Jennifer Niven's Blog, page 558

Behind the Book — Letting the Manuscript Go

Last Monday, I received the last of my editor's notes on Velva Jean #3 (in which she finds herself spying in World War II), and, at my editor's request, I have addressed her notes, big and small (cutting 26 pages in the process), and delivered the edited manuscript back to her by this morning. It [...]

Behind the Book — I Am Chuck Yeager for a Day

One of the best things about being a writer is doing research. Before I got notes back from my editor (last week) on the third Velva Jean book, and before I found out (this past Wednesday) that my own edits are due back to her by next Wednesday (!), I had scheduled a tour of [...]

Behind the Book — Editing…

It's 11:34 pm, and I've just finished up work for the day. Today was spent editing, editing, editing Velva Jean #3. And now I will fall into bed, read precisely two pages of my current Shirley Jackson novel, and wake up at 5:00 am so that Louis and I can head to the desert to [...]

Behind the Book — Lifelines

On days like today I try to remind myself of something my granddaddy Olin used to say. Granddaddy was a postal inspector, back in the days when they carried guns and traveled the country, investigating dangerous crimes. He also wrote for the paper in his North Carolina town. He was brilliant and kind and quiet, [...]

Behind the Book — Trimming the Tree, Trimming the Book

I spent my day with the manuscript of Velva Jean #3, rereading my editor's notes and starting to painstakingly work my way through from the start, addressing each of her comments one by one. Sometimes, even with a giant monitor (my boyfriend Louis surprised me with an early Christmas present of the biggest, prettiest monitor [...]

A Veterans Day Letter from 1944

I was the only grandchild on my dad's side. These were the things I knew about my grandparents (two of my very favorite people ever): Cleo, my grandmama, loved to take me shopping for clothes and Barbies. She was straightforward and honest and statuesque–she always had a wonderful figure, which she was very proud of. [...]

Behind the Book — Day Two

It's an office tour! See where I write, meet the literary kitties, and get a glimpse of the things that surround me as I work, from books (and more books!) and other research materials to a human jawbone, various Appalachian and Arctic souvenirs, and ABBA clogs. (Yes, clogs.) (A Velva Jean signed bookmark to anyone [...]

Velva Jean Holiday Giveaway

This holiday season, Penguin/Plume and I are giving away fifteen copies of Velva Jean Learns to Fly, which we think would make a lovely gift. Go to Good Reads before December 16 to enter!

Behind the Book — The Edits Return

Today is one of those days that started out so promisingly. I woke up excited to research (have I mentioned I love researching?) and brainstorm about Velva Jean #4. This is probably my very favorite part of the process, when it's all about possibility. I don't know yet where the new story will take me, [...]

Behind the Book — Portal into the Past

The coolest thing (of all the very cool things) I discovered today in all my research (which included everything from Pancho Barnes to Errol Flynn to LA's Zoot Suit Riots) was this gorgeous little film clip of downtown Los Angeles in the 1940s: