"You would not believe the number of people who have asked me that question. LOL And the numerous pronunciations range from the bizarre to the humourous. Ingela is pronounced: 'In-GALE-la'. I hope that clarifies things. ;)

"Now, where does it come from? To be honest, I have no idea, except to say from my dad (he thought I should have a unique and unusual name - which seems to fit me like a glove). As far as we know it's a combination of English, German, and Scandinavian. For example, Ingela (as it's pronounced) is the German pronunciation of 'Angela'. Ing is an alternate name for the Scandinavian God Frey (the god of fertility, who has a twin sister named Freya). And at one time, England was called Ingland, no doubt by the voracious Vikings who settled there. So in short, I haven't a clue. But I'd be willing to bet I'm the only Ingela F. Hyatt in the world. ;)"

"Since I was a little girl I always wanted to be a writer. Of course I wanted to be a rock star, an actress, and a model as well, but those dreams quickly died when it was discovered I had no talent. :D Yet, at a very early age I was writing: poetry, short stories, and love songs (ugh). Whether I had talent for writing back then, I have no idea. But it wasn't until I was 19 years old that I finally found my passion for writing novels. I suffered a terrible tragedy when my closest friend died in a car accident on his 19th birthday - and I was never the same again. I was so filled with grief that I needed an outlet, so I turned to writing. I wrote a short story, which my father read. He was so impressed (and he is not easily impressed), that he encouraged me to turn it into a novel. Which I did, turning the story from a comic book to a fantasy adventure epic. And so was the beginning of my novel writing career.

"I also have to attribute my love of books, in large part, to my mother Janice Hyatt. Numerous times, when I was only a child, she would read to me from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (among others). Although I did not always understand what was going on in the story, I'm certain it helped to develope my very fertile imagination (I don't think you can write without one). And it was this vivid imagination of mine which allowed me to write nine romances novels, and hopefully many more to come."

"As can sometimes happen, my inspiration for the fantasy epic (consisting of two novels) petered out. I spent several years of my life aimlessly wandering (mentally, emotionally, etc.) looking for that something which would fill me with passion instead of boredom. (I'm a Gemini, so I need constant stimuli.) During this time I started reading historical romances again. (I read my first romance when I was 14, but then was 'encouraged' to stop during high school.) I was quite excited to discover the genre again. That is, until I picked up a new novel from an author who was an old favourite of mine. I was shocked at how lifeless it was. It was like she had lost all interest and was now writing only for the sake of making money. After reading this disappointing book, I thought to myself 'I bet I can write a better story'. And the rest as they say is history. Did I write a story better than her? I haven't a clue. But one thing I did discover: it was much harder than I ever imagined."

"Very! Imagine you're climbing a steep mountain with one leg, hands tied behind your back, over loose rock and impassible boulders, and whenever anything goes wrong, you slide back to the bottom again. Okay, maybe that sounds a little harsh, but I think you get the picture. It took me seven gruelling years, nine manuscripts (A Knight of Passion is my 6th novel), and 128 rejections. So yes, it was difficult.

"Statistics say that at any given moment, there are at least one million people trying to get published in the USA. One million! And with the e-publishing industry on the rise, I would hazard to guess that it's doubled. So that means all these editors and agents are being inundated with manuscripts, much of which (according to various sources) are very bad, or in need of extensive rewriting. Your manuscript is sitting in this huge slush pile, no doubt stacked to the ceiling. How ever are you going to get your work noticed? Not easily. Now, don't get me wrong, I had many literary agents ask to see partials and even complete manuscripts, but never a one took me on. (Actually that's not entirely true, I did sign with an agent - but that's another story.) Luckily, no one told me to seek another career, either. So with each rejection I picked myself up, and started over again. And I certainly could not have succeeded without the unfailing support of my family."

"Seven years and a plethora of rejections can be daunting and can wear a person down. A couple of years ago, after receiving nearly 100 rejections, I got a particularly bad one---they were not nice. That was the sword which broke the blacksmith's back so to speak and I realized I was never going to get published and finally gave up. Then one morning I got up and ate breakfast with my dad while watching Live with Regis and Kelly (as we usually do) and low and behold Kelly had started a new feature: Reading with Ripa. I was so thrilled to see her reading and recommending romance novels. I turned to my dad and said 'One day, my book is going to be on Reading with Ripa!' I was filled with excitement and it gave me the boost I needed to write A Knight of Passion. Alas Reading with Ripa ended before my book was published, but it renewed my passion and enabled me to carry on and see my dream come true."

"Lots."

"Read, read, read. Read the genre you want to write. Read the classics, read non-fiction, read whatever you can get you hands on. And while your reading, don't just get caught up in the story, but look at how the story is put together, the grammar, the punctuation. Examine the POV, the love scenes, how the words flow. Do the chapter endings leave you hanging? Are you compelled to turn the page? It is mostly through example that we learn.

"Write, write, write. As they say, practice makes perfect. Write as often as you can. Whenever you have a spare moment, you should be sitting at your computer or your desk, letting the story flow. Use your fertile imagination. Let the story fly! You can always edit it later. If the story doesn't inspire you,then start another until you find the one that does. And when you complete your first manuscript, celebrate! There's nothing like completing your very first novel. You have just taken a momentous step: instead of just thinking about becoming a writer, to actually being a writer.

"Make your move. I know it's scary, but there comes a time in a writer's life when you have to start sending out your baby. And when you get that first rejection, it will be crushing. But don't let it get you down. No matter how many you get (remember: I got 128, and Louis L'Amour is said to have been rejected 350 times!). On occasion, you'll be lucky enough to get some advice thrown in with that rejection. Don't just ignore the advice. There is a tendency for newbies to think their writing is perfect and 'who the hell do those people think they are anyway?' However, most of the time, their advice is on the money. Heed what you want, and ignore the rest. Your writing will be ever changing, evolving, so be flexible.

"Seek support. Being a writer is a lonely occupation. Let's face it, writers need solitude to work their craft. Therefore, you need lots of support and encouragement to keep going. Where should that support come from? Your family. If this is your dream, your passion, they should be behind you 100%. It doesn't matter if its your mom or dad, your siblings, your spouse, or your kids. They need to stand behind you and believe in you. Only then can you believe in yourself. If it weren't for the love and support of my mom and dad, telling me not to give up when I was on the verge of quitting numerous times, I doubt I'd be published right now.

"Another place to get support and put you in the 'know how' is Romance Writers of America. I know, I'd read it so many times from authors that I use to scoff 'What can a group of 9,000 members do for me?' Well, as it turns out, a lot. I was always sceptical, and yet part of me was also curious to find out. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to join. And it was only through the generous support of a very special lady, that I got a sponsored membership. (If you cannot afford the dues as they can be expensive, the RWA has organized a fund to help out. Which I did not learn about until after I was a member.) It is amazing how all of a sudden you discover things about the writing industry you could have never discovered on your own, even through in-depth web searches, and 'how to write' books. Their magazine, the RWR, is great, brimming with marketing info, articles on writing, and more. But the best thing about the RWA is joining a chapter. Or more than one if you can afford it. It is here, in the intimate environment of the chapters that you really find out what's going on in the publishing industry, and advice on how to improve your craft. I joined the RWA in October 2005, and was published in February 2006. Of course, it usually doesn't happen that fast, I already had many years and manuscripts under my belt.

"Be Persistent. If writing is your passion, your dream, if you feel absolutely driven to write, then DO IT! Don't ever give up, because one day, just when you've had about enough of rejection, just when you're contemplating quitting (yet again), just when you are at one of the lowest points in your life, a 'YES' could be waiting just around the corner."