Interviewed by J.B. Scott

JB

Hi Charlotte! 

Thank you for joining us at the newly created "E-Literate" interview room. It is a privilege and pleasure to have you as our guest. Now just to familiarize our readers with who is Charlotte Boyett-Compo…you are author of twenty-one books, the first nine of which are the WindLegend Saga. You have been happily married 34 years to your high school sweetheart, Tom, and the mother of two grown sons, Pete and Mike, and the proud grandmother of Preston Alexander and Victoria Ashley. Your back yard is located in the Midwest.

Share with us the story behind a quote that appears on your website:

I am the Talespinner of the WindLegends

CBC

One of the characters in the WindLegends Saga is Teal du Mer, part-gypsy, part-nobleman's son.  Teal is a talespinner, a weaver of tall yarns.  He tells the tale of the hero and heroine at the beginning of some of the sequels.  Since I created the entire series and gave literary birth to Tealson, I, too, am a talespinner.  It is the my imagination that has given rise to the plotlines and I am there to share those stories with my readers, to make them a part of the action.

As for the quote:  I wanted to make everyone welcome to my website. I wanted them to feel comfortable while they visited.  I also wanted to remind them that what is important  isn't what you do in life or where you go, what you accomplish or what you accrue, but the companions who travel life's pathways with you.  Some readers are more comfortable with animal companions than human ones and I wanted those people to be especially welcome to the world of the WindLegends.

JB

Now, you are no stranger to writing, with an incredible array of books on your author shelf. Let me first congratulate you on such a wonderful achievement in having so many books published and appreciated by your peers and readers.

I would be a cruel interviewer if I were to ask you which one is your favorite…so I'm not gong to ;-) 

Please share with us now, what is special about each of the following novels I have chosen at random:

• The Keeper of the Wind

• WindFall

• WindChance

• The Windseeker

• The WindDreamer

CBC

Ah, go ahead and be cruel!  I'm a dark fantasy writer; I can take it! J  Actually, my three favorite books in order of preference are: The Windreaper: Book Five of the WindLegends Saga, BloodWind, and In the Heart of the Wind.

The book I'm working on now is gonna be running neck and neck with BloodWind, though!

The Keeper of the Wind was the first book I wrote that was published.  It has been out since 1995 and has sold thousands of copies, most of them through Amazon.com.  That book will always be dear to my heart for it was the start of my career in writing. It is also the cornerstone for twelve other novels and the characters introduced in it will either show up or have relatives show up in each of the books I write.

The Windseeker is the first of nine sequels to The Keeper of the Wind, which has been re-named The Windkeeper.  This book carries on the tale of Prince Conar McGregor and his love, the Lady Liza.  In it, the reader begins to understand why Conar is the way he is and just how tragic his childhood was. It also lets the reader see the growing bond between Conar and two of his half-brothers: a relationship that will play a major role in each of the other eight sequels.

The WindDreamer is the sixth book in the WindLegends Saga series and won't be out until 2002.  I really can't tell you much about it at the moment.

Both WindFall and WindChance are prequels to the WindLegends Saga series. They introduce characters who will be showing up in other books and whose kinsmen will pop up in each series of the books: The WindTales, The DemonWind Trilogy, etc.  These books are classic sword & sorcery romances with a diverse group of characters and a look into the world-building I have done in creating Serenia, Necroman, Chale and the other magical countries. These two books, along with The Prince of the Wind, are related only in they show the reader the different eras of these worlds and the various generations of the characters' families. 

JB

You have received many awards and nominations - do you enter many competitions? Do you feel they are an important facet of being an author?

Of all the nominations and awards you have received, is there any one that stands out above the rest for you personally?

CBC

I don't enter many contests.  The few that I have entered, I've either won or was a finalist.  Some contests I simply won't enter because I don't feel they are being run in a manner that I feel comfortable entering.  The Frankfurt Award is one of those contests. Someone like me doesn't stand much of a chance at winning something the traditional print pubs already have sewn up so why enter? The awards I have won have been those that reviewers have put me up for and those mean so much to me, especially the Engravers Award from Inscriptions e-zine. I am extremely proud of that award. It was given for the favorite e-book author of 2000.  BloodWind won as one of the Best Books of 1999 at eBook Connections and In the Wind's Eye was chosen as one of the Best Books of 1999 by Inscriptions .  In the Heart of the Wind was a finalist for the Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence from the Reviewer's International Organization and was the only ebook chosen by Inscriptions as a Best Book of 2000 for eBook Connections poll.  NightWind was a finalist in the Dream Realms Award. Those are the kinds of awards I treasure.  I don't know that winning awards is all that important to a writer's career but it certainly helps to validate you as an author. The publicity of winning helps sales and each time I've received an award my book sales have gone up sharply.  Word of mouth about the award on the various listservs helps to spread the news about the value of your book and people who might otherwise not know who you are will try your book to see what all the hoopla is about.

JB

What are you thoughts on websites and webrings in promoting your work? Are they an integral part of the promotion process? You are also a member of many organizations and e-lists, including the Authors' Guild and Women for Literature - how important are these organizations for you?  What advice can you offer other authors if faced with whether to join such a group?

CBC

It is a vital part of your promotion as a writer to have your own website. Being able to put what you want on it, when you want, and how much you want is a big asset. The next best thing to that is to have a webpage on a major genre website like Word Museum or Amazing Authors.  Having your own webpage, though, should be high on every author's list of priorities. Getting yourself on the webpages of large, heavy-traffic sites, your URL in their list of links,  having them interview  you, writing an article or two for them, is the best way I know for an author to gain name recognition.  The major search engines spider those websites and your name, the name of your book, a review, something you wrote in their guest book will pop up.  Do a global search on Google of your name and you might be amazed at the places where you are being represented. The more is definitely the merrier (and better) in the effort to get your name out there before the reading public.

Being on a webring is good, but some authors make the mistake of being on so many of them the graphics cause surfers to move on before the webpage can open.  Graphic-intense websites annoy some people while others have patience to wait. A happy medium is what a writer should aim for. Some people don't want music blaring at them. Some don't want blinking banners. Some get ticked with the popup ads at places like Tripod and Yahoo. If you can afford to pay to have those ads zapper, it is certainly to your advantage to keep the annoyance level and the purity of your webpage.  Having someone design a splash page graphic that is yours alone is also helpful.  It should be memorable and able to be used as a banner for those websites that like to exchange banners with other websites.

Writing organizations can be of help if you are having problems with your publisher but I don't see much benefit if you aren't. Although I have joined quite a few of them, it was mostly to network and to find other writers like myself who are willing to help promote one another.  Some organizations have webpages where you can be represented and that is great.  Listservs that are genre-specific can be a big help to a writer. One of the best listservs in E-authors.  Those of us who are members have developed close friendships and contacts that have helped make sales, gain contracts, develop contacts, find places to get our books reviewed, ourselves interviewed and our work read.  I have garnered far more rewards from that listserv than any membership in Writer's Guild.  Some organizations like Romance Writers of America are not totally behind ALL authors so I dropped my membership to them.  Genre-specific organizations can be helpful but they can also be very hard to gain memberships to.  My advice would  be to find a wonderful listserv where flaming and spamming is not allowed and where the members are supportive of one another.

JB

One pleasure to all of your cyber visitors is your link to listen to excerpts of BloodWind and NightWind from Free Gallery. Tell us a little about how that opportunity came about. What was the experience like recording excerpts of your own work? Was there much feedback from your listeners?

CBC

Fay Zachary is the force behind the Free Gallery of Author's Voices.  She  personally contacted me, asking if I would be willing to make those recordings because she had heard good things about my work.  I was thrilled she asked and couldn't wait to do them.  I hate the way I sound (my southern accent comes through loud and clearL ) but hopefully listeners don't run away in horror while hearing it.  The feedback was great and as a result, Fay interviewed me for a new venture she started called Radio Free Gallery.  It is a service authors who want to promote themselves should seriously consider. Fay liked my interview so much and received so many compliments on it, she hired me as one of three authors who now interview other authors for Radio Free Gallery.  For a modest promotional fee, an author can have their interviews to send out to other websites, radio promotions,  booksignings, etc.  The whole experience for me, as an author, has been very fulfilling and helpful to my career. I highly recommend it to other authors seeking promotion.  On a personal note, Fay is a delight to work with and for.

JB

Share with us now how you write your "hot love scenes" so well. Is it something that occurs naturally as you write? Is there anything you won't write in a love scene?

CBC

I won't do bestiality or child porn. Those two things are disgusting in my opinion.  I won't do graphic erotica, either.  A friend of mine sent me copies of Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty series of erotica and I was absolutely mortified. I am not a prude by any stretch of the imagination but that kind of writing holds no allure for me whatsoever. I actually found myself getting nauseous in some of the scenes I flipped through before flipping the books into the trash bin.

 I thoroughly enjoy a good, graphic love scene between two consenting adults.  Rosemary Rogers writes some of the best historical romance love scenes I've every read. The 'normal' things that lovers do such as fellatio can be beautiful if written with a delicate hand and an eye to the sensibilities of the more restrained readers.  I don't have any sexual hang-ups and I have a wonderful husband who gently and expertly initiated me into the world of lovemaking on our wedding night 35 years ago this July.  I was a virgin, scared to death, but he made that night very special, tender, and something both of us look back on with pleasure. When he had "THE TALK" with our sons, Pete and Mike, he stressed his pride in the fact that their mother had been entitled to wear her white gown on her wedding day. His pride in me only made me love him more. To have such a man as my Buddha Belly lead me into the mysterious world of sex has served me well when I write a lovescene. I draw on the sweetness that has been our marriage and the tempestuous enthusiasm that has been our passion. Many of those scenes have actually happened. The words spoken were spoken long ago.  The explanation of the feelings, the emotions, were truly experienced and therefore are real to me so they are, in turn, real to the reader.

When I am creating a male character (I really don't care much for my female characters, btw), I think of what I would love to have them do to me during one of the love scenes. I then borrow on what Buddha Belly has done in the past and come up with a sizzling scenario from which he benefits later that evening. J

JB

The genres listed under your name are:

Paranormal, Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance, Psychological Thrillers, Sword & Sorcery, Sci-Fi/Futuristic. Do you believe there is clear definition between each genre, or do they blend and weave into each other? Do you know in advance, what the genre for each book is going to be?

CBC

Some genres, like horror, are pretty clear cut.  But even then you have some crossover with different types of horror. The books that John Saul writes are similar but different than the ones Douglas Clegg or Brian Lumley writes. Mysteries and psychological thrillers are close in nature but there is a marked difference in what each of those types of books are 'saying'.  Most of my novels are crossovers.  The dark fantasy blends into the sword and sorcery.  The paranormal blends into the sci-fi/futuristic.  I take elements of the genres that appeal to me and incorporate them into the storyline.  For instance: In BloodWind, the hero is a shapeshifting assassin.  When he changes, he is a cross between a vampire and a werewolf.  The story takes place in Outer Space and there are elements or romance, mystery, horror and the paranormal.

 I think readers today have completely embraced the cross-genre novels coming out from e-authors and that is one of the selling points of E-publishing.  These are different, innovative storylines that readers have not been able to find through the traditional publishers like Avon.  Occasionally, writers like Joanna Lindsey have crossed over into trying to write futuristics but from what I've read on the major listservs, their efforts were not appreciated.  I think the reason for that is the lame attitude of the publisher and the concept that different doesn't sell. E-book authors are making their careers on being able to write cross-genre, on being different,  so I believe it will become more and more popular until the traditional print publisher begin to realize they are missing out on some truly fantastic writers.  One day, one of us is going to make it big in publishing because our work is being noticed by readers who want less of the cookie-cutter and more of the innovative.

JB

E-books in audio format - tell us how this opportunity came about with Fiction Works Publishing.

CBC

Patricia White, a fabulous author who writers for Fiction Works, sent me an email to ask if I had contracted the audio rights to my novels.  I told her no and Ray Hoy , the owner of the company, sent me  contracts a week later. Pat had reviewed several of my books, liked them, believed in me as a writer and wanted to help me promote those books. She's a good friend and I value her judgment so I signed the contracts. It is a pleasure to have fellow writers willing to help other writers get ahead. 

JB

Now, you have been part of a spectacular idea, a cookbook with recipes from other talented e-authors. That must have been a lot of fun - 43 authors! Who came up with the idea? Was it difficult deciding what recipe to include in "Now We're Cooking…43 Authors In The Kitchen?"

CBC

This was something that began on the E-promo list, an offshoot of the E-author listserv.  We talked about it and I believe it was Leta Nolan Childers' idea to put together a cookbook.  We have done several join promotions including a Halloween and Christmas contest in which readers won some very nice prizes. We are doing a sampler of our works for the Romantic Times convention in Kissimmee, FL this November.  There are no egos involved in this. Each of us realizes how important self-promotion is and we work toward helping one another achieve success and name recognition.  Each of us incorporated our favorite recipes and had a great time designing, developing and putting together each of our webpages to promote the cookbook.  It is free and the link to it is listing on my main page at www.windlegends.com.  It  can be downloaded in html or pdf from  the E-authors main webpage.

JB

Looking at where you are today, are you where you thought you would be twelve months ago? Where do you see yourself this time next year?

CBC

I think I'm pretty well on track for what I thought I would be doing.  I have a life outside my writing and that sometimes interferes with the writing so I am behind a bit in the book that I am working on at present.  I was hoping more of my novels would be out in paperback by now but there have been some problems with the company doing the printing. Those are being ironed out and I believe I have one or two more paperbacks due out next month. 

By this time next year, I hope most of my backlist will be out in paperback and on the shelves of many of the brick and mortar bookstores.  As great as the sales are on the Internet, they might be even better if they were on a shelf where a reader could make an impulse buy.  I hope the first of the audio books will come roaring off the sound recorders and be available for purchase.  I also hope one of my novels will garner the attention of a movie studio.  My fondest wish is to see one of my 'babies' on a big screen!  

JB

What are your thoughts on the e-publishing industry? Are there certain disadvantages and/or advantages in being published in that format?

CBC

I believe E-publishing has been a wonderful boon to writers. The format has allowed writers who would not otherwise have been published to see their work 'in print'.  It has given hope to those who were constantly being subjected to the classless form letters sent out by traditional publishers who didn't even bother to read the work before rejecting it. It has allowed writers whose work crosses genres to find an audience for their novels.  The whole concept of E-publishing has answered a need that has been out there for a long, long time but is just now being addressed. Unfortunately, there are naysayers who would like very much to prove their opinion of E-publishing is correct and the entire industry will be brought down.  One silly twit once remarked on a listserv that she didn't even know what an e-book was, didn't want to know, and would never read one if she had it handed to her on a silver platter. What a complete ninny! I am sure hers was one of the families who were sure the world was flat and that no one would ever take to the air and fly.  I label such detractors as People Without A Clue. Those of us who have embraced E-publishing and have entrusted our work to e-publishers have a vested interest in seeing the industry thrive. Will it ever replace print books? No, I seriously doubt it will in my lifetime. That isn't to say that it might not be the norm for education in my great-grandchildren's time.  I honestly believe the industry will continue to grow, to change, to morph into what VCRs and DVDs are to so many homes today.  In the foreseeable future, it would not surprise me for people to have a dedicated e-book reader in their homes just as they have laptops. E-publishing is here to stay whether the negative ninnies like it or not.

JB

POD seems to be the new kid on the block within the e-realm - share with us your thoughts on this new format. Have you experienced success in this format over the electronic formats?

Are the local bricks-and-mortar bookstores near you been co-operative in making them available to your readers?

Do you have any suggestions to other published authors in this format?

Where do you see the future of e-publishing?

CBC

I have two books currently out in POD: BloodWind and In the Wind's Eye. They are selling wonderfully and have gained a whole new readership market for me from those people who adamantly refused to read E-books.  Unfortunately, there just aren't that many reliable, untarnished POD producers out there. Lightning was the producer of In the Wind's Eye;  Replica is the producer of BloodWind and at least five other of my novels coming out.  Both did a terrific job of producing the books and they look great.  I have had wonderful comments about both.

I have had no reason to deal with the local brick and mortar stores. After about 30 booksignings, I have curtailed my activities in that department. To me, it is not a pleasant thing to do. I am not a gregarious person and tend to be very shy and withdrawn.  I feel very uncomfortable during signings but I usually sold anywhere from 10-40 books per signing.  Those people who have told me they've gone to Barnes and Noble, Waldenbooks, etc. have been told the books could not be ordered because they were not carried by Ingram. Just recently, RFI West, my publishing house, has signed an agreement to have the books distributed through Ingram so that should no longer be a problem.  I've never had anyone have a problem getting the books through the big bookstores online, though.

If you are trying to decide whether or not to go POD, remember that you won't make as much money as you do with e-book royalties because there is a larger overhead involved.  POD books are naturally more expensive to produce than E-books.  If royalties are secondary to you, it shouldn't be a problem and if you are interested only in seeing your name in print, holding the book in your hand, this is certainly a wonderful alternative to never being published.  There is certainly something very satisfying about holding YOUR book in your hand, stroking the cover, and knowing you 'have arrived'….if only in your own mind. J

E-publishing will continue to expand.  With the inception of new award contests and big name authors jumping on the bandwagon, there is no other viable direction for the industry to go but up.  It isn't going to fold. It isn't going to go away. It isn't going to fade into the background, either. It will continue to be an in-your-face format, promoted on cable channels and in the TV Guide until the entire concept is a household word. 

JB

You have written some very informative articles for Sharpwriter, two of which include the topics of the Frankfurt Awards and the pitfalls of being an e-published author - did writing those articles feel "good" - a kind of releasing of the tension? What was the main motivating force behind writing them and the other articles accredited to your name?

CBC

The article about Frankfurt was cathartic.  Although I knew the awards would not be fair to the true e-authors of the world, I felt bad for those who bought into the hype and actually thought they had a chance to win, a shot at being recognized by a worldwide award.  Their publishers spent money to enter these authors works---many that were wonderful writings---and all they got in return was a slap in the face. The Frankfurt Awards were decided in favor of the Big Boys and the independents didn't have a chance. The dashing of the hopes of those writers was painful to see and it was a black eye to the industry as a whole to have traditional print publishers come out with a major writer's work in e-format form simply to have that writer eligible for the award. It was a farce.

I wrote the article on being an e-author because I got tired of hearing the insults made by ignorant people who didn't have a clue what e-writing is all about.  The misconceptions still boggle the mind and if I can help to eradicate them, I am more than willing to zip off a few hundred words for the effort. 

JB

Reviews - something you are very familiar with - many of which are 5 stars. How difficult has it been for you getting your manuscripts reviewed? Now this is a difficult question - have you ever received a review that upset you in some way? What advice can you offer our authors that have been in this position? What role do you believe a reviewer has in the literary process?

CBC

I have never had any problems at all in getting my work reviewed. I have been able to develop a good working relationship with most of the large genre-specific websites and top-notch reviewers.  I am thrilled they have embraced my work and now when a new book comes out, I have a waiting list of reviewers who want to receive the ARCs. I am very grateful for their support and if they like my work, give it a good review that is great.  I always thank the reviewers for their reviews even if they didn't care for my writing. Reviews are subjective and authors have to understand going into this business. Not everyone is going to like your work. Not everyone will UNDERSTAND your work.  Unless it is a personal attack on the writer.  Out of all the reviews I've had, only three have caused me the first moment's concern. In one of those reviews, the 'reviewer' (and I use that phrase loosely because it was obvious she had an agenda other than reviewing in mind), gave away the entire plot, the hook, and the ending, along with personal comments that had the person who assigned the review apologizing to me, asking if I wanted to have the review ran. I said yes because, as I mentioned, reviews are subjective and anyone reading that biased review would know the woman was attacking me personally, not reviewing my work.  The other two reviews were done by a pseudo-intellectual who obviously enjoyed hearing herself expound on the many things wrong with my books. I have since read other reviews she's done and there is a pattern there.  She doesn't seem to like most authors' works. If the books she reviewed had not been consistent 5 star winners on over 20 major review sites, I might have been concerned. As it was, I took the reviews as the venomous insults they were no doubt intended to be and left it at that. I have, though, warned other authors about submitting their work to the woman.  Why put someone else through that kind of crap if you can prevent it? As for upsetting me, no review has the power to do that. Again, because they are subjective and because as an adult, I realize that not everyone is going to embrace what I write.  It would be nice it they would, but everyone is entitled to their opinion and as long as it is not inte nded to cause hurt, a review is simply words strung together.

This is a tough business and you have to have tough skin in order to survive in it. If by hearing someone say your work is not worthy, that it is not viable, you shrink down into a pathetic quiver of nerves and cry yourself to sleep you won't last long in publishing.  You have to be strong and realize that reviews can't actually hurt you. In some instances where authors have received horrible reviews, the book has sold extremely well.  Why? Because people want to see just how 'bad' the book is.   Sometimes bad reviews written to poke fun at and hurt an author have a way of coming back and biting the reviewer in the shorts.  Just remember that reviews are only a standard by which a stranger judges your work and that stranger may or may not be someone who is being totally honest, sincere and professional in their review.  

JB

Now, this is where you let your hair down, and offer anything further…yes a free plug is more than okay…

Charlee, I would like to take this opportunity of thanking you for agreeing to do this interview and I wish you well for all your future endeavors.

Regards

JB Scott

CBC

Thank you for interviewing me, JB. It has been a pleasure. Your questions were well thought-out and skilful. I look forward to seeing the interview up at Sharpwriter.

To your readers:

Please visit my publishing house at RFI West (http://www.rfiwest.org ) and DLSIJ Press (http://dlsijpress.com) to learn more about my available books and what's coming up next for me.  

I have a new sword & sorcery romance book (The Windhealer: Book Four of the WindLegends Saga series) coming out in July and DarkWind, the long-awaited sequel to BloodWind, will be out in November. 

Drop by my website at http://www.windlegends.com  to get know a little about me.  Please be sure to sign the guest book so I'll know you came by for a visit.

If you will be attending the Romantic Times convention in Kissimmee, FL in November of this year, please be sure to look me up!  I am on several panels on E-publishing and I am in charge of the one on the Future of E-publishing. I will also be signing each of my available novels.