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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Step right up and take a ride through the wild backcountry of the Great American South, described in vivid detail by your tour guide, humor writer Celia Rivenbark. Celia’s fifth (hilarious) book, You Can’t Drink All Day If You Don’t Start In the Morning, will have you rolling in the aisles (of both church AND Wal-mart).

WordHustler sat down with this funny vixen to get her thoughts on writing, landing her dream agent, and why people need to stop dressing their six-year-olds like skanks. That’s right, it’s Southern charm, courtesy of Celia Rivenbark.

But wait: there’s more! Read the interview carefully because there will be a trivia question at the end! Everyone who answers correctly will be in the running to win a free copy of Celia’s newest book, Drink All Day, complete with an audio version to boot! Now that would be cause for some real Southern-style celebration!

WordHustler: How did you get your first big break? I know you have a journalism background- what was the first piece you ever published?

Celia Rivenbark: Wow. That was a really long time ago. The first piece I ever got published in a newspaper was a freelance story about Jimmy Carter campaigning in our town when he was running in the presidential primary in ‘76. I, of course, was barely 2, so it was quite an accomplishment. Hmmm. From there, I got a full-time job at my local paper and spent eight years taking pictures of oddly-shaped produce and big snakes. It was a blast. Seriously.

WH: How did you get to transition to writing humor after spending your reporter days covering weddings and dead bodies?

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Romance writer Marcia King-Gamble is in love with writing. And after twenty-five published books, her love has paid off. WordHustler sat down with Marcia to discuss query letters, finding an agent, and how everyone deserves a happy ending.

Read on to get inspired, then write your own happily ever after!

WordHustler: You’ve been reading romance novels since you were 6 years old, but how long have you been writing? Do you remember the first thing you ever wrote?

Marcia King-Gamble: It seems I have been writing most of my life.  My mother, who was a teacher, tells the story of taking me to her classes at age three and watching me scribble furiously as she spoke. She didn’t realize I was following her curriculum until one day she discovered I was actually writing. She called those stories my childhood fantasies.

In terms of actually creating adult stories, I’ve always had one story or another roaming around in my head. I wrote short stories in college, joined my local Romance Writers group years later, and had my first book published in 1998. Today I am still going strong and enjoying every bit of what I do.

WH: What were some of your favorite books when you were growing up? What about when you were a teenager?

MKG: Too many to mention but I’ll give it a try. I grew up on a British Caribbean Island and read what I got my hands on. Books like: Anne of Green Gables, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird, Little Women, Jo’s Boys, etc.

These stories took me to far away places and fueled an already fertile imagination. In between I indulged a forbidden pleasure- I was after all six. I read Mills and Boon books – back then they didn’t even have sex. Now you know why I am a die-hard romantic

WH: What about romance writing draws you to it? Do you write any other genres of books?

MKG: I still believe in the happily ever after. We all need to believe that somewhere out there is a good fit. It helps us endure the dating nightmares.  Romance writing is about feel good stories and keeping hope alive. I have written mainstream books that wouldn’t exactly be classified as romance – This Way Home (paranormal), (contemporary), Hook Line & SingleMeet Phoenix (action adventure) – to name a few.

WH: You’ve written well over twenty-five books and have been published by Kensington, St. Martin’s Press, BET, and Harlequin. How did you go about finding an agent? Or did you send your book to publishers and get it published first?

MKG: I’ve actually had three agents throughout that process. When I first started out, I had already submitted to a publisher and gotten the nod. Then I got an agent. Agents are wonderful for helping with the negotiation process.

WH: What advice would you give writers for crafting a great query letter?

MKG: The query letter is an opportunity to showcase your voice so put your all into it.  In a succinct manner, tell the editor or publisher who you are and what story you have to tell. Mention a relevant movie or a best selling book that is similar. Add your unique plot twist and your writing credentials – even if modest, like contributions to  a company newsletter or poetry awards. The query letter should be a one-page sales pitch. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point.

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