Bridges DelPonte's Blog, page 7

Na Nu Na Nu? No NaNoWriMo!

Long ago in a galaxy far, far away, the inimical Robin Williams brought his frenetic energy to TV with his otherworldly Mork in the hit 1970s comedy series, Mork and Mindy. Look it up kids! His funny welcome and sign off greeting was the imaginary alien catch phrase “Na Nu Na Nu“! Every time, I hear about NaNoWriMo, I think of Robin Williams as the zany Mork.

But NaNoWriMo isn’t about first contact, but it’s still a pretty zany idea. November’s National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo challenges authors to write 50,000 words in one month (approximately 1,667 words a day). The word count contest is aimed at helping authors to kick start a daily writing habit and complete a rough first draft of a novel. With COVID, the election year, and a major house move, I’ve been oddly distracted and laying low. I’m hoping to turn my pent up energy toward my fiction writing.

I’m a NaNoWriMo newbie and next month will be my first try at it. I’m not shooting for 50K since I’ve got revising to do on a current novel. Yet I’m hoping to make decent headway on my sequel to that novel. I’ve signed up on the NaNoWriMo site and joined a SW FL discussion group to interact with other local authors. I’ll do my best and try to remember that any positive progress on my follow up novel’s word count gets me closer to the finish line. Wish me luck and I’ll let you know how I do.

Getting Back Into the Groove?

It’s been a nutty few months wrapping up the academic year, grading final exams, buying and selling our home, thinning out our stuff, and moving into our new place–all during a global pandemic and national protests over racial and social injustices. I feel like I’ve been struggling with my creative endeavors under this swirl of personal and national upheaval. Last month, I sent a second round of revisions to my draft novel to my agent, Kelli Martin, at Wendy Sherman Associates. As I await her further insights, I’ve been floundering over getting back into the writing groove on the follow-up novel.  Maybe its just exhaustion after a hectic five months or trying to write something fun during a serious world-wide health crisis and a sobering time of social reckoning on racial inequalities. I wonder if others trying to plug into their creative outlets feel the same way or have been spurred on during this time of greater introspection and isolation. Would love to hear how you may have gotten back into your creative groove. Stay safe out there.

Revise! Revise! Revise!

It’s been a crazy couple of month with finishing up exam grading and moving to south Florida, but I’m back at revising my novel based on detailed insights from my agent, Kelli Martin. Revising is more tedious than initial drafts because it’s fixing nits and revisiting material you thought you were done working on. It’s not fun, but it’s necessary to improve the book before submitting it to publishers.

I was listening to The Writer Files podcast featuring an interview of best-selling thriller author Jeffrey Deaver. He discussed his “plotters” writing process of outlining a book before writing it.  I’m more of a hybrid “plotters/pantsers” in which I have an overall plot for my novel, but allow myself the freedom to discover more detailed characterizations and plot points as I write. Even with his more planned approach, Mr. Deaver noted that he typically revises his novels fifty times before submitting them to publishers and agents.  Yup–fifty times!

So even though revising can be challenging–it’s good to know that even the best-selling writers have to revise, revise, revise!

Spinning Those Plates

Under the dark cloud of COVID-19, so many people are trying to fend off a lethal contagion, search for employment, face difficult life and work choices, and frantically turn homes into makeshift offices and classrooms. I’m grateful to be healthy right now and to have a job that lets me work safely from home. Keeping busy is my “go to” coping mechanism which has helped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The past couple of months have been crazy busy for me in unexpected ways. Recording online sessions for my students, finding a new downsized home in SW Florida, grading 100 exam essays, packing boxes like frenzied maniacs at our current place, and thinning stuff at a pace that would make Marie Kondo blush!!

Just when I thought my head would explode, my wonderful agent, Kelli Martin at Wendy Sherman Associates, came back to me with plenty of edits in her second round review of my novel. Whew!!

I’m spinning plates as fast as I can and hoping that not too many come crashing down. I‘m excited to be ending the school year and turning my attention to revising the current manuscript as well as drafting the next book in the series.

I hope you are staying safe and finding ways to avoid going bonkers in various stages of lockdown. Hang in there as we all, in our own way, try to keep those plates spinning.

 

 

 

Another Farewell from a Great Lady of Mystery

Seems like we’ve been losing so many of the grande dames of mystery in the past few months.  The mystery world has lost another diverse voice with the passing of author, community activist, and radio host, Barbara Neely, at age 78. A Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster, Ms. Neely was the award-winning author of the Blanche White mystery series, starring an amateur sleuth who served as a housekeeper to the rich and powerful. The series was one of the first to feature an African-American female as the detective protagonist and took on issues of race, gender, class, and social injustice. I had a wonderful opportunity to hear her speak and read from her first book at a Boston-area college–she was a complete delight!  To learn more about Ms. Neely’s life and works check out this wonderful Washington Post remembrance.

A late bloomer, Ms. Neely published her first book in the series, Blanche on the Lam, after turning fifty years old and went on to publish numerous other novels, plays and short stories. It’s a good reminder that it’s never too late to start writing your series showcasing your unique voice and musings. So while you’re social distancing and wiping everything down with antibacterial wipes—spend some time with the canny housekeeper, turned detective, Blanche White to honor Ms. Neely.

 

Talking Shop – Copyright and Copy Wrong!

Recently, I had a wonderful opportunity to meet with fellow writers and to deliver an educational talk at the December monthly meeting of the Citrus Crime Writers (CCW), the Central Florida chapter of Sisters in Crime, Inc. (SinC) at the Winter Park Public Library.  I spoke for about an hour for Ask An Expert! – Piracy on the High ©s, on issues of copyright, plagiarism, and piracy for book authors. I also reviewed copyright infringement and its main defenses and the registration of creative works. It was quite a lively group which allowed for a lot of interaction on these hot topics for writers.

As the guest speaker, I also drew the name of the lucky winner of a beautiful holiday basket of mystery and craft books, a book tote, SinC pin, and bottle of wine. To add to the holiday cheer, CCW members munched on yummy holiday cupcakes and exchanged favorite mysteries or writing craft books. So glad to spend time with this friendly group of fellow writers!

I Got An Agent for My Third Novel!

Years ago, a fellow writer told me that writing is hard, but getting an agent is even harder.  With a full-time teaching job, my previous two novels, Deadly Sacrifices – A Marguerite “Monty” Montez Mystery, and Bridles of Poseidon: The Last Emissary Series took years and years to write. Deadly Sacrifices won a FWA Royal Palm Literary Award (unpublished mystery) and Bridles of Poseidon was a finalist for that same award in the fantasy genre. For many years after their completion, I pitched them to numerous agents and never found one to represent either work–so I self-pubbed them on Amazon. But I’ve always sought an agent to better promote my works to publishers and to broaden the audience for my novels.

I dabbled on and off on my third novel, Babeless Babes, about three women friends without children entering their forties. After several spurts of writing it, I finally focused on it and got it completed in a little over a year–my fastest novel writing project so far. I’m so excited that Babeless Babes has found a wonderful literary agent, Kelli Martin, at Wendy Sherman Associates, Inc., a boutique New York literary agency. After my initial e-mail query with the first five pages, Kelli got right back to me and asked for the next 30 pages, then the full novel. She loved it and we spoke on the phone for over an hour about her enthusiasm for the novel and she offered to represent me and the novel.  I couldn’t believe how fast the process went–starting with the initial e-mail in August and then finalizing the agency agreement in October. It seems practically overnight considering the years of trying to find a literary agent for my prior novels.

Maybe it’s just the right book at the right time for the market. I’m happily working on some revisions with Kelli’s guidance as we prepare for the book to be pitched to publishers. Keep your fingers crossed that with Babeless Babes–the third time is the charm!!

Drum Roll Please…My Next Novel, Babeless Babes!

Hi all.  I’m baaaack!  I’ve been off my blog for awhile working on my next novel, Babeless Babes. (98,883 words)  I completed the first draft and got great feedback from several beta readers–Chris, Christine, Mary, Mary Ann, and Ronni–thank you!  Also thanks to Linda Ellis with the FWA editing service for her review of the first three chapters.  I’ve now completed my second draft and have put together a novel query letter and synopsis for agents.

The novel is a Boston-based dramedy about three woman and no baby—one by choice, another by chance and a third by circumstance.  Reggie, a happily childfree college professor, faces an unexpected cancer diagnosis that threatens her life and entangles her with a troubled student.  Mary Beth, a child abuse prosecutor, explores the joys and risks of foster parenting after unsuccessful fertility treatments.  Lisa, a pediatrician, considers whether a happy romance with a divorced dad is a fair swap for not having children of her own.  In Babeless Babes, three childfree friends face challenges to their health, career, family, and love lives with heart, humor and warmth as they enter their forties. (98,883 words)  Think Steel Magnolias meets The Big C.

I’m now beginning the lengthy task of pitching my book and sending out materials to agents who might be interested in representing a women’s fiction book.  I’ll keep you in the loop about my progress.  Wish me luck!