By the time this gets posted, I’ll be on a trip to attend two speculative fiction conventions, Au Contraire in New Zealand and AussieCon 4 in Melbourne. I have a busy schedule at both, appearing on panels, giving a workshop and fronting up for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards, for which my novel Heart’s Blood is short listed along with an interestingly diverse collection of other novels by New Zealand writers.

However, at the time of writing this post my mind is on the roller-coaster of publishing success and failure. I have plenty on the plus side of the ledger, with several books currently under contract, an international award earlier this year, and the Vogel short listing. But I’ve been feeling despondent about my writing career recently. It’s not lack of confidence in the current project, which is bubbling along nicely. It mostly has to do with my backlist. Continue Reading »

Have you ever read an action packed thriller that left you breathless yet unmoved? Like a roller coaster, a thrilling ride but one that doesn’t seem to mean anything?

Conversely, have you ever read a literary novel that was fatty with emotional nuance but that couldn’t run ten yards if it tried? All talk and no movement, like a transcript of someone else’s therapy session?

If so you’ve experienced novels that have taken you on only half a journey.

A journey is not like a commute, merely getting from home to work. Nor is it like a tour, an itinerary to follow with sights to see. A journey is longer than a drive, less organized than a march, more personal than a migration, more purpose-driven than a ramble.

A journey needn’t involve travel but it does enact a transformation. For a transformation to occur, two things are needed: outward events and inward change.

Great novels use both. Novelists talk all the time about their characters’ “journeys” but in manuscripts I rarely feel like I’ve taken one. Usually one part or the other is valued, but not both. In fact, so fundamental is this dichotomy that it’s embodied in two terms taken for granted in our business: A novel is said be either “plot-driven” or “character-driven”.

Why not both? Continue Reading »

Blog mama Kath is gearing up for the release of the next title in the First Daughter series (written as Cassidy Calloway).  SECRETS OF A FIRST DAUGHTER releases September 1 by Harper Teen.  We asked Kath to do a Take 5 to share with WU readers a little bit more about the National Disaster known as Morgan Abbott, the President’s daughter. 

Q: What’s the premise of your new book? 

SECRETS OF A FIRST DAUGHTER picks up where CONFESSIONS OF A FIRST DAUGHTER leaves off.  Morgan Abbott is daughter of the President of the United States, who also happens to be her mother  Morgan is still grappling with living within the caldron of celebrity while trying to negotiate all the problems of a typical senior in high school: trying to keep her grades from being embarrasing, romantic complications and deciding which college to go to.  Meanwhile, she’s harboring a few secrets that could derail the plans her Mom has for her as the First Daughter.  In typical Morgan fashion, she tries to live a double life between normal and celebrity, and screwing it up in the process.

 Q: What would you like people to know about the story itself? 

In SECRETS we see Morgan grow up and own who she is. Continue Reading »

Maybe This Time is Jennifer Crusie’s new book, landing on bookshelves everywhere today. This is her first solo novel since the wildly popular Bet Me, which won the 2004 RITA.)

Maybe This Time is smart and quirky, brimming with the trademark Crusie repartee. Here, with a Take 5 to whet your appetites, is Jennifer Crusie.

Q: Jenny, what’s the premise of your new book, Maybe This Time?

Andie Miller is trying to settle down, something she’s never been any good at, so before she gets married to an impatient fiance, she goes to sever her ties with her ex-husband, North. He asks her for one last favor: he has inherited guardianship of two children, and he needs someone to go to the isolated house where they’re living, evaluate their needs, and bring them to the city. Should take about a month. But when Andie gets there she finds that the children are hellions, the housekeeper is creepy, the house may be haunted, and she still has feelings for her North. Trouble ensues.

Q: What do your characters have to overcome in this story? What challenge do you set before them?

Andie and North both have intimacy issues and communication problems that they were never going to solve on their own. But when two children enter the mix (what Henry James called “another turn of the screw”), they have to take the risk and connect, both to the kids and then to each other if they’re going to save the kids. And the fact that the kids don’t want them means they have to go way outside their comfort zones. Add to that a cast of supporting characters who are, each in his or her own way, trying for second chances, and you have a lot of desperate people in one big house, which puts Andie and North under even more pressure.

Q: What has been the most rewarding aspect of having written this book? Continue Reading »

Please welcome guest Meryl Evans to WU. Meryl was one of our quarter-finalists in our search for an unpublished contributor. When we asked Meryl what she could bring to WU that would be uniquely her, she wrote:

A writer who happens to be missing a major sense (hearing) has made a successful career out of writing in technology-driven times. I doubt I’d be as successful 20 years ago without the ability to make phone calls for myself.

We loved her technology focused post and its empowering angle. And it’s a great post to read in conjunction with Jane Friedman’s comprehensive Facebook post that ran just two days ago. Enjoy!

To Have or Have Not a Facebook Page

Every week I see another article hyping the benefits of having a Facebook Page, better known as a Facebook fan page. These articles don’t just talk about big companies with known brands. They also recommend freelancers, sole business owners and writers set up a Facebook page. Writers? Really? Oh, and they’re not just for the Stephen Kings and J.K. Rowlings either.

First, let’s get one thing out of the way. When you receive an email suggesting you join someone’s Facebook page, the message says, “So ‘n so suggested you become a fan of such ‘n such on Facebook and suggested you become a fan too.” These cringe-worthy emails scare many writers because they fear giving the impression they think they’re hotshots with fans when they do not believe that. Agreed, this is a problem that I’m not alone in wishing Facebook would drop the “fan” talk. Uncringe.

Also, finding time to update Facebook pages doesn’t count as an issue. You can automatically pull Twitter tweets, blog entries and other content into the page. Automation sometimes bugs people, but it works for many Facebook pages.

Questions to Ask

So, should you create a Facebook page? If you want a straight answer, I can’t give you that because social media has no rules. Every so-called social media rule has unwavering opponents and proponents. Seek the answer you desire by asking these questions. Continue Reading »

Therese here. Today’s guest is Jane Porter, author of SHE’S GONE COUNTRY. Jane has been in the enviable position of having several of her books adapted for various mediums. She’s with us today to tell us a little about that, and how she manages her writing when these other opportunities wait in the wings. Enjoy!

Writing a book with adaptations in mind

When I first start a book, I have only one goal–to write the strongest, most compelling book possible. That’s it. Obviously compelling requires some solid writing, combining the craft with inspiration. What will grab readers? What will hook them? What will interest them most?

I do write with the readers in mind because I have a solid fan base. Real women fork out real money for my books, and they have expectations for my novels. Expectations that I’ll deliver an emotional, engaging, relevant read.

Apparently there are those in the entertainment industry that like what I do as a writer, because my novels definitely generate interest in Hollywood. After Flirting with Forty was made into a Lifetime film in December 2008, a number of studios sat up and took interest in my work. Three more of my novels are in various stages of development–two for a TV series and my brand new release, SHE’S GONE COUNTRY, for another cable movie. A screenwriter has already adapted the novel, producers are creating a package to pitch to two big studios that includes possible actors, and the game is on. Continue Reading »

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I’m giving away two freebie short stories to celebrate the release of my second book, Dark Moon of Avalon.  And I’m so excited to announce that the first of the stories, titled, The Witch Queen’s Secret, is available now!  You can download it for free in various e-reader and printer compatible forms on my website here.  Or (because of Amazon policy) it’s available for 99 cents on the Kindle store here.

The Witch Queen’s Secret features a minor character from Twilight of Avalon, but it’s self-contained; you don’t at all have to have read any of the Twilight of Avalon trilogy to understand it.  A bit more about the story:

In the shadow of King Arthur’s Britain, a young mother will need all her courage to save the Queen’s castle from the hands of a traitor…

Dera owes Britain’s former High Queen Isolde her life. But as an army harlot, the life she leads is one of degradation and often desperate danger, with small hope for the future either for Dera or for her small son.

Through a Britain torn by war with Saxon invaders, Dera makes her way to Dinas Emrys, last stronghold of Britain’s army, to beg Queen Isolde’s help once more. Isolde offers Dera a new life, both for herself and for her child. But when Dera and Isolde uncover a treasonous plot, Dera must leave her little boy and undertake a dangerous mission, the outcome of which comes to her as a stunning, but wonderful, surprise.

And as she risks her life, Dera also draws nearer to Queen Isolde’s most closely-guarded secret: one that Britain’s courageous witch-queen may be hiding even from herself.

I had a wonderful time writing The Witch Queen’s Secret, and I hope you’ll check it out!

Facebook is now used by more than 500 million people, and the fastest growing demographic is in the 35+ range—which also happens to be a book-buying demographic. (Keep up-to-date on Facebook stats here.)

People, whether they realize it or not, use Facebook as a personalized news stream. That means rather than searching out the news, they let it find them through a circle of people they know and have something in common with.

There are many implications as a result, but briefly:

• Marketers and businesses value Facebook as a marketing tool, for developing relationships with customers. (Extra credit: Slideshow on 8 Success Criteria for Facebook Marketing for an audience of brand managers and businesspeople.)
• You, the writer, have probably heard that Facebook can be used as a marketing tool, but you don’t know what this means in practice.
• It is easy for Facebook to be misused as a marketing bullhorn, and you may feel repulsed when thinking of using Facebook for self-promotion or book marketing. (This is natural and good.)

When it comes to a writer looking to connect with readership, though, ignoring Facebook would be like ignoring your first circle of devoted fans—i.e., friends, family, colleagues, and others who (let’s hope) want you succeed and want to support your work.

No matter where you’re at in your writing career, let’s start with a few principles to set the stage.

Facebook: Basic Principles Continue Reading »

Conflict is the rocket fuel for any good story, but how your characters react to that conflict is what provides direction and resonance for the tale. Of course, how your characters react hinges almost completely on what kind of people they are.

And defining what kind of people they are hinges solely on you, and your ability to intimately know their motivations.

Are you doing everything you can to understand the players in your story? It’s harder than most new writers think. The best characters are complicated, even if the conflicts they’re facing aren’t. They must do and say and think things that are clouded in the very same nigh-arcane thought processes that you and I have. Pieces of their hearts must be cracked or broken — just like ours. They must be more than chess pieces on a game board. They cannot merely react to events; they must contribute to them.

This is hard stuff to write … and yet that’s the brass ring, baby, that’s the stuff that turns potboiler page-turners into bestsellers. Imagine King’s The Stand or Bag of Bones without those novels’ brilliantly-realized characters. Those stories never would have risen above their high concept plot hooks — never would’ve become the miraculous, special Somethings that transcended readers’ expectations. Without such remarkable characters, two of King’s greatest books would have been merely Good.

(A prayer to the Writing Gods: May we all be blessed to write one Good book during our careers. Amen.)

By my reckoning — and hell if I know if it’s true; I’m always growing and learning as a taleteller — the secret to making a Good story a Great one is to know more about your characters than your reader. This sounds insultingly elementary, but recall that we’re tasked with building people solely with our words, people packed with as much infuriating complexity and contradictions as ourselves and our best friends. Even simpletons go deep, man … we have all kinds of gears whirring in our little mind machines, most of which we can’t fathom what makes them go.

Permit me a real world example: Continue Reading »

Hey gang,

I’ve been out of town on a personal reason, but I had to go to Target and look what I found!  Totally made my day.  Congrats, Therese!

One of the number one requirements of a commercial fiction career is that you must reliably produce good material, year in and year out. Reliable and good are not always an easy combination. To do it, a writer has to take care of her body, her mind, and her spirit.

Over the years, I’ve found many ways to do that, but the mainstay is walking. I walk every morning, and take long walks on weekends and evenings; I walk around the cities I visit when I travel. I’ve done a marathon and a half over two days (Avon walk) and twice now have walked over a hundred miles in the course of a week. Walking is my passion (which you might have guessed from the title of my blog, A Writer Afoot).

There is a long history of writers and walkers—Wordsworth is said to have walked 175,000 miles in his lifetime and Thoreau was given to 20 mile rambles through the forests and over the hills. Walking is done at human speed. It gives us time to see, to think, to ponder and wonder. It gently releases endorphins and keeps the joints fluid. Brenda Ueland wrote:

If you would continue to be alone for a long time, amblingly swinging your legs for many miles and living in the present, then you will be rewarded: thoughts, good ideas, plots for novels, longings, decisions, revelations will come to you

In other words: walking fills the well.

I spent the winter and spring writing a book that tested me, made me reach harder and higher than I ever have, and by the end of May, when I finished the last of the revisions and finally polished it to the place I wanted it to be, I was bone-dry. The girls in the basement crashed, refusing to give me one more word. Continue Reading »

My work-in-progress–this second book–has been full of challenges for me. Mostly, I think, I let myself get out of practice. I moved from being immersed in editing to being immersed in publicity for my debut, and when it was time to get back to writing new content I was slow to change gears. Now that I’m writing daily again, there are still struggles.

My tendency has always been to stall whenever something goes wrong in my writing. I wouldn’t necessarily know where I’d erred but would feel paralyzed by some phantom mistake. I’d think about it for days, weeks, sometimes, before a solution would emerge.

I don’t have time for that now. What I need to do is figure out, fast, where I messed up, fix it, and move on. Luckily, I’m getting better at this, in part because I’ve noticed a trend to my mistakes.

The number one trend? Pace killers. So that’s what I’m going to showcase today.

Don’t do these things. Trust me.

If you’ve read The Last Will of Moira Leahy, you know I’m a fan of the twist in the tale. So you would think I’d remember that they’re not twists at all if the writer uses a literary bullhorn to foreshadow what’s about to happen before it does.

Ha. Double ha.

Example #1: Main character walks into a store, runs into a guy talking about a missing dog, shows him a picture. “If you see my dog, let me know, okay?”

Erm, you think the MC later finds the dog? Who saw that one coming? Show of hands. Continue Reading »

Please welcome Inara Scott back to WU.  Last month, Inara guest blogged with us, and the response was so good, we asked if she would do a Take 5 interview with us on her debut THE DELCROIX ACADEMY, which releases tomorrow.  Enjoy!

Q: What is the premise of your new book? 

Dancia Lewis is a girl with a dangerous paranormal gift — she can make things happen just by imaging them. The problem is, when she uses her gift, people always end up getting hurt. Dancia tries to make herself invisible, hiding from the world in an effort to avoid using her powers, but when she’s recruited to attend Delcroix Academy, an exclusive boarding school, all bets are off. Suddenly, she’s got the hottest guy on campus and a dark, troublemaking best friend vying for her attention. But why has the most invisible girl in the ninth grade suddenly become so popular? What’s really going on behind the gates of Delcroix Academy? 

Q: What would you like people to know about in this story?  Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is by one of our semi-finalists for WU’s unpublished writer position, Christy Hayes. Christy wrote:

I’ve been at this for awhile and have seen my writing improve, made small and encouraging steps toward my ultimate goal of publication, and have come to rely upon the invaluable support of fellow writers. I don’t believe an aspiring writer can encourage people along this path unless he/she has experienced a multitude of pitfalls and the joys of incremental success.

So true. Welcome, Christy!

The Pain of the Pitch

My family loves to watch American Idol. We laugh and cringe our way through the auditions, marveling at the talent and the moxie of the contestants. But I have a confession to make: despite the fact that my husband and kids watch every episode religiously, I take about a four week break between Hollywood and the later live shows. Why, you ask? Because even though I would never dream of entering a singing competition, watching American Idol during those early weeks of the contest is a very close analogy to editor and agent pitch appointments. Watching literally makes my stomach hurt.

While I’ve never faced an editor or agent as fierce and brutally honest as Simon Cowell, they may as well all have British accents and wear v-neck sweaters. Quite simply, they hold what feels like my future in their hands–and they can see and smell my fear. That doesn’t mean I have body odor, it means I have all the telltale signs of stage fright: sweaty palms, cotton mouth, and trembling hands. It doesn’t matter how many times I have re-written and practiced my pitch, when I have to face them across the table and try to sell them my story, I’m like a house of cards on the verge on collapse. And when my almost two hundred rejection letters (for three separate manuscripts) waltz silently into the room behind me, it’s hard not to anticipate the fall.

Do these agents and editors have that much power? Continue Reading »

This comic was inspired by a conversation I had with children’s book author Arthur Slade on his Facebook wall.

My big news from this past week: I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be illustrating a picture book written by author/comedian/actor Michael Ian Black, to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2012. Until recent events, I had never anticipated that my first publication credit in children’s lit would be for illustration instead of writing.

Two lessons I’ve learned:

1) Be open to new career opportunities.

2) Don’t get in a creative rut. Push yourself to venture out of your comfort zone on a regular basis (or have a good friend to help do the pushing, like I did!).