...well, it was on Friday. I kinda missed it. I've been moving house. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
New house is good. Stuff -- and who knew we had so much of it? We move regularly and I'm always amazed by how much bloody STUFF we've got -- stuff is put away, mostly. Pets are relocated. Cat none too happy about having to spend the next few days inside so he won't walk 'home'. I am relaxing, sipping a cold drink, surveying my domain.
And now, I can regale you with the wonderful-ness of my agent, Marlene Stringer of the Stringer Literary Agency.
Marlene does everything an agent's supposed to do. I mean, you'd think that would go without saying, but apparently not. M (like James Bond's M, only better) responded to my manuscript (the first one, and each subsequent) with enthusiasm that made me all starry-eyed and dopey, but also with realistic expectations that made me confident she knows what she's doing.
(Aside: see that tricky thing with the tenses there? Mixing them up in the same sentence? My manuscripts are riddled with this, in some strange effort my brain makes to be 'conversational'. M never complains. She leaves editorial stuff to the editor. Bravo.)
She sold the ms. Again, this tends to go without saying -- people assume that once you have an agent, your first sale is only a matter of time. But it ain't so. Plenty out there take longer to sell, or don't sell at all, and I credit a lot of my good fortune to M's knowledge and tenacity.
And then, she sold more, before the first lot even came out. I'm still not sure how this happened, and I don't care. But I'll give M the credit.
M always answers my questions, even when they're dumb. I send her ideas for wacky books I haven't written yet and she doesn't tell me to get on with the real stuff. She bugs my editor about stuff I'm too chicken to bug her about myself. When I do really dumb stuff with copy edits and waste loads of the publisher's time and get upset, she says, whatever, just send them the corrections and forget about it.
It's just nice to have someone on my side. I mean, the editor is on my side too, because if the books don't sell, she wears it. Same with the marketing people, and the sales people, and everyone else. But M sees the stuff that they don't see.
She sees me whining and worrying and wandering around the house muttering and banging pens on my forehead... well, maybe she doesn't actually see that last one. I try not to lay too much of my necessary creative angst on her. But no doubt she can read my exasperation in my emails -- did I mention we email? Me Australia, she Florida, phone no cheapy. Because of me, M has to spend more of her time typing. She doesn't mind.
The point (yeah, there is one) is that M is my professional makeover. Make-up for the writer. The publisher always sees me fresh and painted, even when I'm dumpy and creased and disorganised underneath. When you look like me (figuratively, of course...) this is priceless.
So far, nothing 'bad' has happened yet in my writing career.
('Bad', of course, is relative, and two hundred fifty thousand tsunami victims don't care if I get a cover I don't like or a copy editor who hates my commas or cover copy that sounds like porn. They certainly don't care about my contracts or royalties or sell-through.)
Still, nothing 'bad' has happened yet. But when it does, I'm confident Marlene will be there to help. And I can't ask more than that.
Thanks to Jen K Blom for alerting me to Agent Appreciation Day. Head over here to see who else is posting... um, posted like two days ago while I was up to my eyeballs in boxes and dust.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
author interview: Terry W Ervin II
It's my pleasure to welcome Terry W Ervin II, author of FLANK HAWK, a post apocalyptic fantasy novel with a difference. And zombies. And dragons. And Nazis. And... well, it's got everything, really.
Terry was kind enough to provide me with an advance copy of his book for review. I really enjoyed it. Here's what I said about it (my first blurb! yay!):
Terry's running a contest at his website where you can win the chance to name a character in his next book. Check it out! And here's a link to Terry's blog.
EH: Tell us a little about Flank Hawk (without giving too much away, of course!)
TWE: Flank Hawk is a post apocalyptic fantasy novel. It’s about a farmhand (Krish) that signs on to fight in his lord’s militia to fend against the Necromancer King’s annual attacks to disrupt crop planting. It turns out to be much more and Krish is swept into events he’d never dreamed of.
I know this may be an easy out, but the teaser on the back of the novel’s cover hits all of the high points:
In the end, it’s a novel about friendship and loyalty, and sacrifice.
EH: There are so many different plot elements – where did the initial idea for this series come from?
TWE: The initial thought that sparked the novel occurred while I was driving home from work in my 1990 Ford Ranger. I was thinking about a few of the books I’d recently read (or more accurately reread), Zelazny’s Guns of Avalon and Harry Turtledove’s World War: In the Balance. One of the main turning points in Guns of Avalon occurs when Prince Corwin finds a way to get gunpowder to function in the magical city of Amber. In the Balance is about an alien invasion during the height of World War II. The disparity in technology between the invaders and humanity is a major element in the novel’s conflict. Then I began to ponder, what would happen if a dragon encountered a World War II aircraft? Okay, maybe one can see how the line of thought formed. From there I began to devise a world where such an encounter could take place.
Then came the people and creatures that would inhabit the world, how it came to be, and the long-running, multilayered power struggle that would come to influence events in the plot that I was devising. Finally, came Krish and Lilly, Roos and Road Toad—the main characters in the novel.
EH: Flank Hawk is an intriguing mixture of fantasy, sci-fi, horror and others – when you started writing, did you start in one particular genre? What made you want to branch out?
TWE: I guess the mixture is what makes it difficult to describe Flank Hawk to potential readers. I knew it was going to be a fantasy novel but with elements of science fiction included, providing the foundation for magic’s existence in the post apocalyptic world. The horror aspect, mainly the zombie hordes that Krish faces, is intensified by the horrors of war. For Krish it’s not distant but rather hand-to-hand combat, sometimes against animated corpses that were once his friends and comrades in arms. Of all the creatures and dangers Krish faces in the novel, he dreads fighting zombies the most. I could say more, but the context of the novel explains it best.
So, I wouldn’t say I branched out. I used and fused different genre elements together to tell the story. The result is a unique mixture and I don’t think there’s anything out there on the shelves exactly like it. But in the end the novel is about the characters with the genre elements providing the texture and backdrop to their story.
EH: The cover is beautiful – did you have any input into the artwork?
TWE: Yes, the artwork is awesome. Christine Griffin (the artist) really brought two of the main characters, Krish and Lilly, to life. In addition, the Stuka and dragon hint at the uniqueness of the story Flank Hawk contains. And yes, I get a lot of questions about an aircraft being in the sky with a dragon.
Back to the question. I had a lot of input on the cover. Christine Griffin had a list of questions about the novel, its content and characters. We exchanged ideas and various covers of other fantasy novels, and then she decided upon the basics of what would be included. Later, she sent a rough sketch, which I thought was right on target. She then requested details about the characters so that they would be consistent with the story. I also sent information about the aircraft and dragons, so that they could be accurately portrayed, and she ran with it, using her skills and talent.
The result speaks for itself.
EH: Tell us about your journey from unpublished writer to getting your first contract – did you sell through an agent? Submit direct to the publisher?
TWE: The first novel I wrote is a science fiction novel. It made it out of the slush pile with one major publishing house, only to have the full manuscript passed on (some would say rejected) about a year later. I tried another major house without success, but with the third, it’s out of the slush pile once again and is sitting an executive editor’s desk, awaiting a decision. And all of this submitting and sitting in slush piles and climbing up the editorial ladder takes time—a lot of time. So, while my science fiction novel was out on submission, I did what all good writers should do: I wrote another novel. Along the way I also completed almost two dozen short stories and articles, most of which found publishers—no major pro markets but they found good homes and earned a me a little money to justify the expenses of ink and paper and the occasional envelope and postage.
Flank Hawk didn’t have much success with the bigger houses. The editors that said to send them my next project after reading my science fiction novel weren’t taken with Flank Hawk, but it did catch the eye of some smaller publishers. It made it out of the slush pile for full reads twice before finally having success on the third jump out of the slush pile. The editors at Gryphonwood Press were intrigued with Flank Hawk, thought it was not only a good story, but one that would sell, and decided to take a chance on me and my novel.
With the discussion of long waits in slush piles, one would rightly assume that Flank Hawk wasn’t submitted through an agent.
EH: Tell us about your writing process –do you plan everything out before hand, or fly into the mist?
TWE: Oh, I plan. Not that everything follows the plan, but I think it’s important to have an idea where a novel should start, where it will end, and major events that get the story from the beginning to the end—minimum. For me it’s like planning out a vacation. You plot out the highways you intend to take, where you’ll stop and visit before moving on, etc. And with any vacation, there are detours, unexpected surprises and stops to see the sights that aren’t exactly what was expected or hoped for—and those photos and stories are omitted from the album.
Having a good plan, I think, helps keep the story consistent. Creating whole worlds and cultures and even devising how magic ‘works’ by the seat of the pants as I write would mean an awful lot of inconsistencies by the end, resulting in a massive amount of revision and rewriting.
EH: I hear there’s a second book planned – can you tell us a bit about that?
TWE: Yes, there is second First Civilization’s Legacy novel in the works. I have the basics of the plot. Where the story will start and how it should end, and most of the plot events along the way. The actual writing, I suspect, will begin in December.
Krish will be back, still serving as Grand Wizard Seelain’s bodyguard, and the Colonel of the West was correct—they’re gonna want that malevolent Blood-Sword back. You might be able to guess who’s asked to go and fetch it. As for the reason—well, that will have to wait to be learned when the next novel comes out, hopefully in 2010.
Oh, and as a final note, I am running a contest for folks to put their name in for a drawing to name a character in the next First Civilization’s Legacy novel.
Terry was kind enough to provide me with an advance copy of his book for review. I really enjoyed it. Here's what I said about it (my first blurb! yay!):
"A curious blend of epic fantasy, modern techno-thriller and non-stop action-adventure, Flank Hawk is a compelling and original tale of a brave young mercenary pitched in deadly magical combat against the undead techno-armies of the Necromancer King.
Whether you like swashbuckling wizardry, fierce dragon battles, modern military hardware or sword-slashing zombie mayhem -- Flank Hawk has it all."
Whether you like swashbuckling wizardry, fierce dragon battles, modern military hardware or sword-slashing zombie mayhem -- Flank Hawk has it all."
Terry's running a contest at his website where you can win the chance to name a character in his next book. Check it out! And here's a link to Terry's blog.
EH: Tell us a little about Flank Hawk (without giving too much away, of course!)
TWE: Flank Hawk is a post apocalyptic fantasy novel. It’s about a farmhand (Krish) that signs on to fight in his lord’s militia to fend against the Necromancer King’s annual attacks to disrupt crop planting. It turns out to be much more and Krish is swept into events he’d never dreamed of.
I know this may be an easy out, but the teaser on the back of the novel’s cover hits all of the high points:
What happens when fire-breathing dragons battle Stukas for aerial supremacy over a battlefield? Can an earth wizard’s magic defeat a panzer? Krish, a farmhand turned mercenary, witnesses this and much more as he confronts the Necromancer King’s new war machines resurrected from before the First Civilization's fall. Worse yet, a wounded prince tasks Krish to find the fabled Colonel of the West and barter the royal family’s malevolent Blood-Sword for a weapon to thwart the Necromancer King’s victory.
Flank Hawk is set in the distant future where magic exists and brutish ogres are more than a child’s nightmare.
Flank Hawk is set in the distant future where magic exists and brutish ogres are more than a child’s nightmare.
In the end, it’s a novel about friendship and loyalty, and sacrifice.
EH: There are so many different plot elements – where did the initial idea for this series come from?
TWE: The initial thought that sparked the novel occurred while I was driving home from work in my 1990 Ford Ranger. I was thinking about a few of the books I’d recently read (or more accurately reread), Zelazny’s Guns of Avalon and Harry Turtledove’s World War: In the Balance. One of the main turning points in Guns of Avalon occurs when Prince Corwin finds a way to get gunpowder to function in the magical city of Amber. In the Balance is about an alien invasion during the height of World War II. The disparity in technology between the invaders and humanity is a major element in the novel’s conflict. Then I began to ponder, what would happen if a dragon encountered a World War II aircraft? Okay, maybe one can see how the line of thought formed. From there I began to devise a world where such an encounter could take place.
Then came the people and creatures that would inhabit the world, how it came to be, and the long-running, multilayered power struggle that would come to influence events in the plot that I was devising. Finally, came Krish and Lilly, Roos and Road Toad—the main characters in the novel.
EH: Flank Hawk is an intriguing mixture of fantasy, sci-fi, horror and others – when you started writing, did you start in one particular genre? What made you want to branch out?
TWE: I guess the mixture is what makes it difficult to describe Flank Hawk to potential readers. I knew it was going to be a fantasy novel but with elements of science fiction included, providing the foundation for magic’s existence in the post apocalyptic world. The horror aspect, mainly the zombie hordes that Krish faces, is intensified by the horrors of war. For Krish it’s not distant but rather hand-to-hand combat, sometimes against animated corpses that were once his friends and comrades in arms. Of all the creatures and dangers Krish faces in the novel, he dreads fighting zombies the most. I could say more, but the context of the novel explains it best.
So, I wouldn’t say I branched out. I used and fused different genre elements together to tell the story. The result is a unique mixture and I don’t think there’s anything out there on the shelves exactly like it. But in the end the novel is about the characters with the genre elements providing the texture and backdrop to their story.
EH: The cover is beautiful – did you have any input into the artwork?
TWE: Yes, the artwork is awesome. Christine Griffin (the artist) really brought two of the main characters, Krish and Lilly, to life. In addition, the Stuka and dragon hint at the uniqueness of the story Flank Hawk contains. And yes, I get a lot of questions about an aircraft being in the sky with a dragon.
Back to the question. I had a lot of input on the cover. Christine Griffin had a list of questions about the novel, its content and characters. We exchanged ideas and various covers of other fantasy novels, and then she decided upon the basics of what would be included. Later, she sent a rough sketch, which I thought was right on target. She then requested details about the characters so that they would be consistent with the story. I also sent information about the aircraft and dragons, so that they could be accurately portrayed, and she ran with it, using her skills and talent.
The result speaks for itself.
EH: Tell us about your journey from unpublished writer to getting your first contract – did you sell through an agent? Submit direct to the publisher?
TWE: The first novel I wrote is a science fiction novel. It made it out of the slush pile with one major publishing house, only to have the full manuscript passed on (some would say rejected) about a year later. I tried another major house without success, but with the third, it’s out of the slush pile once again and is sitting an executive editor’s desk, awaiting a decision. And all of this submitting and sitting in slush piles and climbing up the editorial ladder takes time—a lot of time. So, while my science fiction novel was out on submission, I did what all good writers should do: I wrote another novel. Along the way I also completed almost two dozen short stories and articles, most of which found publishers—no major pro markets but they found good homes and earned a me a little money to justify the expenses of ink and paper and the occasional envelope and postage.
Flank Hawk didn’t have much success with the bigger houses. The editors that said to send them my next project after reading my science fiction novel weren’t taken with Flank Hawk, but it did catch the eye of some smaller publishers. It made it out of the slush pile for full reads twice before finally having success on the third jump out of the slush pile. The editors at Gryphonwood Press were intrigued with Flank Hawk, thought it was not only a good story, but one that would sell, and decided to take a chance on me and my novel.
With the discussion of long waits in slush piles, one would rightly assume that Flank Hawk wasn’t submitted through an agent.
EH: Tell us about your writing process –do you plan everything out before hand, or fly into the mist?
TWE: Oh, I plan. Not that everything follows the plan, but I think it’s important to have an idea where a novel should start, where it will end, and major events that get the story from the beginning to the end—minimum. For me it’s like planning out a vacation. You plot out the highways you intend to take, where you’ll stop and visit before moving on, etc. And with any vacation, there are detours, unexpected surprises and stops to see the sights that aren’t exactly what was expected or hoped for—and those photos and stories are omitted from the album.
Having a good plan, I think, helps keep the story consistent. Creating whole worlds and cultures and even devising how magic ‘works’ by the seat of the pants as I write would mean an awful lot of inconsistencies by the end, resulting in a massive amount of revision and rewriting.
EH: I hear there’s a second book planned – can you tell us a bit about that?
TWE: Yes, there is second First Civilization’s Legacy novel in the works. I have the basics of the plot. Where the story will start and how it should end, and most of the plot events along the way. The actual writing, I suspect, will begin in December.
Krish will be back, still serving as Grand Wizard Seelain’s bodyguard, and the Colonel of the West was correct—they’re gonna want that malevolent Blood-Sword back. You might be able to guess who’s asked to go and fetch it. As for the reason—well, that will have to wait to be learned when the next novel comes out, hopefully in 2010.
Oh, and as a final note, I am running a contest for folks to put their name in for a drawing to name a character in the next First Civilization’s Legacy novel.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
finished...
FInally, after three months and twenty-seven days (count 'em) SHADOWSONG is finished!!
For the moment. Until my agent says 'ew!' or I get editor's revisions or someone makes me change my mind about the whole snakylicious thing.
I love this manuscript so much more than I thought I would, a month and a half ago when I was writing act two and hating it. The solution was simple, in the end -- one of the villains just wasn't dangerous enough to warrant the kind of contortions the MCs were going through.
So I fixed it, and now it's kinda awesome :) if I may say so myself. When all else fails, make your villain more psychotic. Or add zombies. But we'll save that for another book.
What's it about, you say? Oh, well, since you ask. It's about a banshee gangster hunting for revenge on her mother's killer. Add a ravenous newly-infected vampire, a rusty mad metalfairy and a snake-shifting hero. Oh, my. This guy is one of my favourites.
I don't have a release date yet, but I'm anticipating Fall 2010.
RIght. {dusts hands} that's that done. Now for book #4, as yet untitled, unplotted and pretty much entirely un-thought-about :)
For the moment. Until my agent says 'ew!' or I get editor's revisions or someone makes me change my mind about the whole snakylicious thing.
I love this manuscript so much more than I thought I would, a month and a half ago when I was writing act two and hating it. The solution was simple, in the end -- one of the villains just wasn't dangerous enough to warrant the kind of contortions the MCs were going through.
So I fixed it, and now it's kinda awesome :) if I may say so myself. When all else fails, make your villain more psychotic. Or add zombies. But we'll save that for another book.
What's it about, you say? Oh, well, since you ask. It's about a banshee gangster hunting for revenge on her mother's killer. Add a ravenous newly-infected vampire, a rusty mad metalfairy and a snake-shifting hero. Oh, my. This guy is one of my favourites.
I don't have a release date yet, but I'm anticipating Fall 2010.
RIght. {dusts hands} that's that done. Now for book #4, as yet untitled, unplotted and pretty much entirely un-thought-about :)
Friday, October 23, 2009
i say again...
Just a reminder that my big shiny interview/chat/prize giveaway party is on today and tomorrow at the fabulous Bitten By Books!
Drop by, say hi or ask me the tough questions for a chance to win some shiny iPod goodness. It's open until midnight Thursday 22 Oct, Pacific time in the US.
Drop by, say hi or ask me the tough questions for a chance to win some shiny iPod goodness. It's open until midnight Thursday 22 Oct, Pacific time in the US.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
ze manuscript, she is finished
Yay! Three months and countless interruptions later, SHADOWSONG finally reaches THE END. I wrote 9,000 words in two days to finish it, which is a lot for me.
I've still got a few weeks before I need to give it in to my editor, so revisions are very much on the cards. But nothing serious. This story is on its way to being awesome, if I may say so myself. Most definitely on the Awesome Train. I love revenge stories. I love banshees. And I love the hero, who's just far too snaky for his own good :)
In the meantime, some party goodness. I'm doing (yes, another!) book giveaway at The Romantic Journey this week. Come along and pick your best urban fantasy/PR first lines.
There's an interview with me at author Christina Phillips' blog, where I harp on about call stories and light bulb moments and suchlike.
And, I'm at Bitten By Books on Wednesday 21 October, chatting about succubi and demons and other urban fantasy goodness:
And to bribe you all into turning up -- and because that's just the kind of generous soul I am -- I'm giving away a nice shiny prize. And it isn't a book. Though you might be able to read books on it. Get along and RSVP to find out what it is, and to get loads more entries to the contest.
And now, I get the day off :)
I've still got a few weeks before I need to give it in to my editor, so revisions are very much on the cards. But nothing serious. This story is on its way to being awesome, if I may say so myself. Most definitely on the Awesome Train. I love revenge stories. I love banshees. And I love the hero, who's just far too snaky for his own good :)
In the meantime, some party goodness. I'm doing (yes, another!) book giveaway at The Romantic Journey this week. Come along and pick your best urban fantasy/PR first lines.
There's an interview with me at author Christina Phillips' blog, where I harp on about call stories and light bulb moments and suchlike.
And, I'm at Bitten By Books on Wednesday 21 October, chatting about succubi and demons and other urban fantasy goodness:
And now, I get the day off :)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
happy release day to me
Well, it had to happen.
Today, my debut novel SHADOWFAE hits the shelves (crash!). I'm weird. I'm giggly. I'm kinda stoked.
And, I'm doing giveaways, of course. Drop a comment on my guest posts, maybe win a book. You know the drill. Here's a few quick links to this week's free book mayhem:
At Literary Escapism, I'm blogging about paranormal powers and why they're so cool.
At VampChix, it's evil vampires and why they're so cool.
SciFiGuy has a thoughtful review (thanks, Doug!) and my post on why I think my urban fantasy world is so cool.
And here's an interview with me by Angela at Dark Faerie Tales.
More to come later in the week.
I have had such a nice day :)
EDIT: Oh, I forgot Writers Gone Wild. Paranormal heroes, and why they're so cool. Or hot.
That's five free books, folks. Someone out there's gotta get lucky :)
Today, my debut novel SHADOWFAE hits the shelves (crash!). I'm weird. I'm giggly. I'm kinda stoked.
And, I'm doing giveaways, of course. Drop a comment on my guest posts, maybe win a book. You know the drill. Here's a few quick links to this week's free book mayhem:
At Literary Escapism, I'm blogging about paranormal powers and why they're so cool.
At VampChix, it's evil vampires and why they're so cool.
SciFiGuy has a thoughtful review (thanks, Doug!) and my post on why I think my urban fantasy world is so cool.
And here's an interview with me by Angela at Dark Faerie Tales.
More to come later in the week.
I have had such a nice day :)
EDIT: Oh, I forgot Writers Gone Wild. Paranormal heroes, and why they're so cool. Or hot.
That's five free books, folks. Someone out there's gotta get lucky :)
Friday, October 9, 2009
let's have it out, then
It's come to my attention that some of you have just got it all wrong.
You know what I'm talking about, okay? Don't pretend you're innocent.
Apparently (can you believe it??) there are some Dean fans out there.
I mean, really? To all you poor deluded souls, I merely say this:
You wanna make something of it? Fine. Come on over to The Romantic Journey, where I'm blogging about the important stuff :) and we can duke it out.
Oh, and I'm also at Literary Escapism, where until October 13 they're giving away a copy of SHADOWFAE. Pop on over and tell me which paranormal power you'd take on for a day.
Sigh. I shake my head. Dean. Some people.
You know what I'm talking about, okay? Don't pretend you're innocent.
Apparently (can you believe it??) there are some Dean fans out there.
I mean, really? To all you poor deluded souls, I merely say this:
Oh, and I'm also at Literary Escapism, where until October 13 they're giving away a copy of SHADOWFAE. Pop on over and tell me which paranormal power you'd take on for a day.
Sigh. I shake my head. Dean. Some people.
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