Author: Jonathon

Another day almost lost to tour stuff, publicity, and calls to New York. I guess I should know better than to still be trying to write on the next book with tour this close. It’s usually a lesson in frustration. Sigh. Still haven’t gotten to have sex with Richard. Hell, still haven’t advanced the plot to the next scene. We have that scene to get through before we can have sex, or maybe we should just skip that scene and reverse the scene with Richard and the talking scene. We need both, but maybe I can switch the order. Unsure. I’ll look at it tomorrow. I’m tired, hungry, vaguely nauseas, and Jon’s just informed me that dinner is almost ready. so enough for today. Enough. I’m outta here.

I haven’t gotten to sit down at the computer today. I’ve spent the entire day doing publicity. Since part of it included photos so had to get the nails done. Also had to do make-up and hair. Vanity, huh? But when you’ve had people look you in the face and tell you they were disappointed, that you didn’t look special enough. I’ve had fans meet me in public on days when I’m just doing the normal thing, no make-up, hair back, just running errands, and the fans smile and are wildly enthusiastic to my face, then they get on the internet when they get home and they trash me. Say how bad I looked. I guess having them say it to my face is worse, but the internet travels farther. It’s like people don’t think I have any feelings to hurt just because I’m a little bit famous. I’ve also had people take pictures that were less than flattering, so I started taking more care with my appearance. But that care comes at a price of time. Time that isn’t writing. Time that could be used elsewhere. I’m really wondering if it’s a good use of time. Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t, I guess.

If all goes well and we can keep Anita and Richard from fighting, we might actually get to see them make love on stage when I sit down to work tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.

When I did the Ren Fair blog I had a nagging feeling that I’d forgotten something. A fan said something at the Wolf Howl that made me remember. I got to meet my favorite comic book author and artist, all in one person. Aaron Williams is the creator of PS238. He was at the big art booth that we seem to always buy art from every year. Jonathon was buying something and wouldn’t let me see. So I took the hint and went off to look at art. It turned out he was buying the first two collected volumes of PS238. I didn’t even realize that Aaron Williams was there to sign the books. Jon wanted it to be a surprise, and it was. I talked to Aaron for awhile, and we talked a little about what it’s like to be out promoting your stuff. He has a very unique imagination, and I don’t say that lightly. PS238 is an elementary school for superheroes. Yeah, you read that right. It’s as if Superman, Batman, and little superheroes so unique I can’t even equate them with any known superhero, were wee little when they discovered their calling, or powers. It is funny, poignant, and my favorite comic. I believe I’ve mentioned the comic in the blog before, but if not, here it is.

I did this long blog yesterday, but blogger ate it. So this morning you get the abbreviated version. The edits for MISTRAL’S KISS are off to New York. Done. Yea! Those of you lucky enough to get tickets will be seeing us at the wolf howl tonight. They have to limit the number of people they bring in so the animals don’t freak. Sorry about that. I’m not sure what I’m reading tonight. I read the beginning of DANSE MACABRE two howls ago, and the first few chapters are now up on our web site. Normally, since it’s coming out at the end of June, this month, but I try to read something I haven’t read before at the howls. I read MICAH one howl ago, and it’s out now. I could read from the short story collection, STRANGE CANDY. It’s coming out in October. But not sure what story I’d read,and I have no book or manuscript so I’d have to print off my choice of story to read. I could read from MISTAL’S KISS, but let’s just say that the book hits the bedroom, not so figuratively speaking, very quickly. I try not to read sex scenes at public events. Both for my comfort level and the comfort level of the audience. We’ll see what I have in my goodie bag when I get there tonight.

We went to the Renaissance Fair this weekend. We love the Ren Fair. There’s a place just inside the gate where you can rent a costume if you want to go in garb. Greg, Charles, and Trinity wore their own costumes. Jon, Andrew and I, thought it was too hot for dressing up. There were some fairie costumes that looked quite cool and comfortable, except for maybe the wings. Always hard to negotiate the wings. We bought more mugs at Ash and Griffin pottery. I can never resist something in their booth. My favorite mug from them is the dire ferret. A ferret rampant to greet the morning coffee.
There’s a joust to see, complete with a villain to boo and a hero to cheer. Jon and I always cheer for the villain, so he won’t feel left out. There’s honey to buy, and leather works, and a working smithy where you can watch them do metal work. There’s just all sorts of neat stuff. There’s a children’s area where they have story time and a petting zoo, crafts, and games. The Irish Wolfhound was there again this year, but there were no baby geese. For some reason I love that peeping sound that goslings make. I find it very peaceful. There were lots of other animals, most of which I’m allergic to and couldn’t pet. Oh, well. The rest of you could.
Trinity looks forward to the fair every year, as do we. Her favorite booth is Bast’s Garden. They have toy dragons that they make themselves, and they do funny and horrid things to stuffed toys. Dr. Frankenstein has nothing on these ladies. But my favorites are that they put fairie wings on every kind of stuffed animal you can imagine. Frogs, mice, hamsters, foxes, cats, dogs, skunks, buffalo, even one giraffe. Bring your money though, they’re cash only. Most booths take credit cards, or even checks, but some people passed bad checks and so three or four of the places will only take cash. Another example of people’s bad behavior effecting your fun.
My favorite show was the Wild Bird Sanctuary. You could feel the wind from the wings of the birds of prey as they flew over your head. The barn owl, Abby, hit my hat. Too cool.
One of the reasons we like the Ren Fair is that it’s a great place to go for a family outing, and it’s also a great date place. Some year’s Jon and I manage to go twice, once as a family, and once as a couple. This year, there probably won’t be time. But we did the family thing and a good time was had by all. There’s one more weekend of the fair here in St. Louis. Go out, enjoy, shop, watch the acrobats, listen to the singing pirates, watch the royals parade by, and enjoy.

Hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day weekend. Hope you hugged a Vet, or an active duty serviceman, or woman. Even if your politics run more to dove than to hawk, if you know our country’s history you know that the freedom you have was bought over the bodies of our armed forces.
MISTRAL’S KISS has come back for editing. So the new Anita book is on hold until the edits are finished, or I can try and work on the edits in the morning, and the book in the afternoon. That worked for finishing MISTRAL’S KISS. At the end I did Merry in the morning and Anita in the afternoon. Or was it Anita in the morning and Merry in the afternoon. Truthfully, I’d have to check my calendar to be sure which I worked on when, or go back through the blogs. Either way, it worked. So either immerse myself in the edits and get them done ASAP, or divide my time so the new book isn’t completely cold by the time the edits are finished. Choices, choices. I know that I’ll start the morning off with the edits, beyond that, I’ll play it by ear.

By Friday I was fried. When the muse hits this hard, you either finish the book in an exhausting rush, or you have a few days of fallow time. Since I haven’t hit two hundred pages yet, there was no way to finish the book, so by Friday, my imagination was tired. I did the social thing, which seems to refresh me lately more than hibernating. Charles dropped by and we all visited. Then Friday night was my writing group. Always good to see everyone. But even seeing some of my very best friends, and enjoying the evening, I was still tired. As Richard, no not the character, pointed out if eight pages was my minimum, I’d done about ten days worth of work in two. I guess I had a right to be tired. But part of what buoyed me up for all those pages was how long I’d been waiting to write these particular scenes. Edward, Richard, a new Marmee Noir scene. They’d been in the works, or hopeful works, for awhile. It was like have a very big, strong dog on the end of a leash and finally letting go. The next scene, the one where I stalled, was a new character being introduced. She’s been in a sticky note on my wall for a few months, but she certainly doesn’t have the history and the weight of knowledge behind her. Even on paper I prefer old friends, old lovers, people I know. I’ve never been that enamored of the first blush of any relationship. It only gets really good to me when you can dig down and find out what people really are, dig down and truly know them. I don’t know this character yet, not really. I have notes, but they, as other characters have taught me, my best intentions can get thrown to the wind by a character that comes to life on paper. If I get a chance I’ll make some notes today, but the higher priority is to exercise, and socialize with friends. We’ll see if the book’s momentum suffers from the break. It usually does, but since I’m always working, I need to figure out a way to balance work and recreation.

The day before I got over forty pages. It was an amazing day. I would write until I thought surely I’m finished, but the ideas pushed so hard they pulled me back to the computer to just make some notes. Pages later, the notes would be book. All day I kept walking away thinking I was done, then drawn back for a just a little more. When I hit forty pages, I thought, well this was great but tomorrow will be a bust. It usually is after a day when the muse sings that loud in your head. But lo and behold I got thirteen pages done yesterday. Now, when those pages were done, I was tired, and ready to stop. But the fact that I had such a productive day after having a freaking amazingly productive day the day before says something about where this book is. It’s ready to be written. I think I’ve been waiting a long time to get Edward back on paper. He’s such a strong character in my head that sometimes I forget how long it’s been since he’s been in a book. It’s hard to believe he hasn’t been in a book since OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY which was book nine. But it was more than that on the marathon day, it was also that Richard hit the page, and therapy has done him good. I think DANSE MACABRE, or events in the book, made Richard have to look more realistically at what he can expect between himself and Anita. Not what he wants, but what is really possible. Hell, I don’t know what happened, but the Richard who stepped on stage that day was calmer, more in control of himself, more certain of himself. Richard doesn’t talk as directly to me as some of the characters, so his motives are often a mystery to me. But whatever the cause, it was nice to see. It was nice to write, and in some ways, as with Edward, it feels like Richard in this scene has also been a long time coming. My greatest wish is to have all my characters happy. I don’t know if that’s truly possible, but at least everyone was getting along that day.

Hi all! Darla here again!
First off, thanks for all the well wishes. I am doing better. Sorry I missed RT. But I am glad to be back on my feet again. And no, I didn?t dust the ceiling fan. I spent three days talking myself out of standing on the bed to do it. Maybe this weekend I will get it. But thanks for all the kind thoughts. I really do appreciate them.
Chiefly what I wanted to address was a misconception that seems prevalent, at least from what we get in email. It is what the publishing industry is and how to get there.
Publishing is not sports. So for those who know me and are going well duh Darla. Those who know me well are groaning because they know my sports knowledge is zilch. But I have been thinking about this for awhile and finally have an analogy of what publishing is NOT.
Sports! When you look at sports there are hundreds of thousands of players at the high school level. Thousands of players at the college level, yet only hundreds of players at the pro level. That?s because there are a limited number of spots available. Once those spaces are taken, there is no more room for more players. It is difficult to move up the line. (Don?t anyone email me about expansion teams either). In order for a player to move up, someone else has to go.
The point is that is NOT what publishing is like. There is not a limited number of slots open for writers. We get lots of emails and that seems to the prevailing idea for some folks. But it is not factual. Publishers publish what they think will sell. They will publish as many books as they can. Just because someone else got published doesn?t mean you cannot too. You don?t have to wait for another published author to make room for you.
There is no magic too it, no formula we can give you that will help you sell. Editors buy what they like. Just because one editor turns you down doesn?t mean they all will. Nor will having an established author tell you they like your work get you sold. Established authors don?t have that kind of clout. Nor can they keep an editor from buying your book. The only person that matters initially is the editor. They decide whether they will buy your work or not. It is the editor you have to impress, and they can be a tough group. Remember though, their opinions are very subjective.
The thing is don?t give up on your dream. If this is what you really want to do, not for money (most writers don?t make much), not for acclaim (better aim for acting or music, hardly anyone cares about writers), but because in your heart of hearts this is what you want to do, then chase your dream. Work on making it happen. Write what you want to read. Write from your own perspective, your own voice and world. Don?t try to be a clone of someone else. No one but you can give your world life, so give it. And then send it in! Be bold, be brave! Don?t let the rejection letters destroy you. Remember, it is the work they are saying they don?t want, not you personally. And send it to another editor if it gets rejected. Read the comments see if they really are valid. Maybe this or that does need to lengthened or shortened. Another editor may tell you the exact opposite!
And the market fluctuates. Some things are hot, hot, hot. But chasing the hot trend can be a dead end. It will be about a year, minimum, before your book hits the shelf. By then the hot trend may have faded. So don?t chase trends just trying to get published. If your heart is not in your writing, it really does show.
If this is your dream then go for it. It won?t happen if you leave your words unwritten, your manuscript on a shelf, unread by anyone. Be courageous, follow your dream. Don?t get discouraged. Good luck! And do let us know when your first novel is published. Excellent news should always be shared.