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Winter 2024 Interview

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“…confidence is one of the most important aspects of becoming a published writer.” –Joan Gelfand

“Develop a unique premise.”  ~~ Jill Hedgecock

  • Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution
  • Written by Joan Gelfand
  • ISBN#: 979-8888450048
  • Post Hill Press (January 16, 2024

 

Go With The Flow

Joan Gelfand’s memoir, Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution, will take readers into the heart of Berkeley’s revolutionary hey-day. It’s a wonderful exploration of how she discovered herself as a woman and a political activist. It’s 1972 when Gelfand leaves New York so that she can find herself as a writer. The arts are thriving in Berkeley.

With encouragement from her publicist, she tells a story that only she can share, reminding me of what I saw and heard in those days as well as what I missed. She explores relationships and the woman’s movement, as you’ll see in the Q&A below.

BLG: Outside Voices tells readers a good portion of your writing story. How has your writing life developed since Berkeley? What do you realize now that you didn’t know then?

JG: I think I was doing great and significant work in the early 70’s, but what I didn’t realize is that confidence is one of the most important aspects of becoming a published writer. That’s why my book for writers is  about the four “C’s” – craft, commitment community and confidence. Writing advice columns don’t speak of confidence enough. 

BLG: What prompted you to tell this story, and what gave you the courage to share it? 

JG: To be honest, this is the story of my life. I never thought it would be of interest until I had a long talk with my publicist who said it was the most interesting story he had ever heard. The combination of my traumatic past and being smack in the middle of second wave feminism, he felt, was a winning combination.

BLG: Like you I remember Berkeley in the seventies. How did you decide which details to include and which to leave out?

JG: The details unfolded as I was writing. It was so interesting! I had a tight table of contents in my proposal but when I sat down to write I remembered events that had not been originally included. Many of them were more compelling than what was in the TOC, so I shifted things around.

BLG: What is your proudest accomplishment in either writing or life or both? 

JG: Getting seven books to seven different publishers. Being patient and enduring endless revising and disappointment.

BLG: Thanks. It’s important to let readers know that changing publishers is fine. In addition to writing poetry, how can a writer develop evocative language? 

JG: Read. Not listening on audio, but actually reading. Looking up evocative words, copying sentences from books that really sing. Also, read poetry!

BLG: What tips would you give to women who want to write a memoir? 

JG: If possible, tie your story to an important time in history. Did you live through fascism, war or an era that grabs the public attention?

BLG: Did an agent connect you with Post Hill Press? If so, why did she feel they were the right press for you? If not, how did you find them?  

JG: Strangely, my agent only closed the deal. Justin Loeber, my publicist at MOUTH Digital and PR had gotten a contract to do public relations for Post Hill Press. They were in the process of re-inventing themselves and Justin thought we would be a good fit. He took my proposal to the publisher and then we got my agent involved.

BLG: Great story! What tips would you give to those marketing their books and poetry in 2024?

JG: Again, tie your work to the news or current events if possible. Short of that, build community! Community is another of my four ‘c’s.’ You must build your fan base – sometimes for years!  – on line, in community and with colleagues.

BLG: What else would you like readers to know? 

JG: Go with the flow. Publish whatever you can to build up your reputation. If you can’t find a publisher for your novel, publish book reviews and short stories. You need a ‘resume’ when you go to your agent and publisher. They want to know that you have been vetted by other editors and publishers. Outside Voices is my seventh book and with my biggest publisher. Sometimes you have to start small – but start!

BLG: Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us.

Whether you remember that time or have only heard about it, Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution will give you a behind-the-scenes look of the beginnings of a movement that helped re-energize our ideals. You’ll discover lots more on her website. Take the time to look her up. 

Networking Begets Opportunities

An interview with Jill Hedgecock

Jill Hedgecock is multi-talented. She’s a novelist, columnist, speaker and still has time to market with enthusiasm and energy. We’ve known each other for a while and her skills keep growing, so I asked her to share them with you in this interview.

BLG: Tell us about your journey. When did you know you were a writer and what motivated you to write? 

JH: I was not one of these writers that grew up aspiring to write books. In 1997, my mother-in-law handed me an announcement that the Sierra Club was looking for book proposals on environmental topics. Then my husband suggested I should write an environmental-themed novel to reach a broader audience. His words resonated. I signed up for creative writing classes and my journey began.

BLG: How were you selected for the columns you run in local papers, and how do you like that work? 

JH: I heard that The Diablo Gazette was looking for someone to write a book review column when it was mentioned by a board member of the Mount Diablo branch of the California Writers Club. This led to writing a monthly pet column and routinely writing freelance articles. I love the work. I’ve met so many interesting people and learned about diabetic service dogs and beekeeping, experienced goat yoga firsthand, and much more.

BLG: How did you pick the subjects for your books? Please include the titles and tell us where they are available. 

JH:  My subjects are typically inspired by real-life events or a creative twist to something that happened to me. Ultimately, it is my love of animals and concern for them and the environment that led me to write all my novels. I have an underlying goal to educate through entertainment.

Rhino in the Room, my first novel, was inspired in 2015 by my concern for the fate of rhinos. Fortunately, the rate of poaching has gone down since the book was published in 2018 when it was predicted that black rhinos might become extinct during my children’s lifetime.

In the second novel, Queen of the Rhino, I describe the herculean attempts to bring rhinos back from the brink of certain extinction. 

My three Doberman novels, Between Shadow’s Eyes, From Shadow’s Perspective, and In Shadow’s Reflection, were inspired by my dog, Shadow, who used to bark at an empty corner of my dining room. I wondered if he might see ghosts and my imagination ran with the premise. Shadow wasn’t a Doberman, but when a famous Doberman became the avatar for my dog rescue column in The Diablo Gazette, it made sense for me to make my Shadow character that breed so I could educate the public about the sweet side of Dobermans.

My novels are available on Amazon.

Rhino series:

Shadow series:

BLG: How did you decide to self-publish and what makes it a viable alternative for today’s writers? 

JH: In 2015, I went on safari and became passionate about protecting rhinos from being slaughtered for their horns. Because I feared black rhinos might become extinct before the novel found a publisher, I opted to self-publish it. I have the flexibility to use my novel to raise awareness about rhino poaching without conferring with a publisher. The support structure to self-publish a quality novel is easy to find (i.e., cover and book interior designer and an editor), so self-publishing is a viable option.  

BLG: What are your best tips for those who choose to self-publish?

JH: Ah, there are so many ways to answer this question. First, I would say to understand your goals for the book. For example, if you are writing a memoir for family members and don’t plan to try to promote it to the public, you will not need to come up with a book launch plan.

Next, understand your genre. Look at best sellers and make sure your cover designer understands what colors and font to use for your genre.

Third, read positive and negative book reviews of popular and unpopular books in your genre to make sure your book meets reader expectations.

BLG: As a self-published author, how do you stand out from the crowd? 

JH: I developed a unique premise for each series (a ghost-seeing dog and a life-or-death safari scenario). For the dog novels, I used a beautiful and wildly popular Doberman (Ruby_dooby_do) on my book covers. For both novels, I put in the hard work to produce a quality product which is essential if you want customers to leave positive reviews on Amazon or Goodreads.

BLG: How have you helped the California Writers Club and how have they helped you? Why does networking matter? 

JH: I was the Program Chair for the Mount Diablo branch of the California Writers Club for eight years and co-chaired their Young Writers Contest for two years. During my time as Program Chair, I booked experienced writers or published authors with new marketing tips. By finding talented speakers, I helped the club maintain strong meeting attendance. I benefited by getting to know the speakers. Through these interactions, I learned a lot and developed new friendships.

This year, I was honored to receive The Jack London Award from the Mount Diablo branch. My participation on the board led me to the job of writing for The Diablo Gazette, which led to an opportunity to write nonfiction pieces for Books N’ Pieces Magazine. In part because of this connection, I interviewed “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin. Time and again, networking begets opportunities.

BLG: What recommendations do you have for those who want to build a writing community? 

JH: Joining writing clubs and participating in a critique group are some of the best ways to build community. There are also “Shut Up and Write” groups that help keep writers engaged with the writing process.

Writing is hard work, and these interactions turn a solitary, and sometimes discouraging endeavor, into learning opportunities. In late 2022, I joined Bryan Cohen’s Author Ad School, a supportive community that offers a ton of resources and supportive staff to answer questions about all aspects of marketing. Their next free five-day author ad challenge will be January 17 to January 29, 2024. Visit www.Authorsadvertise.com for more information.

BLG: Thanks for sharing this information. What else would you like us to know about you and your work? 

I am in the process of writing my sixth novel, Nazca, a coming-of-age story about a mixed-race, teen boy. My goal is to launch it in 2024.

To keep in touch, please sign up for my newsletter at www.jillhedgecock.com or follow me on social media:

BLG: Can’t wait to read about the mixed race boy, Jill. You are quite prolific and knowledgeable, and I like the way you’ve found your passions and are sharing them. Thanks for sharing your experiences and resources.

 

 

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Great interview. Congratulations, Jill, on all your accomplishments. You’re an inspiration.