A Conversation with Bestselling Author  Stephanie Bond 

Three female editors in NYC plot to humiliate a bad-boy agent, but their glee over their successful stunt ends when they learn the man is dead...and not of humiliation!

Whole Lotta Trouble is Stephanie Bond's twenty-ninth and latest release available from Avon Books September 2004.

Stephanie sold her first romantic comedy in 1995. Two years and ten books later she quit her corporate job to write full time. The recipient of 4 Ritas and a frequent visitor on the Waldenbooks top ten bestseller list, I had to discover what makes this incredibly successful author tick.

Survival Traits of a Bestselling Author: 
Thick-skinned, long-suffering, and philosophical.

Acquiring those traits: It just comes with time and perspective...most writers who don't have those three traits are either a flash-in-the-pan, or they stay in the business and make everyone, including themselves, miserable. 

Drive to Succeed: I think the work ethic that my parents taught me has been key, but also creating good relationships with my editors has been instrumental to building my career. And perseverance--often, it comes down to the last person standing! 

Difficult Career Period: There was a period in my life when I moved, and lost about 3 months out of my writing schedule. I had stacked deadlines and was so stressed--it was terrible on my health for the months that it took to dig myself out of that hole.

Overcoming it: I just wrote through it. The difference between working writers and hobby writers is that working writers have to write despite the obstacles and find a way to push through to the end. Oh, and I'll never move again. :-) 

Mentors: Several teachers were very influential in my life, and my parents, of course. I also had a beloved aunt who fed my book habit when I was growing up; I probably wouldn't have been a writer if my love for reading and books in general hadn't been nurtured by others.

Inspired by: Frankly, I look up to our leaders--the issues they deal with are so incredibly complex and sometimes repugnant...I don't know how they sleep at night with so much responsibility on their shoulders.

Dream meet: I'd like to have lunch with Dr. Condoleezza Rice and find out what she reads.

The Reading Influence: I grew up in a rural area where entertainment was slim, so without books I probably would have been bored to death or gotten into trouble (which is what is happening to kids these days). Because I loved to read, school was relatively easy for me, which takes a lot of pressure off of a kid. In general, books have made my life easier and much more varied--they also gave me a desire to travel when I got older, to visit the places I read about.

Inspiring Readers with: Love, laughter and entertainment. And hope. I just want readers to close my books and feel good.

Goals, Motivations, Conflicts: My goal is to keep writing great, funny love stories, my motivation is pride (and the mortgage), and my conflicts--the same as every woman: how to satisfy everyone who pulls at me, wanting something.

Wisdom: I think the airline advice re: oxygen masks applies to everything: remember to adjust your oxygen mask FIRST, then help the person who needs your help AFTERWARD. Don't become a facilitator for other people's lives to the point that yours is neglected. And take care of your health. And floss every day.

Visit Stephanie Bond Online at www.stephaniebond.com

Next Issue Suzanne Brockmann!