This time last year we were buried in snow, and edits. This year Christmas day was something like 20 degrees warmer than last years and the holiday has in general been a bit more rushed and fraught, and oddly enough, ill. Tummy bugs and the head cold from hell forced us to hibernate almost as much as the snow did.
So here’s the round up of 2011.
In January I went to Rome and Songs of the Wolf got some nice reviews. Continue reading 2011 – the year of edits
In all the whirl of preparing for Christmas, I fear I’ve been neglecting my poor blog. The holidays, however you spend them, are usually fairly hectic for us all.
So here’s what I’m going to do – on Christmas morning you will be able to read an excerpt from The Wolf’s Destiny right here.
If you haven’t read the first two stories, The Wolf’s Sister and The Wolf’s Mate, you might like to track them down first – they’re available as ebooks from Samhain or sites such as Book Depository and for Kindle on Amazon, or in the print volume Songs of the Wolf. You can find out more here – Tales of the Holtlands.
So are you ready for adventrue, romance and a magical Christmas read? And what are your holiday plans? Once I’ve tackled that turkey, I’ll probably be barricading myself into the sitting room to watch Dr. Who and Downton Abbey.
The May Tree, or Hawthorn, or the Fairy Tree features in my novel THE TREACHERY OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS. The tradition is to tie a rag or ribbon to the tree and make a wish. It’s a gnarled, thorny little tree, with the most beautiful white flowers in springtime and bright red berries in autumn. It is the Thorn in the saying Oak, Ash and Thorn, and grows in the most exposed areas, clinging to the sides of hills and the rocky earth.
We’ve been away for a couple of days, back to Ashford Castle in Mayo. I’ll have more photos and a post about it soon.
On the way back, we stopped off at Loughcrew, or Slieve na Cailleach (your spelling may vary). Slieve na Cailleach means Mountain of the Witch and is topped by a stone cairn called The Hag’s Cairn, which is about 6000 years old. It’s a fantastic place, really atmospheric and not a little creepy. I’ll have more on that too, including some compass related weirdness. But for this morning, here’s a photo I took on the way up there.
It’s a May Tree in November, with it’s rags and ribbons clearly displayed to the world as offerings to the fairies and the wishes of mankind. We added our own. I sort of felt I had to.
🙂
Well, at home on the sofa to be honest.
With the writing? Well, that’s a different story.
THE TREACHERY OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS is all finished. Another full manuscript is making its way out into the world shortly, plus a proposal. And my lovely agent has something else.
So I am writing new things. Without totally focusing on just one. Where’s the fun in that? I currently have:
The Library Book – I’ve been talking about this one for a long time and it’s finally coming together, for now. I wouldn’t have the greatest belief that this will continue. This one is elusive.
The Brittany Book – I got the idea for this one on last year’s holiday and this year it went ballistic while I was over there. Loads of ideas, a plot, various scenes. Nothing that coherent though. I’ve jotted it all down longhand and (probably next year when I go again) it’s many plotbunnies will ambush me again.
The Space Opera – there’s quite a bit of this, but it has stalled for the moment. Still ticking away in the background though. It does that.
The thing is when I write it isn’t a start middle finish sort of thing. Never has been. It comes in fits and starts, I get ideas out of order and jumbled up. Sometimes I have to write longhand to get hold of the story, sometimes that’s just too slow. The old cliche is that books are like children, and in a sense they are. In that no two children are ever the same, nor is exactly the same approach correct for every one. And no matter what they put you through, you keep at them. Sometimes it just takes a bit more time.
Life has been getting rather hectic again, but I’m trying to put some things in place to deal with that. I’m involved with Irish Pen (not on any great level, but I’m there). There are lots of family things going on (dentists! Lots of visits to dentists! The horror.) and of course I’m still working full time. Octocon is coming up fast (15 days or so – *SQUEE* – if you’re there, say Hi!). Before that there’s an awesome Writing for Children night run by Irish Pen in the Irish Writers’ Centre. After that (when we’ve recovered) we’re off to Ashford Castle for a Harry Potter Night. All very exciting. And tiring.
But writing has to fit in around this. What’s the point in writing if you don’t have a life? But equally I’d be a basket case if I couldn’t write. So evenings and weekends have to adapt, and notebooks have to be carried around.
Speaking of notebooks – this is my 12th wedding anniversary present. Just right for notes on the Library Book, don’t you think?
So, that’s where I am, in a general, spiritual and bibliographical sense. Busy, but happy, determined to write more, and trying not to think about submissions. In a nutshell, business as usual. 🙂
So a few bits of exciting news in the last little while.
1) May Queen has a new title – The Treachery of Beautiful Things – which I absolutely love. So evocative.
2) It also has a release date (16th August 2012). Yes it’s 400 days away, but you know what? It’s a date. I’m going to have a -1 year birthday party for it while on holidays! 😀
3) It has an ISBN 9780803735804 This means SO MUCH to a librarian.
4) It’s available for pre-order.
5) And it almost has a cover! It’s SO gorgeous. Beautiful! But I can’t share it just yet as it isn’t final. But as soon as I can, I will.
So news! At last!
It all started as a bit of a whim to be honest. But then these things often do.
It was admittedly a tight deadline, but the edits on May Queen (which may not be called May Queen anymore) went back on Sunday evening with Monday to spare. At the moment I’m mainly in recovery mode and looking forward to a bit of a break. And more edits, this time for Graffiti Angel (which may not be called Graffiti Angel anymore).
It’s funny how stories change, sometimes as you write them and sometimes during the course of the editing process. That’s the point of it, of course. To make it a stronger story, to make it better, shinier, to smooth out the rough bits or lop them off entirely if that’s what it takes.
I’ve mentioned before how much I love editing. I get completely absorbed by it. I was asked recently (while waffling away on Twitter as usual) about my editing process and maybe could I do a post on it. And I may–but not this post. I’m in the post-edit phase, where I’m physically and mentally exhausted. I have a massage booked for Thursday because the muscles in my neck and shoulders have tightened into something like wires and can’t seem to remember what relaxing is any more.
And yet, knowing that there are another batch of edits sitting there, waiting to be done, another book world to jump into and play with, it’s sooooooo tempting right now. Looking at them, just lurking in my inbox. They don’t have a deadline so I can take as long as I like to do them, and wait as long as I want until I start them. Before my agent freaks, that’s not going to happen, because that story is calling away to me and I know for a fact I won’t resist very long. (In fact I did the line edits last night… er… yeah, so much for taking a break…)
But this is part of why I love writing. Stories are magic. They pull you in, they absorb you in another world, and they can be really hard to shake off. As my mind is in an editing zone right now, it wants to edit. Simple as that. But right now I need a bit of a recharge and a chance to think about what needs to be done.
Yes, definitely need to do that post on editing process. Although I’m a little concerned about exposing to the world just how crazy I can be.
~~~oOo~~~
And the newsletter: the problem with newsletters right at the mo is there’s not much news – just me being editing-crazy. But I’ll have it out later today. Just be forewarned about the crazy, right? 🙂
Well, I it’s a week after PCon and I’m still recovering! My con report is up on Writing.ie with pictures by Kate Sheehy. Thanks to Elizabeth Murray for inviting us to play on her blog. 🙂 Make sure to visit and read all about it. (zombie fuelled mayhem, one way trips to Mars – what more do you want?)
In the meantime I have my edits back so may be dropping off the face of the earth (a little bit more than usual). So excited about the various changes. It’s getting so much closer!
I will be back soon, I promise.
Almost time for rewrites again and I’m getting myself back into the mindset for May Queen, my YA fantasy coming out next year from Dial Books for Young Readers.
As I’ve said before , music is really import to me. A song can encapsulate a feeling, a moment, and distill it so that even a few bars can bring memories and emotions flooding back. A song helps me key myself back into characters, their flaws and their dreams. Continue reading Musical Musings on May Queen
It’s that time of year again!
Pcon (Phoenix Convention) starts on Friday 4th and runs through to Sunday 6th. It’s always fun, entertaining and just a little bit mad. And chock full of great stuff.
I’m on the following panels*:
Panellists will discuss books they’ve read as adults that they wish they’d read when they were younger.
A discussion on an author’s considerations in planning a reading, tips on the event itself, and ideas on follow-up afterwards.
(Libraryland and Writing life collide!)
The various routes authors have taken to publication
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So if you’re around, pop in. And if you pop in, please say hello! (I typed help three times there. Hope that’s not an omen). Take lots of photos (I’ll hide). And above all have fun.
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*And if I’m not in a panel room, check the bar! 😉