Occasionally oblivious.

Sometimes we writers wander around in a beautiful place and don't see anything, because we're so tied up in the worlds we're creating in our heads. And then there are the other times.

I'd been down that path to Carmel Beach a million times, but today I saw this.

The Utimate Path to Publishing

There's been a lot of press about the new novel THE ART OF FIELDING, a "literary baseball" novel that is not being marketed that way because they're afraid of scaring away book clubs. Now that it's climbing best-seller lists, maybe that madness will stop. I'm a huge baseball fan -- the tenacity required to get published comes from my growing up a Cubs fan-- and one of my marketing clients is The Phillies. So I have no fear.

But what's most interesting, for writers, is an excellent article about the book's genesis, written in Vanity Fair. There's an "extended play" version of the article in eBook form, and it is the most interesting and most hopeful, discussion of how a bestseller can come to be, that I have ever read. Read the novel or don't, my fellow writers, but the article is worth every penny.

Five Questions Answered by Bestselling Author Chevy Stevens

If you're looking for a great summer read, Chevy Stevens' second novel arrives JULY 5. It's a book that's been called riveting and suspenseful and a worthy follow-up to her first best seller. And she had some great answers to my FIVE QUESTIONS only another writer would ask!

1.What kinds of things are on your desk or near your work space to inspire you?


This is such a great question, and one I’ve never been asked. Let’s see, I have to take a look around. Well, first I have a huge vision board in one corner, which is covered with inspirational photos and phrases that I’ve cut out of magazines, or handwritten myself. One wall is covered with a whiteboard and the plot for my third book is drawn out, with photos of characters on it for mental imagery. I also have a belt buckle on my desk that says “Chevy” which belonged to my father. I have a photo of me and my brother when we were kids, which is inspiring my third book, and I have a photo of my husband and me on our wedding day. Above my desk I have a cork board that’s covered with some special cards, a photo of my grandfather who was a pilot and an author, a quote a friend gave me about believing in ourselves. Then there are some quotes I’ve written out for myself, like “There’s always a way” and “Don’t quit before the miracle happens” and “The best novel you can ever write will be the result of small sustained efforts repeated over and over.”


2. Describe the last page/chapter you wrote.


Right now I’m working on a section in the book about a cult that my main character belonged to when she was a child, which is set in Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island.


3. Who is your favorite fictional character from any book you’ve ever written--or read?


That would have to be Peekay from The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay. I read the book for the first time many years ago and I connected with him instantly. His voice, his thoughts and feelings, stayed with me for a long time.


4.What is the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you at a book club or bookstore?


At my local grocery store, which has a book department, I stopped to introduce myself to the book manager before Still Missing was released. I got part way through my explanation of who I was, and she said, “Oh, my God! You’re Chevy Stevens!” Turns out she had read an early copy and loved the book. It was the strangest and funniest experience to be “recognized” like that.



5. Name a word you’d like to put into one of your upcoming books.

“Nefarious.” I have no idea why, but as soon as I read this question that word popped into my head.


So there you have it -- I discovered our mutual affection for the book POWER OF ONE -- and at Chevy's insistence have created a vision board for my next novel.

How? When? Where?

Burning question: how do you find time to write?

During the day, Jonathan Franzen writes in a dark windowless basement on an old computer with no internet connection. During the evening, Tillie Olson wrote in a laundry room in between ironing shirts. I have written in a notebook during my train ride into work, on the back of an envelope while I was waiting at the doctor’s office, on a computer while my kids were napping in the room next door, their sighs and gurgles on the baby monitor providing occasional punctuation. I built every novel I have ever written in tiny snatches of time, not large blocks of it. Half an hour here. An hour there. Even if all I write is one good sentence, that’s an accomplishment. And that’s how everything is written: one sentence, one paragraph, one chapter at a time. I have friends who write in journals every morning, friends who scribble on index cards during their lunch breaks. Anyone who finds time to walk their dog, run on a treadmill, eat dessert, lay on a beach, bake a pie, or play a hand of poker can find time to write. But anyone who finds themselves continually asking about the how, the when, the where of writing . . . . really needs to look deep in their heart and make sure there is a why. Where there’s a why, there’s a way.

For more responses on burning questions, check out the Liars Club blog.