Amy Sue Nathan's Blog: Women's Fiction Writers, page 8

Day 2 – #31DaysofInspiration

Today was an #InspirationFail.

I attended an event that I thought had the potential to inspire future stories or characters. It did not. It wasn’t anyone’s fault that the lecture/talk didn’t live up to my hopes, but it didn’t. Maybe my expectations were too high. I left early.

But last night was an #InspirationPalooza!

On the very day my book deal was announced, there was a Dirty Dancing marathon on TV. (You remember the book right? The one that was pitched as Dirty Dancing meets How to make an American Quilt?)

Timing is everything!

I watched the movie one and a half times and it was a good kick in the pants reminding me of the chemistry that needs to come across on every page the way it does for Johnny and Baby in every scene. I’m inspired by nerdy nephew and the hotel owner because they don’t even know how out-of-touch they are. I’m inspired by the parents who just want a nice vacation and are oblivious to what their daughters are up to.

I guess this is a good lesson to grab inspiration for our writing where we find it, and how that might not always be where we think it will be.

What inspired your writing, or your stories today?

xo Amy

These photos are my inspiration for the scene I’m finishing up right now.

 

Day 1 #31DaysofInspiration and a Book Deal

Believe it or not, today was easy in the inspiration department, because my new book deal was announced in Publisher’s Marketplace (I had no idea this would happen today):

Fiction: General

Founder of WomensFictionWriters.com, Tall Poppy Writers member, and author of THE GOOD NEIGHBOR and THE GLASS WIVES Amy Sue Nathan’s THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY, pitched as Dirty Dancing meets How to Make an American Quilt, the story of an octogenarian who revisits the summer of 1951 in South Haven, Michigan—known as the Catskills of the Midwest—when she was an 18-year-old beauty queen who changed the course of her well-planned life by marrying a man she didn’t love; almost seventy years later, she may finally get the chance to change it back and prove it’s never too late to start making plans, or to follow your heart, to Jodi Warshaw atLake Union Publishing, for publication in spring 2020, by Danielle Egan-Millerat Browne & Miller Literary Associates (world).

The faith my agent and publisher have in me is inspiring — and a little bit daunting. It took NINE MONTHS to sell this book baby and I want to make sure THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY is worth the wait! It’s the hardest book I’ve written by far. Now that I think of it, challenges inspire me as well.

For this novel, more than any other, I’m visually inspired. I have a Pinterest board with 1950s images and another with images that might help my publisher design the perfect cover. This is the inspiration board that my agent shared when she pitched my book to publishers. I look at it often, along with hundreds of other photos I’ve compiled!

What inspired you to write today? Or what inspired you think about stories and characters, or maybe even, create some new ones? Do tell! It’s Day One — you can’t be bored yet!

Amy xo

 

 

 

It’s Not Easy Being Creative

I don’t mean to neglect this blog, I really don’t.

So, to kickstart some creativity in this space, I’m going to post 31 Days of Inspiration starting August 1st.

I’m talking about what motivates me to write or nudges me to polish a scene or edges me closer to a good idea ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY. People always ask writers ‘HOW DO YOU DO IT?’ How do you sit down and write? Where do the ideas come from? (I like to say Target, in the dollar section.)

“It’s my job” doesn’t seem to be sufficient. We all know it’s more complicated than BIC. (Butt In Chair)

It’s not easy being creative when it’s your job or when you are striving to make it or job or to meet a self-imposed or editor deadline, right?

I might post a bit of advice I share with one of my writers. (I’m an editor and book coach, don’t worry, I will only use non-identifying details.) It might be a photo that relates to my WIP. It might be a movie or TV show at makes me laugh or cry, adding to my arsenal of emotions for my story. It could be a stranger’s gait, or eavesdropping on a conversation that leads to an epiphany for my story.

I’m hoping that August will clue me into the phase of life for this blog — because it needs it, and so do I!

I’ll post here every day and if I can’t post here — I’ll tell you where you can find me using #31DaysofInspiration on Twitter or Instagram.

I’ll also add tidbits of info about writing if I think you’ll like them. The key is to find my way to this blog again, because I miss and all of YOU.

Tell me what you’re writing and what you’ve been up to in the last couple of months!

See you on August 1st.

Amy xo

PS I got this idea from Dan Blank and he’s a creativity guru. Fingers crossed!

Hanging out near Chicago with my stellar literary agent. Books, sushi, lipstick. We love the same things and make a great team. She reminds me how much she loves my WIP and that inspires me get words on the page.

Hanging out in Disneyworld with Daisy Duck. My first real vacation in 18 years inspired me to take time off. The work was there when I returned.

Hanging out with my college buddies near home. It’s new for us after 30+ years and like no time has passed. This inspires me to remember these real connections when I write fictional friends.

Hanging at home with Mitzi, who now can’t really hear anymore at all. Otherwise, she’s a healthy 14 year old dog who’s just much quieter than she used to be. Mitzi inspires me to come up with creative doggie sign language. So far, we’re doing great!

 

Author Interview: Sally Koslow’s New Novel Earns Glowing Review on Oprah.com!

I don’t know about where you are, but it’s FINALLY Spring here in Philadelphia. Perfect time for great new read, maybe outside in a hammock, under a beach umbrella, or on a long boat, train, or plane ride!

And wouldn’t you know? I have a suggestion! ANOTHER SIDE OF PARADISE by Sally Koslow is a delightful, vibrant, and heartwarming story of Sheilah Graham and her love affair with none other than F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Sally is known for her contemporary women’s fiction and this is her first foray into historical fiction. I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this book and couldn’t put it down. It’s compelling, smart, and hooked me right away. It’s detailed but not cumbersome, and the personalities of these real life characters shine through in this fictional account of their lives.

I’m thrilled Sally is here today, just two days after publication! She is a dear friend and a fellow Tall Poppy Writer.

Please welcome Sally Koslow back to WFW!

Amy xo

Authors Eileen Gouge, Me, Lynda Loigman, and Sally Koslow. Summer 2017 in NYC

 Read Oprah.com’s sparkling review of ANOTHER SIDE OF PARADISE!

Amy: Sally, what sparked the idea for this novel? Was it an article? A photo? A conversation? How long did this idea roll around in your head before you started writing?

Sally: I got the bug to begin ANOTHER SIDE OF PARADISE after reading Stewart O’Nan’s excellent biographical novel about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s later Hollywood years. Sheilah Graham appeared in this book as a secondary character. She intrigued me because, like the fictional Jay Gatsby, “Sheilah” had completely reinvented herself. I began to research her, and the more I dug, the better I liked her. At the time I was working on a contemporary novel, but when I told my agent about my interest in this new project, she loved it, and urged me to go for it.

Amy: Would you share with us what it was like to change genres from contemporary women’s fiction to essentially a historical love story? I’d totally still group this under the WF umbrella, would you?

Sally: Common wisdom suggests that writers should each stay in our established lane, but I’ve never totally bought into that thinking. Sometimes I find that this causes books to become formulaic and predictable. It was a challenge that I found interesting to switch from contemporary to historical, especially in writing about a real person, which presents limitations, because facts are facts, which I wanted to honor.  I don’t assume that now I’ll write only biographical novels. What all my books have in common is a cunning female protagonist, or a female who becomes stronger as the book progresses. Sheilah happens to have been a real person I tried to bring to life while my other heroines were purely fictional, but it’s fair to say that every woman about whom I write lives happily under the WF umbrella. She’s a tough cookie, at least on the inside.

Amy: What was your biggest challenge, not in having this novel published, but in writing it? How did you overcome this challenge?

Sally: Even fascinating, flesh-and-blood people don’t live their life in a compelling “plot.” In writing Sheilah’s story—and Scott’s—I had to figure out what to eliminate and what to add. (Thank you, poetic license.) It was also a challenge to create authentic voices for Sheilah and Scott. Sheilah was British, so her speech needed to reflect that background and F. Scott Fitzgerald? I had to take a deep breath dive in, and do my level best to make the great man speak. And of course it was important to make sure that the book –which spans 1914 to the 1930s—didn’t contain anachronisms in details or speech.

Amy: Do you have a favorite scene in the novel? Was it a hard or easy scene to write? (I find that the ones that almost kill me are the ones that end up being my favorites.)

Sally: My favorite scene is when Scott is hired as a screenwriter for “Gone with the Wind” and is blocked in understanding Rhett Butler. Sheilah, who has a lot in common with Scarlett O’Hara, totally gets Rhett and to help Scott develop dialogue, offers to act out Scarlett in the famous staircase scene with Scott playing the role of Rhett. It was fun to write this scene, because I love that movie, and I also enjoy going for humor.

Amy: We talk a lot about writing of course, but what hooks YOU when you begin reading a book? What makes you put down a book and not continue?

Sally: I look for original, fresh writing. I admire authors who, like architects, stretch themselves to use interesting, fresh language—extra points for wit. I can’t stand lazy, predictable writing with unintentional word duplication. That makes me want to throw a book against the wall. Of course, the characters and story line have to be there, too. Characters need obstacles to overcome, and a book needs shape. I love books that because of the high bar the set for language inspire me how to try and become a better writer myself, and make me want to run to my laptop and knock out a paragraph or two.

In Another Side of Paradise (Harper, May 29, 2018), Sally Koslow brings to life F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Hollywood affair with the Gatsby-esque Sheilah Graham, a gossip columnist, scrappy self-invention and woman with deep secrets. After four contemporary novels—including the international bestseller, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx and her debut, Little Pink Slips, an insider’s view of the magazine industry (which she knows only too well)—this is Sally’s first biographical novel. She lives in Manhattan, but hopes the statute of limitations never ends on mentioning that she grew up in Fargo, North Dakota.

Website: www.sallykoslow.com

Twitter: @sallykoslow

Instagram: spkoslow

https://www.facebook.com/SallyKoslowA...

 

Author Interview: Katie Rose Guest Pryal Talks About FALLOUT GIRL

Hi friends!

I’d like to introduce Katie Rose Guest Pryal. I’ve read many of Katie Rose’s essays, which are honest and insightful, but until FALLOUT GIRL I hadn’t read Katie’s fiction. The good news is, I didn’t need to read the first books in the series to appreciate this story. I was able to fall right into the rhythm of Miranda George and her story. And it intrigued me to find out more about the other books in the series.

Please welcome Katie Rose to Women’s Fiction Writers!

Amy xo

 

MEET KATIE ROSE GUEST PRYAL

 

Amy: Where did you get the spark of the idea for Miranda?

Katie Rose: Miranda came to me half-way through Chasing Chaos. Daphne, the main character of CHASING CHAOS  needed someone in her life to care for, but also, at the same time, someone to push her harder than her friends would when she started making some bad decisions. Miranda was a side character who was both vulnerable but full of sharp edges. She became the main character in HOW TO STAY, a novella that dives into her backstory in North Carolina, and FALLOUT GIRL, which picks up where CHASING CHAOS leaves off.

Amy: Hollywood Lights is a trilogy, did the ideas come to you in order?

Katie Rose: I wrote the first book in the Hollywood Lights series, ENTANGLEMENT  a long time ago, back when my time in L.A. didn’t seem like a distant memory, but rather something more recent. I didn’t intend for the book to be the beginning of a series.

However, my publisher thought that ENTANGLEMENT would make a good start to a series, so I wrote a second book, and then a third, and and now, years later, I’m finishing up the series. FALLOUT GIRL is book 5. (Book 6, in progress, will be the last.) The stories all feature different main characters, and they all stand alone. I call them “linked novels,” a more accurate descriptor than the word “series,” which I think implies that you have to read them in order to understand what is going on.

Amy: Tell us about using California as a setting. How did you choose that? Or, did your characters choose?

Katie Rose: The books are set in between North Carolina and Los Angeles. I’m from North Carolina, so that part’s easy. I lived in Los Angeles for a little while after college. Los Angeles, and the various neighborhoods and landmarks, the way people live there, the geography and architecture—is a character itself.

Amy: Without spoilers, which was the most difficult scene in the book to write? Did it end up being one of your favorites or were you just glad to be done with it? Share that experience with us, and maybe how you rose to the challenge. (Katie Rose rose, bet you never heard that before.)

Katie Rose: To be honest, this ENTIRE BOOK was difficult to write. I’d been on a roll, honestly, dashing off novels over the past few years like it was nothing. And then I came up against this book, and I thought it might break me. I’m serious. This book was so difficult. And then the rewriting was difficult. And then I had reader after reader look at it, and then I had to revise over and over, more times than I ever have needed to before. Writing this book felt like tearing something out of myself. But, like you said in your question, because of all of this work, the book became my favorite because of all of this work.

Amy: You’re one of the most well-rounded writers I know. You do it all. Novels, non-fiction, academia, publishing. Can you share with us a little about starting your own press?

Katie Rose: My first piece of advice is don’t do it alone. You need someone with complementary skills. My second piece of advice is to be a lawyer. My partner and I joke that between us we have an accountant, an attorney, a graphic designer, a web designer, a social media manager, two developmental editors, two copyeditors, a marketing department, and more. It’s really amazing how much work is required to be successful.

Amy: What’s your best advice for aspiring novelists?

Katie Rose: You have to be cocky and humble at the same time. It’s hard to know when. But you need both.

Katie is a novelist, essayist, and erstwhile law professor in Chapel Hill, NC. She is the author of the Hollywood Lights Series, which includes ENTANGLEMENT, LOVE AND ENTROPY, CHASING CHAOS, HOW TO STAY, and FALLOUT GIRL (2018). She also writes nonfiction, including LIFE OF THE MIND INTERRUPTED: MENTAL HEALTH AND DISABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION.

As a journalist, Katie has contributed to QUARTZ, THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION, THE (late, great) TOAST, DAME MAGAZINE, PASTE MAGAZINE, and more. She earned her master’s degree in creative writing from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins, where she attended on a fellowship. She lives in Chapel Hill where she works as an editor and teaches creative writing. She is a member of the Tall Poppy Writers (tallpoppies.org). You can connect with Katie on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @krgpryal, on her blog at katieroseguestpryal.com, and through her e-letter at pryalnews.com.

Katie is a novelist, essayist, and erstwhile law professor in Chapel Hill, NC. She is the author of the Hollywood Lights Series, which includes ENTANGLEMENT, LOVE AND ENTROPY, CHASING CHAOS, HOW TO STAY, and FALLOUT GIRL (2018). She also writes nonfiction, including LIFE OF THE MIND INTERRUPTED: MENTAL HEALTH AND DISABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION.

As a journalist, Katie has contributed to QUARTZ, THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION, THE (late, great) TOAST, DAME MAGAZINE, PASTE MAGAZINE, and more. She earned her master’s degree in creative writing from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins, where she attended on a fellowship. She lives in Chapel Hill where she works as an editor and teaches creative writing. She is a member of the Tall Poppy Writers (tallpoppies.org). You can connect with Katie on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @krgpryal, on her blog at katieroseguestpryal.com, and through her e-letter at pryalnews.com.




“Fallout Girl is a love story wrapped inside a heart-rending struggle for personal freedom.” —Sonja Yoerg, author of All the Best People

Guest Post: 3 Rules for Writing Your Best Query Letter Ever by Kelly Simmons

Hi friends!

I’ve known Kelly Simmons since 2007, I think. Which means, Kelly and I have known each other like 77 dog years, which I think is even more in Internet years. When I moved back to Philadelphia a year and a half ago, one of my bonuses was that a group of my Tall Poppy Writer pals are also Philly based, Kelly included. And she showed up to my new home, before the furniture did! And Kelly brought pizza.

Today Kelly’s here on my well-furnished online home to share some gems about query writing.

She knows wha she’s talking about, so read, bookmark, share with your writer pals.

Then maybe they’ll bring you pizza!

Amy xo 

PS Check out Kelly’s books and links below!

by Kelly Simmons

Some people call me the Query Queen, but I draw the line at a tiara.

Through my seminars at writer’s conferences, and mentoring via the Liars Club Writers Coffeehouses, I’ve helped thousands of writers through the query process.  I’ve seen firsthand the crazy mistakes made by perfectly sane people.  Here’s how to avoid becoming one of them.

Why is the shortest document a novelist writes also one of the hardest? 

Because there’s so much at stake. Yet, most authors spend about 20 minutes crafting their query letter.  Crazy, right?  Allow yourself a few days of thinking, writing, editing.

A query letter is not a letter.

A query is a piece of direct marketing advertising, designed for the recipient to take notice and take action.  Fortunately, I’m an advertising executive by trade, so I know how to do this.  (And it’s waaaayyy easier than writing a new novel cuz everyone rejected your first one due to a crummy query.) Let me break it down for you —   into a few Sections, and a few Rules.

Sections: 

The email subject line.
The all-important opening.
The book description. (Everyone makes the same mistake here, but I’m getting ahead of myself.)
The why me.
The why you.
The call to action.
The P.S. (Trust me, you need one. Don’t make me arm wrestle you, just keep listening.)

Rules: 

Keep it short


Don’t sound like an asshole


Don’t become an automatic no

That’s it!  Let me elaborate.

Sections:

Subject line:  This has to be something related to your all important opening or your P.S.  It should not contain words like ‘free’ or ‘virus’ or ‘penis’ because you will go straight to spam.  I advise writing this last, yet most people write it first.  Silly people.
Opening:   Agents get hundreds of queries a day.  They don’t read most of them past the first paragraph.  SO THE FIRST PARAGRAPH IS CRITICAL.   For the opening, just choose which of the other sections is the most important.  Simple, right?  Where do you shine or appear to be unique?  IS IT . . .  your brilliant original book synopsis?  Or is it the ‘why me’  – an interesting reason you wrote the book, a connection to the material or the person you’re querying.  Often the most important section is the ‘why you’ paragraph, an interesting way you met or learned about the agent, an introduction from a friend (which is GOLD. So Gold it will become your subject line, too.)
Book Description: Did I mention they get hundreds of queries per day? Don’t make the mistake everyone makes, which is to drone on for an entire freaking page.  “And then he and then she and then.”  Write only one paragraph.  Emphasize main plot over subplot.  Show character desire, roadblocks, growth. Mention genre.  Give 1-2 comparable titles, no more, or I will have to hunt you down and give you a cardboard paper cut.
Why Me: Do you have a job related to your book?   Have you done fascinating research?  Are you an expert in your topic?  Do you have a knowledge platform – a podcast, a column?  Are you a community leader with a built in base?  Did your best friend go to college with the agent?  Have your short stories been published in two prestigious literary journals? Do you have a blurb already from a famous author on your manuscript? (If you do, that’s the opening my friend.)
Why You: If you do your research, you’ll know enough about every agent to say something admiring of their work or their clients.  Agents are human and like to be flattered.  This is a lovely way to wind things down —  by sucking up.
Call to action: Don’t just say “look forward to hearing from you.” That’s so mushy and general.  Be concrete and detailed (like your prose).   Say “I’d like to send you a few chapters.  I’ll follow up in two weeks to see if I can persuade you.”
The P.S. Think it’s silly?  Think it’s for kids?  Well, consider this — THE P.S. IS THE SECOND MOST READ part of any letter, after the opening!  So pull out a fun fact, think of something you want them to remember, and PUT IT IN a P.S.

Rules:    

Keep it short.  If you think it’s short enough, it’s not.
Don’t sound like an a–hole. Don’t compare yourself to Hemingway even if it’s true.  Don’t list a million publication credits.  Don’t blather on and on about your MFA and all the famous teachers who liked your work.  Toot your horn with humility!
Don’t be an automatic no. Don’t query a romance agent with a sci-fi thriller – read their guidelines!  Don’t write to someone named Amy and say Dear Becca. Don’t misspell words.  Don’t lie.  Agents know each other and agents gossip!

Also, remember to stay positive.  Agents need writers and manuscripts. Without you, they are nothing.  So don’t make it easy for them to turn you down by dashing off a long, meandering, braggy letter!

P.S.   Did I mention I have snagged four different agents by sending letters with no personal connection?  And that one of those letters had a 90% success rate of asking for the full manuscript?   Impressive, isn’t it?  Which is why I saved it for the PS.

Good luck and happy querying!

Kelly Simmons is a former journalist and advertising creative director and the author of the novels Standing Still, The Bird House, One More Day, and her latest, The Fifth of July. She’s a member of WFWA, Tall Poppy Writers and The Liars Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping fledgling novelists.

Because you know you want more info about Kelly:

http://www.kellysimmonsbooks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Fans-of-Author-Kelly-Simmons-291343839243/

https://twitter.com/kellysimmons

https://www.instagram.com/kellyasimmons/

https://www.facebook.com/kellysimmonswrites?ref=bookmarks

 

Author Interview: In The Shadow of 10,000 Hills by Jennifer Haupt

Hi WFW Friends!

Let me introduce Jennifer Haupt, a debut novelist and a prolific essayist with an esteemed blog on Psychology Today (link below). 

Here’s a bit about Jen’s new novel:

In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills deftly weaves together the journeys of three women from vastly diverse backgrounds who are searching for family and personal peace in post-genocide Rwanda. At the heart of this novel that bestselling author Wally Lamb calls “an evocative page turner” and bestselling author Caroline Leavitt calls “blazingly original” is the discovery of grace when there can be no forgiveness.

Because I’m fascinated with writers (I love our tribe) I went off script with Jen and wanted to pry into her process. I hope you get as much out of it as I did. 

Please follow Jen on social media and support her any way you can! 

Hugs,

Amy xo

In The Shadow of 10,000 Hills by Jennifer Haupt

Amy:  Jen,  you, like many many writers, want to transform their personal experiences into fiction. What was your biggest challenge in separating yourself from your characters? 

Jen: What a great question! It’s funny, the character I had the hardest time connecting with was Rachel, who I originally imagined to be the most like me. It was only when I truly separated from her and listened to who she wanted to be that I “got” her — and was able to fully write her story.

I have a process journal where I write pages and pages of details about each character — from their favorite color and beverage, to the ghost that haunts them, to what they desire and what they learn that they truly need. So even Rachel, who started out as me, evolved into her own person rather quickly.

I started out thinking I was most like Rachel because she has unresolved grief that leads her to believe she doesn’t know how to love fully, like a mother should. She believes that when her father abandoned her family when she was a child, he took with him a piece of her heart. My unresolved grief was about my big sister’s death when I was two and she was three. This novel was Rachel’s journey to Rwanda to find her father and take back that piece of her heart. My journey, throughout the eleven years I wrote this novel, was also to discover more of my heart; love more. But in the end, I wound up thinking I was more like Henry, Rachel’s father, than Rachel. That was a huge surprise!

Amy: Do you have any tips for writers struggling to do this in their own work?

Jen: Yes. Listen to your characters. I know, that sounds weird but the more you know about them, the more you write down in a notebook all of the details of their life, their likes and dislikes, the clearer you will see who they really are. They’ll probably surprise you, and definitely teach you some things about yourself!

The process journal is my bible. It’s where I go when I’m lost and need to get grounded in my characters and their stories. Look at your family of characters, how they are related to each other, how what they want and what they (eventually) discover they need relates to the plot and the overarching themes of the book. The more time you invest in your process journal, the bigger the payoff will be on the pages of your novel.

Amy: A worry for many writers is how people who know them will react to their writing that was in some way derived from their own lives. Did you worry about this? If so, how did you overcome it to write the book? 

Jen: Well, that’s why I wrote fiction instead of memoir! The beauty of fiction is that even if you begin basing your characters on real people, they grow into quite different people.

When I began writing this book I did worry that my mom would see herself in Rachel’s mercurial mother. But when my mom read the book, she related to Rachel who had a miscarriage that colored the way she loved her husband. I didn’t realize that through the process of writing this book, I was working on finding empathy and compassion for my mom.

Jennifer Haupt went to Rwanda as a journalist in 2006, twelve years after the genocide that wiped out over one million people, to explore the connections between forgiveness and grief. She spent a month interviewing survivors and humanitarian aid workers, and returned to Seattle with something unexpected: the bones of a novel. Haupt’s essays and articles have been published in O, The Oprah Magazine, The Rumpus, Spirituality & Health, Psychology Today, Travel & Leisure, The Sun and many other publications. In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills is her first novel.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.haupt.756

Twitter: @Jennifer_Haupt

Instagram: @jenniferhauptauthor

Psychology Today blog, “One True Thing”: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/one-true-thing

Guest Post: Six Book Launch Fears by Barbara Claypole White

Hi writer friends!

Ever wonder what it’s like to launch your book into the world? Wonder what it’s like for other authors? Today, my long-time friend and best-selling author, Barbara Claypole White, shares her honest account of what she’s thinking and feeling during a book launch. And that’s her thing! Barbara’s novels tackle mental health topics with honestly and compassion. Nothing is sugar-coated, but the facts are wrapped in stories that whisk you away, teach you, and leave you better than when you started.

What more can you ask for?

Amy xo

Six Book Launch Fears

By Barbara Claypole White

What’s the real moment of completion with a novel: When you return the page proofs, or when launch day propels your story into the public domain? Beats me, because I find both terrifying.

I love to excavate fear, digging until I unearth the seed that gave roots to a character’s darkest fear. Sadly, I learned this from dealing with my son’s obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD terrorizes you with intrusive thoughts, relentless what-ifs, and debilitating anxiety. A wily bastard, it generates fears that morph and grow in a heartbeat. With the right questions, however, an OCD coach can trace those fears back to one comment, one news story, one pinprick of an incident. In writing terms, it’s your aha moment. You have exposed the fear as a pesky unwanted thought; you have taken away its power.

When snowmaggedon derailed plans for my fifth book launch, it sparked self-reflective questions: Did cancelling events matter? Did I have any part to play in my book’s future? Hell, was my launch angst one big, fat irrational fear?

Separation anxiety

I struggle to let go of my characters. I’ve almost succeeded when book launch rolls around and threatens to push aside the new characters who’ve taken up prime real estate in my brain. I was dreading this launch because THE PROMISE BETWEEN US returns to OCD, which makes the book intensely personal. But when nature had me shoveling snow rather than preparing for my inaugural event, I realized I have as much control over my characters’ fate as I do over the weather. I’d done the work; I was proud of the result; I was ready to hand my story over to strangers.

Bad sales figures

I’m passionate about creating characters who challenge misconceptions of mental illness, but publishing’s a business, not group therapy. It’s all about the money—something else I can’t control. Shoveling snow stopped me from compulsively checking the book’s stats in an endless loop of worry. By the time I’d peeled off my thermal undies, I didn’t want to check. I’d accidentally quit cold turkey, and it was liberating.

Stage fright

I love chatting with readers, book clubs, and booksellers, but I’m an introvert. As a child, I spent hours playing in my bedroom, lost in my own world. (My mother routinely forgot I was in the house.) Fifty years later, when I hear my husband say, “I never see Barbara. She’s always upstairs in her office,” I realize little has changed. I still want to be alone with my imaginary friends, and any event that puts me on a stage is a private hell. At sixteen I had to be drugged with half a valium to perform a solo with the school jazz band. Now that I’m older and my thoughts implode midsentence, I have even less fondness for public presentations. However, one truth empowers me: I’m the expert on my books. How badly can I screw up in front of an audience if I’m the leading authority in the world?

I’m a has-been

With each launch, doubt whispers, “Do you have the energy or talent to repeat this process? Is it time to quit?” But with five traditionally published novels, I must be doing something right. If the new book tanks, am I going to stop writing? No, because I’ve been chasing this life since I was five years old, and no one else can tell my stories in my voice. I guess my agent’s stuck with me until one of us retires. (Sorry, Nalini.)

Negative reviews

Want to know what was really driving my neurosis about this launch? My first negative review. The hero of my debut, THE UNFINISHED GARDEN, struggled with OCD. He also came from my darkest fear as a mother: What if, when my young son grew up, no one could see beyond his obsessive, anxious behavior to love him for the incredible person he is? In my first bad review, the reader stated I’d failed to educate her about OCD and clearly didn’t understand my subject matter. I was reading her words when my son stumbled into my office, collapsed on the floor, and told he couldn’t go on. OCD, he said, had won. That review haunted me for months, but it also motivated me to come back swinging. I wanted the last word; I wanted to tell this reviewer, “You’re wrong, and I’ll prove it.” THE PROMISE BETWEEN US is the result, and the heartfelt messages I’ve received from readers in the trenches with OCD suggest I know what I’m talking about with this chronic illness. (Although I wish I didn’t.)

Will readers understand?

I don’t tackle easy subjects, and my style is quirky. When the PR person referred to ECHOES OF FAMILY—my fourth novel—as a hard read, I agreed. Not everyone wants to be in the head of my heroine while she’s battling manic-depression off her meds. Marianne’s thought process was exhausting and confusing; I was filled with self-doubt as I struggled to bring her to life. Finding her true voice—the one constant in the yo-yo of her mood swings—was my reward, because this cliché is true: the good stuff happens outside your comfort zone. Creating characters like Marianne, who battle invisible disabilities with extraordinary courage, is what I do.

So, cheers—I guess I’ll see you at my next book launch.

Bestselling author Barbara Claypole White creates hopeful family drama with a healthy dose of mental illness. Originally from England, she writes and gardens in the forests of North Carolina, where she lives with her beloved OCD family. Her novels include The Unfinished Garden, The In-Between Hour, The Perfect Son, and Echoes of Family.  The Promise Between Us, which shines a light on postpartum OCD, launched in January 2018. She is also an OCD Advocate for the A2A Alliance, a nonprofit group that promotes advocacy over adversity. To connect with Barbara, please visit www.barbaraclaypolewhite.com, or follow her on Facebook. She’s always on Facebook.

 

Goodreads Giveaway for Left to Chance

Just in time for the new year (or late holiday gifting) two copies of Left to Chance, signed, if you like, are up for grabs on Goodreads until 12/17! Just click here to enter!

GIVEAWAY

If you’ve already read Left to Chance, enter anyway! It’s always nice to tuck away a future hostess or birthday gift, right?

Did you read and enjoy the story? Please leave a review on Amazon (even if you didn’t get the book there, it’s fine) or at any other site where you’re comfortable sharing your thoughts!

Good luck!

Amy xo

What happens after NanoWriMo?

NanoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) ended on November 30th. This was the first year I tagged along to see what the fuss was about. I participated on my own terms, with a small “unofficial” group on Facebook that disbanded as soon as the clock tolled December.

I promised myself, and my friends, I’d write 1,000 words per day. This would not allow me to achieve WINNER status in the official Nano groups, because the goal is 50K in November, not 30K. But I knew I wouldn’t even get that far. With Left to Chance launching on November 21, I knew I had fewer than three weeks to dedicate myself to my WIP before all promo hell and fun broke loose. Note, I didn’t start a new project with Nano, I jumped in where I was with the intent to head toward finishing.

I lasted until mid-November, and came away with over 13K new words that catapulted me toward The End of my first draft. Honestly, I’ve never written 13K in two weeks before.

And, this is what happened yesterday:

 

I believe this happened for two reasons. First, whenever possible, I stuck to my (meager) word count. I wrote out of order, late at night, early in the morning. Second, I kept it going after Nano because I WASN’T FINISHED. I realized that the word count thing (that’s the technical term for you non-writers) was working for me. I had never written with a word count goal before. I connected with a writer friend on deadline (Hi Pamela!) and we are emailing every morning with our daily goals, and every night with an honest assessment of our day. As we knew it would, the emails immediately became a place to chat as well as to plan. We don’t dillydally, because, you know, deadlines. But Pamela did reply to my emergency midday tofu email yesterday.

Because that’s what friends are for.

Of course, I would never show anyone else the dreck that is the last 20K or so of my WIP, but it’s my dreck, and I’m fine with that.

Now it’s time to rearrange, revise, rewrite, and make a molehill out of this mountain.

Wish me luck!

Amy xo