Most of us are starving for success, but there are some people who take their obsessions to a whole other level. Training a carefully-honed eye on the secret world of eating disorders, author Lisa deNikolits delves into the sensitive topic of beauty in her well-received novel, THE HUNGRY MIRROR.

WordHustler sat down with deNikolits to talk fame, fashion, and being famished. This savvy South-African-turned-Canadian author has done an amazing job of churning out many projects while still maintaining her other career as an art director for top fashion magazines. Read on to find out how this talented writer is taking the fashion world- and the world at large- by storm!

WordHustler: You have an amazing and eclectic background from growing up in multiple countries, working as a writer and an art director in the fashion magazine world…what do you consider your first big break, writing-wise?

Lisa deNikolits: My first big break came, oddly enough, in the form of a rejection letter from Carolyn Jackson, the managing editor of a publishing house in Toronto. With characteristic generosity of spirit, she pointed me in the direction of Inanna, and The Hungry Mirror came to be as a result. My second big break would of course be the offer by Luciana Ricciutelli and Inanna to publish the book.

WH: You’ve written a few short story collections and some other novels- what made you decide you HAD to write this book in particular?

LD: If anything, it was The Hungry Mirror who made the decision for me! The Hungry Mirror wanted to be written and it was insistent. There were times when I wished it hadn’t “chosen” me as its conduit, because it was a tough book to write and the writing spanned a very long time. But I feel the book explores a number of important and controversial social and mental  health issues, and I am very pleased to be the author.

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By Shya Scanlon

On September 24th, 2005, a long-overdue one-way ticket landed me in New York City where I’d pledged to seriously pursue a writing career. I found a tiny hole in the Lower East Side, and an email I sent on October 10th reads, “I’m sitting alone in a dark apartment in the middle of one of the most intense and social cities in the world. What the hell is wrong with me?”

My schedule those days involved coming home from my job—working as a copywriter in an office on Broad Street in front of which bomb-sniffing dogs and policemen wearing bulletproof vests and carrying automatic rifles paraded all day—pouring myself a glass of single malt whiskey, and standing, not sitting, in the kitchen and typing furiously at what eventually became the collection of prose poetry called In This Alone Impulse.

The night I sent that email, like most nights that winter, I was terribly alone, I was half drunk, and I was suffering from an overwhelming mixture of both over and under exposure—close enough to my dreams to be truly frightened by them. I was, in other words, living something closely resembling the idealized image I’d half-consciously carried in my mind about the life of a writer since first wanting to become one.

When you think of the writing life, many things come to mind, both good and bad: isolation, frustration, intensity, investigation, exploration, imagination… booze. If you’re lucky, of course, these things are accompanied by publication, recognition, accolades, and the like. But I would be very surprised if many aspiring authors put things like networking or community building, or—dare I say it here?—hustling on the list. Even near the bottom. That spot is reserved for “dying of syphilis.”

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Who is more passionate than a mother about her children? Only a mother who is also a writer! Meet Corin Wiser, mother, wife, and successful author of the book Matters of the Heart: A Guide to Living and Loving Your Teen Years. As Corin puts it, her book “offers simple and straightforward tools to help the reader connect with her inner voice, or ‘internal guidance system,’ and to overcome negative influences on the way to reaching her full potential.”

Well, it’s definitely working. After publishing her book, Corin has seen it snapped up by mothers and daughters everywhere! A series of workshops have sprung up to accompany the book, and it’s even been embraced as required reading in some forward-thinking schools! Not bad for a mama with something to say, huh?

WordHustler sat down with Corin to get her opinion on what to do when the drive to write overtakes you, how to market yourself as a new author, and why sometimes breakfast for dinner is the best solution. Read on to find out more about this amazing mother/writer! Also, stay tuned - at end of the interview if you answer a fabulous trivia question correctly, you could win a FREE copy of Corin’s book!

WordHustler: You have a background as a speaker and have your Masters in Education- what made you decide you HAD to write this book?

Corin Wiser: That’s precisely how I felt - I felt that I HAD to write this book. A few years ago, I was drawn to my old journals, journals that I’d kept since I was nine years old. I sat on my bedroom floor for two days and just read, reconnecting with my younger self. What I discovered in those journals was a young adolescent who had a pretty good childhood, but who also experienced self-doubt and insecurity, feelings of uncertainty and insignificance, and plenty of unanswered questions and regrettable mistakes. Looking back, I wish I’d had a roadmap - a guidebook - to help me discover and focus on the things that really mattered to me, and to help me develop the strength and courage to live by those things.

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Remember that over-achieving kid in your high school class who was on the varsity basketball team, President of the Student Body, AND played a mean guitar solo in the talent show? That’s J.E. Fishman…only in the publishing world. He’s been an accomplished editor at Doubleday, owned his own literary agency, and is a published non-fiction author. Did we mention he has a few novels and a screenplay in the pipeline?

But the best thing about J.E. is that he’s willing to share his experiences to help aspiring writers out there learn the lessons he has accumulated over his many years in the business. WordHustler sat down with J.E. to discuss how fast the industry moves, how much moxie it takes to survive, and why no one owes you a read. Hint: make sure you grab your reader from the start!

Read on to learn from J.E.’s heartaches, triumphs, and vision. You won’t be sorry!

WordHustler: You’ve been involved in pretty much every aspect of the publishing industry, from editor to agent to author. How long have you been writing?

J.E. Fishman: Like anyone who aspires to be published, in some sense I’ve been writing all my life.  I wrote stories as a kid.  Wherever I go - walking down the street, driving in the car - I see stories.  Recently, I was getting rid of an old office computer and had to laboriously wipe the hard drive clean one file at a time.  It was full of reading notes, book ideas - most important, story ideas.

WH: When you were an editor at Doubleday, which types of books/authors did you work with?

JEF: The books ran the gamut of non-fiction, from the equestrian library to true crime, business, sports, narrative non-fiction.  When I left Doubleday, I had a lot of credibility with journalists, so I ended up specializing in narrative non-fiction, though I agented the occasional novel.

WH: What is the main difference between being an editor now and when you were one?

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WordHustler sat down with Fiona to discuss her writing method, how to take real life adventure and spin it into a series of children’s books, and - most importantly - how to market yourself as a writer. Fiona just found out her book has been nominated as a Finalist in the Children’s Fiction section of the USA National Best Books 2009 Awards! How did this plucky writer go from having an idea to an award-winning book, all on her own? Read on to find out!

Also, stay tuned at the end of the interview for a fantastic trivia question! One lucky (and smart) reader will win a FREE copy of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab!

WordHustler: You have an amazing and eclectic background from growing up as a lover of books, to a scholarship winning university stint, then on to journalism. What do you consider your first big break, writing-wise?

Fiona Ingram: Actually, this, my first ‘real’ book. It has been the hardest thing to do, seeing it through from conception to production to (groan) marketing. I’ve been writing bits of fiction on and off for years, but articles-my bread and butter stuff-always came first. Years ago, I started quite a dramatic historical novel, but never took it further. I’ve written two romantic historical novels as well, alas yet to be published. I also recently discovered a hidden cache of short stories for younger kids that I’m hoping to develop.

WH: After 15 years of journalism, what made you decide you HAD to write this children’s book?

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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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