third of the trilogy coming in April.

1) How long did you write before your first sale?

I started writing fiction seriously in 1999. I got my first book contract in 2003, and that first book was published in 2004. During those 5 years I had written several other books. I got my second contract early in 2005, and that's when things started to pop. I sold several of the stories I'd written in the previous 5 or 6 years to four different publishers ( Barbour, Harvest House, JourneyForth and Love Inspired). And I kept writing new ones. I do write fast, but I also had several unpublished novels ready to go when publishers started paying attention.

2) What were the top three obstacles you encountered on the road to being published ?
Ignorance of the market.
Lack of an agent.
Fear of failure.

3) When did you know for certain being a writer was a goal you weren’t going to give up on?

When I sold my first short story.

4) At what point in your writing journey did you begin to think of yourself as “successful”?

When I sold my tenth book.

5) What advice do you have for a writer who is facing “no” right now?

Stay close to the Lord. Make sure this is what He wants you to do, not just what you want to do. Read a lot. Write a lot. Listen. Write some more.

6) There is a difference between tenacity and being “bull-headed”. How have you been able to move your dream forward without turning agents/editors off?

Writers are always fine-tuning their marketing skills. I started out green as grass, with no idea how to approach an editor. Every hesitant step teaches you something. The trick is to learn from your mistakes and apply that knowledge as you move forward.

7) What have you learned since being published?
That I have a lot to learn.

I’d love to have readers come visit me at www.susanpagedavis.com