Terry Burns writes inspirational fiction and is an agent with Hartline Literary, http://www.hartlineliterary.com. He was one of ten agents nominated by the American Christian Fiction Writers as Agent of the Year. Terry has 27 books in print and has published over 200 articles and short stories. 

Jo: Welcome, Terry. I'll go ahead and ask this burning question right off: I know you're from Texas and you wear that big hat, so are you now or have you ever been a cowboy?
 
Terry: I've worked as a day hand, fixed fence, worked cows and was involved for years with the World's Oldest Rodeo in Pecos, TX. But being a cowboy is a state of mind, standing good on your word, staying hitched until the job is done. I never claim to be one, but I'm always honored when somebody applies the word to me.

Jo: Please tell us about your latest book, Beyond the Smoke--the title, plot, what audience you write for.
 
Terry: Beyond the Smoke is a Young Adult (YA) novel, but the only difference between a YA offering and adult fare is the age of the main characters and maybe a little faster paced writing. Those who have enjoyed my previous books will enjoy this one as well even if they aren't a teen. A lot of young people today don't know there was such a thing as a teenager before WWII. At that time, kids were expected to get whatever education they were going to get and go right to work. There was no defined period in which to grow up. This book is a glimpse at what their life might have been like had they lived as a teenager back then.
 
Jo: If a movie is made of Beyond the Smoke, would you like to be the main character? Maybe not, because according to the cover you'd have to change to a black hat.
 
Terry: No, I'm too old to play the part. I wouldn't mind taking a shot at the larger-than-life Texas Ranger though.
 
Jo: Terry, you're also a literary agent with Hartline Literary Agency. Which came first, your writing or your agent work?  
 
Terry: I wrote for many years before my agent asked me to come on board with her as an agent. I had 12 books in print (I have 27 now) before I even had an agent, negotiating the deals myself. That's one reason I later became an agent.
 
Jo: How do you balance your time between your clients and your writing?
 
Terry: My clients take the bulk of my time but I still try to work in writing on a regular basis because I don't want to give it up. It takes a lot of time to research markets, cultivate contacts, and make the submissions necessary to effectively represent clients.
 
Jo: Do you make time to read for pleasure? What book did you read recently that made a lasting impression on you and why?
 
Terry: I don't get to read as much as I would like since I receive over 100 submissions from potential clients a month that have to be read and handled. It would help me a lot to get to read more.
 
Jo: Are you working/writing on something new?

Terry: I have an interesting project going aimed at the homeschool market, also a YA book. It is a story that is a follow up to Beyond the Smoke, but in addition to the fiction story the book also shows the author writing it and attempts to teach creative writing to young people along with telling the story. I'm having a lot of fun with it.
 
Jo: Please tell our readers where they can get Beyond the Smoke.
 
Terry: They should be able to get it or order it at their local bookstore or online. I keep a bookstore at my website www.terryburns.net with links to order any of my books. My website also has a blog that I update regularly and a huge library of writing links that a lot of my writing friends use regularly. It even has a video trailer of Beyond the Smoke that your readers can take a look at. When the new book is published it will feature a link where young people learning to write can go to discuss learning to do creative writing.
 
Jo: Thank you, Terry for spending time with my readers and sharing a part of your busy day for this exciting and interesting interview.
 
Terry: Thank you for having me. I appreciate the opportunity to visit with you and with your readers.

 

You can visit with Terry at his website www.terryburns.net. You'll find his blog there as well.

 

Holly Kennedy is an excellent novelist and writes an entertaining blog for readers or writers at http://author-in-the-trenches.blogspot.com. You can visit Holly at her websiste http://hollykennedy.com. Below is an article from Holly's blog about staying with what you're supposed to be doing.

 

  
"When asked for writing advice, bum glue is the first thing I suggest. I've been there. I get it. I know how easy it is to get distracted, how hard to stay focused, how quickly second-guessing yourself can morph into giving up entirely on what might have been a perfectly good book.
 
"For some, this seems to happen around page fifty (I know a few writers with 4-5 projects on the go, each with approx 50 pages written) while others make it mid-way through the creation of their first draft (around 150-200 pages) before they feel that dreaded.... phfffft!
 
"Like that, gone goes your enthusiasm, your confidence, your creative spark. Recognize this up-down rollercoaster ride? Been there too? If you've ever tried to write a novel, I'm sure you have. It's nothing new. You're not the only one afflicted with this problem and that alone is good news.
 
"Keep in mind, the work, your best work, gets done in the rewriting. Always. Structural issues, character development, dialogue that sings, setting, pacing, dramatic tension, creation of sub-plots that strengthen the main plot -- none of these gets nailed in a first draft.
 
"If I've learned anything over the years it's that I never share the first draft with anyone. Or the second. Matter of fact, these days no one reads it but my agent (who won't see it until it's a strong 3rd draft) and possibly 1 or 2 readers I've cultivated relationships with who can see the big picture and offer advice the way an editor might.
 
"So sit down. Write. And do not move from your chair unless your house is burning down. Even if you write garbage for two hours, that's okay. You can always rewrite it, but at least you're moving your project forward. Here's the other side of the coin: if you allow distraction or procrastination or your penchant for obsessing over that unattainable concept of perfection stop you from writing, you may never get published at all. And wouldn't that be a bummer?!

"Bum glue. Don't have any? Get some!"

  
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