Three down: One under the bed, one in query-mode, one in final revisions. I'm pleased with my work. But what's next?
Lately I've been kind of antsy. And until a few days ago, I hadn't been able to figure out why. I haven't been writing anything new. I have a couple of ideas roaming around in my head plus a few things I started writing and put aside. But nothing has jumped out at me as the one. I've been considering a novel set in Highgate Hill Cemetery in Hampstead Heath outside of London. George Eliot's buried there. And so is Karl Marx. They ought to make for an interesting set of ghosts, right? However, if I attempt another novel in a cemetery my family and friends might start wondering about me. Then again, I think they already do.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Celebration
This weekend, a kind relative mentioned that I've been delinquent in my blogging. He's right. But I have a good reason; I've been fiendishly writing novels.
It's not quite time to pop THE bottle of champagne, but last night I celebrated two triumphs. The Bodley Boys is currently being read by an editor and three agents. YEA! And Pamela and I are one chapter away from finishing Center Court Seats and a Pair of Jimmy Choos. Okay, maybe I started celebrating early, but I finished MY last chapter! (no pressure, Pamela!) As soon as I emailed it to her, I called. I was shaking with excitement. It's good. It's really good, I screamed in her ear. (too confident, you say?!) This week, we're going to query an agent who was referred to us by a bestselling author!
What's next? It's time to start planning my fourth novel. Yes, fourth! Maybe someday soon I'll get paid for one of them! But hey, let's not let one minor detail hamper the celebration.
It's not quite time to pop THE bottle of champagne, but last night I celebrated two triumphs. The Bodley Boys is currently being read by an editor and three agents. YEA! And Pamela and I are one chapter away from finishing Center Court Seats and a Pair of Jimmy Choos. Okay, maybe I started celebrating early, but I finished MY last chapter! (no pressure, Pamela!) As soon as I emailed it to her, I called. I was shaking with excitement. It's good. It's really good, I screamed in her ear. (too confident, you say?!) This week, we're going to query an agent who was referred to us by a bestselling author!
What's next? It's time to start planning my fourth novel. Yes, fourth! Maybe someday soon I'll get paid for one of them! But hey, let's not let one minor detail hamper the celebration.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Hard Part
When I first started writing seriously, I thought completing a book would be the most difficult part of the business. Sitting down every day, writing 1,500 words, not watching a movie on my laptop, not taking daily naps... Turns out, I’m a self-motivated writer. As Kingsley Amis wrote: “The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of one’s trousers to the seat of one’s chair.” I do this really well. Sometimes my family has to pry me away from my laptop or at least tempt me with chocolate or a movie (or both!) to see my face instead of the back of my head.
I completed my second manuscript, The Bodley Boys, in less than a year after deciding to write full time (thanks to my fantastic critique partners!) and my third manuscript, a collaboration with Pamela Hammonds, is past the half-way mark. (Did I mention Center Court Seats and a Pair of Jimmy Choos is really funny?)
Now comes the hard part. Sending my baby out. I’m fortunate to have met an editor at a recent conference who is interested in reading the manuscript. And wouldn’t it be incredible if she’d fall in love with it, snatch it up and offer me the name of a few agents she believes would also love my work? But, realistically, I need to query agents as well.
First I’ll approach the handful of agents who liked my query enough to request the full of The Cemetery Garden. Even though they all passed, they saw something in my writing they liked and hopefully they’ll recognize my name on a new query.
My friends and family have been so encouraging, it would be really nice to answer the question, “Have you sold a book yet?” with “Yeah, that was the easy part.”
I completed my second manuscript, The Bodley Boys, in less than a year after deciding to write full time (thanks to my fantastic critique partners!) and my third manuscript, a collaboration with Pamela Hammonds, is past the half-way mark. (Did I mention Center Court Seats and a Pair of Jimmy Choos is really funny?)
Now comes the hard part. Sending my baby out. I’m fortunate to have met an editor at a recent conference who is interested in reading the manuscript. And wouldn’t it be incredible if she’d fall in love with it, snatch it up and offer me the name of a few agents she believes would also love my work? But, realistically, I need to query agents as well.
First I’ll approach the handful of agents who liked my query enough to request the full of The Cemetery Garden. Even though they all passed, they saw something in my writing they liked and hopefully they’ll recognize my name on a new query.
My friends and family have been so encouraging, it would be really nice to answer the question, “Have you sold a book yet?” with “Yeah, that was the easy part.”
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Debut Novel
Hello all,
Fellow writer and Writers' Guild of Texas member, Maria Zannini, debuts her futuristic fantasty, Touch of Fire today. Let's all go online to get the e-book (tell your friends!) and pick it up in stores in December just in time for the holidays!
The cover is smoldering, check out the link: http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/touch-of-fire
Fellow writer and Writers' Guild of Texas member, Maria Zannini, debuts her futuristic fantasty, Touch of Fire today. Let's all go online to get the e-book (tell your friends!) and pick it up in stores in December just in time for the holidays!
The cover is smoldering, check out the link: http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/touch-of-fire
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Star Author
This post is way over due. The good news is that I've been diligently writing and will make my (new) deadline for finishing The Bodley Boys by May 1. And, my writing partner, Pamela, and I are progressing in our fun novel, Center Court Seats and a Pair of Jimmy Choos. We're cracking each other up and hope others will laugh too!
I'd like to share a story about my encounter with a star. About a month ago, while I browsed at the Barnes & Noble at NorthPark, an author autographed books at the center aisle. Interesting. I leaned over to see the name. Only the author of one of my favorite books, The Passion of Artemesia. I couldn't have been more excited if Emma Thompson or Meryl Streep had showed up. (George Clooney or Johnny Depp, another matter entirely).
After looking around to see if someone was playing a joke on me, I asked, "You're Susan Vreeland?" I blabbed something about how I loved her writing and she thanked me. We talked about her other books and she pointed me to a copy of The Forest Lover she'd just signed. Of course, I bought it. I wished her other three novels sitting at home on my bookshelf would miraculously appear in my hands for autographing.
On the way home, I called Pamela and screamed in her ear. Most people would have humored me and let me rant. But Pamela understood! I'd met a star author!
I wrote Ms. Vreeland a note a few weeks later, to tell her how much I enjoyed meeting her. She wrote back and wished me well with my own writing!
One day, if I get the chance to sign books at Barnes & Noble, I'll be kind and approachable too. I swear I will, just give me the chance!
I'd like to share a story about my encounter with a star. About a month ago, while I browsed at the Barnes & Noble at NorthPark, an author autographed books at the center aisle. Interesting. I leaned over to see the name. Only the author of one of my favorite books, The Passion of Artemesia. I couldn't have been more excited if Emma Thompson or Meryl Streep had showed up. (George Clooney or Johnny Depp, another matter entirely).
After looking around to see if someone was playing a joke on me, I asked, "You're Susan Vreeland?" I blabbed something about how I loved her writing and she thanked me. We talked about her other books and she pointed me to a copy of The Forest Lover she'd just signed. Of course, I bought it. I wished her other three novels sitting at home on my bookshelf would miraculously appear in my hands for autographing.
On the way home, I called Pamela and screamed in her ear. Most people would have humored me and let me rant. But Pamela understood! I'd met a star author!
I wrote Ms. Vreeland a note a few weeks later, to tell her how much I enjoyed meeting her. She wrote back and wished me well with my own writing!
One day, if I get the chance to sign books at Barnes & Noble, I'll be kind and approachable too. I swear I will, just give me the chance!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Painful History: Part II
A while back I blogged about how painful research is for me. But recently I stumbled onto a few novels (and an autobiography in diary form) based in Oxford and the Bodleian, and scouring them for relevant details will be far from painful. At first, after finding Hazel Holt's The Cruellest Month, I hesitated reading it, not wanting to be influenced by a previously published work. But knowing I would be learning much about the library and the time period in which the novel takes place, I dove in.
As it turns out, a character in Hazel Holt's novel dies in the Bodleian in a very similar way that one of my characters does. (After all, how many ways can a person die in the midst of stuffed bookstacks?) But it wasn't the method of death I gleaned from the book, it was the details of the underground passages, lifts, stairwells and rooms as the characters maneuvered through the library.
Another book I picked up this week is A Very Private Eye: An Autobiography in Diaries and Letters, by Barbara Pym (edited by Hazel Holt and Hilary Pym). The first part of the book takes place during Ms. Pym's time in Oxford (1932-1939). There are many scenes of her reading in the Bodleian and eyeing her longtime crush, Henry Harvey. I'm learning about the clothing they wore, punting on the Cherwell and sherry parties. There is even a quote which echoes a scene in my novel: "Wouldn't it be marvellous if you could give all your love letters to the Bodleian and then go and read them 30 years later!" Serendipity!
Reading through the diary over the weekend, my heart raced as I stumbled onto this entry, (which most fantasy writers--heck, most writers--will get a kick out of):
"10 October, 1933. An amusing lecture in the morning - Professor Tolkien on Beowulf." When I stayed at Exeter College, I was thrilled to learn that Tolkien's rooms were in the building next to mine. But reading Ms. Pym's words brought him back to life.
She also refers to the Bodleian as The Bodleiana. I've not heard this reference, but this might be the title I've been looking for.
I am anxiously waiting for the UPS truck to deliver the other Oxford-based novels I've ordered from Barnes & Noble:
Operation Pax, Michael Innes--The end scene takes place in the Bodleian stacks.
Jill, Philip Larkin
Death at the President's Lodging, J.I.M. Stewart
Lucky me! Pain has never been more fun.
Note to the editors: I've left the double "l" in Cruellest and marvellous to accurately depict the correct title of the book and the English spelling.
As it turns out, a character in Hazel Holt's novel dies in the Bodleian in a very similar way that one of my characters does. (After all, how many ways can a person die in the midst of stuffed bookstacks?) But it wasn't the method of death I gleaned from the book, it was the details of the underground passages, lifts, stairwells and rooms as the characters maneuvered through the library.
Another book I picked up this week is A Very Private Eye: An Autobiography in Diaries and Letters, by Barbara Pym (edited by Hazel Holt and Hilary Pym). The first part of the book takes place during Ms. Pym's time in Oxford (1932-1939). There are many scenes of her reading in the Bodleian and eyeing her longtime crush, Henry Harvey. I'm learning about the clothing they wore, punting on the Cherwell and sherry parties. There is even a quote which echoes a scene in my novel: "Wouldn't it be marvellous if you could give all your love letters to the Bodleian and then go and read them 30 years later!" Serendipity!
Reading through the diary over the weekend, my heart raced as I stumbled onto this entry, (which most fantasy writers--heck, most writers--will get a kick out of):
"10 October, 1933. An amusing lecture in the morning - Professor Tolkien on Beowulf." When I stayed at Exeter College, I was thrilled to learn that Tolkien's rooms were in the building next to mine. But reading Ms. Pym's words brought him back to life.
She also refers to the Bodleian as The Bodleiana. I've not heard this reference, but this might be the title I've been looking for.
I am anxiously waiting for the UPS truck to deliver the other Oxford-based novels I've ordered from Barnes & Noble:
Operation Pax, Michael Innes--The end scene takes place in the Bodleian stacks.
Jill, Philip Larkin
Death at the President's Lodging, J.I.M. Stewart
Lucky me! Pain has never been more fun.
Note to the editors: I've left the double "l" in Cruellest and marvellous to accurately depict the correct title of the book and the English spelling.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Big Top
My perfect day: Write, read, spend time with my family, sleep. Oh, and if I can break away from the computer long enough, exercise. Mine is a job with many perks and, aside from the teeny-tiny detail of not getting paid for my work, it’s a dream career.
My actual day: Catch up on email, write, research, email, read, blog, shuffle paperwork, eat, email, exercise, carpool, read, cook (I use this term loosely!), avoid the laundry, check the mailbox, stare at the phone waiting for an agent to call (not really), hang out with my family, write, read, email; a real circus.
Like many writers, I love to read. It’s part of my job requirement; part of continuing to learn. I study books on the craft of writing and the how-to of getting published or agent-ed. But mostly, I read fiction—literary, women’s, sometimes mystery. I’m supposed to read in every genre to broaden my skill set, but time is so limited, I tend to read what I enjoy. I make exceptions for audio, because this is how I tackle those books either too cumbersome or dry to read the traditional way—primarily classics I never read in high school or college, and most British fiction (or any U.K. fiction for that matter), not because it’s cumbersome, but because I adore listening to the stories in the accents in which they are written.
I don’t know how to classify the last book I listened to: Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. Is it literary fiction? Possibly. Mainstream fiction? (In my opinion, a catch-all genre). Whatever it is, the book was published in 2006 but just hit my radar screen when one of my critique partners lent me the CDs. As I got deeper into the novel, I couldn’t wait to jump in the car to keep listening. Tollway, yes!
I’m not a skilled book reviewer, (the reviews on Amazon are fantastic and outline why it’s an amazing story), but in my opinion, from a writer’s perspective, the novel is brilliant. Every word, every scene, every character has a purpose. It has one of the most satisfying, perfectly crafted endings I’ve read and I never saw it coming. After I finished, my only comment was, “Of course.”
I will now buy the book to study each page. Donald Maass (Writing the Breakout Novel) was shouting in my ear as I read, “Keep throwing your characters in bad situations.” Over and over he said, “You might think it can’t get any worse than this. But it can.”
In Water for Elephants, the characters were all faced with tremendous conflict, and we cared about them, from page 1. Extenuating circumstances always stood in Jacob’s way when he was about to get the one thing he wanted so much. He couldn’t go for it, because someone close to him would be hurt. Over and over, he was pushed into terrible situations. He couldn’t act on understandable revenge, until a very cruel thing, masterfully set up earlier in the book, happened. And then, revenge was taken care of for him in a most unlikely, yet completely satisfying, way. Not since reading the Poisonwood Bible have I felt this strongly about the way a novel was written and crafted. A slight warning: it was gritty and crude and sometimes portrayed animals in heartbreaking situations, but it all had to be there. Tension on every page (hell, in every paragraph). And not a contrived word in the book. Impressive.
This novel was over the top in a good way—over the Big Top.
My actual day: Catch up on email, write, research, email, read, blog, shuffle paperwork, eat, email, exercise, carpool, read, cook (I use this term loosely!), avoid the laundry, check the mailbox, stare at the phone waiting for an agent to call (not really), hang out with my family, write, read, email; a real circus.
Like many writers, I love to read. It’s part of my job requirement; part of continuing to learn. I study books on the craft of writing and the how-to of getting published or agent-ed. But mostly, I read fiction—literary, women’s, sometimes mystery. I’m supposed to read in every genre to broaden my skill set, but time is so limited, I tend to read what I enjoy. I make exceptions for audio, because this is how I tackle those books either too cumbersome or dry to read the traditional way—primarily classics I never read in high school or college, and most British fiction (or any U.K. fiction for that matter), not because it’s cumbersome, but because I adore listening to the stories in the accents in which they are written.
I don’t know how to classify the last book I listened to: Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. Is it literary fiction? Possibly. Mainstream fiction? (In my opinion, a catch-all genre). Whatever it is, the book was published in 2006 but just hit my radar screen when one of my critique partners lent me the CDs. As I got deeper into the novel, I couldn’t wait to jump in the car to keep listening. Tollway, yes!
I’m not a skilled book reviewer, (the reviews on Amazon are fantastic and outline why it’s an amazing story), but in my opinion, from a writer’s perspective, the novel is brilliant. Every word, every scene, every character has a purpose. It has one of the most satisfying, perfectly crafted endings I’ve read and I never saw it coming. After I finished, my only comment was, “Of course.”
I will now buy the book to study each page. Donald Maass (Writing the Breakout Novel) was shouting in my ear as I read, “Keep throwing your characters in bad situations.” Over and over he said, “You might think it can’t get any worse than this. But it can.”
In Water for Elephants, the characters were all faced with tremendous conflict, and we cared about them, from page 1. Extenuating circumstances always stood in Jacob’s way when he was about to get the one thing he wanted so much. He couldn’t go for it, because someone close to him would be hurt. Over and over, he was pushed into terrible situations. He couldn’t act on understandable revenge, until a very cruel thing, masterfully set up earlier in the book, happened. And then, revenge was taken care of for him in a most unlikely, yet completely satisfying, way. Not since reading the Poisonwood Bible have I felt this strongly about the way a novel was written and crafted. A slight warning: it was gritty and crude and sometimes portrayed animals in heartbreaking situations, but it all had to be there. Tension on every page (hell, in every paragraph). And not a contrived word in the book. Impressive.
This novel was over the top in a good way—over the Big Top.
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