Kate Danley's Blog, page 16

April 1, 2013

Hey Mom (and Dad if you're reading this over her shoulder)!

Just wanted to let you know I arrived safe and sound.  The hotel is a quaint little place which faces a garden square.  The internet is lousy and so is the coffee, but other than that, I think I'll survive.  :)  My cell phone gets absolutely no service, but I might see about buying one of those monthly phones just for the heck of it.  In the meantime, I'll try to check in via email whenever I get the chance.  Love you tons!  Off to great adventure!

xoxo

One minute, I was signing books at Wondercon. The next I was standing in the international wing of LAX two hours before my flight, contenting myself with browsing the bookshops and asking myself how much coffee I really wanted to drink before my red-eye.

As I board my Virgin Atlantic flight, my heart was filled with excitement. How long since I had actually been excited about boarding a plane? The accents around me are music. We are instructed to keep our blinds down because we will be flying into the sunrise. Our smart stewards and stewardesses, and yes, I will call them that with their jaunty neckerchiefs and perfectly coiffed hair, make their way through the cabin with sassy, no-nonsense authority. We are given socks and sleeping masks, earplugs and headphones. We have dinner and then dessert and then a hot chocolate course. As we wake, we are given breakfast and then a Cadbury course. How can you not love a country that you enter with the taste of sweet chocolate on your lips?

I land at Heathrow and am struck by the subtle differences. Toilets instead of restrooms. Walk slow on the left and pass on the right. But also gentle considerations that I have not seen before. Accommodations in the subway (henceforth called The Tube) for people traveling with disabled and elderly adults who might need a full room and table to change their pants.

All around me are these kindnesses. As I board my express train to the city and produce my ticket, the ticket taker responds with, "Brilliant!" I have perhaps thought myself above average, but brilliant! For a ticket! I shall continue to strive for those gold stars!

I arrive at Paddington, which is like if It's a Small World gave birth to a train station. White iron work scrolls across the ceiling. White marble upon the floors. I see a parent correct their child and it is with a well placed word instead of a striking hand. I drag my rolling suitcase behind me and up a ramp, noting the Paddington Bear statue and store, and out into Paddington proper. Two blocks away, I turn the corner to my hotel and find myself in a garden square.



My hotel looks just like those you can see across the square. The building is so old, the keys are plastic punch cards which I must deposit at the front desk every time I go out. The lift is old and rickety. The carpet worn. The room sparse.



And glorious!

The promise of in room coffee means Tasters Choice and a hot water kettle.



As much as my American self, my inner coffee snob, my Starbucks micro-roasted purist rebelled against the horrors of instant, I have to say that to this day, whenever I miss this city, I keep a can of Tasters Choice in my pantry and sip a cup of memories.

Outside, London awaits! On the rooftops of London! Coo! What a sight!



I head out and just walk. I walk to St Pancras station not knowing what these beautiful buildings even were. I walk to Kings Cross. I walk through Marylebone and the hidden streets and turned corners with golden streetlamps as darkness falls and the wind whips up and I am the only soul out in the cold. And I feel alive!

I duck into Tescos and grab foods we don't have. I vow I shall eat nothing familiar the entire time I'm here!



I strike up a conversation with the cashier who seems infected by my bubbling joy. Her face had been grumpy with her early customers but she starts laughing and joking with me, delighted by my American enthusiasm and says I've brightened her day.

There is no fear here. You find yourself talking to the people beside you. Looking into their eyes. Sharing a moment. Giving kindness. You don't realize how frightened we've become of each other in America. You don't realize the crushing grind of the media and the consumption machine until you leave and realize that there is another way to live.

I said I wanted to drink their water. And so I got my first sip.

London. April. 2013

It's the funniest thing about achieving a dream. You are then faced with the rest of your life and have to figure out what you want to do with it.

My biggest dream since graduating college was to make a living from my art.  Sure, things hadn't quite shaken out on the acting front like I had hoped.  But the book thing.  That had taken off.  And suddenly I was at home.  Writing full time.

And feeling a little lost.

People had warned me about this.  I had smugly thought, "Oooooh, you don't know me very well, I'm afraid.  I am the Queen of Adventure!  Boredom?  Existential crises about my place in the world?  I thiiiink I have got that covered."

But, still.  It happened.  I got my dream and was faced with the great Now What.

So, I made a list.  And at the top of that was that I wanted to see London before I died.  See, the thing I realized about Hollywood is that we were making movies inspired by the movies we were making.  It was like an orosboros of suck.  Everything was being pulling from the same source material that everyone else was watching.  It was one terrible carbon copy after another.

But then I started watching the BBC.  And suddenly, there were new stories.  New twists.  New statements upon humanity.  There were fat people and thin people and pretty people and plain people... it didn't matter what they looked like, they were being hired because they could act their pants off.  The writing!  The directing!  I started watching Green Wing and that show became my spirit animal.  I wanted to drink THAT water.  What was going on culturally which was giving rise to such genius?  Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Zen, did I mention Green Wing?  Let me mention it again.

And then I found out that some of my favorite actors in the world were performing on the West End.

So, I bought myself a plane ticket and bought tickets to the West End.  But then, I had to cancel, so I rebooked.  But then I booked a film.  But then found out that all the shows I wanted to see would be closing four days before my plane was scheduled to touchdown.

So I said screw it and scheduled my Secret Trip to London in four days time.

99-cents A Spirited Manor

Been holding off grabbing your copy of A Spirited Manor?  Well, today is your lucky day my friends!  Actually, today and every day between now and January 6th.  But enough of the details!  A Spirited Manor is on a Kindle Countdown Deal and you can grab it for only 99-cents!  And if you love it?  Leave a kind review.  Merry 2014!

My overdue trip report to London

I went to London this year.  In fact, I had such a great time, I did it twice.  In the interest of historical preservation, I bring you: The London Time Capsule Posts 2013! 

Interview with Yours Truly

Know me?  Love me?  ...not yet?  Well, you lucky ducks, Neve Maslakovic was generous enough to open up her blog to me and let me spout off my wisdom on acting vs. writing and the joys of self-publication.  Head on over!

http://www.nevemaslakovic.com/2013/12/kate-danley-writer-actor-playwright.html

The Spirit of Krampus

Last year, I participated in a lovely little anthology called Holiday Wishes.  My short story from that anthology is now available as a stand-alone.  Ladies and gentlemen, The Spirit of Krampus!


KindleNookiTunes (coming soon!)Kobo (coming soon!)So, what is "Krampus" you may be asking yourself?  Krampus is a character from European mythology.  He was Santa Claus's partner.  As good Saint Nicholas rewarded the children of the world for good behavior, Krampus was responsible for punishing the wicked.  If you were bad, he'd put you in a sack and beat you with sticks.  And if you were REALLY bad, he'd take you home and eat you for dinner.  Happy Christmas, indeed.
In this short story, I posed the question, "What would happen if the spirit of Krampus, instead of the spirit of Christmas, filled the hearts of grown-ups across the globe?"  It's a dark, scary day.  Fortunately, we have our young hero, Skip, ready to set things right.
As you threaten your kids with coal this holiday season, tell them they should be thankful that Krampus is not around.  May you not be thrown in a bag at any office party!  You know.  Unless that's your thing.

Interview with Neve Maslakovic

In the continuing monthly series of author interviews, today my guest is fellow 47North author Neve Maslakovic, author of The Incident series and all around great gal.


Why did you write The Incident series? What is it about this project that makes you happy or proud?I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of being able to go back in time to see what life was like, not for kings and queens, but for ordinary people. Since I can’t actually step into a spacetime warper myself, this series is my way of doing so vicariously. I get to go to a different place and time in each book along with my characters, from the ancient Roman world to medieval Americas.
What was one of the first books to inspire your interest in this genre?My writing contains elements of both science fiction and mystery. As a child, I read and re-read everything by Jules Verne and Agatha Christie, so I’d say my interest has a lot to do with the works of those two authors.
Who influenced your voice as a writer?That’s hard to answer, because I feel like I learn something from every book I read!
How did you learn how to write?  How did you develop your style?Apart from a handful of writing classes, I’m self-taught. In general, I think the only way to develop – or rather, find – your writing style is by, well, writing. And then writing some more. And more, until you discover what works for you.
 What is your process when you begin a new project?While writing the current book, I’m always mulling over the next one in my head. So when I finally sit down to work on it, I already have a good idea of the main characters and of some of the story. I never have a full outline, though – I liked to be a bit surprised as I write. It keeps me interested!
What are some writing tips or tricks that work for you?One that comes to mind is to jot down a page-full of quick notes on the scene you plan to write that day. That only works if you know what’s going to happen in the scene. If you don’t, then the opposite approach often works for me, and that’s to just sit down and start typing and see where your characters take you.
What advice do you have for people who want to become writers?Find a support network of other aspiring writers. I can’t emphasize this enough.
What upcoming projects are you working on?We’ve just wrapped up the editing for Book 2 in the Incident series -- The Runestone Incident is slated for release in February 2014. I am now hard at work on Book 3 in the series!

For fun:
You're in heaven (so anything is possible) and you own your own television network.  What shows are on your channel?Since anything is possible, I’d be watching never-filmed episodes of the TV series Firefly, which was canceled after only one season.
What is your favorite pen to write with?I do all my writing on the computer, except for the occasional jotted down note or sketch. For that I use a gel pen, blue or red.
Favorite beverage while writing?Dark chocolate mocha from Caribou Coffee, in a mug, not a paper cup.
Name five books you love. How about I do five authors instead, since that’s somewhat easier. Besides the aforementioned Jules Verne and Agatha Christie, I’d add Jasper Fforde, Connie Willis, and Isaac Asimov. And Douglas Adams. OK, that’s six authors.
Beautifully embossed leather bound editions or paperbacks with great pulp fiction covers?Hmm, leather bound would look nicer on the shelf, but paperbacks would be lighter to carry around in shoulder bags, so I’ll go with paperbacks.
What is your favorite quote about writing?I have many of them, but the one that comes to mind is from Annie Proulx. I had to go look it up, but here it is in full:
“What I find to be very bad advice is the snappy little sentence, 'Write what you know.' It is the most tiresome and stupid advice that could possibly be given. If we write simply about what we know we never grow. We don't develop any facility for languages, or an interest in others, or a desire to travel and explore and face experience head-on. We just coil tighter and tighter into our boring little selves. What one should write about is what interests one.”


------
Neve Maslakovic is the author of the Incidentseries, as well as a stand-alone novel,  Regarding Ducks andUniverses . Before turning her hand to writing fiction, Neve earned her PhD in electrical engineering at Stanford University's STAR Lab (Space, Telecommunications, and Radioscience Laboratory). Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia), Neve currently lives with her husband and son near Minneapolis/St. Paul, where she admits to enjoying the winters. Her next book, The Runestone Incident, is due out in February 2014.
Website: http://www.nevemaslakovic.com Twitter: @NeveMaslakovicFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/nevemaslakovic

Officially a USA TODAY Bestselling Author!

So, as you know, I recently participated in a boxed set called Magic After Dark...


The response has been ASTONISHING!  Thank you, ALL of you, who have picked up a copy!  Not two weeks out and we have hit #33 on Amazon's Top 100, #22 on Barnes & Noble's Top 100, #27 on Amazon.uk, and I just found out I'm ranked the #9 most popular fantasy author on Amazon right now.  For real.
But that's not even the best news!  On Wednesday, the USA Today Bestseller list came out and we squeaked in at #150!  The last available slot, but WE MADE IT!

This was for our weakest week of sales, so my brain can't even comprehend what might be coming down the pike.  
Thank you, again, for all of your support of the Magic After Dark boxed set!  This would not have happened without you!  You are AWESOME!  Please continue to tell your friends and share the love!  This party is your party!  And I am eternally grateful.

Podcast with Self Publishing Review

Can't make it to Comikaze and desperately missing the dulcet tones of my melodious voice?  Well desperately miss no more!  I had the privilege of being interviewed by the fabulous Cate Baum on the SPR Podcast and you, YES YOU! my friend, can listen to it here for zero dollars!  Enjoy!

http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/blog/2013/11/spr-podcast-with-best-selling-author-kate-danley/

Comikaze!

Put that Halloween costume to good use and come on out to Stan Lee's Comikaze this weekend!  I'll be signing books with the FAAAAHBULOUS Elizabeth Watasin at booth AA-1311.