Emilie Richards's Blog, page 82

Sunday Inspiration: Spring Is Here!

Yes, Spring is here! Finally! Though for some of you it may be difficult to believe. It’s been a long hard winter for many, and it may take a little while to see signs of this new miraculous season.

Yesterday was the first full day of Spring, which astronomically means that the sun was shining equally on the northern and southern hemispheres. But today the sun tipped over to shine a little more on the northern, and that light will increase little by little until the fall equinox when those in the southern hemisphere will greet their Spring with enthusiasm.

Spring brings hope that even if there is still snow on the ground, beneath the blanket of white there are thirsty roots spreading across the earth’s darkness sending energy into green stems that push their way steadfastly towards the light.

We too have the power to lean towards the warmth of the sun and find new vitality and growth in our lives. Spring shows us the way if we will only follow her example.  All that is required is boldness and our dreams will leap out of the darkness as suddenly and shockingly as a crocus.

What will you be bold about this Spring?

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Covers and Titles and Authors, Oh My. . .

If you follow this blog you’ll remember more than one post where I talked about the many things over which authors have no control. One sentence summarizes much of this: “We write the books, but quite frankly, if we sign a contract with a publisher there are many parts of the process over which we have no control. When we sign, we give them many rights to do as they see fit.”

Two weeks ago I gave you hints about my newest novel and asked your input on titles. I gave you a list of possibilities, and you let me know which ones sounded most appealing. Additionally some of you took the time to suggest new possibilities, for which I am both delighted and grateful.

I took your favorites and my own and presented them to my publisher, assuming that one of them would appeal to 1) my editor, 2) the editor in charge of all Mira books, 3) and finally the marketing team who are well known for rejecting titles they don’t think will go over well with stores and readers.

My editor was lukewarm about all our choices. Ed-in-charge was even more lukewarm. And the titles stopped there. No point in taking them to marketing when neither editor was thrilled. They wanted something more layered, something more evocative.

Not happy here.

Convinced I would never come up with anything I liked better I immediately came up with one anyway. Delighted, I passed it on. My editor wasn’t thrilled. She would send it up to the next level but she planned to wait while I thought about it some more.

As always, Nemo to the rescue.

Stomping and muttering around our development with Nemo in tow I told myself (repeatedly) that this was silly and impossible. I had given them more than half a dozen possibilities. What were they waiting for?

Then out of nowhere the title appeared.

When We Were Sisters.

Remember this is a novel about former foster sisters who are pulled together to work on a project. I loved the title immediately. It hearkens back to their past together, and the reasons they’ve remained close. In every way it suggests there is more to the story than first meets the eye.

My editor felt the same way. The head of the line did, too. And yesterday I learned that marketing agreed and When We Were Sisters is a definite go. It will be on bookshelves in June 2016.

Of course I have to write it first.

Contractually I have the right to refuse titles my publisher suggests. I do not have the right to refuse covers. I give input. Sometimes my opinion makes a difference and sometimes not.

Above you’ll see the cover for The Color of Light, the fourth Goddesses Anonymous novel, due at bookstores in August 2015. To the right you’ll see the new cover for the mass market (smaller sized) paperback of One Mountain Away, coming out in May.

What you can’t see is all the wrangling that got us to these two covers and my fear that one proposed cover would be used. I was successful convincing my publisher not to go with that one. It was, in my opinion, an inappropriate cover for a novel about a minister.  My publisher graciously asked other professionals for feedback and chose the two you see here. I will always be grateful that my opinion was taken into account, more research was done, and something other than the original selection was chosen.

Let’s hear your opinion on these covers and titles. Since I already know you’ll be polite, I’ll say have at it.

What do you think?

 

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Sunday Inspiration: Saving Children

Have you seen this incredible video?

It’s about an amazing man, Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved many Czechoslovakian Jewish children during World War II. When he was honored on an English television show 50 years later, to his surprise 80 of those children who had grown into adults, stood up and gave thanks for his bravery.

You can read the rest of the story here.

What’s sad about this story is that this inspiring hero didn’t speak of what he had accomplished for almost 50 years because he was so disappointed that he didn’t save more children. Understandable, and yet wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could balance our disappointments by enthusiastically celebrating our triumphs, especially when it comes to supporting and saving children.

I give thanks for people like Sir Winton, and I celebrate his courage and spirit.

 

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The Writing Process 2015: Research, or All The Facts We Cannot Know

Recently I emailed a good friend and listed some of the research I was doing for my new book.

She responded much the way I might have if I hadn’t written so many of the darned things. She pointed out that most readers believe we write about things we know, and in fact common wisdom tells writers we should. Thinking about it, though, she realized anybody would run through what they know fairly quickly.

Absolutely true.

There’s another problem with writing only what we know. Sometimes we aren’t good judges as to what’s interesting and what’s not. For instance, a fresh eye sees detail that someone who has lived with it day after day no longer notices. I remember a throw-away line in a mystery by Elizabeth George. George is an American whose books are set in England and deal with English police work and law. But she has a keen eye for the tiniest detail. This particular one was one of many that steeps her novels in “place.” She mentioned a character who shredded stale bread and sprinkled the crumbs on her outside window ledge for the birds.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen this. Window ledges are rarer in the U.S. Yards tend to be larger and most of the time we hang bird feeders. We don’t crumble stale bread. We buy seed and work hard to outwit squirrels. So this detail was interesting enough to help me sink even further into George’s setting. But would someone who had seen those crumbs day after day have thought to add that detail?

I’ve written about many things I know little about, the two most complicated being fox hunting and Australian pearls. I do copious research and agonize. Occasionally I make mistakes, usually because I think I know something that turns out not to be true, and sometimes because a subject is too complex to realize what I’m missing.

I research in different ways at different stages of my novels.

First I research my ideas to see if they are feasible. For instance I might have an idea about a circus performer who trains elephants only to discover that circuses are phasing elephants out of their shows. (Ringling Bros. just made this announcement.) Knowing this would help me make a decision about whether to go forward and change details to incorporate that new information, or jettison the idea completely because I also learned that a lot of people don’t like the idea of elephants in circuses and might hate the book. See?
The second round of research comes when I’ve determined my idea, perhaps with judicious changes, is workable. Often I then steep myself in whatever I didn’t already know, so that as I plan the story, my general outline is not only accurate but the background helps shape the plot.
The third round comes as I write. There’s no point in guessing what specifics I’ll need to know. I might spend a week researching a medical specialty, only to find that a doctor’s training and background is immaterial to my story and all I really need to know is how many patients he or she sees each day and how long appointments generally last.

Right now I’m working on the first round of research. I needed very little to present this idea to my publisher, but now I need to be certain that the idea develops in a way that’s realistic. Example? Both female characters have careers I know nothing about. Every detail needs to be plausible, so I will learn more than I’ll need to know–or ever, quite frankly, wanted to learn. The details I dug for will slip right by you. But they’ll also convince you–if I do this correctly–that I know what I’m talking about.

Recently I read a novel that ended with an author’s note. She admitted up front that the milieu of her story is so vast, she couldn’t possibly know everything or be accurate, so she’s just designed it to be what she wants it to be. The story is accurate in terms of her own world, but it’s not the real world.

Is that a cop out or plain good sense?

Have you been annoyed by inaccurate research? Have you been so turned off that you’ve stopped reading certain authors? Or are you happy as long as the story sweeps you away and “seems” real enough? As a reader I’ve been both, but as a novelist?

I’m not taking any chances.

Joni, who commented first on last Tuesday’s blog, was chosen by random.org to receive a signed copy of one of my novels. Thanks to all of you for your title suggestions. My own favorite is still, I think, Really Truly Sisters (none of you mentioned that one) but I’m definitely going to include More Than Sisters and Sisters Once Removed as possibilities for my publisher to consider. I loved your own original suggestions, too, and appreciate the creativity that went into them. 

 

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Sunday Inspiration: “Anything Is Possible”

Last Sunday morning I was looking through Parade magazine, which usually takes me a couple of minutes. But Sunday I ran across their cover story titled “Anything Is Possible!” Instant inspiration.

Did you see it?  Five people are highlighted for the difference they are making in the world. These are average folks who decided that the impossible really isn’t.

For instance, Mark Ebeling saw a photo of a young boy with no arms. Daniel was one of more than 50,000 people who had lost limbs in the Sudanese war. Most of us see pictures of such victims and realizing there’s nothing we can do about it, turn the page.

But Mark said, “I looked at his picture and thought, That’s not OK. I mean, how do you just close your laptop and walk away?”

So he decided to make arms for Daniel — yes he made arms — using a 3-D printer of all things. Now I have no idea how 3-D printers make anything, much less a boy’s arms, but Mark packed up his printer and computer and flew to the Sudan to do just that.

Mark had the attitude that “Every single person has the ability to change the world.”

How incredibly inspiring!

If you want to know more about Mark and the other four people who are changing the world, here is the link to the Parade article “Anything Is Possible!”.  And if you want to know more about Mark and his Project Daniel, you can go here, or you can go here to find out about his book and here to see his TED Talk.

And don’t worry, I’ll cover the four others featured in the Parade article in the future because I believe we need to celebrate such inspiring people so that we can inspire others.

Who have you inspired lately?

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Can You Abide Another Post about Titles?

Drum roll, please. It’s that time of year.

TITLES TIME.

Last week I learned that my new book proposal has been approved. No one asked for changes. Oh, except one little thing. Yep. The title, which I loved, which I’ve hoarded for years in hopes I’d find the right story to deserve it, was immediately axed.

But wait. . . Let’s not get in a huff, as I was tempted to. In fact my publisher is right. My title, Life After Love, immediately conjures a book about widowhood. When my editor explained this, my only question was why I hadn’t seen it myself. Because this is not a book about a widow or widower. Not at all.

When I said, well, okay, maybe the next time I’ll write a book about a widow, she said, not with that title. It’s such a downer.

And, you know, she was right again. So goodbye title. Because as your mother always told you, first impressions are important, and sometimes a novelist doesn’t get a second chance to impress. The reader has already set the book down and moved on to the next one in the row. She’ll never know the title had a different, subtler meaning.  Subtle is not a bonus on a book cover.

I have posted about the ins and outs of titles before, as the title of this post points out. Among other mentions I’ve talked about judging a book by it’s title where I asked for your opinion about what elements matter. Titles by collaboration with publishers.  And which comes first, novel or title.  I might add that since my editor realizes that titles really do matter to me, she told me immediately that this one wouldn’t fly. Then she got my publisher’s promise to keep whatever title we agree on so that I can use it as I write. While that doesn’t matter to many authors, it does matter to me.

Now it’s time to put on my thinking cap, because I haven’t written word one of the novel. I’d like to begin it knowing exactly what readers will see on the cover when they pick it up next June.

So just as I did last summer, here’s a list, off the top of my head, of title ideas. You will note one similarity in all of them. I think I can tell you now that there are two important women in this story who grew up as foster sisters. There’s a lot more to the story, of course, but that’s what we’re working with here.

Here’s my starter list. I think some of these titles are just okay. One stands out for both me and my husband, and it will definitely be suggested to my editor. Several don’t appeal to me at all, but might appeal to you and your feedback will be fun to read.

The Color of Light, coming in August, was suggested by one of you, so I have great faith in your abilities.

Look over my list, tell me what you like, and give me any other suggestions that occur to you. I’ll let random.org choose one comment, and that reader will get an autographed novel from my vast storehouse of author copies.

My publisher may not like any of our suggestions, but let’s give them something to chew on. By the way, my first idea was True Sisters until I realized my friend Sandra Dallas got there first. While titles aren’t copyrighted and I would be thrilled to have my book confused with one of Sandra’s, I’m not about to repeat that one.

Truly Sisters
Really Truly Sisters
Genuine Sisters
Undeniably Sisters
More Than Sisters
Better Than Sisters
Sisters Once Removed
Blood Sisters
Surely Sisters
Counterfeit Sisters
Make Believe Sisters

And that’s five minutes worth of brainstorming. Now it’s your turn. Have fun.

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Sunday Inspiration: Desiderata

This week when I learned that Leonard Nimoy had died I was immediately reminded of a day in the 60s when I heard him on an afternoon talk show reading this wonderful prose poem. At the time it was thought to have been written in the 1600s because it had been included in a book of readings by the rector of Old Saint Paul’s Church in Baltimore, and the date of the church’s foundation, 1692, was included in the book. In truth it is a prose poem written by Max Ehrmann in 1927.

I found this poem so comforting, so reassuring, as if something I’d longed for had been revealed. Particularly: “You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as is should.”

Since that afternoon I have been grateful that Leonard Nimoy found this as meaningful as I came to and shared it with so many.  I will miss him.

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The Writing Process 2015: Practicing Patience

Have you ever had the fun of waiting for the okay on a project?

My mother was filled with sage advice and sayings. “Patience is a virtue” was one of her favorites. Clearly that sentiment is not without challenges. For instance how many men and women are hopelessly practicing patience, waiting stoically for something to change in a bad marriage? Or waiting patiently for something to change at work because they’re afraid to speak up and change it themselves?

Patience isn’t necessarily a virtue, but sometimes it’s the best or only choice. For novelists who write for a traditional publishing house, practicing patience is a necessary part of the process. We learn to be patient with our own writing rhythms, aware that pushing ourselves harder and harder will often have the undesirable effect of making writing painful, unfulfilling, and in later need of revision. We learn to wait for ideas instead of digging frantically for them like a squirrel searching for buried acorns.

We also learn to be patient with those who publish us. We wait endlessly for decisions on titles, on covers, on pub dates and deadlines, on who will edit our books, on pricing, on publicity. We have surprisingly little input and we learn this quickly.

I’m playing the waiting game right now. When last I blogged under Writing Process 2015 (three weeks ago) I reported sending a proposal to my editor. What exactly does this mean? Well this time I was asked for a brief synopsis. The idea, I think, is that it’s easier for publishers to read a brief synopsis and perhaps even to turn one down if it doesn’t immediately appeal to them. I suspect editors believe if what we give them is short, we haven’t spent much time considering it, so it’s no big deal to ask for something different.

Wrong.

What is a synopsis? Picture you and me sitting down for tea and scones. You ask what I’m working on, and I tell you a brief version of the story. “This happens, and then that, and finally. . .” That’s a synopsis.

The problem with a brief synopsis is that an author can’t explain how she’s going to pull off a plot point, or why a particular character will act in a certain way. We turn in the synopsis with great faith that all the books we’ve written previously will be proof enough. Sometimes that works and sometimes? Not so much.

In this case the synopsis might have been brief, as asked for, but the story is well on its way to being fleshed out. In other words it’s a book-in-waiting, not simply an idea. I work that way. Can’t seem to help it.

I’ve responded to the first round of questions. It’s a complex novel, and not easy to summarize in one sizzling sentence. If it were, I would probably be further ahead since “high concept” is what editors are searching for today, and most high concept novels are easily summarized.  That one sentence summary, of course, only hints at the complexity of the story, but it makes a great hook when time comes to market it.  Need an example? How about: Top law student gets the job of his dreams only to find that he’s working for the mob. (John Grisham, The Firm.) Or this:  A fourteen year old girl is murdered and watches from heaven as her family adjusts and changes. (The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.)

So now I’m practicing patience once again as two editors take a look at my explanations and see if their questions have been answered.

I’m not a patient person, but I’m realistic. I may write my novels alone, but this business is all about teamwork. I won’t spend any more time explaining my idea. I know it’s a good one. I strongly believe the book will be good. But teamwork means we all have to be (pardon this pun) on the same page. So we’ll see if we are.

Practicing patience. . . How about you? What are you waiting patiently for? Or not so patiently?

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Sunday Inspiration: 18 Rules for Life

These 18 Rules for Life are often attributed to the Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, but they  are actually adapted from Life’s Little Instruction Book, by H. Jackson Brown, Jr., a book of advice from a father to his son as he goes off to college. These rules work for everyone, no matter what your religion or your moment in life happens to be.

They are all relevant but the ones I especially need to work on are: Rule #1, 4, & 9.

Which are the most important for you? Are there any rules you would like to add?

Rule 1: Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

Rule 2: When you lose, don’t lose the lesson

Rule 3: Follow the three Rs: Respect for self – Respect for others – Responsibility for all your actions.

Rule 4: Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

Rule 5: Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

Rule 6: Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

Rule 7: When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

Rule 8: Spend some time alone every day.

Rule 9: Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

Rule 10: Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Rule 11: Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

Rule 12: A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

Rule 13: In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

Rule 14: Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.

Rule 15: Be gentle with the earth.

Rule 16: Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

Rule 17: Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

Rule 18: Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

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Controversial Topics: What Affects Your Reading Choices?

 

When in doubt for what to write about, write about controversial topics.

I’ve heard the above advice so often that I can’t attribute it to anyone.  The point, of course, is to get more people to read your novels or blog posts. The result can be lots of contentious discussion with an emphasis on the “lots of.” I can definitely do without the contentious part, so i monitor my blog to be sure no Internet trolls are prowling about. But “lots of” is appealing.

Novelists, of course, make decisions all the time about whether they want to write about something so controversial they’ll lose half their usual readers with the hope of possibly gaining many more new ones. A well known romance author moved into single title with an explosive, sexually explicit–for the time–novel that seriously offended many who had read everything else she’d written up to that point. However the book was a bestseller and she went on to many more. She wanted to break out with a bang (and yes, pun intended) and her choice worked for her.

As a novelist I’ve never avoided controversial topics.  On the other hand I’ve never chosen to write about controversial topics, then picked a story to go with my selection. I don’t work that way. I’m interested in my characters or a story fragment first, then I look for ways to make the novel more gripping. However not putting the controversy first means it sometimes takes a backseat. It’s woven into the story and isn’t the stand-out feature. Soft-pedaling may be good, or it may not be. What it is? Emilie Richards.

I recently found the above infographic on GrammarCheck–and why it’s on that particular site is a mystery. I can’t say how accurate these selections are, but nevertheless they allow us to share, so I did. Granted these were last year’s issues, but I decided to check this out to see whether I’ve tackled any of them.

Lo and behold, #1 is Relationships and Sexual Relations. My novels are all about relationships. So that’s a home run. Breaking it down I note that the book I’ve recently proposed to my editors deals with one of these specifics. Good. Some of these statistics are surprising, so look them over. Have I tackled same sex marriages? Not yet.

#2 is Terrorism. I brushed against that one in Touching Stars, one of my Shenandoah Album novels, when Eric, a broadcast journalist, comes back to the Shenandoah Valley to heal after being taken captive in Afghanistan. I say brushed against it since it’s a catalyst for the story, not the prime topic. The same goes for Adam’s experiences in Iraq in No River Too Wide.

I can’t remember ever exploring the death penalty, global warming or the legalization of marijuana. Quite honestly I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I tackled the first, the second interests me as a citizen but so far not as an author, and the third interests me so little that I’d have to work hard to find a good hook.

#6: Healthcare. Hmmm. . . The Color of Light–as you’ll find out–deals a bit with problems getting health care coverage, but it’s such a small part of the story compared to everything else, it’s not worth noting here.

#7: Plastic Surgery. I once considered doing a story about a Palm Springs plastic surgeon who tires of doing face lifts and travels the world doing life-changing corrective surgery. This one never got off the ground. It’s just not a subject that lights my fire.

#8: Illiteracy. Somewhere Between Luck and Trust. Illiteracy figures heavily into the story.

#9: Abortion. For years I’ve tucked away one of my best-ever ideas that revolves around abortion. Over lunch I mentioned the story idea to my then-agent. She said, “Would you pick up a book about an abortion clinic no matter how good it was?” I’m afraid this idea will stay tucked away. No matter where you stand, do you want to read about abortion? So while characters in my novels have considered abortion, abortion itself has never been a major plot point for me.

#10: Stem cells. Intriguing and so far not on my radar. This seems to lend itself well to thrillers, not quite so much to a relationship novel. But I’m sure there are ways. . .

So what’s the point of this exercise? For a multi-published author it’s helpful to take stock of past novels before beginning a new one. Can I repeat a controversial topic in a new and completely fresh way? Or was once (illiteracy) plenty? Which of these subjects is so off-putting to me (capital punishment) that I prefer not to put myself through the process of writing about it? Which would be so off-putting to my readers (abortion) they may stop reading my books? And which of these subjects is so important to me that I’m willing to go out on a limb because hey, I can’t please everybody?

I’d love to hear your comments. Which of these controversial topics would keep you from picking up a novel? Which would guarantee that you would? How much leeway do your favorite authors have when they express an opinion you’re not comfortable with? Would you, for instance, stop reading someone who portrayed a same-sex marriage in a positive light? Or the opposite? Which of these issues punch your own hot button?

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