Season Vining's Blog, page 4

Finding Inspiration Anywhere

The question I get asked most often is, “How do you come up with your stories?” The answer is simple: ANY WAY POSSIBLE. Life is full of inspiration. You just have to slow down and look around and there are stories everywhere. Taking one simple idea and expanding it in your mind (or on paper) can lead to fantastic plots and complicated characters. You’ve simply got to find what inspires you.

With BEAUTIFUL ADDICTIONS, it all started with a dream. It was a dark dream. A girl sketching in an alley and a boy comes in. He’s angry and takes out his anger against the bricks. She hides away and watches him. The moon suddenly shines down like a spotlight and they are revealed, the voyeur and her subject. The moment is intense, but disappointing when he walks away.

I woke from that dream feeling heavy and overwhelmed. I wrote down everything I could remember. It was then tucked away in a notebook for a few months until I stumbled across it again. As soon as I revisited this dream, I was able to see these two characters. I imagined a connected past and dangerous love. I wrote a story and then fleshed out the subplots and details with a friend.

How the dream of one tiny scene morphed into an entire novel, I’ll never be able to say. There was no process set in stone, there were no rules to follow or map to guide me. I wrote it and then wrote it again. I added characters and intertwined them in the most interesting way possible. I erased the middle and wrote it again.

For me, writing is a lengthy process of layering. I’m not an outliner. That seems too rigid and formal for me. I write a basic draft. Then I rewrite it and add emotions, reactions. Then I’ll rewrite it and add details and scenery, descriptive imagery to put you in the story. That’s just me. Every writer has their own process.

Once you’ve found your inspiration, that tiny nagging feeling that tells you “this moment is bigger than it appears,” then all you’ve got to do is get it out of your head and onto paper. Embrace that notion and hold on for dear life. Before you know it, you won’t be writing the story, it will be writing itself.

Write on!

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Cover Reveal!

The cover art is finally here! I worked closely with my editor, Rose, to get this cover put together. And when I say “worked closely,” I mean annoyed the hell out of them. St. Martin’s was very open to my ideas and suggestions and after a great collaboration and some compromise, we have this gorgeous cover to show you! Shit. Just. Got. Real.

So, what do you guys think?

P.S. Here’s the link to St. Martin’s Heroes & Heartbreakers reveal of my cover!

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Where do I start?

So much has happened since my last update. In no particular order:

1. The final contract is done

Yes, even after all the verbal contract negotiations, things are not set in stone. When the contract came in from St. Martin’s, my agent read through it and had their contract lawyer read through it. They made a few changes and sent it back. One more round of revisions and then the final draft was delivered. Print, sign, and done. I’ve had my fill of jargon and clauses. It feels really great to have this done. All the legal talk is out of the way and I’m free and clear to be creative.

2. Audible deal is signed

Beautiful Addictions will be available in audio format from Audible! I’m not sure if I’ll have any input on the narrator or the process, but this is super exciting! I can’t wait to hear these characters come to life.

3. Beautiful Addictions has been added to Goodreads

For some reason, this made it really official for me. My book is on Goodreads, along with a nice description and release dates. Go take a look HERE and if you’re so inclined, add it to your To Read list.

4. The cover art is finalized

As with any artistic process, there were a couple of versions of the cover. I’m lucky to have such a great editor. Rose listened to my feedback and let me help with the process. I’m sure it got to the point of annoyance, but she and the artist were great sports. Once a graphic designer, always a graphic designer. I can’t share it with you guys yet, but very soon…

5. The eBook is available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks

Did you read what I typed? My book is available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and iBooks! Whoa. Let’s take a minute and let that sink in. This came along with news from St. Martin’s that they want to try a different approach releasing my book. They are going to release the eBook first (January 28) and the print book later (July 1). That means only FOUR more months until Beautiful Addictions will be out in the world.

6. Revisions on untitled Book 2 have begun

I’m having a lot of fun doing revisions on this book. I’m developing characters, killing my darlings, researching and living inside that world for a few hours at a time.

7. I have an official author page on Amazon

There’s not much HERE so far. A small bio and a few links represent my small piece of Amazon’s author space.

It’s a combination of all these things–some big, some small–that make this dream edge closer and closer to reality. Thanks for coming along with me. Write on!

The post Where do I start? appeared first on Season Vining.

What I’ve learned about publishing so far…

Summer rolled in, and with it came scathing temperatures and almost daily thunderstorms. For me, it also brought a few lessons about the publishing and writing process.

Soon. The word soon in publishing generally means three to four months. In an industry where it takes a year for a manuscript to become a novel on bookstore shelves, I suppose this makes sense. Though it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach when you’re experiencing soon for the very first time.

Rough Draft. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve written a rough draft, so imagine my surprise when I finished the first version of Book Two only to find that it was terrible. After a mini freak out, a Route 44 Diet Coke from Sonic and a bag of pretzel M & M’s, I was able to talk myself off the theoretical ledge. Of course the rough draft sucks. Of course it doesn’t compare to the finished manuscript I just finished editing. I put my heart and soul into that rough draft, but the rest of the recipe has not been added. Blood, sweat, tears, battle wounds and a sacrifice of personal hygiene must all be applied to that rough draft before it can grow into something I’m proud of.

Distractions. I write a sentence and then think, “Is that realistic? I should research that.” Then I proceed to my favorite search engine where I ask a simple question and get 600,000 simple answers. This leads to that, leads to something else and before I know it, I’ve been looking at cat bearding photos for an hour. I’ve learned of software that helps with cutting out distractions, but since I have zero self-control when it comes to this, I find turning off my modem and hiding my phone works just as well.

Twitter. As far as writers go, Twitter is the motherland. It is so easy to post follow me, buy this, read that, enter this contest, or check out my review in less than 140 characters. There are authors who strictly post self-promotional things. These get a bit boring and I find myself skimming over them. It garners an “I only want to talk about me” vibe that is off-putting. Other authors do well by mixing their “buy my book” posts with links to helpful articles or fun facts about reading and writing. These are my favorite. Lastly, there is the author that doesn’t need or doesn’t care for book promotion. They want to use their thousands of followers as a collective BFF to share things in their personal lives, photos of their new puppy or even political rants. I can’t say I blame them, because when’s the last time you had over 10,000 people in one place who actually want to hear what you have to say?

Overall, it’s been a fun three months since landing my book deal. I’ve learned so much about the process and have so much still to learn. I look forward to the journey and I’m glad that you guys are coming along with me. Write on!

The post What I’ve learned about publishing so far… appeared first on Season Vining.

Delivered and Accepted

It was silly of me to fear revisions. With a detailed list of changes, additions and subtractions, it almost felt like one of those dreaded word problems on the SAT’s. If Character A leaves at 4 p.m. on a train headed toward New Orleans and Character B drives his 1967 Impala to the 7-11 for some cigarettes and a frozen burrito, how many freckles does Zac Efron have? As it turns out, making the changes were very easy. Most of the edits fell in place naturally and made the story tighter (industry term for deleting unnecessary bits). I finished the changes in just a few days, read over the manuscript one last time and sent it back to Rose (my editor @ St. Martin’s Press).

She was thrilled with the changes and said, “Consider Beautiful Addictions delivered and accepted.” Well, that sounds all official, doesn’t it? Basically, this means that I’m done with the text of this book except for the copy edits–grammar, punctuation, spelling. I can’t wait to be shown the error of my grammatical ways.

Everything is happening so quickly, I feel like I’m on the fast track to publishing. So what now? I sit on my couch watching reruns of Supernatural and wait until next Spring when the book will be released? Of course not. There’s another book to write, people!

Good news! I finished the first draft of Book 2 (which is still untitled). I didn’t like the end. So I rewrote that and now, I’m much happier. Still a long way from the finish line, but I feel like I’m right on target with my time goals. Here’s a sneak peek at the setting for Book 2:

Yeah, that’s all you get for now. I might be a tease, but I’m not easy…

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Moving right along…

My editor, Rose, shoots me an email saying the edited manuscript is in the mail.

Eek! She also forwarded me her editorial letter summarizing changes so that I can “simmer on it”. This is a great phrase. While I’ve prepared myself for this (and by prepared, I mean I repeatedly chanted “be open to change, the editor knows best, fight for what you believe in”), it’s going to hurt like hell.

When you write a story, you pour yourself into it. So not only do those characters become part of you, you become part of them. Whether you express it through prose or personality traits of your main character, every author reveals themselves through their writing. When someone comes in to critique that, it’s hard to handle.

Reading through the editorial letter, I can say that it’s not going to be easy to address all the issues. But nothing great is ever easy, right? I agree with all the changes, even if it took a couple of paragraphs of explanation to sway me. I agree that they will make the story more streamlined, better. I agree that Rose knows best.

I’m lucky to have an editor that is passionate about this story. Us, working as a tag team, will make it the best it can be. Then, it’s all up to the readers. Write on.

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New Title

After much deliberation between myself, my agent and my editor, my novel has a new title.

Wait for it…

Wait for it…

Beautiful Addictions by Season Vining

It’s a great title, representing how dark, flawed and perfectly beautiful these characters are. It also hints at the journey that you will take with them. While it is romantic suspense, this is not your mother’s romance. It’s a new generation of love story filled with graffiti declarations, tattooed memories and devotion that survives even death.

The editor sent this photo as inspiration for the cover art. We want a cool, sexy vibe and I think we’re on the right track. Don’t you?

Can someone see if Adam Levine is available? Write on!

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I don’t write horror, but this is scary

Things are moving along just fine on my end. I’m writing and researching like a mad woman. I check in on the publishing contract and am hit with something I wasn’t prepared for. They need firm dates that book 2 and book 3 will be turned in to the publisher.

Uhh…

So, after a slight freak out that includes calendars, red ink and counting on my fingers, I calm down and reply. Nothing like a flashing neon date to say “You better get this done!” While I do feel the pressure of these dates, I will not fear them. A deadline is encouragement, a firm push in the right direction and sometimes a wake up call to your purpose.

I have stories in me. I have characters and plots, subplots and villains, trapped in my head. Now, I’ve just got to expel them onto the keyboard in some sort of chaotic order and voilà! Write on!

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Agent? Check. Book deal? Check. Check. Check.

The same day that the lovely Rachel Ekstrom became my agent, we received our first offer from St. Martin’s Press. After three days of negotiations, going back and forth over these rights and those rights, I accepted their offer with slack-jawed amazement and terrifying excitement. Synchronized squealing and an animated happy dance followed.

After coming back down to earth, I sat and marinated in the details.

THREE book deal
Great contract
Retain audio rights
Publish every 6 months
6 FIGURE ADVANCE

That’s it. No pressure. Hahaha. With such a generous advance and a quick publishing schedule, I’m leaving my day job to focus on writing. It’s exciting and so, so scary. But if this isn’t the time to follow a dream and take risks, then when is?

The craziest part of all this, is that within TWO WEEKS of meeting these ladies at the Jambalaya Writers Conference, I had a book deal. Thanks to Rose, from St Martin’s, and Rachel who believe in my writing and are already working so hard.

I keep asking myself, “Does this really happen to people?” The answer is, “Yes. It happened to you. So get writing!”

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I have an agent

Rachel Ekstrom with the Irene Goodman Literary Agency will be my advocate, my liaison, my pimp to the literary world. Even though she’s in NY, and I’m in Southern Louisiana, we’ve already met. I was lucky enough to meet Rachel at the Jambalaya Writers’ Conference in Houma, LA just 10 short days ago. It’s been a whirlwind 10 days of emails, manuscript requests and phone calls.

I’m excited to work with Rachel and have all the confidence in the world that she’ll represent me and my work amazingly.

So, keep trying, keep pushing, keep believing in your work and good things will happen. Write on!

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