C’est à dire, Bonjour, November!
Halloween is over…So click here and read about me, my thriller UNDERWATER, and its upcoming release this month by Thomas & Mercer, on PAGE 6 of the November 2014 newsletter of the Atlanta Writers Club!
Getting it done, sans doute
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on til you come to the end; then stop.”
– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
“Best advice I’ve ever received: Finish.”
– Peter Mayle
Sounds easy, right?
I doubt “the King” was talking about writing a novel (I never read Alice in Wonderland), but I think A Year in Provence* author Peter Mayle was.
When I wrote UNDERWATER, I did begin at (what I thought was) the beginning. But it didn’t turn out to be. To guess what I mean, click here and “Look Inside” to read the first few pages.
Now I’m working on Book 4, another thriller with tie-ins to UNDERWATER, and I’m at that part between the beginning and the end, where I must “go on.” (I’ve written about un tiers – a third – so far.) While I’m behind on my goal of 50,000 words** by Thanksgiving (looks like it will be Noel), at least I’m hitting my plot points. And when I’m finished, I’ll stop.
(Then I’ll begin revisions, editing, etc…but that’s another post.)
“Going on” right now is work, and it can be hard to focus sometimes. Doubt creeps in…and I push it away.
This book, like UNDERWATER, is set in Atlanta, and scenes take place in fictional neighborhoods here, with a few (real) landmarks as anchors. And, like in UNDERWATER, characters are not based on people I know, and events are made up. Drawn from my own experiences, observations, and imagination, they interweave and eventually turn into a novel.
“Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream will take care of itself.” – Mark Twain * Which I have read, as well as many of his other books ** Which is well over the mid-point of the story
Germans, Chocolate, and a Birthday
A party without a cake is just a meeting.
– Julia Child
To celebrate my birthday (which is today), and in honor of the German translation of my novel UNDERWATER*, my husband baked a German chocolate cake for me yesterday (pictured above).
You might think the sides don’t look right look a little messy don’t look the way they are supposed to, but the recipe he used said to put the (gooey, but yummy) icing on the top, and let it drizzle down the sides.
Which he did.
It tasted great, of course, just like everything he bakes and cooks. He didn’t get the recipe from one of his Julia Child cookbooks, though. It came from another one of the many cookbooks he has either bought or been given over the years.
Before eating cake, we sat outside to enjoy the perfect October weather here in Atlanta, then enjoyed a dinner of poached salmon and salad (also prepared by my husband). Naturally, I felt very fêted…! We were missing some family members who live elsewhere, but those who could attend, did, and one had just been home for a few days’ visit.
I’m not sure if German chocolate cake is something you can find in Germany (I’ve never been there). I suspect maybe you can, but it might be a little bit different from our this version. If it does exist, I’ll bet it’s just as yummy.
In any case, with our cake, what could have been just a meeting normal dinner was a party…
* The German version of UNDERWATER will be released next spring, but the English language versions (print, digital and audio) will be released on November 25, 2014! Click here to pre-order and have automatically delivered on 11-25-14!
List Post, Numéro deux:
Because “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” here is my updated List for this week October:
- Two more (print) books purchased, to read this month: a memoir and a work of literary fiction. Both signed by the author, and both authors are new friends
- On track (?): WIP at 15k words…If I write 1,000 words a (work)day between now and Thanksgiving (and allow for my trip to Bouchercon in November), I’ll meet my goal of 50k by then. If.
- Work on Cover for ALL THE ABOVE has begun. Thanks, Michael!
- Atlanta area bookstores: Some will stock a few copies of UNDERWATER upon its release by Thomas & Mercer on November 25, 2014. Lesquelles? Books for Less in Buford, GA; Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA; Charis Books in Atlanta, GA; and possibly Bound to be Read Books, also in Atlanta! (If it’s not in your bookstore, ask them to carry it)
- Keeping up with travel updates from friends in the Czech Republic and in France maintenant!
- Trying out a new Atlanta restaurant with mon mari later this month to celebrate mon anniversaire
- Preparing my presentation at my Author Focus panel at Bouchercon 2014; looking ahead, même chose, plus ou moins, at the Atlanta Writers Club January 2015 meeting (“Member Minute”)
- Taking heed of some advice of un ami, un auteur bien connu, en ce qui concerne my (unnamed) WIP and its writing, editing and development
- Following and watching football: the Atlanta Falcons, the Georgia Bulldogs (Dawgs!), and the UNC Tar Heels!
UNDERWATER New Cover Reveal!
After months of anticipation, voici the brand new cover for my suspense novel UNDERWATER, to be rereleased on November 25, 2014!
You can pre-order the novel on Kindle here.
Thomas & Mercer cover artist Scott Barrie created an updated, powerful, more menacing cover, n’est-ce pas? Merci beaucoup, Scott! And – wait until you see the back cover! Here is the updated description there:
After years of guilt over a long-ago tragedy, Candace Morgan is finally poised for success. The CEO of her own women’s shapewear company, she’s about to launch a new swimsuit line—and make a fortune. When she is guilted into loaning her brother a huge sum of money for real estate, she believes she’s simply fulfilling a family promise. In reality, she’s enabling a devious sociopath…and now, she’s roped into the renovation from hell.
For years, Monty Carawan has envied his sister’s wealth. Spiteful and self-centered, he’s convinced that her success came at the expense of his own future. But when the housing market plunges and Candace attempts to disentangle herself from Monty’s mess, her brother’s malicious streak brings the family tension to a dangerous boiling point.
Kindle, Print and audio versions of the book will be released on November 25, 2014, just in time for Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping season!
The Big Change(s)
“I think it’s a pretty good rule not to tell what a thing is about until it’s finished. If you do you always seem to lose some of it. It never quite belongs to you so much again.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
Over three months ago, in a post called My Turn on “The Writing Process” Blog Tour, I described the book I had just started writing:
Book 4 is about another family in conflict over a house, this time a two million dollar beach home that three siblings will inherit upon the death of their wealthy stepmother.
When her sizable liquid assets are stolen by a crooked investor, the stepmother considers selling the beach home to fund her lifestyle in a luxury retirement community. Two of the siblings suggest that she obtain a reverse mortgage on it instead, to keep it in the family and protect their inheritance. But the middle child is secretly grappling with huge debts and unwilling to downsize or compromise. When an unforeseen event occurs, her income drops drastically and her demands multiply. Soon, her hostility toward the woman who took her mother’s place decades ago turns from anger to hatred. How far will she go to get her way, and to get her hands on the money she believes is rightfully hers?
Well, since then, things have changed. Book 4 is still unnamed, and it’s still about a family conflict over real estate and money. However, everything in blue above is no longer true.
What takes the place of what’s in blue? Only my husband and some members of my writer’s group know, and I’m trusting asking them not to disclose anything (or even hint at it) in comments below, or anywhere else.
Here’s what is still in Book 4:
- a conflict about a house
- an unforeseen event (more than one, now)
- a stepmother, though younger now, and still with sizable liquid assets
- a character who doesn’t like the stepmother, and who wants her money
- suspense
Another change? I’ve added Fitzgerald’s rule to my “Writing Process.”
Who to hang out with?
If you want to be smart, hang out with smart people.
– Anonymous
Okay, it’s probably not that easy. But maybe it helps..and it can’t hurt, I don’t think.
And – it translates into some of my other objectives, when I substitute any of the following words for “smart:”
- creative
- productive
- a writer (or, an author)
- a French speaker
- or even, a person with a good sense of humor
I work alone, but I like to connect with others, especially fun people, and those with whom I have something aspirational in common. (Is it really all about the 5 people you spend the most time with? Perhaps…)
Anyway –
- Creativity: People who like to imagine, design, and brainstorm (en français, un remue-méninges). These are fun people, and open to inspiration. They like music, dancing, art, and the challenge of coming up with something out of nothing (like a blank canvas or a blank computer screen).
- Productivity: People who work to achieve their goals, who are persistent and who don’t give in to discouragement, writer’s block, procrastination, or the idea that everything will just somehow happen. (Okay, I procrastinate, but I try not to, and always keep in mind how much better I’ll feel when I don’t procrastinate.) *
- Writing: Those who write, whether it’s fiction, poetry, songs, or non-fiction. Those whose books are published and those whose aren’t yet. Those who can’t not write. Those who want to have their work read/heard. I’ve learned a ton being around these people about how to write, what makes a good story, and how to make what I’ve written better.
- French: I knew my first novel would be set in France, and there was going to be a little bit of France/French in all of them. Donc (therefore), a few years ago, I set out to reattain my (youthful) fluency in the language, and I’ve gone from making un effort to succès. I’ve been surprised at how many French speakers I’ve met in Atlanta. Hanging out with them is toujours une bonne idée.
- Humor: Okay, this is an easy one. My husband can (still) make me laugh, and so can my dearest friends! Because without humor, life is, well, a life without humor, and that’s impossible.
* Now, to stop procrastinating and get back to writing that pesky WIP (work-in-progress), Book 4!
Ceci et cela (This and That): List Post
- Recently received: 2 handwritten thank-you notes in the mail. One from France, one from Dunwoody, GA
- The one from France written en anglais, avec une photo; the other, from une amie de longue date (old friend)
- Writing research: Found (long) paragraph in THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES describing how Sherman McCoy is “going broke on a million dollars a year!” (Chapter 6, p 137)
- Missed her: mom’s neighbor, “Z” (with whom I practice français de temps en temps) home from France where she was for the summer, but already on her way back there for a week
- Stacking up: Books to read, on my nightstand (see my Goodreads “to read” list)
- Falling: Temperatures…and time to enjoy the patio le soir
- Tried it: Zumba! Toning. A break from spinning class…Fun! but hard on knees.
- Writing: between now and Thanksgiving: 50K words in WIP? (that’s just 5K a week)
- Planning: My (solo) 20 minute Author Focus panel at Bouchercon 2014 in Long Beach, CA, le 15 novembre à midi
- sprechen Sie Deutsch? Amazon Crossing of Amazon Publishing is translating UNDERWATER into German! Release date sometime next spring.
- Organisez! My notes for Book 4 (WIP) and my French notes!
- Traveling: Not me (until November), but those I know, to the Bahamas, Rosemary Beach (FL), Folly Beach (SC), Turks & Caicos, Martinique, Las Vegas, Australia, Fiji, Prague, The Dordogne (France), Paris…Of those, I’ve only been to Vegas and Paris
- Preparing: Book 3, ALL THE ABOVE, a true story, for publication in early 2015 (probably February). It’s been edited, but needs a cover. Can keep some quotes of song titles in it, but not song lyrics 😦
- Finally….watching: Football! UGA Bulldogs, UNC Tar Heels and Atlanta Falcons!
Author Focus Panel!
I’ve been asked to participate in an Author Focus panel at this year’s Murder at the Beach: Bouchercon 2014 in Long Beach, California!
The annual World Mystery Convention of readers, writers, publishers, editors and others who love crime fiction, thrillers and suspense is being held there over November 13-16, 2014.
My Author Focus panel will be at 12 noon on Saturday, November 15! Check out the programming schedule here !
I will be speaking and answering questions about my suspense novel UNDERWATER, to be released in November by Thomas & Mercer of Seattle, Washington. I will also be attending various other panels and activities at the convention, my first Bouchercon!
What Readers Want
What I heard: Jackie K. Cooper’s entertaining interview of authors Karin Slaughter and Chelsea Cain
Where I was: Decatur, Georgia, at the Decatur Book Festival’s presentation “Internal Affairs,” part of its Mystery/Thriller Track, with my friend, author James Huskins
What I learned heard, but was happy to be reminded of:
1. Characters need to have secrets
2. Characters need to be damaged in some way
3. Violence and sex* are to be included if they move the story forward
4. Writing dialogue is a good way to get over “Writer’s Block”
5. Short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs create fast pace in action scenes
(Okay, I didn’t hear #5 there; I saw that on Twitter. But this week I read Cop Town by Slaughter and noticed it)
What I did: Listened intently, laughed, clapped, was inspired – then got drenched in a rainstorm walking to my car, but was in such a good mood that I we laughed some more
What I did next: Downloaded Cop Town, read it (couldn’t put it down), and worked on my next Suspense (Book 4), paying attention to #s 1-5 and focusing on what readers want:
suspense, surprises, a well crafted plot, good pacing, well developed characters, vivid descriptions, realistic dialogue…
* To my “beau-frère:” I’m doing my best on this in Book 4!
JULIA MCDERMOTT 