Erin LaRosa On Starting Projects... And Hopefully Finishing Them

I'm lucky (or cunning) enough to have lured yet another successful writer over to my blog for an SAT - Successful Author Talk. SAT authors have conquered the query, slain the synopsis and attained the pinnacle of published. How'd they do it? Let's ask 'em!

Today’s guest for the SAT is Erin La Rosa who has written many highly engaging... tweets, as a social media manager. But on her way to writing romance, she's also published two humorous non-fiction books, Womanskills and The Big Redhead Book. Her newest release For Butter or Worse comes out July 26!

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

I’m a planner by nature of being a Capricorn, eldest daughter, morning person, and all-around type-A gal (in my darkest hours, I probably relate a lot to Tracy Flick, played by Reese Witherspoon in Election). But I wasn’t always a planner—in fact, For Butter or Worse, which is my debut romance, started off as a pantster project. But as I soon learned by not having an outline I basically had to write a completely new book. So now I am squarely Team Planner.

How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?

I would say it takes me five to six months to write a book, from coming up with the idea, to outlining, to a draft. But I think a lot of my writing takes place in rewrites, and those notes from readers are oh so important for me.

Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi tasker?

I do multi-task! Right now, for example, I just turned in a draft of my book two to my editor and agent, but I’m also on deadline for a made-for-TV movie script that I sold with a writing partner. I try to handle these projects by giving them specific times of day—my book work happens the first half of the day, and I dedicate the second half to movies. 

Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?

I’ve been writing in some form or another since I was a little kid, so I’m not sure I was afraid when it came to writing. My fear comes in finishing a project—this is always hard for me to do. I can start a new project every day, no problem, but seeing it through to the end is when I start shaking and stress eating ice cream.

How many trunked books (if any) did you have before you were agented?

Oh my… I had to count and it took me a long time to dig up all of the books I’ve started and not finished, or simply just weren’t good enough. I would say I have four to five books that will never see the light of day.

Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?

I’ve absolutely quit manuscripts in the middle of writing them or changed direction on them. I feel like when I’m not having fun with the story—like, it feels like a slog—then I know something isn’t working. If I can’t rewrite my way to the fun, then it’s time to put it aside and maybe come back later.

Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them? 

I am so glad you asked this question, because I am OBSESSED with my agent—Jessica Errera at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. I had a month where I queried about twenty agents. Eighteen of those were blind submissions, and I was fortunate enough to have two people in my life who referred me to their agents. One of those was Jessica Errera, so I was able to at least be seen by her. But she wasn’t an immediate YES—she had a lot of notes on my book, and wanted to see me revise a few chapters to make sure I could meet what she needed to sell the book. So I felt like I had to win her over, but I made sure to view the whole process as me selling myself along with the book. Like, here’s the book but also here’s what I bring to the table as an ambitious, over-achiever. So I think that helped in the long run. I was fortunate enough to have three agents interested in me, but I knew I wanted to work with Jess after our first call and the amazing notes she had.

How many queries did you send? 

For my book, For Butter or Worse, I queried twenty agents. Out of those, I had three interested, and a few who sent nice rejections, and a handful who sent not nice rejections! Writing is so subjective, and you’ll never get a YES from everyone who reads your stuff.

Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?

The worst-case scenario is that someone says no. The world won’t end, it’s just one person saying no. But the best case scenario is a yes, and you’ll never know their answer unless you try and keep putting yourself out there.

How did that feel, the first time you saw your book for sale?

When I see For Butter or Worse as a book you can pre-order… I’m just floored. I went to visit my favorite romance bookstore, The Ripped Bodice, a few weeks ago, which is also where I’ll be doing a book launch, and it was surreal to know my book will be in that store, where I’ve walked so many times and bought so many books. I will probably cry when I see it there in person for the first time!

How much input do you have on cover art?

Truly not much! I sent examples of covers I loved, but ultimately cover art is not my area of expertise, and I trusted the team at Harlequin to choose an artist who would make my book pop. I was so fortunate that artist Natalie Shaw (@neobees) was my illustrator and we had the amazing art direction of Gigi Lau (@lau.gigi.lau).

What's something you learned from the process that surprised you?

I’m a romance author, so one of the really interesting things has been telling people I write romance, and they almost always have a funny reaction. Like, “Oh!!!” or “With sex scenes?!” I do enjoy making people a little uncomfortable, I have to admit!

How much of your own marketing do you?  Do you have a blog / site / Twitter? (I'll insert the links here)? 

I come from a marketing and social background—I wrote for BuzzFeed, and led social at Netflix and Amazon Prime Video—so I’ve definitely taken on a lot of the marketing and social in a proactive way. But I also have amazing teams at Harlequin and BookSparks (A PR firm I hired) who are helping to spread the words about the book. You can find me on Instagram TikTok. and Twitter !

When do you build your platform? After an agent? Or should you be working before?

I’m someone who deeply believes in the power of social, so I’m all for encouraging writers to be active in social and building out who they are, before selling a book. It’s not a huge deal for fiction, but in non-fiction it’s crucial!

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

One hundred percent, yes! I’ve had readers tell me they found me through a TikTok post and purchased my book because of that. BookTok is REAL, and everyone should try it out!

Erin La Rosa she lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three daughters (one human, two felines). Find her on Twitter and Instagram and on TikTok.

Tessa Arlen on The Inspiration for A Dress of Violet Taffeta

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. 

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Tessa Arlen, author of A Dress of Violet Taffeta, a sumptuous novel based on the fascinating true story of La Belle Époque icon Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, who shattered the boundaries of fashion with her magnificently sensual and enchantingly unique designs.

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon has been with me for the last thirteen years: since I wrote my first published book, the Lady Montfort mystery series, set in Edwardian England. In Vita Sackville-West’s novel The Edwardians Lucy was mentioned obliquely as “That woman who owns a shop.” She was also referred to as a social climber because she married “up” an unforgiveable sin in England’s rigid class divide; criticized by haughty society hostesses for her scandalous divorce; and later, when she became a success, was branded as the woman who refused to go back to help the drowning Titanic survivors by the British press. She sounded like the average arrogant aristocrat’s wife. How wrong I was!

All this changed when I saw an exhibition of Lucy’s label: Lucile Ltd. at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Coming in from a cold and dreary February afternoon Lucy’s stunning gowns lit up the day! They gleamed in such an extraordinary way that it wasn’t until I was up close that I realized that Lucy’s gauzy silk layers were delicately embellished with tiny, beaded embroidery, cobwebs of lace, true lovers’ knots and garlands of minute handmade silk flowers. Her use of color was so subtle that the delicacy of the detail could scarcely be seen at a distance, though the effect was a faint shimmer. Each dress of alive with color! Lucy even gave names to her favorites: Passion Flower’s First Kiss; The Sigh of Lips Unsatisfied and a glorious dress designed for a debutante: Happiness. These were not the grand gowns of the House of Worth or Paquin. They were every bit as elegant, but gloriously feminine. There was wit and playfulness in Lucy’s designs—they were both sophisticated and light-hearted. They whisked me away from the burdens of our speedy high-tech lives back to a time when the rich led a life of leisure, and women changed their ‘costumes’ four or five times a day. Of course, I had to write about this woman.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

I had the V&A’s illustrated book Lucile Ltd which detailed the way she made her clothes and her slow progression to success, and it was in her journey to become a top couturiere that I formed the beginning of a plot. 

Lucy would never have designed a single solitary dress as a professional if she had not been abandoned by her alcoholic husband (he ran off with a pantomime dancer) leaving her almost destitute with a five year old daughter. She had made doll’s clothes when she was a little girl—the envy of her playmates. And she had designed and made her sister’s wedding dress and her own clothes, but she was from the upper-middle class so there was no reason at all for her to make her own living. Trade was for the lower classes and the upper-middles were flawless at aping their betters, so when she became destitute her life changed completely.

A Dress of Violet Taffeta is a riches-to-rags-to-riches story. I saw Lucy’s supposed ruthless ambition (a woman’s success must have stuck very hard in the Edwardian craw) as the driven need to support her child; her so-called arrogance as the confidence of a woman who has pulled off her plan to survive and who found joy and purpose in her originality and creativity. I imagined how a woman in 1893 might begin to achieve building a business in the cut-throat male dominated world of fashion when it was Paris that rich Americans flocked to for their wardrobes. Lucy had the courage to be inventive, to give women the clothes they wanted for a new, modern 20th century. 

The story is shown from two POVs, that of Lucy and her scullery maid, Celia (the only servant Lucy could afford to keep) who represents a young woman in her career whose practicality and ability to do math, helped Lucile Ltd. achieve such massive success.  Celia provides us with insights into the sweat labor of the ‘rag-trade’ and the plight of the many have-nots in Edwardian society, and Lucy shows us the truly sad dilemma of uneducated women ill-prepared for independence or a useful life.

Lucy reaches dizzying success: opening salons in London, New York and finally Paris, marries again this time to a man who adores and supports her, and then it all comes crashing down with the sinking of the Titanic and the British Board of Trade Inquiry that followed it. I wanted to show Lucy’s resilience, loyalty and spirit under public criticism and false accusations, so the denouement is about recovery. 

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

The plots usually stay put once I have mapped them out. It’s how we get there that changes. If I am writing about a real life person I try to keep the facts available to me accurate. But the way my characters interact, the power they have to impact the plot often changes. I hope that the reader will see my characters develop over the arc of the story.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

My agent would tell you that I am teaming with ideas! I am always ready with several when we have our what’s-next chats. It is my job to have the ideas and it is Kevan Lyon’s, job to tell me which ones will appeal. I am fascinated by British history, love to read and there are so many women who did so many remarkable things (for their time) that I don’t have enough years to write their stories. 

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

I just choose my favorite ideas and pitch to my wonderful agent, and then she helps me decide which way to go! I take my time when I write, so I am only comfortable writing one book at a time. As I wait for edits that is when I mull over what’s next.

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

Wow—six cats! I bet your Dalmatian is well behaved and respectful! 

I have two corgis. Corgis are a herding breed so they are bossy and opinionated. They are with me all the time I am at home and in the garden, so I have to put up with a lot of instructions (barking) enthusiastic love (jumping on my lap) and demands for walks (intense staring). Sometime they alert bar:, sharp, loud and long, which jumps me out of my inner world, and I would truly love to strangle them. But I can’t imagine my life without my dog-companions. The writer, Edith Wharton, referred to her little dog as “The heartbeat at my feet.”

Tessa Arlen is the author of the critically acclaimed Lady Montfort mystery series—Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman was a finalist for the 2016 Agatha Award Best First Novel. She is also the author of Poppy Redfern: A Woman of World War II mystery series. And the author of the historical fictions; In Royal Service to the Queen and A Dress of Violet Taffeta. Tessa lives in the Southwest with her family and two corgis where she gardens in summer and writes in winter.