Emily Croy Barker's Blog, page 2
November 14, 2013
Thank You!
When Goodreads sent me an email this week telling me that The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic had made it into the semifinals of the Goodreads Choice Awards, I didn't believe it at first. After all, my book wasn't one of the nominees in the opening round. The email didn't even specify the category in which my book was allegedly a semifinalist. Hmmm, I thought, is this one of those "You May Already Be A Winner!" deals?
But I read the email again and then went to Goodreads to look through all the categories. Found a familiar-looking book jacket in Best Fantasy: 2013. Closed the browser and clicked back to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Yes, still there.
So, I'm a little slow, but I finally realized what had happened. The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic made it to the semifinals based purely on write-in votes. Wow. I have been in a happy state of shock ever since.
I'm VERY honored--and moved, frankly--that so many wonderful readers chose this book as the best fantasy novel of the year. I wrote this novel with the hope that the story and the characters who had insisted on engrossing my attention might come alive for other people, too. I think my wish has come true. Thank you so much for your support in the first round, and I hope you'll vote for The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic again.
But I read the email again and then went to Goodreads to look through all the categories. Found a familiar-looking book jacket in Best Fantasy: 2013. Closed the browser and clicked back to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Yes, still there.
So, I'm a little slow, but I finally realized what had happened. The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic made it to the semifinals based purely on write-in votes. Wow. I have been in a happy state of shock ever since.
I'm VERY honored--and moved, frankly--that so many wonderful readers chose this book as the best fantasy novel of the year. I wrote this novel with the hope that the story and the characters who had insisted on engrossing my attention might come alive for other people, too. I think my wish has come true. Thank you so much for your support in the first round, and I hope you'll vote for The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic again.
October 3, 2013
On Getting Lost and Trusting Readers
Sam Montgomery-Blinn of Bull Spec had some great questions for me when we did this Q&A right before my last trip to North Carolina. Thanks much for the interview, Sam!
Q: You set parts of the novel in and around Asheville. What is it about the Land of the Sky that makes it an ideal setting for both a wedding and a portal to another world? Did you spend much time in the mountains while you lived in North Carolina?
I set the beginning of the novel in the mountains of North Carolina because when I was a kid, my mother, my brother, and I had an experience somewhat similar to Nora’s, in that we climbed a mountain near Asheville, discovered the bald at the top, had a wonderful time exploring it, and then—just as the sun was setting—found that we couldn’t remember which was the right path down. We realized then, just as Nora does, that if we took the wrong path, we could wind up on the wrong side of the mountain, miles from where we wanted to be. To read more, click here.
Q: You set parts of the novel in and around Asheville. What is it about the Land of the Sky that makes it an ideal setting for both a wedding and a portal to another world? Did you spend much time in the mountains while you lived in North Carolina?
I set the beginning of the novel in the mountains of North Carolina because when I was a kid, my mother, my brother, and I had an experience somewhat similar to Nora’s, in that we climbed a mountain near Asheville, discovered the bald at the top, had a wonderful time exploring it, and then—just as the sun was setting—found that we couldn’t remember which was the right path down. We realized then, just as Nora does, that if we took the wrong path, we could wind up on the wrong side of the mountain, miles from where we wanted to be. To read more, click here.
August 12, 2013
The Rules of Magic (originally published in The New York Times)
“I WISH I was rich,” says the little boy, just as most of us have wished at least once in our lives. But this little boy has a magic talisman that grants wishes. Instantly, right in front of his distraught siblings, he is transformed into “an elderly gentleman, handsomely but rather dowdily dressed...." To read more, click here.
August 11, 2013
The Allure of Fiction
Thanks to Oh, for the Hook of a Book! for the chance to blog about what it's like for a journalist to start writing fiction!
I'VE BEEN A WRITER AND EDITOR for more than 20 years, and for the majority of that time, the writing I did was all journalism—mostly long features for business magazines like The American Lawyer and Inc. When I started writing The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic almost eight years ago, it was strictly for my own enjoyment. I’d dreamed up a couple of characters that I couldn’t get out of my mind, a woman trapped by enchantment and the magician who becomes her ally and teacher. Once I’d figured out a little bit more about who they were and how their stories were linked, I decided that I’d better start writing this down. . . .
To read more, click here.
I'VE BEEN A WRITER AND EDITOR for more than 20 years, and for the majority of that time, the writing I did was all journalism—mostly long features for business magazines like The American Lawyer and Inc. When I started writing The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic almost eight years ago, it was strictly for my own enjoyment. I’d dreamed up a couple of characters that I couldn’t get out of my mind, a woman trapped by enchantment and the magician who becomes her ally and teacher. Once I’d figured out a little bit more about who they were and how their stories were linked, I decided that I’d better start writing this down. . . .
To read more, click here.
August 8, 2013
Interview and Live Chat with Emily Croy Barker
Really enjoyed talking with Nora Rawlinson and live-chatting with readers about The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic. Click here to listen to the interview and to read the live chat.
