Category Archives: Writing Life

Life Happens

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Real life that is.

So yesterday my superagent Colleen Lindsay announced that she was leaving us for a flightless bird taking a super new job with Penguin and I got lots and lots of messages from my lovely friends to find out what was happening to her clients. You’re all wonderful and thoughtful but everything is under control.

I am now represented by another superagent from FinePrint (she has a cape and everything, perhaps even a sparkly tiara) Suzie Townsend.

So all is well and I am happy and not doing my famous headless chicken impression AT ALL. *

Our relationship with our agents and our editors is a surprisingly close one. We create things together and that makes people feel close. It’s a wonderful feeling, if you ask me. I’ve been fortunate to work with fantastic people who have moved on to other jobs in my writing life, and in my day-job life. It’s part of the rhythm of things I think. I miss working with them, but they aren’t “gone“. They are still my friends and we are still in touch. (I love Twitter SO MUCH! But that’s because I’m lazy.) I love seeing my friends do well. It’s a good thing.

I feel really lucky to have worked with Colleen. I’m desperately jealous of anyone who gets to work with her in the future. She loves May Queen almost as much as I do and while a book deal might have happened, it wouldn’t have been this one. And my book wouldn’t have been the book it is now, or the book it will become (because we all know a book isn’t finished until its finally subbed for printing 😉 )

I’m also really excited about working with Suzie because… omg, just go and google her! 😀

I finished the first draft of Graffiti Angel last night. It’s rough and ready but I think it basically hangs together well. The people with the wip-whips (those friends who read my books piecemeal and keep me writing by various forms of threats and nagging) seem to like it which is very promising.

And of course I forgot to save it to drop box so its sitting on my laptop and I’m deeply paranoid I didn’t save the end properly and will have to write it again.

And there’s no one at home right now to check.

And I can’t drive home and check because my car is in the garage for repairs.

And my husband is in a playground which my children refuse to leave.

And.. and… and…

*deep breath*

Yeah, you don’t envy Suzie now, do you?

~~~oOo~~~

*not about that, anyway.

I am still here, I swear it

Out and About, travels, WIP, Writing Craft, Writing Life,

Although I am recovering from a weekend trip to Sligo to see Leonard Cohen play in the grounds of Lissadell house. It was a trip in honour of my best friend’s birthday (a significant one) and so we went all out. We flew to Sligo (my first ever domestic Irish flight). Sligo is the dinkiest airport I’ve ever been too (yes, even dinkier than Plymouth!) It has a range of amenites including a bar, toilets and a bar but only before the departure “gate”. It also has the opening hours on the front door. It is AWESOME! Continue reading I am still here, I swear it →

Better late than never – RNA Conference 2010 post

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Better late than never in so many ways. First of all it has taken me all week to get around to posting this. Secondly WHY have I not been going to this coference for years???

I am, as with most writers, not the most extroverted of individuals. Never really had been, although I can do a good impression when I need to. I was determined to make it to my first RNA conference this year and I am so glad that I did. Had a bit of a stressy trip out to the airport between a late bus and heavy traffic, and a bit of a stressy time at the drop-off-your-bags points when I found a large group of Japanese tourists had arrived just before me and proceeded to re-pack their luggage in the queue! But Air France/City Jet were wonderful and the flight itself was a dream. When the air hostess asked if I wanted a drink I had a budget airline flashback and just asked for water, only to realise too late they were giving out wine as well. And sandwiches. And boiled sweets for take off (a trip back to childhood). And chocolates just before landing.

I should warn you, food will probably be a theme of this post.

The DLR was also wonderful and in no time at all I arrived at our accomodation in Greenwich. Yes, it was like being a student again. There was a party going on as I arrived and my lovely flatmates were drinking wine out of plastic cups. That didn’t stop the hugs and warm greetings.

Another theme of this post will be the friendliness and fun-filled nature of everyone I met at the conference. I couldn’t have asked for a better gang to hang around with than the ladies of flat 20, but everywhere we went people chatted, exchanged ideas, joked and generally had a wonderful time.

Continue reading Better late than never – RNA Conference 2010 post →

When Plotbunnies attack

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Plotbunny: A tempting idea for a story that hares off into strange territory upon pursuit. Known for breeding rapidly and dividing a writer’s attention to the point of achieving nothing at all. (unword.com)

I think we all know the scene. We’re working away, dutifully writing our current WIP, enjoying the character development, the fight scenes and the build towards a showdown between the forces of good and evil (or the showdown between dog and cat for that matter – it’s your story). Maybe you take a break, listen to some music or read a book.

BLAM!

“What ifs?” explode all over your brain. The entire plot for a new book arrives in a blinding vision of glory. Characters start yabbering away inside your head, telling you everything their life story and all the intricacies of their conflicts with each other.

And it won’t. Go. AWAY!

The plotbunnies have got you. aka Teh Shiney! Continue reading When Plotbunnies attack →

Question time: Your mileage may vary

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My LJ friend bogwitch64 (Terri-Lynne DeFino) asked me a question the other day so I thought I would blog about it in response.

“You published quite a few books with Samhain (unagented?) before landing your current agent–is there a difference in the way you write? In what you write?”

Yes, I was unagented when I subbed to Samhain and then signed with Colleen late last year. This is my experience, and what I’ve found on my journey so far. Your mileage, as they say, may vary. This is basically what happened: Continue reading Question time: Your mileage may vary →

Musings on Peter Pan

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A friend gave me a copy of “Peter Pan in Scarlet” by Geraldine McCaughrean yesterday. It’s one of those books I’ve toyed with the idea of reading, but something has always stopped me. I started it last night and so far I’m really enjoying it. Really. Such a pleasant surprise.

It got me thinking about a number of things, however. Why was I reluctant to read this book? A number of reasons I suppose, chief among them being the fact that I love Peter Pan. LOVE. Almost as much as I love Robin Hood (I’m also strangely reluctant to see the new Robin Hood film). And in my love of Peter Pan I’m reluctant to see that character mangled. Again.

If you haven’t read Barrie’s Peter Pan, (or Peter Pan and Wendy) you should. Not that I am a purist but Peter embodies something about childhood, youth and the wild that I think gets missed in most of the interpretations. You see, Peter, while a hero, a marvellous boy, a dazzling exciting friend, is not a very safe person to be around. And that makes adults very uncomfortable.

Peter is dangerous because Peter has no concept of death. Nor of injury or disaster. Peter can’t conceive of anything “bad” happening because it doesn’t happen to him. Ever. “To die would be an awfully big adventure” he says. And that is that. Prepared with these words, assured of his own continued existence even beyond death (because nothing, not even death, can destroy Peter), he puts fear aside. And of course survives.

Wendy and the boys can’t continue on like this, as we are reminded right from the outset “all children grow up, except one”. Peter will rescus them, no doubt about that, but only to drop them into greater peril  the next moment. Continue reading Musings on Peter Pan →

Research and symbolism on the doorstep

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(Hells bells this turned into a long post. Sorry in advance!)

On our long walk the other weekend I came across a hawthorn in bloom, growing beside an oak with new leaves, over what appeared to be an old well. A raft of symbolism, right there on my doorstep, all tying into the novel I’ve just finished rewrites on – May Queen – and its sequel which I have been researching – Forest King.

I had to share the picture. Oak and hawthorn are representative of my two main characters, and the story is drawn from the folklore of the British Isles so much of which revolves around trees.

Chatting on twitter the other day, I mentioned process and that maybe I would write up a blogpost on it. So this is that blogpost. And the pretty picture… ah well, that’s part of the process too. All will become clear – or more confused. We shall see.

Continue reading Research and symbolism on the doorstep →

Musical inspiration

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In the absense of anything much to say 😉

I’m working on a YA urban fantasy with an Irish setting. Can you tell?

I’m also using The Call, but can’t embed that. It’s well worth a watch though. There are a number of songs informing this story – from Celtic Woman to Green Day.

I love using music as a basis for stories. Sometimes, as I think I’ve mentioned before, the right song comes along at the beginning, and sometimes its later on when the story is formed but not yet complete. Music acts as the soul of many of the tales I tell. It adds that extra layer and draws everything together. Songs filter through everything I write.

So I like to share them from time to time.

Enjoy.