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Writer to Writer Guest Interview
 Spotlight: Donna Kauffman
Donna Kauffman appreciates the time and determination it takes to get a novel written. With twenty-six contemporary romance books to her credit, she has developed the discipline necessary to get from page one to those glorious words of a novel: The End.
In the beginning, when her kids were infants, she would put in hours when they took their naps and after they were tucked in at night. As the children’s schedules changed and they started school, her writing schedule followed suit.
“The discipline of putting in the hours every day,” she says, “it’s up to the individual writer to meet that challenge. There is no time clock, or boss standing over you.”
Good advice to a new writer. Good advice to any writer who has ever found themselves playing one more game of solitaire rather then producing another page of their work in progress.
“You have to also teach friends and other family members not to assume that because you’re home, you’re available. And on a more personal note, the challenge is to not allow you to distract your own self from your work. The internet, computer games, laundry, reorganizing the spice rack. It’s amazing what you can find to do instead of write. So that is the constant challenge.”
 Born in Washington DC and raised as what she calls a “beltway baby” (meaning Metro DC), Ms. Kauffman tried a slew of other professions before settling on a career in the writing industry. “I’ve been a ceramics teachers, bookkeeper, dog groomer, people groomer, jazz troupe dancer, competitive body builder, aerobics instructor ... and now,” she says, “a sedentary writer.”
“There really was no one moment [when I thought I wanted to write a book]. I’ve been an avid reader since age five. If it had printed words on it, I’d read it. I kept journals and diaries as a young girl and wrote all kinds of stories (complete with illustrations) growing up. The Hamster Family Gazette was a family favorite. But I never considered writing a book until the summer 1988. I was past term with my first child during the hottest summer on record – and obviously not in my right mind,” she grins. “I’m still not sure what compelled me to pen to paper that day.”
Says Ms. Kauffman: “Always dive into a new project while the previous one is making the rounds! If an editor turns down a project but is interested in seeing something else, you’ll have something to submit while you still have his or her attention. I was extremely fortunate in that ‘the call’ was for the first book I finished. However, it took a very long time to get that book sold, and I’d written one more and was halfway through a third when I sold the first one. This was a good thing, as it turned out I got a three book deal.”
“Stick with it. Determination really is a large part of success. The other major piece of advice I give all starting writers is to work on honing your craft (either by the sheer practice of it, or by developing some kind of critique relationships) – but very very important is to simultaneously involve yourself in learning about the publishing industry itself. The very best way to do this is to join RWA (Romance Writers of America – you can find them online) then join your local chapter and GET INVOLVED.
 If you put yourself in the arena to be meeting other authors, meeting agents and editors as a matter of meeting attendance or conference attendance, then you are expanding your contact list. When the time comes to submit that first work, you’ll already feel somewhat comfortable with what will be expected of you as a published writer. You should know by then where to submit, who to submit to, etc.”
Donna Kauffman may not have had to ever endure the pain of a rejection letter, but she did put in her time as a beginner. She has a lot of wisdom to share with those writers who have not yet made the transition from writer to author. Now it’s up to the rest of us to just listen and learn and appreciate what this great author was willing to share.
You can contact Donna at: www.donnakauffman.com
Past Guest Writers
» Suzanne Brockmann
» Stella Cameron
» Denise Domning
» Christine Janssen
» Pauline Jones
» Donna Kauffman
» Kay LeGrand
Body Count Productions and Jacqui Jacoby share many opinions with our guest writers, however all of the opinions found in the interview are not necessarily those of the company or Ms. Jacoby herself.
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