Hop Like a Writer

Some hop, but that's not how I roll...

My friend, blogger, writer, and fellow #Write2TheEnd facilitator Kim Jorgensen Gane, of GANE Possible, invited me to participate in this blog hop, in which writerly people discuss writerly things. I am honored to be included.

Being a part of such a blog hop is a great excuse to be able to talk about one's own writing. ("I didn't ask the questions! They did!")

So, for those of you who've been wondering what I've been up to -- especially if you follow me on Twitter and see me posting pictures of falcons, researching the history of crossbows, and talking about the crazy crush I've developed on the character who was originally the novel's antagonist, but who looks (in my mind) so much like Christian Kane it's impossible NOT to love him -- come, hop with me!

Blog Hop Questions: 

1.) What am I working on/writing? 
My current project is an epic historical fantasy set in pre-Arthurian Britain. "Before Camelot, there was Shalott."

KNIGHT FALL -- the tale of a good guy who goes bad, a bad boy who tries to be good, and the women behind the scenes who are pulling their strings -- is the first of three books in the series.

Finishing the trilogy is my top priority for 2014. If I don't, several longsuffering beta readers who have been waiting for this story have sworn to lynch me.

2.) How does my work/writing differ from others in its genre?

The problem w/ dream casting: characters steal the story...

I rarely write characters who are black and white. I'm more interested in the subtle, seemingly insignificant, everyday happenings that can tip the balance of allegiance. History in hindsight often follows a path that seems clear and true. But to those living through it, their choices are much murkier.

My writing spends time with the people who don't realize (and, if I do my job right, neither does the reader, at first) how much hinges on every decision they make. I want to tell a story that explains the origin of legends we accept as canon. That involves focusing on the people relegated to the shadows at least as much as those who have stolen the limelight.

3.) Why do I write what I do?
This project began as an obsession with Tennyson's poem "The Lady of Shalott." First, I wrote the screenplay, focusing on the tale of star-crossed lovers -- a damaged knight on the edge of legend, and the imprisoned girl who holds his heart.

But the story stuck with me and insisted on more attention. So I spent a NaNoWriMo November turning script into novel, which resulted in 80,000 words and the realization that I had enough story for three books. The project overwhelmed me because I didn't have the time to dedicate to it, so I shelved it while I wrote a few books for clients and edited a major project for the USHJA. But my medieval characters -- especially the aforementioned antagonist, who has now commandeered a starring role in the entire series -- wouldn't leave me alone.

Why do I write what I do? Because I can't shake it off. I can't shelve it. The characters in it are as real to me as people I know. And I'm the only one who knows their story. If I don't write it, no one will.

4.) How does my writing process work?
My process is different when working on contracted projects for other people. But I'm going to answer this question solely with regards to working on my own, "spec" stuff....

At the beginning of the year, I made a resolution to dedicate a portion of my time every day to working on my own writing projects.

This may seem like a no-brainer ("A writer writes!"), but it was the end result of a difficult, soul-searching process. See, I write a lot. All the time. Much of the day. But I had allowed working on others' writing projects -- helping with research, or brainstorming, or editing, or book-doctoring, or mentoring, or muse-ing -- to take precedence over my own writing.

Why can't I get the blasted ball rolling...?

One day, after working for eight uninterrupted hours, I realized that I had put in many eight-or-more hour days over the past few months, but hadn't written Word One on my novel. I talked about it, made copious notes in the wee hours of the morning when my characters interrupted my dreams and insisted I pay attention to them, and dreamed of that wonderful day when I would have nothing to do but write.

But that day never came. If I allowed it -- and for the greater part of the past few years I have allowed it -- I spent my creative energies helping other people solve their writing problems instead of working to solve my own.

Why?

I wrestled with the question through most of the last holiday season. It took me weeks to finally hit upon the reason:


Working on my own writing was fun. Really fun. And for some inexplicable reason, I had allowed myself to make "fun" synonymous with "not important." Therefore, I was only allowing myself to do it when everything else -- clients' work, laundry, meal-making, housework, chores, etc. -- was finished. Which never happened. Kind of like my writing time.

So, since January, a huge part of my process has been to reclaim my writing time, to jealously guard it, to value it, and to make it a priority.

I rent studio space (which I affectionately call The Burrow). The space is mine, all mine! It contains only items directly related to my current project. Every single thing within its walls pertains to my work in progress.

I go to The Burrow at least four days a week. There, from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m., while the kids are in school, I write.

I start the day old-school, with a cup of coffee, a pad of paper, a pen, and my dog at my feet. I write out my next chapter longhand, as long as the muse strikes.

(I have learned that I am weak and the internet is my kryptonite. If I come to work and immediately fire up the computer, as I used to do, hours can evaporate as I check my emails, get on Twitter, and follow the various rabbit holes of social media. Since I know my own weaknesses, I choose not to feed them. I will not get on my computer until I have at least one whole chapter written down. Then, if I fall down a rabbit hole, at least my day has been productive, and I have dedicated the best part of myself to my writing, instead of watching YouTube videos of funny dogs.)

So far, this process is serving me well. I'm making regular, solid progress on the book, and am loving where my characters are taking me. As the school year comes to a close, I have already informed my family that I will keep my writing schedule during the summer. I refuse to let my commitment waver. I am blessed to have their support. (My husband is an alpha reader, which helps, because he keeps clamoring for the next chapter...)

I guess my short answer to the question is that the biggest part of my process is making my writing a priority.

Enough about me.

I am thrilled to pass the Bloggy Hoppy torch to YA fantasy writer Alyson Peterson (@crzywritergrl) and crime novelist Marguerite Ashton (@msashton_writer). Check out their posts next Monday, Memorial Day, May 26.

Alyson Peterson is an amazing writer, with acerbic wit and snappy snark to spare. (She's also a fabulous artist, but that's another story...)

She writes about wizards and displaced heirs and interplanetary mayhem and magical horses. If you like young adult urban fantasy, you should be clamoring for a publisher to discover Alyson and get her books in print -- STAT! My 11 year-old daughter is an avid reader, who ranks Alyson's books right up there with Harry Potter and the Warriors series. Seriously. She's that good. Someday you'll see.

In the meantime, while she's waiting to be discovered, she blogs about life at Dirty Green Jello. Go check her out. She's aces.

Crime writer Marguerite Ashton is a founder of the popular blog Criminal Lines and Co-founder of the Crime Writers’ Panel. There, she works alongside Joe Giacalone with other panel members to educate writers on the importance of showing accurate portrayals of criminal investigations and law enforcement procedures in their novels.

Marguerite's radio show, Criminal Lines Radio airs bi-monthly, bringing together law enforcement and authors in an open forum.

A member of Sisters in Crime, Marguerite grew up in Colorado, but now resides in Wisconsin, where she is currently working on her next book. (Which I've read and helped edit. You'll love it! I promise!)

#TheNextBigThing: Welcome to "The Lion's Club"

I'm honored to be tagged in the wild, woolly, and wonderful meme that is #TheNextBigThing!

The Next Big Thing is a blog hop that not only encourages authors to discuss their current projects, but also lets them tag other authors to tell about their projects. (In the immortal words of Heather Locklear while hawking shampoo in the 80's: "And so on... And so on... And so on...")

I am indebted to the delightfully snarky Alyson Peterson, purveyor of acerbic commentary on the vagaries that afflict one as a woman, a writer, a parent, and a spouse at her Dirty Green Jello blog, for tagging me.

I rarely participate in blog hops, but shall make an exception this time. ~ahem~  Drum roll...

Here, then, are THE RULES for The Next Big Thing Blog Hop if you’re tagged:

1. Use this format for your post.
2. Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress).
3. Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing

1.) What is the working title of your book?

The Lion's Club. (Though I also kind of like Jobe's Pride. Jury's still out on the final title.)

2.) Where did the idea for the book come from?

It began with a screenplay assignment, of sorts, for a week long master screenwriting class with Jim Mercurio that I attended in 2008. I wanted to write a low budget script with few actors contained within a single set that told a story worthy of asking for two hours of an audience's time. The original germ of the story -- about two friends who kidnap a Hollywood star "for his own good" and hold him captive in a cage that once held a lion -- has morphed and mutated, but remains essentially unchanged.

Stalking the story: Heeeeere kitty, kitty, kitty!

The finished script became a story obsession at the same time I was researching the phenomenon of overnight celebrity for a different project, so I put that project on hold and turned the script into a novella exploring both the double-edged sword of super stardom and the perils that accompany doing the wrong thing for the right reasons--

But the characters and the set-up still wouldn't leave me alone (I think it's because I have a tendency to crush on my male leads. This one is no exception.), so I thought I'd delve deeper into their world and see what more there was to tell. That's when the angels sang and the planets aligned. I realized that the story perfectly lent itself to a pet idea I'd long wanted to do: a rather twisted re-imagining of the classic tale of Job from the POV of one of his erstwhile "friends."

3.) What genre does your book fall under?

Women's fiction / literary fiction. Ish.


4.) Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Nope. Not going to go there. Not because I don't have definite casting preferences. It's because I am an unceasing optimist, holding out hope that not only will the book be picked up, but that it will be successful enough to warrant a movie. I've already had a director friend show interest. He knows my casting wish-list. But I'm not going to jinx it by putting it into print.


That said, here are the characters:

JOBE: Hollywood's biggest rising star with serious personal problems that threaten his professional life. Mid-to-late 20's. Hotter than Hades. Dark hair. Piercing eyes. You get the picture. Mmm-rowr.

ELLIE: Mid-to-late 40's. Supermom. No-nonsense. Tough as nails. Runs a respected dog rescue facility. Hiding a long-dead secret. Fiercely loyal and protective of everything entrusted to her care.

ZOE: Mid-20's. Ellie's friend and accomplice. Still rocked, but recovering, from a recent tragedy. Knows Ellie is hiding something, but trusts her implicitly.

MIMI: Uber agent. Jobe's stepmother. Evil incarnate. Dangerous when crossed -- and Jobe has crossed her. Big time.

Those who know me well (or even in passing) can probably take a good, educated guess at my dream cast. To you I say: Get out of my head! I like it here all by myself, thank you very much...

5.) What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

When animal rescuer Ellie Tieman discovers Hollywood hearthrob Jobe Ramsey unconscious in a dumpster, she falls prey to a blackmailer's twisted scheme: she must keep the hottest man alive under lock and key for six weeks, which will ruin his career, or have the truth be told about her secret sin and spend the rest of her life behind bars.

6.) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Trick question, I fear, for there are more possibilities for publication than just those two.

I'm pushing for traditional publication all the way, whether I sell the project myself or find an agent who believes in it enough to sell it for me. Further bulletins on that front as events warrant. At the moment, things are looking very promising, but it's too soon to tell. Sshhhh... I don't want to jinx it.

7.) How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 

First draft of the script took two months.

First draft of the 27,000 word novella took 72 hours, which is completely insane, I realize, but I was participating in the Three-Day Novel Competition while recovering from a nasty bout of Swine Flu, so insanity ruled.

First draft of the 80,000 word novel took a little over a year because other writing commitments made me put my spec writing on hiatus.

8.)  What other books would you compare to this story within your genre?

Ah, if I knew, I would gladly tell you. I know what other writers have tones similar to mine, but I have never met a book like this one. It's dark and funny and twisted and wry, with hefty doses of both dogs and drama. It's got more in common with the movie "Serious Moonlight" than with any book I know.

9.) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Like I said: my characters refused to let me be done with them. When I finished the novella, they were so real to me that I would find myself looking for excuses to spend more time with them. (Remember the aforementioned crush on my MC? ::sigh:: Yeah.)

I especially wanted to explore the "how far would you go to protect a loved one?" question from the perspective of a strong woman in a stable, long term marriage. IMHO, there are far too few committed, competent female characters in literature.

Plus, I've always found the classical story of Job -- a good man who has everything taken away from him on a whim, making him a tortured pawn in a game he doesn't understand -- difficult. I welcomed the chance to dig into it and unpack it from several different angles.

10.) What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

"The Lion's Club" is a feel-good story of addiction, abduction, and murder, with healthy doses of canines, cookies, and one God-awful cockatoo that makes me laugh, but which would only convince my mother, were she ever to read it, that she had failed as a parent. It should speak to anyone who has ever been guilty of going above and beyond the call of duty (if not the law) for a friend.

Include the link of who tagged you (done; see above) and this explanation for the people you have tagged.

Hookay! Here goes:

Gale Martin, opera lover extraordinaire, who writes pee-your-pants funny women's fiction and blogs at Scrivengale. (UPDATE: I hear that Gale has already taken part in this meme. My bad. Oh well -- check out her blog anyway. She's good people.)

Crime writer Marguerite Ashton, celebrating the recent release of her first book, "Burned Bridges" (which I had the privilege of editing) and hard at work on her second. Marguerite blogs at Criminal Lines.

Kalla Monahan, lover of the bizarre, strange, and outright weird. Kalla is a publicist for Siren's Call Publications and Pink Pepper Press. SCP and PPP publish horror, paranormal, erotica, & romance -- all stuff that I don't write, which is kind of sucky, 'cause Kalla is great at her job. Kalla writes the Bizarre Kaleidoscope blog.

Yi Shun Lai, fiction editor of the LA Review, triathlete, riveting writer, and all around excellent person. I met her while doing some work for a client's non-profit and she's absolutely aces. Check out The Good Dirt blog and see what I mean.

Quilting doyenne Kelly Smith, who had the audacity to become my friend and then leave the state of Michigan to go far, far away to the wilds of Colorado. She's working on at least two novels (that I know of), one of which I'm dying for the chance to read in its entirety. ~hint...hint~ She blogs about quilting, Colorado, writing, and other stuff at Redheaded Quilter.

I encourage you to check out these amazingly talented writers and all-around awesome people. 'Cause, seriously -- they're the Next Big Thing!