L.E. DeLano's Blog, page 32
July 24, 2017
Happy Book Deal Anniversary To Me!
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Two years ago today, at 4:30 in the afternoon, my life completely changed. I was a single mom with two kids, barely any money in my bank account, and a dream in book form. The phone rang, Swoon Reads offered me a two book deal, and I became a genuine, bona-fide mainstream YA author.
It still feels surreal, even now that the first book has been out for five months, and book two hits the shelves in the spring. Even now that I’m working on a third book unrelated to the first series.
Do you know, when my editor emailed me a few weeks ago to say “Hey, we need to talk about your next book – when can we get together?” I was sitting on the couch with my daughter, and I pushed the laptop off my lap and let out this enormous sigh of relief. My daughter asked why and I told her the truth:
I was still half-expecting my editor (now that the two book deal is done) to say “Hey, it’s been swell, but we don’t need you anymore.” Or for her to just sort of forget about me and for me to have to write one slam-banging book and pitch my ever-loving heart out to get it considered. Instead, she asked me. What a relief!
My daughter looked at me like I’d grown a second nose when I told her that. She pointed out that my book sales are good. That my reviews are good. That I get fan mail and fans who make me things and want to send them to me. That her friends think I’m “low-key famous.”
Heh. Had to chuckle at that. But it still all feels surreal, two years on. I suspect it will for the rest of my life. But I love the hell out of what I do, and the truth is, I’d do it whether I got paid for it or not.
Thanks for reading me and believing in me, all of you. You’ve changed a life.
July 20, 2017
Confessions Of A Crazy Car Writer
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I’m writing in my car
Turn on the radio
I pull a thought closer
It just says no
I say that I don’t like it
But I know I’m a liar
‘Cause when I drive
Ooooh-oooh fiiiii-re . . .
You heard me. I write in the car.
Before you scratch your head over a vision of me propping my keyboard on a steering wheel or madly typing text into my phone as I drift across the lanes of the highway, know that I am a car-talker.
That’s right, a car talker.
I talk to myself in my car. I talk to others, too – coworkers, friends, family members, other drivers, my kids, political figures (don’t get me started), celebrities – pretty much anybody is fair game. When my marriage fell apart, I had numerous, lengthy conversations with my ex (none of which he was in attendance for, of course), and God only knows how many times my kids have been spared a lecture only because I already had it without them.
But lately, I’ve started really working through my books this way, having conversations with characters, playing ‘what if,’ sequencing through logistical problems in setting or plot – my car is like my idea zone, where I can muse aloud and blather and pontificate to a captive audience of me.
It’s honestly where I do my best writing, (some of which is occasionally brilliant) but alas, my scumbag brain doesn’t remember half of it, and the half it does remember contains little of the witty dialog or engaging commentary I came up with on the commute into work. It’s a pale echo, at best.
I keep telling myself I should record it all, but then I’d have to actually remember to set my phone to record and then remember to turn it off before I get to the office and that’s not really likely to happen with regularity. I’m lucky if I remember to be fully dressed when I head out the door in the morning (Seriously, I drove to work barefoot once!).
I guess you could say I owe my next book in part to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Whatever works, y’all. Whatever works.
July 19, 2017
What’s Up Wednesday: Writing And Mentoring
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I have been laugh-out-loud crazy busy. Borderline psychotic, even. What kind of idiot thinks they can fully research and write a first draft in six weeks? This kind, apparently. But the really weird thing is, I woke in the middle of the night a few days ago and had a sudden revelation about a cool plot hook and ever since, the book has pretty much been writing itself.
So I’m plugging away, and God willing, we’ll have an awesome book (in hardcover!) circa 2019.
Next week, I’m doing some mentoring for The Young Creatives club at Towne Book Center, and I’ve got a giveaway (yes, giveaway!) to organize and a guest blog to write that will be up on the Swoon Reads site next week.
All this comes around working a full-time job, raising my kids, doing laundry and mowing my lawn, which is beginning to look like Jurassic Park. Oh, such a glamorous life I lead.
If I ever win the lottery, I’m going to buy an island. I’ll call it Isle de Author and there will be hammocks and cool drinks and climate-controlled huts full of bookshelves. Oh, and wi-fi. Mustn’t forget that. We’ll all laze and drink and research and watch stupid YouTube videos instead of research and we’ll write. We’ll write memoirs and non-fiction and sweeping tomes about tribulation and magic and humans being humans. And nobody will have to go to a day job or mow a lawn.
‘Till then I’ll keep plugging along.
July 18, 2017
I can hear his breathing, slow and even . . .
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When we were really young, we used to share a bed, and I fell asleep
to the sound of my brother’s breathing every night. I miss it sometimes.
#2bitTues
Topic: “Sleep”
From: DREAMER
July 17, 2017
I set the pen to the paper, and I begin . . .
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I let my mind wander through the remnants of a dream I once had with leafy memories and the smell of pinecones and fireplaces.
#LoveLines
Topic: “Dream”
From: TRAVELER
July 14, 2017
What A Thoroughly Awesome & Slightly Terrifying Day
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I spent the day yesterday in New York, meeting up with this fabulous squad of Swoon hooligans for lunch:
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From L-R, that’s Lydia Albano (Finding You), Shani Petroff (Romeo & What’s Her Name), Sandy Hall (Been Here All Along), Melinda Grace (Meet Me In Outer Space), Karole Cozzo (The Truth About Happily Ever After) and Devon Taylor (Soul Sweeper).
I wasn’t in the shot because I had to rush out of lunch early for a meeting with my editor, who wanted to discuss my next book now that DREAMER is in the can. My next book. There’s going to be a next book and she’s asking for it.
Sorry. It just still feels surreal sometimes. Anyway, I pitched her the two books I’ve been working on, and the conversation went kinda like this:
Editor: Tell me what you’re working on.
Me: I have 20,000+ words each on two different books and I’m going to let you pick. (Describes both books)
Editor: Hmmm. Book 1 has a fantastic premise, but the girl is part siren and we have a siren book coming out in six months. Book 2 sounds great except I don’t like some of it and I’m not sure how it’ll work. What else have you got?
Me: Ummm . . . there was a story idea I was kind of dabbling with but there’s no outline and I’m not sure about the plot. (Vaguely describes thread of an idea)
Editor: That’s the one! Write that book!
And then we agreed I’d have a first draft in her hands by August 31st. Six weeks. From vague idea and half-assed outline to completed draft in six weeks. *gulp*
Then another editor I adore joined us and she leaked the big news before my editor could do it: my 3rd book is going to be hardcover!
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Yeah, baby! So now it has to be extra awesome. And done in six weeks.
No pressure, right? Still, it’s great news and I am thrilled as well as terrified. After that meeting, I headed to a bar to hook up with my Swoon Squad for Happy Hour before heading home in the pouring rain with my feet aching and my head swirling. It was a good, good feeling.
Have a great weekend, you guys – guess you now what I’ll be doing!
July 11, 2017
“They want to learn his secret . . .”
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“He had a secret?”
“He did.” Her eyes showed her sorrow. “And it is a very hard thing to know.”
#2bitTues
Topic: “Hidden”
July 10, 2017
Are You A Budding Young Writer? Join Me On July 25th At Town Book Center!
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That’s right, I’ll be sitting in with The Young Creatives club at Town Book Center in Collegeville, PA on Tuesday, July 25th from 5 – 7pm, and we’ll be discussing the building of magical and fantastical worlds!
If you’ve got a taste for Fantasy or Sci-Fi, if your writing is rolling in faerie dust and your characters are bigger than the mundane world can hold, come join me at Town Book Center and let’s talk about all things fantastical!
The cost for the session is $5. Town Book Center will provide the space, attendees need to bring their own journal, laptop or chosen medium.
I’m putting my sparkly faerie wings and climbing aboard my spaceship – see you there!
July 7, 2017
Story Outlines, Story Outlines, Story Outlines . . .
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When typing is problematic, we do things the old-fashioned way. Got derailed on my current project, but post-it notes and a visual outline really got me back on track and sent my plot in a much stronger direction.
Then I got on a roll and had to outline two more projects that are traipsing through my head.
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Today, I am a one-woman writing MACHINE. BooYAH!!
Have a great weekend – see ya on Monday, hopefully with a completed first draft!
July 5, 2017
“You stood up for me . . .”
I stare at him in amazement. “I thought you hated my guts.”
“Really? Your guts are the thing I like most about you.”
#1linewed
#WIP
