Changing with the times – how I stayed published.

This piece is from the May 2006 issue of our local electrical coop’s Ruralite Magazine. I interviewed myself actually, and was very easy to talk to. I also took the photos, hence the cut off head. The gist of the interview was how we creative types struggle in our careers. Getting published doesn’t mean we’ll stay published, for instance. Keeping up with the changing, often fickle market is a must. So is keeping doors open and networking either via conferences or online contacts. And perhaps most importantly, for me anyway, is determined willingness to try something new and possibly fail. For example, the last book mentioned that was scheduled never happened. That editor was laid off and the project was cancelled.

To note, I was also sort of slyly advertising our upcoming SCBWI Oregon spring conference. It’s a lot easier these days to get the word out at no cost, thanks to the internet, but we had to be pretty creative to get free publicity back in the dinosaur age!