1) So you have released your first
novel, The Gathering Place, recently. Why did you choose to self-publish
over traditionally publishing?
Self publishing was always an option but I
wanted to try to secure agent representation and have my novel sold to a
publisher. I assembled my "dream team" of agents, and several
responded. The overall feedback I received was regarding my platform: who I have
in my network that will buy my book and who I have that will refer my book -
fans, if you will. So I decided to self publish to build my platform and an
audience so that I can then go back to agents with future projects and have the
numbers there to support my dream.
2) What was the inspiration behind The
Gathering Place? How did you come up with the idea?
They say to write what you know, and I know
the legal system in Tennessee through my "day job" as a paralegal,
and I know the south and Nashville having grown up there. I've always loved
murder mysteries and legal thrillers, so I put all those elements together and
started writing. Lucas came to me first, quickly followed by Samantha and
the rest was history.
3) What parts of yourself are hidden
inside the pages of your novel?
There is so much! The setting is in
Nashville, which I know like the back of my hand, so it was very easy to pull
inspiration from my hometown. Maliha is Cherokee and I have strong
Cherokee roots. I love England, so having Lucas come from there was natural for
me. Samantha's hometown is where my Dad's family is from, and the house where
her father lives is an old farmhouse out in the countryside that I love. There
are so many other things but I don't want to bore you!
4) Tell me a little bit about your writing
routine. Do you have a special place where you write? How often do
you write? What inspires you?
I tend to write at home. I don't have cable
television so it's very easy for me to get lost in my writing at home. I
usually write at my kitchen table or my chaise lounge. I also love independent
coffee shops - caffeine is a must when holding a day job, having a life and
trying to make your dream to be an author come true. It takes discipline. I'm
inspired by people - that I see, that I meet, that I overhear. The world is
your oyster if you will only listen!
5) Is the editing process as gruesome as
it seems?
It can be at times and I was terrified of
letting anyone see my work. I had actually shelved The Gathering Place for
many years until my friend convinced me to rework it and polish it
up. The nuts and bolts were there, it just needed to be polished. But it
is terrifying at first, like someone telling you that your baby is ugly. And
trust me, some people have, or have nit picked about things but over all, it
doesn't change my opinion about my novel and rejection didn't hurt as bad as I
had imagined.
6) Has writing novels always been one of
your dreams?
I think writing in and of itself has always
been the way I communicate with the world around me. I've written letters to
boyfriends telling them things I couldn't confess in person, letters to the
President and Congress...that evolved into writing short stories and poems in
high school and college as an outlet, so writing novels, I think, was a natural
next step.
7) Many may not know this, but you are a
survivor of a rarely-diagnosed endocrine disorder called Cushing's Disease, one
that I am familiar with myself. What is it like trying to accomplish your goals
while struggling with a chronic illness?
It has its challenges. There's a spoon theory
out there that says that an action costs you so many spoons and you only get so
many spoons a day. My day job takes most of them but I'm lucky that writing is
relaxing and cathartic, and I can take most of my stress and frustration out on
the computer and turn it into something that makes me proud. In the end, it
replenishes my supply of spoons. There are barriers and bumps on everyone's
journey and Cushing's is no different. You just have to push through and climb
and surmount a little more, but man do you feel accomplished when you get
there!
8) So you are working on a literary
fiction novel that contains a very important subplot regarding Cushing's
Disease. Is it easy to separate yourself from Tori, the character who
fights this disease in the novel?
Yes and no. I didn't want to write a memoir,
at least not yet, because in the grand scheme of things, who am I? Plus, I am
most comfortable writing fiction and telling my truth through my characters. I
think I gifted some aspects of my journey with Cushing's to Tori, which
helped me a lot in the end, but I also wanted Tori's journey to be her own,
because I've learned that no person's story is the exact same, either with or
without Cushing's Disease. So I let her express herself in ways I never would,
and let her tell her own story.
9) When will The Hiding Place be
ready?
It is outlined and a few chapters are written,
but the literary fiction one is taking precedent right now and then I will
finish The Hiding Place, which will feature Lila and Jack, though
Samantha and Lucas will make a few appearances, too. I have a few
tricks up my sleeve that I think everyone will enjoy, and they will really
start to see why certain things happened the way they did in The Gathering
Place.
10) And finally, where can we find The
Gathering Place? (I'll talk about the discount for your blog readers
here, and the giveaway of a Nashville prize package).
It is on Amazon, in paperback and Kindle, and
also on my e-store that you can access via my website, www.rachelwteal.com,
on the novel's page. Also, I am offering a discount for your readers on the
paperback version if they buy it through my store. As an added bonus, anyone
from your blog who reviews on Amazon will be entered to win a
Nashville-themed goodie bag with some of my favorite things from my hometown.
Use discount code GTLU4KCP to get 40% off!
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