Dreaming of Oxford

If I seem depressed in April, it's because in addition to not attending the London Book Fair, I'm also missing the Oxford Literary Festival.

Thanks to Stuck in a Book, (Masters student at Oxford and former Bodleian employee!) I just read about the event on his blog. Since completing THE BODLEY BOYS, I haven't done as much research on Oxford. I've even stopped listening to the Oxford podcasts, because I've been trolling London's Clerkenwell, Hampstead, and the incredible Highgate Cemetery via internet, all places the characters of my next book will inhabit. But now I'm dreaming of Oxford again.

In my fantasy, one of the agents now reading THE BODLEY BOYS falls in love with it, sells it to a publisher, and next year I'm packing for a literary trip to the UK.

As Gigi Dottie says, "Got our dreams, haven’t we?"

Success

I'm fortunate enough to have a core group of writer friends, a critique group, and Sophia Nash as a mentor. Her third book in The Widow's Club series, Love With the Perfect Scoundrel, just hit the shelves. Her books are intelligent, witty and sexy. I’m waiting for my copy to arrive in a brown box on my doorstep any day. Sophia’s clear focus on the business of writing inspires me and she’s always willing to share valuable insider tidbits. I know she’ll be thrilled when I’m published, she’s told me so.

Many of my writer friends are on the cusp of being published. When they are, I will push any jealous thoughts away (I’d be lying if I said I won’t have any) and celebrate their launch. I’m pretty sure they’ll do the same for me. After all, I’m a better writer because of every one of them.


Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass agency links to one of her clients blogs. Jay Lake mentions a situation of professional jealousy that ruined a friendship. He writes, “As a result, someone whose name should be in the dedications of all my books is instead someone I have not seen or spoken to in years, and probably never will again.” That's just sad.

He offers some wise words: “My friends are my friends, and their successes only magnify our friendships.”

I agree!

Jamie Ford

I met Jamie Ford last night. You might not know his name now, but you will. His novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, just made it to the NY Times Bestseller list. It’s about a man who is plunged into the past, yearning for a lost love, after meeting a hotel owner who’s just discovered the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were sent to internment camps during World War II. I haven’t read it yet (I just got it last night!) but I’m really looking forward to diving in. I’m putting it ahead of Maeve Binchy’s next, which is sitting on my desk. You know I must be intrigued!

The Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas hosted an author event for him. I’d just read about the novel in his agent’s blog. I read his query letter and understood why she offered him representation. When I heard he was coming to Dallas, I jumped at the chance to see him.

At first I thought it would be a large gathering (like the crowd for Jeannette Walls—yikes), but I was surprised and pleased to find less than 30 people there. He’s an unassuming guy, and spoke about his book, the writing process, and the research required to cover this complicated issue. He took the time to speak to us individually as he signed our books.

I was equally impressed with the publicity tour he’s on. Random House must be going all out. In this market! It’s encouraging for anyone trying to hire an agent (I’m waiting for THE call!) or sell a book.

I look forward to watching Jamie’s book climb the charts. I get to say I met him when…

Next!

With Center Court Seats and a Pair of Jimmy Choos sitting on three agents' desks, Pamela and I are cautiously (eagerly!) optimistic about being offered representation. Knowing that the question, "What else ya got?" will be forthcoming, we've masterminded joint project #2. I'm psyched about the new book, it's chock full of dark humor, murder plots, betrayal, and sisterly love. There's even a sexy Brit. Pamela's come up with the fabulous working title: Five Days to Kill Bob. I've just finished writing the opening scene and can't wait to see what she's going to write.

May the cleverest murderer win!

Blogging Break

I'm taking a short breather from blogging while I concentrate on my WIP. Thanks for reading! Hope to be back soon.

Podcasts - My New Favorite Diversion, er, Research Tool

I'd heard of podcasts, even watched a few when forced (some lady tech guru on Sundays), but always decided they were a silly diversion and waste of writing/reading time. Not any more.

Lucky me, I’ve just discovered Maud Newton’s blog. I added it to my Google reader, and the last few months’ posts appeared. I scanned through the entries—so many fascinating topics!—and landed on gold. On November 17, there was a blurb on free Oxford Podcasts. Tolkien! Medieval English! Particle Physics! It also linked to a Bodleian video tour. My writing buddies (and family members) must be ready to lock me inside the Bodleian, I gab about it so much. But seeing a video, no matter how short, made my day. Heck, my year.

Bonus: the recent post links to an NPR story on Authors' voices. If you've ever wondered what Arthur Conan Doyle or Virginia Woolf sounded like, here's your chance.

Happy watching and listening!

I'm Not All That

My name is Joan Mora. I am not a male sculptor from Spain. But if I were, I’d have an above average web presence.

Yesterday, J.A. Konrath blogged about becoming cyber-effective. Yes, I’ve still got to hire an agent and get a book deal, but when that happens, unless I’m featured on a talk show, selling lots of books will come down to publicity budget (hee hee) and word of mouth (or word of internet).

I’m slowly trying to build my presence, with my blog and Facebook. It’s fun reading others’ blogs and I learn all about publishing, writing, book deals, and cocktails. Sometimes I get the nerve to comment. And when my 2009 resolutions work (sending queries results in hiring an agent, entering contests results in snagging an editor’s attention, writing 1,500 words a day results in more books to sell), I’ll be ready for launch.

Konrath mentioned marketleap.com, a free site that allows you to check your search engine saturation, and how many other sites link to you. I already knew in a Google search, my name showed up 1st and 3rd. But I never suspected my search engine saturation would be 1,305 (whatever that means) and that in a link popularity check I’d have an above average presence (7,356).

I bragged to Pamela about it. When she did the test, her number was a lot lower than mine. But why? She’d been blogging longer and more frequently. I was feeling quite smug. Until she said, “When I put your name in, I only get 47.”
“Huh?” She must be doing it wrong, of course. After all, I’m an accountant. I know numbers.
“Joanmorawrites.blogspot.com, right?”
“Uh.” That’s when I realized. That sculptor had stolen my web presence. I’m not all that.

But with hard work and perseverance, one day, I will be. That Konrath guy sure fuels me.