New Novel Loved!!

Well, the highlight of this past week was having a terrific conference call with my UK editor and my agent about my new novel.
Everyone loves the premise and the writing -- just sprucing it up a little bit more with their great, insightful suggestions.
I'm so inspired after those kinds of calls I could light up the tree at Rock Center. And what writer doesn't like being reminded they are the new Anita Shreve? Oy, if only I had as many readers, right? ( Let's just say it again -- Book clubs, if you liked The Pilot's Wife, you'll love my current novel, Standing Still. And since you're wondering, the new novel will be called The Bird House, at least in the UK.)

New Kind of Literature Class

A nice article in the Philadelphia Inquirer today bout Lynn Rosen's class (which taught my novel this semester.) They spelled my name wrong but hey it's close!

Hispanic Hero?

Something that has been coming up recently is how much some people enjoy the activism in STANDING STILL -- shining the spotlight on the problems of illegal immigrants and the workers in Mexican slums. Some Hispanic readers view the kidnapper as I do -- as a rebel hero. Unfortunately, I don't think the book is available in Spanish!

I'm in the curriculum!

Friday night I visited Rosemont College, where STANDING STILL is part of the syllabus for a class on Crime Fiction. Very cool to be taught with the likes of Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez! A very interesting class, taught by a great prof, Bob Finnegan, with lots of bright kids in it. They spoke so eloquently about the characters' motivations and struggles, and understood the book on every level. It was really a joy to have such a deep discussion. The book is also being taught by Gregory Frost at Swarthmore College -- in a fiction class about writing a strong first chapter. Very cool!

Contest Winners

I sponsored an essay contest this Spring, and just finished judging the entries. Since the topic was women overcoming abuse or mental illness, the stories were sometimes heart-wrenching. Still, it feels really good to be helping other writers -- writing out the award checks made me so happy. Feels much better than paying utilities, lemme tell ya! Check out the winners at philadelphiastories.org

New Book Finally Handed To Agent!

Oh boy, that was hard. Now that I have been through the S&M practice known as "editing" I had to look pretty hard at The Next Book manuscript because I don't want to go thru that hell again. I workshopped the first 40 pages last year, and this year I spent a lot of time forcing myself to mull, reflect, re-read and then re-write several times, adding more plot, etc. I have two other new manuscripts in first draft-ville . . . I have to get back on those pretty soon but for now it feels good to have committed to, and polished, one.

Thousands of Editors

I am not the only one who has suffered through multiple editors. A quick survey of other authors in The Liars Club after a reading at Barnes & Noble revealed that the malaise is widespread. Lots of turnover, people job-hopping as the only way to get salary increases. One of the writers, Jon McGoran, whose pen name is D.H. Dublin, had the whole audience laughing with his witty reading from his new crime novel, Freezer Burn. Guess his work didn't suffer much after all those editors futzed with it!

Another Editor Gone!

Okay, this one really takes the cake. Beloved, non-dominatrix UK editor is also departing.
What is it with all this job-hopping?
Either editors are the most ambitious people who breathe air, or publishers are not paying these people properly!!

New Editor Seems Smart -- But Is She Secretly Evil?

I spoke to my third editor today and she seems very smart and savvy and helpful. Of course we all know she could have a split personality that only comes out when she reads with a red pen in her hand. She too could don the black leather boots and rawhide whip and lash me repeatedly . . .

anyway the paperback is coming out in February on the anniversary date of the hardcover, and she says everybody is excited about it and that they are definitely changing the cover.

Why do they do this? I mean, as soon as Mel Gibson and Nicole Kidman make the movie, they are just going to have to change it again, the sillies!!

Editor-Killer!

Yes, it's true, I have managed to send yet another editor screaming for the exits. My Dear Dominatrix has left for greener pastures, along with my Acquiring Editor. Sigh. She said, "Look at it this way: everyone who works with you ends up getting a promotion." See why it is impossible to hate her, despite her cruel whip-cracking editing style? She is eternally nice and optimistic. We will miss her . . . . and wonder who on earth will be sent to torture us now???

Other People's Blogs

Check out some of the ink i"m getting in the blog-o-sphere--

mjroseblog.typepad.com
secretdeadblogspot.com
thefirstbook.wordpress.com
popgoesfiction.blogspot.com
holdencalling.blogspot.com
newreads.blogspot.com

Standing Still Trailer

I Screamed Like Nikki Blonski

You know that clip of the girl from Hairspray overturning her coffee table when she won a Golden Globe? That's pretty much what I did when I saw my book review in Entertainment Weekly. They gave it a B+ and praised its invigorating prose, and the cover was pretty damn big, and it was mentioned in the same breath with a lot of macho/testosterone thrillers . . . maybe I'll get some more male readers now. It was reviewed by Ken Tucker, who, can i just say this, is like a God to me. Thank you Oh God of Culture, thank you!!

Bookless in Seattle

If it weren't so pathetic, it would be amusing. The people who pre-ordered my book from Amazon have received it before I received my author copies! I need lots of copies for the PR firm and I should have had them weeks ago. I tried several methods: asking, purchasing from the warehouse, begging. Friday morning I even considered buying them from the miscreants who stole them and put 'em on eBay. My agent's amazing assistant Adam, and my hard-working publicist Kim seem to have straightened the situation out -- but i won't believe it till I see it!! Of course every other day people I work with or know vaguely say things like "aren't you going to give me an autographed copy"? and i just have to burst out laughing. As if I could!! No way, honey, you'll have to buy it just like I do!!

I Need Martin Short

from Father of the Bride. I need a wedding planner with a crazy accent to organize all the details of the parties, promotions, advertising and PR i've set in motion surrounding this book. I can't even throw a dinner party, let alone a launch party. SIGH. This, my friends, is why wealthy people write books. Because only they have the money to launch them with the help of Martin Short.

The 250-Page Baby Has Arrived

Yee-ha, the book arrived in the mail today! Yes, the real book, the actual book, not the galley, not the first pages, the real four-color bound thang. I immediately put it in a zip-lock bag and told everyone who wanted to see it to put on gloves!! (Maybe I'll just make everyone wash their hands and sign a confidentiality agreement . . .)