Authors Archived Interviews
Peter Shianna
Love Tag Review: Shianna draws the reader into the emotions of the Tag family and of those outside their nucleus who pull them into an undercurrent of passion and turmoil. If you enjoyed Ordinary People, you should read Love Tag. (Publisher's review)
About the Author:
Peter is a licensed private pilot, avid golfer and pickleball player. His passions are travel, the arts and cards. His first novel was Take Off, which I personally thought was an exceptional book. I loved it. His writing has been published in Rockhurst University's Rockhurst Review, the Kansas City Star, the Creative Writers Journal and in four anthologies. He used to live in Kansas City, Missouri, but has gotten much smarter as he gets older; he traded snow for sunny skies and palm trees, and lives now in a gorgeous community called The Villages, Florida, with his wife Lori. Yes, ladies, I said wife.
Conversation with Peter
Friday, April 9, 2010, 11:32 PM
From Peter's Florida home
Esther: Let's see now. We met when you took my screenwriting workshop at the University of Missouri, how long ago?
Peter: I believe it was in 1996 or 1997, and then again a year later. Best, most productive class of its type I've ever attended.
Esther (blushing sweetly): Thank you. Did you ever pursue the screenwriting urge?
Peter: Yes. I wrote Imperfect Acts. A film attorney in Chicago thought it would be perfect for DeNiro's production company Tribecca (sp?). Said she could raise the money and would keep 10%. During the process, I realized I was a lamb in the lion's den and didn't know my thumb from my ear lobe - and ended up not pursuing it. I'm in the process of converting the screenplay into a novel.
Esther: When did you decide to become a professional writer?
Peter: When I was 29. That's when I wrote Take Off, which was nearly accepted by W.W. Norton. Then I couldn't get anyone to read it for about 20 years.
Esther: What steps do you think a newcomer should take to get published?
Peter: Make sure the manuscript is ready - I mean, really ready - and keep submitting. Ask published writers if they'll refer you to their publisher. Consider self-publishing, but only as a last resort.
Esther: Do you attend conferences to try to meet agents and publishers?
Peter: I used to. In fact, that's how my first novel got referred to W.W. Norton.
Esther: How did you land that first publisher (okay, I'm not playing fair; I know the answer, but writers reading this and wanting to learn from you, don't)?
Peter: A wonderful lady recommended me to her publisher. In spite of a finished product of dubious physical quality, the novel (Take Off) sold about 1,000 copies before the publisher went bankrupt without, by the way, ever paying me a dime in royalties. But I didn't have to absorb the upfront costs and was published by a traditional house, so it was worth it.
Esther: Do you think it would be helpful to have an agent?
Peter: Yes, but it's probably tougher to get an agent than it is to find a publisher to take you on.
Esther: How do you discipline yourself to write?
Peter: Seems to get tougher all the time. I used to stay up all night after the wife and kids were in bed, and then go to work in the morning. Now I'm pretty involved with physical things, like golf and pickleball. I have to make a huge effort to carve out writing time.
Esther: I love the book "1001 Ways to Market Your Book". Do you use tips from those kinds of books to help in marketing?
Peter: Absolutely. That is the bible for writers and small publishing houses.
Esther: How about press releases? Do you send them out before you go on a speaking engagement?
Peter: Yes.
Esther: What do you think about authors speaking before civic organizations?
Peter: It's an excellent part of the marketing effort.
Esther: What advice do you have for writers who are serious about wanting to become professional?
Peter: Keep at it. Persistence is the key. Have faith in your vision. It's astounding how three people can read the same work and have the following reactions: (1) I love it, (2) I think it's lousy, and (3) I think it's okay. You can often tell by a person's comments that he or she just doesn't get it; has no idea what the conflict is or what the story is about. Stick to your guns.
