How did you get paired up with Marley as critique partners? And second, how many people do you show your work to as it’s in progress? Not ever having attempted to write a book, I can only imagine how personal a story is to the author and how much emotional investment one would have in the manuscript. So I’m guessing that it’s important to really trust those that are critiquing it. Having met Marley briefly and read her comments in your blog, it seems she really “gets you”, and you seem to have an enormous amount of faith in her opinions, which I think makes you very lucky! So how did you two find each other?
Marley and I originally met on the writing boards at eHarlequin.com in late 2002. We formed an online critique group with a few other members that for various reasons, didn’t work out (one member had health problems, others had working styles or ethical viewpoints incompatible with critiquing…by which I mean that she thought my characters would go to hell for having premarital sex) After a while, it went dormant, and Marley and I turned into email buddies. Around this time, we both began working with other critique partners from our respective home chapters. (Actually, we each still work with these writers.)
That summer (2003), we met in “person” at the Romance Writers of America Conference in New York City. (Marley says I tackled her in the lobby. But I was so intimidated and knew no one!) Online is fine, but I’m a big believer in meeting people in person. I’d already met several people from writing boards that, in person, didn’t seem to match their online personality at all. There’s a definite sense of discord there; I’m not sure if I can trust them. Marley matched completely. We spent a large portion of the conference hanging out, and became very close friends in the months that followed (online). That was when we started exchanging work again.
So it’s been about three years, and we’ve been through everything: close calls at publishers, lines shutting down, rejections, rewrites, revision letters, at least one agent, coordinating a contest, several conferences, personal and professional trauma, and, most importantly, more than a dozen manuscripts.
Marley and I work well together because we have very similar goals. We wanted to be published, and now that we are we want to continue to be contracted writers of commercial fiction and we’re willing to work for it. We know it’s not easy and we have to constantly challenge ourselves and each other to improve upon our craft and try to fit into the industry. We know that means writing, rewriting, not taking critiques personally, and in general getting tough about our writing. I don’t know that it’s any different than professional coleagues in any other industry. I was recently speaking with my father, a physician, and he says that I talk about my writing friends the way he thinks of his own colleagues. Some people are surprised when they hear I’m so close with other writers, “my competition,” but I really don’t think of them that way. Regular readers of the blog know how much I love other writers!
On to part two: How many people do I show my work to? As many as it takes! I believe in the “dark room” period. In fact, I don’t tell anyone (with the possible exception of Sailor Boy) about my ideas until I’ve “developed” the story significantly. Usually that means a synopsis and several chapters. After that, it’s pretty much fair game. I show things to Sailor Boy, to a reader friend; I have two regular critique partners, Marley and Cheryl; now that I have an agent, I show it to my agent, of course; and depending on the situation I have been known to get other opinions from some other writing friends (most of whom are thanked in the acknowledgement pages of SSG). Sometimes, the more unsure I am about choices I’ve made in a book, the more people I show it to.
Occasionally, I’ll hear newbie writers talk about trust issues; they seem certain that their critique group will “steal the idea.” Whether or not stealing of ideas happens or can happen is a topic for a whole other blog post, but suffice it to say that the sharing work fear tends to get drummed out of you very early as a pro writer. Between the contest circuit and the submission circuit, where dozens upon dozens of people at every house read your work, ideas are out there. But also, the people I critique with are friends and trusted colleagues. And I think the importance of the idea is very genre dependent. Science Fiction as a genre tends to be more conceptual, whereas Romance is less about the premise and more about the execution of said premise, so I think in general romance writers are a little more open about their uncontracted properties. But you know, to be safe, keep that stuff off the internet.
Before we start answering questions today, I thought we might give a little love to Justin Long. Isn’t he the cutest! I swear, I’m a total sucker for the cute and dorky ones. Watch out, Sailor Boy…actually, nevermind. You’ve got cute and dorky in spades, my darling. (Did I ever tell you guys how he flirted with me using obscure comic book references?)
I’m so happy that Accepted is doing well. I saw it on Friday Night, and it’s hilarious. Very old school college comedy. Like Animal House. The only downside is that I don’t know what Long’s character, Bartleby, saw in the blonde chick. She was boring. He should have gone for the peppy redheaded girl, Rory. Of course, I couldn’t stop laughing at “Rory’s” obsession with Yale. Was that supposed to be a Gilmore Girls shout out?
Anyway, back to Justin. I can’t tell you how happy I am that he’s finally getting the recognition I think he’s deserved since Ed. Nay, before that. He rocked the house in Galaxy Quest. And of course, since I don’t have TV, I might be the last Long fan to discover the ‘I’m a Mac’ commercials. Love. Love Love.
Okay, on to questions… Today’s question comes from the person who asked about getting back to writing after a break. Methinks she’s having some motivational issues:
Thanks for answering my earlier question – I hope you don’t mind if I ask another. As you can probably guess I’m trying to work a few things out here So what do you do when you’re not “feeling it” with a WIP. For example, when do you scrap an idea, when do you push through or re-evaluate? I guess I’m just wondering what you do when you’ve lost that loving feeling over a WIP (sorry for the cheesy song reference, it’s been in my head all day). Can’t wait to hear what your working on next…
To be perfectly honest, at some point in the writing of every book, I decide that it’s a) complete and utter crap, b) that there is no way I’m capable of writing a book of this type/magnitude/tone/scope/etc., or c) that I just can’t write, full stop. Well, except for the first book. There, ignorance was bliss. I had different feelings while writing the first book. (See below.)
But with every other book I’ve written (we’re at six, now), I’ve always had at least one long, dark night of the soul about it. Or week of the soul, or month, or even season. Ask Marley. She’s probably lost count of the number of times I’ve emailed or IMed or even called her and said, “the plot, she’s broken.” Even with Secret Society Girl, which remains the easiest process of book writing I’ve ever had (including the first book, because I didn’t have that whole “can I actually write a book?” fear to accompany me with SSG). Since I always go through this, and I always finish the book anyway, I’ve decided that the fear is just part of my deal. It’s like the whole “stages of grief” thing? Denial and anger and etc.? I have stages of book writing.
Also, I was once given the advice that if I’m not on some level scared to write what I’m writing, then I’m not challenging myself. I’m just spinning my wheels. But that’s a blog post for another time.
The trick here seems to be deciding whether or not this is normal fear and trembling or if you really do need to scrap the idea and go back to the drawing board. As I said earlier, I’ve written six books. However, I’ve started more like a dozen. Some of these I’ve scrapped early on, after a chapter or two, when I realized that, as my friend Shanna Swendson says, there’s no there there. Usually I throw out an idea at this level because I realize that it’s not going to make a whole book. Not enough conflict, or story, or character, or what have you.
Sometimes, I’ve thrown away a book when I’ve gotten more than a hundred pages in. Actually, this only happened once, and if you’re an RWA member and received the August RWR with New York Times bestselling author Betina Krahn’s article about “Breaking Up With A Bad Idea,” then you can read about the same thing happening to her. (In passing, I have just finished the book she wrote after the break-up, The Book of True Desires, and it’s wonderful. Run out and buy it right away!) Like Krahn, I’d come up with the perfect title, and was trying to fit a book around it. The resulting manuscript was clunky and ham-fisted, and I knew it. (But it was a good learning experience, and I ended up making a secondary character from that book the heroine of my fourth completed manuscript, Night Visions, which won a Molly Award and got me some agent attention, so that’s cool.)
Again with the digressions! Forgive me, it was a long night last night, and it included Korean karaoke, so it was that kind of long night.
So, to get back to the topic at hand, it’s really tough to tell when you are not feeling it and when something really and truly is “broken” or not worth the time it takes to pursue. Since selling my first book, I’ve gone back and looked at other complete manuscript or story ideas and decided that they, also, needed to find a place under my bed.
Marley and I often discuss a phenomenon we’ve come to call “vampire eyes” after a scene in Interview with a Vampire, and one day, I may do a workshop on it. The short version means that after we sold, we found ourselves looking at our work through a completely different set of criteria and comparing the thing that sold to the things that didn’t. It suddenly became much clearer to me why the works that didn’t sell didn’t sell (which ties into that “move on” advice I was giving the other day) and I went to my idea file and basically cleaned it out. Some things may be manuscripts, but they weren’t going to be books, and as a commercial fiction writer trying to make a living, I have to choose to write the things I love that WILL be marketable (cf. Julie Leto’s “Ditching the Book of Your Heart…” essay for more in-depth analysis on why this is neither crass nor money-grubbing — and in passing, I feel like I should sticky-link this essay for the number of times I recommend it. Julie should definitely be giving me kickbacks of some kind).
So I think that as you get more experience in the industry, you have a much better idea of when you’re just whingeing about the birthing pains and when something actually sucks. So, what does that mean for a beginning writer?
It means suck it up and finish the damn book.
I only recommend ditching books if you’ve written one before. If this is your first book, and you’re more than, say, 50 pages into it (i.e., you know there’s there there) then you need to finish it. Period. Broken or not, sucky or not, unmarketable or not. And I know that the reason you’re not feeling the love could be any of those reasons — the book isn’t working, or you realize how much better you can be, or chick lit/cozies/revolutionary war historicals/what have you are dead — but I don’t care. Sorry to break it to you. You’ve got to write a whole book. It’s like bootcamp.
You know that first book I was talking about, way up near the top of the post? I was in the middle of it when I realized that it wasn’t exactly the best I was capable of. I realized it wasn’t going to sell. But I finished it anyway. (And maybe that’s easier to do when one’s first book is a 60k category romance than when it’s a thousand-page big fat fantasy quadrilogy, but hey, lucky me.) I told myself that if I was going to be a writer I had to see books through all the way to the end, and I forced mysself to finish that manuscript and revise it and query it and I kept the next manuscript — the Maggie winner, by the way — as a carrot. As soon as I finished the first book, albatross though it might be, I could start on something with real potential.
I’ve written before on how important I think it is to write a whole book when you are just starting out. It’s the thing that separates you from people who aren’t book writers. You get a different kind of vampire eyes when you finish a manuscript, no matter how sucky that manuscript is. I go to RWA meetings, and I go to writing conferences, and you can see it. The people who have written books and the people who haven’t.
So, if you haven’t written a book before, then you have to just gird your loins and do it. It’s good for you. Like apples.
If you HAVE written a book before, then you totally have the right to evaluate whether or not it’s working for you. I don’t know if there can be a checklist or flow chart that determines whether or not you should ditch. That’s a highly personal decision. Which is why you need the knowledge gained by experience of actually finishing a book to understand whether or not you are capable of finishing this one.
And also, sometimes “ditch” means “put away for a while.” I have a friend shopping a proposal based on something she originally came up with many years ago. I have another friend who sold a series in a new genre, ot a new publisher, based on a complete blank-slate rewrite of the first manuscript she’d ever written, many many years and publishers and book contracts ago. I am personally working on a proposal right now that’s based on an idea I had a couple years ago and has gone through so many permutations that it’s difficult to describe how it’s connected to the original inspiration. _________________________________________
For those of you who were getting the “Forbidden” response to the link I posted yesterday, here’s Wentworth from Prison Break all cleaned up and looking George-ish. I’d only ever seen him before with the bald head and the tattoos, which is very not George-ish. This picture could be George, though (except, no glasses! And his eyes are the wrong color… but no big deal). Good call, Jami!
Actually, the look on his face here reminds me very much of a scene in SSG2. It’s sometimes hard to think that the people reading this blog are actually a whole story behind me. I want to talk about things that happen to George, but you guys don’t know about that yet.
1 – What was the most surprising thing about the publishing process/having your first book released? What was easy that you thought would be hard, and conversely, what was hard that you thought would be easy?
I guess the most surrprising thing about the publication of Secret Society Girl was how different it was than the way I’d envisioned my first book release. For such a long time I’d been visualizing my career as starting in category romance, so for my first book to be a harcover mainstream release with a big summer push was far, far beyond anything I’d ever imagined for myself. So everything was different: format, marketing, publicity, you name it. That was all crash course. Since my background was in romance, I had to take a crash course in mainstream, and I also had to learn about what hardcover meant.
As far as the publication process — editing, copyediting, etc., it wasn’t much harder or easier than I thought it would be. It was challenging work, but I expected it. The main thing that came easily that I’d always thought was hard was getting editor and agent interest in the manuscript. In the past, that had always been the real sticking point. Prior to SSG, I’d gotten over 18 rejections on my last manuscript. But for SSG I got several agent offers in a matter of days, and six houses made offers to publish the book within a week and a half. I was pretty much in shock over that for some time afterward. The main thing I took from the experience was that it really is all about having the right project at the right time. I have friends who have been writing and rewriting the same projects that are on their fifth or sixth go around to houses in various incarnations. They refuse to stick it in a drawer. I am a firm believer in moving on. Give each manuscript a fair shot, and then go on to the next one. The next thing might be the one that opens doors for you. Now when I look back at some of the rejections I was receiving– great voice but not right for us, please send us something else; I look forward to reading something else by you; I hope you submit to me again — it seems obvious to me. I don’t know why I didn’t see it sooner. Move on; keep writing; find the right project, the one that makes them pant.
The thing that was harder than I expected was dealing with negative criticism. I’d been so lucky in my submission– everyone seemed to love it– that I was really shocked that the tide of good will wasn’t universal. I was so confused when I got my first bad review. Though I’d gotten used to the idea of “some will love it, some won’t ‘get it’ with my previous manuscripts, I was initially bowled over when some people simply didn’t get my story. I’m getting better at shrugging it off. It helps to remember how subjective humor is — inconceivably, some people don’t think I’m funny. It helps also to realize that some people wanted an attack on secret societies, which isn’t what I’m writing about. I’d like to say that anyone who says the cirtics don’t bother them is lying, but I’ve met some people with such astounding senses of self and purpose that I want to garb myself in robes and sit at their feet and cry, “Master, teach me this art!”
2 – Okay you mentioned you envisioned Lisa Kudrow reading your book, but if SSG were to be made into a movie, who would be your ideal cast?
Actually, I never said that. I never spent any time picturing an audiobook reader, but if I did, it probably wouldn’t be Lisa Kudrow, though I love her. I don’t know if she’s got the right “type” voice. They’d probably get someone who sounds like a college girl, wouldn’t you think? You must be referring to this post, in which I discuss Ellen Meister’s book, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA, which is, in fact, read by Lisa Kudrow in the audiobook version. Kudrow, by the way, if you listen to the sample, has the perfect voice for this narrative about PTA members gone wild.
Coincidentally, Ellen Meister herself has already covered the “casting” topic on her blog. When she did the GCC tour of me, she asked me who I’d cast in various parts of SSG, and in the process, found one of the most astoundingly beautiful pictures of Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants), who I think would make a great Amy… She’s very intelligent, yet she’s got this unmistakeable everygirl look about her. Love it.
And then I keep changing my mind for all the others. The problem is that it has a lot less to do with each individual person I would cast than it does with how their chemistry works together. I heard once that when Star Wars was being cast, they worried a lot more about how the leads interacted with each other than how they each did on their own. And you can see it all the time in television series — once they get people on the screen and watch their chemistry working, certain pairings and plot developments seem a more natural fit.
At the time of the Meister blog, I was marvelling at Kristen Bell’s crying scenes in Veronica Mars, and thought she might make a good Clarissa, though I was trying for someone icier than that. Thoughs he could play icy probably. Who knows? Rachel McAdams rocked in Mean Girls. Ice queen blonde is what I want. Just call me Hitchcock.
The guy I’d really want for Malcolm, Paul Walker, is not only a little too old for the part now, but he also probably got more than his fill of secret society stories when he was in The Skulls last century. So I need someone who can do that effortless Steve McQueen kind of thing. Very very hot, very very cool.
George…it’s up in the air. I know how I envision him, but it’s actually not all that much like Orlando Bloom after all. I’d need someone drop dead gorgeous and with enough charisma to fuel a jet engine. When I look at pictures of Mr. Bloom, I’m all eh. But for some reason, on screen, I can’t look away. Presence. George is gorgeous, it’s true, but more than that, he’s attractive, in the most basic sense of the word. There are just so many parts of him that I describe. When I talk about his smile, I’m really thinking of that cocky grin you get from a young Harrison Ford. When I describe how hot he looks in his glasses, I’m really thinking of how well David Duchovny rocked his specs in certain episodes of the X-Files (though George’s actual glasses belong to my brother. I’ve always admired them and said I was going to give them to a hero one day). The chiseled nature of his bone structure and all is very, very Orlando Bloom, and the origin of his eyes are a secret… but the main thing would be that the second he appears on screen, ever single person in the audience has to be hypnotized.
Brandon is tough, because Hollywood doesn’t have many famous half-Asian young actors lying around. Oliver James is about as close as I can come to Brandon, and that’s after we train the English accent out of him. I like this picture of him because he looks so collegiate in this shot. Doesn’t he look like he’s sitting on Amy’s couch, waiting for her?
Speaking of English accents, I’d love to get rid of Christian Coulson’s and cast him as Poe. He’s always just what I pictured for Amy’s nemesis, not least, I’m sure, because he played a convincing teenaged Voldemort in the second Harry Potter film. And here he is in a grubby t-shirt, just like I always describe Poe wearing!
I actually have a question for you and your blog that I’ve been pondering. What kept/keeps you writing? Both now (I’d imagine it is deadlines and that whole writing full time thing pressure) and also back before your first sale? I remember from your blog that there were times you took time off from writing – what made you return? What kept you going and got you back at the keyboard writing? Maybe I’m just looking for a little inspiration right about now
Times I “took off” from writing: I didn’t write much in New Zealand, mostly because I spent the majority of the (18 hour) days hiking, and the leftover time cooking/setting up my tent/sleeping. I was thrilled to get back home, where I could actually devote time to writing. It wasn’t a motivational problem to start again, I was chomping at the bit! Another stretch of time I took off from writing was during the fall of 2004. I was working in the field of hurricane clean-up, beginning each day around 6:30 and ending around 7:30. After work, I was coordinating a contest that was eating up every spare minute of time. Once again, I couldn’t WAIT for that to be over with!
The most recent time I took off from writing was in the beginning of this year. That was a mix of causes. Winter in the north has always been particularly hard on me, and this was my first one since 2001. I hate the short days and cold, dreary weather. It saps my energy. By the time I got home from work, I was pretty much ready for bed. It was this past winter when I decided I needed to try working full time. (Once again I’m seeing the days getting shorter and shorter and it’s freaking me out.) The other cause was that there is a lot of work involved in getting your book to press, and since it was my first book, I was getting used to that. The first time is the hardest. I think I’ve streamlined the process though, and will be able to plow through all that housekeeping much more easily next time. The third cause was laziness. That’s a struggle.
This last is probably the only break from writing I’ve had where it was hard to get back into it. For me, it’s just like starting to exercise again after being out of shape. It really, really sucks at first, but you have to power through. I remember telling my CP that there was no way I could write more than 3 pages a day. Turns out I can, when I have to. Turns out I can write seven times that, if necessary.
That’s why I don’t want my post-manuscript-turn-in vacation to last much longer than a week; I don’t want to “get out of shape” again. It’s also like exercising in that, though you may procrastinate and picture it as torturous before you start, once you’re actually doing it you remember how good it feels — the endorphins flow, you get that sense of accomplishment…
That’s what writing is like for me. And I think that’s what it has to be like. You have to really love it. You’d have to do it even if it were just a hobby. Sometimes, I think that loving to write is the only thing that is going to get me through the really tough times in this business.
Of course I’ve been discouraged, felt like I wanted to pull back from all the industry stuff for a while (especially after a run of rejections). But I’d characterize those periods as “I can’t bear to send out another query,” or “I can’t bear to read about another market trend or success story.” Usually, rejections spurred me to write harder, better. “I’ll show them.” Of course I’ve had days where I don’t feel like writing. I’m exhausted, or sick, or I’m supposed to be writing a love scene and just had a big fat fight with Sailor Boy which was totally his fault, by the way. But it works like that in any job. We’ve all had bad days.
I have had tough writing days or received a rotten review and I’ve dreaded taking that first step to start writing again. But once I take that step, step after step, the other crap falls away. You have to love love love to write. I have a friend who says that if you can quit, you should. I have another that takes it farther. She says you should try to convince yourself to quit, and only if you fail, should you go on.
Because in every writer’s world, be they pubbed, unpubbed, epubbed, prepubbed, postpubbed or überpubbed, there are dark days. I’m not talking about museless afternoons where the words don’t come, or a week where life interrupts the flow of writing, or even the two week write-strike brought on by some nitwit judge who denied you a contest final because you used the word “eyes” instead of “gaze” and your margins were off a quarter inch . No, I’m talking about months (or worse) when the joy of writing is suddenly, inexplicably and totally sucked right out of you. It happens to all of us, no matter where we are on the publication path.
Make no mistake – the dark days of a writing career will come. They will arrive with thunder and clouds and they are going to drench you with doubt and dismay. They may take the shape of a difficult book, a contentious relationship, a sickeningly bad cover, a shocking rejection, an inexplicable contest score, a lousy paycheck, a poorly motivated hero, a boring manuscript. They all might happen at the same time. No might about it: they WILL happen at the same time.
Your job is to go back to the basics: Ask yourself why you write. Conjure up that fresh, high-concept idea. Force yourself to finish the hard books. Change the things you can – even if it means ending a relationship, walking away from a critique partner, or saying no to a volunteer project that cuts into your writing time. Take control and take action and recognize that this happens to everyone. Chocolate, wine and friends are invaluable at this time, too. And, of course, a good book!
I believe that knowing how to coax a little bliss back into your work is far more valuable in the long run than craft tips, industry info or a even the secret handshake. I believe that the strong survive, but the joyous thrive.
I agree wholeheartedly. No one said this job was easy. (Actually, a lot of people say it, but most of them aren’t IN the industry.) Every time I whine, the love of my life, Sailor Boy, says to me that I’m the luckiest person he knows, that I’m doing my dream job and getting paid for it and I love every second, and to shut the hell up. I think he and Nora Roberts should become drinking buddies. (Nora Roberts, for those of you playing catchup, recently did an interview in the RWA newsletter saying whining writers should shut up and picture sitting in traffic.) The point is, whining happens. Even in a dream job. But if you love to write, if you love love love love to write, then you do it. Even if it means that, um, the people you know have to listen to you whine from time to time. ___________________________________
Okey doke. Keep the questions coming, folks! Anything you want!
I feel in limbo right now. I’ve turned in my book to my editor and now I’m just waiting to get started on edits. I’ve taken a full week off of writing and now I’m itching to get back into it — but to what? I have two choices: work on a proposal for SSG3 (which is caling to me since I”m so immersed in that world from SSG2) or do some work on the other, secret, project.
Also, SB has been after me to take down the plotting board. First, however, I think you might be interested in taking a look at my plot. This is what it looks like:
Yep. Purty, huh. There’s a little bit of pink lacking from that third row, but other than that, I think I did a pretty good job spreading it all around.
A few days ago, a man emailed me to ask about using my plotting board (he probably came across my blog during one of the many recent plotting board conversations on the lit blogosphere. Anyway, he wrote:
Hi, Diana! I had a quick question about your plotting board. If each square is a scene and each colored post-it is a plotline, why do most squares have several colors in them?
And because that kind of person, this is what I wrote to him:
There are several colors per scene because most scenes serve several purposes in the development of the story. For instance, I assume you have seen Casablanca. One of the most famous scenes in Casablanca takes place when Victor Lazlo enters Rick’s office and offers to buy the letters of transit. Rick says that even if he had the letters, he wouldn’t sell them to Lazlo. Lazlo asks him why, and Rick says, “Ask your wife.” Immediately afterwards, Lazlo goes to the band and directs them to start playing the French patriotic song to compete with the German singing. The band members look to Rick for confirmation, and Rick nods.
Therefore in one fell swoop we have dealt with three plotlines: the main plotline of the fate of the letters of transit; the romance triangle plotline between Victor, Ilsa, and Rick; and the character arc of Rick growing from a person who values his political neutrality to one who will take a stance and fight against the Nazis.
As far as I’m concerned, if a scene doesn’t serve more than one purpose in the story, it should probably be cut. Exceptions can be made for scenes that are either very short, or are very pivotal to that particular storyline. If you look at my plot board above, you’ll see that one scene is marked with only a purple post-it. Actually, that’s an error that I realized after I took the picture. There should be a green and pink post-it there as well.
Anyway, in honor of this questioner, and the fact that I regularly get questions over email that I answer over email (and then never hear from the person again, but that’s a whole other rant), I thought I’d have Question week here on Diana’s Diversions. So, for the next week, I shall be answering questions on the blog. Email them to the email address listed up there in the profile box, and put “Question for Diana’s Blog” in the subject header.
And finally, big congratulations to Wendy Toliver, who sold her book to Puffin, and Larissa Ione, who is proving that hard work can triumph over adversity, and just made her third sale to her third publisher this year — a three book paranormal romance deal to Warner Forever!
First I have to apologize. I know I’ve fallen off the face of the Earth recently. There’s a lot of stuff going on chez Diana, and the blog lost out. Also, due to a variety of fun circumstances (I love modern travel!), I am not currently in possession of the signed copies of Julie’s books, but the nice people at UPS tracking tell me I should have them shortly, so I can at last send them out.
I’m also behind on my blog tour. When I left town on September first, I had no idea that I would be gone so long, nor that I would be so incredibly wiped from my recent writing marathon. Let this be a lesson to myself — never cut a deadline so close again.
When a Hollywood location scout comes to Applewood, Long Island and announces that the local elementary school might make the perfect backdrop for an upcoming George Clooney movie, the PTA’s decorum crumbles like a cookie from last week’s bake sale.
Enter Maddie, Ruth and Lisa, three women who become the glue that holds the project together…and wind up forming a bond of friendship stronger than anyone had imagined.
A good thing, too, because each of them is about to come apart. Maddie Schein, an ex-lawyer trying as hard to fit in as she is to save her marriage, gets knocked off balance by Jack Rose, an old college friend hell bent on seducing her. Ruth Moss—rich, sexy and outspoken—has more to give and less to enjoy than most people think. Indeed, since her husband’s stroke left him embarrassingly uninhibited yet completely impotent, she’s more of a caretaker than a wife. And modest Lisa Slotnick, a loving parent who wants nothing more than to fade into the scenery as she tends to her children, must deal with the humiliation of being thrust before the spotlight by her scandalous, alcoholic mother.
When these three get together, a powerful alliance is forged. But is it strong enough to overcome the obstacles to getting the movie made in their town? And will their friendship be enough to mend their hearts and homes? Join them as they reach for the stars…and try to pull off a Hollywood ending of their own.
Here’s what people are saying:
“Meister’s debut novel is heartbreakingly funny, her characters facing life’s dramas and disappointments head on with wit and spunk.” — Library Journal, starred review
“With sexy characters, sharp dialogue, and snappy pacing, Meister’s sassy, saucy debut novel could well turn into a movie of its own.” — Booklist
“Three conflicted housewives in Applewood, Long Island, long for something more fulfilling than what their families and their membership in the local PTA offer…. helping each other realize their dreams. Comical yet poignant…” — Kirkus Reviews
Want to hear more? Check out excerpts of the book as read by none other than Lisa Kudrow, who says of the experience, “The best time I’ve had in years. Ellen Meister’s characters are so funny, smart, and real, I feel like I’ve made three new friends!” ____________________
This last bit is really interesting to me. I only know a few people who have had audio versions done of their books, or even excerpts of their books. Ellen is one, and Ally Carter also records herself reading first chapters for her MySpace page. I think Lauren Barnholdt did it as well. I know a lot of people who swear by books on tape. I’ve listened to some on occasion, usually when I’m given them as presents or need to put something on as “background noise” while I’m packing or driving across the country. I always, always enjoy them, but I’d rather have a book. Not sure why. It might be because audio books tend to be so expensive, but I think I just have a very tactile relationship with books. If a book is available electronically or POD, even if POD is heaps more expensive, I buy it like that. I like books. I like holding them, turning the pages, etc.
I’ve never recorded myself reading my books. Personally, I hated the one time I had to read out loud to an audience. I’d rather let a talented actress like Lisa Kudrow handle that sort of thing. I can’t figure out why I’m so scared by the idea. After all, once upon a time, I did act and sing and generally perform in public. Maybe it’s because, unlike, say, Jim Dale, I can’t do hundreds of voices at a stretch. When I was practicing for my reading, I was thinking I was going to do the Interview scene from Chapter One of SSG, until it occurred to me that there was no way people would be able to tell when Amy was speaking out loud and when she was snarking off in her head, and moreover, would be hard pressed to tell who was Poe, who was Malcolm, and who was Amy. (You guys DO know that’s who the people talking in the scene were, right? Because I got a weird question the other day about who the “Shadow Who Smiles” was and I figured it was pretty obvious.) So instead I read the scene where Amy gets her Tap Letter and Lydia kicks Brandon out of the suite, etc. Much less dialogue to worry about.
After the reading, some of the attendees came up and said I should to my own books on tape. I think they’re nuts. I can never make the books sound like they do in my head. I always pull back. I think that might be the problem. I can hear the difference between what I’m capable of and what a real actor would be capable of and it makes me self-conscious. It’s the same reason I don’t sing in the shower much anymore. I was hanging out with someone (names and relation to me redacted because she’d be so embarrassed if she found out I was talking about her on my blog) and she sings ALL THE TIME. In her apartment, in the car, in the shower, in the taxicab we took together (which totally drowned out the conspiracy theory talk radio the driver had blasting). It was awesome. When did I stop doing that?
Several writers I know swear by reading their work out loud. Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier read all their work out loud to one another, and they have also done no small amount of public readings. Tim Dorsey recently told my RWA chapter that he reads his drafts out loud, alone, in a room. (Apparently he’s scared his wife awake in the middle of the night if he’s reading a particularly gruesome or suspenseful scene.) I’ve started reading scenes out loud. It’s a great way to hear if your rhythms are off or if a sentence clunks. I tend to write by ear anyway (I’ve been known to regularly type homophones into my manuscript in the heat of the moment), so I already have a good idea of what my story “sounds like” — though I have been surprised enough times to think the whole reading out loud (in private!) thing is a good idea.
Ooh, mail! yay, my luggage is here. I can start sending out all those massively belated prizes! Catch y’all later.
Today’s winner of this, the last of the Dirty Little Lies Giveaway, is SHARON. Please email me your address and I’ll get you your copy! I hope you guys had fun this week, and I hope anyone who hasn’t had a chance goes and picks up a copy of this fabulous book! By the way, those who live in the Tampa Bay Area, Julie Leto will be speaking at the Dale Mabry Barnes and Noble on Sept. 26th at 7:30 p.m.
Also, I know I said I’d do the other drawing today, but a bunch of stuff has come up (non-writing-related) and it’s thrown my whole schedule off. Monday at the latest! It’s just that I’ve spent the last month in Deadline World, and let all kinds of real-life requirements lapse. I need to catch up on those things. (And I still haven’t figured out how to fix the blog for the people who can’t see it. I don’t think I can possibly make it any narrower, which means this template has to go and I’ll start from scratch again next week. Curses.) Okay, moving on. ________________________________
Dear Scott Westerfeld,
As you know, I’m a great fan. And today, as you also know, your new book, The Last Days, is out. It had been my plan to rush out and buy a copy of the latest in this most riveting series on the day it came out, like any self-respecting Biggest Fan would, but alas, I did not.
It seems so incongruous, does it not? After all, I read its predecessor, Peeps, in one day during the Great Scott Westerfeld Lost Weekend of 2005. Then I recommended it to everyone I knew. Then I swore never to get a cat, because really, who wants that kind of parasite vector lying around the house? (My brother has two, and you’d better believe I watch his garlic intake very carefully.) I learned so much about creepy parasites while reading your book. (By the way, I really love the new paperback cover. Any book about a young man forced to track down all his exes because he accidentally and unknowingly turned them into vampires needs the kind of sexed up new cover you’ve got.)
I don’t think I’ve ever read a vampire book quite like yours, Scott. Susan Squires’ Companion series plays with the parasite paradigm as well, but doesn’t go quite as sciency with the idea. Still, I recommend it if you’re looking for a good — nay, great — historical romance. But I definitely think that even people who don’t like vampire books will like this.
Where was I? Oh, yes, The Last Days. So I’d planned to buy it, and see what happens when you’re a band trying to make it on the verge of the zombie apocalypse. Though I have a sneaking suspicion every character in this book is probably cooler than I ever hoped to be as a teen. I mean, they’re rock stars! I was even in Barnes & Noble yesterday, looking for it. (In passing, they had the Uglies dump, but no copies of Specials. Golly, you write a lot of books, Scott.) The only books they did not have of yours were Peeps (either in paperback or hardcover) and TLD. Now TLD made sense, because maybe there was a laydown date. But I was hoping for some Peeply love. Alas.
So then I started thinking about my current To Be Read (hereafter TBR) pile, which is threatening to take over the wall of my house like one of those monster kudzu vines. I have not made as big of a dent in it as I thought since finishing my own book. I may have to go on a reading binge before Thanksgiving. So many good books out there!
I know you’re a big time bestseller now, and I probably shouldn’t let it be known that I feel a certain amount of smugness for being an early adopter of Westerfeld. You taught me that term, by the way. So I’ll search again for your new book, Scott. I’m really very excited about it, so don’t take my failure to possess it at this early date (as I did Pretties and Specials) as any sign that my affection for your work is waning.
Today’s Winner of the Dirty Little Lies Giveaway is Dragonfly_in_NC! Congratulations, Dragonfly. Please email me with your address and I’ll get you your prize.
Everyone else, leave a comment here to be entered into the final drawing of the giveaway. Tomorrow, I’ll also be doing the drawings for the old SSG Giveaway final prizes (including hoodie) that I flaked about last month. Oops, oops and double oops. Sorry. Deadline brain.
Last night, I went to a bookclub meeting about my book. This is the second such event I’ve attended. The first was my mom’s bookclub, which was great, but they were all friends of my mom and usually parents of kids I grew up with, so I felt a little more comfortable around them. Last night was my first event with total strangers. It was lovely. I was fascinated to hear what people thought of my book, and how they interpreted various choices I’d made in the novel.
I think I might have frustrated them a little because so many times I responded to questions like, “What did you mean when you wrote…” with “What did you think I meant?” Finally, someone started joking that I sounded like a shrink, when what I really sounded like was a Lit major from Yale. I think the true meaning of books falls somewhere between the author’s intention and the reader’s interpretation. (For instance, Upton Sinclair wrote a book aimed at uncovering the sins against the poor immigrant workers in the meat factories and instead everyone got up in arms about the quality of their food!) Which is not to say that people shouldn’t pay attention to what authors are trying to say in their books, nor that I’m not tryign to say something. But if you see something else, which maybe I didn’t, or maybe isn’t as well-developed in my brain, but filtered through your reading experiences it spoke to you in a particularly strong manner, then that’s perfectly valid. I’ve had people pick up copies of my book, read the cover flap and say, “You put a lesbian in your book!” and get really excited. I feel weird, because, well, the lesbian is actually a minor character and I wouldn’t want them buying it and getting disappointed at all the het stuff, but if they identify with Demetria more than Amy, that’s fine too.
So I wanted to know what they thought. I wanted to know if they thought the patriarchs were really capable of accomplishing all the things they threatened to do. I wanted to know if they thought Brandon was correct in the choices he made about Amy. I wanted to know if they thought Malcolm’s actions were valid or hysterical. I have my ideas. I know how I interpret them. (No, yes, and a little bit of both, for the record.) But it was interesting to see what other people thought. And I can’t say if I’m right or not. I can say that Malcolm thinks he’s being perfectly rational. But whether or not he is is an opinion. I can say that Brandon thinks he’s making the right choice in regards to Amy, but whether or not it is correct depends on how much of a romantic you are. So I ended up answering a lot of questions like that. I know what the characters were thinking, and so I could provide clarity on those issues (see below), but I can’t make absolute statements about whether or not the character’s beliefs are right or wrong. That’s where the discussion part comes in.
Once again, I witnessed the “Brandon is weak”/”Brandon is the man I want to marry” dichotomy, though, interestingly, there didn’t seem to be any George fans in the group. Usually, the people who dislike Brandon are totally into George. I also heard the following FAQs: “Is Poe getting together with Amy this summer?” and “Is Poe gay?” I’d like to take this opportunity to answer in the negative to both. Non. Nyet. Negatory. Uh-uh. And no way, Jose.
I gotta tell you, I *love* meeting with bookclubs. It’s so fascinating to hear how different people interpret the story I wrote. It usually sparks a debate about feminism and women’s issues and sexism, etc, but the fascinating thing about this discussion was how almost all the women there (who were in their late twenties to their late fifties) agreed that women of Amy’s generation were being lulled into a false sense of security about equal rights, and were going to get slapped in the face when they got into the corporate world. I think that women of my generation (or my seven-years-older) had a similar experience. We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about sexism in college. After we graduated, we talked about it plenty. They seemed to interpret some of the plot points through the lens of a group of women who were experiencing this for the first time. They even interpreted Brandon’s role in the story as a sort of role-reversal of sexual positions, which is a very interesting way to view it, and one that I hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about before, but I think might be quite valid.
It was especially interesting to hear them talk about this first book from the perspective of having just finished the second. How do thse issues manifest itself in the second book? What am I trying to say with how the relationship develops between the various characters, with how the feminism plotline develops? A few times tonight, I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying, “Oh, what a good point! You know, that’s a major issues in book two!” No spoilers, right?
It’s days like this where I feel blessed to have the opportunity to work in my dream job. I can’t believe how lucky I am to spend every day doing something I love so much. I only hope I can continue doing it.
It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Steve Irwin on Monday. When Sailor Boy and I were in Australia, we visited his zoo in Beerwah. Irwin was not as popular in Australia as he was over the rest of the world. Apparently, his family had had their little croc showcase for several generations before Irwin’s savvy business sense turned it from a local tourist attraction to a major media industry. As far as the locals were concerned, it was just their little local zoo and the guy was rumored to have a TV show. SB and I were there a few days after the world began censuring Irwin for bringing his infant into the croc pool with him. Because of that, we didn’t see Irwin at the zoo. (He was hiding out from the media.) What we did see was a marvelous, well-kept animal sanctuary full of fascinating info about the animals and staffed by intelligent, well-trained people who loved their work, were passionate about conservation in all its forms, respected and feared the dangerous animals they worked alongside, and truly wanted to teach everyone who came into the zoo to feel the same way. I’ve never seen employees love their boss so much. I’ve never seen such a large and successful business so honestly pay tribute to their humble beginnings. It’s not lip service there. Did you know the Irwins cut out every newspaper article they find about their work and tack them up — with pushpins — on the wall of the original barn that housed the croc show? It’s great.
One of the best things about Irwin’s message is that just because an animal is dangerous or completely uncuddly is no reason that it doesn’t deserve protection and conservation any less than the cute otters or dolphins or etc. The ugly and dangerous endangered species are every bit as valuable to the ecosystem of the world, can teach us every bit as much about nature, and are every bit as worthy.
Of course, at the zoo, they only let you pet the cuddly ones. Here are pictures of Sailor Boy and me with the more cuddly of the creatures in Beerwah (Yes, it’s a picture of SB. Gasp away! I think I can squeak in under the No Pics of SB rule because you don’t actually see his face. It’s like those reality shows where they blur out faces of the people who don’t sign release waivers.)
Steve Irwin was a man who lived his life doing what he loved more than anything in the world, and through his work, he made us love it too. It’s not often you get to say something like that.
Today’s winner in the Dirty Little Lies Giveaway is Nadine Dajani! Congratulations, Nadine. Send me your address and I’ll send you your fabulous prize! As for the rest of you, two more chances. Post here to be entered in tomorrow’s penultimate giveaway.
In other cools news, the fabulous folks at Trashionista have posted one of my old blog columns on defense of chick lit. Thanks, gals! Just goes to show you, the stuff you post on blogs last for-evah! (Also, if you’re Marley or me and are obsessed with the old Sweet Dreams line of teen romance, check out what they’ve unearthed: http://www.trashionista.com/)
But that’s not all! Today’s ultra-special Girlfriend’s Cyber Circuit tour brings us the following offering from wicked suspense author and wicked-cool blogger Anne Frasier: a video for her latest release, Pale Immortal. The idea is to get 100 bloggers blogging about it on one day — today, her release date. So, if you’re interested, toddle on over to her blog and embed this video on your own space.
Cool, huh? I’m really into these “book videos.” Maybe one day I’ll do one for my books. Here’s what the story is about:
USA Today bestselling author Anne frasier has kept her readers on the edge of their seats…
Now she delivers a tale that will have them looking over their shoulders. In her new novel, Anne Frasier flirts with the paranormal when a town’s horrific legacy gives rise to shadows of fear and suspicion.
That’s actually not much info. What I’ve been able to gather from reviews and such is that the story is about a rash of copycat murders in a small town that once, many years ago, lived through a “vampire” like killing spree. The twist is that the old vampire murderer has also disappeared from his coffin, and the tale is told from the perspective of a man who is allergic to the light.
I don’t read a lot of straight suspense, but I may have to pick that up.
And now for something compeltely different. Do those of you who write series put together series bibles? I’m thinking of doing so to make sure everything’s straight during the revision process and as I move toward SSG3. Any tips or how tos that you know of?
Today’s winner of the Dirty Little Lies Giveaway is LIANE. Liane, please email me with your address so I can get you a signed copy of the book. Everyone else, leave our comments here to be entered into tomorrow’s giveaway!
Speaking of Dirty Little Lies, here’s a picture of Julie Leto and me at our signing this weekend. (Not pictured: Tim Dorsey, also at the signing.)
Also, I’m still tweaking the new layout, but what do you think? I’m kind of into the three-column look.
In other news, a lot of folks are talking about an “article” up at Associated Content, which as far as I can tell is an about.com-esque site run not unlike Wikipedia (in that anyone can publish an article), purporting to report on “The Top Ten Blogs About Writing and Publishing.” (In passing, isn’t Associated Content the blandest name you can think of?) It’s written by a man named Jack Oceano, who spends most of his time on AC reporting on the AFC and Hawaiian eateries. When I first saw the list, I was appalled. Sure, it’s got great sites up like Miss Snark, PubRants, and the journal of Anna Genoese, but then it veers off into la-la land.
Listing Agent 007, who hasn’t publishing anything in almost five months? How is that a top blog on ANY subject? And don’t get me started on the listing of one blog by a fee-charging (supposed) agent who tells blog visitors that NO agent who is any good signs new writers, that ALL agents worth their salt charge reading fees, and spends the majority of his time talking about which of his dates have performed what sexual favors on him. This is NOT a top blog on writing. This is not a blog I’d read, or that I would recommend to ANY writer. How about a little Writers Beware? What about Buzz, Balls, and Hype? I’d pick either of those blogs, as well as half a dozen others, over abandoned blogs like 007 (might as well pick Mad Max Perkins, if you’re doing it solely based on back issue content) or ego trippers masquerading as blogs.
And the descriptions of the blog also leave something to be desired. He started off okay, but then went off on some pretty bizarre tangents, and concentrated almost solely on weird factoids (e.g., Jason Pinter’s blog background is black) rather than on what type of info is to be found on the blogs. When I was a journalist, we participated in a little thing called fact-checking. And we definitely gave better reasons for our rankings than, “it’s got links to lots of great blogs” or defines a “bogger’s” [sic] helpfulness in terms other than saying that she liked the plague. (I know that she who has not typoed should cast the first stone, but my blog goes out unedited. I assume AC does not.)
Of course, there may be more to the story. Oceano states that one of the top reasons to write for Associated Content appears to be the ability the posters have to wreak revenge on people who have pissed them off. Maybe, in this case, the insistence upon only picking industry pros (or alleged industry pros) has less to do with an actual desire to be helpful and more to do with rewarding those who may help him and ignoring those who may have pissed him off. Which I guess means that I’ll never make Associated Content’s list of “top author blogs.” And yet, before one purports to be an expert on a subject, perhaps he should actually look into it.
And his eyes are the wrong color… but no big deal). Good call, Jami!
