All right! Thanks for sharing all your holiday memories and favorites! You all Rock! Using the lovely randomizer the winner of a book is CathyM. Please email me at my website juliana at julianastone dot com and we can figure out which book you would like to get! I have a couple to offer up!
And, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
Hey everyone out there in supernatural land! Are you freaking out yet? If you celebrate Christmas do you have your shopping done? Do I have my shopping done? Um, that would be a big fat NO! BUT, I have a list this year so that is a huge improvement over past years!
As most of you know this time of year is crazy busy and I'm sure I'm not the only one freaking out cause Christmas is 16 days away. But it's also a wonderful time for family and friends and get togethers.
Today I'm going to share some of my favorite Christmas things:
1. My favorite memory is of hiding under the covers with my brother as we tried to keep each other awake so we could try and surprise Santa. We always fell asleep of course, but had massive amounts of giggling. But more than that it was the feeling, that anticipation and excitement that I remember.
2. When I was older Christmas Eve was for visiting several friends for some "cheer". I loved this night and the travelling around (with a dd of course)
3. My favorite movie and I watch it every year is It's a Wonderful Life. Every year I watch this. Jimmy Stewart gets to me every single time.
4. Elf comes a close second. I want to adopt Buddy and let him live with me.
5. Favorite Christmas songs, Merry Little Christmas by The Pretenders, Something about Christmas time, Brian Adams
6. Fave gift I ever received....an 8 track player (you heard me 8 track player) and the 8tracks of Grease and the Bee Gees.
7. I love my mom's homemade pastries and pies. A little too much actually, but hey, she'd be insulted if we didn't finish every little scrap.
8. My son's first Christmas. He was 6 months and had no clue what the heck was going on, but man, I had fun unwrapping the mountain of prezzies under the tree. Didn't mattr that I'd wrapped them myself the night before...IT WAS HIS FIRST CHRISTMAS!
9. My kids are older now, so I love the fact that I can sleep in. No more getting up at 5:30 on Christmas morning.
10. Most of all, I love that my family and friends are nearby and we always make time for each other. That's what Christmas is about to me, family and love.
So, what are your fave things about the holidays? Let me know and I have a stash of books, I'll pick a winner and give you a choice of your prezzie.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
give cheer not cooties
the winner of a signed hardcopy of Silver
Phoenix was the last to comment: moonsanity!
congratulations! thanks to everyone who
participated and happy hoildays!!
hello s'grounders! okay, i'm a big fan
of nicknames and that's the best i can
come up with. or undies? haha! what do
you think?
it's been a long while since my last post.
copyedits for my sequel, Fury of the Phoenix
got in the way of my last month's post. but
that is sent off, all i need to work on now
are my brush painting chapter decorations and
my acknowledgment page--always fun and a
little nerve wracking.
especially for debut authors, there's an urge
to thank everyone from your kindergarten teacher
to her mom and pet poodle. seriously. i personally
had the feeling like i had to thank *everyone* lest
i never get the chance again!
other than that, i had a stupendous time
at ALAN conference--which is a fantastic one
for anyone who is a fan of young adult literature.
i was on a panel with cinda williams chima (The Demon King,
The Exiled Queen, The Dragon Heir, etc) and sarwat chadda
(The Devil's Kiss, Dark Goddess) and both were so lovely
and fun to chat with. i also happen to be fans of their books
and recommend them highly.
other than this spot of glamorous author's life
i've been battling cooties for the past two months.
colds, coughs, sore throats, antibiotics and now,
stomach flu. ah the joys of motherhood. =) this
time of year is certainly challenging. and thus, my
blog title--give cheer not cooties!
i'd like to spread the happiness by giving away
a signed hardcover of Silver Phoenix.
on the day of her first betrothal meeting--and rejection--ai ling discovers a power welling deep within her. she can reach into other people’s spirits, hear their thoughts, see their dreams…and that’s just the beginning.
Phoenix was the last to comment: moonsanity!
congratulations! thanks to everyone who
participated and happy hoildays!!
hello s'grounders! okay, i'm a big fan
of nicknames and that's the best i can
come up with. or undies? haha! what do
you think?
it's been a long while since my last post.
copyedits for my sequel, Fury of the Phoenix
got in the way of my last month's post. but
that is sent off, all i need to work on now
are my brush painting chapter decorations and
my acknowledgment page--always fun and a
little nerve wracking.
especially for debut authors, there's an urge
to thank everyone from your kindergarten teacher
to her mom and pet poodle. seriously. i personally
had the feeling like i had to thank *everyone* lest
i never get the chance again!
other than that, i had a stupendous time
at ALAN conference--which is a fantastic one
for anyone who is a fan of young adult literature.
i was on a panel with cinda williams chima (The Demon King,The Exiled Queen, The Dragon Heir, etc) and sarwat chadda
(The Devil's Kiss, Dark Goddess) and both were so lovely
and fun to chat with. i also happen to be fans of their books
and recommend them highly.
other than this spot of glamorous author's life
i've been battling cooties for the past two months.
colds, coughs, sore throats, antibiotics and now,
stomach flu. ah the joys of motherhood. =) this
time of year is certainly challenging. and thus, my
blog title--give cheer not cooties!
i'd like to spread the happiness by giving away
a signed hardcover of Silver Phoenix.
on the day of her first betrothal meeting--and rejection--ai ling discovers a power welling deep within her. she can reach into other people’s spirits, hear their thoughts, see their dreams…and that’s just the beginning.
ai ling has been marked by the immortals; her destiny lies in the emperor’s palace, where a terrible evil has lived, stealing souls, for centuries. she must conquer this enemy and rescue her captive father, while mythical demons track her every step. and then she meets chen yong, a young man with a quest of his own, whose fate is intertwined with hers. here is a heart-stopping, breathtaking tale for fans of action, fantasy, and romance--of anything with the making of legend.
this contest is open world wide!
all you have to do is answer the following
question: Silver Phoenix will whisk you to a world
inspired by ancient china. what country have you
always wanted to visit but have not had a chance to?
leave your answer in the comments to enter!
i'll choose a winner randomly on wednesday
12/15 and announce the winner at the top of
this post. good luck, undies! (yes, i've settled on
that nickname for you guys. =)
give cheer not cooties!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Holiday Traditions
It seems that there are a number of deadlines floating around at the moment among the Supernatural Underground writers. I am lucky enough to have snuck under the radar. That’s not to say that I don’t owe my agent a couple of things, but I don’t have a hard deadline floating over my head like the sword of Damocles.
So in the meantime, I’m going to following along Tracey O’Hara’s recent post and talk about some of the holiday traditions that are important to my family. Now, we do the usual thing of getting together on or around Christmas, exchanging gifts, and eating way too much food, but the things that stick out in my head are the events that take place with my immediate family.
One of my favorite things to do is to attend the Cincinnati Zoo’s Festival of Lights show. It’s the only time that you’re able to walk around the zoo at night and they have every tree and shrubs covered in lights, not to mention standing displays of lights depicting different animals in flashing lights. My mother has a knack for picking either the warmest night of December – when the zoo is at its busiest – or the coldest night of December – when you are completely dependent on cups of steaming hot cocoa in order to keep from freezing stiff.
The zoo has a small train that takes riders around the park, showing off different animals and the lights display. The video below shows off some of the lights that are on Swan Lake in the middle of the zoo.
My second favorite display and considerable warmer place is the Krohn Conservatory. My family has a very old tradition of attending this place every year to see the massive tree when you walk in the door decorated by handmade ornaments. The exhibit hall has a giant music box that is made to look like the iconic places of Cincinnati, Ohio. And there is just the joy of seeing the different plants, bonsai trees, and the tall waterfall in the rainforest exhibit. Before the end of our trip, my parents would allow us kids to pick out one ornament to take home and hang on the Christmas tree. As a result, we have a fairly extensive collection of ornaments. For me, Krohn Conservatory is a peaceful place that will always remind me of family as we discover and marvel over exotic flowers while wandering through a glass masterpiece of construction.
The video I have for this place is a little old as I made it as a promotion for my book, Pray for Dawn. There is a section of the book that takes place in the Conservatory, but it still gives you an excellent look at the place.
So, what family tradition do you have over the holidays?
So in the meantime, I’m going to following along Tracey O’Hara’s recent post and talk about some of the holiday traditions that are important to my family. Now, we do the usual thing of getting together on or around Christmas, exchanging gifts, and eating way too much food, but the things that stick out in my head are the events that take place with my immediate family.
One of my favorite things to do is to attend the Cincinnati Zoo’s Festival of Lights show. It’s the only time that you’re able to walk around the zoo at night and they have every tree and shrubs covered in lights, not to mention standing displays of lights depicting different animals in flashing lights. My mother has a knack for picking either the warmest night of December – when the zoo is at its busiest – or the coldest night of December – when you are completely dependent on cups of steaming hot cocoa in order to keep from freezing stiff.
The zoo has a small train that takes riders around the park, showing off different animals and the lights display. The video below shows off some of the lights that are on Swan Lake in the middle of the zoo.
My second favorite display and considerable warmer place is the Krohn Conservatory. My family has a very old tradition of attending this place every year to see the massive tree when you walk in the door decorated by handmade ornaments. The exhibit hall has a giant music box that is made to look like the iconic places of Cincinnati, Ohio. And there is just the joy of seeing the different plants, bonsai trees, and the tall waterfall in the rainforest exhibit. Before the end of our trip, my parents would allow us kids to pick out one ornament to take home and hang on the Christmas tree. As a result, we have a fairly extensive collection of ornaments. For me, Krohn Conservatory is a peaceful place that will always remind me of family as we discover and marvel over exotic flowers while wandering through a glass masterpiece of construction.
The video I have for this place is a little old as I made it as a promotion for my book, Pray for Dawn. There is a section of the book that takes place in the Conservatory, but it still gives you an excellent look at the place.
So, what family tradition do you have over the holidays?
Monday, December 6, 2010
capturing experience
A couple weeks ago, I had the rather phenomenal experience of attending FaerieCon in Baltimore, MD. It was my first (but definitely NOT my last) FaerieCon. I was to attend the year prior, but I had the ick-plague-so-not-going-anywhere-but-to-sleep, and I missed the 2009 event. This year . . . honestly? It was my favourite event of the year--in part because it was fun but more so because it's left me thinking about a lot of things.
One of the interesting parts for me was being surrounded by creative folks who strive to capture experience in forms other than words. I treasure time with authors and with readers, but there was something mind-stretching in being with creative folks who are working with totally different toolkits but reaching for a lot of the same goals as writers.
Personally, I think about the capturing of the moment rather a lot. It's obsessed me for a good bit of my life. How do we take an instant, a bit of life and translate that to something that can then be unfolded/consumed/lived by another person? Is it possible? Can we even re-create it for ourselves? Can an emotion or an experience actually be contained, expressed in such a way that it simulates the real?
When I write, I want to make the reader IN that space where my characters are breathing. I want the reader to feel the terror or the ecstasy. It's the goal above all else for me: I want to transfer that moment. It's impossible to ever know if that succeeds though. I cannot be in anyone's mind and skin but my own, so there is never any real way to know if what I attempt to express is understood as I meant it to be. When I define a character as "beautiful," we don't call up the same visual. Even if I say "dark hair," we don't see precisely the same thing. Add in more abstract things--love, bliss, pain. . . it gets even more improbable that the experience is transferable. As a reader, it's no better. When the text tells me she was grieving, how do I KNOW that what I feel & define as grief is the same? Love? Hate? Longing?
So, at FaerieCon, I had the ability to be lost in the emotions of songs--without words in the case of cellist Adam Hurst and in words I didn't understand in the case of the German band, Faun. As I listened, obviously, I felt. But was what I felt what was intended? ("Does it even matter" is an entirely different, albeit equally valuable question, but I'm not going to attempt to tackle both topics. tonight.) Is the ache I felt listening to Adam's art the same ache he felt while he wrote it? while he played it? With some music, I know my body wants to move. I listened to a fabulous song called "Dark Carnivale" by The Gypsy Nomads, and the tension in it made me feel like standing still was a Bad Idea. Afterwards, I bought it, and the lyrics support that emotion. . . but there's a joyousness, a defiance and a fearlessness that the song has when both lyrics and music are combined. It's richer for hearing those words. On the other hand, listening to it here in my office doesn't have the urgency that it had when the floor under my feet was literally vibrating from the dancers around me. The experience of hearing it live and with others was different even than the experience of hearing it alone. It was different with knowing and not-knowing the words. One song offered three unique reactions with different variables. Are any of them actually close to what the creators experience? Does the experience for the creators vary between original creation and playing it later?
I asked Adam (after he played) what he saw when he played because--as I say, this is one of Those Topics for me. When he plays, he stares into some place that is very obviously not the room in front of him. I recognize that look. It's what I tend towards when a story is so vivid in my mind that my eyes are no longer looking out at the world; they've focused on that room inside of me where my characters' live their lives. . . at least, that's how I understand that look but my experience of creating something is different. My experience never includes reproducing that original creation in front of others. I don't compose and then re-write in front of others; musicians compose and they recreate that by reproducing the song live. There is no real equivalent for writers.
Another of the artists there, Kelly Miller-Lopez of Woodland, seems likely to float off when she sings. She sits at her harp, seeming far more like Tennyson's Lady of Shalott. I'd be unsurprising to see her pull out a scrying mirror, spindle, or any number of other wonders. She appears to reach a near meditative state, but is it the same state I find when I am lost in my story? If so, how does the slipping in and out of that state work when there are people all staring at her? Is it the same place she reaches to create?
A lot of being there led me to ponder the creative process. It also made me pause and think about how many ways we all try to capture experiences and emotions. Walking around FaerieCon, I discovered art (Feywood) made of . . . or maybe simply revealed from nature. I purchased a journal--handmade paper, handbound, leather-covered. I sniffed, petted, and felt a couple dozen journals to find the one that was right for me. I had a surreal discussion about the reasons for getting dreds (&/or tattooes), watched women translate music into dance, listened to emotion become music, and in general reveled in the fact that so so many art forms are all trying to capture an experience. They all communicate in some way, but no one art of them--including words--captures the whole of the concept, the experience, or the emotion.
. . . a fact that was all the more apparent afterwards when I tried to tell friends why the event was so fascinating. I showed them pictures; I played CDs. . . and returned to my original stance that the medium--no matter how fabulous--cannot capture the experience. Picture, music, dance, story, et al: it's all unable to fully convey the real.
Of course, I suspect that the pursuit of that goal, the desire to capture the real, is a driving force in a lot of creative things that we enjoy--just as I suspect that the real is enriched by the awareness that the real is even better than the shadow we can capture in all of our various mediums. I can read about love; I can watch a dance that reveals joy; I can feel longing as I am transfixed by music that seems to seep into my bones even as the words are in a language I do not speak. . . and through it all, I know with complete certainty that the real thing is so much more. The art in whatever form I find it reminds me why I enjoy the real. It sends me to far shores, and it invites me to get lost in moments . . . all the more because I know that the moments are impossible to freeze, to capture, or to transfer in their fullness.
Oh, and it's a bit early to say it, but I'm off to the mountains in the morning to enjoy some time experiencing nature, writing, and pondering. . . so Happy Solstice (and whichever other of the Winter Holidays you might celebrate).
One of the interesting parts for me was being surrounded by creative folks who strive to capture experience in forms other than words. I treasure time with authors and with readers, but there was something mind-stretching in being with creative folks who are working with totally different toolkits but reaching for a lot of the same goals as writers.
Personally, I think about the capturing of the moment rather a lot. It's obsessed me for a good bit of my life. How do we take an instant, a bit of life and translate that to something that can then be unfolded/consumed/lived by another person? Is it possible? Can we even re-create it for ourselves? Can an emotion or an experience actually be contained, expressed in such a way that it simulates the real?
When I write, I want to make the reader IN that space where my characters are breathing. I want the reader to feel the terror or the ecstasy. It's the goal above all else for me: I want to transfer that moment. It's impossible to ever know if that succeeds though. I cannot be in anyone's mind and skin but my own, so there is never any real way to know if what I attempt to express is understood as I meant it to be. When I define a character as "beautiful," we don't call up the same visual. Even if I say "dark hair," we don't see precisely the same thing. Add in more abstract things--love, bliss, pain. . . it gets even more improbable that the experience is transferable. As a reader, it's no better. When the text tells me she was grieving, how do I KNOW that what I feel & define as grief is the same? Love? Hate? Longing?
So, at FaerieCon, I had the ability to be lost in the emotions of songs--without words in the case of cellist Adam Hurst and in words I didn't understand in the case of the German band, Faun. As I listened, obviously, I felt. But was what I felt what was intended? ("Does it even matter" is an entirely different, albeit equally valuable question, but I'm not going to attempt to tackle both topics. tonight.) Is the ache I felt listening to Adam's art the same ache he felt while he wrote it? while he played it? With some music, I know my body wants to move. I listened to a fabulous song called "Dark Carnivale" by The Gypsy Nomads, and the tension in it made me feel like standing still was a Bad Idea. Afterwards, I bought it, and the lyrics support that emotion. . . but there's a joyousness, a defiance and a fearlessness that the song has when both lyrics and music are combined. It's richer for hearing those words. On the other hand, listening to it here in my office doesn't have the urgency that it had when the floor under my feet was literally vibrating from the dancers around me. The experience of hearing it live and with others was different even than the experience of hearing it alone. It was different with knowing and not-knowing the words. One song offered three unique reactions with different variables. Are any of them actually close to what the creators experience? Does the experience for the creators vary between original creation and playing it later?
I asked Adam (after he played) what he saw when he played because--as I say, this is one of Those Topics for me. When he plays, he stares into some place that is very obviously not the room in front of him. I recognize that look. It's what I tend towards when a story is so vivid in my mind that my eyes are no longer looking out at the world; they've focused on that room inside of me where my characters' live their lives. . . at least, that's how I understand that look but my experience of creating something is different. My experience never includes reproducing that original creation in front of others. I don't compose and then re-write in front of others; musicians compose and they recreate that by reproducing the song live. There is no real equivalent for writers.
Another of the artists there, Kelly Miller-Lopez of Woodland, seems likely to float off when she sings. She sits at her harp, seeming far more like Tennyson's Lady of Shalott. I'd be unsurprising to see her pull out a scrying mirror, spindle, or any number of other wonders. She appears to reach a near meditative state, but is it the same state I find when I am lost in my story? If so, how does the slipping in and out of that state work when there are people all staring at her? Is it the same place she reaches to create?
A lot of being there led me to ponder the creative process. It also made me pause and think about how many ways we all try to capture experiences and emotions. Walking around FaerieCon, I discovered art (Feywood) made of . . . or maybe simply revealed from nature. I purchased a journal--handmade paper, handbound, leather-covered. I sniffed, petted, and felt a couple dozen journals to find the one that was right for me. I had a surreal discussion about the reasons for getting dreds (&/or tattooes), watched women translate music into dance, listened to emotion become music, and in general reveled in the fact that so so many art forms are all trying to capture an experience. They all communicate in some way, but no one art of them--including words--captures the whole of the concept, the experience, or the emotion.
. . . a fact that was all the more apparent afterwards when I tried to tell friends why the event was so fascinating. I showed them pictures; I played CDs. . . and returned to my original stance that the medium--no matter how fabulous--cannot capture the experience. Picture, music, dance, story, et al: it's all unable to fully convey the real.
Of course, I suspect that the pursuit of that goal, the desire to capture the real, is a driving force in a lot of creative things that we enjoy--just as I suspect that the real is enriched by the awareness that the real is even better than the shadow we can capture in all of our various mediums. I can read about love; I can watch a dance that reveals joy; I can feel longing as I am transfixed by music that seems to seep into my bones even as the words are in a language I do not speak. . . and through it all, I know with complete certainty that the real thing is so much more. The art in whatever form I find it reminds me why I enjoy the real. It sends me to far shores, and it invites me to get lost in moments . . . all the more because I know that the moments are impossible to freeze, to capture, or to transfer in their fullness.
Oh, and it's a bit early to say it, but I'm off to the mountains in the morning to enjoy some time experiencing nature, writing, and pondering. . . so Happy Solstice (and whichever other of the Winter Holidays you might celebrate).
Sunday, December 5, 2010
It's my Birthday - but Christmas is just around the corner.
As I sit and write this at 2am in the morning - it's my birthday. But what really gets me thinking on my birthday is how close Christmas is.
Here in Australia, we have Christmas in summer (same time of the year – just reversed season due to being in the southern hemisphere. I’ve never known a truly cold Christmas let alone one with snow. It would be nice to experience that one day.
Right now this is a busy time of the year for most, especially for a writer. We are short in time at the best of times, but Christmas just adds another level of things to do. So today I am going to be lazy and post a couple of fun things.
And for something that really rocks.
What is your favorite thing about the holidays? What is your best memory of Christmas?
Here in Australia, we have Christmas in summer (same time of the year – just reversed season due to being in the southern hemisphere. I’ve never known a truly cold Christmas let alone one with snow. It would be nice to experience that one day.
Right now this is a busy time of the year for most, especially for a writer. We are short in time at the best of times, but Christmas just adds another level of things to do. So today I am going to be lazy and post a couple of fun things.
And for something that really rocks.
What is your favorite thing about the holidays? What is your best memory of Christmas?
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The publishing rollercoaster
Ah, December. In Florida the temperatures have finally dipped below sweltering and TV's are starting to play holiday shows. For me, ‘tis also the season for realizing, holy crap, where has the year gone??? But in the midst of trying to finish my sixth Cat and Bones book, and get my Christmas shopping done, I wanted to talk a little about publishing. Recently, a couple writers messaged me to ask how I broke into publishing because they’re depressed that what they’re getting right now is a pile of rejections. It almost sounds uncaring or smartass to say this is normal and it only takes one “yes” to change everything, but actually, that’s true. I wrote a piece a while back about everything I know on how to get published, and I have nothing new to add since (sorry, folks :)).
But I do have a little bit more to elaborate when it comes to rejection. I don’t know the exact odds, but I’d venture a guess that you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than to never encounter rejection on your path to publication. It’s tough trying to break into publishing, and writers need to remind themselves that rejection is part of that tough process. But even with those reminders, it can still sting. Sometimes even leave a scar. The good news is – despite some claims to the contrary – it’s not impossible to break in. The doors haven’t been slammed shut, leaving self-pubbing as the only option. How do I know? I read Publishers Lunch every day and see all the new deals with those magical words of “debut author” attached to them, for one. I see agents Tweeting that they just took on a new client. I hear editors talking about what they’re looking for in submissions. This is a hard business, true, but one “yes” can cancel out a hundred “no’s” just like that. The battle scars writers endure in the slush pile can fade with time, and upon occasion, can even be looked back on with satisfaction or humor.
I was rejected a lot while querying Halfway to the Grave, and I have lists below to prove it. Some of those rejections I handled with aplomb; some, I’ll admit, brought me to tears. In fact, these lists below represent only a small portion of the places that passed on my manuscript because more often than not, I threw those rejection letters away. Not just away in my household trash can, mind you. I would walk them out to the community dumpster so that I wouldn’t even spend the night under the same roof with those dreaded little missives (oh yes, I can be THAT crazy ;-)). Off the top of my head, I think I was rejected between 50 and 60 times, so that was a lot of treks to the community dumpster. But for those places I queried electronically, or received an electronic reply instead of a paper one, I still have records saved. Hopefully this will encourage some writers currently going through the submission-and-rejection process. Maybe it will have no effect, but I want to once again highlight that rejection happens. It doesn’t have to mean that your novel is doomed. Sometimes, it just means try harder or query wider.
Please note: these rejection were received back in 2004 and 2005 when I was querying, so some of these places may no longer be in business or may have changed their submission preferences/requirements. Don’t use this as a list of places you should query unless you research their current business status / requirements, plus cross check that against Writers Beware and Predators and Editors to see if any of these places have advisories against them (good idea for any place you query).
With that being said, Halfway to the Grave was rejected by…
Agents:
Sedgeband Literary Associates, Inc.
Writers House – twice (one from Merrilee Heifetz, one from Ginger Clark after I revised)
Rick Henshaw Group
Farris Literary Agency, Inc.
Curtis Brown, LTD.
Donald Mass Literary
The Vines Agency
Kimberley Cameron, Reece Halsey North
JABberwocky Literary Agency
Spectrum Literary Agency
Larson-Pomada Literary Agency
3 Seas Literary Agency
Ethan Ellenberg Literary
Trident Media Group
John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.
The Fogelman Literary Agency
Publishers:
Tor
Baen
Bantam Spectra Books
Red Dress Inc.
DAW Books
I eventually landed an agent with Lowenstein-Yost (which is now Lowenstein, Inc, and I’m currently with Nancy Yost at Nancy Yost Literary) who sent my manuscript to seven publishers. Six of them didn’t outright reject it, but didn’t offer because they either hadn’t read it yet, or just weren’t in love with the story enough to make up their minds on submitting an offer. The seventh editor, however, loved it so much that she offered a deal before even fully finishing the book. One “yes” made all those previous “no” or “eh, not now’s” obsolete.
As a side note, I received a rejection from one of the publishers I named above two weeks after Halfway to the Grave sold (they took over a year for them to respond to my submission). This was the comment that came along with that rejection:
“Well written. TMI vampire sex. ::sigh:: Why is there always one handsome male vampire on the side of Good, that the Heroine falls for? "Half vampire" female heroine also getting clichéd.”
So again, subjectivity reigns when it comes to rejection. What was TMI and cliché for that publisher turned out to be just what Erika Tsang at HarperCollins was looking for. As Halfway to the Grave was an instant bestseller and launched my Night Huntress series with Cat and Bones, which later launched my spinoff series featuring side characters from that world, turns out, it was what a lot of readers were looking for, too :).
To quote Tim Allen in Galaxy Quest: Never give up, never surrender!
-Jeaniene Frost
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
True Romance: Who Rescues Whom?
The results for the draw for Charlaine Harris's "Dead in the Family" and Kirsten Cashore's "Fire" have just come in and the winners are:
Lynn Rush wins "Dead in the Family"
Anne wins "Fire"
Congratulations to both of you—if you could email me via contact[at]helenlowe.info with a postal address, I will get the books away to you asap.
And thanks again to everyone for joining in the conversation—it's been great. I'll see you again next year—on New Year's Day in fact: in between times, I'm going to think about how we can have some fun with that! :)
---
Last month we talked about what makes a story truly romantic and you told me that for you, the X factor can include to honor and defend; a look, a touch, and the sense that two people are meant to be together; having plenty of chemistry but also leaving something to the imagination; self-sacrifice and the willingness of star-crossed lovers to fight for each other—and definitely that element of forbidden love.
All so true—and just as much for film as for print, as Pamela honed in on a little later in the month.
Shortly after that I was watching Pretty Woman—an oldie but a goodie for me in the romantic stakes. (Of course, one of my friends maintains that the most romantic scene in the story has to be where the Richard Gere character gives Julia Roberts his credit card—but getting back on topic … )
Right at the end of the film there’s the scene where our hero overcomes his fear of heights to “rescue” the Julia Roberts character—and then asks (something like): “what happens next?” And of course she says: “She rescues him right back!”
This is the bit that got me thinking, because one of the trends of contemporary fantasy is the kickass chick—whether it’s Buffy, who always manages to rescue herself in the end as well as dusting the vamps or slaying the demons; or Sookie Stackhouse in Charlaine Harris’s True Blood novels (ok, I think they’re the Sookie Stackhouse series, but you know what I mean) who as often-as-not rescues the paras; or Katsa in Kirsten Cashore’s Graceling who is an archetypal alpha heroine.
All great stories and heroines that we love—but 'tell me true', is there any secret yearning (as last month’s comments suggest there might be) for the alpha hero who sweeps all before him to rescue our heroine from dastardly villains and “love only her” for ever after (keeping her in the style to which she would entirely wish to become accustomed, of course!)
Or do we like to mix it up a bit more, Pretty Woman and Ever After style, and have our heroine rescuing her man “right back?” Or is it just nice to have the choice, depending on time, place and mood?
I’d love to hear what you all think!
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Giveaway Time!
To help the discussion along, I’ve got two books from the writers mentioned above as giveaways for a couple of lucky posters: a copy of the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead in the Family (to be drawn first), and Kirsten Cashore’s Fire (to be drawn second). This giveaway is open to all Supernatural Underground followers, US or international.
Just add a comment on your preference for “Who Rescues Whom” before the next Supernatural Underground author posts to go in the draw (which will be via Random Number selection.) As always, you can earn points (i.e. the number of times your name goes into the draw) by:
+1 Posting in the comments section
+1 Linking to this post on Twitter
+1 Linking to this post on Facebook
+1 Linking to the Supernatural Underground or my Helen Lowe on Anything Really blog on your own blog/website.
Just post the total number of points that you’ve earned in your comment. And don’t forget to check back to see if you’ve won!
Lynn Rush wins "Dead in the Family"
Anne wins "Fire"
Congratulations to both of you—if you could email me via contact[at]helenlowe.info with a postal address, I will get the books away to you asap.
And thanks again to everyone for joining in the conversation—it's been great. I'll see you again next year—on New Year's Day in fact: in between times, I'm going to think about how we can have some fun with that! :)
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Last month we talked about what makes a story truly romantic and you told me that for you, the X factor can include to honor and defend; a look, a touch, and the sense that two people are meant to be together; having plenty of chemistry but also leaving something to the imagination; self-sacrifice and the willingness of star-crossed lovers to fight for each other—and definitely that element of forbidden love.
All so true—and just as much for film as for print, as Pamela honed in on a little later in the month.
Shortly after that I was watching Pretty Woman—an oldie but a goodie for me in the romantic stakes. (Of course, one of my friends maintains that the most romantic scene in the story has to be where the Richard Gere character gives Julia Roberts his credit card—but getting back on topic … )
Right at the end of the film there’s the scene where our hero overcomes his fear of heights to “rescue” the Julia Roberts character—and then asks (something like): “what happens next?” And of course she says: “She rescues him right back!”
This is the bit that got me thinking, because one of the trends of contemporary fantasy is the kickass chick—whether it’s Buffy, who always manages to rescue herself in the end as well as dusting the vamps or slaying the demons; or Sookie Stackhouse in Charlaine Harris’s True Blood novels (ok, I think they’re the Sookie Stackhouse series, but you know what I mean) who as often-as-not rescues the paras; or Katsa in Kirsten Cashore’s Graceling who is an archetypal alpha heroine.
All great stories and heroines that we love—but 'tell me true', is there any secret yearning (as last month’s comments suggest there might be) for the alpha hero who sweeps all before him to rescue our heroine from dastardly villains and “love only her” for ever after (keeping her in the style to which she would entirely wish to become accustomed, of course!)
Or do we like to mix it up a bit more, Pretty Woman and Ever After style, and have our heroine rescuing her man “right back?” Or is it just nice to have the choice, depending on time, place and mood?
I’d love to hear what you all think!
---
Giveaway Time!
To help the discussion along, I’ve got two books from the writers mentioned above as giveaways for a couple of lucky posters: a copy of the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead in the Family (to be drawn first), and Kirsten Cashore’s Fire (to be drawn second). This giveaway is open to all Supernatural Underground followers, US or international.
Just add a comment on your preference for “Who Rescues Whom” before the next Supernatural Underground author posts to go in the draw (which will be via Random Number selection.) As always, you can earn points (i.e. the number of times your name goes into the draw) by:
+1 Posting in the comments section
+1 Linking to this post on Twitter
+1 Linking to this post on Facebook
+1 Linking to the Supernatural Underground or my Helen Lowe on Anything Really blog on your own blog/website.
Just post the total number of points that you’ve earned in your comment. And don’t forget to check back to see if you’ve won!
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