When the Book Fights Back

People often ask me what my writing process is—do I outline first (yes, usually), what time of day do I write (evenings almost every day, and often a morning shift on the days I don’t work the day job), and how long it takes me to write a novel from start to finish. That last one is tougher to answer.

In general, it takes me about three or four weeks to play with the initial idea, do enough research to get started, and write the outline and character studies, all of which has to happen before I begin to do the actual writing. Then it takes me about four months to write the polished first draft (I start each day’s writing by editing the words from the day before, so in theory each first draft had already had one edit by the time it is done). Then it goes off to my agent Elaine, who sends me her very helpful revision notes, which take me about two weeks to complete. Then it goes off to my editor, who will eventually send me her own notes. Somewhere in that process, bits and pieces and sometimes the whole thing are also read and commented on by my First Readers, who are various folks who I trust to give me honest but not brutal feedback. [Each book has different First Readers—some people have worked on almost every book…thank, Mom…and some only one or two.]

You’ll note those important two works: in general. If you ask any writer, they will tell you that no two books are the same. Some are easier to write than others. And every once in a while, you get one that fights back.

Take it from me—this is Not a Good Thing.

Dangerously Charming, the first book in the Riders series, tried to kill me. No, really. This one fought back. Unlike Wickedly Dangerous, the first Baba Yaga book, it was not fun to write. Did I mention it tried to kill me?

I thought about not doing this blog post. After all, it would be kind of nice for y’all to have the illusion that I sit here with my laptop and my cat and merrily type away while bluebirds fly overhead, singing happy songs, and then, POOF, the book appears.

Yeah, not so much. Not even for the books that cooperate. (Although there is a laptop, and often a cat or two. But no bluebirds. The cat would eat them. And then the feathers would get into the keyboard, and I’d have to explain that to the tech guys, and well, nevermind.)

But I also thought that maybe it would be interesting for you to get a peek into the reality of the writer’s world, and really, the only way to give you a good look was to be honest. Which means admitting that not only is writing not always (or ever) easy, sometimes it is downright tough. The next time you read a book by one of your favorite authors, maybe you’ll wonder…was this one that fought back? And appreciate the fact that the book exists even more.

So what happened? A couple of things. It probably started with my signing a contract with back to back to back deadlines that were too close together, and getting a little burned out. It happens. Plus, it was more difficult than I expected to switch from writing about the Baba Yagas to writing about the Riders. But then the outline wouldn’t allow me to write it. I got about a third of the way into the story, and couldn’t get any further. Only had a basic idea of what happened next. Still, the book had to be started, and I’d written books without outlines before, so I just sat down and began writing, and hoped that I’d figure it out as I went along.

Nope. I got about 34,000 words in (on a book that would end up being about 90,000 words) and I had a feeling something just wasn’t right. So I sent it to Elaine, and she made some suggestions, and I rewrote the first bit. But it still wasn’t right, so I asked my then-editor, Leis, to take a look, and she called me up and basically confirmed my worst fears: the story wasn’t working, in part because there were serious problems with the two main characters, Mikhail Day (the Rider, who my readers had already met in the three Baba Yaga books) and his love interest, Jenna.

So I figured out the problems, and where the story had started to go wrong. Unfortunately, that was at about the 8,000 word mark. Yes, you can see my problem here. I was going to have to throw out almost everything I’d written (when I was already running late on my deadline) and start over practically from scratch. Did I mention that this book tried to kill me?

Thankfully, I was actually able to save more than I expected, although much of the old stuff had to be changed, rewritten, or thrown out completely. Once I’d identified the problems with the story, I was able to go back to the outline and finish it, which made writing the rest of the book a lot easier. And then there was my pal Sierra, who not only acted as First Reader, and my trusty paid researcher, but helped me brainstorm a lot of the story when I got stuck. So basically, she saved my butt. (This was a fairy tale story, and that’s kind of her area of expertise. Thank goodness.) As did my friend Kari, who brainstormed and did one-day turnarounds during that horrible last month. But holy crap, this was a tough one.

Eventually, the story got finished, two months past its deadline. (I’ve never been late on a deadline before. There was some serious twitching.) Which, of course, meant I was already two months behind on the current novel. Let’s hope that one doesn’t fight back too. The important thing, though, was that in the end, I had a book I was proud of, and happy to eventually be able to share with you all. As an author, the end result is a lot more important than the struggle it takes to get there.

You know, as long as most of the books don’t try to kill you.

So tell me, have you ever had a creative endeavor that fought back? Inquiring minds want to know.

Holy Crap It's Finally Done!

The manuscript for the first Riders novel, Dangerously Charming, is DONE! Finally. And I really mean finally. (I'll put up a longer blog about this later, but I'll just say that this book Did Not Want to Be Written.)

To say that I am happy and relieved would be a huge understatement. Of course, now that Mikhail Day's story is done, I have to jump right into writing Gregori Sun's novel.

You know, after the third Baba Yaga book comes out next Tuesday and I leave for Coastal Magic Convention on Wednesday.

In the meanwhile, though, this is me, twirling around shouting DONE! DONE! DONE!

The Organizational Neurosis at Work

I have what I like to call (laughingly, but relatively accurately) an organizational neurosis. What this really translates to is that I like things neat and orderly. Which is not, mind you, to say that you will not find plenty of places in my house where things are chaotic. But still. I make my bed as soon as I get out of it. My books are alphabetized by author if they're fiction and shelved together by subject if they're nonfiction. (I did grow up in a library, with a librarian mother, so that may have had some influence there). Most things have their places. Whether they end up in them is an entirely different matter, of course.

My organizational neurosis actually works quite well for running a shop with 50 artists in it. The scheduling alone requires it. But I also find that I can tell A) when winter is coming and B) when I'm stressed by how much rearranging and organizing I start doing.

Apparently I don't do spring cleaning and clearing out nearly as much as I do it in fall. Probably because I know that I'm about to be stuck in my house with all the crap all winter long. *snort* But lately I've been really wanting to reorganize some of the trouble spots, including the space in my office/dining room where the swag and giveaway supplies had outgrown the shelves I'd been keeping them on, and the upstairs "craft/crap/catchall" room where I need to make a clear enough space for the guys who are installing the new windows to actually reach said windows.

So I started out by bringing an extra shelf unit down from upstairs and arranging all the swag on it and the shelf that was already in place.

It didn't work perfectly, but it worked. Good, right? Nope. Here's where the "neurosis" part comes in. Not only were things not fitting on the shelves quite right, but the two units didn't match and the black metal one didn't go with all the other wood things in the room. It kinda made me twitch. If this had been back in my "I'm broke so I'll suck it up and make do" days (you know, last week), I would have just learned to live with it. But I got a nice royalty check, so instead I ordered two new matching shelf units and redid the whole thing.

Luna and Angus helped, of course. If by helped you mean got in the way and made an even bigger mess.

 Look at it now. Isn't that better? Ahhhhh.

The unit on the left side has my "brag selves" with all my own books on them, plus some bundled goodies ready to give away. The bottom shelf is my Llewellyn-related giveaway items. Then the unit in the right has all the giveaway stuff and postcards/bookmarks/magnets, etc. for the Baba Yaga books and Veiled Magic.

Yes, I AM going to be doing a lot of giveaways, why do you ask?

Now all that leaves is the room upstairs. Oh, brother..

The boxes are all empty and waiting for me to use them to send things out. The rest of it is just...stuff.

The heaps are semi-organized. Not really. Save me.

Hopefully soon I'll be reporting back with pictures to show you how this space has succumbed to the organizational neurosis. And a new window.

In the meanwhile, check back on Tuesday, because that's when my next giveaway will go up, three weeks before the release of VEILED MAGIC. Since we're at that time of year, this one will have a Halloween theme. Here's a sneak peek at one of the prizes...

Hi! Aren't I cute? Boo!

So tell me, do you prefer things organized and neat or are you happy with chaos?

A Fabulosity of Fans

I have, of late, made the rather startling discovery that I have fans. No, really.

It’s not as though I didn’t know people read my books (I’m pretty sure Llewellyn wouldn’t keep buying them if SOMEONE didn’t occasionally purchase one), and every once in a while I’ll go to a Pagan conference where people have heard of me. But as I got ready for the release of book 7, The Witch’s Broom, it suddenly became clear that a lot of people were excited to have the book come out—not just because it is a cool book (which it is, of course), but because it was a book by me.

I have fans. Wow.

And not just fans, but GREAT fans. In fact, a fabulosity of fans. Yes, I just made up that word. I can do that. I’m an author.

There was so much enthusiasm, in fact, that I decided to reward everyone by having a Big, Huge, Mega Giveaway Contest. Which attracted so many people, many of whom spread the word far and wide, and generated even more enthusiasm, that I had to come to the undeniable conclusion that I had fans. A bunch of fans, even. I already knew I had friends who followed what I was up to, and readers, and such, but…fans. Wow.

Here’s the thing about writers. We mostly spend our time sitting in a corner, by ourselves, writing. Some folks occasionally go out and do a book signing, but unless you are Nora Roberts or J.K. Rowling, or Stephen King, you are pretty happy if ten people show up. For most of us, our interactions with the people who read our books are limited to the occasional comment on Facebook or that rare, lovely email from someone telling you how much they loved your book. I can’t speak for all authors, but most of the ones I know don’t feel any different from anyone else.

Which is why it is pretty cool to discover you have fans. As I’ve spent the last couple of months talking (and talking and talking) about the upcoming book release, I have had so many people say truly lovely things about how excited they were about the book, and how much they loved my previous books, and sometimes even that what I’d written had changed their lives.

It is a pretty good feeling for someone who spends most of her time sitting in a living room full of cats with a laptop on her lap, I’ll tell you. What’s more, I already knew that my readers were the nicest, coolest, best looking (yes, of course you are) people in the world, but I have been truly amazed by just HOW fabulous y’all have been about the book, the contests, and everything else. I feel very blessed.

So this is a thank you love letter to my fabulosity of fans. Thanks for your enthusiasm for my writing, your willingness to spread the word, for buying my books, for generally supporting and cheering on everything I do. You people make my life a better place And I just wanted to make sure you knew that I appreciated it.

So I have one more surprise up my sleeve. A gift, to all of you, to give back something of what you have given to me. I’m not quite ready to announce it, though, so for today, you’ll have to take this love letter instead. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being my fans. Y’all rock.

 *smooch*

The Writing Life: January

I thought I'd do something new this year, which hopefully some of you will find interesting. I love hearing about the writing process with all it entails (I follow the blogs of a number of other authors), so I decided to add monthly updates so y'all could get an idea of what I'm up to, writing biz wise.

Here's what's happening in January. Let's call it "Juggling January"...that should give you an idea of what I'm dealing with!

The thing about being an actively working writer with multiple contracts and deadlines (as opposed to my earlier years where I was doing a book a year for Llewellyn and writing the fiction obsessively, but on my own schedule) is that you are never just working on one book at a time. In my case, I'm not even working with just one publisher.

I spent from December 29th to January 13th (that is to say, LATE last Monday night) madly writing the prequel novella for Berkley. In some ways it was easier than working on a book--it was shorter, for one thing (it came in at just over 19,000 words--the novels tend to be about 110,000) and because it is an intro to the Baba Yaga series, I had already done the world building and character creating. [The novella will take place right before the events in the first book, and should come out about a month before the September release, as an eBook.] But it was also tougher, because I'd never written a novella before, and wasn't quite sure about the pacing, or the amount of story needed for that word count. Also, I was coming off of the holiday rush at the shop, and it was tough to switch gears back to writing.

In the end, I really liked the way Wickedly Magical turned out, and it went off to Leis Pederson, my Berkley editor an hour ago, right on schedule for my January 15th deadline. Whew.

So now I get a break, right? *insert hysterical laughter here* I did take yesterday to work on the bathroom repainting project (more on that in a future blog post).

Today, I got the proofs for my 7th Llewellyn book, The Witch's Broom.

Proofs are the final copy of the manuscript before it goes off to the printer. It is the last chance an author has to catch any mistakes that her editor and the copy editor both missed (and there always are some...the more eyes on a manuscript the better). Usually there is another "final edits" step before this, but my production editor at Llewellyn, the fabulous Becky Zins, said that there were so few issues, she just added them as notes in the proofs.

Because of the way things tend to back up on the desks of overworked and overloaded editors (i.e.--most of them), Becky needs the proofs, with any changes or notes from me, back by January 23rd. Yes, today IS the 15th. Welcome to the wonderful world of publishing. So everything else I was planning to work on now gets pushed back a few days until I can work my way through the manuscript. Hopefully I'll get it done by the end of the day Monday the 20th.

After that, I will be working on the Midsummer book for Llewellyn--this is one in a series of eight books on the sabbats that will all be written by different authors and put out under the Llewellyn name, not ours. It is a small book (35,000 words), but has to contain specific things so they all match. This is what they call a "Work for Hire" project. I get paid a flat fee for doing it, rather than receiving an advance and then royalties like I would with one of my own books. But it should be fun to work on, and I am looking forward to reading the entire series. The appendix is due by the end of the month (since the books will be coming out at different times, Elysia, who is supervising editor on the project, needs to make sure that all the books will coordinate), then the rest of the book will take up February, and probably part of March.

Miscellaneous other writing stuff:

• I was sent an advance look at the cover for Wickedly Dangerous, the first Baba Yaga novel--it is too early to share it, since they will be tweaking a few things, but I can tell you that it ROCKS.
• I also had to send Leis some notes on my ideas for the cover of Wickedly Wonderful, the second book, including a description of the protagonist and some other things. (Because the books are coming out back-to-back, September and December, things are going to come fast and furious for both close together.) And an author picture of myself.
• At Llewellyn, they held the Launch meeting for my current book, which had originally been titled "Wisdom from the Pagan Path," but which Elysia has been calling that Paganwitchykitty book for months, since we knew we were going to have to change it. (Another author came out with a book with a title that was too close.) During the Launch meeting, where they discuss things like final titles, cover ideas, release dates, and such things, the lovely Becky Zins came up with the PERFECT title and subtitle. So this book (which I will be working on revisions for after I finish the Midsummer book) will be called....Everyday Witchcraft: Making Time for Spirit in a Too-Busy World. I love it! What do you think? (This is the one that is a follow-up of sorts to The Goddess is in the Details)
• Any minute now, the revision notes for the 2nd Baba Yaga book are going to land on my desk too. I'm just hoping they hold off until I can catch up on a few of these other things!

So--that's January in a nutshell.  What's on your "must get done" list? And what do you think of the new title?

The Hibernation Vacation

I haven't taken a real vacation in years.

I've gone to a fair amount of conventions and conferences, including Pantheacon (a big Pagan convention in San Jose), RWA National conference in NYC, and a few smaller writing conferences. These trips are a blast--I get to meet up with other folks in the business, spend time with people I never get to see otherwise (like my Llewellyn editor Elysia Gallo and my agent Elaine Spencer, and lots of writer pals), learn new things, give workshops and presentations, and eat way too much yummy food. These trips are definitely fun, and a great change of pace from my regular life, but make no mistake: they're work, not a vacation.

Hell, I usually need a vacation when I get back from one :-)

The closest thing to a vacation I've had was probably three years ago, the last time the Blue Moon Circle gang (and families) took a three-day weekend and went to the Sterling Renaissance Faire. We used to do that almost every year, but people's schedules have gotten tighter, and of course, there's that whole money thing.

The truth is, it can be hard to find the time and money to take a real vacation, as much as we might all want to go sit on the beach with a good book, a fruity drink with an umbrella in it, and a cute cabana boy. (Wait, maybe that's just me.) But that doesn't mean that our bodies and spirits don't need a break from the stresses and strains of everyday life.

So this year, I'm planning to take a Hibernation Vacation.

And yes, I just made that up. But feel free to borrow the idea and use it yourself, in whichever way works best for you.

Here's how I envision the Hibernation Vacation:

For one thing, I'll be doing it at home. Way cheaper that way, and in some ways more relaxing. No packing, no traveling, and no worries about forgetting something important...

For another, the plan is to do less, instead of more. Most vacations involve running around like crazy, trying to cram as much as possible into the time you have. The hibernation vacation is all about UN-cramming your life.

The general idea is to remove as much of the daily pressure of life as possible. For instance, I normally write every day, for at least a few hours in the evening. For the duration of my hibernation vacation, I'm going to give myself permission not to do that. If I get an idea, I can jot it down. I can play with plans for future work. But no doing the work itself until later.

I will still have to go into the shop (I'd originally planned this for February, when we're closed an extra day and things are slow, so I wouldn't even have to do that much, but The Cold from Hell made me reschedule), but I'm not going to worry too much about running a million errands on the way home. And I'll be saying no to all social activities and requests from others.

When I am home, I am going to focus on reconnecting with my spiritual practice and my physical well being. I have been saying for months (ahem, maybe a year) that I was going to get back to meditating and a regular exercise program. But there never seems to be time to fit it into my schedule. I also want to focus more energy on my magickal practice, instead of just writing about it. (Yes, I see the irony there.)

 There are also things I've been saying I was going to do, such as re-learning to play guitar and crochet [see my previous blog post about the Creativity Cauldron], which never seem to make it to the top of the "to do" list. The hibernation vacation is the perfect space in time to allow myself to recharge my creative batteries by doing things that aren't "work" creativity (like writing or jewelry making). Things I do just for me, just for fun.

A shocking idea, isn't it!

These days, we all tend to be focused on what has to be done for others, or what we need to do to ensure our everyday survival and pay the bills. It is too easy to forget to fill the well we draw from every day...and then we hit a point where the well is empty, and we can't figure out why.

A hibernation vacation is a way to give yourself the gift of time: recharge your internal battery and hit the "reboot" button on some of your daily patterns that could use shaking up. It doesn't have to be a whole week. Take a weekend, if that's all you can spare, or even just a day. My friend Robin, who is married with kids, and runs a daycare, lives for the rare times when her hubby takes the kids out for the whole day and she gets to be all by herself and not cleaning anything. She takes a long bath, reads a book, actually sits down. A mini hibernation vacation that gives her a break from the constant need to always be there for someone.

Turn off your phone, stay off the internet, only watch fun things on the TV (no news, for goddess' sake!). Read a book. Make a list of the things you want to do for yourself that you never have time for, and do them. And don't forget to focus on your spiritual practice, whatever that might be. Go out at night and look at the stars. Listen to the rain or the sound of the waves. Or turn everything off and listen to the silence.

Then you can listen to yourself, and that's what a hibernation vacation is all about.

What would you do on a hibernation vacation? Something fun, I hope!

Belated Feline Friday with Sierra, Queen of Research

I realized I didn't do a Feline Friday this week (when people started yelling at me), so I'm adding some "guest cat" photos to my Thursday post about the lovely Sierra, Queen of Research. These lovely creatures are Ploof and Elwing :-)

Some authors love to write books that involve a lot of research. Not me.

Don't get me wrong--I do plenty of research, especially for particular books. I own a gazillion (approximately) books on magic, witchcraft, and the like, for use both when writing the Llewellyn nonfiction and my paranormal romance/urban fantasy fiction. And I spend a fair amount of time online doing research as well.

Therein lies the problem, of course. Research takes time. Online research not only takes time, but offers lots of opportunities for distraction. You know what I mean, if you're an author. Say you put in a search for "movies with brooms" for example. This takes you to a Wikipedia site that shows you info on a particular movie. But that site also contains interesting links to about twelve other things: actors, the book the movie was based on, clips from the movie...three hours later, you still don't have the information you were looking for, and you haven't accomplished a thing. GAH!

Which is why, when I was writing my last Llewellyn book, A BROOM FOR EVERY WITCH (title tentative), I called on a friend for help.

I needed to do an unusual amount of research for this book, including things like the history of brooms (both as a household tool and a magickal one), brooms in popular culture, how to make one from scratch...all sorts of things. But I only had two months to write the book, and I knew perfectly well that I couldn't do that AND do all the research.

Enter the amazing Sierra M.

Sierra is a pal of mine, and online research is her super power.

I gave her a list of information I needed, and she came back with exactly what I needed, including links to where she found it, so I could go look further if I needed to. It was AMAZING. Saved my butt with the book. And I will definitely be using her for this service again.

In fact, she was so amazing, I suggested she take her show on the road, so to speak. I know lots of writers who love to do research. But I also know plenty more, like me, who simply don't have the time and energy to do it all. So here is my official recommendation, should you need someone to help with online research. Her rates are extremely reasonable, she's fast, and she's GOOD.

If you need someone to help you out with research (or know a friend who does) you can contact Sierra at sierrakatresearch@gmail.com

Just tell her Deborah sent you :-)

Finished! Snow! And Your Feline Friday Fix!

In today's news...

I finished writing the new Llewellyn book, A Broom for Every Witch, last night! Huzzah! (Working title only, of course. These things change.)

Happy dance time!

I'll spend today (and maybe some of this weekend, depending on how long it takes), reading over the manuscript for boo boos [yes, that IS the technical writing term, why do you ask?], and then send it off to Elysia, my fabulous editor. Who started doing her happy dance last night when I messaged her on Facebook to tell her it was done :-)

In other news, they're calling for snow here. A LOT of snow, although not nearly as much as Boston and some of the other coastal areas are looking at. I've seen reports ranging from 6 inches to 16 inches. Er, I'd like to put in my vote for less, please?

On the bright side, I should be home well before the worst of it hits, and have no place I need to be tomorrow, so I should be fine except for the shoveling... And I'm sure it will be pretty. Also, in even more news, it's winter in upstate NY. So, there you have it.

If you live in the area that's being hit by snow, check in and let me know you're okay tomorrow, yes? You know how much I worry.

And here it is, your Feline Friday fix! That's Samhain on top of the pellet stove. She seems to have nabbed it as her spot this winter, and who can blame her? Stay warm! Stay safe! Have a great weekend.

An Accidental NANOWRIMO

Some of you may be deep into the writing rollercoaster ride from hell that is NANOWRIMO. If so, I hope it is going well! For those of you who aren't writers, NANOWRIMO is short for National Novel Writing Month--November, in which authors are challenged to write a 50K word novel (or a portion of one) in one month. Not impossible, but damned difficult.

I actually did NANO with my novel, Pentacle and Pentimentos, which eventually got me my agent Elaine Spencer. In theory, you're supposed to just sit and write the first draft with no editing along the way, but I can't write that way. Luckily, I had done a detailed outline first, so I still managed to finish.

This year, there was no way I was going to take on NANO, because I was already deep into the end stages of writing THE CURRENT NOVEL (I swear, I'll tell you the name soon). But one of the things I do when I am deep into the process is to write my daily word totals on my white board as a kind of running tally. I find that it really keeps me motivated. This is what the board looked like for the last of this novel:

You can see (if you squint) that it includes the date, the page I'm on, the total word count so far, the number of words done that day, and the guestimate percentage of book done (I started out thinking the book was 90K long and it turned out to be 105K, so my guestimate was way off until near the end).

That first date is 10/14 and I was at about 50K words. The last date is 11/7 and that was when I typed "THE END" at about 105K words. When I stopped to figure it out, I'd written 54,485 words in 25 days.

Yoinks.

So I guess you could say I did NANO after all, kinda sorta by accident. *blinks* Mind you, the first half of the book took months, and went slower than usual, so there is that to balance out the gloating.

Now, of course, I still have to do edits based on the notes from my first readers, and the feedback from Elaine. But still, it was kind of cool to see what I'd done. What can I say? When the book decides it's coming out--it's coming out!

Who here is doing NANOWRIMO this year, and how is it going?

500 Words a Day

I have been fighting to make anything that resembles progress on the new novel (yes, the title and theme are still a secret...I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you). Not because I don't like the story--in fact, I'm more excited about this one than I have been in ages. Which makes the lack of progress even more frustrating, really.

Mostly summer is just not a great time for me to write. There are too many other things going on; the shop is busier because of tourist season (yay tourists!), the garden and yard demand constant upkeep, and so on. (Also, a number of folks in my life are in crisis, and they're not people I can say "call me back later, I'm writing" to when they call and interrupt. Not if they really need me.) And I haven't been sleeping well for various reasons, which tends to turn my brain to mush. Well, more mush than usual, even. Yadda yadda yadda.

Usually, when I am in full-on writing mode, I average about 1,200 words a day (at an average of 300 words a page, that's about 4 pages, although it can vary). On a good day, I can double that. This week, I'm averaging about 500 words a day. That's right--less than two pages. *headdesk*

But I'm still making myself sit down every night and do whatever I can do. Even if it is only 500 words.

Here's why:
If you write 500 words a day every day, after 180 days you will have 90,000 words. That's a novel, folks. So even at only 500 words/day, you can finish two books a year. TWO BOOKS.

Obviously, that's not taking into consideration things like editing and revision. But still. 500 words/day = TWO BOOKS A YEAR.

So if you write, don't let the slow days discourage you. Remember: BICHOK: Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. Or my particular version... BICHOKNOL (Butt in chair, hands on keyboard, NOT online!)

Now go write 500 words, then come back here and tell me you've done it :-)

The Author's Life: Giving Birth to a New Book

I've started working on a new novel. I'm not going to tell you its name yet, but I can tell you it is a paranormal romance with a fun twist on an old foreign fairy tale; a dark book with a hint of whimsy. For now, we'll call it TBY.

As any of you who have kids know, no two children are alike. Some come out of the womb feisty and independent, others are timid and clingy. Dark and light, smart or slow, calm or volatile--each one has his or her own personality and style, and yet we love them all.

So it is with manuscripts. One of the things that has struck me as I've written the last couple of books is how different each one is from each other. I'm not talking about things like plot and characters (although that too, of course). I'm talking about how each book wants to be written.

Those of you who are authors already know what I'm talking about. Each book tends to show up with a different voice, new demands, and sometimes, what worked for previous manuscripts doesn't work on whichever one is on your plate right now. It's kind of strange, but also fun.

My previous approach was usually to outline the entire book (anywhere from 7-21 pages of general plot, character notes, who is doing what and why), and then just dig in and write it. On SEEDS OF CHANGE, the last manuscript, I tried that. And the book simply refused. I had to do some serious brainstorming with friends to even get the first 3 chapters down, and write the first 2 (one from the female protagonist's point of view, and one from the male's POV) in order to discover who they were and what they wanted. The book fought me until I was about halfway through, and then, finally, settled down. Hardest book I ever wrote. And that was before the massive revisions.

The current one, on the other hand, seems to be talking to me all the time. The characters are firmly in my head (a little bit too firmly, maybe...since I keep thinking about them when I'm supposed to be doing other things, like, y'know, driving). I have a few pages of notes, and I keep having to pop online to look up strange and obscure stuff, but I think once I have the first couple of chapters down I will be able to outline most of the rest, at least vaguely.

The big problem? I always do the majority of my writing at night. Usually between 7-10:30 PM. This book, however, seems to want to be written in daylight. No idea why. And I'm not sure what I've going to do about it. But sometimes, there is no arguing with your children.

Roof & Garden Update #1

Yes, yes, I know...you were hoping for something a little more glamorous...sorry, this is about as glamorous as it gets, at the moment. Well, all right, ever.

In writing news, the novel I was working on, SEEDS OF CHANGE, is officially out on submission. (That means my agent has sent it to a number of lucky editors, all of whom will love it. Right? Right?)

Needless to say, this can be a little nerve-wracking, so I have done what all good authors do under these circumstances: lit a candle, said a prayer, and then started the next book. Not only does this mean you have the next book ready, whether or not your first (or second, or third) one sells, but it also gives you something to think about besides "OMG--do they like it????"

In the meanwhile, back in the back yard, work proceeds apace on the new barn roof. For those of you who didn't guess correctly (which would be all of you--lol) the metal roof of the barn is....RED. (Really, have you not been paying attention? Red chair. Red pillows. It is the year of red, people. Man, it's a good thing this blog is graded on a curve. I'm just sayin'.)

My "rent-a-husband" George is doing an amazing job. He's half done already.

 Doesn't it look great?

And I've finally gotten the garden in (the last of the tomatoes and herbs went in today), as well as about 85% of the weeding. You never get 100% of the weeding done because, y'know, they keep coming back. *sticks out tongue at weeds*

But it is looking pretty good, I think.

That amazing tall stuff in the back left corner is garlic, in case you were wondering :-)

Do you garden, or have an indoor green thumb? If so, what is your favorite thing to grow?

The Writing Biz: Why Writers Write

I get questions all the time about the writing business and what it means to be a professional author. I thought I would start discussing a few of the basics here...you know, in between pictures of cute cats. Let me know if you have any particular questions, and I'll try to answer them.

Here's the one I've been pondering this week: why do writers write?

Obviously, I can answer that question for myself. But I also have a LOT of friends who are writers, and read the blogs of many of the authors I admire but haven't as yet had a chance to stalk get to know. And actually, it turns out that on this subject, we all agree.

Let me tell you: it's not for the money. I have a few friends who are actually more or less making a living writing, but almost everyone I know has a day job, a significant other with a day job, or both. [I'll talk about the money part more on a later blog post.] Contrary to popular belief, VERY FEW authors get rich. Or even make a living wage.

The fame? Well, not so much. I am finally getting to the point in my career where some people know who the heck I am--if they're Pagans, and if they read. Famous, I'm not. (Although I do get a kick out of it when my grown step-daughter calls me and says she met another Witch, told them who her mother was, and they said, "You know Deborah Blake! Wow." Giggle.)

So why do we do it? Why spend hour after hour writing, when there is a good chance that no one but your first readers, your mom, and some agents will see it (you know, before they reject it)? Or, for the published and reasonably successful folks, why do it when you could make a lot more money doing something else? And have paid vacations that aren't spent scribbling some idea that popped into your head just as you started to relax.

Because you can't NOT write. That's why.

As some of you know, I've been working on my latest novel for about 4 months (not counting the prep time pre-holidays, which was another month or two). I finally finished revisions a week ago and sent the manuscript off to my agent with a huge sigh of relief. I was going to get my life back!

My plan was--and still is--to take a couple of weeks off from writing so I could catch up on the jewelry making, the garden, the yard, and some social obligations...all of which NEED to be done, and I'm way behind on every single one.

And yet...I started thinking about what happens in the next book in the series (following the one I just sent to Elaine), and jotting down a few notes, so I don't forget them. My acquisitions editor at Llewellyn had an idea for a small, fun book that she passed along to me in case I was interested. So I started doing a little research, pondered an outline, and took some notes on that too. And there is the humorous paranormal novel I started at the time I was fighting the beginning of Seeds of Change, purely as comic relief. I'd REALLY like to get back to that one...

I need to stick (mostly) to my plan to catch up with the rest of my life. But the voices in my head are getting louder...

If you write, do you find it is hard to NOT write? If you're not a writer, is there anything you get obsessive about doing? (And no--playing Angry Birds doesn't count. Something creative, like knitting, or making music, or cooking...)

Deb, getting ready to go to her day job (and thinking about the theme for her next Witches & Pagans Magazine column)

Oh, and since it is Friday, here's a Feline Friday picture, just for the heck of it.

That's Mystic, who somehow still manages to look cute and adorable, even though he's huge. (Seriously, look at the size of those paws!)

Best Job in the World--Author

Most days, being an author is a solitary and thankless job. You work long hours, often with no guarantee that your words will ever see the light of day. Unless you are very, very good and very, very lucky, you will never get rich from it. (Although sometimes there are cookies.)

But some days, something happens that makes it all worthwhile.

This was what I got today from one of my readers:

Hi,
I just thought I would drop you a note to tell you that Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook is just amazing. Nothing against other authors because I realize the hardwork and loving intent put into their books, but your book is amazing. My dog Brew and I have spent countless hours researching the right spell and here they are in one beautiful reference.
I love your books and they are kept close to my heart at all times. You have a magickal way with words and have found a true calling. I am so glad to have found your books and appreciate all the hardwork and love you put into them.
Thank you for sharing your gift (and Magic's) and I look forward to whatever you are brewing up next.
Blessings to you and all you love!
Your Fan Kimberly


Thank you, Kimberly, from the bottom of my lonely author's heart. You made my day. Hell, you made my freaking month.You (and Brew) are why I write. Blessings to you, too. And lots and lots of cookies.