Lynn Steward is a successful business woman who spent many years in New York City’s
fashion industry in marketing and merchandising, including the development of
the first women’s department at a famous men’s clothing store. Through
extensive research, and an intimate knowledge of the period, Steward
created the characters and stories for a series of five authentic and
heartwarming novels about New York in the seventies. April Snow is volume two in the Dana McGarry Series. A Very Good Life was published in March 2014.
Questionnaire:
Thanks for letting us
interrogate you! Can you give us a
go-for-the-gut answer as to why you wanted to be an author?
I always enjoyed
business-related writing and thought a non-fiction self-help book, with
life-lessons I learned along the way, would be a fun project. But, as often happens when you put yourself
out there, I discovered another path and took it: I developed a TV pilot about
New York in the seventies because, as they say “Write what you know” and I know
New York. I’m a native of Long Island, and between attending school and
working, I spent twenty-two years in Manhattan. I was so overwhelmed with
ideas, the TV series expanded to five seasons! Appropriately placed in the New
York City of 1975, which was International Women’s Year, the plots in the
series intermingle fashion legends, business icons, real events, and untold
stories, providing a behind-the-scenes look at inspirational women in the
worlds of art, fashion, and business.
After meeting with
professionals in the entertainment industry, I realized that the main
character, Dana McGarry, needed more drama and the plots had to be developed,
and I felt the best way to do that was to convert the pilot into a novel. A Very
Good Life, inspired by the pilot and first season, was published last year.
My new novel, April Snow, is based on
season two.
Tell us (we won’t tell
promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be?
I mean what are the perks and what are the demands?
After
two careers in competitive, fast-paced industries, I have found writing to be
the most relaxing and pleasant work I have known. Ideas for stories develop as
I research real life female characters in the worlds of fashion, art, and
business and events in the archives of newspapers and magazines. Once a flicker
of a story is sparked, I can spend endless enjoyable hours developing plots and
characters on the page. The only demands are the ones I put on myself; overall,
it is the most wonderful experience.
Which route did you take –
traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low down
on what’s that like?
I self-published April Snow, as I did A Very Good Life. I spent three years
researching, developing and writing before volume one was finished, so by then,
I was ready to publish. I knew it could take years to find an agent, and more
time to be picked-up by a traditional publisher. In preparation, I did extensive research on
the self-publishing process, and found bloggers tremendously helpful. I also
hired a good team: a graphic designer, a formatting company, two editors, a
proofreader, and a lawyer to vet the manuscript. The Amazon community was great
and responsive, and the whole process went smoothly. I am grateful for the
opportunity to self-publish, and I appreciate the opportunity to be discovered
by a traditional publisher if I am successful on-line. I also happen to have a
strong marketing background and am not only knowledgeable about design, I enjoy
the creative process. Even so, I have a graphic designer to help me as there is
just never enough time to do it all. Social media and promotion are crucial and
must be done regularly before and after publishing if you want your book to be
discovered. I strongly recommend hiring
the right people if you can’t do it yourself.
Tell us for real what your
family feels about you spending so much time getting your book written,
polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?
I
do not have children, very few family distractions, and understanding friends.
The good news is that I manage my own time, the bad news is that, without
boundaries, I don’t know when to take a break.
Are your plants actually still alive?
Few
plants, some survive.
In writing your book, how did you deal with
the phone ringing, your family needing dinner or your boss calling you saying
you’re late?
I
turn off my cell phone, and put it in another room. I skip dinner many nights.
What was the craziest or insane
thing that happened to you in the book publishing process?
I’m
happy to say all went smoothly and I kept my sanity.
How about the social
networks? Which ones do you believe help
and which ones do you wish you could avoid?
I
try to keep my Facebook page current, I have 509 Likes, and I work on Pinterest
every morning. I haven’t been too active on Twitter. However, I don’t think social networks are
working that well for me. I will be hiring a consultant for advice. Another
learning curve in the world of self-publishing!
Book sales. Don’t you just love them (or lack of?)? How are you making the sales happen for you?
Sales
are good when I take advantage of Amazon’s promotions, but, as I have read
repeatedly, the more books available, the better the sales. I am hoping that April Snow will increase sales of book
one, A Very Good Life.
What is one thing you’d like to
jump on the rooftop and scream about?
I
was number one for twenty-six hours on Amazon’s list of Top 100 Free Books.
I
was watching the list on my iPad while I was working at my desk, and saw that A Very Good Life was number 42, then
every time I glanced at the screen, it was running up the chart. When it
reached number five, I thought, OMG, could it really….and then it hit the
top….and sat at number one for twenty six hours over Memorial Day weekend. BTY…free
books are a must if you want to garner reviews.
Okay, too much sugar for you
today! Here’s a nice cup of Chamomile
tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the waves roll in. Now…can you tell us what you love about being
a published author and how all those things above doesn’t matter because it’s
all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t have it any other way?
I
love the independence, the solitude, and the creative process.
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