Meet Karen L. Syed, President, Echelon Press

[Love Is Murder Conference]

Echelon Press has been a sponsor for LIM for a few years now, and President Karen Syed also hears pitches from writers at the conference. Independent presses are a great place for new writers to get a foot in the door, and promoting that dream for many is Karen's goal.

In December, Karen also decided to help the victims of the California wildfires. She organized authors to contribute to an anthology called The Heat of the Moment, mentioned by me here previously as I am one of the honored authors as well! All proceeds from the title go the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County to help those who lost everything in those fires last fall. Copies of The Heat will be available at LIM 2008, and Karen is looking forward to the conference for that and many other reasons. Meet Karen Syed:

Echelon Press has been a sponsor for Love is Murder for several years. What do you enjoy most about that conference?

**LIM is one of the most relaxed conferences I've been to. The coordinators are courteous and they work so hard. The attendees are totally committed to the industry and they have a bond that doesn't just hold their own, it brings in and surrounds each new person that comes to the conference. I haven't always been there, but from the moment I arrived, I have been treated with more respect than almost anyplace else. It's inspiring, really.

What inspired you to put together The Heat of the Moment?

**It is was a no-brainer. As I state in the opening of the book, one of the neighboring apartments where I live caught fire and as all the neighbors stood outside, it was the first time I had ever talked to many of them. I went back inside and on MSN.com there was coverage about the wildfires and it made me cry. They talked about people who lost everything and a firefighter who lost his home while he was out protecting other peoples homes, and it simply broke my heart. I am very emotional and I guess I just thought that with all the disasters and catastrophes happening around the world, I didn't want those people who live in our own back yard to be alone. San Diego had one of the highest residential losses from the 2007 wildfires. Kids with no Christmas, no homes, no clothes, nothing. I can't imagine that pain.

What surprised you about the stories?

**I think it was the level of emotion the authors put into them. Every one of them touches on the inner source of what makes the characters real. Several of the stories include characters from the author's other works, Robert Goldsborough's Snap Malek character, Margot Justes' Minola Grey character, and Norm Cowie's Guy. The best part is that these authors had two weeks to write and get their stories to me. They pulled these stories out of their…okay, they did a great job. Plus, I told them what to write, you know, about fire, and by golly they did, and they all did it remarkably.

How did you get connected with the agency that this book will benefit? What was their reaction?

**I called several places, told them what we wanted to do, and asked if we could give them our money. I kept getting the same response. "Sure, we want your money, but please don't use our name on anything." I did a little deeper digging, found out the stats on who suffered the most (what areas) and I looked for non-profits that needed the support, not so much the places that get all the government money. I didn't want to send money to an organization that filters it out to where they think it needs to go. We are raising money for the survivors of the San Diego Wildfires and we want them to get the money, not those who survived the Tsunami…not that they don't need help, but that is not what we are working for. When I called the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County the young gal who answered the phone was so sweet. She sounded a little choked up when I told her about my plans. She told me the president in charge was out of town and she would call me back. I was discouraged because I was waiting to hear from six other organizations. Then, a week later, the president called me back. It was meant to be. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

What do you think readers will take away from reading The Heat?

**Satisfaction and a sense of goodness. Every person who reads this book will be able to know that someone is being helped and supported by their actions. If it was a gift, someone still purchased it, and cared enough to not only pay for it and help the survivors, but to offer the pleasure of reading to another. It's awesome, it's kinda like the gift that keeps on giving. What I hope will happen with this book is that people won't enjoy it enough to give their copy to their friends, but that will care enough to encourage their friends to buy their own copies. This might sound like a sales pitch, and it is, but please know that this pitch is not for us, but for all those people who no longer have pictures of their families, or the arts & crafts projects their kids made in school. It's all about reaching out to people who need our support and have no way to ask for it.

What do you enjoy most about your work with Echelon Press?

**I can't think of one thing. I would have to go out on a limb and say the thrill of discovery. I have had the honor of publishing the debut works of some tremendously talented authors. Quite a few of them have gone on to find publication and success with larger houses (read: NY houses). This is the goal of most writers and I feel like I helped make that happen. The goal of Echelon has always been to get talented writers into the marketplace. I adore discovering talent that someone else might have overlooked. It's awesome!