Now I am sketching and painting properly again, I can't think why I spent so many years crying into a metaphorical pillow because I couldn't get (much) publishing work or because galleries didn't want me. So much time and effort expended for so little reward. Now I am regularly selling to the people who really matter - the people who put it on their walls - and I feel liberated. It is amazing that I am finally doing what I doggedly planned to do, way back when I was twelve, and making a solemn vow to my recently dead parents (especially my old dad). Several times along the way I got distracted and misled, but all the paths eventually led back to this one. I follow the map best when I heed my own directions.
To be delving deep into my creative innards again is a joyous experience. I find myself re-visiting old themes, many of which I haven't explored for a long time. Pre-blog. My bird ladies for instance. My beloved bird ladies. Not on my website, not in the blog, not sold, not printed. A few who read this may know what I am talking about - I showed them to one or two people. I took them to a gallery owner who told me that they were 'beautiful, but not something they could sell'. They went back in the portfolio, their wings clipped. Some of my best bird lady paintings have been languishing far from home and they are coming back at last, I cannot wait to hold them again.
To find the bird lady, look for the three pronged tail...
Bird ladies usually find themselves isolated in a room with a distant window. This time I am going to let them into the city. A city I used to paint when I was an infant of twenty years.
En route to a dazzling party, the Grand Duchess Amaretto de Carciobanna rolls through the city streets, pulled along on a silken scarlet rope by an anonymous flunky. Will someone remember to pick up her wheely bird? Because, you see, she could not possibly retrieve it herself, it simply would not do!
What will happen when my bird ladies meet my toys?
Chelsea Cain is proving to be a hard woman to track down. Considering that she’s written for several papers in the area I thought for certain that she would have some sort of contact information on the internet. I’m so naïve…naïve and a little perplexed that the HeartSick site isn’t fully up and running yet.
(C’mon guys, if you’re giving away 4,000 ARCs in early June, you might want to get this up and running.)
I recently discovered that one of my coworkers works for one of the same papers she does, and I’m trying to think of the most casual way to ask him if he knows her. “Oh, you work for the ____________? Really? Do you know Chelsea Cain?” Every time I approach him though, he’s on the phone (big surprise, us being in a call center and all), and we never seem to have lunches that coincide. Curses, foiled again!
Meanwhile a friend is designing a letterhead—as well as business cards—for me to use when writing Minotaur for an ARC of my own. Going through official channels with the publicity department seems very not stalker-worthy. I mean really, what kind of book stalker tries to be all professional and business-like, I ask you? Still, since they’re hyping this book like crazy, hopefully they’ll feel I’m worthy of a copy to help keep the buzz going.
It turns out that not all publicists and publicity departments feel this way. I was emailing back and forth with another blogger, and she told me that she’s actually had publicity departments respond to her request for one title or another with, “No, we don’t want you to review book A, but we’ll send you a copy of book B which you expressed no interest in.”
Um, excuse me. You don’t want Book A reviewed? Why not? Is it that bad? Is it above being reviewed? What?
What does that say about the author and the book when the publicity department doesn’t want to take advantage of the possibility of free publicity?
I mean, maybe I’m not seeing the bigger picture here and this actually has something to do with not having enough ARCs or not wanting to just give books away to anyone, but to completely ignore a book request? If I were the author I would want some answers from my people, pronto.
Speaking of book giveaways, there are going to be some here over the next couple of weeks. All of the authors I’ve lined up interviews with have been kind enough to send me ARCs or finished versions of their upcoming books, and I like to pass those on to you. All you have to do is comment on the author’s thread or send me an email regarding the author interviewed and what you might like to see in the future and I’ll enter into a drawing for the book in question. Here’s a chance to check out a new to you author and get some fun summer reading without spending a dime.
If you’re an author interested in an interview or guest blog, you can email me as well and we’ll see what we can set up. I need to collect enough interviews and guest columns to supplement the month of July while I’m in school. I’m hoping to have enough content before I leave that I can get it all loaded into Blogger and just be able to hit post every morning. If you’re interested, email me at the email in the sidebar and we’ll see if we can set something up.
Until then, now that I’m working at a job where I sit upright (thus spurring my ability to get stuff done), I want to do more with this blog. If time restraints allow, I’d like to be get to two posts a day: one very focused on the industry like an interview or links to stories on the publishing world, and another that’s me just blabbering away. I’ve also recently agreed to write a monthly column for Romancing the Blog and to do every second Friday reviews for Paperback Reader, so here’s hoping my productivity stays strong.
So, if you want me to focus on something for this blog in between calls where I take people’s money and tell them horse stats, just drop me an email or leave a comment. I’ll take it into consideration as well as all those things I’ve started in the past but never finished. With the Belmont leg of the Triple Crown not until June I’ve got a couple of weeks to pack in the content.
Thoughts?
Very pretty. I can see why there has been a lot of interest. Carla
I haven't seen your Lady Birds before and I find them adorable! I like the two paintings and I think I understand your desire to keep them for you!:) Still, when you are not too busy, don't you feel tempted to pick up the brush?:) Just for pleasure?
Thank you for showing us the two bird ladies. Yes, they are subtly different, yet clearly depict the same subject out for a little ride in the country. Delightful!
Hoping that your January days will be warm enough to encourage you to get out again with that sketchbook.
xo
I look forward to the sequel. I like your artistic integrity Gretel.
I was delighted to discover your charming and interesting site. Your descriptions of the countryside and the snow transport me to a completely different world. Cape Town has only ever seen snow in the form of a few snowflakes on Table Mountain and they dissolved as soon as they touched the ground.
Oh - these are gorgeous! I can understand why you are reluctant to part with such beautiful work!
Dear Gretel...where have you been hiding these adorable bird ladies???? I don't remember seeing them before. They are special indeed, no wonder you hate to part with them.
Thanks for the visit today and I would trade your talent for my kitchen any day!!
So beautiful, Gretel...I'd not want to part with them either. Such talent!
Oh the bird ladies have such character...love them.
Thank you so much for the lovely card you sent me. I so appreciate having you for a friend. You make blogging so much more fun.
Sending you hugs,
I love the bird-car ladies, really wonderful!
I can see why you love these so, they are unique and special.
Sheila