Kay Kenyon's Blog, page 11

I’ll be around . . .

PUBLICATION DAY HAS ARRIVED! At the Table of Wolves is now available, and I’m very excited to be out and about signing, presenting, and generally showing up here and there. Please drop by and say hello!

July 12. SEATTLE. Reading and signing, University Book Store with Nancy Kress, who will be reading from Tomorrow’s Kin.

July 15. LEAVENWORTH, WA. Signing, A Book For All Seasons. 2:00–4:00 PM.

July 18. PODCAST interview, Bill Kenower’s Author to Author; 2:00 PM PDT, and available for later listening, too.

July 20. WENATCHEE, WA. Signing and talk. Wenatchee Library. 6:30 PM.

July 21-23. SEATTLE. Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference;   Friday, 8 PM Autograph party; Saturday, 10 AM The Glorious Middle of the Novel; Saturday, 4 PM Landscapes of Fantasy: From Mythic to Diesel Punk.

August 4-6. PORTLAND, OR. Presentations and signing. Willamette Writers Conference, Portland, OR. Sat. 3:30, Landscapes of Fantasy: From Mythic to Diesel Punk; Sunday, 8 AM,

The Glorious Middle: The hidden structure of pages 100-300

August 29, 10 AM. PODCAST interview. Susan Wingate’s Dialogue Between the Lines. 10:00 AM and available for later listening, too.

November 2-5. SAN ANTONIO, TX. World Fantasy convention. Schedule TBA.

November 18-20. PORTLAND, OR. Orycon science fiction and fantasy convention.

Hope to see you: friends, readers, acquaintances, fellow authors!

To order:

www.amazon.com.

B&N.

Signed copy.

FAQ about At the Table of Wolves

My new book comes out next week! Here are my answers to some frequently asked questions about the novel and the time period of the 1930s.

 

Writing on a Bad Hair Day

Here’s my next installment on author myths.

Myth #5  Writers depend on inspiration to get through the writing day.

This one comes from the idea that writers are artists. And artists, as we all know–or think we know–are so very sensitive and subject to crippling moods.

It’s a persistent idea that writers are subject to unbearable sensitivities. The idea goes like this: writers are obviously creative people, and their fragile artistic selves have to wait for inspiration. The creative process, after all, must be fueled by the muse. When she’s snubbing you, you’re toast.

Is it true? Well. I’ve been inspired at times and bored with my work at times, and I’d much prefer to have a big dose of inspiration. Truth to tell, sometimes I’d settle for even a tiny spark. But if nothin’s there, a journeyman writer can’t wait for the muse to make an appearance. Nor is it a time–even with a big deadline looming–to break out the whiskey and work through the night.

The reality is, I’ve never blown a deadline so badly that I had to work all night. (Don’t ask about the whiskey.) This is because, even in times when I’ve been bored with my work in progress, I’ve been writing anyway. This is true even when I’m thinking the story may be terminally ill, my writing chops aren’t up to the challenge, and I’m so not in the mood to write.

Bad Hair Days

The reality of the writing life is, you may not get a great idea every day, but you write anyway. You refuse the excuse of writer’s block. It’s just a mood, not a cardinal principal.

You write through the blahs, because sometimes inspiration comes only after you’ve been typing for awhile. If you don’t have a great opening sentence, start with an adequate one. If your opening line is totally lame, just get it on the page and fix it later.

I know. It’s hard to watch yourself write lines, paragraphs, pages that lack elegance, interest, and originality. But you soldier on. If you’ve been writing long enough you know that eventually you’ll find your sea legs. And here’s the thing: Sometimes it’s because you wrote the lame material that the good stuff comes. You were just warming up. Your brain was not in the mood to write, but once it saw that writing was inevitable, it said, Oh for crying out loud, ALL RIGHT.

And then, because you’ve seen it work over and over again, you tolerate bad writing because you know that rewriting will be loads of fun. OK, strike that last idea. I know only a very few, highly annoying, people who love to rewrite, but at least most of us know that it can all be fixed on the next pass.

So, do you write when you’re feeling down, beat up, or just plain blah? Yes, you do. Because you know that while inspiration is the spice of the writing life, it isn’t the most important thing.

The most important thing is to practice your craft and have faith that the deep, beautiful story is within your grasp . . . but only if you keep writing.

Myth #1. It’s All in Who You Know
Myth #2. The Glamour and Prestige
Myth #3. It’s a Dog Eat Dog World

 

It’s a Dog Eat Dog World

Today I continue my musings on the top myths of the writing life. Wherein I share some of the odd notions I started out with; and how they just ain’t true.

My journey in writing started over two decades ago. I don’t blame myself for not having had a clue about things. In fact, I’ve been delighted to be proven wrong. Over and over again.

Wrong about what? Things like how one big introduction or connection will launch my career; how cool and glamorous being a published author is (Go ahead, fellow authors, snicker!)

And today’s myth: how in this cut-throat competitive arena, authors basically wish you ill.

Myth #3: Other Writers Will Stab You in the Back

When I first started out, I was concerned about the hyper-competitive publishing environment. It’s a dog eat dog world, I reasoned. All those raging egos and jealous fellow writers!

What I was conflating is the competition for visibility and sales, which is real, but not the result of other authors working against you–and relationships with other writers. (Perhaps spawned in the memory of those horrid high school cliques of oh-so-together people.)

To be fair, the publishing world is tough, and one is going to get bruised in ego and pocket book. It should give aspiring authors a few moment pause before plunging in. But we don’t need to worry about everything. Some things will be remarkably rewarding.

Like people. Yes, published authors are usually highly competitive. They have enormous energy to invest in creation and promotion. We can’t help but envy them and worry that we’ll never achieve what they have. That’s natural. And if you find yourself feeling these things and wonder whether you have a nasty, paranoid mind set, stop beating yourself up. We all experience those feelings. Um, perennially.

The fact is, however, that other authors will end up being among your best friends. Remember, everyone is basically lonely and afraid. It’s human nature. Most writers relate to the uncertainty and frustration of the writing life, and are generous with each other. No one else “gets” the writing life as much as another writer. I even think that there may be more generosity among writers than in other fields.

And inevitably, you’ll click with a few writers, and you’ll share the journey with them–through the ups and downs, at conventions and signings, at writing retreats and worry sessions over the phone if your buddies are far away. When you make a big sale they’ll email you a picture of them toasting you! They’ll give you blurbs for your books. They’ll help you strategize, celebrate, and survive.

So much for stabbing in the back.

It’s a dog help dog world. And even when it isn’t, if you’re open to building friendships, there’ll be a group of writers who’ll be on your side. I guarantee it.

For the other posts on my Myths of the Writing Life series.

Myth #1. It’s All in Who You Know
Myth #2. The Glamour and Prestige

 

At the Table of Wolves gets a star

So pleased to report that Publishers Weekly gave my forthcoming novel a starred review! Very happy about this, and also, I must admit, relieved. As you might imagine, waiting for big reviews just prior to publication date can be a nail-biting exercise.

Will people get my book, the things I was trying to accomplish, trying to say? Will they enjoy my story concept and characters? Or . . . or . . . (My fellow authors can fill in the blanks on pre-pub-day anxiety and dark imaginings.) But so far, so good. Publication day: July 11. For a list of my appearances, please see here  (scroll to bottom.)

PW Starred Review: At the Table of Wolves

Veteran SF/F author Kenyon turns to historical paranormal fantasy in this compelling recreation of an alternate 1936 Britain rife with espionage, intrigue, and moral ambiguities. Idealistic young journalist Kim Tavistock, raised in America but now settled into her father’s stately home in Yorkshire, grapples with the suspicion that her father may be, like many of his aristocratic class, a Nazi sympathizer. King Edward will soon abandon the throne for “that woman,” Wallis Simpson, who is herself dangerously close to Erich von Ritter, a character loosely based on the seductive real-life Nazi agent Joachim von Ribbentrop. Kenyon adds enormous fuel to this smoldering prewar scene with the bloom, a sudden appearance in 1918 of psychic talents affecting about one in 1,000 people. It’s suggested that this manifestation was produced by the mass trauma of the Great War. Kim’s psychic gift is spill, which causes others to reveal their deepest secrets to her. The Nazis are a decade ahead of the British in finding military uses for psychics, and Kim is drawn into a quixotic attempt to foil a Nazi plan for invading England, risking her heart and her life in the “tawdry, morally wretched” game of spying. Kenyon’s finely tuned historical atmospherics and her sure-handed development of even minor characters make this novel a superb adventure, worthy to launch a distinguished historical fantasy series. (July)

Available for preorder:

Signed copy. A Book for All Seasons, Leavenworth, WA

www.amazon.com

Barnes and Noble

Indie Bound

The Best Little Writing Conference in the West

What do Steven Barnes, Agent DongWon Song, and indie publishing guru Anthea Lawson Sharp  all have in common? A: They’ll all be in Wenatchee WA for Write on the River in 4 weeks!

Anthea Lawson Sharp on Indie Publishing

Join us on the sunny side of Washington State for a day-and-a-half conference on the beautiful campus of Wenatchee Valley College. The Write on the River Conference annually attracts approximately 120  writers to learn from the experts, this year including nationally recognized writing teachers like Steven Barnes and Wendy Call.

Yes, we’re small, and proud of it! Our events and programming give you a chance for personal feedback and interaction with twelve expert presenters. Plus it’s fun! Join us for Saturday workshops, a Sunday morning fiction seminar, and then spend Sunday afternoon touring the wine country, renting bikes on the loop route along the Columbia, or hiking the beautiful sage-filled hills!

Sessions include:

NY Times best-selling author and featured Sunday presenter Steven Barnes.

Science fiction and fantasy
Indie publishing: production, distribution, marketing


How to get rep’d by an agent
The “voice” telling your story


Sticking with it


Memoir
Nature writing
Romance writing
The art of the pitch
Nature writing
The inciting incident
Writing in scenes
Short nonfiction
First page feedback from an agent
Poetry and poetry critique
YA/Middle Grade and even more . . .

All this for $95! In addition, on Sunday, a 3 hour master fiction class from Robert Dugoni. Sunday class, $45.

We’re g0ing to have a blast. Come join us!
May 20 – 21. Plus special kickstart Friday event! For more details.

Janet Buttenweiser on nonfiction, plus Derek Sheffield and Wendy Call.

 

Featured fiction workshop: Scott Driscoll

 

 

 

 

 

Memoirist and nationally prominent teacher Wendy Call.

Agent DongWon Song of the prestigious Howard Morhaim agency.

My Norwescon Schedule

Tomorrow is April 13, so if you’re in the Seattle area, that means Norwescon is here again!

I hope to see new friends and old over the next few days. If you get a chance to drop by my reading, it will be on Saturday at noon (Cascade 2). I’ll read from my upcoming book, At the Table of Wolves.

Also, I’ll be at these panels:

THURSDAY

An Epic Process. 3-4:00 PM. With Django Wexler, Peter Orullian, Kay Elliott and Brenda Carre.

FRIDAY

Worldbuilding: Geography Meets Story. 11:00 AM-12:00 PM.  Cascade 5 & 6. With Carol Berg, Django Wexler, Alex Renwick

Alternate History. 5:00-6:00 PM. Cascade 5 & 6. with Spencer Ellsworth, Renee Stern, Nisi Shawl, Bill Gruner.

SATURDAY

The Fine Art of Description. 10-11:00 AM. Cascade 9. With Laura Anne Gilman, Peter Orullian, Renee Stern, Tegan Moore

Reading from At the Table of Wolves. 12:00-12:30. Cascade 2.

The Pen is Mightier. 2-3:00 PM Cascade 3 & 4. With Kurt Cagle and Django Wexler.

Also, looking forward to the P.K. Dick Award ceremony Friday evening. Good luck to all the nominees!

 

 

Oh, the unbearable glamour

This is my second post on the myths of being an author. Some of these casual assumptions are great fun, but they may not be at all true to life. The reality of being an author and getting and staying published is far less dramatic than many people believe when they start out. But the truth of it is also less daunting!

The last post on “myths” was on finding Mr. Big, or the person we assume will save us and how (not) to get this person’s attention.

Myth #2. The Glamour and Prestige

Most of us starting out would never admit that there’s a teensy part of us that imagines life as an author is glamorous. We say instead that we have always wanted to write, that we have stories inside us that demand to be written, or more self-deprecating: we just don’t feel suited to doing anything else.

But deep down, there are images: sitting at a desk in front of window, sun streaming in, ink flowing from the pen; the line of people at the bookstore eager for our signature on a book; holding forth on Oprah on How I Wrote this National Bestseller. “Oprah, it started when I found a tattered newspaper on a park bench with a minor story on the Prime Minister’s cat. . .”

The rest of this delusional scenario goes something like this: Once a traditional publisher buys your book, you have really arrived. You are in the club, hurrah! You get:

a big advance
major input into your cover art
a book tour
maybe even a movie deal

Where did these ideas come from?

Big names in publishing do make a ton of money and have some of those experiences. We see their happy author pictures, we read best-sellers a lot. Since those are the novelists we see, we might naturally assume it happens rather routinely.

The Reality

Most of us live further down the food chain. To be sure, it is still a great honor to be a novelist. It’s just that it is a little more–plain–than the myth.

Money, for instance. You may get a $10,000 advance, even $20,000 (A book a year gets you a job that may pay $20,000 a year.) But if this is your first novel, you will more likely get in the range of a $5,000 advance.

Your cover art. Generally, publishers keep authors far away from cover decisions. Nor do they usually want to hear your ideas. That is the camel’s nose inside the tent. If you let the camel in this far, pretty soon the whole camel is in there with you. Writers know storytelling, they don’t know marketing, are clueless about how to brand the book, and are fussy about totally unimportant details like “That fellow on the cover of my magnum opus is completely wrong. The protagonist is actually a woman, and she does Not have tight abs.” They look at you blankly. They are thinking about camels. You are showing yourself to be a newbie and they are beginning to wonder if you are going to be difficult to work with.

Book Tour. Usually, you will pay for it.

Movie deal? Only if your book sells a million or so copies. Hollywood is looking for a sure thing, not a good, even a great story by an unknown author. And, believe it or not, most novelists I know do not long for a movie deal. They long for people to read their book. Why? Because Hollywood will likely rewrite your whole concept and it won’t be your story anymore. OK, I take that back. Most novelists do hope for a movie option, because they are earning so little money that they need the option money.

Notice I said option money. Most novels optioned for film never make it into production. So what we are really talking about here is a $5,000 or so option payment that may even be renewed from year to year. But your book will not be made into a movie.

Prestige. By now you realize that you have been thinking about J.K. Rowling and James Patterson.  For those of us earning less than Rowling or Patterson, people will not be impressed when they learn we have published a novel or a bunch of them. Unless they are going to make a movie out of your book. When you reply in the negative to this (inevitable) question, people will immediately lose interest in your writing career.

You may be shortlisted for an award, or even win a few, but your prestige will be short-lived. Furthermore, in today’s publishing world, everyone is an author. Oh man, I am starting to get depressed.

I thought this post was going to be a romp; funny in a black-humor sort of way, but I am feeling a bit foolish about my whole career path.

But wait! I’ve known these truths for years, and I’m still writing. I still love it (most of the time.) And I’m proud of myself that I’ve risen above superficial motives (farewell that cool, elegant writer’s wardrobe that I can’t afford) and write for what might be called loftier reasons.

There may not be much glamour in being a novelist but, you know, we do get to tell stories and share them. It’s simple, bracing, and true. If you can live with that reality, then roll up your sleeves and write. I’m rooting for you.

Next time: Myth #3: Your Editor is Your Mentor

Meeting Mr. Big

Most professions spawn myths. They cling pretty tightly, despite the facts. Like: Actors are superstitious. Screenwriting is a glamorous line of work.

These things are fun to say and think about, but they just aren’t generally true.

Writing, particularly novel writing, has a few myths of its own. In my next few posts I’ll cover a few of them. Sometimes aspiring novelists (not all–I know some of you are doing your homework!) don’t have a realistic notion of what they’re getting into. So let’s explode some preconceptions that may get us off on the wrong foot.

I’m here to say that the reality of being an author and getting (and staying) published is way less dramatic than many people believe when they’re first starting out. But the truth of it is also less daunting.

Myth #1. It’s All in Who You Know

This one is surrounded by a romantic plot line that goes something like this:  You struggle for years in obscurity (usually on one, soul-sucking novel) until you finally get a big break. You meet the right person. At last! An agent, say. Or an editor.

For fun, let’s call this person Mr. Big. Once you meet Mr. Big, you’re on your way.

This myth comes from the sneaking suspicion that life is somehow rigged. Success, according to this view, is about connections, pressure points, a secret handshake — and Mr. Big. I’m not trying to make fun of people for buying into this one, because this is what I used to believe back when I would have given anything to have a novel published by a nice big publishing house.

There is a Mr. Big, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that he isn’t quite who you think.

The Reality

Mr. Big is in truth Mr. Worried. He worries about finding a good story, well told, that he can put his cred on the line for. Because he needs to make a decent income off a new novel, and so do you, the author. But he’s seen a lot of bad stories, so he is used to be being disappointed — whether he is an agent or an editor.

For these financial reasons, he doesn’t care who you are (usually.) He is not impressed by who you know:  J.A. Jance, Stephen King, John Scalzi. These people no doubt have nieces and cousins, and you may be one of them, but that doesn’t mean that you have a good story, well told. These big people may recommend you to their agent, (please don’t ask, them, btw) but it really just puts pressure on that agent to write an especially nice rejection letter. If the story doesn’t grip him.

Mr. Big doesn’t care where you live. Maybe its Tallahassee, Dubuque or Wenatchee, Washington. Because none of that is a predictor of whether you’ve got the next The Girl on the Train.

For all these same reasons, he–or she–also doesn’t pay any attention to what your day job is. Unless you’re a celebrity. If you’re a celebrity, the wheels are greased, it’s true,  because your name is inherently worth something. But that’s not us, so we can move on.

How about that creative writing course, or that MFA? Courses may be helpful to learn writing skills (different opinions on that one) but an agent or editor is not going to take a look at your manuscript because you have a degree or studied with (name that writing guru.) You may really know your metaphors, but what Mr. Big needs is a GOOD STORY, WELL TOLD. If his stable/line-up is full, maybe he’ll require a GREAT STORY.

So no, who you know, who you are, where you’ve been, is not  important.

But isn’t it heartening that you can live in Dubuque, be a taxi cab driver, and never have hobnobbed with any famous authors, and you can still have a bit of career as a novelist?

How then, is it done?

You break in and keep your career afloat by learning your craft, always striving to improve and writing a lot of stories and submitting them. For some of us that means  keeping doing that our whole lives, even in the periods when no will buy our next story. It’s a bit of a tough life, submitting our work to the judgments of the marketplace. But at least it isn’t about Mr. Big.

I told you the truth wouldn’t be dramatic.

But I love the idea that it’s always about the story. I’m also fond of the idea (I don’t think it’s a myth) that no matter how your career is going right at this minute, it’s always about the next book. Which in any given year may be the best thing you’ve ever written.

Nothing is rigged. It isn’t who you know. It’s what you write, and how you keep writing, with faith in the story, and the willingness to be tested by the marketplace.

Next time: Myth #2: Glamour and Prestige (I haven’t written that post yet but I’m already laughing my head off.)

My Personal Excellent Reads, 2016

This year – aside from all the great books I read as a judge for the World Fantasy Awards, and specifically not including any of them, here is my 2016 list of wonderful books. (Alphabetical by author.)

A God in Ruins, Kate Atkinson.

Deep and subtle characterizations
Profound insights
Plot pacing and through line.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven, Chris Cleave

Evocation of WW2 London
Stakes
Deft and deep writing

A Green and Ancient Light, Frederic S. Durbin

Intensely evocative writing
Tender coming of age story
Characters and relationships

How It All Began, Penelope Lively

Wry and witty writing
Twists and turns of plot
Characters

The Red, Linda Nagata

Military SF with heart
Memorable near future milieu
Superb balance of action and characters

 

Unquiet Land, Sharon Shinn

Lovely ensemble casting
Smoothly flawless prose
Addictive 5th book in series