Margaret H. Bonham
Book: Bring Me Home: Dogs/Cats Make Great Pets
Publisher: Howell
Pub date: August 2005
Margaret H. Bonham is a multiple award-winning author in nonfiction and fiction, with 22 books published or under contract.
Author Web site: www.shadowhelm.net
BookEnds: How have people responded to your books?
Margaret: Overall, the response has been really positive toward my writing. The one book that constantly stirs up controversy is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Designer Dogs because it’s such a controversial and hot topic. But people who read the book think I’ve done I pretty fair job with it.
BookEnds: What is your writing process like?
Margaret: I sit and write for ten to sixteen hours a day. I’ll often work on several different books or assignments at a time because it breaks the monotony of one subject.
BookEnds: How long does it take you to write a book?
Margaret: It usually takes me about one to three months to write a nonfiction book, but it largely depends on how much other work I have besides the one book.
BookEnds: What else are you working on?
Margaret: Right now I’m working on a cat book tentatively called Cat Problem Solving, and I’m also working on a short novel called The King’s Champion, a fantasy/romance piece.
BookEnds: What’s your next book? When and where should we look for it?
Margaret: Next nonfiction book: Labradoodles. It’s already available for preorder on Amazon.com.
Next novels: Runestone of Teiwas (Yard Dog Press) and Lachlei (Dragon Moon Press)—both will be available sometime in 2007. Lachlei is already available for preorder at www.dragonmoonpress.com. Both will be available for purchase through the publishers, through Amazon.com, and through bookstores when they become available.
BookEnds: How has your life changed since becoming published?
Margaret: I went into writing full-time—that certainly is a big change. I’m happier as a full-time author, even though I don’t make what I did in my previous jobs.
BookEnds: What do you think are some of the biggest misconceptions of the publishing world?
Margaret: Whoa, that’s a toughie. There are so many of them out there. I guess I would say that a lot of people think that once they get published, everything gets easier. The truth is, it doesn’t. Yes, it’s easier to get published, but all the complexity with publishing suddenly hits you like a twenty-ton weight—especially if you’re trying to make a living at this. Money, contracts, editors, copyeditors, reviewers—all the business side of writing usually blindsides you. Oh, and getting published won’t solve your problems. You’ll just find out that you’re the same person with different problems.
BookEnds: What are you reading now?
Margaret: Dadgum Martians Invade the Lucky Nickel Saloon by Ken Rand (Yard Dog Press, 2006). You asked, didn’t you?
To learn more about Margaret H. Bonham, see Our Books at www.BookEnds-Inc.com.
2 comments:
As soon as I saw that doggie pic, I knew it had to be Siberian Husky. :-) My husband and I own two Alaskan Malamutes, although our older fella is part Siberian, part Mal. Can you tell we love northern breeds?
Looks like a lovely book! Congrats to your agency and to the author!
~JerseyGirl
Margaret, I definitely agree with your answer on the misconceptions people have about publishing. I had no idea how much work I'd have to do BESIDES writing! Of course, that's why we have an agent, right? If only I could get Jessica to do my copy edits...
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