How Libraries Create Authors
Julie Kramer, author of the soon to be released STALKING SUSAN, was one of five authors selected to speak at the
LibraryJournal Breakfast at the Public Library Association Conference in Minneapolis March 27.
She talked about how libraries create authors, and how she wanted to be like Phyllis A. Whitney when she grew up."When I first decided to get serious about writing a book, one of the first things I did was go to the library," Kramer said. There she reread debut novels by her favorite thriller writers and tried analyzing what made them so good. That took about a year. And that was her favorite part of writing a book.
But she found making up stories harder than her day job as a journalist writing news, so she started checking out books about the craft of fiction. One of the most useful, WRITING MYSTERIES, featured advice from famous authors, including a chapter on pacing and suspense written by Phyllis A. Whitney. "I took her advice about curiosity, emotion, viewpoint and giving every character a secret. Eventually I had a big pile of pages."
Next she started checking out books about researching agents. And it worked. Elaine Koster agreed to represent her.
Then Kramer checked out books about the publishing industry, all the while revising and improving her manuscript. Before long she had a two-book deal with Doubleday. And her editor, Stacy Creamer, decided to market her book under suspense. Just like Phyllis A. Whitney.
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Julie Kramer's debut STALKING SUSAN will be released July 15, but will be available for early sale at Thrillerfest. To learn more about her, visit her website at www.juliekramerbooks.com .
