"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say." —Anaïs Nin

Her other writings include work for television, film, theater and new media, as well as numerous travel articles. Travel has been a constant in her life and led to her "first" career designing and importing jewelry from India, which in turn led to her "next" career as a costumer and designer in Los Angeles. She is currently at work on her third novel, Beyond the Border, about the collision of worlds when the American heiress to a technology fortune meets a famous Russian music conductor.

Diana is also a member of the Writers Guild of America, PEN and Sisters in Crime. Visit her at www.silkroad.org.

When did you start writing?

In a way, I was always a writer, but I needed life to give me the words. A bookish child, I ventured far and wide after college, living in Paris and New York and later running an Asian importing business. I worked in costume design for many years, an intensely public and social occupation, and finally needed to go inward and regroup. I started with a typewriter and a library and then moved on to a Mac and the Internet. In that sense, writing has become so much easier--although, of course, email is always lurking seductively in the background.

Why did you choose your particular genre?

To be honest, I started writing before I ever thought about genre--or marketing. I set out to write the kind of books I like to read, involving complex characters interacting on an international stage. Were I starting out now, I would give more consideration to the genre issue, since I have come to understand the importance of building a relationship with readers and booksellers. My first two books fall into the "espionage and intrigue" genre; however, Stinger is also a mystery, whereas The Company She Keeps has elements of romance. I often call them "romantic spy stories." Like Stinger, my current novel, Beyond the Border, has as its backdrop a society in turmoil, which lends itself to highly charged personal relationships and political intrigue. The story of an American heiress and a Russian music conductor plays out against the conflicts of the Gorbachev era, a dramatic period that brought about the end of communism and the rapprochement of America and Russia. It is also a time of ruthless power struggles among those—on both sides—who prefer the old order.

What inspired you to choose your subject matter?

For me, this is a chicken-and-the-egg question. Sometimes I think the story comes to me via a setting and/or culture that I want to explore. I guess I'm a born explorer and I get many of my story ideas from the back roads of the world. My varied writing experience has helped in the development of these stories. Travel writing has taught me how to evoke the smell of a place, just as scriptwriting taught me economy in narrative and the importance of dialogue to reveal character.

How difficult / easy has your experience been as a published author?

This year, I (finally) learned that writing "The End" is only the beginning, and here I'd like to tip my hat to noted Bay Area publicist, Kim McMillon. As I indicated earlier, I am not really marketing-oriented nor am I naturally inclined to self-promotion. However, I see Stinger as the right book at the right time: an entertaining suspense novel that also provides a subtext for the explosive current events in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Interestingly enough, for many years it was the wrong book at the wrong time, as few people had ever heard of Afghanistan--before September 11.

What advice would you give other aspiring authors?

Be stubborn. After you wipe the tears away…keep on going.

Anything else you would like to share with the WNBA?

Despite your fears, you have to put yourself out there. The WNBA members I've met have been amazingly supportive and generous, and I'm very grateful.

The book provides a roadmap and wealth of information about: How to find and keep the best doctors; Evaluating HMOs and insurance companies; Emergency and urgent care: Hospital and home health care: Health care for kids, college students, veterans, and seniors: Health care for traveling or living overseas: Rehabilitation care; and Special needs care. The appendix contains multiple resources: toll-free numbers, websites, state-by-state medical boards, insurance and HMO regulators, special needs and high-risk contact numbers. "I hope it helps many people," Charlotte says of her latest book.

Her other titles include Raising a Handicapped Child (William Morrow, Random House 1986), Single Solutions (Branden Books, Random House, Econ-Verlag in Germany 1990), Making Wise Choices (Branden Books 1993), Raising a Child with a Neuromuscular Disorder, and Raising a Handicapped Child, revised, expanded edition, (Oxford University Press-New York and London, 1999 and 2000); she has also completed two other nonfiction books.

Charlotte was brought up in Claremont, Calif., the daughter of a college professor. She earned her bachelor's and medical degrees from Stanford University, did her pediatric training at Children's Hospital in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and UCLA, and her neuromuscular training at the universities of Southern California, Newcastle, and London, England. She married a medical school classmate, and they have two grown children and four grandchildren. During her medical career Charlotte taught in three medical schools, worked in well-baby clinics, directed five neuromuscular programs, and had a pediatric practice in Southern California. She's board-certified in pediatrics and an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at UCSD medical school.

When did you start writing?

I have always written articles for medical journals, national magazines and parents' newsletter but never thought about writing a book. Then one night a friend asked me to show an ER doctor from Michigan around San Francisco. The man had just written a book for ER doctors and told me how much he was enjoying the book world. He said it offered a balance to the problems he saw daily in the ER. At the time, I was directing a very difficult program for children with disabilities at Oakland Children's Hospital and needed something to balance the pain I saw daily. So in 1984, I started writing my first book, Raising a Handicapped Child.

Why did you choose your particular genre?

All my books are non-fiction written to help people. I write about things I know that I believe are needed by women, parents, or as in my new book, the general public. I don't think I could write fiction although I have written several children's stories. I was not satisfied with them and sent them on to my daughter to work on when she has some time. She has a great imagination and is an excellent writer.

What inspired you to choose your subject matter? 

In 1984, I wanted a book for the parents of disabled children and one was not available, so I wrote Raising a Handicapped Child. My second book, Single Solutions, was the result of many years of being divorced and raising my two children essentially alone. I couldn't find a guide to answer my questions about how to buy a house, repair things, travel alone, handle fear and other emotions. I learned a great deal as I was writing the book. Then I greatly enjoyed a ten city book tour and the subsequent opportunity to speak to many women's groups.

How difficult / easy has your experience been as a published author?

I believe my M.D. has easier to get published but I have had my share of rejection letters. I was fortunate to have a friend suggest I contact Sandra Djkstra. She was a new agent and had my book accepted within a month by Lisa Drew at William Morrow. (Lisa now has her own imprint at Simon and Shuster.) When Lisa called to welcome me as a new Morrow author, she asked when the book could be completed. I thought the book was done and had no idea I could double the size, which is what she wanted. With the support of my daughter, I did double the size in the required time.

What advice would you give other aspiring authors?

If you enjoy writing, do it, but be prepared for many rejection letters. A literary agent is great, but you can contact mid-list publishers without having an agent. Be very careful about spending money on marketing. I have wasted a tremendous amount of money on so-called marketing experts with very poor results. Ask lots of questions and get several references. Networking with other writers is very important and WNBA is great for this. As a published author, join the Author's Guild. They offer many excellent services and can save you a considerable amount of money and stress.

Are you a WNBA-SF member and published author? Would you like to share your story with WNBA-SF? Contact the editor for the chance to be featured in our Member Profile section of BookWorm!

Ken Newman, photographer

WNBA-SF member Janis Cooke Newman (The Russian Word for Snow, Griffin, February 2001) announces the recent publication of Mary (MacAdam Cage Publishing), based on the life of Mary Todd Lincoln. Janis says laughingly that her new novel is "700 pages of sex and séances, evil stepmothers and runaway slaves, war, death, love, politics, insanity and shopping." You can catch Janis on Wednesday, Oct 4, 7pm, at the new Books Inc at Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness, San Francisco. Or download a podcast (www.kqed.org and search for The Writers' Block) of Janis reading the first 15 pages of Mary on KQED's Writers' Block series.

Lin A. Lacombe, vice president of WNBA-SF, will present From Passion to Publicity at the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) 2006 California Trade Show at the Oakland Convention Center, Oakland City Center Marriott at 10am on Oct 6. Speaking as part of the conference's new Workshops for Authors and Publishers series, Lin will discuss the art of publicity and promotion for published and unpublished, fiction and non-fiction authors.

In her presentation, Lin will provide information on the three phases of book publicity, marketing channels, building your press kit, and product-"izing" your book, as well as how to attract media in print, on the air, at industry conferences and more. Lin recently spoke at the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association Annual Conference and at the Wild Writing Women's salon. She has 20 years of expertise in directing and writing successful strategic public relations, marketing, and media campaigns. She has directed events in the publishing, technology, financial services, and business services sectors. She is the vice president and publicity chair for the Women's National Book Association SF chapter and the vice president of the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association.

In addition, Lin works with the media, with booksellers, and with local and national writing and literary organizations, such as the Northern California Book Publicity and Marketing Association, the California Writer's Club, Wild Writing Women and other local and national organizations. To register, please send a check for $35 check for workshop and one-day trade show admission to NCIBA, PO Box 29169, SF, CA 94129 or fax to 415.561.7685.

WNBA-SF member and author Cara Black will visit several Bay Area book stores this fall to introduce Murder in Montmarte, her sixth Aimee Leduc Investigation. Meet Cara and her protagonist, Paris PI: Oct 12, 7 pm, A Great Place for Books, 6120 LaSalle Ave, Oakland. Oct 19, 7 pm, Spellbinding Tales, 1910-A Encinal Ave, Alameda, sponsored by Sisters in Crime Oct 25, 7 pm, Towne Center Books, 555 Main St, Pleasanton. This will include a reading of A Night in Marais and a PowerPoint presentation about the Marais section of Paris with Leonard Pitt, author of Walks in Lost Paris.

"My Mother, Me, and the Wine Dark Sea," by travel-writer, photo-journalist and WNBA-SF member Diane LeBow is one of 19 stories selected to be in the upcoming anthology, Greece: A Love Story: Women Write about the Greek Experience (Seal Press, spring 2007). Diane also had a story in the first collection of this series: France: A Love Story (Seal Press, October 2004). Based in San Francisco, Diane has published stories with Salon.Com, Via Magazine, Travelers Tales anthologies and numerous national newspapers and magazines. A pioneer of women's studies programs, she received her Ph.D. from the University of California in the History of Consciousness, began her teaching career in The Netherlands, and was a college professor for many years in Paris, New York City, and California. For more details, visit www.dianlebow.com.

Teresa LeYung Ryan

WNBA-SF member Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart, will be the keynote speaker at the 50th anniversary of the Friends of the Daly City Library, 2-4pm Sunday, Oct 15. Copies of Love Made of Heart will be available for purchase and net proceeds will be donated to the Friends of the Daly City Library. There is no admission fee for this event, which will be held at the Doelger Senior Center, 101 Lake Merced Blvd, in Daly City. Teresa, who advocates compassion for mental illness, has been a keynote speaker during Domestic-Violence-Awareness Month and Sexual-Assault-Awareness Month. As a career coach for writers, she helps her clients identify their themes, polish their manuscripts, and find the right agents or publishers. She can be contacted at info@LoveMadeOfHeart.com or visit www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com.

Are you a WNBA-SF member and published author? Would you like to share your story with WNBA-SF? Or do you have a new publication to announce? Contact newsletter editor Patricia Lynn Henley (wnbaeditor@vom.com) for the chance to be featured in our Member Profile section of BookWorm, or to announce new publications, awards or other milestones in your career.

FROM EDITCETERA:
Substantive Editing: Beyond the Basics (Barbara Fuller)
When: Tuesdays, Oct 17-Nov 14 (except Oct 31), 6:30-9:30pm
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Berkeley
Cost: $240 by Oct. 10; class limit 20. To Register: www.editcetera.com
Details: This short, intensive workshop is for publishing professionals who already know how to copyedit and want to develop and practice additional editorial skills. We work with organization and presentation of content, clarity and concision, and other aspects of writing that go beyond the basics including editor-author relationships for manuscripts that require substantive editing. There will be assignments each week.

Building Your Editorial Career: Opportunities and Strategies (Barbara Fuller)
When: Monday, Oct 30, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Berkeley CA
Cost: $75 by Oct. 23; class limit 24. To Register: www.editcetera.com
Details: Whether you are an experienced editor or want to become one, this workshop gives you information on the wide range of Bay Area clients who regularly hire editors and on strategies you can use to obtain the work. Learn how to prepare for an editorial career, present your services to potential clients and maintain good working relationships. Come with questions.

Both classes are offered by Editcetera, a self-governing association of freelance publishing and publications professionals, and taught by Barbara Fuller. She has worked in publishing since 1985 for a variety of clients, including Computer Literacy Press, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Jossey-Bass Publishers, KQED Books, Lucas Learning, McGraw-Hill/Contemporary, National Association of Neonatal Nurses, Prima Publishing, Sierra Club Books, Sierra magazine, and Ten Speed Press. As director of Editcetera, she has helped connect hundreds of clients with qualified freelance publishing professionals. She has taught writing at UC Davis and teaches editing for UC Berkeley Extension as well as for Editcetera.

SPAN Hosts Marketing Conference in Bay Area
When: Oct 27-29
Where: San Mateo CA
Cost: Meals are included. Admission for non-members ranges from $275-$475. To Register: Call 729.475.1726, email cindy@spanet.org, or register online at www.spannet.org
Details: The Small Publisher's of North America (SPAN) is hosting its 11th Annual Small Publishers Marketing Conference and Trade Show. The conference will focus on key marketing issues and effective ways to use book-marketing dollars. Topics include: Non-Bookstore Markets, Getting Top Reviews, Using Amazon, Effective Website Presence, Distribution, and Book Covers that Sell.