Author Q&A: Julie Ortolon
Author: Trish Milburn
Original Publication Date in Love Notes: August 2002

Q. What is your writing schedule like?

A. When I'm working on a rough draft, I work two to six hours in the morning, then take the rest of the day off to "play." Although my play activities are usually shopping, cooking, or gardening, which allows my creative mind to stay in the story. It takes me about eight to 10 months to finish a rough draft. Then I work around the clock for two to four months to polish it into something I can show my editor without cringing. I actually look forward to getting the revision letter and diving back into the book with qualified input to finish the polishing process.

Q. What is the one thing you wish you'd known about the publishing business before you started submitting?

A. How little control I'd have. The fickle nature of publishing can be frightening. If you think too much about all the things you can't control, the fear can paralyze your creativity. What I've learned about staying published is what I learned about getting published: Concentrate on the writing. Be savvy enough about the market to know what your publisher needs in order to build your career, deliver that, and let them handle the rest. Know when to dig in your heels and when to let go and trust the professionals in marketing to do their job. Your job is the writing. Concentrate on that.

Q. What is missing from the romances being published now (specific setting, type of book, etc.) that you wish would be published?

A. I'm not sure anything is missing. The genre is broader than it's ever been, with a wide range of sensuality, tones, and sub-genre. The only thing that's limited is historical settings that sell well, but that's determined more by readers than publishers and goes in cycles. In order to thrive as an author, you have to learn to be true to your own creative spirit while delivering what readers want. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Q. How important do you believe an agent is to an author's career? At what point do you think a writer should seek one?

A. I'm so glad you asked this question! The first part is easy: Yes, get an agent. A good one is worth every dime you pay. If it weren't for my agent, and the advice she gave me right from the beginning, my career could have taken a very different, and far less satisfying, path. But it's the second part of your question I want to address. An appallingly common mistake I see new writers make is to seek an agent too soon. Until you have finished at least one manuscript and started on a second, seeking an agent is a waste of your time and theirs. 

Another common mistake is to choose an agent simply because he/she is attending a conference and you can sign up for a 10-minute appointment. I beg you, wait until you're ready, then do your homework to come up with a top 10 list of agents you'd like to represent you in a long-term partnership. If they happen to be attending a conference and are offering appointments, fine, but truthfully, you don't need a 10-minute appointment get an agent. You need a solid, marketable manuscript and a professional attitude about the business. If your top pick agents turn you down, don't lower your standards, work harder at your writing.

Q. What one thing do you think beginning writers focus on that they probably shouldn't?

A. Selling the book they're currently working on, especially if it's their first. They should be thinking "long-term career" not "will this one book sell?" I know it's hard to take that little piece of your heart and soul and put up on the shelf in your closet, but 10 years from now, you may be glad that first attempt didn't sell. Or, in my case, the first four attempts, and yes I'm very glad now that they didn't sell or I'd have a completely different career.

Q. What do you enjoy most about being a writer?

A. Oh, so many things! Working at home at my own pace. Days of solitude where I can lose myself in the story. Two-hour lunches with writer friends. And shopping at Chico's (best writer clothes on the planet!). 

Q. Who are some of your favorite romance authors?

A. Anyone who writes fast-paced stories with lots of emotion and sizzling sexual tension.

Q. What are your upcoming releases?

A. Lead Me On will be out in January 2003 from St. Martin's Press. It's the second in my Pearl Island series about a brother and two sisters who start a bed and breakfast in Galveston. The first book in the series, Falling for You, came out last April. Readers can learn more about my books and read excerpts on my Web site: www.ortolon.com.

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