Journal
Journal
BOOK DEAL NEWS!
Announcement time! I’m beyond excited to finally be able to say it: my book will be a real thing. A real papery thing! With a pretty, pretty cover, a fabulous editor and a wonderful marketing team behind it and a lot of other things commonly associated with published novels! The fabulous Eleanor Teasdale from Angry … Continue reading BOOK DEAL NEWS!
Agent Representation Announcement!
Super excited to announce I have signed with John Baker from the well-regarded Bell Lomax Moreton Agency! John found my Twitter pitch during last September’s PitMad event on Twitter (SO worth participating if you’re seeking representation). Having someone so tremendously enthusiastic and knowledgeable in my corner makes all the difference. It’s tremendously important to have … Continue reading Agent Representation Announcement!
The Joy and Wonder of Beta Readers
I’m not impatient, not at all. I’m just sitting here quietly, as my marvelous beta readers are doing their thing. For the uninitiated, beta readers are all of those wonderful people in your life (or on the web, depending on your preference), who are the first people to read through your novel (who are not … Continue reading The Joy and Wonder of Beta Readers
Editing the New Thing and the Sparkly Ideas
I’m waiting for my agent to finish reading through my big picture edits (see the last post) of my adult fantasy novel, let’s call it novel X. What does one do in this time, except drive themselves mad with anxiety? Well, if you’re me, you have a very long list of to-do jobs. When I … Continue reading Editing the New Thing and the Sparkly Ideas
Big Picture Edits
I have just completed the “Big Picture Edits” on my last manuscript. My agent, has gone over my book with a fine-tooth comb and came up with an INCREDIBLY LONG list of things that don’t work/could work better/need expanding. You know all those little lazy bit of writing you think will hide in the awesomeness … Continue reading Big Picture Edits
Books by Women
I have recently come across a Twitter thread by the wonderful Joanne Harris where she quoted a review of her own book, Chocolat, where the author of the review chose to describe it as a tale of a a single mother who liked chocolate. I kid you not. That prompted an extensive conversation and wide-spread … Continue reading Books by Women
Writing Scenes of Pain
Now my writing is filled with a whole lot of pain and hardship and difficulties. Misery writes itself, as we all know. But that could lead you to the entirely wrong assumption that I enjoy inflicting pain upon my characters. I do not. The scene I wrote today felt as upsetting to write as it … Continue reading Writing Scenes of Pain
Character sketches
Now for something entirely different… When I write I like to do a few sketches here and there: mostly of my characters and maps, though I have in the past done larger illustrations too. I thought I would share a few of them. It serves a purpose further than just indulging my love for art. … Continue reading Character sketches
50 thousand words
Yesterday I reached the 50k words point in my new novel. There is something about reaching that mark that feels significant. Ten thousand words and I feel “wow, I’m writing this thing”, I reach twenty thousand words and I worry how much I still don’t know about this thing I’m writing. Thirty thousand words and the plan for the rest of the novel tends to reveal itself to me, so I can gleefully jot it down. I reach forty thousand words and I begin to question and doubt everything.
Slavic Myths
Myths and legends of all description have always held a deep fascination for me. The books available to me mostly covered the ancient Western belief systems, the Celtic, Norse, and Greek mythologies being the most easily accessible. The Norse gods with their unveiled desires and petty meanness, their heroic deeds marked mostly by unrestrained impulses … Continue reading Slavic Myths