Writer Spectacle
Featured Writers

Robin Leeman Donovan
Kara Jorges
Dave Gutierrez
Leslie Conzatti
Matthew Persson
Felicia F. Leibenguth
Danielle DuVerney
Laura Doyle

Table of Contents

Robin Leeman Donovan

What kind of content do you mostly write?
humorous cozy mysteries

How long have you been writing?
novels – 8 years

How many hours do you dedicate to writing per week on average?
8 hours on Saturday and Sunday – when I’m writing a novel

Do you have any formal education, mentoring, or experience related to writing?
I was an English major and took creative writing classes

In one sentence, what motivates you to write?
I have a huge amount of fun when I’m writing comedy.

Do you have any funny or unusual writing habits?
When I was working with a publisher and I would get the manuscript back all marked up, I would have a have a one-sided dialogue as I read through manuscript. If I disagreed with the comment i would become indignant and sometimes yell my objections, and when I felt the comment was an improvement on my work I would complimemt the manuscript graciously. I often wondered how entertainly a video of me reading my manuscript comments would be.

Pick an excerpt from any of your writing that you’re really proud of
“You mean Donny was killed because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time? A victim of circumstance?”

“That’s about it.”

In all the years I knew Donny, through all his bark and bluster, I knew the one thing he would hate about this was the fact that he was insignificant in his own death.

What advice, if any, would you give to a fellow writer who has just been rejected by several large publishers and told he or she has zero chance to make it as a writer?
If you are certain that the work has merit there are other avenues than the large publishers. You owe it to yourself to investigate another way to get your work out there.

What is the most important tip that you can offer other writers?
Manage your expectations. If your work is great and the feedback you get is consistantly positive, that still doesn’t mean you’ll ever be Janet Evanovich. You have to understand and be okay with that. Even if you don’t make millions from your work, there are moments that will make it one of the top 5 (or even 3) experiences of your life.

What would you say are some common traps that aspiring writers should avoid?
That the work is so good they don’t need an editor or a proofreader.

That acclaim will come to you and you won’t have to work your butt off for everything you get.

That you HAVE to take every piece of advice from your editor.

Have you had any adversity or challenges surrounding your writing career? If yes, what?
I wrote the first half of my third book while I was getting ready to edit my second book. When I went back to it after two years, it was just awful. I honestly didn’t think it could be salvaged. I spent some time thinking and came up with an ending that wouldn’t have been possible two years earlier. Once I had that ending, I was able to go back and edit the first half. Then I absolutely loved it and finished the second half of the book with relative ease. I never expected to like that book – and I love it. It would have been extremely defeating to have had to abandon all that work.

A direct link to your most proud of written work
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooksu0026amp;field-keywords=donna+leigh+mysteriesu0026amp;sprefix=Donna+leigh+m%2Caps%2C159u0026amp;crid=2AVA1BUQ9T752

Amazon link to: Donna Leigh Mysteries

Your website or blog
www.rldonovan.com

If a new writer asked you what you thought was needed to become an internationally famous and successful writer, what you would say or recommend them to do?
Have someone you know well get murdered, and then write a book about it. I have found that there is one absolute besides death (no pun intended) and taxes, if you are personally involved in a murder and you write a book about it – you WILL get a book and movie offers – no matter how badly you write. The more gory the murder the more celebrated the fame.

Anything else you’d like to say?
I’m kind of a ham and I like to make people laugh. That said, my mysteries hold together. I don’t believe that I can phone in the clues and leave red herrings all over just because my focus is humor. I also don’t believe that smart sleuths will deliberately paint themselves into a dangerous corner – like almost every brilliant, young and gorgeous sleuth tends to do (sure, I’ll meet the heavily breathing, disguised voice creep that calls and invites me to a dark alley at midnight). My sleuth is smart but imperfect, menopausal but cool and she’s a whole lot more relatable than a lot of today’s amateur sleuths because she doesn’t take herself too seriously.

Kara Jorges

What kind of content do you mostly write?
In the past, I wrote romance and romantic suspense. However, most recently I’ve turned my focus to pulp and thrillers.

How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing my whole life, and wrote my first novel 27 years ago.

How many hours do you dedicate to writing per week on average?
It all depends on how deep I am into a project. There are times when I don’t write much at all, and others when I will write for several hours a day.

Do you have any formal education, mentoring, or experience related to writing?
No formal education, but I’ve been a member of a writers group for several years and find their feedback very helpful.

In one sentence, what motivates you to write?
It’s a deep-seated need that comes from within me.

Do you have any funny or unusual writing habits?
I really don’t think so. I just take my laptop wherever I can have some peace and quiet and write there.

Pick an excerpt from any of your writing that you’re really proud of
“We should think about getting back to the surface,” Digger cut in. “Because while you guys were busy arguing, I thought I heard something.”

In the ensuing quiet, the rest of them heard it, too. Very faintly, from some distance away, they heard barking.

They shut off their lights and tiptoed over to the door. Digger peered through the bars in the tiny window, but could see nothing on the other side. They all stood in the dark, trying hard not to even breathe for several minutes. When nothing happened, Digger finally opened the door. No one was there, and the barking had stopped.

“Let’s keep going down this hallway,” Dynamite suggested. “We might find a way out.”

Angel hesitated. “But what about—“

“We’re going to the cops, remember?” Stringbean cut her off.

She dug in her heels. “That was before we heard live dogs, which I thought we came here to rescue.”

“She’s got a point,” Dynamite murmured.

Digger looked uncertain. “True. But we don’t know what we’d be getting ourselves into. Dogs mean people, which we probably should have thought about a little more before we came down here.”

“Time to make a choice,” Rat Man suggested. “Everyone who wants to keep looking for dogs stays, and anyone who wants to leave goes.”

They all looked at each other. Angel’s eyes shone with defiance, but Dynamite seemed to be on her side. Rat Man shrugged when she caught his gaze, and she relaxed.

“So if I want to leave I look like a bitch?” Stringbean grumbled.

“If you want to get out, I’ll go with you,” Digger offered. “Otherwise, I’ll hang with the others and see what we can find.”

Angel couldn’t control the smile that stole across her face.

Stringbean only had to think about it for a moment before he caved. “Fine. I know these tunnels better than you guys, so you need me.”

Angel’s smile became a full-on grin. “You rock, Stringbean.”

He broke her gaze after an awkward moment to check his gear. They all did, knowing anything could happen from here on out. Satisfied they were ready, they headed out, deciding to go back the way they’d come, since Angel had seen dogs in the cages on her earlier foray.

“I wonder how far we are from the surf—” Angel stopped abruptly when the tunnel lit up bright as day. She hadn’t even realized there were lightbulbs overhead.

The group automatically spun around to hurry back the way they’d come, away from whoever had turned on the lights, but when Digger threw open the door at the end of the passageway, they were greeted by a big, grinning man with a gun.

What advice, if any, would you give to a fellow writer who has just been rejected by several large publishers and told he or she has zero chance to make it as a writer?
Don’t give up. Make sure your work is as good as it can be, and find your audience. You don’t need a big publisher to be an author.

What is the most important tip that you can offer other writers?
Believe in yourself and your writing. It will come through in your work. And write for yourself, not some imaginary giant paycheck.

What would you say are some common traps that aspiring writers should avoid?
Pay-to-publish outfits should be avoided like the plague. There are so many ways to publish for free, there’s no need to hire a middleman. Also, choose your editor very carefully and make sure they know what they’re doing. These days, publishing is like the gold rush–most of the money in the industry is being made by people who service writers, and not writers themselves.

Have you had any adversity or challenges surrounding your writing career? If yes, what?
When I was really ready to start publishing my work I searched for an agent. I found one who requested my full manuscript, read it, and sent it back with suggested changes. When I made the changes and returned it, I got a response a few weeks later saying that she had decided to retire and spend more time with her grandchildren. So she wasted a lot of my time and money only to drop me with no notice, and no referral. It kind of soured me on the whole agent process and I decided to self-publish after that. I wish I had not wasted my time pursuing an agent at all.

A direct link to your most proud of written work

Your website or blog
KaraJorges.com

If a new writer asked you what you thought was needed to become an internationally famous and successful writer, what you would say or recommend them to do?
Do not wait around for others. Write your book. Get other people to read your book and pay attention to their feedback. Edit, edit, edit. When your book is ready for publication, go the traditional route if you want, but if that doesn’t work for you, self-publish. Then, you must promote your work and yourself.

Anything else you’d like to say?
I really hope I get chosen for the Writer Spectacle. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, and honestly, if I didn’t write I wouldn’t have a reason to exist.

Dave Gutierrez

What kind of content do you mostly write?
Non-Fiction
Historical

How long have you been writing?
10 years

How many hours do you dedicate to writing per week on average?
45

Do you have any formal education, mentoring, or experience related to writing?
None

In one sentence, what motivates you to write?
To share true stories that have to be told

Do you have any funny or unusual writing habits?
If I get stuck on a sentence I’ll stand in front of mirror and work out the sentence as though I’m telling another person what I’m trying to say. For whatever reason it works for me.

Pick an excerpt from any of your writing that you’re really proud of
To future generations of Americans I can only hope the story of the men of Company E will serve as one example that Mexican Americans did contribute significantly to World War II. They did not all stay home and work the fields in the Bracero Program, they did not stay home and garden the upper class neighborhoods of America, and they did not stay home and work in the kitchens of America’s favorite restaurants. Some enlisted, some were drafted, but serve they did, and they served with distinction and pride not because they were Mexicans, but because they were American Patriots, they just happened to be Patriots from the Barrio.

What advice, if any, would you give to a fellow writer who has just been rejected by several large publishers and told he or she has zero chance to make it as a writer?
I wrote an article about my book for a very popular magazine in hopes to get it published. The editor wrote back and passed on the story. I was crushed because it happened to be one of my favorite magazines. I took the same rejected article and submitted to an online publication who published the story with my name as a guest writer. Six months later a Hollywood actor/producer contacted me to obtain the film rights to the story published on the online publication. Sometimes when we want something really bad and it doesn’t happen we feel lost, crushed, and defeated. But you have to continue to press forward. If the original magazine had said yes, I would have never looked at the online publication. The only reason my book was picked up in Hollywood was because the actor/producer read the article on the online publication. Keep Pressing Forward.

What is the most important tip that you can offer other writers?
Find your passion and write about it!
When your heart and soul is in the project nothing can stand in your way. You are going to have roadblocks during your journey, the passion will help you remove or smash anything that stands in your way of seeing it to the end. Read Read Read, the more authors you read the more writing structures you will be introduced to.

What would you say are some common traps that aspiring writers should avoid?
Don’t talk about writing, write!

Have you had any adversity or challenges surrounding your writing career? If yes, what?
I originally self-published, one because I lacked the confidence in myself as a first time writer. If you have to self-publish make sure you do your homework on the self-publisher. Out of the five years of research to write my book I would say three and half were learning to write a book.

A direct link to your most proud of written work

Your website or blog
https://authordavegutierrez.com/

If a new writer asked you what you thought was needed to become an internationally famous and successful writer, what you would say or recommend them to do?
A writer needs to be exposed to many different writing styles as possible, so read, read, read. As you read make sure you identify how the writer is telling and structuring the story. Make notes on what you liked and disliked and how you can use these styles to tell your story.

Anything else you’d like to say?
I became a writer out of necessity to tell a story. It was a true story seventy years in the making and it was story that I had to absolutely share with the world. If you have ever dreamed of having Hollywood pick up your story, here are the five words Hollywood can not resist: “Based on a true story”

Leslie Conzatti

What kind of content do you mostly write?
I selected “Traditionally-published” above, but I also blog more frequently than I produce publish-worthy final drafts.
I write pretty much anything that comes to mind. My writing tends to emulate my reading habits; I read a lot of fantasy, so I end up writing a lot of fantasy. I write a lot of short pieces for my blog, whether a longer story I’ve serialized or short, one-off flash fictions. Hence, I can dabble in different styles and genres–steampunk, cyberpunk, mystery, romance… the list goes on.
I write indie book reviews. I compile lists of “Books You Cannot Live Without.” I assemble “How To” blog posts for nearly every aspect of the writing craft, from “How to Story” and “How To Book” (A 2-Part Series) to “How to Beta” and “How to Blurb.”

How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing since I learned how to write. I’ve been telling myself stories since before I could read.

How many hours do you dedicate to writing per week on average?
Average during the school year (Sept-June) is probably around 8 per week, with the bulk of it on the weekends. Over the summer, 10 is my minimum.

Do you have any formal education, mentoring, or experience related to writing?
I majored in English so I could take all the literature/English courses I could manage.

In one sentence, what motivates you to write?
I write because I believe in the impact books can have, and I want to contribute to that legacy.

Do you have any funny or unusual writing habits?
I used to buy myself small notebooks that I could carry around in a purse or a bag, so that I could have something to write in on the go. The trouble was that the more excited I got over what I was writing, the worse my handwriting got, so that when I went to transcribe it to the computer later, I couldn’t even read what I’d written. When I was 16, I got my first mobile device, an iPod Touch. I started writing everything on the Notes app–and this habit I’ve continued to this day–to the point where I might slam out a couple thousand words, using only my thumb!

Pick an excerpt from any of your writing that you’re really proud of
Excerpt from “Arthur and The Egg”, a short story featured in the charity anthology DREAMTIME DRAGONS:

>>>>>>>>>>>>
A churning, wet rumble erupted from the spot just underneath the dragon’s seat. It bent its head to rest its snout gently against the windshield, so that Arthur could stroke its smooth head-plates from his perch on the roof of the vehicle.
//”Is hungry,”// it murmured to him [telepathically]. //“Master will feed now?”//

Arthur suddenly became very aware of how hungry he was. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t think there are many animals left in these woods anymore. You probably don’t eat trees or leaves or things like that.”

//“Is new hatchling. Does Master give Hatchling trees to eat?”//

Arthur shrugged. “If you’re hungry enough, go ahead—“

Before he had finished speaking, the dragon leaned over and wrapped its large jaws around the trunk of a nearby tree. With a small jerk of its head, it snapped the trunk in two pieces, leaving the jagged stump behind and chomping chunks off the end of the felled tree, exactly in the manner of someone biting off the end of a carrot. Very soon, it had consumed the trunk and munched happily on the foliage till all that was left was a scattering of debris.

//“Tree is good,”// the dragon murmured.

Arthur chuckled. “Well, that was easy enough! Don’t eat all the trees, though,” he warned the beast, “because if you do, you’ll have nowhere to hide.”

//“What else does Master give Hatchling to eat?”//

Arthur glanced around. Besides the trees, there wasn’t much in the area—and with the destruction of Echo Cave, it wouldn’t be long till people started to wonder how it came to be that way—and as soon as the wondering began, discovery of his secret wouldn’t be far behind. What he needed was a way to dispose of the evidence, to remove any kind of motivation for people to come to this area.

He turned back to the dragon. “Umm, what else can you eat?”

The dragon swung its head around, prompting Arthur and Sam to dodge out of its way as it surveyed the area with wide, blinking eyes.

//“All things looks tasty,”// it murmured. Opening its mouth wide, it bit off a chunk of Echo Cave. The sound it made as it chewed was like sitting too close to an industrial-grade jackhammer. Arthur covered his ears until the beast swallowed.
//“Master gives Hatchling stone to eat?”// it asked, glancing sidelong at the shards of polished rock piled off to the side.

Arthur was only half-listening to the voice in his head. Sam’s cell phone jingled, and he went back to answer it. “Huh?” he said to the dragon. “Oh… sure, I guess.”

The dragon hatchling attacked the pile of rubble with vigor. Arthur saw Sam waving to him, so he slipped out of the truck bed and joined his friend.

Sam wagged his head as he watched the dragon. “Man, that is beyond cool, right there!”

“Yeah,” Arthur responded lamely, scratching the back of his head. “I just hope nothing happens to it while I’m not here.”

“Which might be longer than either of us like,” Sam waved his cell phone. “That was your mom. She’s worried about you being gone all day, especially when you didn’t come home last night.”

Arthur winced. For as angry Esther tended to get at her son, she also fretted over him with equal ferocity. “Yeah, I’ll just… Lemme say goodbye to the dragon.”

He trudged back to the clearing. His new pet had polished off the shards of Egg in the time it had taken him to talk to Sam.

“Hey,” he said, not quite sure how to address the animal.

The dragon swung its head around to look at him. //“What Master wish for Hatchling to serve him?”//

“Huh?” Arthur had a difficult time following the roundabout sentence. “Oh, er, no, it’s nothing I want—well, except… have you got another name besides Hatchling?”

The dragon swung its tail, splitting a crevice into the side of Echo Cave.

//“Hatchlings have no names. Master must give Hatchling his name.”//

Arthur raised his eyebrows. “Really? So… You wouldn’t want to be called Spike or Flame or anything like that…” He scratched the top of his head.

Over by the car, he heard Sam holler, “Arthur! We need to go now!”

Arthur looked up at the hatchling. “What do you want to be called?” he asked abruptly.

The young dragon fidgeted with its claws, raking furrows in the dirt. It bent its head down to nudge the truck gently.

//“Hatchling only wants Master to love as much as Master loves this thing. Hatchling will take the name of this thing.”//

Arthur squinted. “Wait, well—that’s a truck…”

The dragon perked up right away, laying its head down in front of Arthur. //“Master will give the name Truck?”//

The young man scuffed his sneaker in the dirt and wagged his head. “You’re kidding me; you want to be called Truck?”

//“Yes; if Master wills it.”//

“All right, then,” Arthur responded with a shrug. “I’ll call you Truck.”
>>>>>>>>>>>

What advice, if any, would you give to a fellow writer who has just been rejected by several large publishers and told he or she has zero chance to make it as a writer?
If a writer posted in any of the social media groups I am in and expressed disappointment or even despair over the rejection, this is what I would say:

“You’ve been rejected? Congratulations! You’re now in a club with J. K. Rowling, H. G. Wells, Rudyard Kipling, and Stephen King. Rejections are par for the course, and should not be taken as law or gospel.
Large publishers don’t decide who should and shouldn’t be writing. You don’t need their say-so to sell hundreds of books, and yes, MAKE IT as a writer! Merely because you’ve been turned down by large industries who have millionaires with teams of ghost writers (here’s looking at you, James Patterson!) churning out nonstop bestsellers doesn’t mean your chances dissolve to zero.
The only way you have zero chance is if you stop writing altogether. You have zero chance if you take zero risks. BUT…. If you keep writing, if you keep reading, if you keep practicing and improving your skill and networking and exploring new avenues of publishing–small press, self-publishing, whatever–then you’ll find that you’ve been MAKING IT all along.
Start your rejection board. Take those letters, spear them with a thumbtack or two (I recommend at least a dozen) and move on. They can’t judge your future or your ability as a writer. Only YOU can.”

What is the most important tip that you can offer other writers?
The most important tip I regularly suggest to writers just starting out is this: “Write Consciously.” What do I mean by this? Two principles apply:

1) “Think first, then write.” In the early days, writing was such an arduous process, that one needed to be absolutely certain of one’s message before one wasted parchment and ink to pass on one’s thoughts. Even storytelling was a serious art, with both the teller and the listener taking careful note of the words said, so that the story could be passed on and perpetuated accurately.
Any more, one can spit out words one moment, and retract them the next–but the principle remains the same. A savvy reader can tell when a writer didn’t think first–plot holes, inconsistencies, anachronisms, and a general feeling of detachment abound! Even writers famous for going “by the seat of their pants” are no excuse, because even they think about what they want to write, albeit just before they write it.

Which brings me to the second principle:

2) “Stay engaged with your writing.” Too often a fledgling writer comes up with a “Cool Idea”, gets down one or two scenes, runs into a snag or a “block”… and promptly calls quits (often with many strong words and flounces and very little punctuation) because the prospect of actually applying oneself, the challenge of staying focus and seeing an idea to fruition was not part of the equation. If you lose engagement with your writing, you risk losing engagement with your audience.

Conversely, those writers who stay engaged with their ideas, who have thought through their ideas before writing them down, are able to communicate them in ways that resonate with their readers, they are able to draw out the “teachable moments” in the course of their story, creating something meaningful that sticks with the reader and leaches into their everyday life. This is the reward of writers who write consciously: they are the producers impactful literature that lasts through generations.

What would you say are some common traps that aspiring writers should avoid?
Trap Number 1: “I Don’t Read Because It Pollutes My Writing With Someone Else’s Voice.”

FALSE. I’ve read the book of someone who was proud of the fact that he didn’t read any fiction in the genre for which he wrote–and it was the most boring, detached, inauthentic thing I have ever seen in print. It is no mark of pedigree to admit that one has not read. Even Stephen King said “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.” One must necessarily read to know how to write.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the writer who reads, and then proceeds to write a story with the exact same premise, using the exact same tropes as the book they just read. This sort of person wasn’t at all sure what they just read, but they liked it, so in writing, they basically repeated the story they just “heard”, rather than re-working it into something wholly original. This is a reader who doesn’t quite understand how to write–the process and the framework of a story. It’s all right for fanfiction, but it falls flat and runs the razor’s edge of plagiarism if the writer hasn’t thought it through.

Trap Number 2: First Draft is Best Draft.
Sorry, but you’re going to go through multiple drafts of the same thing. You’re going to tweak it into oblivion and still wrestle the Gremlin of “Not-Good-Enough.” Just because you think you’ve caught all the spelling and grammar errors doesn’t mean there aren’t ones that you missed, or that there might not be other things wrong with your story. Always get a second opinion, and be prepared for multiple drafts.

Trap 3: “Copy The Popular Trends To Make A Book That Sells.”
This happens more often than it should. Like the second person I mentioned in Trap 1, they read a lot of books on a particular vein because they enjoy it, and then when they decide for themselves to write–especially if they haven’t taken the time to understand how to write–then it ends up being a shoddy copy of these other books. The market is inundated with copycats, and if your book is TOO much like the others, then you’ve got double the effort to put in because how else are you going to convince readers that your book is more worthwhile than the other ones?
My advice would be to find ways to make the story your own. For example, in “Princess of Undersea”, I added tweaks based on the story “flaws” I saw in both the original fairy tale (namely, that depressing ending! And the fact that she gives up her voice to be with the man she loves… Like, what???) and the Disney version (“Stubborn teen rebels against father, chooses to separate from him forever out of spite… then gets his blessing to marry a total stranger??”) among other things… but in doing so, readers have said that it still paid homage to the original while presenting a fresh message and a new set of perspectives for these characters.
The world doesn’t need “just another vampire novel.” You don’t have to even HAVE vampires to make your story worth reading. Make a story that gets your readers thinking, gets them engaged and relating to the characters on a real-world level, and you’ve made a piece of literature that will last hundreds of years into the future.

Have you had any adversity or challenges surrounding your writing career? If yes, what?
I think my biggest mistake is the fact that I didn’t plan for marketing ahead of my release–and after. So accumulating sales and reviews is definitely a challenge I’m trying to work through!

As far as the writing itself, the challenge there is how long it takes me to finish a book. I’ve started a great many things over the years, finished about half of them, but even fewer are any sort of “publish-worthy” caliber. The ones that are… remain in progress for a very long time.

A direct link to your most proud of written work
“Princess of Undersea: A Timeless Tale” https://www.amazon.com/Princess-Undersea-Timeless-Leslie-Conzatti-ebook/dp/B01MSWZRUU

Your website or blog
Blog: www.upstreamwriter.blogspot.com

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/leslieconzattiwriter

If a new writer asked you what you thought was needed to become an internationally famous and successful writer, what you would say or recommend them to do?
Network is key! In any industry, my dad would say “It’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know.” So if you want to break into the market in a certain place? Connect with people who live/work/shop in those places. Build a social network following, and maintain it by connecting to them with content that is both relevant to their interests and also to the books you write. If you know other writers or bloggers, invite them to share about your book, and encourage followers to request your book at the local library. In short: make friends, not customers. It’s not very friendly to be a “sale hound”, so be sure that your first impression is “I’m somebody worth knowing, and I think you’re somebody worth knowing” rather than “BUY MY BOOK” from start to finish. If what you’ve written is well-received by your target audience, you have the chance to expand that audience and tap into similar groups all around the world. Everyone you know will also know people that you don’t know! Network well, write often, and success is sure to follow!

Anything else you’d like to say?
I’m truly grateful for this opportunity! Back in 2013, I started a blog as a platform for building a following and a way to share my writing. I called it “The Upstream Writer”, based on an account I heard, where the speaker talked about his encounter with a river full of garbage, and every kind of filth. He shared that the water was so disgusting that he didn’t see how it would ever be clean again–but the locals shared with him their process for cleaning out the garbage once a year. To do that, they would need to travel upstream, to the river’s source, where the water still ran clear. Only by starting with the clean, clear water could they then systematically work their way down the stream, cleaning out the garbage first where it was least prevalent, until all the river was clean again.
It struck me that literature was the same way. There is so much of the “garbage” on shelves, a lot of today’s literature is shallow, trashy, smutty, and altogether inappropriate–so much lamentable content, churned out by publishers because “it sells”, without a care or concern for the impact it will have on society, or the fact that feeding into such fads will only ensure that it becomes obsolete in a few decades, rather than studied and learned from centuries later, like so many of the classics we still read today.
I realized that instead of bemoaning the state of literature, I could travel “upstream” to the “source”–the aspiring authors and the up-and-coming writers–and by supporting them and honing my own craft to its best quality, I could make the difference and shift the trend toward wholesome and influential books that will shape the minds that will in turn shape society for future generations.
This is something I believe everyone is capable of, and I’m willing to support great literature wherever it can be found!

MAtthew Persson

What kind of content do you mostly write?
I recently started a blog for my Americorps service program. But in my free time I blog about my life journey in the unfamiliar territory of the West coast for the year. I also dabble with short stories.

How long have you been writing?
6 years

How many hours do you dedicate to writing per week on average?
5

Do you have any formal education, mentoring, or experience related to writing?
I’ve been published in Thought Catalog, Gozamos, and the Culture Trip. I’m a top 3% contributor on TripAdvisor for Chicago

In one sentence, what motivates you to write?
Writing preserves the human experience

Do you have any funny or unusual writing habits?
I write 800 words a day and during this time, I sometimes think I’m done with the 800 words because the page scrolls down from the word counter. I think I’m done but then notice I’m only at 600 words or something and then write about my frustration about not writing. It’s a strange loop

Pick an excerpt from any of your writing that you’re really proud of
“Welcome to America, where the next thing is the best thing”

What advice, if any, would you give to a fellow writer who has just been rejected by several large publishers and told he or she has zero chance to make it as a writer?
Rejection isn’t the end of the journey. It’s only the beginning. Think of it as a blessing. If you nailed it on the first try, then what would you have to work towards? Rejection is the beginning of all great stories

What is the most important tip that you can offer other writers?
Make writing a lifestyle, rather than simply a hobby. Every new experience you encounter is a writing opportunity

What would you say are some common traps that aspiring writers should avoid?
Not believing in your abilities. Everyone has an innate ability to write and document their experience but not everyone chooses to do so. That alone separates you from the rest

Have you had any adversity or challenges surrounding your writing career? If yes, what?
I think discovering my voice as a writer has been an ongoing challenge. Finding out my angles and what I write best about has been a struggle.

A direct link to your most proud of written work
This Is How Snapchat Can Save Your Life

Your website or blog
Medium.com/@spaces

If a new writer asked you what you thought was needed to become an internationally famous and successful writer, what you would say or recommend them to do?
I think approaching writing from that standpoint is backwards; you must invert your way of thinking. This is far from simple, obviously. I don’t think anyone ever reached fame because of their love for fame. Rather, they reached fame as a result of the love for their craft. Becoming internationally famous is merely a byproduct, in my opinion.

“Are there more of you?”

As it turns out, a number of other salesmen are hitting his neighborhood today. My salesmen then makes some calls, and suddenly the entire house is filled with the drone of vacuums. The men silently work, gradually getting into every nook and cranny. The once dismal house begins to shine a little more.

A few hours have elapsed. While they vacuum, I follow their trails, picking up things on the way. Things are improving.

The sun begins to set and all at once, they stop their vacuums. I now have a number of vacuum salesmen looking at me, wiping sweat from their brows. The original salesmen then approaches me.

“Normally we give a demo for free, but under the circumstances, we’re going to need some compensation.”

“How much?” I ask

“It’s going to be around $2,500”

I give them the entire wad of cash and send them on their way and sit down to read as the day light fades.

Anything else you’d like to say?
Your vibe attracts your tribe

Felicia F. Leibenguth

What kind of content do you mostly write?
Currently I have 4 published books with my fifth coming out on October. Four of the five books are geared toward Young Adult readers, one being a sci-fi/dystopian, and the other three are a Paranormal fantasy trilogy.
I’ve recently started to write adult fantasy novels, which is my current focus as it provides more freedom in writing without the worry of toning it down for young minds.

How long have you been writing?
I started writing fan fiction in 2009 and found my passion for writing. I soon started my own novel in 2010, and it quickly turned into a trilogy. I haven’t stopped writing since then.

How many hours do you dedicate to writing per week on average?
Honestly, I’ve never counted the hours I spend. Once I start writing, I lose myself in the story. I start writing every night around midnight, and finish about four or five in the morning. So I guess I spend around 35 hours a week on actual writing.

Do you have any formal education, mentoring, or experience related to writing?
Currently, I do not have any former education in writing. The only experience I have is from what I’ve already written and published.

In one sentence, what motivates you to write?
Motivation can hit me at any moment, whether its a falling leaf from a tree, or a song I hear on the radio, but mostly my motivation is that I want to share my stories, my mind with the world.

Do you have any funny or unusual writing habits?
My writing habit may be a bit unusual to some. I sit in the living room on the couch with the tv on, my laptop on a tv tray, with ear buds in, streaming music on my phone. Thinking about it, it is kind of strange. Haha!

Pick an excerpt from any of your writing that you’re really proud of
This excerpt is from my novel, The Sanctuary.

Her scent draws me in like a moth to a flame. I clutch the rail along the edge of the roof, keeping myself in place as I watch this tall, lean female step over the parks barrier.

“You’re mine!” I hiss silently under my breath.

I jump down from my roost, keeping to the shadows along my way, heading to the largest oak tree at the edge of the walking path. I stay on the lower branches watching… waiting…

I watch as she follows the gravel walking path, heading in my direction. The wind blows again and my urge to attack becomes overwhelming. My self-control has never been stellar… For the time being, I swallow back the urge as my eyes are locked on this female.

Her movements are fluid… dare I say graceful? Her body beckons to me… teasing me in its seductive saunter.

The blood red t-shirt she wears only makes things worse, and the way her skinny jeans cling to her slender legs, causes me to growl in agony. Resisting becomes harder the closer she approaches. I sink my fingers into the branch of the tree, causing the wood to groan in protest as I force myself to remain in position. She has my full attention and yet, a yearning curiosity builds within me.

What advice, if any, would you give to a fellow writer who has just been rejected by several large publishers and told he or she has zero chance to make it as a writer?
Being rejected from publishers, whether big or small, it hurts. Its like the biggest slap in the face, telling you you’re not good enough.
But you are good enough, more than good enough! You took an idea and turned it into something that you are proud of! Take that pride, hold your head up high and continue the fight to publish. Don’t let anyone tell you that you have zero chance… Because that’s a lie.
Initially, I sent my novel to publishers big and small. The rejection letters flowed in and I felt defeated. But eventually two small publishers wanted to see more… I became excited as anyone would. One decided I wasn’t for them, then the other wrote to me personally. She told me that their company wasn’t taking any more novels in my genre, as they did a quick turn in topic, but she wanted to tell me that I should forgo the publishers and self-publish, that I could go far. With her encouragement, I took the first step to self publish, and I haven’t looked back.
No matter what, don’t give up, for if you give up on yourself, your dream of being a published author will never come to light. Keep your head high, and don’t let anyone beat you down!

What is the most important tip that you can offer other writers?
The most important and valuable tip I can give, is write from the heart. It will never steer you wrong.

What would you say are some common traps that aspiring writers should avoid?
One of the top things to avoid, especially when it comes to getting ready to publish, is do your research on your possible publishers. If a publisher charges you to publish your book… RUN! They are vanity publishers. They will do more damage than good for your novel and, eventually, when that publisher goes under, you will have a rather difficult time trying to find another publisher to take your work. So be aware of vanity publishers. Do your research, look for reviews of the company and heed others warnings. If your gut tells you something is wrong, it usually is. Trust yourself first and foremost, not the person on the other end of the phone pretending they love your work that they never even read.

Have you had any adversity or challenges surrounding your writing career? If yes, what?
Challenges are just speed bumps along the path of writing. For me, like many authors, we come across things we are not good at, like speaking about our own work, marketing our novels, or having the dreaded writers block.
I once had writers block to the point I had to walk away from writing for several months. Then, one day inspiration hit and I ran with it. Writers block is rare for me, so when it happens, it makes itself known.
I also struggle with talking about myself to strangers to promote my novels. I’m a bit of an introvert and rather shy when it comes to saying, “Hey, I’m an author. Read my book.” But its something I’m continually working on.

A direct link to your most proud of written work
This is my most recent, and my favorite work I’ve written thus far:

The Sanctuary, a Paranormal Dark Fantasy

Your website or blog
www.FeliciaLeibenguth.weebly.com

If a new writer asked you what you thought was needed to become an internationally famous and successful writer, what you would say or recommend them to do?
If this was question I was asked today, I would give them advice on what I have already learned from my path of being an author. I am not internationally known, but have dreams of being, just like so many others. Writing isn’t easy, and requires passion, heart, and dedication. It also requires thick skin. Not everyone who reads your work is going to love it. People will rip it apart and can be downright nasty. But you need to take that harsh criticism and make your next project even better. Even though people can be nasty in their words, you can learn from it. Don’t repeat your previous mistakes. Keep moving forward and put your heart and soul into your work. People who read your work will see your passion and dedication; it’s what makes a story worth reading, and worth telling. Just remember, you have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. Just keep pushing and putting yourself out there. It’s a lot of work, but it will pay off in the end.

You are tasked with cleaning up and organizing a dirty, junky 10,000 sq. ft. mansion within 24 hours. The owner of the mansion hasn’t made an attempt to straighten the place out in 3 years. You are given $3000. What would you do to get it as clean and organized as possible for its happy owner?
When my phone starts to ring, I look down to see that my supervisor is calling. With a deep sigh, I answer and listen with dread as he tells me I need to come into work on my only day off this week. I tell him I can’t and he says I was personally requested by the mansion’s owner. The owner heard I’m a fast cleaner and needs someone to clean his ten-thousand square foot mansion within twenty-four hours. He’s having some guests coming, and because it hasn’t had a good cleaning in at least three years, and being such short notice, he will pay me a $3000 tip.
Knowing the work load ahead of me, I drag my feet in answering my supervisor. I tell him I will do it, and he offers to send a few more of the company’s cleaners to help. I tell him no, I like to work alone. He agrees and tells me if I need help, just let him know.
Ending the conversation, I put my phone back in my pocket and hang my head, already exhausted just thinking about it. This one may be the death of me, but I can definitely use the practice, especially on such a large scale, compared to the other houses I’m used to.
I have worked on my ability since I was a small girl and noticed I was different from my friends. Things would fly across the room when I became mad, or the lights flicker when I was sad.
My friends thought I had a ghost in my house, but I knew it was me. Some would probably call me a witch, but I’m nothing of the sort. I’m just an average human with a special hidden ability no one knows about. It started out small, bending spoons without touching them, and has grown to moving objects across the room. My ability has strengthened the older I’ve become. When I took on the job of being a Merry Maid to pay the bills, I didn’t intend to be working there long. I hate cleaning, but soon found I could use my ability to help clean and have been with the company for the past five years as the top maid.
Stopping my thoughts, I yawn and get ready for bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day…

Pulling up to the mansion, my mouth hits the floor. It’s massive, made of stone and looks like a scene from a Dracula movie. This time of year certainly isn’t helping with all the bare trees, making them look dead and decrepit, but oddly, it still holds its beauty. Looking at the stunning detail, I feel as though I have been here before.
Taking a deep breath, I get out of the company van and head for the large, wooden door with lion faced door knockers. Getting up to the door, I see an envelope with my name pinned to it. The envelope is thick and sealed with a red wax heart. I pull it open to find the $3000 and a handwritten note. The owner informs me that he had to leave for the day and that I will have the place to myself.
I nod my head with a smile. Great, I can use my ability without worry of being caught.
I grab everything I believe I will need for this job and open the door to the mansion. My eyes widen and my heart sinks. I may need a week to pull this off. This place looks like it hasn’t been touched in years as things are in complete disarray, spider webs are in every corner, and dust coats everything like a blanket. It’s hard to believe anyone lives here. The dust covering the floor is also untouched, making me wonder if the owner even lives here at all.
I take a quick assessment of each of the many rooms, leaving my foot prints in the dust along the way. Some rooms are worse than others, so I figure I’ll start with the worst and work my way to the best. As I dust around the room, I use my ability to place the items in the proper spots. I clean one room from top to bottom, taking four hours to do so… At this rate, I won’t get done in twenty-four hours.
I decide to push my limits with my ability by seeing how much I can do at once. Taking a deep breath, then sneezing from the dust, I try picking up multiple items and moving them around the room in proper places. I manage moving three objects at once pretty easily. Then I try four… five… six… I get up to ten objects and I feel myself draining of energy, so I keep it at eight objects at a time as I dust, vacuum, sweep, and mop. Things go much faster and I have two more rooms done in the same amount of time it took me to do one. After doing one more room, I need to take a break. I’m nine hours in and making good progress.
I take my break in the kitchen, and while eating my lunch I brought from home, I start hearing creaks and groans throughout the old 1800’s style mansion. I continue to eat in silence, and when I finish my lunch, I head back upstairs to get back to work.
I finish another room and head into the last room on the second floor. It’s decorated like a young girl’s room. It’s frilly and pink, reminding me of my room when I was young. I use my ability to place everything in the proper areas then use the duster and vacuum with my ability as well, testing my limits once again.
Placing the last item on the dresser, the lid of the jewelry box pops open and a ballerina starts to dance, playing a song that I know, but have never heard before. I smile and sing along with the tune, asking myself how I know this song in the first place. The song quickly ends and I close the lid and head down stairs.
While humming the song from the jewelry box, I start to notice I am lifting more objects at once than I ever have. I feel the strain then relaxation of some muscles I’ve clearly never worked before. The more I push my ability, the better I feel. The room turns into a whirlwind of objects flying through the air and landing perfectly in place. I completely clean the massive living room within a half hour. Shocked by this, I continue on in the same manner and manage to finish the entire down stairs within seventeen hours of arriving. The mansion is completely finished.
I relax and smile as I look around at the spotless mansion. Once cleaned up, dust free and organized, it’s actually quite beautiful. I place my hand on the dark oak wood banister of the stairs and feel the smooth silky wood. If these walls could talk, the stories they could tell.
I sit on the stairs and feel a connection to this place. The outside needs work, but the inside is perfect just the way it is. It almost feels like home.
Clapping ensues and I squeal in panic as I spin and see a tall man in the foyer. He’s dressed in early 1900’s style clothing with a smile on his face. He looks familiar, but I am sure I have never seen him before.
He looks at me with his piecing green eyes and tells me how proud he is of the job I have done. He smiles and looks up the stairs, calling for Lilly. I hear feet rushing down the hallway upstairs and finally see a little girl stand at the top of the steps. She’s in a beautiful, puffy white dress with pink lace and bows in her hair. She runs down the stairs, not even noticing me, as she yells excitedly that her daddy is home.
I stare wide-eyed. Where did she come from?
They embrace and her father kisses her forehead, telling her ‘happy birthday my sweet.’ Neither of them seems to notice me as I gather my stuff and head out the door to the van. Putting everything in the back, I go to get in the driver’s seat and see another thick envelope. Again, it has my name and is sealed with a red wax heart.
I pop open the seal to see wad of thousand dollar bills. My mouth gapes open. There is a paper wrapped around the bills and as I open it, I realize it’s the deed to the mansion. There is also a small, handwritten note that says, ‘One of such a gift is worthy of so much more. Tomorrow, the mansion is yours. Happy Birthday my sweet, I am proud of you.’
I quickly head back inside and look all over the mansion for the father and little girl. They are nowhere to be found. When I come back downstairs, there is an old newspaper clipping lying in the middle of the floor in the foyer, perfectly placed for me to find. The date is from 1918. I see the photo of the father and the little girl standing together in front of the mansion. The title states ‘Sweet Lilly celebrates her last birthday.’ I read the article in a rush and I’m in tears at the end. She was special, much like I am, but she became sick and passed away the day after her birthday. Her father committed suicide shortly after.
Tomorrow marks the one-hundredth anniversary of Lilly’s death, and oddly enough, it’s the date of my birth.
I look back up to the door of the mansion and see the man standing alone in the entry way. He is looking at me with a loving smile on his face then I hear his voice, but do not see his lips move. “Welcome home my sweet, I will always love you.” He suddenly begins to fade away and quickly disappears completely.
I am left in stunned amazement.

Anything else you’d like to say?
It’s not easy being a writer, and I think the hardest thing is putting our work out there for the world to see. It’s nerve-wracking, but when that first positive review comes a long, you smile and realize it was all worth it! Then you start a new project, beginning the process all over again. It’s an un-ending cycle of stress and excitement, but I wouldn’t change a thing!

Danielle DuVerney

What kind of content do you mostly write?
I mainly write poetry that reflects people, life and nature.

How long have you been writing?
I have been writing for over twenty years.

How many hours do you dedicate to writing per week on average?
Averagely, I dedicate fifteen hours to writing.

Do you have any formal education, mentoring, or experience related to writing?
No, I do not.

In one sentence, what motivates you to write?
People motivate me to write; I take what I feel or what I feel from others and I share it, my words will motivate, educate or comfort a person.

Do you have any funny or unusual writing habits?
Unusual maybe, but then again maybe not so much for a writer. I have about five books of various sizes that I travel with everyday. When I get the feeling or more than five minutes to myself I write the book I choose depends on my mood and what poem I’m reflecting on. I may finish one I already started or begin a new one. I do this everyday I call it my stolen moments because my life is pretty full.

Pick an excerpt from any of your writing that you’re really proud of Chicken, grits and watermelon Just a little slice of our private heaven The whips and chains we know so well Just a nightmare now, from our public hell We’re free, free to live in poverty Till death do we part Till our drugs, violence and misery Tear us all apart We’re beautiful, a rainbow of people Ranging from white chocolate to dark All targets as we sashay about Unknowing that we’ve all been marked

What advice, if any, would you give to a fellow writer who has just been rejected by several large publishers and told he or she has zero chance to make it as a writer?
I would say brush your shoulders off. I still get rejection letters and cordial denials but I don’t let that stop me. I would say your not writing for anyone to approve you so if you truly have something to say do it and keep on doing it.

What is the most important tip that you can offer other writers?
The most important tip that I can offer would be… get out of your own way. You will always be your toughest critic and that works because you can not allow less than your best work to represent you but remember if you continue to criticize yourself so harshly you may never take the first step to getting your work out and into the hands of someone who may need to hear your words.

What would you say are some common traps that aspiring writers should avoid?
I would say avoid free self publishing sites, or at least read the fine print. You can loose the rights to your own work if you do not know what you are signing up for.

Have you had any adversity or challenges surrounding your writing career? If yes, what?
I would say challenges, they are a lack of time and a lack of funding. Those two challenges force me to work smarter which in the end will pay off.

A direct link to your most proud of written work
https://www.sashatnattat.com/sashat-poetry-corner.html

Your website or blog
sashatnattat.com

If a new writer asked you what you thought was needed to become an internationally famous and successful writer, what you would say or recommend them to do?
If a new writer asked me about international fame and success I would have to say that it was a path that I was unfamiliar with, but I would suggest that the writer do a lot research using the internet. I would recommend they reach out by not only writing and submissions but also through radio, television and through social media. I would tell the writer to keep it simple at first; there are so many international markets stick to one at a time and definitely learn the language so you can communicate with fans and do business.

Anything else you’d like to say?
I’d like to say thank you, and when I am chosen (positive thinking :) I will take my good fortune and pass it on. This is another step upward in my Demand your Brand journey and I will use this opportunity to become successful and do the same for others.

Laura Doyle

What kind of content do you mostly write?
Positive, uplifting and self-help content

How long have you been writing?
Since I was a little girl

How many hours do you dedicate to writing per week on average?
20+

Do you have any formal education, mentoring, or experience related to writing?
I have taken college classes in the past

In one sentence, what motivates you to write?
Writing makes me feel good, and I love serving the world with encouragement and inspiration.

Do you have any funny or unusual writing habits?
I am not sure that it is unusual, but I like to meditate before I began a scheduled writing block.

Pick an excerpt from any of your writing that you’re really proud of
Believe in yourself!

What advice, if any, would you give to a fellow writer who has just been rejected by several large publishers and told he or she has zero chance to make it as a writer?
Never give up! Find another way because the challenges that you overcome will make you stronger and wiser.

What is the most important tip that you can offer other writers?
Keep going!

What would you say are some common traps that aspiring writers should avoid?
Fear of not being good enough.

Have you had any adversity or challenges surrounding your writing career? If yes, what?
Time is a challenge.

A direct link to your most proud of written work
https://laura-doyle.com/shop/

Your website or blog
https://laura-doyle.com/

If a new writer asked you what you thought was needed to become an internationally famous and successful writer, what you would say or recommend them to do?
I would tell them to stay true to who they are and to focus on their goal and not let anyone detour or discourage your dreams or goals. I would also remind them to enjoy the journey along the way to greatness!

Anything else you’d like to say?
Thank you

Writer Spectacle #4 Featured Writers