Katherine Longshore's Blog, page 4
August 29, 2013
What Now?
I just sent in copyedits for Book 3. This means I'm finished. I will get one more look at the manuscript--after it is formatted and proofread. At that point, I can make minor changes (a word here, a punctuation mark there). But the heavy lifting is done. The story is complete.
This is also the end of the series. I've fulfilled my contract. Three books set in the court of Henry VIII. This altogether thrilling, fulfilling and terrifying.
It's a little like starting a new book. First drafts are difficult and scary and exciting. And the big question that comes up every days is, "What Happens Next?"
Lucky for me, I received ARCs for MANOR OF SECRETS this week. The arrival of actual, bound copies that really look like a book is always mind-blowing. Every. Single. Time. Plus it means I've got promotional stuff to do, bookmarks to be made, interviews, meeting new people, talking about books... There is plenty to keep me busy.
However, as much as I enjoy talking about my books, I love writing them more. I need a new project. One that grabs me by the throat and won't let me go. One where I can lose myself in the characters and their lives. And I think I may have found it.
Now that I've fulfilled my contract, I can write about anything. This is such a gift. But it also a bit like leaping into the great unknown. Starting something new--something entirely new and utterly different--feels a little bit like this:
But don't you think that just for a moment, that cat feels like it can fly? That is also how starting a new book feels.
If you live in the Bay Area and want to know more about What Happens Next, author CJ Omololu and I will be discussing that very topic at the Walnut Creek SCBWI meeting on August 31. Come and ask questions!
This is also the end of the series. I've fulfilled my contract. Three books set in the court of Henry VIII. This altogether thrilling, fulfilling and terrifying.
It's a little like starting a new book. First drafts are difficult and scary and exciting. And the big question that comes up every days is, "What Happens Next?"
Lucky for me, I received ARCs for MANOR OF SECRETS this week. The arrival of actual, bound copies that really look like a book is always mind-blowing. Every. Single. Time. Plus it means I've got promotional stuff to do, bookmarks to be made, interviews, meeting new people, talking about books... There is plenty to keep me busy.
However, as much as I enjoy talking about my books, I love writing them more. I need a new project. One that grabs me by the throat and won't let me go. One where I can lose myself in the characters and their lives. And I think I may have found it.
Now that I've fulfilled my contract, I can write about anything. This is such a gift. But it also a bit like leaping into the great unknown. Starting something new--something entirely new and utterly different--feels a little bit like this:
But don't you think that just for a moment, that cat feels like it can fly? That is also how starting a new book feels.
If you live in the Bay Area and want to know more about What Happens Next, author CJ Omololu and I will be discussing that very topic at the Walnut Creek SCBWI meeting on August 31. Come and ask questions!
July 1, 2013
Vacation!
2013 has been a crazy year for me so far, writing MANOR OF SECRETS and Book 3 at the same time, promoting TARNISH and trying to keep up with real life (termites, broken plumbing, etc.) so I'm taking a week off. (sort of--I have pass pages of MANOR to read!)
I am leaving Internet land and heading off to a quiet place for the July 4th holiday (I know, how did I manage that?). I plan to read and swim and start planning the next book. I am so incredibly grateful for all you wonderful readers who have reached out to tell me how much you've been enjoying TARNISH, part of me doesn't want to miss any potential conversations!
Enjoy the first week of July, everybody, and I will see you next week!
I am leaving Internet land and heading off to a quiet place for the July 4th holiday (I know, how did I manage that?). I plan to read and swim and start planning the next book. I am so incredibly grateful for all you wonderful readers who have reached out to tell me how much you've been enjoying TARNISH, part of me doesn't want to miss any potential conversations!
Enjoy the first week of July, everybody, and I will see you next week!
June 11, 2013
Launch Party!
The publication of TARNISH is only a week away (eep!) and I went to my local independent bookstore today to finalize plans for the launch party.
This year, I'm doing something a little different. My dear friend, and sister YA Muse Talia Vance and I are joining forces for a double launch party at the Avid Reader in Davis, CA on Saturday, June 22 at 4 p.m.
Talia's book, SPIES AND PREJUDICE, came out today and I am delighted to be able to share a podium with her. We'll be talking about books, answering questions and playing Reading Roulette, as well as giving away galleys of upcoming novels from both of our publishers, Penguin and Egmont.
So if you're in the area, come by and say hello!
And have a slice of cake. :)
This year, I'm doing something a little different. My dear friend, and sister YA Muse Talia Vance and I are joining forces for a double launch party at the Avid Reader in Davis, CA on Saturday, June 22 at 4 p.m.
Talia's book, SPIES AND PREJUDICE, came out today and I am delighted to be able to share a podium with her. We'll be talking about books, answering questions and playing Reading Roulette, as well as giving away galleys of upcoming novels from both of our publishers, Penguin and Egmont.
So if you're in the area, come by and say hello!
And have a slice of cake. :)June 10, 2013
TARNISH Blog Tour!
Today I'm celebrating the kickoff of the TARNISH blog tour run by the fabulous Jaime Arnold at Rockstar Book Tours. There will be reviews, interviews, a playlist and even a few secrets divulged, plus a giveaway of signed books and pretty Anne Boleyn-inspired earrings. Today, we start at Tales of a Ravenous Reader with a clip from the audio book.
6/10/2013- Nancy @ Tales of a Ravenous Reader
6/11/2013- Tara @ Hobbisites
6/12/2013- Katie @ Mundie Moms
6/13/2013- Anna @ Literary Exploration
6/14/2013- Christina @ Confessions of a Book Addict
6/17/2013- April @ Good Books and Good Wine
6/18/2013- Jaime @ Two Chicks on Boooks
6/19/2013- Mindy @ Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
6/20/2013- Tara @ Taters's Tall Tails
6/21/2013- Sophie @ Pageturners
6/10/2013- Nancy @ Tales of a Ravenous Reader
6/11/2013- Tara @ Hobbisites
6/12/2013- Katie @ Mundie Moms
6/13/2013- Anna @ Literary Exploration
6/14/2013- Christina @ Confessions of a Book Addict
6/17/2013- April @ Good Books and Good Wine
6/18/2013- Jaime @ Two Chicks on Boooks
6/19/2013- Mindy @ Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
6/20/2013- Tara @ Taters's Tall Tails
6/21/2013- Sophie @ Pageturners
June 7, 2013
MANOR OF SECRETS
As most of you probably know, the announcement went out this week about my newest project.
Author of GILT and upcoming TARNISH, Katherine Longshore's MANOR OF SECRETS, pitched as a Downtonesque story of two girls living in very different worlds within the same Edwardian country house -- and what happens when those worlds collide, to Aimee Friedman at Scholastic, by Catherine Drayton at Inkwell Management (World). (From Publisher's Marketplace).
This is the story, written from alternating points of view, of Charlotte Edmonds--the daughter of the Earl of Edenbridge--and Janie Seward--the daughter of his cook and The Manor's kitchen maid. It has been an absolute delight to work on and a real stretch for me as a writer. The two points of view, the completely different historical period, writing in third person. But it has also been just plain fun--so very different to write about people who don't eventually get executed for treason. :)
I hope you enjoy it, too. It's currently scheduled to be released in February 2014, and I'll be sure to be telling you all about it between now and then!
Author of GILT and upcoming TARNISH, Katherine Longshore's MANOR OF SECRETS, pitched as a Downtonesque story of two girls living in very different worlds within the same Edwardian country house -- and what happens when those worlds collide, to Aimee Friedman at Scholastic, by Catherine Drayton at Inkwell Management (World). (From Publisher's Marketplace).
This is the story, written from alternating points of view, of Charlotte Edmonds--the daughter of the Earl of Edenbridge--and Janie Seward--the daughter of his cook and The Manor's kitchen maid. It has been an absolute delight to work on and a real stretch for me as a writer. The two points of view, the completely different historical period, writing in third person. But it has also been just plain fun--so very different to write about people who don't eventually get executed for treason. :)
I hope you enjoy it, too. It's currently scheduled to be released in February 2014, and I'll be sure to be telling you all about it between now and then!
June 4, 2013
Two Weeks 'Til TARNISH (plus trailer!)
And things are starting to get exciting around here. My author copies arrived last week:
Yes, I cried.
The Tudor Tuesdays blog tour is half over and has been so much fun! So far, I've shared excerpts and inspirations about Jane Boleyn, Henry Percy, George Boleyn, Henry VIII and today at Belle of the Literati, I talk about historical hindsight. And we're giving away signed copies of TARNISH!
My blog tour will kick off next week, run by the fabulous Jaime Arnold at Rockstar Book Tours. She's put together an amazing array of bloggers, who have asked tough questions and convinced me to write about some fascinating subjects. Please drop by some of the posts!
Finally, today the trailer for TARNISH goes live on YouTube (eeep!). Tell me what you think!
Yes, I cried.The Tudor Tuesdays blog tour is half over and has been so much fun! So far, I've shared excerpts and inspirations about Jane Boleyn, Henry Percy, George Boleyn, Henry VIII and today at Belle of the Literati, I talk about historical hindsight. And we're giving away signed copies of TARNISH!
My blog tour will kick off next week, run by the fabulous Jaime Arnold at Rockstar Book Tours. She's put together an amazing array of bloggers, who have asked tough questions and convinced me to write about some fascinating subjects. Please drop by some of the posts!
Finally, today the trailer for TARNISH goes live on YouTube (eeep!). Tell me what you think!
June 1, 2013
Mentorship
Today registration opens for the North/Central California SCBWI Novel-Writing Mentorship Program (gosh, say that five times fast!). This is a program designed to pair writers of middle grade and young adult novels with authors working and publishing in those genres. And I am thrilled (and terrified) to have been chosen as a mentor.
You see, back in 2009, I was selected to be a mentee in the Nevada SCBWI Mentorship Program. It changed my writing and how I approach it. It made my books better. When I wrote about it in August of 2010 on the YA Muses blog, I wrote this:
I was placed in a critique group with the calmest, most incisive and straight-talking critiquer I have ever met: Susan Hart Lindquist. Susan took my book apart and told me to put it back together. In a nice, calm, incisive, straight-talking way. I quietly freaked out, went home and did exactly as she said.
In the course of six months, I learned about arcs and archetypes. I learned about the transformational quality of story. I demanded too much from my 10-year-old character and he became twelve. He gained another friend, a girl. I learned about alchemy and time-travel. I read masterful stories by brilliant authors of whom I'd never heard. I struggled. And Susan was always there. She never sugar-coated, she never let me slide, but she always, always told me I could do it.
Unfortunately, the book I was working on had a frighteningly similar premise to one that his the New York Times bestseller list in October 2009. Susan told me not to give up hope. She berated me on Facebook when I posted that I felt dejected. She told me my book was different. She told me everything I needed to know to keep going.
But I didn't. I set it aside. I returned to the book I'd begun when she was reading my ill-fated middle-grade novel. And I applied all that she'd taught me. I thought through, in advance, character arc and story arc and archetypes. I heard her whispers as I struggled to get my character to internalize emotionally as well as react. This book has Susan's whispers all the way through it.
That book was GILT. I have now written five novels, and to all of them I apply what I learned in that program. I only hope that I can pass that knowledge on to my own mentees with the same calm, incisive, straight-talking way. I know I will do my best, and I am beyond excited to meet and work with new writers.
I finished my blog in 2010 with this: That is the mark of a good mentor. Like Obi-Wan Kenobi, muttering about the Force in the dark, a good mentor remains in a person's psyche, bound to that person's work and future.
I can't guarantee I'll be a Yoda. But I work bloody hard on my own books, and will apply the same drive and determination to whoever my mentee may be. And I'm not the only one! The North/Central SCBWI has an amazing list of mentors including Talia Vance, Kate Messner, Amy Goldman Koss...These people really know what they're talking about. Sometimes, I wish I could apply.
May 19, 2013
Killing My Darlings--The Execution of Anne Boleyn
On May 19, 1536 at 9 a.m., Anne Boleyn was executed on the Tower Green by an expert swordsman imported from Calais in France.
The events leading up to this are complicated and far too numerous to go into here, but please check out the Anne Boleyn Files if you want to know more. Today, I just want to talk about Anne. And writing.
Miniature of Anne Boleyn, attributed to John Hoskins,
In the Collection of Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry
Stephen King, in his book On Writing, talks about "killing your darlings". This is the excision of characters/scenes/sentences/chapters that don't contribute to the forward motion of the story. No matter how much you love them. It's hard to kill your darlings. That waiter who steals the single scene he's in, the lush description of a setting you never use, a chapter full of clever repartee that really has nothing to do with the plot. But none of it is ever wasted. If nothing else, you can blog about it later.
But what about actually killing off your beloved characters. Or worse, knowing they are going to die?
I had a very difficult time writing TARNISH. Especially the final few chapters. Because--surprise surprise--Anne Boleyn chooses to pursue a relationship with King Henry rather than the man she loves. Every single revision, I would get to those scenes and slow down. Stutter to a halt. Rant and rail and rage. And then make her do it anyway. There's no getting around history.
You'd think I would have learned a lesson. Unfortunately not. My third book in the series covers the time period from 1533 through 1536, thus encompassing all of Anne's time as queen--and her execution. The book is not about Anne. She is not the narrator. But still, every time I came to that fateful day in 1536, I slowed down. Stuttered to a halt. Ranted and railed and raged.
You see, over the course of writing TARNISH, I fell in love with Anne Boleyn. With her cleverness and drive, her unique way of seeing the world and her desire to be part of changing it. She was an amazing woman. Truly, historically. It's possible she was ambitious and manipulative. It's possible that she could be ruthless. But that doesn't mean I have to believe it or she wasn't an amazing person and a powerful influence on life in the 16th Century.
One of the reasons I love writing historical fiction is because I get to dive deep into the psychology and motivation of these incredible people.
And one of the reasons I struggle with it is because I already know the outcome.
For today, let's just say Rest in Peace, Anne. You deserve it.
The events leading up to this are complicated and far too numerous to go into here, but please check out the Anne Boleyn Files if you want to know more. Today, I just want to talk about Anne. And writing.
Miniature of Anne Boleyn, attributed to John Hoskins, In the Collection of Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry
Stephen King, in his book On Writing, talks about "killing your darlings". This is the excision of characters/scenes/sentences/chapters that don't contribute to the forward motion of the story. No matter how much you love them. It's hard to kill your darlings. That waiter who steals the single scene he's in, the lush description of a setting you never use, a chapter full of clever repartee that really has nothing to do with the plot. But none of it is ever wasted. If nothing else, you can blog about it later.
But what about actually killing off your beloved characters. Or worse, knowing they are going to die?
I had a very difficult time writing TARNISH. Especially the final few chapters. Because--surprise surprise--Anne Boleyn chooses to pursue a relationship with King Henry rather than the man she loves. Every single revision, I would get to those scenes and slow down. Stutter to a halt. Rant and rail and rage. And then make her do it anyway. There's no getting around history.
You'd think I would have learned a lesson. Unfortunately not. My third book in the series covers the time period from 1533 through 1536, thus encompassing all of Anne's time as queen--and her execution. The book is not about Anne. She is not the narrator. But still, every time I came to that fateful day in 1536, I slowed down. Stuttered to a halt. Ranted and railed and raged.
You see, over the course of writing TARNISH, I fell in love with Anne Boleyn. With her cleverness and drive, her unique way of seeing the world and her desire to be part of changing it. She was an amazing woman. Truly, historically. It's possible she was ambitious and manipulative. It's possible that she could be ruthless. But that doesn't mean I have to believe it or she wasn't an amazing person and a powerful influence on life in the 16th Century.
One of the reasons I love writing historical fiction is because I get to dive deep into the psychology and motivation of these incredible people.
And one of the reasons I struggle with it is because I already know the outcome.
For today, let's just say Rest in Peace, Anne. You deserve it.
May 7, 2013
GILT Paperback!
GILT is now available in paperback, with a fabulous new design! I love this cover, all silky and embossed. What do you think?
If you want a chance to win a copy, check out my Top Ten Favorite YA Historical Reads on Read My Breath Away.
OR
Visit the very first Tudor Tuesdays tour stop at Emilie's Book World.
You can order the paperback of GILT here.
If you want a chance to win a copy, check out my Top Ten Favorite YA Historical Reads on Read My Breath Away.
OR
Visit the very first Tudor Tuesdays tour stop at Emilie's Book World.
You can order the paperback of GILT here.
May 6, 2013
Tudor Tuesdays!
It's time again for Tudor Tuesdays--a blog series leading up to the publication of my book, hosted by Kathy Coe at A Glass of Wine. Every Tuesday for the next six weeks, various bloggers will be posting excerpts from TARNISH and a little insight into how and why I wrote the scene. We kick off today with a giveaway of the paperback of GILT, published today (!!) and will finish on June 18, with a giveaway of TARNISH.
Below is the full schedule:
May 7th - Emilie @ Emilie's Book World **Paperback of Gilt kick off**
May 14th - Katie @ BlookGirl
May 21st - Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf
May 28th - Kathy @ A Glass of Wine
June 4th - Kelly @ Belle of the Literati
June 11th - Jessica @ Read My Breath Away
Thank you, Kathy, for your superior organizational skills and unflagging enthusiasm, and thanks to all the fabulous bloggers who are making this possible!
