How I signed with Turquoise Morning Press (aka ‘they’re pitching woo!’)
Posted: May 12, 2013 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy | Tags: Isla's Inheritance, small presses, Turquoise Morning Press 12 CommentsFor those of you that haven’t heard my exciting news, I’ve signed with Turquoise Morning Press for the release of my debut novel, ISLA’S INHERITANCE. To say I’m thrilled is the understatement of the century—and I say this knowing the century’s barely gotten started. ALL OF THE SQUEES WILL BE MINE!
So here’s my story.
If you’ve been reading my blog over the past month you’ll know I’d pretty much given up on an agent showering me with love and chocolate. I’d stopped sending out new queries and, as at a fortnight ago, only two agents were yet to reply to outstanding queries. One of the two had my full manuscript, so there was a shred of hope remaining, and I was holding off really hitting the small press market till I heard back from her.
Except one particular small press had a Twitter pitch party back in March. I figured what the hell and entered. They requested my first three chapters and then, a few days later, the full manuscript. And then I waited. And waited.
Waiting, gentle reader, drives me NUTTY BANANAS!
About six weeks later, I lost my nerve and sent my query out to two more small presses. One of them requested the full MS at the query stage (this was TMP), the other just the first pages. Three days after that, I heard back from the original small press. It was an offer of publication. OMGOMGOMG!
Trying to be polite, I emailed the agent with my full and asked her to get back to me within a week. (She replied saying she would.) And I emailed the two other small presses, withdrawing my book from consideration. I mean, they’d had it three days—there was no way they’d have made it off the slush pile, right?
Wrong.
I got an email from the YA editor at TMP almost immediately, asking if I’d signed anything yet. I told her I hadn’t, and that I was waiting a week. She then offered me a contract.
Image belongs to Disney’s “Chicken Little” (a highly underrated kids movie, btw)
There was squealing and jumping up and down. I couldn’t believe, after all of the “NO” I’d been getting from agents, I’d finally got not one but two lots of “YES”. AT ONCE! That’s more yes than I’d ever had! Willow describes it best.
Willow: “They’re wooing me. They’re pitching woo.”
Buffy: “The wooing stage is always fun.”
Willow: “Rejection I can handle ‘cause of the years of training, but this…”
At the end of the week I heard back from the agent, as she’d promised. She said that she liked what she’d read so far (yay!) but that she hadn’t had time to finish reading the MS, and she didn’t want me to sit around and wait for her when there was an offer on the table, so she was going to pass. I respect that.
So, trying to decide between these two small presses was one of the harder decisions I’ve ever made in my life, let me tell you. They were both offering excellent—but slightly different—contracts, and they both have great teams. It came down to weighing up the two contracts and deciding what I wanted more. I’ll try and put a blog post together later about the factors I considered, in case it will be helpful to anyone else.
In the end, I obviously chose Turquoise Morning Press. But I would have been happy with either press, and I feel very blessed that while my agent query journey was long and unfruitful, my press query journey was mercifully short, and put me out of my misery!
There are some people I need to thank, because this is after all the Oscars my blog. To my alpha reader, Peter, for all his support and for making fun of me when I freak out; to my beta readers, Mikey, Ali and Blue, for their invaluable feedback; to my Aussie Owned ladies, especially Stacey and Katie, for holding my hand this last fortnight and patting it gently so I didn’t faint; to Kim and Krystal for humouring me when I designed my fake cover; to Cass for making me think I could actually do it; to all my tweeps on Twitter and Facebook for the moral support: THANK YOU! Thank you a thousand times over! Mwah!
The genre dilemma: urban-paranormal-fantasy? Para-urban-tasy?
Posted: April 30, 2013 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy, On writing | Tags: genre, Isla's Inheritance, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, writing 2 CommentsI commented a little while ago that ISLA’S INHERITANCE, my first novel, is either urban fantasy or paranormal fiction, depending how you look at it. I usually call it urban fantasy. On the off chance a clearer answer is actually out there, I decided to go to that font of everything: Wikipedia.
Wiki defines urban fantasy as follows:
“Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods, as well as fictional settings. The prerequisite is that they must be primarily set in a city.”
First sentence: check. Second and third sentences: check. Fourth sentence: … uh. Sort of.
It is set in a city. But the city is Canberra, which isn’t known as the bush capital for nothing. It’s a sprawling place with a population of several hundred thousand, and a lot of parks, reserves and other pockets of nature within it. For a story about modern-day faeries with an iron allergy, it’s pretty much the perfect setting.
But is it an urban city, in the sense people mean? No, not really. We don’t have a subway (or rail!) or lots of high rise buildings. New York it ain’t. Sydney it ain’t. Also, most of my scenes are set in the suburbs. I asked an agent on Twitter if that was okay, and got a resounding no. They quipped that it would have to be suburban fantasy.
Uh oh.
Okay, let’s look at paranormal then.
Uh oh again.
It seems that paranormal is only actually defined as a subcategory of romance, called (funnily enough) paranormal romance.
“Paranormal romance is a sub-genre of the romance novel. A type of speculative fiction, paranormal romance focuses on romance and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, blending together themes from the genres of traditional fantasy, science fiction or horror. Common hallmarks are romantic relationships between humans and vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, and other entities of a fantastic or otherworldly nature.”
My book has a romantic element, but that element isn’t the focus of the story. And it’s something that develops over a longer arc than is typical in your paranormal romance novels, where usually the characters lust after each other from pretty early on.
Of the two genres, I think my decision to call Isla’s Inheritance urban fantasy is right, because it has more of the hallmarks of that genre. For example, this one: “While several adult stories focus on professional heroes, many teen urban fantasy novels follow inexperienced protagonists who are unexpectedly drawn into paranormal struggles. Amidst these conflicts, characters often gain allies, find romance, and, in some cases, develop or discover supernatural abilities of their own.”
Have you struggled to categorise your work? How did you resolve it?
Inspired by cover art
Posted: April 25, 2013 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy, On writing | Tags: book covers, Isla's Inheritance, self-publishing, Thursdays Children 14 Comments
As I’ve previously established, I love looking at gorgeous cover art. And as I’ve also recently established, I’m coming to the end of my agent query ride on ISLA’S INHERITANCE. But that doesn’t mean the end of the ride for the manuscript, just that it’s time to consider my options for unagented publication.
So. I like to think ahead. I like to look at cover art produced by different small presses, and at indie books’ cover art, and imagine what sort of art I might have on Isla’s Inheritance. And I have a couple of very talented friends, who’ve helped me put together a draft cover.
My very talented friend, Krystal, is a photographer, and although she usually does outdoor shots with children she was happy to do a photoshoot with a gorgeous model, and send me the images. My other very talented friend, Kim, is an indie author who designs covers, so when I sent her a manipulated version of the cover (complete with cheesy font and plain background) she very politely told me what I was doing wrong and helped me come up with something a thousand times better.
Unfortunately it’s too early for me to share the cover with you, even though I’m bursting with enthusiasm about it and want to show everyone. Partly because there’s no guarantee if I publish with any publishing house that I’ll be able to use it as my cover, although in that case I’ll turn it into art for the blog. And partly because cover reveals are actually a big deal in the promotional cycle of a book (as you may have noticed from the recent cover reveals I’ve been posting), which requires me to have an impending release to promote.
But I’ve saved it as my desktop wallpaper. And sometimes I sit and look at it, and it gives me ALL THE FEELS! So even if no one ever sees it but Krystal, Kim, me and my boyfriend (when he uses my computer), it was worth the time I spent on it.
This isn’t the cover, but it is the title with the image removed. ALL THE FEELS.
Click here to see this week’s other Thursday’s Children blog posts.
Musings from the query rollercoaster
Posted: April 17, 2013 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy | Tags: agents, Isla's Inheritance, queries 14 CommentsAs my regular reader knows, I’ve been querying my first manuscript, ISLA’S INHERITANCE, for about six-to-nine months. I’ve blogged about my generic strategy for querying before.
You’ll notice the first of the items in my strategy is from the Miss Snark playbook: exclusives stink. I noted that one of the benefits of having a lot of queries out at once is that a single rejection seems smaller. Think about it: if you’ve got ten queries out there and one agent says no, then the ratio of “no” to “possible yes” is 1:9 in your favour. Those are pretty good odds.
I don’t blog about the actual details of querying—who has my query, who said no, who has a partial or a full—because there are some things a writer just shouldn’t share with the (largely indifferent) masses. How many agents or publishers have already said no is one of those things; do I really want to advertise to a potential agent that a number of other agents passed? Especially if it’s a big number?
(As an aside, thoughts on individual rejections—especially if they tend toward vitriol—are another, and top of the list of things not to blog about. Not that I have any vitriol to vent, mind you; the rejections I’ve received have generally been very polite form letters. Sometimes I’ve gotten nice individual feedback, including from an intern who said she was sure I was getting lots of offers. Bless her and her wishful thinking; do you think I should send chocolate?)
However, I think I can say without oversharing that I’ve had a little bit of trouble finding a home for Isla and her friends. I like to imagine it’s not because of the writing—although I may be deluded on that score; every parent thinks their child is the most beautiful and talented, right? I had some problems getting the pacing at the start of the book right, but my beta readers have helped me with that and I think I’ve more-or-less nailed it now. (Again, I may be deluded.)
No, I’m pretty sure my biggest problem is that my book falls somewhere between urban fantasy and paranormal fiction, depending how you look at it. And it seems the big publishing houses aren’t that wild about urban fantasy or paranormal fiction right now. So agents aren’t that wild about it either, because if they can’t sell it to a decent-sized publishing house, what’s the point for them? I’m not judging, mind you; it’s just a financial reality.
I haven’t quite given up hope on getting an agent. I still have faith in Isla’s story, across the first book and the sequel both. But I’ve stopped sending out new agent queries. The last batch that are out there is my last.
Writers’ nervous habits: a case study
This decision means my number of queries in the field has dropped below the magical ten that were keeping me sane. My ratio doesn’t look as cheery anymore. Suddenly I’ve developed a number of nervous habits, mostly around checking my email inbox and spam folder every twenty minutes. I can’t bear not hearing anything. I can’t bear it! Obviously I want to receive a “yes, I love it; here is a purse of monies”, but at this point I’d be satisfied with a “not for us, thanks”, just so I know!
Any tips for me, so I don’t pull all my hair out before my next birthday? (Which is tomorrow, by the way, so yes, it’s serious!)
Miss Snark’s First Victim’s entrant number 14…
Posted: January 17, 2013 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy | Tags: agents, contests, Isla's Inheritance, writing 3 CommentsI realise that blog title is cryptic if you don’t know what I’m talking about, but I love it. The multiple possessive apostrophes! The abstract poetry! It’s like a line of random gibberish being used as a secret password in a dusty basement somewhere.
Ok, maybe that’s just me…
Anyway, as previously mentioned I got chosen by the random number generator gods as an entrant in the Miss Snark’s First Victim Secret Agent contest for January. The main goal is to get feedback on the first 250 words of my manuscript. The other is for the Secret Agent (whoever he or she is) to come past, fall in love, and ask to see MOAR WORDZ! But, you know, feedback is good too. :p
The entries went up today; you can find mine here. Feel free to check it out.
My next project
Posted: January 5, 2013 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy, On writing | Tags: fantasy novel, Isla's Inheritance, Lucid Dreaming, urban fantasy, writing 7 CommentsNow I’ve finished Book Two (the as-yet-unnamed sequel to “Isla’s Inheritance”) I’ve decided to write something different. I do intend to also write Book Three—the series was always envisaged as a trilogy—but, for several reasons I won’t bore you with, I thought a break might be a good idea.
My dilemma is I have two different story ideas.
One is a fantasy novel. I have the main characters, most of a plot, and the beginnings of a setting. I also have the resources available to research the rest of the setting. I think it could be awesome.
The other is an urban fantasy. I only have the main character. It’s a cool concept, and one that isn’t too overdone (I think! Or hope!). The plot would make or break the idea.
Common sense is telling me to write the fantasy novel, purely because it’s more developed. But urban fantasy is my favourite genre. And I am terrified of complex world-building. I’ve never done it before, and you can’t write a fantasy novel without it.
Terrified, I say!
I’m leaning toward the fantasy novel because it scares me more, and maybe that’s a good thing. I should challenge myself and not chicken out and write something similar to the two books I’ve done so far.
If you have any thoughts I’d be grateful, but this post is really a whinge because I hear that’s what blogs are for. 😉
Emo Doctor Who is emo. Like me. Wah!
The Next Big Thing blog hop (aka tag, I’m it)
Posted: January 2, 2013 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy | Tags: blog hop, Isla's Inheritance, urban fantasy, young adult 4 CommentsThe lovely Katie tagged me about three weeks ago to participate in a blog hop (I’ve since also been tagged by Ruth). If you’ve never seen a blog hop before, the premise seems to be that one theme unites a bunch of posts by different bloggers, with the aim of drawing people to new blogs they otherwise might not see. Like a giant pyramid scheme: you’re tagged by one person and tag five more. But without the requirement that you send me cash! (Unless you want to. Oh, go on! Please send me cash!)
The thing is, Katie tagged me before I even had a blog. So here I am. Better (fashionably) late than never, right?
I always was a little slow.
So here are my ten questions:
What is the working title of your book?
Isla’s Inheritance.
The sequel is currently going under the sexy title of “Book Two”. What can I say—I suck at naming things.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Psychic vampires. You know the ones: they feed on your BRAINWAVES! Like zombies, but with less mess. There aren’t actually any vampires in my book, psychic or otherwise … but that’s where the idea came from. Then I added in faeries to the pot, and stirred.
What genre does your book fall under?
Young adult urban fantasy. I’ve had at least one person describe it as paranormal—I have a scene with a ouija board. But there are more faeries.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
This is far and away the hardest question of the ten. Especially since I rarely watch movies, so I have no idea who the current crop of young actors are. So here are some older actors. Imagine them younger. :p
Isla – Emma Watson
Sarah – Molly C Quinn
Dominic – David Tennant
Jack – Jamie Campbell Bower
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When Isla discovers her mother is an aosidhe—one of the fae ruling class—she must come to terms with her father’s deception and her own, sinister new abilities in order to save him.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Represented by an agency. If the stars align and I can find that agent that loves me and hugs me and calls me George. Or Cassandra. Or even just offers to represent me. I’m not that fussy. And the hugging might be a bit weird.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I had the first ~10k words sitting there for years. Once I actually sat down and picked it up again, it took me about twelve months (give or take) to finish. Another six to edit, including getting feedback from beta readers.
Book Two took me about eight months to draft from scratch. I’m getting faster!
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
It’s a supernatural coming of age tale. I didn’t write it with a particular book in mind or anything, but I’m sure there are others out there.
I gather that Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey books have a half-human teenage girl as the main character. But I haven’t read them. I will eventually—I really should—but I heard of them when I was partway through drafting Isla’s Inheritance and I thought if I read them I’d only see whatever similarities there were and lose hope. And maintaining the momentum can be tricky enough as it is, especially for the first book, when you’re full of self-doubt and haven’t yet proven to yourself that you can do it.
That being said, I’ve read the basic premise and, other than the main characters’ genetics, I think my books have very little in common with Kagawa’s. Maybe I’ll add reading the first one to my list of resolutions for next year.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I’ve always loved urban fantasy; it’s my favourite genre. Of course, I didn’t used to know that was what the genre was called. I used to call them “novels that are set in the real world, but with a supernatural element”. I told you I suck at naming things!
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It’s set in Australia. Isla’s father moved here from England in order to avoid the consequences of the actions that led to Isla’s birth … which I won’t elaborate on here. (Spoilers!)
And I tag…
I’m meant to tag five other blogger writers for this, but I’ve been nosing around and it seems the ones I thought might be interested have already done it. I really am late to the party… Anyway, if you’re interested, let me know in the comments (with a link to your blog) and I’ll edit you in! 🙂
What to do after you finish your manuscript.
Posted: December 29, 2012 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy, On writing | Tags: agents, editing, Isla's Inheritance, writing 6 CommentsI finished my second manuscript last night. I’ve still got to incorporate a couple of things: nuances I missed in the mad rush for the finish. But once that’s done, the drafting stage of the unnamed book I’ve been calling Book Two (yes, I’m a creative genius) will be complete.
You may be thinking—especially seeing I’m an editor by trade—that I’d be jumping straight into editing it. And I’m keen, believe me. I have all the crazy momentum of the last few weeks of writing, the urge to be doing, boiling away in my brain. But that would be a really, really bad idea. So if you’re in the same boat as me, this is my advice to you (imagine me shouting this through a megaphone in a hostage situation):
Put the manuscript down. Back AWAY from the manuscript!
When you first finish writing anything—novel, short story, article, shopping list—you are too close to see it objectively. There are a few tricks to let you review it more impartially. Some people suggest changing the font so you’re looking at it differently to how you saw it during drafting—this works for me when I preview the final version of a blog post, so it ought to work for a novel too. (It probably won’t work for a shopping list, unless you draft those electronically.)
I personally like to print my manuscript and edit in hard copy. Transcribing edits back into the soft copy is a bitch, but it’s worth it.
However, the best thing you can give yourself is time.
When I finished Book One (now called ISLA’S INHERITANCE), I made myself wait a full month before I opened it again. The only thing I let myself do was a spellcheck and some formatting. That’s it. But I didn’t waste that intervening period.
I read an agent’s blog. There are quite a few out there, but the one I chose was Miss Snark. The blog has been dark since 2007, but the archives are available and they are pure gold, my friend. They stopped me from making rookie mistakes when I eventually started querying agents. No, my mistakes (and I have made them) have been unique and individual ones!
This time, I’m thinking about pulling out Stephen King’s On Writing, which is one of the best books on the subject out there. I’ll reread it, see what lazy habits I developed in the drafting stage so I’m ready to go when I start editing. Also, while Book Two was a sequel to ISLA’S INHERITANCE—and I do have the beginnings of Book Three bubbling away in my subconscious (I’d always planned a trilogy)—I’ve also got an idea for a completely different book, which requires world-building and research. So I’ll work on that too.
As you can see, I won’t be wasting all that energy and forward momentum. I’ll just be using it in different ways.
Cassandra Page 