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The official book release of After the Ashes was October 15, and I held a book launch at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston on Saturday. If you've never visited Blue Willow, you should. It is an amazing bookstore, and they host hundreds of events each year.
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After the Ashes on display. Note the perfectly- placed tropical plants. photo from Sara K Joiner |
When I walked in, I saw a gorgeous display of multiple copies of After the Ashes complete with tropical-looking plants. So perfect! There was also a customer there who was picking up her pre-ordered copy of the book in preparation for the book launch at 2 p.m. Here's the important part of that: I did not know this person!
The event took place in the rear of the store. My mother made a chocolate cake, which we christened Dutch chocolate in honor of the book. I also had Dutch cookies available, and I decorated the signing table with
giant plastic stag beetles similar to those the main character might have collected.
Prizes, including Lava soap, Dutch mints in a tin, and a copy of
Krakatoa by Simon Winchester, were given out to people who asked the first questions.
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Me and a member of my critique group. She brought me roses! photo from my critique partner |
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Me signing books for a friend. She'll photo from my critique partner |
I read a brief passage to whet people's appetites, and then I answered questions. Once the questions were over, I signed books and took pictures like a real author! It was a bit surreal, to be honest. People I've known for years were buying something I wrote and getting me to sign it.
There were about twenty-five or thirty people there, including some I did not know. More than the person I mentioned earlier. That was a thrill! Blue Willow sold out all their copies of After the Ashes. My mother didn't even get to buy one!
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My roommate, me and my friend— all Texas Lutheran alumnae! photo from my friend |
It was also a little mini-reunion of sorts for some Texas Lutheran alumnae. My roommate, one of my friends and a former co-worker all came down from Austin and Seguin to attend. Thanks so much, y'all!
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Even these two books were gone before the end of the event. photo from my critique partner |
I cannot thank Blue Willow enough for all they did to make the day special, and I cannot thank all my friends who came and supported me. Honestly, it was better than I could have imagined, and I'm still smiling!
Last month, I was in Washington at the Twin Peaks Festival, a celebration of all things Twin Peaks and David Lynch. For those of you who may not remember or know Twin Peaks, it was a television series created by Lynch and Mark Frost that aired on ABC for two seasons in the early 1990s. The show began with the central plot revolving around the murder of the homecoming queen.
The fictional town of Twin Peaks was a place 'both wonderful and strange.' It was a town 'full of secrets,' and viewers' guide to navigating those secrets was FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper played by the perfectly cast Kyle MacLachlan.
While viewers learned more about Laura Palmer, the murder victim, and the other residents of the town, we were also treated to extraordinary side stories, beautiful scenery and terrific dialogue.
Ultimately, many of the stories in Twin Peaks deal with serious issues such as abuse, extortion, arson, murder and violence.
Why have people gathered in celebration of this?
The Twin Peaks Festival has been an annual occurrence since 1993. Fans travel from all across the globe to meet in North Bend and see the filming locations, meet cast members who come to the Fest, and visit with other fans who become family.
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Gary Hershberger, who played Mike on Twin Peaks, and Sara at Twin Peaks Fest 2015. |
This was my first year attending Twin Peaks Fest, and it was gratifying being around others who were just as obsessed with the show as I was. While I've been a
Twin Peaks fan from the first night it aired on ABC (with limited commercial interruptions), what did surprise me was the number of fans at the Fest who discovered the show on DVD or Netflix, long after it went off the air.
Except for the vehicles and the telephones, there is a timeless quality to
Twin Peaks. The high school students wear leather jackets or plaid skirts and sweaters. Not a lot of dated slang words are used, and there are no chain stores seen on screen.
Twin Peaks exists in a bubble.
One of the other fans I spoke with at the Fest said she thought it was amazing that people were such fans of what was, essentially, a dark show. As I said, the subject matter is disturbing. The scene where viewers become privy to what, precisely, happened to Laura Palmer when she was murdered is still one of the most terrifying scenes I've ever seen on television, network or cable.
Twin Peaks tells a dark story in a unique way, though. The character of Agent Cooper is a brilliant creation. He is a man who is focused and dedicated to his job, a brilliant detective who concedes he has weaknesses, and someone who is able to combine amazement at the world around him without losing sight of the important job ahead of him.
It's important to have characters to root for and empathize with and love. But it's also important to make characters complex. Those characters make
Twin Peaks appealing to many. I know they're the reason I keep coming back to the show after 25 years. Everyone, even minor characters, has depth and layers. I've already mentioned Agent Cooper, but there's also
- Laura Palmer, the homecoming queen whose murder kicks off the show - she isn't what she seems, but even her secrets hide a darker secret
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Ian Buchanan, who played Richard Tremayne on Twin Peaks, and Sara at Twin Peaks Fest 2015. |
- Deputy Andy Brennan, local law enforcement - in his first scene, he weeps while photographing the dead body, but he has a strong moral center despite certain intellectual difficulties
- The Log Lady - although a bit odd, her own story is heartbreaking
This is just a small sample of the wonderful, weird and wacky characters in
Twin Peaks. They keep entertaining me year after year. I can only hope my own characters prove just as entertaining and touching to readers.
Twin Peaks is
returning to television. I, for one, can't wait to see my old friends again and look forward to making new acquaintances.
Holiday House is hosting a
giveaway on GoodReads for five advanced reader copies of
After the Ashes.
You have until August 19 to enter. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky winners!
In addition to the drawing, my
book release party is scheduled. It will be held at 2 p.m. October 17 at
Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston.
Blue Willow is a fantastic independent bookstore that offers events throughout the year. I've been to some book release parties for other author friends there, and they're always nice. I can't wait for the release! I'm nervous and excited, and that will definitely increase as October draws near.
Finally, I've got reviews from
Kirkus and
Publishers Weekly.
Holiday House is publishing After the Ashes, and I could not have asked for a better experience as a first-time author.
Even before I signed the contract, I got a lovely email from my editor, Kelly Loughman, about what was then called Unnatural Selection.
Welcome to the Holiday House family! I’m so delighted to be working with you on Unnatural Selection. I’ll be in touch in far greater depth once the contract is all squared away (more on that in a moment), but I want to tell you right this minute how much I enjoyed the manuscript, and on so many levels. It’s riveting and heartbreaking and lovely…often all at once!
Once the contract was signed, the big day arrived. I got the editorial letter. I have heard and seen scary stories about editorial letters (one author I know got one that was 24 pages long!). Naturally, I was a little nervous to open the attachment.
To my relief, Kelly's letter to me was only two pages. Whew!
The biggest changes (aside from changing the title) were including an author's note to distinguish fact from fiction and offer a bit more explanation for readers as well as adding more detail in the final chapters about where the main character's life might eventually lead.
Simple! That was before I opened the manuscript and saw page after page of tracked changes marked in red. One of my critique groups jokes that I love my red pen, but if they were to see those tracked changes, they might pass out -- especially when reminded that this is after at least five or six revisions of my own and maybe six or seven more with my agent.
To my everlasting relief, I agreed with most of the changes. Over the course of the next five months, we revised the manuscript three times.
Then came the copy-edits, which I reviewed twice. My favorite copy-edit note was concerning the use of the word hissed.
Change “hissed” to another verb of utterance per house style as dialogue does not include an s-sounding word?
I used hissed twice to describe the way a character spoke. In the end, I kept one and changed the other.
The galley pages arrived on my doorstep one night, and I didn't even know they were coming. My hands shook as I reviewed those pages for any final, minor changes.
Throughout copy-edits and galley revisions, Kelly actually sent me thumbnail sketches of the cover. I was not expecting that. I know authors have very little say in the covers of their books, and I anticipated seeing the cover along with the rest of the world. I was thrilled with the sketches. The artists are two sisters from Italy. Italy! Can you believe that? They go by the name Anna+Elena=Balbusso. Two Italian women creating the cover for a book written by a Texan and set on Java in 1883? The world really is a small place.
Their work on their site is stunning, and I love, love, love the cover they created for After the Ashes.
I think we've finished the final little edits and corrections -- buffing, I call it. Now, I'm looking forward to galleys and then the bound and printed book that I can put on my bookshelf.
In April I attended the Texas Library Association's annual conference as I have for the past sixteen years.
As the conference was in Austin this year, I went up early to visit a friend. I planned to leave directly from work, so my bags were packed and in the car.
Before I left work, I got a phone call from Terry, the marketing director at Holiday House. Would I be available to attend a dinner Wednesday night? I told her I would, and she said she would send me the guest list.
At a pit stop on the way to Austin, I checked my email and saw the guest list. I recognized a few of the librarians listed, but what surprised me even more was being listed as an author along with Roxie Munro and Michelle Lord.
Wait. I was coming to this dinner as an author?
Shaken and more than a little terrified at this prospect, I continued on my way. That's when it hit me.
I didn't have anything to wear to this dinner!
I'm a light packer and generally take only what I need. I had pop culture T-shirts for my weekend with my friend and library system polo shirts for TLA. I had sturdy walking shoes. Somehow, I didn't think it would be appropriate to show up at a dinner with Holiday House wearing a Big Lebowski shirt or a Brazoria County Library System polo.
Only one solution - shopping!
My friend and I popped over to Target where I bought a dressier shirt and Frozen flip-flops. I am a children's writer and a children's librarian, after all!
Once the conference exhibits opened, I stopped by the Holiday House booth and got another shock - a flier advertising
After the Ashes. I picked it up and snagged the first librarian who walked by and said, "This is me!" Then I took a photo with a different librarian (I think she was from Lubbock).
I took that flier and showed it to everyone I knew.
Then came the dinner. Terry asked me to read a small excerpt from
After the Ashes. Thankfully, I had the manuscript in my email. I chose a selection that would hopefully leave those in attendance wanting more.
Unfortunately,
Michelle Lord was taken ill and could not attend the dinner, but
Roxie Munro is amazing. She talked about how she developed her new book
Market Maze.
Then it was my turn. It was at this point that I thanked my lucky stars I'm a children's librarian. Reading in front of a crowd is not a problem. I was also grateful for all the one-act play and prose training I got in high school for UIL.
I took a breath and read from my iPad.
Those in attendance seemed to enjoy it. They 'oohed' at the forbidding nature of the end of my selection.
The rest of the evening was spent in discussion about books, libraries and education. All in all, a terrific way to introduce myself as an author.
Yesterday I took a walk through the neighborhood and made the conscious decision to look for beauty. I think we too often take our everyday surroundings for granted and forget to recognize what is around us.
Most people probably don't think they live in particularly lovely locations. I've never really thought my little spot of the world was exceptional. I live about 15 feet above sea level and about 20 miles from the Gulf. That would be great if I were a fan of the beach, but I'm not. There's nothing wrong with it; it's just not my scenic preference. But since I don't live in my ideal location—and admittedly, I'm not sure it exists except in my imagination and maybe a national park—I set out on my quest today. I needed to find some beauty.
And I did.
One house down from mine is this lovely tree surrounded by decorative cabbages.
The bark on this tree is fascinating.
All the pollen in this tree making it look like streamers.
These trees against that gorgeous blue sky. We've had almost two and a half solid months of gray, cloudy skies. Anyone can see the beauty in a blue sky after that!
The rain still standing in the roads because that means it has rained. After several years of drought, the rain is welcome. Even the mosquitoes that will come later!
This fabulous mailbox which is a replica of the house at the address.
These gorgeous azaleas which apparently didn't care about not getting much sunshine and decided to bloom anyway.
This house, which is my favorite in the neighborhood. I wish I could see what it was like inside.
This field, which proves there is still some greenscape in the neighborhood.
This beautifully-shaped crape myrtle which holds the promise of stunning loveliness.
These little clover blooms. I know clover is a weed, but I love it. I suppose it's the Irish in me.
This lantana, also ignoring the lack of sunshine over the past weeks.
This redbud tree. Doesn't it look glorious against that sky?
The shape and color of the green tree branch against the blue sky.
These purple beauties in the sunshine.
The nests in the tree.
Whatever this is—I'm actually terrible with plants and never know what I'm looking at except when I've been forced to learn.
This gorgeous live oak. You can't really see it in this photo, but ferns are growing on some of the branches! This tree is amazing.
This flowering pear tree. Mom and I looked these up because they are blooming all over the area this year. Maybe they do every year, and we've never noticed. Or maybe the weather was particularly conducive to a fabulous flowering frenzy this year.
This terrific cedar that has ball moss growing on it.
This wonderful flowering tree.
The shades of green on these trees. It's just spectacular.
These fantastic decorations.
And the fiery red on the hedges.
I found all this beauty in a hour-long walk through the neighborhood. Eventually, I'll look farther out into the rest of town. Until then, look for the beauty in your surroundings.
In the process of editing my novel, my editor and my agent suggested changing the title. I have to admit that I was a little disheartened to hear that. I thought the title was perfect. My critique partners thought the title was perfect.
The original title was Unnatural Selection. Why was that perfect? The main character, Katrien, adores Charles Darwin. Her primary goal in life is to prove his theory of natural selection. But then Krakatoa erupts with disastrous results. Hence the title Unnatural Selection. Perfect, right?
Not so much.
I first learned of the need for a new title not long before I went to the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in April. Of course, Holiday House had a booth at the conference, and I stopped by and spoke with their marketing representative. I told her I had just signed a contract with Holiday House, and she asked me what the title was.
Me: "Well, apparently it needs to be changed, but it was called Unnatural Selection."
Her: "Oh, is it nonfiction?"
Me: "Umm ... no."
Her: "That's why it needs to be changed."
Point taken, ma'am. Knowing now why I needed to change the title, I set about throwing out suggestions. After a couple of emails, a phone call with my editor and some suggestions from the Holiday House marketing team, we came up with the perfect title.
AFTER THE ASHES
Look for it next fall!
By:
SKJoiner,
on 4/1/2014
Blog:
The Journey
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At the end of January (January 28, to be precise) my agent called to tell me I had an offer for my book from Holiday House.
I said, "Really?!" and had to sit down.
I took a few notes about what she said, including reminding me that a couple other editors still had the manuscript. The rest of the day I could not stop grinning. I had a meeting at work that afternoon, and I honestly have no memory of what we discussed. After that phone call from Carrie, the rest of the day was a blur. I did buy myself a big bag of M&M's and a York peppermint patty to celebrate (I am the last of the big spenders!).
Of course I told Mom that night, but I didn't tell anyone else. Carrie got back with me a few days later to say that the other editors had passed, and I was officially with Holiday House.
I was thrilled! Holiday House only publishes children's books. We have lots of their books in the library system.
One week after the phone call, I told all my friends on Twitter and Facebook (mainly because I saw the post from my agency). I emailed other friends and my critique group buddies. The beautiful thing about writing books for children is how supportive everyone is of other writers.
Then I got a lovely letter from Kelly Loughman, the editor I'll be working with at Holiday House.
While I was at PLA, I got the contract to sign. When I got home, I signed it and mailed it off.
Now I'm waiting for the next step.
Here's the official notice from Publisher's Marketplace (thanks to Sam for sending this to me).
Sara Joiner's UNNATURAL SELECTION, about a Charles Darwin-loving girl of the Dutch East Indies, and what happens after volcano Krakatoa erupts and the only person who agrees to her plan of following the animals to safety in the island's jungle is her prim-and-proper nemesis, to Kelly Loughman at Holiday House, by Carrie Pestritto of Prospect Agency.
Woohoo!
It's been a few weeks since I've updated here. We had the floors replaced in parts of the house, so between packing stuff and moving furniture, certain things - including this blog - got neglected.
Now I'm off to attend the Public Library Association Conference in Indianapolis. This will be the sixth PLA Conference I've been to. When I was in graduate school, a professor told her classroom that once we attended PLA, we would never want to go to another type of library conference again.
She was right.
PLA is strictly for public librarians, so all the sessions are useful. I don't have to figure out how to adapt information for school or academic librarians to a public library setting. Bliss!
I've had lots of fun at PLA Conferences in the past, and I fully intend to have a good time at this conference.
My biggest problem is that every one of these conferences I've attended has been up north in cold temperatures (it might even snow this time!). Can we move it somewhere warmer please?
I work with a great group of critiquers. We meet in a Barnes & Noble. A regular group of four of us, plus a semi-regular group of others offer great insight, good questions and sound criticism.
I drive forty-five minutes one way to meet with them, and I’ve been doing that for almost nine years. How the time flies!
Some people from the group have moved away (boo!), but we still keep in touch through Skype. We created a group which one of the members christened the Texas Skype Walkers, so we could still read each other’s work and offer support and encouragement.
They’re all members of SCBWI and write children’s books. Their books are wonderful, and I know I’ll see them published one day. I look forward to celebrating that good news with them.
As a librarian, many people in our library system know I also write. One of our branch managers had several patrons ask her about offering a writers’ group. She asked me if I would be willing to run it. I said sure.
Our first meeting was in September. We decided to form a critique group, and we have about six members including myself. They write all kinds of genres, both fiction and nonfiction. The group is still new, and the dynamics are still forming. But it promises to be a good group as well.
I cannot praise my critique partners enough. We share our news with each other. We mourn setbacks and celebrate victories. If you can find a critique group -- in person, online, through email -- find one. I love my critique partners.
I’ve been writing pretty seriously toward publication for about about ten or twelve years now. It’s taken me a while to figure out a system that works for me, and I still learn new tricks all the time.
One thing that slowed me down was the need to exercise -- or at least my doctor told me I should exercise regularly.
I used to get up at 5 a.m. and go swimming. It was a great time to think about my writing and work out any problems I had. But it cut into the time I had available to do the actual writing.
I tried writing longhand during lunch, but that wasn’t really enough time.
I bought a laptop, so I could work and watch television. That helped.
I muddled through writing a couple of novels that way. But despite what my critique partners think (they believe I write a book a week!), that took forever and always drained me.
All of these things were an effort to be able to write, exercise and work my 8-hour-a-day library job. It was exhausting, and I usually seized on any excuse to avoid writing or exercise (I can’t get out of the paying gig).
I could do this, I thought. I don’t have any problems walking and reading, so I didn’t think I would have motion sickness issues or anything like that.
There was one big problem, though.
I didn’t have a treadmill. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to shell out several hundred dollars for something I might like and might use. Also, I wasn’t sure where I could put it in the house.
But we did have an exercise bike. Was there some way I could use that?
I tested it with my iPad to see if I could even get close enough to type. I’m short and need to be close to the pedals to use the bike. Any closer -- as I suspected I might need to be to work -- and I might bang my arms with my knees. If that happened, this plan would never work!
But the iPad worked. The next step was to carefully, oh so carefully, balance my laptop on the handlebar and see if that worked.
Success!
Now I needed to get something sturdier and more secure. I couldn’t afford for my computer to fall and break.
What would work?
I bought a serving tray at Walmart. It ended up being the wrong shape, but the idea was sound.
I went to Home Goods and bought a different tray with a lip. Perfect!
Presenting my very own fabulous exercise bike desk. I did have to add the support cushion to the seat just to support my back and keep me sitting up straight. Fortunately, we already had one of those for some reason.
The cat is only there for moral support.
It is excellent!
The serving tray is attached with a bungee cord and duct tape -- true Texas engineering!
Now I get up at 5 a.m. and write and ride the bike. I don’t go super fast and rarely break a sweat, but I’m riding it for about an hour each morning. I only ride it while writing the first draft. After that, I can re-type in front of the TV and veg out as nature intended.
When I write, I also bungee cord the computer. Just in case.
I am not made for exercise.
I read a lot of blog posts like this. Aspiring authors who finally get an agent after years of trying.
Usually it seems like those stories have some almost fantastical element to them.
Mine doesn’t. I hope someone finds that inspiring.
The first novel I wrote -- which is literally in a drawer in my house -- is terrible. Dreadful. Awful. Hang-my-head-in-shame bad. But everyone’s first book is this way. (By the way, I still think the idea for this novel is great; I just have to figure out how to make it work.)
I wrote another book. This one was based on incidents from
my grandmother’s childhood. Because it’s written in a vignette style, it was harder to pitch as a first book. I set it aside.
Then I wrote
another novel, this one for young adults. I wrote and revised and wrote and revised and worked hard to make it perfect. Then I queried agents. I got rejections. I revised some more. I queried again. I got rejections. I revised again. Sometimes agents would ask for the partial or the full manuscript, and then I would get a rejection. This process took about two years, and I eventually got more than 100 rejections for that novel. Somewhere about the time I had seventy-five rejections, I told myself I would buy an iPad if got 100. And I did.
Then I set that novel aside.
I wrote another young adult novel. I never queried it, but I did send it to an editor I met at a conference. It was rejected, but the
rejection was quite positive.
I wrote another young adult novel. I remembered reading once that writers didn’t really learn what they were doing until they wrote their fourth book. This was my fifth. I felt positive about this book. I felt like this was “the one” -- this book would take me to the next step.
With more patience than I ever thought I had, I wrote. I worked on this book for about two years. I slashed scenes. I added characters. I dropped ideas. I changed details. I took my time to get it right.
Then I queried.
I sent out four queries and got rejections. I sent out four more and got a request for the full manuscript.
Then I got the email that stopped my heart. She liked the book but wanted to see some changes. Would I care to talk to her about it?
Of course I said yes. After listening to her, I knew her ideas would make the book stronger. She would be willing to read the manuscript again if I addressed her concerns.
I took my time and re-submitted to her.
And she offered representation! I actually cried when I read that email.
Meanwhile, I’m working on another novel.
This trip produced quite a few stories that have become family lore. Our favorite is about Mom locking the keys to the rental car in the trunk.
This wasn’t the first time Mom locked a set of keys in the car. She had done it years ago in Mississippi (the police opened the truck for her).
But this time was more unique than most.
We were on our way out of Anchorage to drive to Seward. I was driving, and the car needed gas. Stopping at a gas station in Girdwood, I pulled up to the pump and filled the tank. Mom needed to get something out of the trunk, and I thought nothing of watching her dig around for whatever she needed. I went inside the store to pay, and when I came out, Mom was coming in to buy a drink. I asked for the keys so I could move the car.
This is where the trouble began.
“I don’t have the keys, you do,” she said.
“No, I don’t. You have them.”
“I don’t have them, Sara.”
“You do.”
She searched her pockets and came up empty. Realization hit her. “I bet I left them in the trunk.”
Eleven years ago there weren’t smart phones, and my cell phone did not work in Alaska. We both went into the store and told the cashier our dilemma.
What you need to know is that Girdwood is a small town -- only about 1500 people at the time. Odds were pretty good we were going to have to wait for someone to come out from Anchorage, about 45 minutes away.
The temperature was dropping, my coat was in the car, and we were blocking one of the gas station’s pumps.
But the cashier knew a guy in town who could do it. “Let me see if he’s home,” the cashier said, picking up the phone.
Fortunately, he was.
We waited outside for him to arrive. When he pulled up, we showed him to the car. The man, tall and skinny with black hair, carried a tool box with him. He set it down beside the driver’s door, opened it up and pulled out a small, thin book. “I’m still learning how to do this,” he said.
At this point, Mom and I gaped. There was a book about how to open car doors?!
I watched a logging truck pull into the parking lot of the gas station. A short blond man climbed out and walked toward the store. Noticing our lock-picker, the man asked if we needed any help. The lock-picker assured him that he was fine.
The lock-picker had a thin wire with a loop on the end worked through the top of the window. This would have been perfect if the locks weren’t molded plastic that contoured to the wall of the car door. But he was getting close. He could get that ring around the lock, but it would slip off. Over and over, he tried to hook that lock.
The blond came back outside. He again offered his services. “Are you sure you don’t need help? I used to do that for a living.”
I have no idea if he meant that in a legal or illegal way.
Our lock-picker decided to let the man try. He walked over, picked up a Slim Jim, jammed it down into the car door. Boom. Boom. Done.
I think our lock-picker would have had the door open in about five more minutes.
We thanked the blond profusely, and he climbed back in his logging truck and drove off. We paid the lock-picker, popped the trunk and got the keys out.
As we drove off, we both laughed at the whole situation. It was utterly ridiculous, and if it hadn’t happened to us, I would never believe another person telling me this story.
The lesson learned from this little experience? You can apparently buy a book to teach you how to open locked car doors.
Short answer? In my last year of college, my mother said I could go to graduate school, but it would have to be a public school. I had two options -- International Relations or Library Science. Like any good future librarian, I consulted the Peterson’s Guide to Graduate Programs and discovered that library school did not require a thesis. Ding, ding, ding! That’s why I chose library school.
Although the above answer is true, there is more to it than that.
When I graduated high school, I went to Texas Lutheran University (then it was still Texas Lutheran College; the name changed after my second year there). I was a communications major and hoped to eventually be a film critic. For my four years at college, I served as the arts and entertainment editor for the university newspaper, the Lone Star Lutheran.
But TLU changed the requirements for communications majors and overhauled the department. I thought the changes actually weakened the degree. Let me be clear, the newspaper advisor was excellent. Many of the things she taught me, I still use today (yay, library marketing!).
At the time of the overhaul, I was taking an American government class that I thoroughly enjoyed. I decided to double-major in communications and political science. That lasted about a year before I realized I wouldn’t be able to graduate in four years. I was attending a private university. Although I had several scholarships, I also had some pretty significant loans. I had to graduate in four years.
So I dropped communications. By that time I thought about joining the U.S. Foreign Service.
But I was also working in the school’s library at this time. It was fun work, and I adored seeing the new books. I also rediscovered my love of children’s literature through the library’s small collection of titles, mainly used by education majors.
When Mom said I could go to graduate school, I had a decision to make.
Foreign service or public library?
I chose librarianship, and one of the biggest determining factors was not having to write a thesis. But the fact that Texas has three American Library Association-accredited library schools helped. Of those three, I chose the University of Texas and earned a master's degree in library and information science.
Looking back at how U.S. foreign policy has morphed over the past fifteen years, I know I made the right decision.
Despite the fact that my path to library school was circuitous, some of the classes I took at TLU have proved useful in my professional career.
- Newspaper Writing -- I have to write, read and review press releases. I also have proofread signs, online ads and plenty of other written documentation.
- Public Administration -- I work for local government, so this is easy to understand. Most important thing I learned in this class? Never answer a question with “I don’t know.” Always say, “I’ll have to get back to you about that.”
- Statistics -- For those of you who don’t know, librarians actually love numbers (whether they love math is a different matter). We use statistics to justify adding programs, dropping programs, increasing budgets, our entire existence basically.
You never know what the future holds for you, and the things you learn along the way may prove useful in ways you never imagine.
It’s been a while since I updated this blog, and I need to get better about doing this. My new goal is at least one update a week (but let’s not kid ourselves, I’ll be happy with twice a month).
Anyway, an update is required.
Last summer, I got more passes from editors and more comments. This time there seemed to be a trend -- “it sounds like a middle-grade novel.”
So guess what I did?
I revised again. This time I had to change the ages of my two main characters, delete quite a few chapters and change the beginning. Again.
But all that was done before I went on vacation.
My agent has submitted the revisions to editors again, and now we wait.
That’s how the publishing business works. Lots and lots of waiting. I am learning patience through this process.
After a few rounds of revisions for my agent, she submitted the manuscript for my young adult novel to several editors.
Unfortunately, they all passed on my work.
However, a few of the editors had kind words and some constructive criticism. At least one expressed an interest in reading the manuscript again if I made revisions.
Guess what I did?
I spent April and May busily revising, revising, revising — early mornings, lunch hours and after work.
Today I sent the whole thing back to my agent for her to read over. We'll see what she thinks.
My mother has been doing family history research on her side of the family. Every evening she tells me some new family member she found or some new detail she learned. This leads to some interesting conversations since both of us love history.
What we've discovered is that our family came over to Maryland and Virginia during colonial times in the 1600s and 1700s from England and Scotland. We also had some come over from Ireland through Canada in the 1800s.
She recently discovered a relative named Mourning Glenn. Isn't that a fantastic name? I have to use that in a book at some point.
Mourning Glenn was apparently someone not to be trifled with. From the book "Genealogies of Virginia Families: From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine: Volume 1," comes this story:
In 1705/6 she [Mourning Glenn] was ordered to answer in Court charges of ill treatment of a white servant. When the Court messenger delivered the order, she sent for the servant and the overseer and had the overseer give the servant 31 lashes (one more than the law allowed) "on his bare back". Then said to servant, "Now go and complain again". And to the messenger what she would do to Justice Marable if she were a man. And she did not go to Court.
Tough as old boot-leather, I'd call her. Somehow I have to get that spirit into a book.
When I told this story to some co-workers (and one new employee), they assured the new employee that I only whipped them within the limits of the law and usually very lightly.
I finished the revisions on my young adult novel and have begun querying agents. While I don't have an accurate timeline for the book, I think I worked on it – off and on – for about three years.
I wrote about four chapters and then set it aside to work on other things. When I came back to it, I picked up where I left off. Then I started writing the middle of the novel all the way to the end. I came back and finished the beginning.
The next step was to revise the entire thing, which I did on the computer.
Then I printed it out and revised again. Which led me to retype the entire thing and revise it again on the computer.
Another printout. More revisions – this time with highlighters!
Typed it all again.
Another revision on the computer.
Took it to a novel revision retreat where three other people critiqued it.
Revised again – retyping it once more.
Printed it out again for more revisions. I read this copy aloud to myself during lunch in my office.
Made corrections. Printed it out again. Emailed copies to some trusted readers for comments.
Made final corrections. Read over it one last time (mainly for typos) on the computer.
Prepared complete document for sending out to agents.
Wrote query. Revised query. Revised again. Revised one last time.
Wrote synopsis. Revised synopsis.
Sent queries to some agents.
And now the waiting game begins.
I have four different drafts saved on my computer. The first and second drafts had thirty-one chapters, and the third and fourth have thirty-three. Scenes were dropped and added, characters were added, and the ending changed completely.
Fingers crossed!
I haven't written anything here in a while. Since the novel revision retreat, I've been incredibly busy – both at writing and at work.
I revised my entire young adult manuscript based on comments and ideas from the retreat. For the moment, I've set that aside to 'stew' a little before I make one final set of revisions.
I went to two SCBWI conferences – in
Austin and
Houston – and learned more tips for writing and revising.
And, of course, I've started a new book. A middle grade story that's been fun to develop. I haven't written much of it yet – only about four chapters – but I think it'll be fun when it's finished.
But my short-term focus has had to change from both the young adult novel and the middle grade one. The
Houston SCBWI conference included a presentation by Jenne Abramowitz from
Scholastic. She discussed chapter books, and I got the idea to re-work an earlier piece I had written as a chapter book. So, that's my concentration right now. I have a three-month window in which to re-work the book and submit it. We'll see how that goes.
And in the middle of those three months, I'm going on vacation, so I have to work double fast. Not to mention all the work I have to do for my job. It's going to be crazy!
Here's hoping.
Using the word aftermath in the title of this post is not the best word choice, but it's the best I can come up with after an exhausting weekend of learning revision techniques.
The retreat was phenomenal. The people at the retreat were terrific. The location was beautiful. The
facilities were excellent (the chairs in our work room were fabulous - I could actually touch the floor!). The food was delicious - I didn't even eat that much on cruises!
On to the retreat, though.
As I said, we were assigned to groups of four. We sat with them and discussed each other's manuscripts all weekend. My group's work was wonderful, promising and encouraging. Each of them had work that was distinctly different from mine and from the other people in our group. I can't wait to read the published versions of their works, and I do believe that all of them have the potential to be published.
Throughout the retreat, I learned ways to add depth and improve my novel. I have lots to do, but I'm ready to get to work.
In a couple of weeks I'll be attending a novel revision retreat led by author Darcy Pattison and sponsored by Houston SCBWI. I don't really know what to expect from the retreat.
We had to read two books ahead of time and submit a completed novel. From those submitted novels, we were assigned to groups of four participants, and we got copies of each others' manuscripts to read.
I've read the assigned texts and the manuscripts – one was a contemporary middle grade and the other two were middle-grade fantasy. Mine was an historical novel for young adults.
I enjoyed the manuscripts. I'm looking forward to meeting the writers.
Hope I learn lots at the retreat. I really want to improve my writing. And then I hit the road for conferences in February and March.
For the final part of our trip, we departed England in a ferry and headed across the North Sea to Belgium. Ever since we saw the movie In Bruges, Mom and I have wanted to visit the "fairy tale city," and this was our chance.
We weren't disappointed.
We took a canal ride and the captain gave the tour in English (for Mom and me) and French (for everyone else on the boat). He switched back and forth with ease, making jokes in both languages. His ease with languages was amazing and also made me jealous. I wish I could do that.
I climbed all 366 steps to top of the
Belfort and got to hear the bells pealing. It was glorious.
On a cold, drizzly, windy day we drove over narrow, twisty, hilly roads to the Lake District. We stopped briefly at Lake Ullswater
before moving on down the road past miles of stone walls. They were built up the sides of hills.
I have no idea how much effort that took, but I can't imagine being the poor soul who had to haul the stones up there and build a fence.
Then we took the world's narrowest two-lane road
Hill Top Farm was Beatrix Potter's home. Pictures weren't allowed inside, but we could caught a glimpse of Peter Rabbit in the garden.
It was a cold, dreary day, and we were glad to return to our bed and breakfast.
We left Scotland and headed south into England to see Hadrian's Wall. Construction on the wall began in 122. Upon its completion, the wall was almost 80 miles long and stretched across northern England.
It was so cold and so windy.
Mom loves Roman history, and this part of the trip was a highlight for her. Look at her smile!
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I'm certainly looking forward to seeing yours published! It was great to meet you, Sara; I enjoyed being part of your group.
Thanks, Vonna. I enjoyed meeting you, too. I can't wait to read what your agent is shopping. It'll happen!
Hi Sara,
Hope you have now fully recovered from the retreat and are back at work on your fabulous story! It was so nice to meet you. See you at the Houston conference!
McCourt