Utah Author Interview- Aubrey Mace
Photo by Heather Zahn GardnerToday’s Utah Author Spotlight is Aubrey Mace, published author x 3
What are your favorite all-time books?- The Angel’s Game, The Shadow of the Wind, Bel Canto, Cold Flat Junction, Persuasion, Gilead, Atlas Shrugged, Anna Karenina, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and The Sun Also Rises.
When did you start writing your book and how long did it take to get it published? I started writing my first book, Spare Change, in 2006. (It was actually my second book, but my first one is still in a drawer.) I submitted to five or so publishers before it was picked up by Cedar Fort after completing their requested edits. It was on the shelf in April 2008.
Who is your hero/ mentor?- I think I would have to say Jane Austen, for helping to pave the way for other women who wanted to write.
What suggestions would you give young writers? 1) Grow a thick skin. The submission process can be brutal, and getting published doesn’t happen overnight, so learn to put those rejections behind you and KEEP SUBMITTING! 2) Read as much as you can. Time spent reading is never wasted– it only makes you a better writer.
Where did the inspiration for your books come from?- I get my best ideas when I’m doing mundane, repetitive tasks like weeding the yard or shoveling snow. And I seem to get a lot of ideas in the shower for some reason.
Are you working on any books right now? I’m working on two novels right now: my NaNoWriMo novel from this year is almost finished– it’s about pudding (of all things), and a novel about heaven that’s about halfway done.
Who is your favorite author? That’s the hardest question! I could never narrow it down to just one, but I love Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Martha Grimes, Jane Austen, Raymond Chandler, Ann Patchett, Helen Fielding, Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, Marilynne Robinson, Sarah Eden, and Diane Setterfield.
What was your road to being published like? The story of my road to being published was a lot shorter than some I’ve heard, but it seemed long to me! I still have two finished novels in drawer that I haven’t been able to find a publisher for. the more I talk to other writers, the more I find that to be the case.
Aubrey was super generous and donated three signed books for us to giveaway! Two of them you can win here, the third, “My Fairy Grandmother” we are giving away to one lucky participant of our author chat with her on Wednesday February 24th, 2010 at 7:30 PM MST. Come chat with Aubrey and win her third, most recent book!
To win “Spare Change” and “Santa Maybe” author signed set:
Leave us your name and email address
+2 visit her blog at http://www.aubreymace.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment
+2 become a fan of Aubrey Mace on Goodreads
+2 follow her on twitter @aubreymace
+3 tweet this contest
+5 add this contest to your blog
+3 Follow our blog
Giveaway ends March 18th and is open to International Participants. Good luck!
