Login or Register for free to create your own customized page of blog posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add blogs by clicking the "Add to MyJacketFlap" links next to the blog name in each post.
Blog Posts by Tag
In the past 7 days
Blog Posts by Date
Click days in this calendar to see posts by day or month
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: The Poisoned Apple, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 20 of 20
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: The Poisoned Apple in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
11. Who is your favorite character to write? Least favorite?
Tough question.
I guess, rather than an actual favourite character, I'd have to say character type - I'm more comfortable in the presence of quirky characters. Oh, and I refuse to name any of my characters as a 'least favourite' whatever their crimes.
12. In what story did you feel you did the best job of worldbuilding? Any side-notes on it you’d like to share?
I'm not convinced my 'best job at worldbuilding' has yet occurred. Maybe I'm writing it now. I hope I'm writing it now. God bless NaNoWriMo.
13. What’s your favorite culture to write, fictional or not?
The otherworld.
14. How do you map out locations, if needed? Do you have any to show us?
Oh dear, yes, yes, yes. For 'The Midnight Motel' (book sitting in the shredder pile), I had a complete plan of the hotel including furnishings for each room (though I did forget to add a bathroom in a character's room so I suspect she wet herself - though it's completely apt if she did as she was hunting Death and he in his turn was hunting her).
I also have a map of Corpsetithe for 'The Poisoned Apple'. It's an ugly thing. Very, very bad. (See illustration--located under desk).
15. Midway question! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether professional or not!
Do I have to limit it to one. Aaron Polson, Katey Taylor, Natalie Sin, Mercedes Yardley - blah, blah, blah. Seriously, I bore myself sometimes. I think I'll let them speak for themselves.
I saw this on Natalie's blog and shamelessly thieved it too.
I must agree with Aaron. I was considering investing in real estate in the Otherworld until I saw the price tags. It has to be a crime. Where are the Men in Black when you need them.
I do love mapping things out though. I like having something to look at when I'm writing, I think, and places with maps fill that void in such a useful way.
I so rarely fill my head with ANYTHING useful, it's a nice change, really.
Not much to report... Spending my time making various decisions about 'The Poisoned Apple' involving length and what to include from the now defunct second book and what not to include (Larry is pleased to discover he's no longer going to be singing and dancing his way through Corpsetithe and the Wolf Dude is happy that his namesake, Wolfram Lavoisier, hasn't been shredded). Most of the original second book will end up as waste paper as the series is going in a different direction to originally planned - assuming it ever becomes a series that is.
Observation: One good thing about concentrating on longer works, you don't wake up every morning begging your inbox for a short story acceptance. At the moment when I get a rejection, I'm filing them as 'sort later' and forgetting about them. It's very freeing. I like it.
12 Comments on The Poisoned Manuscript, last added: 4/10/2009
I'm anticipating two rejections. Maybe it's high time I outlined my novella--seriously, this time. Good luck writing your novel, Catherine. I sounds fascinating.
I noticed that too! I never think to say anything about rejections or even acceptances at times because I'm like "oh, bummer" or "sweet!!" and then I realize I've been sidetracked from the novel thing. It is rather freeing, I never thought about that!
I’m experimenting. I’m writing two novels at once and so far it’s toddling along okay. I’m editing ‘The Poisoned Apple’ and have started work on my next book ‘Church of the Vacant Lot’ and it’s my first YA – I’m kind of excited about that fact. Or rather, it’s my first intentional YA. My beta reader for ‘Theatre of Curious Acts’ thought it would work well as a YA and I’m thinking they may be right. At the moment ‘Theatre’ is out on query, I’ve had a partial request and if I don’t get a full request I might think about marketing it as a YA, it would certainly help the naff word length. Of course if I did try the agent approach with ‘Theatre’, I may find myself deleted from an awful lot of inboxes – I think it may be just a touch too bizarre.
Anyway, here is a first draft excerpt from ‘Church of the Vacant Lot’.
“The angels fell on a Sunday.
The angels fell when Christina Helene Banks sat on her bedroom floor surrounded by a dozen t-shirts. In the moment before thick clouds scurried across the sky only two things concerned her – whether she should go back to college in the autumn and Gregory Cooper. She picked a blue t-shirt illustrated with, ironically, a crooked halo above a cartoon stickman. It picked out the blue of her eyes and the blue of her mascara. She stood in front of the mirror and worried that the colour would remind Gregory of the Ice Queen, the girlfriend he had ditched a fortnight before. The thought resurrected an old fear – was she moving too fast? She had let the thought hinder her advance when he had split from Weeping Brooke Kendall and then she’d had to wait six months, two days, eleven hours for winter to defrost and go bad. The blue would have to do.”
15 Comments on Church of Multiple Projects, last added: 4/6/2009
It's a great opening. Working on two novels at once would do my head in though. It's bad enough working on the one novel with short story characters stomping around in my head trying to be heard.
As you will have noted in my previous post I am now working on my eleventh novel - oh my god, give it up already. :) Book ten the fabulous (ahem!) The Poisoned Apple is the most successful to date with three full requests from three top agents, a few partial requests and a lovely personal letter from the Darley Anderson agency that I've pinned to my memo board. Unfortunately, all three full requests (and the partials) came back with no's, in fact one didn't even come back with a no from the agent - she had her assistant do it (that's not good, right?). So here is where I beg for help...
I need some beta readers who are willing to be brutal and tear the story apart. I am see-sawing at the moment between keeping my original plan of 11 short MG books (because Lily is 11) or maybe joining the first book and the second 'Strange Bones' into one book and tying the story off with a neat bow and trashing the idea of a series. I'd love to know what people think of the first book and of course what is wrong with it.
Here's the blurb:
Lily Sunday is not having a good eleventh birthday. Her father went out for a newspaper and hasn’t returned, her birthday party is cancelled and her mother is preoccupied with her new friend, Fyodor Lavoisier, and teeth. Oh, and thanks to a dodgy birthday wish, she is bundled into a car and left with her Aunt Beatrix in the town of Corpsetithe, where summer is winter and garden gnomes scare away beasts.
Her suitcase tries to eat her, a blizzard blows into the house, the woods are full of zombies known locally as Dead Feet, oh and she has to go to school. Lily very much wishes she could go back to being ten-years-old, but her friend Larry Bones’ time-shifting watch does not wind backwards.
It's 24,000 words long and aimed at 8-12 year olds. If you are interested in reading it my email is firemaiden (at) blueyonder (dot) co.uk - and please feel free to ignore this post.
10 Comments on Desperately Seeking Beta Readers, last added: 12/8/2008
One thing I've started doing recently is stalking agent and publisher blogs, almost obsessively. There was just a big industry conference recently, and a few of them posted their discussion talking points. Here is one that may interest you (the topic was Children's, not sure if that is inclusive of YA, but good insight nonetheless, I think):
I'd love to help read, but as I don't really know what the heck I'm doing at this point, I would be afraid of giving bad advice...I'd be happy to give feedback as a reader (as opposed to an author, I suppose), if you'd be interested, though.
Let me think about this one - does the man who wrote Mrs Marsupial's Tea Party know anything about writing. Scratched chin - grateful it's not hairy. :)
I'd love it if you would read it - and of course, if you have a manuscript you want me to read feel free to send it at any time.
I don't read much YA, but this blurb definitely sounds interesting ... though, in my opinion, it's much too busy. You present the protag, which is good, but I don't have any sense of conflict. I mean, there's a lot of conflict going on, it seems, but what's that ONE conflict that she needs to overcome in this first book?
As you've had success with your pitches in the past (you must have, with all the agent nibbles), I think it's worth taking a look at the query pitch Marcus Sakey did for his first novel THE BLADE ITSELF. Every time I see it I can't get over how well-done it is:
"For Danny Carter, retired thief turned respectable businessman, a normal life sharing a Lincoln Park condo with his loving girlfriend seems like the ultimate score--until his former partner comes looking for him. A hardened killer fresh out of Stateville, his partner wants to kidnap the son of Danny's millionaire boss, and he needs help to pull it off. Doing the job could cost Danny his career, his relationship, and his freedom.
It’s so good to scrape myself away from the most unproductive week I’ve had all year. I couldn’t even concentrate to read – boo! So rather than concentrating on what I didn’t do last week, I’m trying to focus on what I intend to do this week.
First off I want to finish the short story (Porcelain Dolls) that I started over a week ago and which has been languishing in fever-ville, and then I am going to start the second draft of ‘Theatre of Curious Acts’. Inspired by the first three productive weeks of November, I’ve printed out a calendar for next year and filled it in with a whole year’s worth of plans. No wonder my body had a nervous breakdown twenty-four hours after completing it. We have:
Redraft and finish Theatre by end January 2009; work on The Poisoned Apple/Strange Bones (big plans afoot – more about that later) during February and March; April 2009 is dedicated to my long put-off novella The Eurydice Satellite; May through July will be The Moth Maker (my ‘I can’t decide if it’s YA/MG project’ that I’ve started several times this year); then August thru October we have my next MG Timmy O’Leary & The Gentlemen who Haunt. Phew!*
*chances of success 41.2%
18 Comments on She’s alive! ALIVE!, last added: 12/3/2008
Sounds like a busy year to me. My brain would have shorted out after making that list. Good luck, but I know you won't need it, not with all the talent you have.
Seems we're on the same wavelength lately - including both getting sick the last week of NaNo!
I, too, am going to set up a schedule for 2009. And I would be happy to trade in edible currency to cheer one another on! Preferably of the chocolate/candy/coffee varieties!
This post has dual reasons. One to convey my excitement at receiving my comp copy of issue 2 of Sand which contains my story ‘Through the Warped Eye of Death’, along with stories from Bruce Cooper, Patrick O’Leary, Eric Pinder, Sanford Allen, Fred Warren, T.J. McIntryre, and Kevin M. White.
With special thanks to Edward Lupak, the editor; and Aaron Polson, flying-monkey wrangler.
Secondly, it is to thank Mark S. Deniz for introducing me to Windows Live Writer which enables me to write posts both to my new LiveJournal Blog and original The Poisoned Apple blog at the same time. It even takes into account the themes of both. Very, very happy. I recommend using it even if you don’t have two blogs as it is much quicker to compose a post on than the blogger/livejournal template.
All I have to do is figure out how to add tags to my blogger account. I think I can do it for LJ.
13 Comments on With Special Thanks, last added: 10/14/2008
My blogger blog (ie this one) is still my main and much loved blog, I am only duplicating blogs over on LJ so that I can comment on LJ blogs that don't allow anonymous comments.
If one of them ever dies, it will be the LJ one not this.*
congrats on that story, I have tried and failed at that market my first try. (still trying to sell that story come to think of it) I didn't know that Aaron was our local monkey wrangler for that particular pub.
It's really easy to use. A little like Microsoft Word. You register each blog with it and it then checks out those blogs, and when you are composing a post it uses that particular blogs background, font etc. When you have posted it to one blog, you don't retype anything, you just click a button to change it to your other blogs style and post.
I have a title for the second book in my Poisoned Apple series - YAY!
I've fought through the awful - The Wicked Queen - chosen because there's an actress in the book who has the stage name 'The Vintage Queen' and because I wanted to go for a fairy tale title again.
Then I thought I'd found magic with - Big Bad Wolf - because there's like a werewolf in the story, so obviously that was soooooo intelligent.
Then I struggled with a million other titles all referring to fairy tales. Am I writing a fairy tale? Err, no. The title of the first book and this blog was born because a character in it 'Apple' is well a wee bit poisonous. Hence - well you get where I'm going with it.
So then (light at the end of the tunnel and all that) I decided the next book should refer to a character as well, so we have:
STRANGE BONES
Because Larry Bones is acting rather strangely this time around. He's given away his time-shifting watch and has signed up for the school play.
Oh, and if you hate the title - because I am not convinced that it's good and I am worried it doesn't gel well with book one's title (The Poisoned Apple) - then please speak up, otherwise you will have to carefully place your hand over the title when reading the book.
24 Comments on Drumroll please..., last added: 9/23/2008
Hiya Cate. I like it! My only suggestion would be to add the word 'The' to the beginning of it. That'll make it sort of fit in better with 'The Poisoned Apple.'
I'm not certain a 'The' would work as 'bones' refers to a person (I know, I did that with TPA - LOL), but have confirmed what I thought - the two titles don't gel together. I will get there eventually.
Strange Bones. I absolutely LOVE IT! I think it works well with The Poisoned Apple, and don’t think the second title needs to gel with the first in an overly predictable way.
The more I hear about this series, the more excited I become. Honestly, Cate, it sounds GREAT!
As the hours tick on I'm starting to feel a little easier about the title - still trapped in chapter 1 though. I think my editing hat is squeezing my brain a little too tightly and it insists on reading the same paragraphs over and over and...
Ah, you're like me, then, Cate -- unable to leave things rough and move on. It's a habit that makes first chapters absolute murder, but what can you do? It's just the way we are.
I like "Strange Bones"...it leaves the imagination open to what the meaning is behind it...which is what I like about a book...I am a book title kinda reader...if the title catches my attention, it will be the one I take home...
I don't know why, but when I read what the story was about, this is what came to mind for me:
A Bone In Time...
and
Timeless Bones...
Titles are so hard for me, so I feel your pain...Good luck with it...
OMG! I don't want you to think I was saying my titles fit better...I really didn't mean it that way, but after I read my post, I was afraid it came off that way...sigh...
Okay, what I meant was...I love your title Strange Bones and it goes with the description of your story...and makes me want to read more...
The titles I gave was just examples of how bad I am at titles...sorry if they came across as anything else...I've been milking cows all afternoon...so my brain might not be working quite right yet...grin...
One year ago today I decided to write my first ever children's book. It seemed like a mad idea at the time. I had spent the day writing a short story called 'The Paper Dolls' and it seemed to me (and to the people in my critique group) that it would make a good children's story. Ridiculous! I thought. Eighteen days later I had completed the first draft of 'Lucy Baxter & The Evil Emporium', and within 2 months I had finished that book and written the first draft of my second book 'The Poisoned Apple'.
What would be perfect is if exactly one year later I signed with an agent? Drums fingers on desk. Okay, I said it would be perfect, I didn't say it would happen. :)
Anyhow, in honour of my one year anniversary (and by coincidence) every story I have written in this so far productive week has a young MC.
A Strange Artificial Light - our heroine is 11 Ugly Duckling - our heroine is 17 Hand Scratched Note - our hero is 18 Uncle Eric's Leather Bound Tale - WIP - our hero is 13
As these are all horror stories/dark fantasy stories intended for adult books I could have a problem. I'm hoping the editors will be reminded of Stephen King's young MCs, of course they are nothing like Stephen King's so I could be in trouble... Oh dear!
5 Comments on An Anniversary of Sorts, last added: 8/19/2008
When I was a kid, I was the only person in my family reading horror novels. And, I only read horror novels with young MCs. Since I'd read somewhere around 10-30 novels a week, I'd say you have an advantage.
Assuming there is at least one child alive carrying my torch.
Okay, so you may or may not know that my MG book 'The Poisoned Apple' has zombies in it. Unless you have the initials TKT then you haven't read it (and even then there's a mega possibility you haven't read it because I'm sure loads of people have those initials) so why would you know it's full of zombies. I have mentioned it a few times, but then I mention zombies alot. I think!!!
Anyhow, stop rambling girl and get on with the point of the blog post. That is, I just found a really cool blog called My So Called Undeath. It features characters from Daniel Waters novel 'Generation Dead'. Go check it out.
I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my copy from Amazon - why oh why do I always opt for the mega slow free shipping.
4 Comments on I "HEART" Zombies, last added: 8/8/2008
Okay, here is my usual round up of what I did last month plus a wee extra. That is, it is my blog's 1st Anniversary - YAY! One year ago I was a very lonely blogger with no one to link to, no comments and not a clue what I was doing (okay, not everything has changed!). If you are very, very bored check out my first post and the hideous first attempt at a story after a few years away. I'll cringe with you.
Anyhow, let's resume with normal service. Here's what I did in June...
1. I sent out THE POISONED APPLE - Yay! I got a wee bit carried away with my queries (possibly making up for lost time). Twenty-nine submissions in all. Current response figures are 0 full requests (gulp!), 2 partial requests (please), 7 rejections (3 form / 4 personal - one outstanding one that made my heart thump-thump-thump for about three hours despite the fact it was a rejection.)
2. Three Flash Short Stories completed.
Gasoline - Very short, a wee bit silly and not at all scary. Sent to Susurrus Magazine.
Selling Happiness - Already retired. Was very bored, couldn't sit still long enough to work on something long so sent a wee bit of 150 word silliness off to 'Alien Skin'. Got a 'cute' but 'no' response. Seriously the word cute consigned the thing to the dustbin. :)
Beneath a Hungry Sky - Sent to Northern Haunts.
3. Five Short Stories completed.
Through The Warped Eye of Death - has to be one of the swiftest returns on this. Written, rejected and accepted (by Sand) within the space of a month.
Sneakers on Asphalt - Probably officially a flash at 994, but I'm claiming it a short to make me appear more productive. Sent to the Terrifying Toys Competition. Fingers crossed and all that. Very surreal, hoping its scary.
Manipulating Paper Birds - I love this story. So there. Great rejection from 'The Black Garden'. Sent it along to 'Clarkesworld' - how brave am I?
Cold Coffee Cups & Curious Things - My attempt at scary without the surreal (okay there may be touches) - sent to Malpractice: An Anthology of Bedside Terror.
The Flat-Packed Golfer - Sent to the new 'golfing' related magazine (see previous post) Stymie.
4. And to the most important part. I've finally started work on my next MG novel 'Matchsticks, Moths & Machinations' with 4658 words completed so far. Expect a title change sometime this decade. I'm having so much fun writing it.
10 Comments on And that was June... Plus, one, last added: 7/4/2008
Oh wait...you wrote completed, not sold. I really need to drink coffee before reading anything of substance. Still, sold was believable so maybe that day far off!
And I’m always impressed with what you achieve each month. Which is good, because I’m a slowcoach and reading about other people’s productivity helps to stop me slacking.
I finally got around to buying some ink for my printer so that I could send out 'The Poisoned Apple'. Two queries in and having turned over many pages in the Children's Writers & Artists Yearbook, I was feeling very despondent. The submission process stresses me out - I think it's the idea of all those brown envelopes that are going to boomerang back. Then I decided to pop over to the Verla Kay Children's board and check out some details on agents in the US... Had more fun over there.
I've sent out 17 e-queries. I may have got a wee bit carried away. Better yet, I have so far received two responses. The first one a 'doesn't fit their current needs' with a note that bolstered my confidence ie 'great title' (it doesn't take much). The second one was a request for a partial!!! Will send that on its way first thing tomorrow. All the way to New York - sigh!
12 Comments on Querying, querying, querying..., last added: 6/25/2008
I firmly believe that there are silver linings in most rejections. Unless they flat out tell you to please stop writing and use current projects as toilet paper, it's not all that bad!
Amazing news on the partial request! I've been suffering through the query process over the last month or so with my novel. It IS very nerve-racking, particularly the snail-mail variety.
Received my first rejection for my childrens book 'The Poisoned Apple' and I am officially declaring it the BEST rejection I have ever had. Apologies to all those editors of small press mags/anthos who have provided critiques and helped me improve as a writer.
After a wee while (translate that as years) of sending out my horror novels and my first childrens book and getting form rejections, I finally got an outstanding personal rejection and it is from one of the top UK agencies. I quote:
You have a quirky style of writing, it is fast-paced, funny and I love the opening line. But for us to consider taking your novel on, it would have to be more in region of 60-70,000 words in length as this is what publishers expect.
The last part - 60,000 words - bothers me. I was aiming for an early Lemony Snicket length book and I know there are a lot of books out there that are around the 20-25,000 mark for children, but perhaps the times they are achanging. Then again, maybe I can change them back - :)
I'll send it out to a few more agencies - probably every single one in the book - and then if I get nowhere I will consider merging the as yet unwritten book 2 with book 1. Who knows?
I am telling you, I so have butterflies in my stomach that they read as far as the opening line... At last, a query letter that works.
7 Comments on A not so POISONED letter, last added: 6/13/2008
I can only hope the next rejection letters I get are as good as that one. I just finished a new short story, so it's time for them to start rolling in again. The worst rejection letter I ever received was from a big U.S. newspaper, and it looked something like this:
can not use. sory.
r.k.
(Initials and horrible mistakes have been changed to protect the innocent.)
I’ve wrestled with whether or not to increase the word count of the YA novel I’ve been submitting (for some time). It is shorter than the norm, but the length feels right for the story.
I worry sometimes that by increasing length you are merely padding the novel, which is detrimental to the story. I'm going to go with - 'If you haven't got anything new to say then don't say it.'
Woo-Hoo! According to a posting on the SF Reader Forum, the anthology Strange Worlds of Lunacy is 100% finished and should be available to buy on Amazon really, really soon. I'm so excited. I feel as if this is my first publication. I stopped submitting/writing short stories about 7 years ago to concentrate on writing novels and then about two/three years ago my writing came to an almost stop (with no more than 20,000 words a year, written in half-hearted dribs and drabs). All these years later I feel like a different (hopefully improved) writer and hence the feeling as if this is publication number one. Wow, how long winded can one person be to simply say - WOO-HOO, I'm excited.
In other news. Did a little tidying up of 'The Poisoned Apple' (for the uninitated - my children's novel) over the weekend and added about 2,500 words. All I need to do now is finish that darn synopsis, write the query letter and send it out there... Wherever there may be.
I have completed the first draft of my story, The Graveyard of Dead Vehicles, which I intend to submit to the Wolfsong Anthology. It needs the usual tidying up and the reference to 'blood' toned down. A note of what the publisher doesn't want from their submission guidelines: "Really bloody horror. Violence is ok if it is necessary for the plot, but splatter and gore isn’t." I need to find a way to reference the death of the MC's wolf without smearing it's blood all over the manuscript.
0 Comments on Crawling out of the graveyard... as of 4/10/2008 1:26:00 PM
K.C. Shaw said, on 4/10/2008 6:46:00 PM
How do you make something gory without buckets of blood? I guess it's all in the actual descriptions of the violence. Good luck with the story!
Jeff Parish said, on 4/11/2008 8:32:00 AM
Besides, blood makes a manuscript hard to read. All the words run together and the pages stick together. Ick!
Okay, this is my regular 2008 what I achieved last month post.
1. Finished my children's novel THE POISONED APPLE - woo-hoo! And to cap it off, have almost finished the synopsis - currently at draft number six or seven.
2. Sent Lucy Baxter & The Evil Emporium back off on its travels to two publishers this time.
3. Signed the contract for and proof-read 'The Shoes, the Giant, and the Wizard of...' which will appear in the Strange Worlds of Lunacy anthology. The picture at top left is the artwork for the cover - excited, some.
4. Completed four short stories:- The Collectors - Submitted to Doorways Magazine.
Yee-Haw! - Submitted to OMG! The Book of Awesome Stuff anthology.
The Old Hubert Place - Has amassed the grand total of one rejection from the Bloody October Anthology and is now sitting on the desk of, or hiding in the computer of, Afterburn SF.
Science Fiction - A bit of fun written on 'Black Tuesday', when everything that could go wrong went wrong. Will probably post on my blog sometime this decade.
5. Begun work on my next project, a novella titled 'The Eurydice Satellite', which is a blend of horror & sci-fi.
And that as they say, was February... Hope yours was as productive.
10 Comments on And that was February..., last added: 3/15/2008
Well done, Cate. You've been far far more productive than I have.
Good-looking blog, clear and legible but still atmospheric.
Catherine J Gardner said, on 3/2/2008 4:13:00 AM
Thanks for visiting aliqot.
Thomas Kingsley Troupe said, on 3/2/2008 11:13:00 PM
Yeah, you're making me look like I'm stuck in neutral. Thanks!
Nicely done, Cate. Looking forward to reading The Poisoned Apple!
Catherine J Gardner said, on 3/3/2008 10:05:00 AM
Cheers, Thomas.
Ed Pahule said, on 3/3/2008 10:30:00 AM
Wow. I feel like such a slug in comparison.
Jeff Parish said, on 3/4/2008 8:46:00 AM
Wow. you da...woMAN.
I can't seem to get anything done but work these days. I got stories I wanna write, but I can't seem to get to them (much less that horror novel I'm supposed to be working on). Stupid job.
Catherine J Gardner said, on 3/4/2008 9:29:00 AM
Hi Jeff
I'm guessing one of the stories you've got to write is a Harvest Hill one. I'm working on a story for the anthology at the moment - jeez, it's going to be tough going getting in.
Cate
Jeff Parish said, on 3/5/2008 8:09:00 AM
Actually, I'm thinking of adapting one of my other stories if I can't find a home for it. Otherwise, I'm stumped on something for that one.
Danette Haworth said, on 3/11/2008 6:30:00 AM
Oh, my gosh, Catherine--We haven't even passed the first quarter yet! Good luck with your submissions!
THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END. THE END... Okay, you get my drift.
Without seeming too like Jack Torrance in The Shining, ie 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy', I've typed those immortal words... Yep, you guessed it. THE END. The Poisoned Apple is finished. Or Lily Sunday & The Dead Feet is done. It all depends on which title I go with. Though there is another similar title out there 'The Poison Apples', and I am considering and unconsidering etc etc etc changing my title, I decided one day on the bus travelling to work that I wanted to write a book called 'The Poisoned Apple' and now that I have, well I'm loathe to let the title go.
Now I am off to fight evil more frightening than a hungry mob of zombies - that darn synopsis.
0 Comments on THE END. THE END. THE END. as of 1/1/1900
Anonymous said, on 2/27/2008 4:13:00 PM
Hey, congrats on finishing your story! I like to stop by your blog every now and then--it is one of the more interesting blogs out there. I also noticed that you had a story in "Black Petals." They were the very first mag to publish one of my stories. The editor, Kenny, is a really nice guy too. Anyhow, keep writing! --Rob :)
Catherine J Gardner said, on 2/28/2008 1:52:00 AM
Hi Rob, thanks for visiting my blog.
Cate
Jeff Parish said, on 2/28/2008 12:34:00 PM
Cool! Is that the first draft or are you done editing?
Catherine J Gardner said, on 2/28/2008 12:35:00 PM
Thanks Jeff. I'd like to say done editing, but are we ever??? It is 'supposed' to be the final draft though. Fingers crossed and all that.
Nik's Blog said, on 2/28/2008 1:44:00 PM
Congrats! That's a BIG MOMENT!
Nik
Thomas Kingsley Troupe said, on 2/28/2008 2:09:00 PM
Man...I'm behind! Congrats on finishing. That bodes well for fans of zombies and for writer friends who get to read it now that it's done.
(hint, hint)
Well done...and good luck with that synopsis!
Catherine J Gardner said, on 2/29/2008 11:37:00 AM
TKT - it's on its way.
Angela said, on 2/29/2008 10:36:00 PM
Congrats on getting to those two little words! Whoo-hoo! Head cheese all around!
How to finish your novel and stop procrastinating in one easy step...
One - Invite your nephews to visit, panic that you're not going to get any computer time and so get up really, really early on a Sunday morning and get down over 3,000 words.
Ha! Nothing like a little pressure to get you going!
Ed Pahule said, on 2/18/2008 11:18:00 AM
Do I really have to invite my nephews?
Can't I have bamboo shoots stuck under my fingernails instead?
I think that would be more pleasant.
(If they're reading this: I'm kidding!)
Jeff Parish said, on 2/18/2008 5:08:00 PM
I understand...I can't seem to find time to write anything lately. And when I do, short stories keep trying to intrude. That's not a good thing when you're trying to do a serial novel.
Bad writer!
Thomas Kingsley Troupe said, on 2/18/2008 10:47:00 PM
I, for one, can't wait.
Get it done!!!
Catherine J Gardner / Phoenix Rendell said, on 2/19/2008 10:49:00 AM
This should have been posted yesterday, but as I only thought of doing it today, it wasn't... Okay, this is my, what I achieved (or didn't achieve) last month post.
1. Completed 10,932 words of The Poisoned Apple - Catherine procrastinates way too much and must do better.
2. Submitted Lucy Baxter & The Evil Emporium to nine agents. Eight rejections received so far - The Gods must do better.
3. Completed a picture book (actually sent two out - but the first was written over the Christmas period) - sent to 5 publishers in all - 1 rejection - 4 submissions still out there.
4. Completed three short stories: -
The Shoes, The Giant and The Wizard of... Accepted by The Silly Fantasy Anthology - making me a member of the Silly Fantasy Club - hence picture top left.
If you go down to... This has amassed a grand total of two rejections (in the space of a month - I so love email submissions), and after a rewrite, submitted to 7th Dimension.
Frog & The Mail Order Bride. Submitted to Eneit Press' Voices Anthology. Won't hear back on this one until after May 1st.
5. Completed first draft of a short story - Little Frozen Timmy O'Leary - which I think may become something larger - ie my next Children's novel. I have a few ideas sketched out and a title (which I'm keeping under wraps for the moment), so we'll see...
6. And ended the month - 700+ words into another, as yet untitled, short story.
Must say, I'm glad I decided to post the above. I thought I hadn't achieved much - I entered January expecting to complete the redraft of The Poisoned Apple, but as you can see I got waylaid by other projects - but it seems I did.
Here's to a word-filled February.
0 Comments on And that was January... as of 1/1/1900
"The Ideas aren't the hard bit. They're a small component of the whole. Creating believable people who do more or less what you tell them to is much harder. And hardest by far is the process of simply sitting down and putting one word after another to construct whatever it is you're trying to build: making it interesting, making it new."
In my bid to win 'Procrastinator of the Year', I stumbled upon, or should that be 'googled upon' the above quote from Neil Gaiman and it seems so apt today. You can read the whole essay at Neil Gaiman's Journal. To all those thinking - God, I read that like 10 years ago - (it was written in 1997) apologies, I'm always ten steps (or years) behind everyone else.
Anyhow - on to my fabulous idea (ahem! - well someone has to big it up and I only have little old me to do that). I'm about a third of the way through redrafting 'The Poisoned Apple'. A tough, but despite my claim of procrastination, rewarding day. I've spent three or so hours struggling with a measly five short paragraphs, couldn't get them to flow right, but now they do... YAY! for persistance.
On the submissions front. Lucy Baxter & The Evil Emporium (A fellow writer has suggested I change the title back to its working title of 'Lucy Baxter & The Paper Army', as they think the above sounds too Lemony Snicket - comments on that welcome, and I should add I love Lemony Snicket...) - Where was I? Oh yes, Lucy has received 7 rejections so far, out of the 9 sent out. She's a tough cookie though, and isn't broken yet.
0 Comments on That's so yesterday... as of 1/1/1900
Someone must have been messing with my creative buttons as I seem to be in short story mode... I didn't even put 'write zillions of short stories' on my resolutions list this year, but ho hum - enjoying a little bit of time working on some shorts.
Completed, edited, edited, edi... (you get my drift) a short story, 'If you go down to...'. It's my attempt at splatterpunk, ie very, very, totally gross-out. I've submitted it to an anthology looking for slice and dice stories, not certain if it's gross enough though. We shall see. I'm working on another short - or was until I nosied on over to my blog and started surfing the net.
Wendy Withers has posted a blog about a Canadian zombie movie I hadn't heard of called 'Fido' - it looks totally, freaking, wacko, fun, fun, fun. Don't know if it has been released in the UK but I am going to have to find out like NOW! Check out the trailer below.
I'm still working on my children's novel 'The Poisoned Apple' - about 7,000 words into the second draft. Getting there...
Read the rest of this post
0 Comments on A Splatter of Zombie Flesh... as of 1/1/1900
Every year I write a list of my writing goals for the coming year and on the whole I complete all (with the exception of the irksome - must get an agent and a book deal this year - but I perserve and have added it to my list again).
My resolutions - beware 'tis a long list.
1. To finish my childrens novel 'The Poisoned Apple'.
2. To write a further book in my Lucy Baxter series and a further two in the above Poisoned Apple series. I mean why settle for just one when you can have three...
3. To write a horror novella (idea only so far sketched out on a few pages of a notepad).
4. To complete a redraft of my horror novel (all 141,000 ish words of it) The Maiden Phoenix.
5. To finally get to work on my horror novel 'Dead Girl Rising'... Something that has been on the back burner for like forever... Or if not (there I go, shying away from the project again), to complete a first draft of a horror novel.
6. And of course - to finally, god willing, praise be, etc etc etc - that golden ticket of a book deal... I am nothing if not an optimist.
An excellent word filled year to all.
0 Comments on We've been here before... as of 1/1/1900
Kappa no He said, on 1/3/2008 3:50:00 AM
Great list! Isn't it funny how finding dream agent/dream book deal always makes the list? Won't it be nice when you (we) can cross those off?
Thomas Kingsley Troupe said, on 1/3/2008 7:21:00 AM
Dang...and I thought I was ambitious! Good luck in all your endeavors!
You can do it!
Catherine J Gardner / Phoenix Rendell said, on 1/3/2008 7:36:00 AM
Good answers to interesting questions.
Mary Montague Sikes' blog book tour at my blog today...come on by. Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
Ah, the Otherworld. Nice place to visit...but have you seen the real estate prices?
Yoink!
Interesting question about character- I have no favourites so I prefer to let characters speak to me
Who is asking these questions? I've seen them on a few blogs now...
Thanks, Nancy.
They're diabolical, Aaron.
:D Natalie
Always a good plan, Lee
I have no idea, Steven. I stole them from Mercedes.
I saw this on Natalie's blog and shamelessly thieved it too.
I must agree with Aaron. I was considering investing in real estate in the Otherworld until I saw the price tags. It has to be a crime. Where are the Men in Black when you need them.
Oh my gosh, that's so nice of you. Yikes!
I do love mapping things out though. I like having something to look at when I'm writing, I think, and places with maps fill that void in such a useful way.
I so rarely fill my head with ANYTHING useful, it's a nice change, really.
Ha, Andrea.
"I so rarely fill my head with ANYTHING useful, it's a nice change, really." = I doubt that, Katey.