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An Interview With Autumn Conley

Tell us a bit about yourself. What would you like us to know about you?

I survived single motherhood for nine years, I recently got married to my chatroom sweetheart after only spending three days with him in real life, and I am the author of two published novels (one of which was turned into an independent film), and several shorter works. I am also a freelance proofreader/copy editor, and enjoy that very much.

What are you doing now? (Career? Married? Single? Children? Pets?)

I currently moved to the St. Louis, Missouri, area after being a lifelong Ohio resident. I am working on being a wife and mother, I have a "day-job" doing data entry at an aerospace company, and all of my free time is devoted to entering writing contests, working on my next book, and proofreading/copy editing for my clients. (My current clients are Rosemarie Piemonte who wrote Falling Roses, and Rachel Madorsky who wrote Create Your Own Destiny)

What is your favourite food?

I like cheese. Particularly the white ones. My favorite is Muenster. I also like French Fries with tartar sauce, and I have a phobia of eating yellow candy.

What is your favourite colour?

Black and blue.

What is your favourite sound?

My mom's old Tijuana Brass Christmas records, my daughter's voice, the opening sequence for CBS Survivor, and my husband whispering "I love you" just before I fall asleep.

Who is your favourite person?

My daughter and my husband and my Grandpa and Grandma Miesse and my bestest friend Wes (who I'll never meet) and my little brother and sister, and all my cousins who are all grown up now but gave me so many good childhood memories to laugh about...

What is your favourite place?

Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Tennessee (which will always be my favorite vacation place), Springfield, Ohio (which will always be home), and Jen's Deli in Wilmington, Ohio, (which has the BEST coffee drinks and sandwiches in the world)

What is your favourite memory?

There are too many to narrow it down. Sign stealing in Pitchin. Sleeping on the trampoline. Filming a car accident. Having a baby. Christmas. Winning a trophy in front of 3,000 kids. Seeing myself in the freezer on the back of Lean Pockets boxes. Hiking in John Bryan. The Rennaissance Festival. Winning a scholarship. Meeting my husband face-to-face after already falling in love with him...And the list goes on...

What is your favourite article of clothing?

My American Eagle wrist wallet. My red/black plaid poorboy hat. My black lace choker. The cameo bracelet and watch that Joey gave me for Christmas. And anything cotton.

What is your favourite word?

Plethora

What is your favourite writers' quote and why?

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.” ~ Dr. Seuss

This is my favorite quote because it is so true - we can never take reality so seriously that it keeps us from having fantasies. And Dr. Seuss, in my opinion, is a genious with the pen.

What is your most favourite quality about yourself?

I suppose I consider myself creative and somewhat intelligent. But then, humility is also one of my strong suits.

What is the least favourite quality about yourself?

I have the figure of Jabba the Hutt, the temperment of an irritated Chihuahua, and I used to be a WWF fan who actually went to the live events and cheered for Brutus "the barber" Beefcake.

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?

Gatlingburg. Because I need a vacation that has a quite mountain view and several malls.

What inspires you to write and why?

Life inspires me to write. Because it's just so damn funny and tragic all at the same time. Irony is the best of all muses.

What is your favourite book and why?

I hate this question because I've never considered myself much of a reader (even though I worked in a public library for six years AND I currently work as a freelance editor)...but if I have to answer, I would probably say Lord of the Flies, Of Mice and Men, and The Hobbit - and anything by Dr. Seuss. Oh, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which I really liked.

What is your favourite genre and why?

I enjoy psychological suspense about normal people who are driven by seemingly ineffective things to make them do outrageous things. Because, deep down, we are all driven by our secret guilts and wants, and we can't repress them forever.

List your three favourite authors (any genre) and why?

Ray Bradbury - I love his short stories, particularly, "The Veldt" (for which I got an A on my thesis paper)

Dr. Seuss - He IS Serendipity. More adults should read and follow the things he taught with his grinches and wuzzles and truffala trees.

Me - What kind of author would I be if I hated my own books? (I actually do hate a lot of what I write, but still...)

What do you think makes a writer successful?

Persistence. I've been writing for 20 years and have enough rejection letters to wallpaper the White House. I actually once received a royalties check for 23 cents! But you don't quit. Because some day, somewhere, some editor is gonna put something you've written in something he publishes. And you'll have your byline and your 23 cents and another listing on your resume.

Whta is it that makes you successful as a writer?

Persistence. Like I said. And a thick skin for rejection form letters.

What are your goals as a writer?

My goals are to write. Write something every day. I want to write at least three more books before I'm too old to remember that I want to write them.

What is the best tip you can give to fellow writers?

Don't quit. And don't be a baby. Stand up for your work and keep sending it out in spite of what people or publishers tell you.

What do you hope to provide your readers with through your writing?

I want to provide people with a motivation to look inside themselves and to change how they view others and how what they do in every little situation may affect others in a big way.

List your three favourite online writer-resource sites and why (include URLS).

www.writergazette.com - This free newsletter has gotten me several publications and contest leads, as well as several editing clients.

www.writersdigest.com - This is, in my opinion, the BIBLE for writers. Go here for advice.

www.associatedcontent.com - You can sell almost any article here, if you're looking to bulk up your Paypal account, and it gives you some publication credits.

If you have published a book, tell us about your publishing success (title, publishing date and company, where it is available to purcahse).

I have had short works published in several newspapers, magazines, and collective works (such as Chicken Soup) since I was 14. My books were both published in 2005, by Publish America: THE MONSTER'S MIND, is a novella about a young man driven to kill. COLBY'S PEACE is a Christian novel for teenagers about a teen who is dealing with the horrendous consequences of a moments' lack of judgment. These are both available via the publisher's website (www.publishamerica.com) or places like Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

How long did it take you to write your book(s)?

Oddly, both of these books were originally written in 1993. The novella was actually a college paper that I finished in a couple of days. The novel was written in three months - scribbled out completely in spiral notebooks by hand.

What would you do differently if you could repeat the same publishing experience?

Small POD presses like Publish America do not do much to help you promote your work, AND, they are not well known. Some bookstores will not carry POD books. So, I might have waited a little longer and withstood a few more rejection letters in order to publish with a bigger house.

What have you learned about the publishing world?

It is more difficult than winning the lottery. Getting a book published is the hardest contest you'll ever enter, but you have to keep at it. It's like finding the right soulmate for your writing. And we all know how hard it is to find your soulmate...sometimes you go through a lot of painful breakups and divorces first.

This is your chance to 'Talk Back' to your readers. What would you like to say to them?

Thank you. Writing means nothing if it isn't read, and whether you like it or not, just taking the time to read it has been considered an honor by this author.

What's the one thing that you want them to know about your writing?

No matter what I write, it comes from the people I've known, the places I've been, or the things that have happened to me. Somewhere hidden in my pages, you will find pieces of me.

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