Love Inspired Suspense Debut Author Stephanie Newton joins us today for a special interview sharing her journey on the road to the publication of her first book, Perfect Target, out this month!

1.    What’s your sale story? How did you end up selling to Steeple Hill?
I knew I wanted to write suspense.  I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where I fit--and where my faith and writing converged.  When my agent met my now editor Melissa Endlich at a conference, a door opened for me at Steeple Hill.  I had been planning to submit there, so I’m so excited that it worked out the way it did!

2.    How long have you been writing?
We moved to a new town in June of 2002.  I didn’t know anyone to hang out with and it’s way too hot in Florida in the summer to do anything but stay inside in the air conditioning.  So I started my first manuscript that summer.   I had no idea what I was doing, of course!  Fortunately for me, I discovered eHarlequin fairly quickly and found two great critique partners who helped me out!

3.    How many books did you write before selling to Steeple Hill?   You’d think that wouldn’t be a hard question.  I’m pretty sure the answer is five.

4.    What’s the best piece of writing advice you received in helping sell your first book? Write well.  Be savvy about the market.  Don’t give up.  (Thanks to Melissa Jeglinski for that advice!)

5.     What’s something you wish you’d known when you started your writing journey?   
I wish I knew then that there would be no regrets.  I wouldn’t trade a moment of it.  Not even the rejections because with every step, I learned.

6.     Do you have a Bible verse that guides your writing? If so, what is it?
Philippians 3:7  “But Christ has shown me that what I once thought valuable is worthless.  Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”  

I had this Bible verse over my desk for a long time.  I find it very easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life and forget what’s really important.  And I don’t want to forget  what’s at the heart of the writing and the heart of my life.

7.     What is your favorite writing book?
I have tons of favorites, but the two that I refer to most frequently are  Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey:  Mythic Structure for Writers and Tami Cowden’s The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes.

8.    What is the most recent Steeple Hill book you’ve read?
Lenora Worth’s Heart of the Night.  Love that series!

9.    What does your writing life look like?  
It’s a little hard to separate my writing life from my real life since I have two extremely busy kids.  The easiest answer is that I write during the school day.  My middle school-aged child is still homeschooled, though, so writing time is interrupted by questions, lunch, and laundry!  I would definitely say that my laptop is my best friend.  I carry it everywhere with me—in fact I just had to buy a new one because my old one (not very old at all) had been so beat up.  But a lot of writing time is waiting at soccer practice or guitar lessons or chorus…you get the idea!

10.    What advice would you give to an aspiring Steeple Hill author?
Read every Steeple Hill book you can get your hands on.  Meet the editors if they come to a conference anywhere near you.  Enter contests that have Steeple Hill editors as final judges. Get to know the category market, what makes it different from single title.  Write.  Submit. Trust God that His timing is perfect.

To get to know Stephanie better, you can find her hanging out here on eHarlequin as StephN or you can visit her website at www.stephanienewton.net.

Stephanie Newton
SMOKE SCREEN, LIS, January 2010
FLASHPOINT, LIS, July 2010
"Christmas Target," in HOLIDAY HAVOC, Nov 2010
http://www.stephanienewtonbooks.com