Someone said to me the other day that seeing the covers for my books must be old hat and pretty mundane for me. That's not true. My first book came out in 2002 and even now, I anticipate each cover. And if I love it, I become hugely excited.
There are a lot of parts of being an author that are still exciting. OMG, seeing your book on the shelves at the bookstore? Or an airport bookstore? Sheer elation. Author copies being delivered to the doorstep. Opening that box and seeing the story you slaved over for months and months printed and bound and looking so pretty? Completely awesome. And every time someone sends me an email telling me they loved my book? Rapture. Seriously. My favorite part is when readers love my book.
None of this excitement has ever faded for me, no matter how many times I've experienced it. And I think this is a good thing. If a writer loses the wonder (not just with the writing/editing/revision part, but with the little joys like holding your book for the first time), they've lost something intangible that I think affects their work.
Actually, my life philosophy overall is that we have to enjoy moments--big or small. It doesn't matter if it's the first time or the tenth time, we have to savor and embrace the good stuff.
Showing posts with label excitement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label excitement. Show all posts
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Thursday, February 07, 2008
It's a Book!
My ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) arrived today for In Twilight's Shadow. They look beautiful. :-) It's almost as good as getting actual copies of the official book. This is my first chance to see the spine and back of the cover. Actually, it's my first time I've seen the cover in anything except electronic format and that's always darn cool. I think it looks striking and (hopefully) it will stand out among the other books.
I also discovered that the back cover copy I have up on my website is missing a few words, so when I have some time, I'll have to update that and upload the new version. I can also see the font they used for the copy and it's clean and legible, and most importantly, easily readable. Yea!
Sorry, I didn't mean to run on about every facet of the ARC. My plan was to talk about how exciting it is to actually hold something like this in my hand and think, "wow, I wrote this." It doesn't matter that this is my sixth full-length book, it's still a huge thrill. And it's still surreal in a way, you know?
When I received copies of my first book, it didn't feel real. I kept thinking, this can't be my story. I kept reaching for Ravyn's Flight reading parts of it, trying to get it to sink in that hey, I wrote this. I finally just started carrying it with me everywhere I went because I constantly had to assure myself it was reality. :-) It took two weeks before it finally penetrated that it really, truly was my work. There are times I still wonder if this is real, but I think I like the wonder of it all, you know? It's just magical to hold a book I wrote in my hands and I'm glad I haven't lost that.
So now I have to figure out when to send copies out for review. Too early and the reviews get posted too far in advance of the book. Too late and the reviewer doesn't have enough time to read the book and write her review. I'm still not certain I have the timing exactly right, but eventually I'll learn. I hope.
I also discovered that the back cover copy I have up on my website is missing a few words, so when I have some time, I'll have to update that and upload the new version. I can also see the font they used for the copy and it's clean and legible, and most importantly, easily readable. Yea!
Sorry, I didn't mean to run on about every facet of the ARC. My plan was to talk about how exciting it is to actually hold something like this in my hand and think, "wow, I wrote this." It doesn't matter that this is my sixth full-length book, it's still a huge thrill. And it's still surreal in a way, you know?
When I received copies of my first book, it didn't feel real. I kept thinking, this can't be my story. I kept reaching for Ravyn's Flight reading parts of it, trying to get it to sink in that hey, I wrote this. I finally just started carrying it with me everywhere I went because I constantly had to assure myself it was reality. :-) It took two weeks before it finally penetrated that it really, truly was my work. There are times I still wonder if this is real, but I think I like the wonder of it all, you know? It's just magical to hold a book I wrote in my hands and I'm glad I haven't lost that.
So now I have to figure out when to send copies out for review. Too early and the reviews get posted too far in advance of the book. Too late and the reviewer doesn't have enough time to read the book and write her review. I'm still not certain I have the timing exactly right, but eventually I'll learn. I hope.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Fab News!
I guess it's official enough to announce now. I sold two more books to Tor for their paranormal romance line!!!
The plan right now is to release the first book July 2009, which seems like forever away, but the time I have to write it will fly by, I'm sure of that. I wanted to give a little blurb about book one, but I realized it might be a bit of a spoiler for people who want to read In Twilight's Shadow. That's where the heroine is introduced. Geez, I hope I didn't give anything away while I was working on the proposal. I try to be careful about that, but sometimes I don't think things through. With that said, y'all obviously know that at least the first story will be part of the series that started with In the Midnight Hour.
Okay, I'm going to try this:
Not the best blurb ever, I know, but the best I can do on the amount of sleep I had last night. :-)
The plan right now is to release the first book July 2009, which seems like forever away, but the time I have to write it will fly by, I'm sure of that. I wanted to give a little blurb about book one, but I realized it might be a bit of a spoiler for people who want to read In Twilight's Shadow. That's where the heroine is introduced. Geez, I hope I didn't give anything away while I was working on the proposal. I try to be careful about that, but sometimes I don't think things through. With that said, y'all obviously know that at least the first story will be part of the series that started with In the Midnight Hour.
Okay, I'm going to try this:
Shona is a glass artist whose world is shaken when she loses her ability--and her desire--to create her art. The upheaval only gets worse when she meets a sexy stranger. He knows secrets that she doesn't and her ignorance just might get her killed.
Not the best blurb ever, I know, but the best I can do on the amount of sleep I had last night. :-)
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Feeling Alive
At the Evil Day Job (EDJ) yesterday we were talking about these guys who leap from building to building. There's a name for it, which I've forgotten, and it's apparently a sport with training facilities and everything. Um, this is definitely one of those things that has me scratching my head because no matter how much athleticism is involved, some things just aren't sports. They're past times. There's a difference. :-)
We also talked about those squirrel jumper people who leap off like mountains and try to "fly" down as far as they can without opening their parachute. Again, this is considered a sport, and again, I don't think so. But that's not the point of this blog.
When I expressed my opinion, which was basically who in their right mind would do stuff like this, one of the engineers said something that I haven't been able to stop thinking about since then. I don't remember exactly how he phrased it, but the gist of it was that when he does adrenaline-laden things that at least he's alive and not just living.
I wish I'd caught what he was saying a few seconds sooner because the conversation veered before I processed his words enough to get what he was saying. I'd love to question him on this for a couple of reasons. The first is that he was implying that people (like me) who don't do things like this aren't living. The second is that I'd love to know why he equates an adrenaline rush with being alive.
Cause you see, I totally disagree with him. You see, I can sit out on my deck and watch the birds fly around my backyard and I feel totally at peace and totally alive. No adrenaline involved, just enjoying what life has to offer.
I feel alive when I'm working on my stories, knowing in some corner of my mind that I'm offering my life's passion to the world. That people will read my stories and be entertained (hopefully) and transported into the world of my book and the lives of my characters.
Hell, I feel alive standing in my backyard and watering my flowers. :-) Last summer, I even had a hummingbird hovering next to me. And I feel alive when I see joy spread across someone else's face.
So his feeling that they only way to feel alive is to do something that causes an adrenaline rush is so opposite of everything I've experienced, that I totally don't understand it. That's why I'd like to question him and understand.
I've never, ever had any desire to jump out of airplanes, hang glide, para-sail or leap across rooftops in an urban environment. I've never wanted to jump off mountains or cliffs or scale mountains, then repel down them again. None of these things seem like fun to me in any way, shape or form. But more than that, I don't understand why he thinks doing something that gives him an adrenaline charge is the only way to feel alive. And I do want to understand. Maybe it's because I'm a writer and like to dissect people, but I'm hugely curious.
Part of the problem is that I'm polar opposites with this engineer. Everything he likes to do sounds like my idea of hell on Earth--or darn close to it, anyway. :-) And I'm sure he'd hate the things that I like to do. So since we're so different maybe I won't be able to ever understand why he feels the way he does. And I admit it, my own bias makes me believe that he's totally wrong about what feeling alive means. :-) That'll make it even tougher for me to get it. But I think it would be really interesting to write a character who thinks like this, so I'd like to try.
We also talked about those squirrel jumper people who leap off like mountains and try to "fly" down as far as they can without opening their parachute. Again, this is considered a sport, and again, I don't think so. But that's not the point of this blog.
When I expressed my opinion, which was basically who in their right mind would do stuff like this, one of the engineers said something that I haven't been able to stop thinking about since then. I don't remember exactly how he phrased it, but the gist of it was that when he does adrenaline-laden things that at least he's alive and not just living.
I wish I'd caught what he was saying a few seconds sooner because the conversation veered before I processed his words enough to get what he was saying. I'd love to question him on this for a couple of reasons. The first is that he was implying that people (like me) who don't do things like this aren't living. The second is that I'd love to know why he equates an adrenaline rush with being alive.
Cause you see, I totally disagree with him. You see, I can sit out on my deck and watch the birds fly around my backyard and I feel totally at peace and totally alive. No adrenaline involved, just enjoying what life has to offer.
I feel alive when I'm working on my stories, knowing in some corner of my mind that I'm offering my life's passion to the world. That people will read my stories and be entertained (hopefully) and transported into the world of my book and the lives of my characters.
Hell, I feel alive standing in my backyard and watering my flowers. :-) Last summer, I even had a hummingbird hovering next to me. And I feel alive when I see joy spread across someone else's face.
So his feeling that they only way to feel alive is to do something that causes an adrenaline rush is so opposite of everything I've experienced, that I totally don't understand it. That's why I'd like to question him and understand.
I've never, ever had any desire to jump out of airplanes, hang glide, para-sail or leap across rooftops in an urban environment. I've never wanted to jump off mountains or cliffs or scale mountains, then repel down them again. None of these things seem like fun to me in any way, shape or form. But more than that, I don't understand why he thinks doing something that gives him an adrenaline charge is the only way to feel alive. And I do want to understand. Maybe it's because I'm a writer and like to dissect people, but I'm hugely curious.
Part of the problem is that I'm polar opposites with this engineer. Everything he likes to do sounds like my idea of hell on Earth--or darn close to it, anyway. :-) And I'm sure he'd hate the things that I like to do. So since we're so different maybe I won't be able to ever understand why he feels the way he does. And I admit it, my own bias makes me believe that he's totally wrong about what feeling alive means. :-) That'll make it even tougher for me to get it. But I think it would be really interesting to write a character who thinks like this, so I'd like to try.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Imagination Running Free
Writers must have really overactive imaginations. Well, I guess that's kind of a given, but it pops up in weird ways sometimes. Like earlier this week--I think it was Thursday morning--I was walking into the garage when I hear a helicopter overhead. Now keep in mind this is 5:30 in the morning; it's not exactly as if the traffic needs monitoring yet. My first thought was that it had to be the police chasing a fleeing felon.
My garage door is up, I'm away from the button to bring it back down, and trapped in the open. I expected a criminal to duck into my garage, gun drawn, at any moment. I rushed to my SUV, checked the back seat to make sure said felon hadn't already broken into my garage and was hiding there, then jumped into the car, and locked all the doors. I didn't waste any time getting my seat belt on and the car in gear. I wanted out of there and my door down again pronto.
Do you think normal people would react like this? I'm guessing probably not, or at least not with the level of detail my brain supplied to the scenario.
Sometimes I wonder if this is why I'm such a worrier. I can imagine dozens of scenarios--not all of them particularly likely to happen--and get myself going. I even do it with silly things like email. If I send an email to someone and I don't hear back, I immediately imagine that they didn't get it, then I start running through their reactions to my not sending a note, and I end up having to send another note to ask if they received the first one. No wonder I get tired!
My garage door is up, I'm away from the button to bring it back down, and trapped in the open. I expected a criminal to duck into my garage, gun drawn, at any moment. I rushed to my SUV, checked the back seat to make sure said felon hadn't already broken into my garage and was hiding there, then jumped into the car, and locked all the doors. I didn't waste any time getting my seat belt on and the car in gear. I wanted out of there and my door down again pronto.
Do you think normal people would react like this? I'm guessing probably not, or at least not with the level of detail my brain supplied to the scenario.
Sometimes I wonder if this is why I'm such a worrier. I can imagine dozens of scenarios--not all of them particularly likely to happen--and get myself going. I even do it with silly things like email. If I send an email to someone and I don't hear back, I immediately imagine that they didn't get it, then I start running through their reactions to my not sending a note, and I end up having to send another note to ask if they received the first one. No wonder I get tired!
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