Rewriting

Right now I'm "rewriting" a book I wrote last summer. I've title it Queen because it's about one of the most famous queens in history. She's even heralded in the Bible. The process of rewriting is more intensive than I thought. The book is also getting longer, so I'm hoping that by the last one-hundred pages I'll be able to find stuff I want to cut.

But last night I dreamed about the new ending. So I've decided to write it down (in code so I won't give it away). It's not really anything too different, but actually an idea I had a few weeks ago.

Mind you, I didn't dream the scene like a movie, just the plotting/writing part of it. So it wasn't like some of those famous authors who say they just dreamed something and now they're NY Times Bestsellers.

My goal to have the rewrite finished was the end of June. But since that's today, I'm pushing back my goal to the end of July. It will only require a little missed sleep. Something I've done before. What's the rush? Well, I need to start writing a new novel for my publisher that will be released in Fall 2008. And time is ticking.

Here's my code:
Story Jade Tomb Queen
Salalah v. Muscat
Patriarch assassination

Well, it makes sense to me, and now I won't be able to forget it.

Summer Reading

Since I'm procrastinating already, I might as well blog.

What are you reading this summer? So far I've read Sheep's Clothing by Josi Kilpack, Counting Stars by Michele Holmes, half of Spires of Stone by Annette Lyon (due out in September), The Uglies by Scott Westerfield, and I just started Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.

Oh, and I've been reading too many blogs. But I am contributing to a new blog, where I'll be posting reviews of books I've read.

Check it out!

Prestigious Award for LDS Authors

Today it was announced that the 2007 Whitney Awards are now open for nominations. In its first year, the Whitney Awards will recognize excellence in fiction by LDS authors. The 2007 winners will be announced in March 2008 at the annual LDStorymakers Writers Conference (http://www.ldstorymakers.com/).

The Whitney Awards honor novels in the following categories: Romance/Women’s Fiction, Suspense/Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Historical, Novel of the Year, and Best Novel by a New Author. Novels can be nominated by any reader (via http://www.whitneyawards.com/), and nominees are voted on by an academy of industry professionals, including authors, publishers, bookstore owners, distributors, critics, and others. Out of the nominations, five will be chosen as category finalists. The Whitney Award will be the first of its kind to honor excellence in literary achievement in fiction by LDS authors.

So far this year, I've read three excellent novels by LDS writers, and I'm looking forward to checking out the late summer and fall releases. Read what's new this year, then nominate your favorite!

Fiction That Makes You Think

I like to read fiction that makes me think. Instead of the fluffy, entertaining stuff, I feel that if I actually learn something when I read, my time is well spent.

That's how I felt when I read Sheep's Clothing by Josi Kilpack. I happened to read one of her earlier drafts and immediately fell in love with the story. So I was excited to read it again when the book was released last month. Kate was someone I could relate to and that's probably why it made the story a little eerie. When her daughter, Jesse, starts to chat online with a child predator, things start escalate.

What parents wouldn't be horrified if they found out their child was being solicited by a 40+ man posing as a 13-year old girl? Just creepy all the way around. The sad thing is that in this case, truth is not stranger than fiction. The fiction is the truth.

The book takes you through 16-year old Jesse's journey of insecurity and how she turns to a friend "Emily" who she meets online. We also catch a glimpse of Kate, Jesse's mother, who is trying to be the "all" for her six children, her husband . . . but essentially falls short when she doesn't pay close enough attention to the changes in her daughter's life.

Of course it can happen to anyone. And it does. So that's why I really appreciated the Author Notes that Josi added at the end of her book. They detail resources that parents can use to help prevent internet predators from infiltrating their homes.

I definitely think Sheep's Clothing is an excellent book for parents and teenagers to read together. It will open up that line of communication. My 12-year old son has an email address (parent-approved). So, yeah. Precautions need to be taken.

1000 in a Week

Recently one of my critique group members, Michele Holmes, had her first book come out. She was told by her editor that it would be really good if she could sell 1,000 copies in the first week.

If that's not intimidating, I don't know what is.

Well, the week is almost up, so if you're looking for a unique, well-written romance, pick up a copy of Counting Stars. And I'm not just saying that because Michele is my friend or that she's in my critique group or that she might read this on www.writersinheels.com

I'm saying it because I've read Counting Stars in three different forms. The national form, the LDS form and the final book form. Michele is a fastidious writer. She's the kind of person who pictures entire scenes in her head while she's doing dishes. She plots out books while she's driving carpool and knows exactly what characters are going to say and do. This is mind-boggling to me. When I picked up her book last Saturday and leafed through it, one thought struck me: This is a work of art.

I know what she's been through from the beginning to the end--how she had to petition an entire committee to rethink their approach to LDS fiction--and all the while going through several personal trials--even to the point of walking away from it all . . . I really admire Michele for her perseverance.

If you aren't familiar with the differences between LDS fiction and what I refer to as national romance, just think of inspirational fiction. LDS fiction contains characters who have religious beliefs and values (happens to be LDS in this case). So prayers may be said and God may be thanked. There are also taboo topics that aren't brought up in LDS fiction. Counting Stars gently breaks some of these molds.

But I believe a character who has any depth has some sort of religious faith. So whether you are Christian, Jewish, or Muslim, you'll relate to the characters in Michele's book as they nourish family relationships, struggle through the heartbreaking diagnosis of cancer, and serve in the military.

Another interesting aspect to Michele's book is the layering of characters. You might think the story is just about Jane Warner. But in reality we get to know some of the sub-characters, like her friend Tara, her ex-boyfriend Jay, and her sister Caroline. In subsequent books, the author will tell the stories about these individuals.

A recent review of Counting Stars was posted by Tristi Pinkston. It does a great job of summing up an even "more" great book:
http://media.families.com/blog/counting-stars-michele-paige-holmes

Cards for Writers

(Just click on the card to see the larger image)

Some might say that writers are a unique bunch. We are individuals who become emotionally involved with people who don't even exist--people who we made up--people who the rest of the world calls "characters."

They're real to us.

We even refer to our books as our babies. And it takes about the same amount of time to write a book as it does to grow a baby.

A good friend of mine, Crystal Liechty (www.crystalinwonderland.com), creates cards for writers . . . just for fun. Here's one. I know you'll appreciate it. Thanks, Crystal.

The Typeset

Once an author reaches the typeset stage, it's almost like completing a marathon. Well, let me back up . . . since I've never ran a marathon (I peter out around 3 miles), I'll compare it to cleaning your entire house in a single day. Wait, I haven't done that either.

Forget the analogies, I'll just say it straight up.

Reaching the typeset stage is like starting a book in July; writing like a maniac for about 2-3 hours a day; finishing draft one in November; anxiously waiting for feedback from your notoriously honest critique group; submitting in December; holding your breath for 8 weeks straight, all the while editing; finding out it's accepted in February; working on rewrites and trying not to light a match to your computer; working with the editor, 2 copyeditors, 2 proofers; and finally, reading the typeset.

It's almost time to celebrate--to shake off 11 1/2 months of work and look at the surroundings that you've ignored over the past 4 seasons. Hey, how did my walls get so yellow? Did I really choose that paint color?

And what will I do to celebrate? Clean out my office, dust off the bookshelves, turn on the computer, and start on the next book.

Celebrate, indeed.