Have you always wanted to write?
Yes! Always. Through school, high school, late teens, early twenties, marriage…still going! If I could not write, I wouldn’t feel like a complete person. I have to write something, anything, and I hate to see a day go past when I have not put some words to paper.
What do you enjoy most about being a writer?
Hearing you have touched a reader’s heart and holding that first printed book in your hot little hands!
How long were you writing before being published?
10 years. Finished my first novel at 15 and I was 25 in June of 2002 when I received my first contract. I can remember the day…it was a good one!
Since your acceptance for publication, how has writing changed for you?
It has made me more determined to write and has inflicted a self-imposed schedule and routine for doing so.
What were the most important things you learned in your early years of writing?
Write what you love and find the market which best suits your writing. When I sent off my first novel at 15, I was so proud and sure everyone wanted to publish it! (laughing). One editor in the UK was kind enough to point out I needed to write for a market and enclosed an article for me to read. I will always cherish that article and that editor’s desire to encourage me when obviously that submission would have been the laughingstock of the industry.
How did your first sale come about? How did you feel hearing those magic words?
I knew I would have a tough time trying to find the right market for
Silverthorn. It was a traditional gothic set in the Victorian era and the gothic market had drastically declined. I sent
Silverthorn to Australian publishers (who of course rejected it) and then decided to try the U.S. I sent
Silverthorn to Pocket Books in late 2000. Still no response in May 2002 so I targeted a small publisher who requested the manuscript. I received a contract 2 weeks later. Incidentally, the month
Silverthorn was released, I finally received a response from Pocket Books (hunting through my drawer of rejections…) who said
Silverthorn was ‘richly-detailed and atmospheric’ but ultimately did not suit their lists.
What happened to those rejected manuscripts?
Strangely enough, they are hanging around my office, several of them. The first one is ‘put down to experience’, 3 are under contract, my agent has another 2, and I have another 2 waiting for revisions. As well as all those unfinished ones…
Is writing your full-time job?
I wish! It is my new ambition, I must admit. Currently, I work 4 days a week and am looking to cut down to 3 days starting November.
Who are your favourite authors?
Victoria Holt, Daphne du Maurier, Geogette Heyer, Christina Dodd and Judith McNaught (historicals).
Who have been your influences?
Victoria Holt because she writes the right blend of romance and suspense and Christina Dodd because her writing is ‘fun.’
Tell me about when you held your first book in your hands. How did it feel to see that first cover?
Amazing! Speechless. Seeing that ungainly manuscript presented on those glorious white pages in book-form was just priceless.
Are you a reader? Tell us who you enjoy reading?
Am I a reader? A voracious one! I read anything and everything but my favourites are Victoria Holt, Christina Dodd, Sharon Penman, Johanna Lindsey, Georgette Heyer, Wilbur Smith and Clive Cussler.
What are your other “hobbies”?
Travel and stalking second hand bookstores.
When not writing, how do you spend your time?
Usually reading or watching movies.
Tell me about a typical day in your writing life?
Like today? Begin with reading emails over breakfast then straight into it. Stop for a break around lunch then continue on – sometimes late into the night.
What are your ambitions in your future writing?
To be able to support myself writing full-time.
Tell me about your covers. Which is your favourite?
The Secret of the Phoenix because of its ‘exotic’ feel.
Did you read the book when your author copies arrived?
Lol – no! Well…maybe a few pages but I know the story back to front, inside out, I thought I’d wait a few years before picking it up as a book. Hmmm…do I remember this story? Now that will be a thrill.
Where do you get your ideas?
It could be an antique piece of jewellery, reading ‘real’ historical letters, flicking through pictures of castles…
What are you working on now?
I am now working on a trilogy of medieval romances. My agent is marketing the first one and I am now writing the sequel to that one. And I would also like to begin my 5th gothic…which will be set in Egypt.
To what do you contribute your success?
Determination, perseverance and the absolute blind faith to continue on undaunted – despite years of rejections. ‘Never give up.’ Is there a better motto?
Was there a time you thought you’d never get published?
At 23, I began to feel a little discouraged. I set myself a goal. If I can’t get published by 25, then I’ll quit (of course knowing I’d never quit). And at 25 and a half, I was offered a contract for
Silverthorn.
Can you single out your biggest thrill as a writer?
I think it would be receiving my first professional review (thank goodness it was a good one) and knowing somehow you have touched a reader’s heart.
What is your favourite thing about being a romance writer? Least favourite?
Favourite would be the power to create a world and immerse yourself in it – far away from the dull realities of life. Least favourite would be line editing, again and again.
What aspects of RWAustralia have helped your development as a writer?
I attribute RWA to where I am today. RWA helped me to hone my craft, learn the market, target the right market, network with other writers, and RWA led me to my agent and my first writer’s conference on the gold coast – which was fantastic!
Tell us a little about your latest book.
Angelica escapes an Indian harem to search for her father in Victorian England, never suspecting a deadly secret awaits her there. Only by trusting the sinuously attractive Marquis of Vidal can Angelica hope to survive this ‘primitive’ new world where The Secret of the Phoenix endangers her very life...
Joanna's website is at http://www.joannachallis.com
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Joanna Challis began her love affair with reading and writing at an early age as a balm for her overactive imagination.
The
Secret of the Phoenix