2013 Gratitude

I have a lot to be grateful for over this past year, so I thought I'd take a moment to appreciate the good things. There are lots more I could list, but these are the big things.

1. I finished writing a book. Not my first book, but the first book I've really been serious about trying to perfect and sell. I'm going to say it again. I. FINISHED. WRITING. A. BOOK.
   
2. I discovered that there was an audience for that book. I had hoped it would be true, but having people read the sample and then say "I want more" is wonderful confirmation.
   
3. My family is my rock. I am so blessed with the many ways they support me. I could not have completed any of the goals I set for myself without their help, emotionally, physically, and financially. I am truly and deeply grateful.
   
4. I have fantastic friends, both online and off, and they have supported me, given me encouragement, and made my life so much richer. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You all know who you are, and you are the best.
   
5. Layla is the best dog ever. Seriously.
   
   
6. After nine years, my house is finally almost done. What a journey it has been! Can I get an "AMEN"? Honestly, this used to be my kitchen.
   
   
   Now my house looks like this.
   
   The difference is truly astounding to me.
   
7. I have a dedicated office in my house at last, and I finally feel like I can do some serious work in this space.
   
8. My co-workers are such great people to work alongside. I have never worked anywhere that was so warm and caring.
   
9. My health has improved dramatically. This time last year, I was having constant asthma attacks and serious recurrent health problems. Thanks to a wonderful doctor and diligent effort, my asthma, thyroid, blood pressure, anemia, low immune system, and general fatigue are all under control, and in some cases the symptoms went away entirely. I would never have been able to finish writing my book if not for that change, and I am truly humbled by the difference a year makes.
   
10. Going to the World Horror Convention in New Orleans was not only a fabulous vacation which I was thrilled to enjoy with my best friend in the whole world, but I also got over my fear of putting myself out there as a writer. I also met some extraordinary people, including my editor, RJ Cavender, for whom "thank you" is not enough.
    
    
11. Speaking of RJ, he gets his own gratitude number. I am so lucky to have met him, and his work on my manuscript has taught me things I will carry with me always. He is also responsible for introducing me to an agent and giving me the courage to submit to her, and for that...well...just...that is huge. I will always be grateful.
    
    
    
    
12. 
    My best friend, Mike, gave me a printer and part of my Christmas gift office chair, plus he recommended several great apps for my iPad and the Scrivener software for my computer. He went with me to New Orleans. Moreover, he has listened to endless hours of me rattling on about my story without trying to push me to write the story his way, and that is rare. He has been supportive in every way a friend can be, and after almost 30 years of friendship, I am still honored to know him.

Where I've been (Among other things)

Writery Things
During the month of November, I was quiet here, but my writing life has been extremely busy.

In October, I had a conversation with an agent, and she recommended to me that I increase the length of the novel in order to make it more marketable to mainstream publishers. Thus, I spent the three weeks leading up to Thanksgiving completing a 30,000 word addition to the text. The manuscript draft is now in the hands of my editor. After taking a week to catch my breath, I've begun planning the sequel while I wait for the annotations to come back. I'm also taking time to do some research, and I can't wait to use what I learn in the next book. Once my editor is finished looking through the text, I'll make corrections and then send it off with hopes of finding representation.


I'm also very excited to announce that I'll be attending The Stanley Hotel Writer's Retreat in October of 2014! It's a week-long retreat at the hotel that was the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining. The event has been written up on FEARNet and on FANGORIA®, and I absolutely cannot wait. I haven't been to Estes Park in years, and to spend the time doing something I love with great people in such an inspiring location is a dream come true.

Readery Things 

The book club I lead has been reading classic horror this year, and we just completed Bram Stoker's Dracula. We've been comparing the book to various onscreen interpretations, including the new NBC television series. Everyone agrees that while the show departs significantly from the text of the novel, we love what the writers are doing and find Jonathan Rhys Meyers depiction compelling and exciting. If you haven't had a chance to catch this great show, I highly recommend it.


At the beginning of the year, I set myself a challenge to read 50 books, which works out to approximately a book a week, and I'm seven books away from reaching that goal. Many of the books I read were part of a series. Last year, I read all of the George R.R. Martin A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series, and this year it was Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series that dominated my reading list. This year also saw the end of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries, an ending that was bittersweet for me. I kept up with Karen Marie Moning's Fever series by reading her newest and thoroughly entertaining installment, Iced (I'm very much looking forward to reading Burned once it's released). I also read Cassandra Claire's Mortal Instruments series and the Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Several standalone novels were part of my reading list, including most memorably Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane which was stunningly lyrical and heartbreaking.

Doggy Things (Because Layla is annoyed at not being the center of attention)
I'm just going to leave this here. Her face speaks for itself.

 
Your Turn...

Tell me stuff!

• What are you reading/writing?
• What's the best thing that's happened with you this year so far?
• What are you looking forward to next year?
• What is your pet doing right now?

Exciting News!

I've kept it under my hat for a month, wanting to wait till there was something definite to say, but it's time. People have been asking me about the book, and I'm ready now to talk about the reason for my delay.

In September, I made arrangements with R.J. Cavender from The Editorial Department to annotate my manuscript of Ma Chère Antoinne. Yesterday, I got them back from him, and I don't think I've ever made such a great investment in myself.

Annotation, for those of you who don't know, consists of notes that are made throughout the document. I'm notorious for annotating my books at home (though never library books, I swear), and it's the same technique I use when grading papers in my composition classes. Some of the notes are corrections or suggestions while others are reactions to the text. It's a way of interacting between reader and writer--a conversation.

I think if I hadn't had the experience of giving just these kinds of notes to others, I'd have felt very defensive and frightened at the prospect of reading through 265 pages of someone else's commentary on my work. But setting ego aside and seeing the annotations as a conversation rather than a threat makes a potentially anxiety-ridden situation into a learning experience that can be transformative.

Having the right editor makes all the difference. That sounds obvious, but it truly isn't.

I've seen "editors" who simply marked sentence level issues but who never really appeared to engage with the text. That's not editing. That's proofreading. I've also seen "editors" who try to force a writer to give up his/her own voice in order to make the content fit their own desires. That's not editing either. That's rewriting.

Good editing, just like good teaching, engages in a conversation with the writer, reacting to what is working right as well as to what isn't.

The best situation is when an editor's sensibilities match those of the writer. They just "get" it. They understand the writer's intent and help hone the text to achieve that goal.

That's exactly how I feel as I'm studying the notes. I couldn't be happier with the work R.J. did for me, and I can't thank him enough for his attention to detail. I'm only just starting Chapter 6, and I can already see how much cleaner, tighter, and better the text has become. Not only that, but I'm starting to internalize the lessons I'm gleaning from his notes, and that is a gift I will carry with me always.

All this means that Book 2 is on hold while I complete my changes. But after learning what R.J. has to say, I'm confident that Book 1 is going to be vastly improved, and the things I'm learning will carry over into the rest of the series.

By nature, I want what I want when I want it, and I have a hard time waiting patiently for the things I've set my mind on. I'm most impatient with myself. It's easy for me to become annoyed with myself for not being able to complete a project as quickly as I'd like. However, when it comes to my writing, I remind myself that the wait will be worth it, both for me and for those who will read it.

Writing a book is like deciding to run a marathon. It's not something you can just wake up one morning and do. It takes training, time, planning, dedication, and a willingness to accept that natural talent on it's own isn't going to get you to the finish line. It means getting up every morning, even on the days when you don't feel like it, all with the belief that the achievement will make any short-term hardship fade in time.

Writing a series is like running a series of marathons back to back. That is what I've taken on.

So please be patient with me. I'm running as fast as I can. And I promise to make it worth the wait.