Gayle Trent is the successful author of the popular Daphne Martin Cake Decorating Mystery series. Amanda Lee is the author of the equally-intriguing Marcy Singer Embroidery Mystery series. What do these two authors have in common? They’re the same person.

That’s right, Gayle Trent has not one, but two successful mystery series in stores now. Now before you concoct your own elaborate murder plot for this talented lady, keep in mind that Gayle has been working at not only writing, but marketing and promoting herself for years. And it’s really paying off. 

WordHustler sat down with Gayle to talk writing technique, sewing secrets, and - of course- how to land an agent and publisher (spoiler alert: it’s a lot of work and totally worth it). Read on to learn about Gayle’s killer career and then craft one of your own!

Also, one lucky WordHustler will win a FREE copy of Gayle’s latest book, The Quick and The Thread, just for correctly answering the trivia question at the end of the interview! 

WordHustler: You have a successful writing career, including being the creative force behind two cozy mystery series (one under your own name, one under “Amanda Lee”)…what do you consider your first big break, writing-wise?

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Life is all about taking chances: meeting the right person, landing the right job, etc. For Brendan Deneen, a series of strategic maneuvers and a few lucky moves have paid off. He’s now an editor at Thomas Dunne Books and is in the enviable position of not only acquiring fantastic books, but also developing book ideas that are destined for the big screen (as well as a bookshelf near you)!

WordHustler had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Deneen in his offices in New York’s famous Flatiron Building. How did this talented, savvy Hollywood-turned-publishing industry insider get so lucky? Read on to find out!

WordHustler: Thanks for sitting down with us, Brendan! How did you get your start in the industry?

Brendan Deneen: I moved to New York to be a writer and an actor circa 1997. I did that for 3 years while working a day job at an investment bank. Then I produced a couple of short films that I wrote and directed. Eventually, I started temping. The temp agency was looking to place people in permanent jobs and asked if I’d be interested in interviewing to work at a literary agency. I thought maybe I could get an agent out of it. They didn’t tell me the name of the company but gave me an address and said I’d be interviewing to be the assistant of a literary agent. It turned out to be the William Morris Agency. I got hired and was older than your average assistant since I was 28. I worked there for a year but then the department changed after WMA bought another agency out and I eventually left.

I went on Mediabistro.com in 2001 and saw an ad for a film company hiring in NY and again, no specific company was named but they wanted someone who was interested in books. I faxed my resume over and was Number 19 of 20 people who was interviewed at Scott Rudin Productions for a Story Editor position. I had to write coverage overnight. It was interesting because it was a manuscript that two executives at Rudin’s liked but Scott himself didn’t like it. I didn’t like the book either and said that. They liked the fact that I had an opinion so they hired me.

I worked there for 2 years as a Story Editor. It was an awesome job. I was a book-to-film guy, which meant I was tracking the book world, doing notes on books and scripts, etc.

WH: And this was the beginning of the book-to-film craze, or at least when it started to really blossom, right?

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That’s right- the votes have been tallied, our esteemed judge Danielle Chiotti has made her selections, and it’s time to announce the Top Three Winners as well as the Top Ten Finalists of WordHustler’s Literary Storm Novel Contest! We combed through almost 1,000 entries to find the best and the brightest.

Drum roll please!

The Winners:

Grand Prize Winner: Tatiana Blackington for THE SANCTUARY

Second Place Winner: Scott Thomas for KILL CREEK

Third Place Winner: JoAnn Chaney for HEAVEN SENT

Tatiana wins a free manuscript critique from Joyce Sweeney, while Scott and JoAnn win Barnes & Noble gift certificates!

Here is the complete list of Top Ten Winners, all of whom are being considered for publishing by indie publisher Flatmancrooked.

Top Ten Winners:

Susanna Fantich for A CAT’S TALE

Ann Gimpel for ECHO OF HOPE

Dennis Frohlich for HAVINA VIVANT

Joseph Carey for BANQUO’S BANQUET

Kathleen Murphy for THE LAND OF LEVAN

Meghna Pant for ONE AND A HALF WIFE

Chris Nunley for NOWHERE, AZ

Tatiana Blackington for THE SANCTUARY

Scott Thomas for KILL CREEK

JoAnn Chaney for HEAVEN SENT

Honorable Mentions:

Ann Eskridge for THE RAVEN

Donald O’Donovan for NIGHT TRAIN

Mickey Marie Dodson for NICARAGUA IS MINE

John White for PRODIGIOUS SAVANT

Remi Oyedele for GOAL DREAMS

Congrats to each of our winners and a huge thank you to all of you talented writers who entered. This contest was more of a success than we ever imagined, due largely to the huge flood of fantastic entries. You made this contest a smash hit! Keep on writing!

Ladies and gentlemen of the court, all rise for the noble and knowledgeable Danielle Chiotti, literary agent at Upstart Crow Literary and esteemed judge of WordHustler’s Literary Storm Novel Contest (NEWSFLASH: due to popular demand, we’ve extended the deadline to February 26, 2010! You’ve still got time to submit!). Danielle is passionate about great writing, finding amazing new clients, and helping writers succeed in the publishing industry.

Luckily for us, Danielle made time in her busy schedule to sit down and discuss what draws her to different books, how important the query letter really is, and how she plucks talented writers out of the slush pile. Will you be the next gifted scribe to catch her eye?

Read the interview to find out, then polish those manuscripts and send them out!

WordHustler: How did you get your start in the publishing industry?

Danielle Chiotti: Completely by accident, actually. I graduated with a degree in Creative Writing, and spent a year waitressing before I basically stumbled into a job doing reader’s reports for a small literary agency. A few months later, they asked me if I wanted to come in and learn about being an agent. I had no idea what that meant, but I thought, “Oh, why not?” I’ve been working in publishing ever since.

WH: You’ve worked all over the publishing industry, at places like Kensington Publishing and Adams Media. What is the main difference between editing and agenting, and why did you decide to make the switch?

DC: Literary agents have a lot more autonomy than editors do; we’re not beholden to a certain set of parameters for publishing a book. I loved my work as an editor, but there were always so many rules about what I could and could not acquire, depending on the needs of the publisher. As an agent, I can truly sign the projects I love–in any area I choose.

WH: What draws you to a fiction book? Non-fiction?

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Have you ever wanted to sit a literary agent down and ask them all those burning questions bouncing around in your brain: How important is the query? What kind of books get you excited? How many author clients do you REALLY find in the slush pile?

So have we. And so we did. Enter Adriann Ranta, newly-arrived agent at Wolf Literary Services who has spent years shepherding writers through the editing and agenting processes. Adriann handled all the hard-hitting writing questions we dished out, and even asked for seconds.

Read on to discover what Adriann considers the best kind of query letters, what she thinks about YA books, and why she loves the word “percussive.” Then it’ll be time to get an agent for yourself! Success never tasted so good!

WordHustler: How did you get your start in the publishing industry?

Adriann Ranta: I graduated with my obligatory, directionless liberal arts degree having no idea what I wanted to do with books, but knowing I had to do something with them since they’re all I’ve really felt passionately about. After considering and quickly declining a phone sex job as an outlet for creativity, I got a job at The Editorial Department, the oldest freelance editing firm in the country, based in Tucson, AZ.

I worked as their managing editor of Between the Lines, gathering info and interviewing professionals in the industry. Eventually, I moved to New York and through a variety of internships, assistant positions, and odd jobs found that agenting is the niche that most suits me.

WH: What’s the main difference between editing and agenting, and why did you decide to make the switch?

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Katie Grimm is the best kind of literary agent you could have: an impassioned reader who knows her way around story, character, and what makes a book stick with you. An agent at Don Congdon Associates with a background working in libraries, Katie spent time poring over the books that made it to the shelves and now is one of the savvy people who get them there.

WordHustler sat down with this smart cookie to get the rundown on the Young Adult world, on characters that stay in your head long after the book is finished, and why the query letter is more important than you may think.

Read on for an interview more informative than the Dewey Decimal System!

WordHustler: How did you get your start in the publishing industry?

Katie Grimm: I’ve always been a committed reader, but I didn’t have the desire to get into the industry until I worked at a library.  I grew frustrated by the rows and rows of novels from the same handful of authors, and I knew there was undiscovered talent out there that deserved to be there too. That drive to give readers access to new and exciting books brought me to New York, and Don Congdon Associates has been a great place to give me the chance to do that ever since.

WH: Why did you decide to become an agent?

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